Good for the climate, good for congestion, for air quality, for safety. for convenience
Free frequent public transport. It's the future.
Could Wellington follow Luxembourg's lead and make public transport free?
Ben Strang – Stuff, May 14 2022
Imagine rushing out of the house in the morning, toast in one hand, briefcase in the other, and arriving at the bus stop. Your wallet is sitting on the kitchen counter. This could be a disaster.
But then the bus arrives. No need for a Snapper card or cash to pay. The service is free.
That’s been the situation for people in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, for almost a decade now…..
Why can't we do this in Auckland as well. I have sensed a lot of resistance to this idea in Auckland. But maybe we could do it piecemeal, starting with the Northern Busway.
If it is a runaway success, which I expect it will be, we could finally realise the dream of reserving one lane of the Auckland Harbour Bridge for cyclists and walkers.
From there we could roll out the concept, to other main thoroughfares.
Less cars, less congestion, more room for dedicated cycleways.
On a day too windy or wet for cycling just go by bus.
Cost isn't really a significant barrier for use of the Auckland busway.
The barriers are:
* Getting to the busway (i.e. feeder buses) which mean a 2 stage trip (getting on and off buses is a barrier – as is the limited timetable for the feeder buses). NB: this is a real barrier if you work non-standard hours (or part time) – the timetable is heavily reduced outside rush-hour.
Flexibility. Many people don't just go to work and back home again – there are detours to collect children, etc.
Time. The busway part is quick and reliable (at least during rush hour); the feeder routes (potentially at either end) are not. Which is why so many busway (and bus users in general) park and ride. [My street is filled by 8am with people parking and catching a bus to the city]
In addition:
Lots of Auckland people aren't going to the CBD (especially with the hollowing out post Covid and with the CRL disruptions). The majority of cars going over the AHB are not exiting in the CBD.
I'm not opposed to 'free' PT (though it just means that we pay for it in rates/taxes — TANSTAAFL), but it's not going to (in Auckland at least) lead to the substantial car reduction you're hoping for and consequent freeing up of a lane on the AHB.
Almost all of the bus routes in Auckland are subsidised (prior to the half-price initiative- which makes all of them subsidised).
Pretty much only the CBD routes have the heavy patronage to be cost-effective for the bus companies to run. All of the others are subsidised by AT to operate – which is why you see full-size empty buses running throughout the day.
Every time I see another ghost bus, I think… there's got to be a better way. Subsidized uber trips? Mini-buses? EV tuk-tuks?
Clearly there should be a move to free (or almost free) bus rides to encourage as many cars off the road, but sticking a hundred bucks on regional rate bills so companies can reluctantly pay the drivers the living wage while they make a shit load of money, is certainly not an equitable way of doing things.
On the same model as electric scooters, but council owned?
Even better if they can be called up to drive themselves to where they are required.
Outside of the main routes in Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch,, and a few either side of commuting times in provincial towns like Whangarei. Buses run mostly empty.
Looks like a highly speculative kite, flown by a commercial interest – which will sink without a trace, after the mandatory headlines and comments from the chatterati (time for Bob Harvey to zip the lip)
Chances of getting resource consent for pylons across the Waitemata are somewhere between fat and slim!
What is speculative about a proven mode of transport that is suspended in the air, i.e. not in the way of other traffic, not taking up space, and relatively energy efficient, for example? Weren’t you suggesting ubers or tuk-tuks?
Underfunding and deliberately balling up publically run services, so management can profit from privatisation, has been a constant feature of public services since the 1980's.
Aucklands bus service is the best public transport in NZ, takes 80% of its pt usage, was growing year on year until COVID, and is indescribably better than anything we've ever had before no matter the decade.
Not in our area. Birkenhead transport (before bought out by Ritchies) – was excellent – before being taken over by AT.
The Inwards family (who owned and operate the bus line for 80+ years) were a community institution – known for treating their drivers well and being a part of the community.
AT has resulted in a one-size fits nobody bus service – which encourages the large players to gobble up the smaller ones (their preference is to have fewer contractors to deal with); and a race to the bottom in terms of salaries and conditions.
Really if we're going down the cost of subsidies….
…Push road user charges based on maximum loaded axle weight on to all motorbikes, cars, vans, buses and trucks, and remove the current taxation mix on vehicles. The base for allocation should be all road maintenance costs plus all planned new road works over a normal lifetime of a vehicle. The latter should reduce the taxpayers interest costs….
…..This should immediately correlate the RUC with damage to roading – and therefore to the major portion of the roading budgets….
…Make all fuels to have the immediate full impact of their end-or-life ETS price….
………The basic problem with transport in their country is that there is a very large hidden subsidy system for most private transport – especially for heavy vehicles and the roading contractors who repair roads.
With that transport network… free will not do. It would take me about 2.5 hours to get to work and only 45 min by car. Add the irregularity and often complete lack of any trains and buses are a few here and there… Thanks but no thanks.
If any one compares public transport, please compare: Network, reach, frequency, time and reliability. Otherwise its just a PR exercise.
I don't think you read my comment. "Free" and "Frequent" public transport. paid for with the removal of all private transport and roading subsidies and switching them to greatly expand the public transport network. to make it more convenient and easier to use than the private automobile.
Don' like that?
I am afraid that if we want to save the climate and decongest our roads and clean our air, public policy measures that may be outside our personal preferred comfort zone will be necessary. Either that or we die in our own filth and waste.
I’ve always thought religious people as somewhat brain damaged but can't you wait to put the anti trans comments under one of the posts almost guaranteed to come along later?
Agree Populuxe 1. It doesn't matter what the subject raised, the Trans debate often seems to end up dominating the conversation. I have had enough and I expect plenty of other commenters feel the same way.
Weka creates posts for the purpose of discussing issues related to the subject for those who are close to, or interested in being part of that debate. There is no need to hijack the myriad of other concerns that beset this country and the rest of the world.
To me, no matter the importance or validity of the subject, it's become like the endless de facto daily circle jerk 'go vegan' posts we use to suffer through on the standard.
Very few subjects travel alone and stand in strict isolation, as they are inevitably views & opinions of people, who all are complex and mostly irrational beings. For this reason, any subject, no matter how innocuous, can be used as a pivot, hook, or foot-in-the-door tactic to introduce other things and much propaganda as well as cult recruitment make use of this. Conspiracy cultists love to hate this, but I think that fundamentally it is just a human trait and a big part of our story-telling narratives to try make some sense of the world we live in.
I understand, I know how debates work, especially on here, yet still, try taking a giant left field leap on an author's thread and we know how that usually ends.
My comment was really intended as an on-topic but still general reply to yours and I had no intention at all to raise this in the context of what’s going on here on TS and its rules and Policy, for example.
FWIW, although this is OM I agree that the comment @ 2.1 put a fork in the road (what I’d call a whataboutism) but I’s also like to think it was ‘accidental’. I’ve learned to wait & watch to see how the 2 different threads merge together again further down the road, as sometimes happens – usually, and unfortunately, one leads down the garden path and the other one to a cliff’s edge
Anyway, top of the post is ruined, but there's been some good on topic chatter below, so as it's FA cup day, I'll go with second half equaliser, looking for a late winner, avoiding extra time and penalties.
It depends on the context, as always, but I don’t have a problem with trusting people because of their faith by default – I disagree with your personal judgement of “religious people as somewhat brain damaged”. When it comes to science, e.g., the science of climate change, it becomes more difficult to discuss matters with people who have a very literal and dogmatic interpretation of their [book of] faith. NZ schools all have to teach the curriculum, AFAIK.
Brain damaged as in the result of brain washing, not as a pejorative to it's consequences – Though as we go on knowing I don't believe in more god than they do, and that I'm still quite okay with whatever they get up to on Sundays, teaching creationism and filling children's heads with lies under the banner of education becomes alarming more than difficult to discuss with.
Belief is individual, and no gods, one god or ten of them is fine, but wtf or more like howtf has this nasty, anti science, us bible belt moran-a-likes been allowed to find a way into our education system?
At least the vegans don't pull that "no debate" bollocks. When you've discussed it to the point of having to withdraw with concussion that really is too much.
Some here will know some of what I am about to say but others here won’t so it’s worth retelling. I count at least five feminist authors who stopped writing here in the past because the behaviour of men on TS made it too difficult to stay. Left wing men mostly, either directly by their behaviour, or indirectly by their silence or complicity. Some left wing men spoke up at times in comments, sometimes substantially on issues that matter to women. I will always be grateful for that. Some but not all of those men now oppose women on TS (yes, yes #notallwomen)
From a feminist perspective that sits outside of masculinist left/right politics, there is not a huge amount of difference between the men who opposed women before and those that oppose now. Both groups contain men who consider themselves progressive but who proved in the end that when it came down to it, women could have their own politics only so long as it suited the politics of the men. This is a clear pattern that transcends and predates the sex/gender war.
Of those five women authors who left one is a staunch trans ally, two are gender critical feminists, and two I don’t know what their politics are. All of those women talked at various times about the difficulties of men’s behaviour on site as being key to why they stopped writing.
My own experience is that I spent a number of years as an author here setting up systems and shifting the culture enough so that women authors and commenters would want to be here. I cross posted writers from off site and supported new writers to Guest Post here. I had an emphasis on women, but also extended this to other groups whose voices are missing here.
Lynn talked at the time about the increase in women in the stats.
A small handful of TS women worked over a year on the women’s project with the goal of getting regular feminist writers and commenters. We did some really good work, and too much of our time was taken up trying to make sense of the problematic men on TS who were actively opposing women’s politics. It was never clear if the plans we were making would be accepted. I took the views that a well presented plan would be, but before we got to that point two male authors took a hatchet to the women’s project after I banned CV.
CV was one of the men that more than one woman had said made it too difficult to write here. One of those woman I was in conversation with about more posts. CV had recently returned to TS from a long ban, and was engaging in exactly the same pattern of behaviour as before that not only caused problems for women but disrupted the commentariat debates.
I banned him prematurely because I could see what was about to happen and we’d just spent months getting the debates into a good place again and there was the possibility of a new regular author. Maybe I should have let him play it out, accumulate warnings and then banned him, but I couldn’t stand the thought of going through all that again and having to rebuild.
In response Psycho Milt was given a year’s ban by one of the male authors in reaction to CV’s ban. I’m not going to talk much about what happened in the back end, nor about the personal price I paid, but suffice to say I ended up not writing here for 15 months. So we can say at least 6 women have left because of left wing men opposing women’s politics.
When I came back to write about Ihumatao I noticed the changes. I decided to write mostly about climate with occasional feminist posts when it seemed like it was worth it ie I deemed the anti women’s politics behaviour to be at a low ebb. There weren’t nearly as many women commenters here and less variety of women’s politics. There were no other regular women authors.
When I started writing about gender critical ideas and the impacts on women of gender identity ideology, more women commented. The small number of women-only posts saw even more. Unsurprisingly, when given the chance to talk about our own politics, women do. And when men oppose that we sometimes fight back and increasingly we don’t, because the world is on a knife edge and there’s only so much resiliency to go around. But it is telling that women are speaking up on gender/sex issues despite that and despite the very real threats to those who do so publicly.
So when I see this,
Rob logic: Bollocks. Telling women to shut up is the opposite of driving engagement
Sacha: A tiny group of them. Visitor stats will tell the story
I have to stop and take in the fact again that you are one of the men that opposes women having our own politics when it contradicts your own.
I’m not so bothered by you misrepresenting TS history or even that you use that misrepresentation to further your own politics. What’s really the worst is that you choose to marginalise women talking feminism with this phrase: “A tiny group of them”.
While at the same time telling us off for allegedly hating on another ‘tiny group’ of people. Nothing tells me that women are not entitled to feminism more than this. That you as a man will decide which marginalised people are worthy of respect and which aren’t, and don’t even blink at the hypocrisy.
I cannot imagine left wing men such as yourself taking this position and making such statements about Maori politics for instance or disability politics, given the progressive position generally is staunchly that marginalised peoples are entitled to their own definition and political sovereignty.
Some men are just still immersed in sexist belief. I doubt you are. I think for some left wing men the sexism is secondary to something else so important to them that it renders them incapable of reasoned debate and blind to their own mansplaining tendencies. But the implications for women are deadly serious because now we have the dominant (male) class arguing that a few women raped is acceptable to the cause or standing by and watching and silently endorsing some of the worst misogyny I’ve seen in my lifetime. Left wing mansplaining and the MRAs are but a spectrum at this point.
I also think it remarkable that some left wing men have withdrawn from debate and then complain that women are still here talking about our politics. If there’s anything to be learned from GCF thus far it’s that women won’t just go away, that these issues matter at a fundamental level that have nothing to do with trans politics and everything to do with who and what women are and we experience in the patriarchy.
Hijacking a blog about labour movement politics as a local beachhead for foreign-influenced anti-trans stances may feel like a victory to the small number of women who support that. Any knowledge of feminist history shows where it fits in though.
I hope women – who have good reason to feel fearful about men – regain clarity and peace about where transwomen fit into the world we all share. Fixating on genitals, toilets and sports seems unlikely to help with that.
I’m not expecting to change your mind but I’d like others to know they are not alone in sadness about what this place has become.
Some here will know some of what I am about to say but others here won’t so it’s worth retelling. I count at least five feminist authors who stopped writing here in the past because the behaviour of men on TS made it too difficult to stay. Left wing men mostly, either directly by their behaviour, or indirectly by their silence or complicity. Some left wing men spoke up at times in comments, sometimes substantially on issues that matter to women. I will always be grateful for that. Some but not all of those men
I recall that period directly. All of those women threw a their toys out of the cot in a display of manipulative spite. Every single one of them had the opportunity to return and say whatever they wanted unimpeded – they just could not tolerate someone challenging them. 'No debate' was invented by feminists like yourself long before you realised it could be weaponised against you.
In response Psycho Milt was given a year’s ban by one of the male authors in reaction to CV’s ban.
That was me. Have the honesty to name people when you know they are still about and reading the threads. Of course you selectively tell only the part of the story that suits your narrative. The ban on PM was done as as equal and opposite response to an equally stupid ban you made on CV – and you are stilled pissed off about it because it so effectively showed up how you repeatedly misuse your very privileged position here to censor and erase views you do not like.
I have called you on this repeatedly over the years – to the point where I recently emailed Lynn Prentice to remove my access as a moderator as I could no longer stomach being associated with or having to deal with such blatant hypocrisy and bullshit.
I’m not going to talk much about what happened in the back end, nor about the personal price I paid, but suffice to say I ended up not writing here for 15 months.
Bullshit – you paid no price at all. Quite the opposite you have enjoyed Lynn's unqualified support for years and still do. He has never moved to prevent you from doing anything here you pleased. You had your opportunity to turn TS into something that suited your peculiar views for years now – and still you complain that people will debate with you on a site whose very purpose is debate.
Still I was never against having more women authors and readers – and certainly took no pleasure in the events you allude to. In response to those events I voluntarily silenced myself on anything substantive to do with sex or gender for almost five years now. A promise I have adhered to. And still this is not good enough – men get all the blame for everything wrong in your life and always will.
PS. Alluding to matters in the backend that other readers are not privvy to is a fundamentally dishonest tactic. You are essentially claiming victim status over events readers have no way of judging for themselves. And for this exact reason I have mostly kept well away from that area of the site for a very long time now.
@sacha. I thought weka did a great job of explaining this, but I'll give it a go. She could probably do with a break.
Hijacking a blog about labour movement politics as a local beachhead for foreign-influenced anti-trans stances may feel like a victory to the small number of women who support that.
Given that the women commenting here are left-wing, and are speaking of the impact of legislative changes on women as a political class, your use of 'highjacking' indicates your dismissal of that notion rather than accuracy. Implying foreign-influences is becoming a familiar tactic. Not worth the rebuttal.
Any knowledge of feminist history shows where it fits in though.
This I'd like to hear. Take it away Sacha, and tell us 'small number of women' about your knowledge of feminist history.
I hope women – who have good reason to feel fearful about men – regain clarity and peace about where transwomen fit into the world we all share.
God forbid, women who are not fearful just have boundaries and are willing to say so. (Which has nothing to do with transwomen because apparently, there are no conflicts.)
Fixating on genitals, toilets and sports seems unlikely to help with that.
This genital fixation seems to come from the GIA's more than the GFC. Most likely stems from the insistence that 'Transwomen are Women' creating confusion when talking about women. The confused searched for a way to differentiate – instead of accurately calling transwomen, men – and resorted to biological sex characteristic descriptions. Which they were then vilified for.
Women are not scared of men. We are setting boundaries and saying No.
Some men are scared of that and react by demanding we allow other men into our single-sex spaces.
The answer is still No.
I’m not expecting to change your mind but I’d like others to know they are not alone in sadness about what this place has become.
The Standard is a place where it can be demonstrated that when women do set boundaries and say no, they will be ignored and ridiculed.
Many attempts at embarrassment will be made in order to get compliance. When that fails, sulking and bro-camaraderie is often on display like some Animal Kingdom back patting commiseration ritual.
Very rarely, will honest and good faith engagement occur, and surprisingly, when it does, it will be from long-time right wing commentors. Thanks to them (and the few left men), by the way, for basically recognising the political nature of this discourse, and giving their perspectives.
If this is uncomfortable for you, go join the others 'in sadness', scroll past, or engage. The invitation has always been there for engagement.
I often wonder why bannees have such a selective and warped view and memory of their bans and love to play the innocent victim. Perhaps it is because they’re twits. In any case, if I catch you making up shit about Moderation again you’ll cop an instant ban of one month and I’ll make a note of this warning in the back-end – Incognito]
We are extremely fortunate to have Weka on this site (and actually Weka and I don't agree 100% on everthing, nor do we need to).
Weka is one ofthe most calmed and reasoned commentators on The Standard. She is always respectful and her posts are well informed.
I have been commenting on this blog roughly from 2013, long before I became aware of the gender ideology issue. I am a Labour Party member.
I have been absolutely shocked by some of the male commenters on this site and their lack of willingness to hear women out. I personally have never experienced being shut down before for feminist beliefs (or any of my beliefs, even when people don't agree with them. Frankly the gaslighting towards women that has gone on on this site is shocking e.g. when I raised the issue about the Wi-spa and various men told me it was a set up by GC groups. Then a man tried to excuse having a sex offender in a women's change room saying words to the effect that poor guy, probably his penis showed because his towel slipped.
I started commenting on this site about gender issues because the msm have completely shut women who are gender critical down (as too did the Labour and Green party politicians on the self ID sub committees.
I intend to continue commenting. To date I have have never been banned nor have I received a warning (other than for when I have typed in my address incorrectly).
The Standard often has themes that dominate on Open Mike, eg. Covid, the parliamentary protesters, the war in Ukraine. This is no different from GC stuff. I was going to say if you don't like it, do what we all do ie scroll down (surely no one reads every single bloody comment on every topic). But actually what I want to say is open you eyes about the issues we raise. And whenever a group tries to shut down debate, be very, very suspious. It usually means they have weak or no arguements.
I intend to continue commenting. To date I have have never been banned nor have I received a warning
That is because your comments generally conform to weka's views. Others like myself see this very differently – we have been repeatedly subject to fucked up abuse of moderation from this person.
Seeing as how you have been around for so long – I have a challenge for you. Can you recall any sustained instance of a male perspective of the relationship between the sexes being presented here? One that was not immediately dumped on as sexist or MRA lines? One that was allowed to be developed and debated in a safe and open manner. In my experience weka would immediately use her unchallenged power as Editor to remove such an author. Not just censor – but to erase completely as she has a number of male authors she did not like.
As it happens for the most part I do not really care to comment on sex or gender matters. When I scan through some of the more toxic anti-male 'feminist' threads here I think 'thank fuck I don't comment on this shit'
(The sole exception I made recently was to express support in a most general and anodyne fashion for the idea that sex is for all practical purposes an immutable and important characteristic – and that both sexes have good reason to be alarmed at those 'progressive' forces who think it smart and trendy to erase it.)
What I am objecting to is weka presenting herself as any kind of victim at TS – when in reality she has enjoyed practically unchallenged power to curate and run this site to suit herself for many years now. It is a ridiculous and manipulative claim.
I believe there are more male moderators on this site that women? Please correct me if I am wrong. So I have been on the end of moderation by more men than women. Weka is the only moderator I know of. who is female. As I said, Weka and I don't agree on everything and she has at times challenged me quite assertively. I haven't had a problem with that.
I appreciate your comments on biological sex and material reality
Hijacking a blog about labour movement politics as a local beachhead for foreign-influenced anti-trans stances may feel like a victory to the small number of women who support that. Any knowledge of feminist history shows where it fits in though.
I hope women – who have good reason to feel fearful about men – regain clarity and peace about where transwomen fit into the world we all share. Fixating on genitals, toilets and sports seems unlikely to help with that.
I’m not expecting to change your mind but I’d like others to know they are not alone in sadness about what this place has become.
I don't expect to change your mind either, and likewise, I'm commenting for those reading.
It's laudable that you want to make sure trans people are ok, and yet what I see here is not comments about trans issues, but ones suggesting that women should shut up or even leave TS.
The labour movement is international, yet gender critical women aren't supposed to be?
The GCFs I follow are overwhelmingly left wing or centre left British feminist, many of them with decades long histories of feminist work. Most (not all) are like Stock committed to trans human rights. They disagree with you on what those rights are.
I suspect they would run rings around your knowledge of feminist theory. Last time we discussed this you referenced some academic writings, and vague handwaved to them as supporting your position without actually explaining it. Were we supposed to do that homework?
Pity that you haven't also read about the genesis of western gender ideology in the universities of the US. There's nothing homegrown about your own position. This is distinct from the gender non-conformity that has existed in all cultures on the planet, including our own now and that includes many gender critical feminists. Trans people aren't the problem, gender ideology is.
Your continued absence of support for women authors here is noted. It’s hard not to surmise that you would rather have men writing about feminism here than actual feminists.
Your assumptions say more about you than me. I'm hardly going to mansplain feminism as I said at the time. And I have never "misrepresented" this blog. Enjoy the circle jerk.
Late to this, my wife pointed out I was mentioned in it. I didn't realise at the time what was going on in the background weka, and regret that I unwittingly ended up having a role in it.
Sacha, top dudebro points to you for telling women how they're doing feminism wrong by not including men in it, then doubling down by claiming women's rights have no place being discussed on a left-wing blog, then tripling down by claiming you're not mansplaining feminism to feminists. When women talk about misogyny of the left and you're wondering what they're on about, come back to this thread to refresh your memory.
Actually, a relevant discussion on the similarity of views of creationism and arguments against the binary of biological sex took place couple of days ago on Wine with Women.
If you want a short precis on the value of women retaining the word to represent their sex class in political discourse go to 30:00.
The comment is relevant. Idiocy and science denial are not the exclusive domain of a particular religion. No system is foolproof when humans are involved.
We used to sell geological specimens / fossils, displayed with descriptions including age. We had to give the line up because of harassment from fundamentalist christians who would take us to task for telling lies and pray for our ignorance in the gallery.
It was mostly North Americans initially, who were sweet, well mannered people and earnest in their beliefs and manner, but latterly went into a domestic / Australian group who were loud and obnoxious, and profoundly ignorant.
I'd have trouble having a decent conversation, let alone hire or trust the judgement of someone who genuinely believed the world was 6000 years old and fossils are their god's way of testing faith.
Agree Al1en (2). Where is the evidence to support these schools' religious teachings as fact?
Another point is if religion is to taught in schools, then comparative religions should be also be included, so students are able to sum up what they have been taught and more importantly, be invited or encouraged to ask questions and discussion. This will offer an opportunity to come to their own conclusions. But that might put a fly in the ointment eh?
I can't believe that they can get away with this in state-integrated schools. The government should not be paying wages for people to teach this. What a crazy world.
My 18 month old great niece in Australia contacted Covid twice (Delta & Omicron) and has respiratory problems months later, as does my sister (her grandmother).
As you point out, we haven't identified all cohorts yet for severity of disease or Long-Covid, particularly among the younger age groups.
yes. Hence 'get it over and done with' is problematic for individuals and public health because it encourages spread. Also a problem for the health system.
But, but…she's done the right thing and got the two initial shots of the Pfizer Wonder Product and had a booster and I assume she's been only hanging out with other responsible double jabbed and boosted 'confident' folks…she should ask for her our money back.
Time she did the right thing and lifted ALL vaccine mandates… including those for health and disability workers.
(Truly…get well soon Prime Minister…you've got work to do. Oh, keep up your fluids, take your vitamins and a swig or two of electrolytes seems to be the thing that takes the plague ridden from getting better to fit as…. At least that's the korero up here in the vax-slack Far North.)
Why? Covid vax and booster makes it less likely to get covid, no impossible. It also limits transmission (because less people get infected), and limits the risk of serious illness, hospitalisation and death. People can choose not to vaccinate, but there are clear benefits for those that do.
Agree something needs to be done about the health and disability mandates. I'd have less of a problem if they'd actually put systems in place to support disabled people through this. Don’t think mandates should be lifted in hospitals and old people’s homes though.
Case per 100,000 of the particular population have had double and triple jabbed having a higher case rate than the unvaccinated since…a long time.
The hospitalisation rates are very close as well.
There may be some small benefit from the shot with respect to hospitalisations…but I suspect that if there is ever any honest accounting done after all of this…the Pfizer shot might not have made much difference…in fact…https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=407248… it may do more harm than good.
This paper has been removed from SSRN at the request of the author, SSRN, or the rights holder.
Discussing the science of Covid with you has proven to be futile many times. However, let’s see if you’re open, at least, to the following argument.
The case reporting as it stands is highly likely to under-report the daily case numbers (I can provide links to support this) and unvaccinated are less likely to report.
If you would like to discuss more reliable and also more important vaccine stats I think you should be looking at hospitalisations & ICU and deaths. You may also want to take into consideration the waning protection of the vaccine and how this may influence the stats and NZ stats in particular.
Think about it. It is the same psychology & behaviour at work that causes the under-reporting in the first place and I think it is more likely that people who cannot be bothered to get vaccinated also cannot be bothered with testing and subsequent reporting. In addition, the unvaccinated fall disproportionally within younger age groups who are less likely to become ill (symptomatic) with Omicron but also less likely to test & report, I reckon. Testing and reporting have consequences such as self-isolation from school, study, or work & income, flatmates …
I think it is more likely that people who cannot be bothered to get vaccinated also cannot be bothered with testing and subsequent reporting.
There you go again. Making the judgement that we are not vaccinated because we're too lazy, apathetic or just plain stupid.
Not conducive to constructive discussion at all.
Many of our unvaccinated mates, some with PhDs in science and everything, would dearly love to be part of some national study into how we 'fucking filth' are doing with regards to Covid infections. It'd be great…like a proper Trial only this time not unblinding and vaccinating the control group. As what happened with the Pfizer 'Trial'.
Ho hum. Another missed opportunity to do some real science.
"Not conducive to constructive discussion at all."
There you go again. This time distorting Incognito's (5:52pm) informed perspective into something else altogether. Not to mention your 'non-constructive' discussions on mainstream scientific evidence which you contend to be inadequate despite their authors' internationally renowned expert status and their many years of experience.
You have a huge chip on your shoulder and this often spoils your comments with idiosyncratic sneering.
There are many reasons why people cannot be bothered doing something. I’ve given you a few possible reasons why I think particularly younger people are less likely to test and subsequently report a positive test result. You extrapolated this to a negative judgment and those are your words based on your personal opinion and biased judgement of a lot of things and of me, obviously.
You can and obviously will draw your own conclusions and decided to again frame it as us vs. them where one side (your side, apparently) are ‘fucking filth’. I may add that you seem to be quite fond of and wearing this label as a batch of honour, as you have used it at least 13 times here on TS – 7 more times and you’ll start believing it too.
Have a nice day.
PS the stats are clear on how the unvaccinated have been doing during this protracted pandemic
Sorry to be pedantic…but cannot be bothered has by definition predominantly negative connotations.
Why not, if you are truly trying to be fair, reasonable and moreover non judgemental, use the term…"Have chosen not to take the Pfizer product…"?
PS the stats are clear on how the unvaccinated have been doing during this protracted pandemic
This protracted pandemic has featured a number of variants of concern. Unfortunately the Pfizer Product was designed to be efficacious for the original strain…and as shown in the link I provided at 4.2.2.1.2.1 …
…struggles to impede Delta and is almost completely ineffective against infection by Omicron. Or serious illness, hospitalisation and death in those most vulnerable.
You’re not pedantic, you’re wrong. From your link:
If you say that you can’t be bothered to do something, you mean that you are not going to do it because you think it is unnecessary or because you are too lazy. [my italics]
You chose to focus on the second possible meaning and added “apathetic or just plain stupid” to reflect your judgement and suit your narrative. But thank you for suggesting how I should write my comments. When I need a ghost writer I’ll know how to contact you. \s
Fortunately, the Pfizer vaccine was developed against the original wild type strain and fortunately, it has been very effective in protecting many people all over the world against severe illness, hospitalisation, and death even with Delta and still, but less so, with Omicron. Waning immunity has required additional shots but the vaccine remains one of the best tools in protecting people from Covid-19.
One of the other main reasons why we’re seeing the current wave and surge of cases, hospitalisations, and deaths is that we, rightly or wrongly, have abandoned many measures that aided and added other layers of protection – we are now forced to learn to live with it. This is also the overseas experience.
Your biased mind is too closed-off and therefore you’re not willing to understand and accept the data & stats.
Not all of them mean you are immune, Some mean you just don't get hit as hard as if Jonah Lomu running into you at full speed.
Just my opinion, but to not get vaccinated against Covid is extremely dim, and while I disagree with a fair amount of Labour's policies, at the time they were introduced I have zero issue with the mandates.
…but to not get vaccinated against Covid is extremely dim
Thanks for your concern…but my disabled partner (also in remission from leukaemia) and I chose not to partake of the Pfizer Product after closely following the trials, the initial roll out in Europe and Israel, and beomming increasingly concerned at not only reports of serious side effects but also the rapidity of which such reports were dismissed or labelled as 'misinformation' from 'anti-vaxxers'.
The bribes, coercion and eventual mandates rolled out overseas as well as here also made us concerned. If the product was as 'safe and effective' as advertised folk would be climbing over each other for a(nother) shot. By September 2021 even the CDC had acknowledged the mRNA shots did not stop transmission or reduce viral load and re issued the mask recommendation for vaccinated folk. And this was before Omicron.
The statistics are clear…the vast majority of people who are on the whole healthy will most likely not get seriously ill from Covid. We chose to trust established science, keep healthy and go for natural immunity.
We've both had Covid. Got sick. Didn't die. Got better.
Vitamins, Molly. D3, C, K2 and a few other 'nostrums' that tasted so foul they must have done us some good. And electrolytes, eventually. And soup… waiting in the freezer in readiness.
And inadvertent advice from Patricia Bremner. Rest…active for 10-15 mins then rest for an hour or so…for Peter that is. Keeping a spinal injured person in bed for any longer than necessary is almost impossible. Inactivity is not good for this group and bedrest, in their book, is for dying people. Peter is an 52 year veteran of this culture, but Omicron did not only increase his periodic 'lean- overs', but drove him to a week or so of get- out- of- the -wheelchair- and -on- the- bed- for- a -nana- nap. Unheard of…even when battling the chest infection he got while having chemo a decade ago.
Yes, we took a punt. But it was a calculated one that we do not regret for a minute.
Thanks, Rosemary. I know you make personal choices based on knowledge of risks and benefits, glad you've come out the other side intact. We're doing the D3 and K2, Vit C, Mg and Zn regime in prep.
Do you have a link to the nostrums etc?
(BTW, thanks for the link to the paper. The video with Christine Benn was worth the watch.)
Quercetin… I've always craved raw onion sandwiches (buffered with cheese) at the slightest hint of a lurgie. Wake up next day all better. No surprise to find onions (and garlic) are good sources of quercetin. Gave it to Peter more as he struggled to eat anything when he was crook.
NAC… seriously foul tasting. We take 1/8 tsp dissolved in water daily. Doubled when we were battling Te Virus.
Peter's taken 25mg Zn for skin and wound support for over a decade when a deep white tail spider bite was awaiting surgical intervention. It was a pharmacist recommended it…he'd studied the effect of Zn supplementation on wound healing for his Masters and was surprised that it was not SOP so definite were the results. I increased the dosage when we were crook.
Mg he's taken for over 2 decades after he weaned himself off the fairly nasty prescription stuff they usually give spinal injured for muscle spasms and clonus. Combined with the CBD oil (link to research pertaining to efficacy for SARS Cov2) he was prescribed a couple of years ago, he enjoys much better sleep and less leg jerking during the day.
Every little helps…
As an aside…since taking K2 I have found the joint pain that was beginning to make me even grumpier has practically disappeared. I stopped taking it for a few days and found the pain returning. A miracle. My slightly younger sister needed a double hip replacement a couple of years ago…still in her fifties…and I confess to fearing that a similar fate awaited me with hips or knees. And the arthritis in my hands I've had since my twenties…very much alleviated.
I don't care if folks think this is woo/witchcraft/ anti-science. The drugs given to me for the osteo arthritis forty years ago had me vomiting blood. Likewise with the drugs prescribed to Peter for spasticity and urinary issues.
Finally…because there's kikuyu to pull out…I buy vitamins etc online. I was interested to note that most of our favourite 'nostrums' were either sold out or in short supply at the peak of the Omicron outbreak back in March/April.
And soup. Make soup and freeze it. You have to eat…even if nothing tastes of anything. Soup is concentrated nutrition and easy to get down a reluctant sick person. Pumpkin/bacon/garlic/chilli soup. Fish soup. Eggs, poached/scrambled. Old school convalescent food.
Oh...Box Breathing. Peter is a mouth breather from infancy. Terrible habit. I've been trying to teach/bully him to breathe properly. In 2,3,4 hold 2,3,4, out 2,3,4 hold 2,3,4… Really helped when the snot made breathing difficult…and to relax when needing to sleep.
All good and interesting. I wonder if you have picked up the recent thinking around the role of IR in melatonin production?
Decades ago I encountered a few fringe practitioners coming from the observational school of medicine talking about the role of light in health and healing. It is interesting to see more and more research catching up with them.
I don't care if folks think this is woo/witchcraft/ anti-science.
Yes – I have made the case here before that there are two kinds of knowledge, that which is based in observation and pattern recognition (typical of indigenous, folk and alternative medical systems) – while science based knowledge applies a narrower more rigorous set of methods and processes to arrive at a consensus understanding.
Both have their strengths and weaknesses. Observational knowledge is prone to all of the cognitive biases and failures of the the human mind, but is good at treating systems holistically. Science is better at eliminating mistakes and generating repeatable, useful methods – but is very much constrained by a materialistic, atomistic view of the world.
I have always tried to keep the door open to both worlds – and accepted that the limits of the human mind mean that there will always be paradoxes and mysteries. And that the perfection of knowledge will continue to progress slowly, step at a time – without limits.
I have always tried to keep the door open to both worlds – and accepted that the limits of the human mind mean that there will always be paradoxes and mysteries
Only very foolish people outright dismiss or discount knowledge that is know considered 'fringe'.
Much of modern medicine has it's roots in these potions and practices.
We seem to have been trapped into this polarised 'you're either all for it or you're against it' world. Limiting, and dangerous.
The melatonin/IR thing…Bret and Heather Dark Horse were discussing research into this the other day…who knew energy efficient lightbulbs could very possibly be doing us some harm?
Interesting comment that deserves more discussion. Just briefly, there are differences [in focus and in ‘rules’] between applied, experimental, and theoretical sciences but all are founded on a theoretical framework based on logical reasoning an all that jazz. Of course, they are intimately linked. I’d include the word “mechanistic” in your description; our day-to-day thinking is very much still Newtonian, think action=reaction. Quantum mechanics has changed the Newtonian world view but it is too esoteric (aka weird). However, it has already made a huge impact on humanity and not just in Sci-Fi and New Age spiritualism.
Interesting about the raw onion sandwich craving. I thought it was a family taste I'd inherited from my mother. My daughter occasionally indulges.
Since I've been kicked into drug-induced menopause, the joint pain has been noticeable and limiting. No suggestions from the medical professionals, just a nod when they ask about side effects, because they've heard it all before.
After trawling the support groups, I find it is the supplements that help. I take the usual glucosamine, but also high strength curcurmin, which I think reduces the inflammation more. (I don't want to stop both and test to make sure.) I also take milk thistle to protect kidneys from further harm.
I'll add the NAC to the shopping list.
Over the last few years, have used the 4-7-8 breathing method. I used to utilise breathing techniques when calming down the kids when they were upset. They hated it, because they knew it worked. Breathing exercises should be a part of the school health curriculum.
Used similar also on a couple of our foster kids when they had asthma attacks and no inhaler. Also on substance abusers who had used their inhaler to get a buzz so often that it was less effective when they did have an asthma attack. Rhythm.
Your link went to an article about a CDC update of 28 July 2021 not to the CDC page itself!?
From the article:
Federal health officials still believe fully vaccinated individuals represent a very small amount of transmission. Still, some vaccinated people could be carrying higher levels of the virus than previously understood and potentially transmit it to others.
…
“Today, we have new science related to the delta variant that requires us to update the guidance regarding what you can do when you are fully vaccinated.”
…
[CDC Director] Walensky said new data shows the variant behaves “uniquely differently from past strains of the virus,” indicating that some vaccinated people infected with the delta variant “may be contagious and spread the virus to others.”
I looked in the CDC Archives but couldn’t see anything there either to support your assertions.
In hindsight and with maturing data & stats it is easy to justify decisions, but I’d argue that vaccinations, in conjunction with other measures, have saved many lives, overseas and in NZ. For this reason our Government was justified in many of its Public Health decisions and other actions at the time to protect the population of NZ against the pandemic.
When it comes down to individual choices it becomes a different ballgame, of course. Many unvaccinated people overseas have died as a direct consequence of their decisions and many vaccinated people have also died with Covid despite their choice to get vaccinated.
You got Covid and survived. Good for you, but what does that prove except your justification in hindsight and that you were lucky? Which variant did you have? How ill were you? Anecdotal evidence is limited and only very limited conclusions can be drawn from it, if any at all.
What do you mean by “natural immunity” in this context?
If the product was as 'safe and effective' as advertised folk would be climbing over each other for a(nother) shot.
According to MoH (as per 12 May 2022), over 95% of the eligible population of 12+, over 4 million people, chose to get fully vaccinated. Over 72%, or 2,627,933 people, decided to receive a booster shot. Together, there have been 10,680,248 total vaccinations given to 12+. I think that tells a clear message.
Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021
During July 2021, 469 cases of COVID-19 associated with multiple summer events and large public gatherings in a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, were identified among Massachusetts residents; vaccination coverage among eligible Massachusetts residents was 69%. Approximately three quarters (346; 74%) of cases occurred in fully vaccinated persons (those who had completed a 2-dose course of mRNA vaccine [Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna] or had received a single dose of Janssen [Johnson & Johnson] vaccine ≥14 days before exposure). Genomic sequencing of specimens from 133 patients identified the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in 119 (89%) and the Delta AY.3 sublineage in one (1%). Overall, 274 (79%) vaccinated patients with breakthrough infection were symptomatic. Among five COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized, four were fully vaccinated;
What do you mean…What do you mean by “natural immunity” in this context? ? Surely it is obvious what I mean?
…the latest ‘active’ safety survey data and report? Looks pretty good to me and confirmation of good safety profile.
You (and Medsafe) completely dismiss the thousands of New Zealanders who reported some pretty significant side effects. Like shortness of breath(7000), chest discomfort(over 12500) and dizziness(20,000 or so)…all symptoms of myocarditis which were being routinely minimised by NZ doctors until the big whip was cracked last December. Too late for those who were sent away in shame with no proper diagnosis and no proper treatment. Many of these people will never trust the health system ever again.
However, that statement from CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky was dated 30 July 2021 and you wrote @ 4.2.2.1 “By September 2021 even the CDC had acknowledged …”. Wrong information = misleading information, regardless of intent.
From the Discussion in your other link, which, for some reason, you’ve left out:
The findings in this report are subject to at least four limitations. First, data from this report are insufficient to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, including the Delta variant, during this outbreak. As population-level vaccination coverage increases, vaccinated persons are likely to represent a larger proportion of COVID-19 cases. Second, asymptomatic breakthrough infections might be underrepresented because of detection bias. Third, demographics of cases likely reflect those of attendees at the public gatherings, as events were marketed to adult male participants; further study is underway to identify other population characteristics among cases, such as additional demographic characteristics and underlying health conditions including immunocompromising conditions. … Finally, Ct values obtained with SARS-CoV-2 qualitative RT-PCR diagnostic tests might provide a crude correlation to the amount of virus present in a sample and can also be affected by factors other than viral load.††† Although the assay used in this investigation was not validated to provide quantitative results, there was no significant difference between the Ct values of samples collected from breakthrough cases and the other cases. This might mean that the viral load of vaccinated and unvaccinated persons infected with SARS-CoV-2 is also similar. However, microbiological studies are required to confirm these findings.
Medsafe and I don’t dismiss reports of adverse events. In fact, they set up an ‘active’ surveillance, the Post Vaccine Symptom Check (PVSC) Survey, which is reported on the Medsafe website, and to which I linked and drew your attention to @ 4.2.2.1.2. The findings so far corroborated the reports and the passive surveillance data on the CARM website.
The profile of reported events to PVSC for the Pfizer (Comirnaty) COVID-19 vaccine is similar to that reported in clinical trials and from post-marketing surveillance in New Zealand and overseas. Based on this data, we have not identified any new safety concerns.
If you believe that myocarditis is so bad that children, for example, should not be vaccinated I suggest you raise the alarm with Starship Hospital ASAP.
Many of these people will never trust the health system ever again.
And some (!!) did not trust the health system before the pandemic hit. Does “Misery of Health” ring a bell? Surely, that must be one of your all-time favourite jeers.
You got Covid and survived. Good for you, but what does that prove except your justification in hindsight and that you were lucky?
Interestingly, the vast majority – over 98% – of unvaccinated people who contracted the virus have survived. That's millions of lucky people throughout the world. 🙂 That is consistent with the flu, which kills relatively few unvaccinated people. Many doctors and nurses don't get vaccinated against the flu, presumably because they know the risk of death is low.
According to stats from the Health Ministry, among those eligible to be vaccinated, 93.7% of those who have contracted COVID had two or more shots of the vaccine. More than a million NZers have contracted the virus. Fortunately, other vaccines don't appear to be as ineffective as the Pfizer vaccine.
Those who choose to be vaccinated should be fully informed before doing so. It is understandable why some have chosen not to be vaccinated when they haven't been given information, and when the death rate is so low.
Rosemary mentioned that her partner is disabled (paraplegic, from memory) and in remission from leukaemia. Thus, I count them lucky.
Many doctors and nurses don't get vaccinated against the flu, presumably because they know the risk of death is low.
At this point, I can’t be bothered moderating you for this but you asserted a fact and you must support it with evidence. Show us the data. I can tell you already that your statement of fact is grossly inaccurate and therefore misleading
Like so many ignorant people you have no idea how to look at and interpret even basic stats on the MoH website and it is therefore not at all surprising that you draw the wrong conclusion that the Pfizer vaccine is ineffective
It is understandable why some have chosen not to be vaccinated when they haven't been given information, and when the death rate is so low.
I was given information when I received my shots. We were bombarded each and every day and buried under an avalanche of information from MoH and Government. Perhaps it was not the information you wanted but that’s a different issue. Death rates in other parts of the world were not low at all – people were dropping like flies and hospitals and morgues in some parts/cities couldn’t cope. You seem to have a short and selective memory.
Ad hominems are never a good way to start a discussion lol. If you have an aversion to facts, I strongly suggest you don’t read the following:
In New Zealand, there have been hundreds of reports of serious side-effects from the Pfizer vaccine, including Bells Palsy, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, anaphylaxis, myocardial infarction (heart attack), Myocarditis/pericarditis, thrombosis, embolism, encephalitis, stroke, and spontaneous abortion. Officially, at least three people have reportedly died with the vaccine being the likely cause. Were you told you could potentially die from the vaccine? Those I’ve spoken to say none of the serious side-effects described above were mentioned to them when they were vaccinated. The handouts from the MoH at the time of vaccination didn’t refer to them.
Following reports of sudden deaths in Norwegian nursing homes between December 2020 and February 2021, an expert group was established to investigate 100 of the deaths. The expert group found that 10 of the deaths were “probably” caused by the (Pfizer) vaccine, while a further 26 deaths were “possibly” caused by the vaccine. Five cases could not be classified. Thus, 37.9% of the classified deaths were either probably or possibly caused by the vaccine. Here in New Zealand, were those in nursing homes informed of the risk of death if they took the vaccine? I doubt it.
In 2021, a group of medical experts in the US advised the FDA to delay giving the Pfizer vaccine (and other Covid-19 vaccines) full-approval. The experts, which included a senior editor of the British Medical Journal, said:
We believe the existing evidence base—both pre- and post-authorization—is simply not mature enough at this point to adequately judge whether clinical benefits outweigh the risks in all populations.
…
Trials by vaccine manufacturers were designed to follow participants for two years, and should be completed before they are evaluated for full approval, even if they are now unblinded and lack placebo groups. These Phase III trials are not simply efficacy studies; they also are necessary and important safety studies (as thestudytitles say), and all collected data remain invaluable.
…
For each covid-19 vaccine, the benefits may ultimately outweigh the harms. Or not. Or we may end up in a more nuanced position, finding that benefits outweigh harms for some populations, but not others. Only time—and better evidence—will tell. And so it is vital we allow the scientific process the time required to gather and assess the evidence to be confident in the decisions we ultimately have to make.
The experts added that their message was to “slow down and get the science right—there is no legitimate reason to hurry to grant a license to a coronavirus vaccine”.
Their advice was ignored.
In late-January 2021, health officials here disclosed privately that the Pfizer vaccine had been approved for use, although the announcement was not made publicly until early February. At the same time, the same officials were discussing concerns about its safety. I believe that every vaccine reicipient should have been made aware of this prior to being vaccinated. Of course, you may disagree.
On 21 January 2021, an official here during a private meeting with health officials said:
Medsafe will be approving the vaccine for use, however we still need to decide whether or not to use the vaccine. … Recent trial data from Norway raised concerned about vaccine safety. New Zealand needs to be prepared for this. (See document 2 of the FYI link.)
Meanwhile, on 14 May 2021, Dr Helen Petousis Harris – a cheerleader for the Pfizer vaccine – told readers of the Herald:
“In the trials, people were followed very closely for adverse events and the results between the vaccinated and unvaccinated were compared. … there were no events of concern that were more common in the vaccine group.”
That was false and misleading. There was in fact a higher risk of Bells Palsy found among those in the vaccine trial than among the placebo group. (Maybe the good doctor reasoned that more people in New Zealand likely read the Herald than the Lancet, so her falsehood wouldn’t be detected?) She did comment, however, in the same paragraph from which the above quote was taken:
“Regulators will be keeping a close eye on one event known as Bells Palsy, which involves a temporary weakness of the face.”
Why would regulators be keeping a close eye on Bells Palsy if there were no events of concern that were more common in the vaccine group?
“Publicly available data from the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine trials suggest an imbalance in the incidence of Bell’s palsy following vaccination compared with the placebo arm of each trial. Combining data from both trials, among nearly 40000 vaccine arm participants, there were seven Bell’s palsy cases compared with one Bell’s palsy case among placebo arm participants. … the observed incidence of Bell’s palsy in the vaccine arms is between 3·5-times and 7-times higher than would be expected in the general population. This finding signals a potential safety phenomenon…”
This quote appeared in Lancet on 24 February 2021, more than 2 months before Dr Petousis-Harris’ comments appeared in the Herald.
At this point, I can’t be bothered moderating you for this but you asserted a fact and you must support it with evidence.
A commonly known fact requires evidence? Fair enough.
Influenza is a disease that involves health, social and economic burdens worldwide. Annual influenza epidemics can affect 5% to 15% of the world’s population, causing up to 4-5 million serious cases and 250,000 to 500,000 deaths. … vaccination coverage amongst healthcare professionals remains low worldwide, although it varies from one country to another.
In Australia, “healthcare workers did not consider influenza to be a serious condition or did not recognise themselves to be at risk of infection”.
And in a local context:
In 2012, approximately 48% of all employees [of DHBs] received an influenza vaccination. This rate was a slight improvement from 2011 (46%) and 2010 (45%). Rates were highest among doctors (57%) and lowest among midwives (37%). Nurses (46%), allied staff (50%) and other employees (46%) had similar rates of influenza vaccination. … Of those who would not be happy to receive vaccinations, reasons given included; preferring natural products, perception of low disease risk, wish to become more ‘holistic’ and concerns about adverse effects and the ongoing need for boosters.
As I said, there was plenty of information available at the time, but quite possibly not the info you wanted. When I went for my Covid shot, my Info Sheet (dated 4 May 2021) warned about serious allergic reactions but stated that they are extremely rare. There was a phone number to Healthline and two links to government websites for “accurate and trusted information”. However, you’re correct that the info provided to me did not spell out that I could die from the vaccine (I already knew this) and neither was I given a list of potential serious adverse events caused by the vaccine. It did mention that like all medicines the vaccine may cause side effect in some people.
I love that you quote & cite all that info from all over the world. Up to 30 April 2022 there have been a total of 223 reports to CARM (which relies on voluntary self-reporting) of Bell’s palsy in NZ (both serious and non-serious) against a background rate of yearly hospitalisations in NZ over 2016-2019 of 694 patients per year. They continue to monitor this.
So, despite all those reports, there doesn’t to be a real concern that the vaccine is so unsafe and infective to stop administering it to Kiwis (incl. children aged 5-11).
As to your nonsense about NZ doctors and nurses, at least you tried and came up with data from 10 years ago. I think you overstated it as a “commonly known fact” and it shows that your opinion got in the way of accuracy.
One of MoH’s objectives this year, as in previous years, is to have at least 80% of DHB health care workers taking the flu shot.
Not much really unless some establishments are going to insist on them.
Personally I would be happy to get one and use it at cafe/bar/restaurant establishments that insisted on vaccine passes.
From memory (it was on RNZ) the government says they would only be available for triple vaxxed people starting next month an would be valid for 6 months.
I guess it is possible some companies/organisations could go back to insisting on vaccine passes.
I for one care. She's had a shit load to deal with during her time as Prime Minister and this is just an added burden on top. I hope she and her family get well quickly and suffer no long term effects.
Wild guess, but thinking she and her family are probably getting the best medical help in NZ, given her position, but agree totally with the sentiment.
Think she is healthy enough to handle it.
what a crap comment from someone that obviously had no idea
Some mates included ride around Taupo complete in multi sports – over 16 weeks later from contracting COVID I am now on roids and using an inhaler. And there are 3 of us that have now dramatic reduction in being active. But don’t worry we are told by our leaders that this is only seroius for a few, Add that to the list of untruths 🤬
I did run into Simon Bridges the other day in a professional capacity. Pleasant enough, but in the few short minutes we were interacting he did manage to say something insensitive to me, seemingly without thinking.
Unless you're in the Tauranga electorate – you don't really get to judge the usefulness or otherwise of their local MP. They elect the person they want to represent them.
Some Tauranga locals agree with Māori Party that their city is racist
"Absolutely [it is]. I am of Cook Island decent but white, so I have a lot of white privilege. I guess I get to walk in both worlds and I see it daily."
"It's an old city that has been built on old families and not the Māori families that were here first, it's built on the white families that took from them," one said.
"There is this generation, where the sad thing is, it feels like we are waiting for them to die so something can happen here."
One man, originally from South Africa, agreed.
"Definitely it's out there. I don't actually know how it compares to the rest of the country, but it is definitely here."
Tauranga: 18% Maori population; 155 party votes for The Maori Party in the 2020 election (they didn't bother putting up an individual candidate)
Says it all, really……
If you spend your life looking for racism, you'll find it. If you spend your life looking for decency, respect and toleration, you'll find those as well.
What is interesting is that the old money families, the Tauranga boomer elite struggle to identify racism within their own ranks. How could they, it's everywhere, and it’s normal.
It's left to Maori, Cook Islanders and the South African immigrants to do that.
So. The fact that Maori have been elected as MP for Tauranga for the last 30 odd years – means that Tauranga is more racist than anywhere else…. Right…..
That 'old-money boomer elite' you cite, repeatedly elected a Maori candidate – because they (presumably) believed he could represent them better than any of the alternatives. That's racism?
Come on. This is TPM desperately searching for a headline, to make a feature of the fact they've a snowball's chance of even getting a candidate deposit back (based on their previous polling). Cheap publicity. Headlines without the cost of a campaign.
Based on the articles in today's paper – it's a heck of a lot more dangerous to be a bus driver in Tauranga, than it is to be an electoral candidate.
President Trump almost a dead cert as the US spirals into a deeper hole every day. Very hard to be optimistic at the moment
The shortages – which are piling further pressure on the Biden administration already facing public anger at soaring inflation – have been blamed on pandemic-related supply chain delays and labour shortages, made worse by the temporary shuttering of the country's largest infant formula plant in February.
An article on Stuff today about how the reporting of suspected child abuse isn't mandatory by teachers or daycare staff. It's a shame the writer didn't delve a little deeper and ask the question: what are the pros and cons of mandatory reporting?
Dr Felicity Goodyear-Smith has made it clear that doctors should not be required to report suspected child abuse.
The technical report underpinning the Massey best practice guidelines for the assessment and treatment of sexual abuse, funded and disseminated by the Accident Compensation Corporation, lists 103 symptoms of child sexual abuse, which include attributes such as fingernail biting or being daring, rebellious, timid, perfectionist or telling lies. There are a further 100 symptoms in adults. Presence of clusters of symptoms is said to aid diagnosis of sexual abuse. However, these are very nonspecific to abuse.
These lists illustrate the difficulty in defining abuse or neglect in a child. While these may be symptoms of abuse, they may also be due to accidental injury, psychological distress from other causes, or from illness. There are many cases where a GP might see a child where possible abuse is one of a number of differential diagnoses.
….
Existing resources to investigate and intervene in cases of reported child abuse and neglect are already inadequate. Introducing mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse by GPs is likely to completely overwhelm our services.
There is little evidence that action by GPs could have prevented the high-profile cases of child deaths such as James Whakaruru or Nia Glassie, nor the Kahui twins, at whose inquest [Dr Patrick] Kelly made his public plea for mandatory reporting. The twins were well known to health and social services, hospital workers were visiting the home regularly, and the twins were not presented to a GP who then could have suspected child abuse. Mandatory reporting by GPs could not have saved these babies. While it has the aim of protecting children and preventing ongoing abuse, its introduction seems unlikely to achieve these objectives.
Goodyear-Smith's never been one to miss a chance to excuse the inexcusable.
But priorities. There's mandatory reporting of prescribed transactions – international transactions exceeding $1000 where at least one party is in New Zealand, and at least one is outside New Zealand and any domestic cash transactions exceeding $10,000.
"Australia goes to the polls in a week and for most people the election can’t come soon enough.
It seems like voters have gone through the five stages of grief. At first they were in denial that the campaign had started. Then they moved to anger as they were bombarded by political propaganda. That was followed by bargaining when voters briefly engaged with the campaign.
Depression has now set in after the awful ‘leaders’ debate last Sunday, an unedifying shouting match that was lost by both participants and the TV channel that hosted it.
Acceptance is the final stage of grief but it’s unlikely to ever occur for many Australians given the low esteem in which they hold their politicians."
Just checked the final Northern Ireland election results. They use 18 constituencies with 5 Mps each selected by STV
Sinn Fein is unchanged from last election with 27 seats but they become the largest party as DUP dropped 3. Down also is the smaller nationalist party the SDLP by 4.
The big change was Alliance a more 'centrist non sectarian' thats neutral on unification issues and they grew by 9 seats
looking at the partys by nationalist or unionist labels the unionist are still ahead 37 to 35 seats
The Greens lost both their 2 seats.
However the government formation requires power sharing by the nationalist and unionist leading parties which gives a government of 52 seats out of 90 Mps
In the lead-up to the 2008 financial crisis, the economy was running hot. Companies were making stupendous amounts of money and had to put it somewhere. There was such a huge demand for safe dollar-equivalent assets that supplies of Treasurys and other such superstable assets were running low. Financial engineers synthesized “safe” dollar-equivalent products to meet the demand—backed by assets such as real estate, or by securities backed by real estate, or by bets on securities backed by real estate. This worked until the housing market had the slightest downturn, at which point the chain of leveraged bets unwound and threatened to take the wider economy with them.
The same pattern has just taken place in crypto—except without any asset as solid as housing at the bottom of it. Cryptocurrency traders work entirely in U.S. dollars. Ordinary cryptocurrencies are notoriously volatile—bitcoin regularly goes up or down 10 percent in a day, making speed crucial. So the industry created “stablecoins”: blockchain tokens worth precisely one dollar that can be traded as stable dollar-equivalents at the speed of the blockchain, without the need to wait for banks. As an added bonus, stablecoins save their users all that tedious red tape of financial regulation, compliance with anti-money-laundering laws, or being a known and named entity with a bank account.
The obvious way to run a stablecoin is with a backing reserve: Each coin represents a dollar held in a bank. Unfortunately, many stablecoins claiming dollar backing have turned out not to be fully backed. None of the reserve-backed stablecoins has ever been properly audited; the issuers present only snapshot attestations, where a single moment’s finances are treated as if they were a permanent supply. For instance, one of the most prominent stablecoins, iFinex’s tether, borrowed money on the morning of one snapshot attestation to appear backed, before returning the money the next day.
Years ago a workmate and his partner lost their newborn to SIDS. I recall his grief and the palpable guilt and shame so this will be big news for lots of folk. A thread to temper expectations, too.
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) accounts for about 37% of sudden unexpected infant deaths a year in the U.S., and the cause of SIDS has remained largely unknown. On Saturday, researchers from The Children's Hospital Westmead in Sydneyreleaseda study that confirmed not only how these infants die, but why.
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is a leader of global stature. The Prime Minister of New Zealand catching covid is world news. (As it should be). No less than when President Donald Trump or Prime Minister Boris Johnson caught covid.
Of course we are concerned as we should be.
Thank goodness the Prime Minister's symptoms have been described as "moderate".
That the Prime Minister's symptoms are "moderate" is of world interest as it speaks to the New Zealand government and the New Zealand Prime Minister's policies around vaccination, and containment of the virus.
The Prime Minister is a figurehead, as such she represents all of us.
We should be interested in how the Prime Minister fares during this time, just as we would if her condition worsened. Only her political enemies would have no interest in the health of our country's leader.
What makes Ardern special is a habit of treating people as individuals, as ends in themselves as Kant would put it, rather than objects or resources or things to exploit. We saw it in her response to the Chch massacre, and there are many other examples. One of the latest is inviting a Japanese lady who homestayed with the Arderns to return to NZ. It was a human touch that her opponents could not replicate.
What makes Ardern special.
Isn't everyone special?
What a piece of work is a man! How Noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In Action, how like an Angel in apprehension, how like a God! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals…
But perhaps man delights not you— nor woman neither.
When people wish/want to debate the biology of sex & gender they should at least define and use the appropriate terms for that particular branch of science, e.g., genotype & phenotype, DNA & chromosomes, hormones, anatomy, et cetera. Misappropriating perfectly well understood terms and language corrupts the discussion, often unintentionally, wastes time and can easily set back things (which sometimes isindeed the intention). Because it involves many layers and disciplines it is important to agree, at least, on the language – a philosopher can learn and understand the medical lingo and vice versa, but it takes a concerted effort and time …
This is not intended to irritate, just a request for clarification re your comment:
"When people wish/want to debate the biology of sex & gender they should at least define and use the appropriate terms for that particular branch of science, e.g., genotype & phenotype, DNA & chromosomes, hormones, anatomy, et cetera. "
For me, all the above is related to biological sex. Gender relates to the expected roles based on sex, but is not the same as biological sex. Gender identity is an individuals expression of themselves disconnected from their biological sex.
I made the observation in OM, not under an OP on the topic, and not under a specific thread on the topic, because it is a general observation. It equally applies to other hot topics such as Climate Change, poverty & inequity, and other complex social/societal issues.
I see a bad habit of people adapting (without telling others, which can create bad faith) rather than adopting terms and concepts of and from fields of expertise that they’re generally quite unfamiliar with and they then insist (!) using these adapted (aka twisted) meanings back into the debate when it happens to move back into that particular field under the pretence of authority and expert/specialist knowledge, which is a known type of heuristics (bias). Of course, this is made (too) easy because of on-line access to the Web. Even pointing this out can lead to nasty and futile (!) responses such as accusations of ‘mansplaining’.
When the Law is used to define the boundaries between sex/gender people need to agree on the precise criteria. As an aside, in my opinion, the Law should never be used to settle moral-ethical issues. The Euthanasia debate here in NZ was quite telling and a bit of an eye-opener for me.
Is gender an expression of biology, i.e., a phenotype, or is there more to it, e.g., is it a human-social construct? One may be more ‘immutable’ than the other. When I see comments like ‘I know a dog when I see it and I don’t have to be a vet’, I scroll past as fast as my device can scroll (i.e. not fast enough).
As in politics, when one controls the narrative, one controls the debate, and thus one controls the outcome.
I'm still at a loss how a social construct can be part of biology, but I guess discussions here can be quite organic and I'll just see if that comes up, before concerning myself over the details.
Appreciate the explanation (and the mod work).
*Note: The language in the feminism discussion is constantly changing, often through no action of feminists. It is hard to keep track of it all, and I try to remember that it is even harder for others not privy to wider discussions. I do try for clarity, and will continue to do so.
Is gender an expression of biology, i.e., a phenotype, or is there more to it, e.g., is it a human-social construct?
Hard to see how it’s not both.
Most people won’t understand what phenotype is, seems ok to use a range of language to discuss even complex subjects. My problem is when people won’t explain what they mean, which seems a basic requirement for TS although I’d not want to see that as an absolute (sometimes people can’t explain).
It depends on the topic of discussion but if people don’t know what they’re doing and/or what they’re talking about it becomes near-impossible to have an effective discussion. In some ways it would be better if those people would try to explain what they mean in their own words rather than using words and text (copy & paste) from others thinking they mean what those people mean, which is often not the case, in my limited experience here on TS. The result is that the debate is going around in circles and/or spirals out of control. This may avoid people feeling excluded, one would hope, because they’re not forced to follow prescriptive rues of engagement.
Whether it is both or not wasn’t my point. My point was and is that if one wants to talk about one aspect, e.g., biology, which doesn’t mean it necessarily is the only aspect, then one should endeavour (!) to use the most appropriate language. This will facilitate the discussion.
I find it impossible to believe that one could discuss sex and not know about phenotype and how DNA and the environment influence and interact at the level of gene expression of biological organisms. In addition, this is taught in the NZ curriculum (Living World; Biology).
Agree about people explaining in their own words. It's particularly an issue with GC debates, because there people have to also explain what they mean by words like 'woman' or 'male'.
I missed what you were referring to I think, was there a conversation using inappropriate language?
Humans have known for a very long time what biological sex is, long before humans developed language and tools for looking at phenotype, DNA etc. If one wants to have a discussion about biological science, then I agree one needs to have some grasp of the language and concepts.
I appreciated your point in the other thread about so called experts.
I don’t really want to be more specific and start finger-pointing with obvious consequences – the dog & vet example I gave was a hint of how superficial (and simplistic) some of the comments here can be. As I said, it was intended as a more general observation on the more difficult debates occurring here on TS (and elsewhere). Bridging the language gap (which can be a barrier) happens at all levels; I experience it regularly in meetings with other employees in my workplace – it can be as simple as explaining the many acronyms that pepper reports and the likes 🙂
While there are some good reasons for certain MPs to have assets in trusts (especially blind trusts – for offices like Ministers of Finance, or Trade) – the fact that 50% of our parliament are trust beneficiaries does little to promote them as a 'House of Representatives' — just who are they representing?
The primary benefit for wealthy people (and even the lowliest backbencher qualifies as 'wealthy' so far as the IRD is concerned) in having assets in trusts, is to reduce their tax bill.
While this may be legal – the ethics are highly questionable.
Indeed, both David Seymour's houses are in trust, presumably to avoid his tax burden. Which is ironic considering how close he and his backers are to lobby group, the Taxpayers Union.
If Seymour and friends suddenly decided to pay their share instead of hiding it away, perhaps they might not need to cut services.
However, according to the article – this behaviour is widespread across multiple parties (only the Greens leadership, Ardern & Luxon were specifically excepted).
At 50% of Parliament – this is beyond a 'one party' or even right/left wing issue – it's endemic.
Nope. You are excusing the rest of the MP's aversion to paying tax because at least they're not ACT.
I'm pointing out that their hypocrisy is breathtaking. ‘You pay, not me.’
I don't think any MP should be having trusts for tax avoidance purposes (or any other rich-lister, for that matter).
There are legitimate reasons for trusts (lifetime interest in a property for Mum, with it going to the kids when she dies; or to protect a disabled family member, for example).
And there are some legitimate reasons for senior politicians to have blind trusts too (as I said originally).
I think that for any trust which is not a charitable one (we could quibble about definitions, here), the tax rate should be the same as the top tax bracket.
Last time I saw an article like this it showed that ACT and National MP's almost all had trusts-something like 85%, whereas for Labour and the Greens only about 30% had trusts. Its a shame this article doesn't differentiate between the parties.
In any event Labour is pathetic if it doesn't raise the Trust rate of interest to 39% in the upcoming budget. Don't hold your breath.
I think that was originally true, but not any longer. According to this article, which quotes an ACT spokesperson, he's bought a house, and it's in a trust.
Act leader David Seymour, who often lamented his inability to afford a home in his wealthy electorate of Epsom, had now bought and was paying a mortgage on a home in Auckland, a spokesperson for Act said.
Seymour now has two residential homes registered, one in Whangārei, and one in Auckland – both are held in trusts.
Constraints on food production,by either with holding exports or limiting the way at is done will have significant flow on effects.
The green revolution increased the economic welfare of developing countries such as India,where they became food exporters and not large importers (enhanced Balance of payments) this in turn increased the population due to increased health from increased wealth,and accompanying GHG emissions.
Verywell: The name of your upcoming book is “The Viral Underclass.” Can you explain what this term means, especially in the context of COVID-19?
Thrasher: I first heard the phrase from an activist named Sean Strub, who used it to talk about how people could be prosecuted once they were HIV-positive, saying there was a group of people who had a status in their body that would always put them in a different class of the law.
When I was reporting in Ferguson in 2014 about the police killing of Michael Brown, I realized that the neighborhood I was in had a high rate of HIV and AIDS. As I did more reporting, I saw that anywhere you’d see these maps of black poverty and police killings, you’d also see a high rate of HIV.
When the COVID pandemic broke out in the beginning of 2020, the same map was emerging for COVID. I thought that was very interesting and disturbing, because these are very different viruses with different properties, but they are affecting the same kinds of people.
People who are in the viral underclass were the least likely to have the protection of working from home during the pandemic. Huge swathes of the society that were doing “essential jobs”—in fast food work, in janitorial work, in retail service jobs—did not have those protections, so they’re just being exposed to the virus a lot more. They often live in more crowded households, which means that they can’t isolate if somebody in their house is sick.
And the research has taught us quite explicitly over the past couple years that when people are uninsured, they are more likely to be exposed to COVID, to get sick from it, and to die from it… Even knowing that, the administration and Congress have let testing go out the window for COVID-19 for the uninsured.
Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I- Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from 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 public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
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 thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
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. ...
Today marks a tragic milestone for New Zealanders as the Coalition Government side with big tobacco to repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins and Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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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The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
Reacting to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s refusal to rule out introducing new taxes at the budget, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “Today’s refusal to rule out new taxes suggests the Government is nothing more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne Aila Images/Shutterstock Aged-care workers will receive a significant pay increase after the Fair Work Commission ruled they ...
He’s bringing ‘Sophie’ back, yeah. Goodshirt’s ‘Sophie’ music video is one of the most instantly recognisable New Zealand music videos of all time. Featuring a woman listening to the song on headphones while her entire house is burgled behind her, the video won the New Zealand music award for Best ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University A year ago, the AUKUS agreement was formally announced between Australian and UK Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese and Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden. The agreement mapped out the “optimal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andreas Helwig, Associate Professor, Electro-Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern Queensland SmartS/Shutterstock Steam locomotives clattering along railway tracks. Paddle steamers churning down the Murray. Dreadnought battleships powered by steam engines. Many of us think the age of steam has ended. ...
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An idea whose time has come.
Good for the climate, good for congestion, for air quality, for safety. for convenience
Free frequent public transport. It's the future.
Why can't we do this in Auckland as well. I have sensed a lot of resistance to this idea in Auckland. But maybe we could do it piecemeal, starting with the Northern Busway.
If it is a runaway success, which I expect it will be, we could finally realise the dream of reserving one lane of the Auckland Harbour Bridge for cyclists and walkers.
From there we could roll out the concept, to other main thoroughfares.
Less cars, less congestion, more room for dedicated cycleways.
On a day too windy or wet for cycling just go by bus.
It’s a partnership made in heaven.
Cost isn't really a significant barrier for use of the Auckland busway.
The barriers are:
* Getting to the busway (i.e. feeder buses) which mean a 2 stage trip (getting on and off buses is a barrier – as is the limited timetable for the feeder buses). NB: this is a real barrier if you work non-standard hours (or part time) – the timetable is heavily reduced outside rush-hour.
In addition:
Lots of Auckland people aren't going to the CBD (especially with the hollowing out post Covid and with the CRL disruptions). The majority of cars going over the AHB are not exiting in the CBD.
I'm not opposed to 'free' PT (though it just means that we pay for it in rates/taxes — TANSTAAFL), but it's not going to (in Auckland at least) lead to the substantial car reduction you're hoping for and consequent freeing up of a lane on the AHB.
A partnership made in heaven at the expense of rate payers.
Nothing wrong with subsidized fares except for the bus companies still making big profits as those liable for rates stump up the fees.
Almost all of the bus routes in Auckland are subsidised (prior to the half-price initiative- which makes all of them subsidised).
Pretty much only the CBD routes have the heavy patronage to be cost-effective for the bus companies to run. All of the others are subsidised by AT to operate – which is why you see full-size empty buses running throughout the day.
Every time I see another ghost bus, I think… there's got to be a better way. Subsidized uber trips? Mini-buses? EV tuk-tuks?
Clearly there should be a move to free (or almost free) bus rides to encourage as many cars off the road, but sticking a hundred bucks on regional rate bills so companies can reluctantly pay the drivers the living wage while they make a shit load of money, is certainly not an equitable way of doing things.
EV golf carts.
On the same model as electric scooters, but council owned?
Even better if they can be called up to drive themselves to where they are required.
Outside of the main routes in Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch,, and a few either side of commuting times in provincial towns like Whangarei. Buses run mostly empty.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/128591692/auckland-gondola-200-million-crossharbour-line-proposed-for-city
Looks like a highly speculative kite, flown by a commercial interest – which will sink without a trace, after the mandatory headlines and comments from the chatterati (time for Bob Harvey to zip the lip)
Chances of getting resource consent for pylons across the Waitemata are somewhere between fat and slim!
What is speculative about a proven mode of transport that is suspended in the air, i.e. not in the way of other traffic, not taking up space, and relatively energy efficient, for example? Weren’t you suggesting ubers or tuk-tuks?
Privatised bus companies mean we are subsidising profit taking by overseas owners.
Who both overcharge, while underpaying wages.
The privatisation mania results in paying more for less services, as usual.
Do you remember how bad bus services were before The Yellow Bus Company was privatized?
Underfunding and deliberately balling up publically run services, so management can profit from privatisation, has been a constant feature of public services since the 1980's.
Aucklands bus service is the best public transport in NZ, takes 80% of its pt usage, was growing year on year until COVID, and is indescribably better than anything we've ever had before no matter the decade.
Haven't used PT in Auckland for over 50 years.
Parades of buses going past the stops without picking anyone up, on Dominion road, and many other issues, hasn’t improved by all accounts.
Privatisation certainly hasn't improved Wellington or Christchurch.
Not in our area. Birkenhead transport (before bought out by Ritchies) – was excellent – before being taken over by AT.
The Inwards family (who owned and operate the bus line for 80+ years) were a community institution – known for treating their drivers well and being a part of the community.
AT has resulted in a one-size fits nobody bus service – which encourages the large players to gobble up the smaller ones (their preference is to have fewer contractors to deal with); and a race to the bottom in terms of salaries and conditions.
If we took away all the hidden subsidies paid out to the private transport sector.
With that transport network… free will not do. It would take me about 2.5 hours to get to work and only 45 min by car. Add the irregularity and often complete lack of any trains and buses are a few here and there… Thanks but no thanks.
If any one compares public transport, please compare: Network, reach, frequency, time and reliability. Otherwise its just a PR exercise.
I don't think you read my comment. "Free" and "Frequent" public transport. paid for with the removal of all private transport and roading subsidies and switching them to greatly expand the public transport network. to make it more convenient and easier to use than the private automobile.
Don' like that?
I am afraid that if we want to save the climate and decongest our roads and clean our air, public policy measures that may be outside our personal preferred comfort zone will be necessary. Either that or we die in our own filth and waste.
Decision time has come.
[Oops! Don't know what happened there. Went into edit mode, and instead of editing the original, it made two copies.]
Time to put a stop to this anti science ‘Accelerated Christian Education, or ACE’ creationist bollocks. What is wrong with these people? Mentals?
A curriculum that teaches creationism as fact, denies human involvement in climate change and depicts women as inferior to men has grown in popularity.
You think those people are batshit crazy? Try the proponents of the new religion.
https://reduxx.info/aclu-claims-males-females-do-not-exist-court-docs/
I’ve always thought religious people as somewhat brain damaged but can't you wait to put the anti trans comments under one of the posts almost guaranteed to come along later?
Hmmm…creationism is anti-science but denying the biological reality of sex isn't?
(And a robust and respectful discussion might just be possible if some folks buttoned back on the slurs. )
Why not make your own post about it? Number 6 is currently available.
It's more the plague of disingenuous threadjacking.
Agree Populuxe 1. It doesn't matter what the subject raised, the Trans debate often seems to end up dominating the conversation. I have had enough and I expect plenty of other commenters feel the same way.
Weka creates posts for the purpose of discussing issues related to the subject for those who are close to, or interested in being part of that debate. There is no need to hijack the myriad of other concerns that beset this country and the rest of the world.
Ta for both of you seeing the wood for the trees.
To me, no matter the importance or validity of the subject, it's become like the endless de facto daily circle jerk 'go vegan' posts we use to suffer through on the standard.
Very few subjects travel alone and stand in strict isolation, as they are inevitably views & opinions of people, who all are complex and mostly irrational beings. For this reason, any subject, no matter how innocuous, can be used as a pivot, hook, or foot-in-the-door tactic to introduce other things and much propaganda as well as cult recruitment make use of this. Conspiracy cultists love to hate this, but I think that fundamentally it is just a human trait and a big part of our story-telling narratives to try make some sense of the world we live in.
I understand, I know how debates work, especially on here, yet still, try taking a giant left field leap on an author's thread and we know how that usually ends.
I know, not my house, not my rules.
My comment was really intended as an on-topic but still general reply to yours and I had no intention at all to raise this in the context of what’s going on here on TS and its rules and Policy, for example.
FWIW, although this is OM I agree that the comment @ 2.1 put a fork in the road (what I’d call a whataboutism) but I’s also like to think it was ‘accidental’. I’ve learned to wait & watch to see how the 2 different threads merge together again further down the road, as sometimes happens – usually, and unfortunately, one leads down the garden path and the other one to a cliff’s edge
I'd rather put a fork in a sausage, and I'm far too tooth long to believe in 'accidental' anymore, but good luck to you, and all that.
Thanks. Trust is a delicate thing that cuts both ways.
Now that you can trust 😉
Anyway, top of the post is ruined, but there's been some good on topic chatter below, so as it's FA cup day, I'll go with second half equaliser, looking for a late winner, avoiding extra time and penalties.
It depends on the context, as always, but I don’t have a problem with trusting people because of their faith by default – I disagree with your personal judgement of “religious people as somewhat brain damaged”. When it comes to science, e.g., the science of climate change, it becomes more difficult to discuss matters with people who have a very literal and dogmatic interpretation of their [book of] faith. NZ schools all have to teach the curriculum, AFAIK.
Brain damaged as in the result of brain washing, not as a pejorative to it's consequences – Though as we go on knowing I don't believe in more god than they do, and that I'm still quite okay with whatever they get up to on Sundays, teaching creationism and filling children's heads with lies under the banner of education becomes alarming more than difficult to discuss with.
Belief is individual, and no gods, one god or ten of them is fine, but wtf or more like howtf has this nasty, anti science, us bible belt moran-a-likes been allowed to find a way into our education system?
Save me Jeebus.
At least the vegans don't pull that "no debate" bollocks. When you've discussed it to the point of having to withdraw with concussion that really is too much.
Yeh i've had enough.
Yes, the GC threadjacking, I come here once every week & it's bloody off putting.
Who knows how many it has put off for good
Bollocks. Telling women to shut up is the opposite of driving engagement
A tiny group of them. Visitor stats will tell the story.
Some here will know some of what I am about to say but others here won’t so it’s worth retelling. I count at least five feminist authors who stopped writing here in the past because the behaviour of men on TS made it too difficult to stay. Left wing men mostly, either directly by their behaviour, or indirectly by their silence or complicity. Some left wing men spoke up at times in comments, sometimes substantially on issues that matter to women. I will always be grateful for that. Some but not all of those men now oppose women on TS (yes, yes #notallwomen)
From a feminist perspective that sits outside of masculinist left/right politics, there is not a huge amount of difference between the men who opposed women before and those that oppose now. Both groups contain men who consider themselves progressive but who proved in the end that when it came down to it, women could have their own politics only so long as it suited the politics of the men. This is a clear pattern that transcends and predates the sex/gender war.
Of those five women authors who left one is a staunch trans ally, two are gender critical feminists, and two I don’t know what their politics are. All of those women talked at various times about the difficulties of men’s behaviour on site as being key to why they stopped writing.
My own experience is that I spent a number of years as an author here setting up systems and shifting the culture enough so that women authors and commenters would want to be here. I cross posted writers from off site and supported new writers to Guest Post here. I had an emphasis on women, but also extended this to other groups whose voices are missing here.
Lynn talked at the time about the increase in women in the stats.
A small handful of TS women worked over a year on the women’s project with the goal of getting regular feminist writers and commenters. We did some really good work, and too much of our time was taken up trying to make sense of the problematic men on TS who were actively opposing women’s politics. It was never clear if the plans we were making would be accepted. I took the views that a well presented plan would be, but before we got to that point two male authors took a hatchet to the women’s project after I banned CV.
CV was one of the men that more than one woman had said made it too difficult to write here. One of those woman I was in conversation with about more posts. CV had recently returned to TS from a long ban, and was engaging in exactly the same pattern of behaviour as before that not only caused problems for women but disrupted the commentariat debates.
I banned him prematurely because I could see what was about to happen and we’d just spent months getting the debates into a good place again and there was the possibility of a new regular author. Maybe I should have let him play it out, accumulate warnings and then banned him, but I couldn’t stand the thought of going through all that again and having to rebuild.
In response Psycho Milt was given a year’s ban by one of the male authors in reaction to CV’s ban. I’m not going to talk much about what happened in the back end, nor about the personal price I paid, but suffice to say I ended up not writing here for 15 months. So we can say at least 6 women have left because of left wing men opposing women’s politics.
When I came back to write about Ihumatao I noticed the changes. I decided to write mostly about climate with occasional feminist posts when it seemed like it was worth it ie I deemed the anti women’s politics behaviour to be at a low ebb. There weren’t nearly as many women commenters here and less variety of women’s politics. There were no other regular women authors.
When I started writing about gender critical ideas and the impacts on women of gender identity ideology, more women commented. The small number of women-only posts saw even more. Unsurprisingly, when given the chance to talk about our own politics, women do. And when men oppose that we sometimes fight back and increasingly we don’t, because the world is on a knife edge and there’s only so much resiliency to go around. But it is telling that women are speaking up on gender/sex issues despite that and despite the very real threats to those who do so publicly.
So when I see this,
Rob logic: Bollocks. Telling women to shut up is the opposite of driving engagement
Sacha: A tiny group of them. Visitor stats will tell the story
I have to stop and take in the fact again that you are one of the men that opposes women having our own politics when it contradicts your own.
I’m not so bothered by you misrepresenting TS history or even that you use that misrepresentation to further your own politics. What’s really the worst is that you choose to marginalise women talking feminism with this phrase: “A tiny group of them”.
While at the same time telling us off for allegedly hating on another ‘tiny group’ of people. Nothing tells me that women are not entitled to feminism more than this. That you as a man will decide which marginalised people are worthy of respect and which aren’t, and don’t even blink at the hypocrisy.
I cannot imagine left wing men such as yourself taking this position and making such statements about Maori politics for instance or disability politics, given the progressive position generally is staunchly that marginalised peoples are entitled to their own definition and political sovereignty.
Some men are just still immersed in sexist belief. I doubt you are. I think for some left wing men the sexism is secondary to something else so important to them that it renders them incapable of reasoned debate and blind to their own mansplaining tendencies. But the implications for women are deadly serious because now we have the dominant (male) class arguing that a few women raped is acceptable to the cause or standing by and watching and silently endorsing some of the worst misogyny I’ve seen in my lifetime. Left wing mansplaining and the MRAs are but a spectrum at this point.
I also think it remarkable that some left wing men have withdrawn from debate and then complain that women are still here talking about our politics. If there’s anything to be learned from GCF thus far it’s that women won’t just go away, that these issues matter at a fundamental level that have nothing to do with trans politics and everything to do with who and what women are and we experience in the patriarchy.
Hijacking a blog about labour movement politics as a local beachhead for foreign-influenced anti-trans stances may feel like a victory to the small number of women who support that. Any knowledge of feminist history shows where it fits in though.
I hope women – who have good reason to feel fearful about men – regain clarity and peace about where transwomen fit into the world we all share. Fixating on genitals, toilets and sports seems unlikely to help with that.
I’m not expecting to change your mind but I’d like others to know they are not alone in sadness about what this place has become.
Some here will know some of what I am about to say but others here won’t so it’s worth retelling. I count at least five feminist authors who stopped writing here in the past because the behaviour of men on TS made it too difficult to stay. Left wing men mostly, either directly by their behaviour, or indirectly by their silence or complicity. Some left wing men spoke up at times in comments, sometimes substantially on issues that matter to women. I will always be grateful for that. Some but not all of those men
I recall that period directly. All of those women threw a their toys out of the cot in a display of manipulative spite. Every single one of them had the opportunity to return and say whatever they wanted unimpeded – they just could not tolerate someone challenging them. 'No debate' was invented by feminists like yourself long before you realised it could be weaponised against you.
In response Psycho Milt was given a year’s ban by one of the male authors in reaction to CV’s ban.
That was me. Have the honesty to name people when you know they are still about and reading the threads. Of course you selectively tell only the part of the story that suits your narrative. The ban on PM was done as as equal and opposite response to an equally stupid ban you made on CV – and you are stilled pissed off about it because it so effectively showed up how you repeatedly misuse your very privileged position here to censor and erase views you do not like.
I have called you on this repeatedly over the years – to the point where I recently emailed Lynn Prentice to remove my access as a moderator as I could no longer stomach being associated with or having to deal with such blatant hypocrisy and bullshit.
I’m not going to talk much about what happened in the back end, nor about the personal price I paid, but suffice to say I ended up not writing here for 15 months.
Bullshit – you paid no price at all. Quite the opposite you have enjoyed Lynn's unqualified support for years and still do. He has never moved to prevent you from doing anything here you pleased. You had your opportunity to turn TS into something that suited your peculiar views for years now – and still you complain that people will debate with you on a site whose very purpose is debate.
Still I was never against having more women authors and readers – and certainly took no pleasure in the events you allude to. In response to those events I voluntarily silenced myself on anything substantive to do with sex or gender for almost five years now. A promise I have adhered to. And still this is not good enough – men get all the blame for everything wrong in your life and always will.
PS. Alluding to matters in the backend that other readers are not privvy to is a fundamentally dishonest tactic. You are essentially claiming victim status over events readers have no way of judging for themselves. And for this exact reason I have mostly kept well away from that area of the site for a very long time now.
@sacha. I thought weka did a great job of explaining this, but I'll give it a go. She could probably do with a break.
Given that the women commenting here are left-wing, and are speaking of the impact of legislative changes on women as a political class, your use of 'highjacking' indicates your dismissal of that notion rather than accuracy. Implying foreign-influences is becoming a familiar tactic. Not worth the rebuttal.
This I'd like to hear. Take it away Sacha, and tell us 'small number of women' about your knowledge of feminist history.
God forbid, women who are not fearful just have boundaries and are willing to say so. (Which has nothing to do with transwomen because apparently, there are no conflicts.)
This genital fixation seems to come from the GIA's more than the GFC. Most likely stems from the insistence that 'Transwomen are Women' creating confusion when talking about women. The confused searched for a way to differentiate – instead of accurately calling transwomen, men – and resorted to biological sex characteristic descriptions. Which they were then vilified for.
Women are not scared of men. We are setting boundaries and saying No.
Some men are scared of that and react by demanding we allow other men into our single-sex spaces.
The answer is still No.
The Standard is a place where it can be demonstrated that when women do set boundaries and say no, they will be ignored and ridiculed.
Many attempts at embarrassment will be made in order to get compliance. When that fails, sulking and bro-camaraderie is often on display like some Animal Kingdom back patting commiseration ritual.
Very rarely, will honest and good faith engagement occur, and surprisingly, when it does, it will be from long-time right wing commentors. Thanks to them (and the few left men), by the way, for basically recognising the political nature of this discourse, and giving their perspectives.
If this is uncomfortable for you, go join the others 'in sadness', scroll past, or engage. The invitation has always been there for engagement.
you repeatedly misuse your very privileged position here to censor and erase views you do not like
RL,
I copped a ban for quoting stats that appeared on the Health Ministry's website. You have to laugh.
[No, you were not banned for “quoting stats that appeared on the Health Ministry’s website”, you were banned for making up shit (https://thestandard.org.nz/convoy-protest-17-2-22/#comment-1863806 and https://thestandard.org.nz/convoy-protest-17-2-22/#comment-1863870). And you’re doing it again here. You have to cry.
I often wonder why bannees have such a selective and warped view and memory of their bans and love to play the innocent victim. Perhaps it is because they’re twits. In any case, if I catch you making up shit about Moderation again you’ll cop an instant ban of one month and I’ll make a note of this warning in the back-end – Incognito]
Mod note
100% Weka.
We are extremely fortunate to have Weka on this site (and actually Weka and I don't agree 100% on everthing, nor do we need to).
Weka is one ofthe most calmed and reasoned commentators on The Standard. She is always respectful and her posts are well informed.
I have been commenting on this blog roughly from 2013, long before I became aware of the gender ideology issue. I am a Labour Party member.
I have been absolutely shocked by some of the male commenters on this site and their lack of willingness to hear women out. I personally have never experienced being shut down before for feminist beliefs (or any of my beliefs, even when people don't agree with them. Frankly the gaslighting towards women that has gone on on this site is shocking e.g. when I raised the issue about the Wi-spa and various men told me it was a set up by GC groups. Then a man tried to excuse having a sex offender in a women's change room saying words to the effect that poor guy, probably his penis showed because his towel slipped.
I started commenting on this site about gender issues because the msm have completely shut women who are gender critical down (as too did the Labour and Green party politicians on the self ID sub committees.
I intend to continue commenting. To date I have have never been banned nor have I received a warning (other than for when I have typed in my address incorrectly).
The Standard often has themes that dominate on Open Mike, eg. Covid, the parliamentary protesters, the war in Ukraine. This is no different from GC stuff. I was going to say if you don't like it, do what we all do ie scroll down (surely no one reads every single bloody comment on every topic). But actually what I want to say is open you eyes about the issues we raise. And whenever a group tries to shut down debate, be very, very suspious. It usually means they have weak or no arguements.
@Anker
I intend to continue commenting. To date I have have never been banned nor have I received a warning
That is because your comments generally conform to weka's views. Others like myself see this very differently – we have been repeatedly subject to fucked up abuse of moderation from this person.
Seeing as how you have been around for so long – I have a challenge for you. Can you recall any sustained instance of a male perspective of the relationship between the sexes being presented here? One that was not immediately dumped on as sexist or MRA lines? One that was allowed to be developed and debated in a safe and open manner. In my experience weka would immediately use her unchallenged power as Editor to remove such an author. Not just censor – but to erase completely as she has a number of male authors she did not like.
As it happens for the most part I do not really care to comment on sex or gender matters. When I scan through some of the more toxic anti-male 'feminist' threads here I think 'thank fuck I don't comment on this shit'
(The sole exception I made recently was to express support in a most general and anodyne fashion for the idea that sex is for all practical purposes an immutable and important characteristic – and that both sexes have good reason to be alarmed at those 'progressive' forces who think it smart and trendy to erase it.)
What I am objecting to is weka presenting herself as any kind of victim at TS – when in reality she has enjoyed practically unchallenged power to curate and run this site to suit herself for many years now. It is a ridiculous and manipulative claim.
This is a reply to Reg Logix
I believe there are more male moderators on this site that women? Please correct me if I am wrong. So I have been on the end of moderation by more men than women. Weka is the only moderator I know of. who is female. As I said, Weka and I don't agree on everything and she has at times challenged me quite assertively. I haven't had a problem with that.
I appreciate your comments on biological sex and material reality
I don't expect to change your mind either, and likewise, I'm commenting for those reading.
It's laudable that you want to make sure trans people are ok, and yet what I see here is not comments about trans issues, but ones suggesting that women should shut up or even leave TS.
The labour movement is international, yet gender critical women aren't supposed to be?
The GCFs I follow are overwhelmingly left wing or centre left British feminist, many of them with decades long histories of feminist work. Most (not all) are like Stock committed to trans human rights. They disagree with you on what those rights are.
I suspect they would run rings around your knowledge of feminist theory. Last time we discussed this you referenced some academic writings, and vague handwaved to them as supporting your position without actually explaining it. Were we supposed to do that homework?
Pity that you haven't also read about the genesis of western gender ideology in the universities of the US. There's nothing homegrown about your own position. This is distinct from the gender non-conformity that has existed in all cultures on the planet, including our own now and that includes many gender critical feminists. Trans people aren't the problem, gender ideology is.
Your continued absence of support for women authors here is noted. It’s hard not to surmise that you would rather have men writing about feminism here than actual feminists.
Your assumptions say more about you than me. I'm hardly going to mansplain feminism as I said at the time. And I have never "misrepresented" this blog. Enjoy the circle jerk.
Late to this, my wife pointed out I was mentioned in it. I didn't realise at the time what was going on in the background weka, and regret that I unwittingly ended up having a role in it.
Sacha, top dudebro points to you for telling women how they're doing feminism wrong by not including men in it, then doubling down by claiming women's rights have no place being discussed on a left-wing blog, then tripling down by claiming you're not mansplaining feminism to feminists. When women talk about misogyny of the left and you're wondering what they're on about, come back to this thread to refresh your memory.
Nope. Quite the fantasy you have going there.
Actually, a relevant discussion on the similarity of views of creationism and arguments against the binary of biological sex took place couple of days ago on Wine with Women.
If you want a short precis on the value of women retaining the word to represent their sex class in political discourse go to 30:00.
https://youtu.be/tcbodbjWALA?t=3503
The comment is relevant. Idiocy and science denial are not the exclusive domain of a particular religion. No system is foolproof when humans are involved.
Agree.
thanks for posting Molly. Really appreciate these well thought out GC posts from you and Weka. Keep them coming
We used to sell geological specimens / fossils, displayed with descriptions including age. We had to give the line up because of harassment from fundamentalist christians who would take us to task for telling lies and pray for our ignorance in the gallery.
It was mostly North Americans initially, who were sweet, well mannered people and earnest in their beliefs and manner, but latterly went into a domestic / Australian group who were loud and obnoxious, and profoundly ignorant.
Agree.
I have relatives who went through such schools and few if any get into Uni.
Destined for poor-paying care industries. Or marriage, which is similar.
I'd have trouble having a decent conversation, let alone hire or trust the judgement of someone who genuinely believed the world was 6000 years old and fossils are their god's way of testing faith.
Makes for Awkward at Christmas for sure. And as for vaccination …..
Fortunately winter solstice/Yule can always pull rank on the first
Not in my family.
No doubt, and why not?, but I was more talking about the christian holidays based on pagan festivals, of which Xmas is one of.
I don't mind either way as long as I get the time off, socks, excuse for breakfast scrumpy and buckets of chocolate.
Agree Al1en (2). Where is the evidence to support these schools' religious teachings as fact?
Another point is if religion is to taught in schools, then comparative religions should be also be included, so students are able to sum up what they have been taught and more importantly, be invited or encouraged to ask questions and discussion. This will offer an opportunity to come to their own conclusions. But that might put a fly in the ointment eh?
Teachers are generally a good sort who, on the whole, collectively put great value in learning.
It seems like an oxymoron (with a heavy emphasis on moron) to teach something so factually incorrect.
That one can legally teach what equates to flat Earth theory shows a need for action.
I can't believe that they can get away with this in state-integrated schools. The government should not be paying wages for people to teach this. What a crazy world.
Tough luck Ardern getting covid before Budget.
Still, all in the family.
Gives Grant a chance to steady the ship.
IMHO the public are tired of the Jacinda and Grant show (I know I am), so meh.
Apparently Ardern has got Covid now.
Not sure why we are supposed to care as long as she keeps it away from her kid.
Think she is healthy enough to handle it. Timing is a bit convenient, but I doubt tgere is anything dodgy about it. Just get it when you get it thing.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300588260/pm-jacinda-ardern-has-covid19-is-gutted-she-cant-make-emissions-reduction-announcement
Actually that was a bit dim.
Provided Neve has no underlying health conditions we don't know about it would probably not be the worst thing in the world if she also got it.
Over and done with and all that.
what are the rates of Long Covid in New Zealand? Which demographics are most likely to be affected?
It is a good question tbf.
From what I have read it can be pretty nasty, the long one.
Also annoyingly random.
My 18 month old great niece in Australia contacted Covid twice (Delta & Omicron) and has respiratory problems months later, as does my sister (her grandmother).
As you point out, we haven't identified all cohorts yet for severity of disease or Long-Covid, particularly among the younger age groups.
yes. Hence 'get it over and done with' is problematic for individuals and public health because it encourages spread. Also a problem for the health system.
"Get it over & done with", what an ignorant comment, no wonder we are rooted.
It’s currently estimated that between 10%-30% of people with Covid-19 go on to develop long Covid. Siouxsie Wiles
But, but…she's done the right thing and got the two initial shots of the Pfizer Wonder Product and had a booster and I assume she's been only hanging out with other responsible double jabbed and boosted 'confident' folks…she should ask for
herour money back.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdMSRolWCyQ&t=5s
Time she did the right thing and lifted ALL vaccine mandates… including those for health and disability workers.
(Truly…get well soon Prime Minister…you've got work to do. Oh, keep up your fluids, take your vitamins and a swig or two of electrolytes seems to be the thing that takes the plague ridden from getting better to fit as…. At least that's the korero up here in the vax-slack Far North.)
Why? Covid vax and booster makes it less likely to get covid, no impossible. It also limits transmission (because less people get infected), and limits the risk of serious illness, hospitalisation and death. People can choose not to vaccinate, but there are clear benefits for those that do.
Agree something needs to be done about the health and disability mandates. I'd have less of a problem if they'd actually put systems in place to support disabled people through this. Don’t think mandates should be lifted in hospitals and old people’s homes though.
Covid vax and booster makes it less likely to get covid
Not necessarily.
Vaccination status of new cases per 100,000 of population segment
Case per 100,000 of the particular population have had double and triple jabbed having a higher case rate than the unvaccinated since…a long time.
The hospitalisation rates are very close as well.
There may be some small benefit from the shot with respect to hospitalisations…but I suspect that if there is ever any honest accounting done after all of this…the Pfizer shot might not have made much difference…in fact…https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=407248… it may do more harm than good.
You've already proven you don't understand arithmetic, science or statistics.
Why keep proving it?
Please explain what you mean there, and tell me which bit you are referencing in the RNZ link.
Oh dear:
Discussing the science of Covid with you has proven to be futile many times. However, let’s see if you’re open, at least, to the following argument.
The case reporting as it stands is highly likely to under-report the daily case numbers (I can provide links to support this) and unvaccinated are less likely to report.
If you would like to discuss more reliable and also more important vaccine stats I think you should be looking at hospitalisations & ICU and deaths. You may also want to take into consideration the waning protection of the vaccine and how this may influence the stats and NZ stats in particular.
The link worked when I posted. Still works for me. (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4072489)
The case reporting as it stands is highly likely to under-report the daily case rates….
Agreed.
unvaccinated are less likely to report.
Do you have links to support this?
Think about it. It is the same psychology & behaviour at work that causes the under-reporting in the first place and I think it is more likely that people who cannot be bothered to get vaccinated also cannot be bothered with testing and subsequent reporting. In addition, the unvaccinated fall disproportionally within younger age groups who are less likely to become ill (symptomatic) with Omicron but also less likely to test & report, I reckon. Testing and reporting have consequences such as self-isolation from school, study, or work & income, flatmates …
I think it is more likely that people who cannot be bothered to get vaccinated also cannot be bothered with testing and subsequent reporting.
There you go again. Making the judgement that we are not vaccinated because we're too lazy, apathetic or just plain stupid.
Not conducive to constructive discussion at all.
Many of our unvaccinated mates, some with PhDs in science and everything, would dearly love to be part of some national study into how we 'fucking filth' are doing with regards to Covid infections. It'd be great…like a proper Trial only this time not unblinding and vaccinating the control group. As what happened with the Pfizer 'Trial'.
Ho hum. Another missed opportunity to do some real science.
"Not conducive to constructive discussion at all."
There you go again. This time distorting Incognito's (5:52pm) informed perspective into something else altogether. Not to mention your 'non-constructive' discussions on mainstream scientific evidence which you contend to be inadequate despite their authors' internationally renowned expert status and their many years of experience.
You have a huge chip on your shoulder and this often spoils your comments with idiosyncratic sneering.
There are many reasons why people cannot be bothered doing something. I’ve given you a few possible reasons why I think particularly younger people are less likely to test and subsequently report a positive test result. You extrapolated this to a negative judgment and those are your words based on your personal opinion and biased judgement of a lot of things and of me, obviously.
There’s plenty of material out there about the behaviours of young people in the pandemic and how they were and still are a target group for vaccination and compliance with other measures (e.g. https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/pages/horizon-research-covid-19-vaccine-survey-october-2021-1dec2021.pdf). There have been overseas reports (e.g. UK) of waves of infections likely caused by young people going out, et cetera.
You can and obviously will draw your own conclusions and decided to again frame it as us vs. them where one side (your side, apparently) are ‘fucking filth’. I may add that you seem to be quite fond of and wearing this label as a batch of honour, as you have used it at least 13 times here on TS – 7 more times and you’ll start believing it too.
Have a nice day.
PS the stats are clear on how the unvaccinated have been doing during this protracted pandemic
Sorry to be pedantic…but cannot be bothered has by definition predominantly negative connotations.
Why not, if you are truly trying to be fair, reasonable and moreover non judgemental, use the term…"Have chosen not to take the Pfizer product…"?
PS the stats are clear on how the unvaccinated have been doing during this protracted pandemic
This protracted pandemic has featured a number of variants of concern. Unfortunately the Pfizer Product was designed to be efficacious for the original strain…and as shown in the link I provided at 4.2.2.1.2.1 …
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7031e2.htm?s_cid=mm7031e2_w
…struggles to impede Delta and is almost completely ineffective against infection by Omicron. Or serious illness, hospitalisation and death in those most vulnerable.
As our stats are now showing…https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/450874/covid-19-data-visualisations-nz-in-numbers
You’re not pedantic, you’re wrong. From your link:
You chose to focus on the second possible meaning and added “apathetic or just plain stupid” to reflect your judgement and suit your narrative. But thank you for suggesting how I should write my comments. When I need a ghost writer I’ll know how to contact you. \s
Fortunately, the Pfizer vaccine was developed against the original wild type strain and fortunately, it has been very effective in protecting many people all over the world against severe illness, hospitalisation, and death even with Delta and still, but less so, with Omicron. Waning immunity has required additional shots but the vaccine remains one of the best tools in protecting people from Covid-19.
One of the other main reasons why we’re seeing the current wave and surge of cases, hospitalisations, and deaths is that we, rightly or wrongly, have abandoned many measures that aided and added other layers of protection – we are now forced to learn to live with it. This is also the overseas experience.
Your biased mind is too closed-off and therefore you’re not willing to understand and accept the data & stats.
I think you need to read up on what vaccines do.
Not all of them mean you are immune, Some mean you just don't get hit as hard as if Jonah Lomu running into you at full speed.
Just my opinion, but to not get vaccinated against Covid is extremely dim, and while I disagree with a fair amount of Labour's policies, at the time they were introduced I have zero issue with the mandates.
…but to not get vaccinated against Covid is extremely dim
Thanks for your concern…but my disabled partner (also in remission from leukaemia) and I chose not to partake of the Pfizer Product after closely following the trials, the initial roll out in Europe and Israel, and beomming increasingly concerned at not only reports of serious side effects but also the rapidity of which such reports were dismissed or labelled as 'misinformation' from 'anti-vaxxers'.
The bribes, coercion and eventual mandates rolled out overseas as well as here also made us concerned. If the product was as 'safe and effective' as advertised folk would be climbing over each other for a(nother) shot. By September 2021 even the CDC had acknowledged the mRNA shots did not stop transmission or reduce viral load and re issued the mask recommendation for vaccinated folk. And this was before Omicron.
The statistics are clear…the vast majority of people who are on the whole healthy will most likely not get seriously ill from Covid. We chose to trust established science, keep healthy and go for natural immunity.
We've both had Covid. Got sick. Didn't die. Got better.
Didn't realised you'd both contracted Covid, Rosemary.
Glad you are both through it in good health.
Vitamins, Molly. D3, C, K2 and a few other 'nostrums' that tasted so foul they must have done us some good. And electrolytes, eventually. And soup… waiting in the freezer in readiness.
And inadvertent advice from Patricia Bremner. Rest…active for 10-15 mins then rest for an hour or so…for Peter that is. Keeping a spinal injured person in bed for any longer than necessary is almost impossible. Inactivity is not good for this group and bedrest, in their book, is for dying people. Peter is an 52 year veteran of this culture, but Omicron did not only increase his periodic 'lean- overs', but drove him to a week or so of get- out- of- the -wheelchair- and -on- the- bed- for- a -nana- nap. Unheard of…even when battling the chest infection he got while having chemo a decade ago.
Yes, we took a punt. But it was a calculated one that we do not regret for a minute.
Thanks, Rosemary. I know you make personal choices based on knowledge of risks and benefits, glad you've come out the other side intact. We're doing the D3 and K2, Vit C, Mg and Zn regime in prep.
Do you have a link to the nostrums etc?
(BTW, thanks for the link to the paper. The video with Christine Benn was worth the watch.)
Quercetin… I've always craved raw onion sandwiches (buffered with cheese) at the slightest hint of a lurgie. Wake up next day all better. No surprise to find onions (and garlic) are good sources of quercetin. Gave it to Peter more as he struggled to eat anything when he was crook.
NAC… seriously foul tasting. We take 1/8 tsp dissolved in water daily. Doubled when we were battling Te Virus.
Peter's taken 25mg Zn for skin and wound support for over a decade when a deep white tail spider bite was awaiting surgical intervention. It was a pharmacist recommended it…he'd studied the effect of Zn supplementation on wound healing for his Masters and was surprised that it was not SOP so definite were the results. I increased the dosage when we were crook.
Mg he's taken for over 2 decades after he weaned himself off the fairly nasty prescription stuff they usually give spinal injured for muscle spasms and clonus. Combined with the CBD oil (link to research pertaining to efficacy for SARS Cov2) he was prescribed a couple of years ago, he enjoys much better sleep and less leg jerking during the day.
Every little helps…
As an aside…since taking K2 I have found the joint pain that was beginning to make me even grumpier has practically disappeared. I stopped taking it for a few days and found the pain returning. A miracle. My slightly younger sister needed a double hip replacement a couple of years ago…still in her fifties…and I confess to fearing that a similar fate awaited me with hips or knees. And the arthritis in my hands I've had since my twenties…very much alleviated.
I don't care if folks think this is woo/witchcraft/ anti-science. The drugs given to me for the osteo arthritis forty years ago had me vomiting blood. Likewise with the drugs prescribed to Peter for spasticity and urinary issues.
Finally…because there's kikuyu to pull out…I buy vitamins etc online. I was interested to note that most of our favourite 'nostrums' were either sold out or in short supply at the peak of the Omicron outbreak back in March/April.
And soup. Make soup and freeze it. You have to eat…even if nothing tastes of anything. Soup is concentrated nutrition and easy to get down a reluctant sick person. Pumpkin/bacon/garlic/chilli soup. Fish soup. Eggs, poached/scrambled. Old school convalescent food.
Oh...Box Breathing. Peter is a mouth breather from infancy. Terrible habit. I've been trying to teach/bully him to breathe properly. In 2,3,4 hold 2,3,4, out 2,3,4 hold 2,3,4… Really helped when the snot made breathing difficult…and to relax when needing to sleep.
All good and interesting. I wonder if you have picked up the recent thinking around the role of IR in melatonin production?
Decades ago I encountered a few fringe practitioners coming from the observational school of medicine talking about the role of light in health and healing. It is interesting to see more and more research catching up with them.
I don't care if folks think this is woo/witchcraft/ anti-science.
Yes – I have made the case here before that there are two kinds of knowledge, that which is based in observation and pattern recognition (typical of indigenous, folk and alternative medical systems) – while science based knowledge applies a narrower more rigorous set of methods and processes to arrive at a consensus understanding.
Both have their strengths and weaknesses. Observational knowledge is prone to all of the cognitive biases and failures of the the human mind, but is good at treating systems holistically. Science is better at eliminating mistakes and generating repeatable, useful methods – but is very much constrained by a materialistic, atomistic view of the world.
I have always tried to keep the door open to both worlds – and accepted that the limits of the human mind mean that there will always be paradoxes and mysteries. And that the perfection of knowledge will continue to progress slowly, step at a time – without limits.
I have always tried to keep the door open to both worlds – and accepted that the limits of the human mind mean that there will always be paradoxes and mysteries
Only very foolish people outright dismiss or discount knowledge that is know considered 'fringe'.
Much of modern medicine has it's roots in these potions and practices.
We seem to have been trapped into this polarised 'you're either all for it or you're against it' world. Limiting, and dangerous.
The melatonin/IR thing…Bret and Heather Dark Horse were discussing research into this the other day…who knew energy efficient lightbulbs could very possibly be doing us some harm?
Much of modern science is rooted in alchemy. Even Sir Isaac Newton had a keen interest in alchemy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton%27s_occult_studies
Interesting comment that deserves more discussion. Just briefly, there are differences [in focus and in ‘rules’] between applied, experimental, and theoretical sciences but all are founded on a theoretical framework based on logical reasoning an all that jazz. Of course, they are intimately linked. I’d include the word “mechanistic” in your description; our day-to-day thinking is very much still Newtonian, think action=reaction. Quantum mechanics has changed the Newtonian world view but it is too esoteric (aka weird). However, it has already made a huge impact on humanity and not just in Sci-Fi and New Age spiritualism.
Thanks, Rosemary.
Interesting about the raw onion sandwich craving. I thought it was a family taste I'd inherited from my mother. My daughter occasionally indulges.
Since I've been kicked into drug-induced menopause, the joint pain has been noticeable and limiting. No suggestions from the medical professionals, just a nod when they ask about side effects, because they've heard it all before.
After trawling the support groups, I find it is the supplements that help. I take the usual glucosamine, but also high strength curcurmin, which I think reduces the inflammation more. (I don't want to stop both and test to make sure.) I also take milk thistle to protect kidneys from further harm.
I'll add the NAC to the shopping list.
Over the last few years, have used the 4-7-8 breathing method. I used to utilise breathing techniques when calming down the kids when they were upset. They hated it, because they knew it worked. Breathing exercises should be a part of the school health curriculum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8fjYPC-k2k
They hated it, because they knew it worked. Hah!
Used similar also on a couple of our foster kids when they had asthma attacks and no inhaler. Also on substance abusers who had used their inhaler to get a buzz so often that it was less effective when they did have an asthma attack. Rhythm.
Your link went to an article about a CDC update of 28 July 2021 not to the CDC page itself!?
From the article:
I looked in the CDC Archives but couldn’t see anything there either to support your assertions.
In hindsight and with maturing data & stats it is easy to justify decisions, but I’d argue that vaccinations, in conjunction with other measures, have saved many lives, overseas and in NZ. For this reason our Government was justified in many of its Public Health decisions and other actions at the time to protect the population of NZ against the pandemic.
When it comes down to individual choices it becomes a different ballgame, of course. Many unvaccinated people overseas have died as a direct consequence of their decisions and many vaccinated people have also died with Covid despite their choice to get vaccinated.
You got Covid and survived. Good for you, but what does that prove except your justification in hindsight and that you were lucky? Which variant did you have? How ill were you? Anecdotal evidence is limited and only very limited conclusions can be drawn from it, if any at all.
What do you mean by “natural immunity” in this context?
According to MoH (as per 12 May 2022), over 95% of the eligible population of 12+, over 4 million people, chose to get fully vaccinated. Over 72%, or 2,627,933 people, decided to receive a booster shot. Together, there have been 10,680,248 total vaccinations given to 12+. I think that tells a clear message.
https://www.health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-data-and-statistics/covid-19-vaccine-data
Have you the latest ‘active’ safety survey data and report? Looks pretty good to me and confirmation of good safety profile.
https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/active-monitoring.asp#results
Apologies…this is the study that led to Walensky's rapid mask advice reversal.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7031e2.htm?s_cid=mm7031e2_w
Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021
During July 2021, 469 cases of COVID-19 associated with multiple summer events and large public gatherings in a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, were identified among Massachusetts residents; vaccination coverage among eligible Massachusetts residents was 69%. Approximately three quarters (346; 74%) of cases occurred in fully vaccinated persons (those who had completed a 2-dose course of mRNA vaccine [Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna] or had received a single dose of Janssen [Johnson & Johnson] vaccine ≥14 days before exposure). Genomic sequencing of specimens from 133 patients identified the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in 119 (89%) and the Delta AY.3 sublineage in one (1%). Overall, 274 (79%) vaccinated patients with breakthrough infection were symptomatic. Among five COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized, four were fully vaccinated;
What do you mean…What do you mean by “natural immunity” in this context? ? Surely it is obvious what I mean?
…the latest ‘active’ safety survey data and report? Looks pretty good to me and confirmation of good safety profile.
You (and Medsafe) completely dismiss the thousands of New Zealanders who reported some pretty significant side effects. Like shortness of breath(7000), chest discomfort(over 12500) and dizziness(20,000 or so)…all symptoms of myocarditis which were being routinely minimised by NZ doctors until the big whip was cracked last December. Too late for those who were sent away in shame with no proper diagnosis and no proper treatment. Many of these people will never trust the health system ever again.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2021/12/coronavirus-vaccine-linked-death-prompts-reminder-letter-from-ministry-of-health-to-doctors-report.html
https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/safety/Alerts/comirnaty-myocarditis-reminder.htm
Thank you.
However, that statement from CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky was dated 30 July 2021 and you wrote @ 4.2.2.1 “By September 2021 even the CDC had acknowledged …”. Wrong information = misleading information, regardless of intent.
From the Discussion in your other link, which, for some reason, you’ve left out:
Medsafe and I don’t dismiss reports of adverse events. In fact, they set up an ‘active’ surveillance, the Post Vaccine Symptom Check (PVSC) Survey, which is reported on the Medsafe website, and to which I linked and drew your attention to @ 4.2.2.1.2. The findings so far corroborated the reports and the passive surveillance data on the CARM website.
If you believe that myocarditis is so bad that children, for example, should not be vaccinated I suggest you raise the alarm with Starship Hospital ASAP.
And some (!!) did not trust the health system before the pandemic hit. Does “Misery of Health” ring a bell? Surely, that must be one of your all-time favourite jeers.
You got Covid and survived. Good for you, but what does that prove except your justification in hindsight and that you were lucky?
Interestingly, the vast majority – over 98% – of unvaccinated people who contracted the virus have survived. That's millions of lucky people throughout the world. 🙂 That is consistent with the flu, which kills relatively few unvaccinated people. Many doctors and nurses don't get vaccinated against the flu, presumably because they know the risk of death is low.
According to stats from the Health Ministry, among those eligible to be vaccinated, 93.7% of those who have contracted COVID had two or more shots of the vaccine. More than a million NZers have contracted the virus. Fortunately, other vaccines don't appear to be as ineffective as the Pfizer vaccine.
Those who choose to be vaccinated should be fully informed before doing so. It is understandable why some have chosen not to be vaccinated when they haven't been given information, and when the death rate is so low.
https://www.health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-data-and-statistics/covid-19-case-demographics#aug-2021
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_human_disease_case_fatality_rates
https://akjournals.com/view/journals/032/71/S1/article-p35.xml
Ross, as usual, you’re talking nonsense.
Rosemary mentioned that her partner is disabled (paraplegic, from memory) and in remission from leukaemia. Thus, I count them lucky.
At this point, I can’t be bothered moderating you for this but you asserted a fact and you must support it with evidence. Show us the data. I can tell you already that your statement of fact is grossly inaccurate and therefore misleading
Like so many ignorant people you have no idea how to look at and interpret even basic stats on the MoH website and it is therefore not at all surprising that you draw the wrong conclusion that the Pfizer vaccine is ineffective
I was given information when I received my shots. We were bombarded each and every day and buried under an avalanche of information from MoH and Government. Perhaps it was not the information you wanted but that’s a different issue. Death rates in other parts of the world were not low at all – people were dropping like flies and hospitals and morgues in some parts/cities couldn’t cope. You seem to have a short and selective memory.
Ross, as usual, you’re talking nonsense.
Ad hominems are never a good way to start a discussion lol. If you have an aversion to facts, I strongly suggest you don’t read the following:
In New Zealand, there have been hundreds of reports of serious side-effects from the Pfizer vaccine, including Bells Palsy, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, anaphylaxis, myocardial infarction (heart attack), Myocarditis/pericarditis, thrombosis, embolism, encephalitis, stroke, and spontaneous abortion. Officially, at least three people have reportedly died with the vaccine being the likely cause. Were you told you could potentially die from the vaccine? Those I’ve spoken to say none of the serious side-effects described above were mentioned to them when they were vaccinated. The handouts from the MoH at the time of vaccination didn’t refer to them.
Following reports of sudden deaths in Norwegian nursing homes between December 2020 and February 2021, an expert group was established to investigate 100 of the deaths. The expert group found that 10 of the deaths were “probably” caused by the (Pfizer) vaccine, while a further 26 deaths were “possibly” caused by the vaccine. Five cases could not be classified. Thus, 37.9% of the classified deaths were either probably or possibly caused by the vaccine. Here in New Zealand, were those in nursing homes informed of the risk of death if they took the vaccine? I doubt it.
In 2021, a group of medical experts in the US advised the FDA to delay giving the Pfizer vaccine (and other Covid-19 vaccines) full-approval. The experts, which included a senior editor of the British Medical Journal, said:
The experts added that their message was to “slow down and get the science right—there is no legitimate reason to hurry to grant a license to a coronavirus vaccine”.
Their advice was ignored.
In late-January 2021, health officials here disclosed privately that the Pfizer vaccine had been approved for use, although the announcement was not made publicly until early February. At the same time, the same officials were discussing concerns about its safety. I believe that every vaccine reicipient should have been made aware of this prior to being vaccinated. Of course, you may disagree.
On 21 January 2021, an official here during a private meeting with health officials said:
Meanwhile, on 14 May 2021, Dr Helen Petousis Harris – a cheerleader for the Pfizer vaccine – told readers of the Herald:
That was false and misleading. There was in fact a higher risk of Bells Palsy found among those in the vaccine trial than among the placebo group. (Maybe the good doctor reasoned that more people in New Zealand likely read the Herald than the Lancet, so her falsehood wouldn’t be detected?) She did comment, however, in the same paragraph from which the above quote was taken:
“Regulators will be keeping a close eye on one event known as Bells Palsy, which involves a temporary weakness of the face.”
Why would regulators be keeping a close eye on Bells Palsy if there were no events of concern that were more common in the vaccine group?
This quote appeared in Lancet on 24 February 2021, more than 2 months before Dr Petousis-Harris’ comments appeared in the Herald.
At this point, I can’t be bothered moderating you for this but you asserted a fact and you must support it with evidence.
A commonly known fact requires evidence? Fair enough.
In Australia, “healthcare workers did not consider influenza to be a serious condition or did not recognise themselves to be at risk of infection”.
And in a local context:
https://fyi.org.nz/request/15571-covid-19-immunisation-implementation-advisory-group-meeting-minutes#incoming-68407
https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/06/08/why-we-petitioned-the-fda-to-refrain-from-fully-approving-any-covid-19-vaccine-this-year/
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-why-new-vaccine-is-safe-your-questions-answered/DCRTMICVEHEKWRAICJZK5NNZYQ/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8138807/
https://bpac.org.nz/bpj/2012/december/upfront.aspx
https://tidsskriftet.no/en/2021/05/originalartikkel/nursing-home-deaths-after-covid-19-vaccination
Are unimmunised hospital staff putting us at risk? (newsroom.co.nz)
As I said, there was plenty of information available at the time, but quite possibly not the info you wanted. When I went for my Covid shot, my Info Sheet (dated 4 May 2021) warned about serious allergic reactions but stated that they are extremely rare. There was a phone number to Healthline and two links to government websites for “accurate and trusted information”. However, you’re correct that the info provided to me did not spell out that I could die from the vaccine (I already knew this) and neither was I given a list of potential serious adverse events caused by the vaccine. It did mention that like all medicines the vaccine may cause side effect in some people.
I love that you quote & cite all that info from all over the world. Up to 30 April 2022 there have been a total of 223 reports to CARM (which relies on voluntary self-reporting) of Bell’s palsy in NZ (both serious and non-serious) against a background rate of yearly hospitalisations in NZ over 2016-2019 of 694 patients per year. They continue to monitor this.
https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/safety-report-43.asp
So, despite all those reports, there doesn’t to be a real concern that the vaccine is so unsafe and infective to stop administering it to Kiwis (incl. children aged 5-11).
As to your nonsense about NZ doctors and nurses, at least you tried and came up with data from 10 years ago. I think you overstated it as a “commonly known fact” and it shows that your opinion got in the way of accuracy.
One of MoH’s objectives this year, as in previous years, is to have at least 80% of DHB health care workers taking the flu shot.
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/influenza
In 2020 the coverage was 77%.
https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/pages/2020-dhb-health-care-worker-influenza-immunisation-coverage-feb21.pdf
I’d like to think that this year it will reach its target easily.
My detailed response clearly got lost in the ether. 🙂
It’s still pending in the Auto-Mod queue because it contains too many links, i.e., it is your own doing 🙁
It was announced yesterday that vaccine passes are being brought back for those that want them.
what does that mean?
Not much really unless some establishments are going to insist on them.
Personally I would be happy to get one and use it at cafe/bar/restaurant establishments that insisted on vaccine passes.
From memory (it was on RNZ) the government says they would only be available for triple vaxxed people starting next month an would be valid for 6 months.
I guess it is possible some companies/organisations could go back to insisting on vaccine passes.
I for one care. She's had a shit load to deal with during her time as Prime Minister and this is just an added burden on top. I hope she and her family get well quickly and suffer no long term effects.
Wild guess, but thinking she and her family are probably getting the best medical help in NZ, given her position, but agree totally with the sentiment.
I agree Mpledger,All the best to the family. Those using the situation, please desist.
"Not sure why we are supposed to care…"
Because she's a fellow human being?
Oh I see you aren't one so don't quite understand the concept.
"When someone shows you who they are, believe them", when the mask slips.
Think she is healthy enough to handle it.
what a crap comment from someone that obviously had no idea
Some mates included ride around Taupo complete in multi sports – over 16 weeks later from contracting COVID I am now on roids and using an inhaler. And there are 3 of us that have now dramatic reduction in being active. But don’t worry we are told by our leaders that this is only seroius for a few, Add that to the list of untruths 🤬
If it affected your lung function, it was most likely Delta. Good luck with your recovery. Try antihistamine as well.
Doesn't bode well for any future Labour-Maori Party coalition if they're not prepared to field a candidate in Tauranga.
Tauranga has gad a Maori MP for 35 of the last 38 years – you can trust the people of Tauranga to vote on merit.
Maori Party: harden up and fight for what you want.
Mp aren't standing?
Nope
They’re grandstanding.
Link for you Weka.
Racism in Tauranga makes it 'unsafe' to enter by-election, Māori Party says | Stuff.co.nz
thanks.
Lol!
Tauranga has had a #uselessMaori MP for 35 of the last 38 years.
FIFY.
Both Peters and Bridges were outstanding MPs and rose to considerable influence on merit.
Your racist judgements aren't appropriate.
Yawn.
I did run into Simon Bridges the other day in a professional capacity. Pleasant enough, but in the few short minutes we were interacting he did manage to say something insensitive to me, seemingly without thinking.
That is why he failed as a politician.
Unless you're in the Tauranga electorate – you don't really get to judge the usefulness or otherwise of their local MP. They elect the person they want to represent them.
QED.
Stultitia loquitur
Wait, there's more.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/05/some-tauranga-locals-agree-with-m-ori-party-that-their-city-is-racist.html
Tauranga: 18% Maori population; 155 party votes for The Maori Party in the 2020 election (they didn't bother putting up an individual candidate)
Says it all, really……
If you spend your life looking for racism, you'll find it. If you spend your life looking for decency, respect and toleration, you'll find those as well.
The latter seems to be missing in Tauranga.
What is interesting is that the old money families, the Tauranga boomer elite struggle to identify racism within their own ranks. How could they, it's everywhere, and it’s normal.
It's left to Maori, Cook Islanders and the South African immigrants to do that.
So. The fact that Maori have been elected as MP for Tauranga for the last 30 odd years – means that Tauranga is more racist than anywhere else…. Right…..
That 'old-money boomer elite' you cite, repeatedly elected a Maori candidate – because they (presumably) believed he could represent them better than any of the alternatives. That's racism?
Come on. This is TPM desperately searching for a headline, to make a feature of the fact they've a snowball's chance of even getting a candidate deposit back (based on their previous polling). Cheap publicity. Headlines without the cost of a campaign.
Based on the articles in today's paper – it's a heck of a lot more dangerous to be a bus driver in Tauranga, than it is to be an electoral candidate.
Like I said before. Peters' and Bridges' Maori kaupapa ran a distant second to their neoliberal kaupapa.
Tauranga residents recognised this. They might be racist but they are not stupid.
So the only 'real' Maori are the ones who agree with you.
I can see who's the racist here, and it isn't the Tauranga electorate.
Just a little bit of ethnic cleansing.
https://twitter.com/JosephStash/status/1524676024461631489
At least it's blessed. Wouldn't be right to be vapourised by an unsanctified weapon of mass destruction.
https://twitter.com/mbk_center/status/1525132426590265345
You can see the one behind it thinking "Oye! What about me!"
Far out. You wouldn't want one of those hitting your front lawn.
President Trump almost a dead cert as the US spirals into a deeper hole every day. Very hard to be optimistic at the moment
https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/world/us-gripped-by-terrifying-baby-formula-shortage/
He's not wrong.
https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1525162536454303744
Why are you citing right wing propaganda masquerading as news?
An article on Stuff today about how the reporting of suspected child abuse isn't mandatory by teachers or daycare staff. It's a shame the writer didn't delve a little deeper and ask the question: what are the pros and cons of mandatory reporting?
Dr Felicity Goodyear-Smith has made it clear that doctors should not be required to report suspected child abuse.
https://www.publish.csiro.au/HC/pdf/HC12077
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/128608991/two-murdered-children-two-daycares-who-knew-of-abuse–but-no-law-to-report-it
Goodyear-Smith's never been one to miss a chance to excuse the inexcusable.
But priorities. There's mandatory reporting of prescribed transactions – international transactions exceeding $1000 where at least one party is in New Zealand, and at least one is outside New Zealand and any domestic cash transactions exceeding $10,000.
The five stages of grief…..where Australia goes NZ follows?
https://www.interest.co.nz/public-policy/115808/imminent-australian-election-neither-side-politics-offering-realistic-plan
"Australia goes to the polls in a week and for most people the election can’t come soon enough.
It seems like voters have gone through the five stages of grief. At first they were in denial that the campaign had started. Then they moved to anger as they were bombarded by political propaganda. That was followed by bargaining when voters briefly engaged with the campaign.
Depression has now set in after the awful ‘leaders’ debate last Sunday, an unedifying shouting match that was lost by both participants and the TV channel that hosted it.
Acceptance is the final stage of grief but it’s unlikely to ever occur for many Australians given the low esteem in which they hold their politicians."
…and the fiscal positions echo as well.
Just checked the final Northern Ireland election results. They use 18 constituencies with 5 Mps each selected by STV
Sinn Fein is unchanged from last election with 27 seats but they become the largest party as DUP dropped 3. Down also is the smaller nationalist party the SDLP by 4.
The big change was Alliance a more 'centrist non sectarian' thats neutral on unification issues and they grew by 9 seats
looking at the partys by nationalist or unionist labels the unionist are still ahead 37 to 35 seats
The Greens lost both their 2 seats.
However the government formation requires power sharing by the nationalist and unionist leading parties which gives a government of 52 seats out of 90 Mps
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Northern_Ireland_Assembly_election#Results
Same mob, new suckers.
In the lead-up to the 2008 financial crisis, the economy was running hot. Companies were making stupendous amounts of money and had to put it somewhere. There was such a huge demand for safe dollar-equivalent assets that supplies of Treasurys and other such superstable assets were running low. Financial engineers synthesized “safe” dollar-equivalent products to meet the demand—backed by assets such as real estate, or by securities backed by real estate, or by bets on securities backed by real estate. This worked until the housing market had the slightest downturn, at which point the chain of leveraged bets unwound and threatened to take the wider economy with them.
The same pattern has just taken place in crypto—except without any asset as solid as housing at the bottom of it. Cryptocurrency traders work entirely in U.S. dollars. Ordinary cryptocurrencies are notoriously volatile—bitcoin regularly goes up or down 10 percent in a day, making speed crucial. So the industry created “stablecoins”: blockchain tokens worth precisely one dollar that can be traded as stable dollar-equivalents at the speed of the blockchain, without the need to wait for banks. As an added bonus, stablecoins save their users all that tedious red tape of financial regulation, compliance with anti-money-laundering laws, or being a known and named entity with a bank account.
The obvious way to run a stablecoin is with a backing reserve: Each coin represents a dollar held in a bank. Unfortunately, many stablecoins claiming dollar backing have turned out not to be fully backed. None of the reserve-backed stablecoins has ever been properly audited; the issuers present only snapshot attestations, where a single moment’s finances are treated as if they were a permanent supply. For instance, one of the most prominent stablecoins, iFinex’s tether, borrowed money on the morning of one snapshot attestation to appear backed, before returning the money the next day.
https://archive.ph/cNkr5
https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/05/12/cryptocurrency-crash-2008-financial-crisis/
Years ago a workmate and his partner lost their newborn to SIDS. I recall his grief and the palpable guilt and shame so this will be big news for lots of folk. A thread to temper expectations, too.
https://twitter.com/ColdOneder/status/1524941362411479043
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) accounts for about 37% of sudden unexpected infant deaths a year in the U.S., and the cause of SIDS has remained largely unknown. On Saturday, researchers from The Children's Hospital Westmead in Sydney released a study that confirmed not only how these infants die, but why.
https://www.biospace.com/article/researchers-answer-how-and-why-infants-die-from-sids/
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(22)00222-5/fulltext
MIGHT! Please take this article with caution. Early days, but interesting.
Just want to make an apology for an earlier comment.
I mentioned earlier on the Ardern having Covid coversation and hope she avoided giving it to Neve.
Just heard mentioned on the news Neve already has it.
I didn't realise, so if anyone took it as somehow offensive I apologise. I just didn't realise and was just trying to be precautionary.
Don't you think the offensive part was speculating on why anyone should care?
Do you have a similar sentiment for Ukrainians being bombed in their homes or the many millions who have died of Covid?
"Don't you think the offensive part was speculating on why anyone should care?"
No I don't.
Millions of people have had Covid. What makes Ardern special.
And I frankly feel more for Neve, than her.
Personally think this is logical, unless you can give me a reason Ardern the adult one is somehow special.
Because Ardern is special – she’s the PM – we should not care??
WTF is your point? Spit it out without the pre-cautionary pre-emptive ‘apologies’. You’re wasting time of many good commenters again.
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is a leader of global stature. The Prime Minister of New Zealand catching covid is world news. (As it should be). No less than when President Donald Trump or Prime Minister Boris Johnson caught covid.
Of course we are concerned as we should be.
Thank goodness the Prime Minister's symptoms have been described as "moderate".
That the Prime Minister's symptoms are "moderate" is of world interest as it speaks to the New Zealand government and the New Zealand Prime Minister's policies around vaccination, and containment of the virus.
The Prime Minister is a figurehead, as such she represents all of us.
We should be interested in how the Prime Minister fares during this time, just as we would if her condition worsened. Only her political enemies would have no interest in the health of our country's leader.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/14/new-zealand-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-tests-positive-for-covid-19
What makes Ardern special is a habit of treating people as individuals, as ends in themselves as Kant would put it, rather than objects or resources or things to exploit. We saw it in her response to the Chch massacre, and there are many other examples. One of the latest is inviting a Japanese lady who homestayed with the Arderns to return to NZ. It was a human touch that her opponents could not replicate.
What makes Ardern special.
Isn't everyone special?
What a piece of work is a man! How Noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In Action, how like an Angel in apprehension, how like a God! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals…
But perhaps man delights not you— nor woman neither.
Thank you. Well said. Stuart Munro.
"So if anyone took it as somehow offensive I apologise." that's not an apology mate. Your statement was gross you should be fucking ashamed.
I just didn't know she had it.
I am not sitting glued to news sites all day.
Obviously you are one of the ones I wanted to apologise to.
For the record, this is why your comments attract my attention as a Moderator, yet you are convinced it is personal.
FWIW, personally, I don’t think your comments add much to debate here on TS and often do the opposite.
Let’s see if you can parse this.
" attract my attention as a Moderator, yet you are convinced it is personal."
"FWIW, personally, I don’t think your comments add much to debate here on TS and often do the opposite."
Incognito.
I will no longer post on this thread.
I strongly suspected you wouldn’t be able to parse my comment, so just as well you decided to go silent, which is a fine example of self-moderation
Wise move.
When you are in a hole, stop digging.
When people wish/want to debate the biology of sex & gender they should at least define and use the appropriate terms for that particular branch of science, e.g., genotype & phenotype, DNA & chromosomes, hormones, anatomy, et cetera. Misappropriating perfectly well understood terms and language corrupts the discussion, often unintentionally, wastes time and can easily set back things (which sometimes is indeed the intention). Because it involves many layers and disciplines it is important to agree, at least, on the language – a philosopher can learn and understand the medical lingo and vice versa, but it takes a concerted effort and time …
This is not intended to irritate, just a request for clarification re your comment:
"When people wish/want to debate the biology of sex & gender they should at least define and use the appropriate terms for that particular branch of science, e.g., genotype & phenotype, DNA & chromosomes, hormones, anatomy, et cetera. "
For me, all the above is related to biological sex. Gender relates to the expected roles based on sex, but is not the same as biological sex. Gender identity is an individuals expression of themselves disconnected from their biological sex.
What is the biology of gender or gender identity?
I made the observation in OM, not under an OP on the topic, and not under a specific thread on the topic, because it is a general observation. It equally applies to other hot topics such as Climate Change, poverty & inequity, and other complex social/societal issues.
I see a bad habit of people adapting (without telling others, which can create bad faith) rather than adopting terms and concepts of and from fields of expertise that they’re generally quite unfamiliar with and they then insist (!) using these adapted (aka twisted) meanings back into the debate when it happens to move back into that particular field under the pretence of authority and expert/specialist knowledge, which is a known type of heuristics (bias). Of course, this is made (too) easy because of on-line access to the Web. Even pointing this out can lead to nasty and futile (!) responses such as accusations of ‘mansplaining’.
You may also want to read my very brief comment yesterday to Ghostwhowalksnz about excluding non-experts from debate (https://thestandard.org.nz/the-kim-hill-kathleen-stock-interview/#comment-1888322).
When the Law is used to define the boundaries between sex/gender people need to agree on the precise criteria. As an aside, in my opinion, the Law should never be used to settle moral-ethical issues. The Euthanasia debate here in NZ was quite telling and a bit of an eye-opener for me.
Is gender an expression of biology, i.e., a phenotype, or is there more to it, e.g., is it a human-social construct? One may be more ‘immutable’ than the other. When I see comments like ‘I know a dog when I see it and I don’t have to be a vet’, I scroll past as fast as my device can scroll (i.e. not fast enough).
As in politics, when one controls the narrative, one controls the debate, and thus one controls the outcome.
HTH
Thanks, Incognito.
I'm still at a loss how a social construct can be part of biology, but I guess discussions here can be quite organic and I'll just see if that comes up, before concerning myself over the details.
Appreciate the explanation (and the mod work).
*Note: The language in the feminism discussion is constantly changing, often through no action of feminists. It is hard to keep track of it all, and I try to remember that it is even harder for others not privy to wider discussions. I do try for clarity, and will continue to do so.
All good
Hard to see how it’s not both.
Most people won’t understand what phenotype is, seems ok to use a range of language to discuss even complex subjects. My problem is when people won’t explain what they mean, which seems a basic requirement for TS although I’d not want to see that as an absolute (sometimes people can’t explain).
"Is gender an expression of biology, i.e., a phenotype, or is there more to it, e.g., is it a human-social construct?"
Missed taking time for that sentence. Now I see what he meant, when it's in isolation.
It depends on the topic of discussion but if people don’t know what they’re doing and/or what they’re talking about it becomes near-impossible to have an effective discussion. In some ways it would be better if those people would try to explain what they mean in their own words rather than using words and text (copy & paste) from others thinking they mean what those people mean, which is often not the case, in my limited experience here on TS. The result is that the debate is going around in circles and/or spirals out of control. This may avoid people feeling excluded, one would hope, because they’re not forced to follow prescriptive rues of engagement.
Whether it is both or not wasn’t my point. My point was and is that if one wants to talk about one aspect, e.g., biology, which doesn’t mean it necessarily is the only aspect, then one should endeavour (!) to use the most appropriate language. This will facilitate the discussion.
I find it impossible to believe that one could discuss sex and not know about phenotype and how DNA and the environment influence and interact at the level of gene expression of biological organisms. In addition, this is taught in the NZ curriculum (Living World; Biology).
Agree about people explaining in their own words. It's particularly an issue with GC debates, because there people have to also explain what they mean by words like 'woman' or 'male'.
I missed what you were referring to I think, was there a conversation using inappropriate language?
Humans have known for a very long time what biological sex is, long before humans developed language and tools for looking at phenotype, DNA etc. If one wants to have a discussion about biological science, then I agree one needs to have some grasp of the language and concepts.
I appreciated your point in the other thread about so called experts.
Thanks.
I don’t really want to be more specific and start finger-pointing with obvious consequences – the dog & vet example I gave was a hint of how superficial (and simplistic) some of the comments here can be. As I said, it was intended as a more general observation on the more difficult debates occurring here on TS (and elsewhere). Bridging the language gap (which can be a barrier) happens at all levels; I experience it regularly in meetings with other employees in my workplace – it can be as simple as explaining the many acronyms that pepper reports and the likes 🙂
While there are some good reasons for certain MPs to have assets in trusts (especially blind trusts – for offices like Ministers of Finance, or Trade) – the fact that 50% of our parliament are trust beneficiaries does little to promote them as a 'House of Representatives' — just who are they representing?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/128646580/over-half-of-mps-registered-as-beneficiaries-of-trusts
The primary benefit for wealthy people (and even the lowliest backbencher qualifies as 'wealthy' so far as the IRD is concerned) in having assets in trusts, is to reduce their tax bill.
While this may be legal – the ethics are highly questionable.
Indeed, both David Seymour's houses are in trust, presumably to avoid his tax burden. Which is ironic considering how close he and his backers are to lobby group, the Taxpayers Union.
If Seymour and friends suddenly decided to pay their share instead of hiding it away, perhaps they might not need to cut services.
However, according to the article – this behaviour is widespread across multiple parties (only the Greens leadership, Ardern & Luxon were specifically excepted).
At 50% of Parliament – this is beyond a 'one party' or even right/left wing issue – it's endemic.
But only ACT policy is for ultra small tax and ultra small services. They already seem to be doing it on a personal level.
So that excuses all the others?
I should have said it’s worse for MPs who promote a high-tax high-service society. It’s OK for you to pay – but not me!
Now you are excusing Seymour's aversion to paying tax because it’s consistent with his policy.
Nope. You are excusing the rest of the MP's aversion to paying tax because at least they're not ACT.
I'm pointing out that their hypocrisy is breathtaking. ‘You pay, not me.’
I don't think any MP should be having trusts for tax avoidance purposes (or any other rich-lister, for that matter).
There are legitimate reasons for trusts (lifetime interest in a property for Mum, with it going to the kids when she dies; or to protect a disabled family member, for example).
And there are some legitimate reasons for senior politicians to have blind trusts too (as I said originally).
I think that for any trust which is not a charitable one (we could quibble about definitions, here), the tax rate should be the same as the top tax bracket.
Last time I saw an article like this it showed that ACT and National MP's almost all had trusts-something like 85%, whereas for Labour and the Greens only about 30% had trusts. Its a shame this article doesn't differentiate between the parties.
In any event Labour is pathetic if it doesn't raise the Trust rate of interest to 39% in the upcoming budget. Don't hold your breath.
(Party Vote Green and this might happen)
David Seymour is/was a discretionary beneficiary of the trust(s) that owned the houses. Anyway, he didn’t set up the trust(s).
I think that was originally true, but not any longer. According to this article, which quotes an ACT spokesperson, he's bought a house, and it's in a trust.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/128628207/only-five-mps-do-not-own-a-home-which-could-impede-efforts-to-help-renters
Food prices to be sustained in the near future.
https://twitter.com/markets/status/1525323763478409216?cxt=HHwWgMC9mbT4hKsqAAAA
It may not be widely recognised as yet but the world is going to have to devote its energies and resources to necessities and not the nice to haves.
BAU is not an option,with either food famine,or financial famine.
You wouldnt know it you looked to policy
Constraints on food production,by either with holding exports or limiting the way at is done will have significant flow on effects.
The green revolution increased the economic welfare of developing countries such as India,where they became food exporters and not large importers (enhanced Balance of payments) this in turn increased the population due to increased health from increased wealth,and accompanying GHG emissions.
https://twitter.com/_HannahRitchie/status/1517436239800057857?cxt=HHwWgoCyqY2Ogo8qAAAA
Big questions in the public space,not many solutions.
Worrisome UScentric thread on the limits of vaccines, the relaxing of non-pharmaceutical interventions and a viral underclass.
https://twitter.com/thrasherxy/status/1524780425847181312
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1524780425847181312.html
Verywell: The name of your upcoming book is “The Viral Underclass.” Can you explain what this term means, especially in the context of COVID-19?
Thrasher: I first heard the phrase from an activist named Sean Strub, who used it to talk about how people could be prosecuted once they were HIV-positive, saying there was a group of people who had a status in their body that would always put them in a different class of the law.
When I was reporting in Ferguson in 2014 about the police killing of Michael Brown, I realized that the neighborhood I was in had a high rate of HIV and AIDS. As I did more reporting, I saw that anywhere you’d see these maps of black poverty and police killings, you’d also see a high rate of HIV.
When the COVID pandemic broke out in the beginning of 2020, the same map was emerging for COVID. I thought that was very interesting and disturbing, because these are very different viruses with different properties, but they are affecting the same kinds of people.
People who are in the viral underclass were the least likely to have the protection of working from home during the pandemic. Huge swathes of the society that were doing “essential jobs”—in fast food work, in janitorial work, in retail service jobs—did not have those protections, so they’re just being exposed to the virus a lot more. They often live in more crowded households, which means that they can’t isolate if somebody in their house is sick.
And the research has taught us quite explicitly over the past couple years that when people are uninsured, they are more likely to be exposed to COVID, to get sick from it, and to die from it… Even knowing that, the administration and Congress have let testing go out the window for COVID-19 for the uninsured.
https://www.verywellhealth.com/steven-thrasher-the-viral-underclass-5248464