I feel a lot more confident regarding our borders and MIQ facilities with Chris Hipkins being the lead. I think he is doing a good job and seems competent when fronting the media. David Clark really was useless in comparison to Hipkins and dropped the ball too often.
Probability would suggest we are almost guaranteed another outbreak, irrespective how many times the media prat on “how lucky are we” chippy Jacinda worship or not Lets hope the health sector is prepared this time
Based on NZ's COVID-19 health outcomes to date, is it really the case that "David Clark really was useless", and that the preparation of our health sector was poor?
Goodness gracious, if that's really is the case, then the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care must be considerably worse than useless, and there can be no words to describe the (lack of) preparedness of the UK health sector.
The reality is that the team of nearly five million (with some exceptional leadership and a little bit of luck) did a spectacular job of eliminating COVID-19 (stamp it out), and that MIQ staff have done an amazing job to protect the general population (keep it out) while facilitatating international travel. In the first two weeks of 2021, 5,735 people arrived in NZ, and 6,771 people left.
Life goes on, and it seems there are still some who don't know how lucky we are to live in this country. Yes, I know it’s not all roses, but there’s truly no place I’d rather be at the moment.
And you call that facilitating international air travel?
In the first 2 weeks of 2020 there were about 25,000 people per day going each way by air in and out of New Zealand. Thus we now have roughly 1 person travelling for every 60 we had at the same time last year. Those numbers are taken from the same link that you provided.
Just for comparison I have looked at what the figures would be for each Interislander trip between Wellington and Picton if we reduced the traffic volumes in the same way.
Each ferry would carry 3 passengers. Three quarters of the ferry would carry a car. 1 in five ferries would carry a rail wagon and 1 in every 14 would carry a truck.
Yes, I do call that facilitating the arrival of 5,735 people into NZ in the first two weeks of January 2021 during a steadily worsening global pandemic, including the evolution of more infectious strains.
Alwyn, would you prefer more arrivals (bags not from the US or UK), and if so, where do you suggest we put 'em – all round to yours?
The UK health bloke may be useless, I honestly don't know. But remember we had significant advantages due to our isolation and time on our side to get prepared. Heathrow I believe has around 80 million people go through it a year, that's around 220,000 per day! And don't forget Gatwick (46m) and Manchester (28m) airports. (Auckland airport a mere 20 million per year so only around 1/7th of the quantity). Just imagine the numbers carrying covid in to England in the early days.
I agree I would much rather be in NZ than anywhere else though as we have done a much better job than the UK.
Because it's impossible to reject an international flight plan?
We spent the first six months of the pandemic with people warning us our economy would collapse if we stopped international tourism and had a lockdown.
turns out we just bit the bullet and took the medecine early, and saved ourselves a lot of disease and economic hardship.
Yep in principal on the approach, not so much the spin and politics of it all , the team of 5m thing ( vomit inducing) , canonisation of certain individuals, smugness of nz in contrasting other countries without realising how much advantage we have to most other nations, releasing not so complementary reports on health sector performance very late and after the election, attempts to make this a left and right issue Apart from that on board
Red, what makes you think that there's a (general?) lack of realisation of the advantages (e.g. remote island, delayed risk of exposure, small well-educated population, competent leaders and dedicated public health workers focussed on protecting the health of citizens) that NZ has wrt this global pandemic?
IMHO "the team of 5m thing" that you find so nauseating was a masterstoke, both politically and as a subtle modifier of behaviour.
Like it or not, we're all (right and left) in this together – COVID's quite the leveller
I’m glad to hear that despite your visceral reaction and many reservations, you’re one of us and that’s all that matters in this pandemic; all the other stuff is just a distracting sideshow. This doesn’t mean stop criticising the authorities, including experts, as long as it is done with a positive outcome in mind. Often, we react to a particular message because of the messenger and/or the tone used but then we forget/ignore the message, which is lost in the noise in our brain. When people stop listening and start reacting instead, the connection is lost. Once the connection is gone, the cohesion will weaken, and before we know it, we are (back to being) a bunch of five million individuals mimicking Brownian motion.
"You know, the ‘team of five million’; are you one of us?"
"I’m glad to hear that despite your visceral reaction and many reservations, you’re one of us".
My, my. That sounds dreadfully like the mad orange man talking to the group of Congresswoman who disagreed with him. You remember them I assume?
Trump of course, completely ignoring the fact that most of them had been born in the USA, ranted that
"So interesting to see 'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments … … … … now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run."
and "Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came"..
Are you going to tell people who think, and god forbid say, that the Government really hasn't done very well at all should leave the country? It does sound a bit like that you know when you start sorting the population into "them" and "us".
The number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 infections has just topped the 2,000,000 mark.
Wouldn't dream of saying "people who think, and god forbid say, that the Government really hasn't done very well at allshould leave the country" – how bizarre.
As to whether or not the NZ Government has done a good, bad or indifferent job of handling the COVID-19 pandemic so far, well we're all 'entitled' to our opinions.
The question is, can you be a team player while holding our Government to account? That's behaviour I could admire.
The comment that you actually replied to provides the context. Despite that, you seem to jump to all sorts of weird and wonderful fiction. You really do crack me up, at times 😀
I take it from your bizarre rant, which is over-saturated with false equivalences AKA strawmen and pig-fucker statements, that you don’t see yourself as an integral part of NZ society AKA ‘the team of five million’. That’s ok with me, as long as you don’t create an unsafe situation for us New Zealanders who wish to do their bit ensuring that we’re all staying safe and well.
—from HECTOR STOOP in Beirut, for Daisycutter Sports, Jan. 15, 2021
Syria to send military and financial support to America's 'moderate rebels', to help them fight for democracy in their country. Afghanistan and Iraq to assist by flying in peacekeeping forces which will set up long-term bases in key American flashpoints.
I have twice tried to reply with something funny, something along the lines of asking whether they had set up a Give-a-little page.
Fear of upsetting those that see US democracy as paramount or at least more important than Venezuela,Vietnam, Honduras etc or being quickly labelled a white supremacist apologist has put me off.
Red, the health sector is overdue for some recognition and appreciation of the mammoth organisational task they have undertaken in the last 10-11 months. It's been learning as they go in so many ways, with the last pandemic 100 years ago, before mass travel worldwide was ever thought of or undertaken. Mistakes made, but quickly rectified. Staff being redeployed to new roles, endless behind the scenes issues to deal with. Mind boggling. And Dr Bloomfield's role has been appreciated widely.
A relative has a friend returned to NZ after many years in the US (and we all know the chaos there). He went to the Cinderella pantomime in Wellington recently. Fun references were made throughout about Dr Bloomfield. At the same performance Dr Bloomfield was in the audience and this friend said he wanted to go up and hug Dr Bloomfield. Heartwarming anecdote.
Everyone wants to hug Bloomfield. He has done an amazing job under extreme pressure. Hopefully he has a lot more support now with Hipkins than he did when Clark was minister of health. As per my above comment at 1.0, Hipkins is doing a good job too, but Ashley will be the crowd favourite.
I don’t want to hug Dr Bloomfield, I prefer social distancing. He’s a good leader of a good team and fortunately his political bosses have let him get on with his job without getting in the way and interfering.
If only I knew what you’re rambling on about, I could try parse your comment. As it is, it reads like something you hear at 1 am in the pub from somebody who’s had a few too many. Maybe best to call it a night, eh?
Your friend is obviously a sensitive soul, good on her but at the end of the day just an emotional response, has no real relevance to facts If Dr Bloomfield was not so geeky nerdish loveable type but an alpha and get out of my way male, get the job done, bugger if people like me or not etc would her response have been the same even if this person had done a better job, ie no second lock down etc
The Alpha Male is, evidently, a myth – which being so, that divisive stereotype need no longer be paraded as a model of leadership, but assessed on its merits, if any. In situations demanding conflict it may suffice, but for generating compliance there are better approaches.
I see OZ MP Dr Fiona martin weighing into her colleagues (George Christensen & Craig Kelly) over "…a duty to our nation to follow the evidence and facts."
Nada from scotty in marketing or any of his murdoch backed party to pull them into line….no surprises there.
I'm sure the DHB criteria for low cost contraception started out well intended. Now it's come down to this.
Surely other ethnic backgrounds have a need for low cost contraception too. The easy way around this is to make sure you tick Maori/Polynesian on any healthcare form.
In news surprising to nobody with pattern-recognition skills equal or better than a housefly, Don of the Deadbrains is stiffing Oozi Ghouliani. Yep, not paying fees.
But Oozi is still trying hard. In an explanation right up there with 'just tucking his shirt in', he sez he wasn't inciting violence with his "trial by combat" remarks. No sirree, that was just an innocent Game of Thrones reference.
The only info I have is the transcription in the tweet, so no way of knowing. However, when he said "trial by combat", his hands were below the lectern so it's entirely possible he was tucking his shirt in at that moment.
This struck me as a peculiar sentence for the offence described. Surely there should be assault charges for presenting a weapon during an argument, not simple possession? And yes, the socks had pool balls in them, but their possession seems insignificant beside the sawnoff pistol. Especially since they apperently stayed in the car while the gun was actually pointed at people.
…19 months’ jail for possessing the firearms, 12 months for possession of an offensive weapon (socks), and three months for possession of cannabis. All terms were concurrent.
I was thinking that it was in place of possession of an unbrandished kitchen knife. Certainly closer to my idea of a functional weapon. Also why wasn't the white powder residue analysed?
But I guess that the assault conviction would look bad at the pending domestic violence case. Impressive work from whomever the lawyer was!
Why it is good to get information straight from experts.
But first I wish to issue an expletive about this journalism (First in Australia and then in NZ). It exhibits utter failure to actually truly consult the experts, other than a passing token quote. I call false journalistic balance.
How good is the AstraZeneca vaccine looking? Look at the data, not news headlines
Tesla is an oddity in the business landscape. The company’s stock is so stratospheric that Elon Musk has surpassed Jeff Bezos as the world’s richest person. Now, we have another mind-blowing metric. At Tesla’s current price-to-earnings ratio, it would take the company almost 1,600 years to make what the stock market says it’s worth.
The New Statesman put up a startling comparison. In 2020, Tesla delivered 499,550 vehicles. Yet, its market capitalization shot up to $750 billion dollars. Comparatively, General Motors delivered 2.5 million vehicles in the same year, yet its market value is only $62 billion. Tesla’s price-to-earnings ratio — a comparison of current share price to earnings per share — is roughly 128X (the industry average is 15X), according to Zacks Investment Research. Based on that ratio, it would take Tesla 1,600 years to make the kind of money the stock market says it’s worth.
[…]
Musk’s tweets can also result in big changes in Tesla’s stock price. In a single tweet he erased $14 billion dollars in Tesla’s market value.
‘It has been said that figures rule the world. Maybe. I am quite sure that it is figures which show us whether it is being ruled well or badly.’ GoetheI was struck at a recent conference on equity for the elderly, how many presenters implicitly relied upon Statistics New Zealand. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveReporting on defence spending late last year, RNZ said the coalition government will have to make some tough calls this term to help the force address staff shortages and ageing infrastructure. “These are huge, huge amounts of government spending. It’s a significant proportion of the government’s ...
Peter Dunne writes – I am always wary when I hear that the Controller and Auditor-General has commented on or made recommendations to the government about an issue of public policy that does not relate strictly to public expenditure. According to the legislation, the role of the Controller ...
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And why did the Crown not challenge the Tribunal’s jurisdiction? Gary Judd writes – Retired District Court Judge, David Harvey, has posted on his A Halflings View Substack an excellent summary of Justice Isacs’ judgment declining to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result?As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and ...
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Another week goes by in the Luxon government’s efforts to roll back the past 70 years of social progress. The school lunches programme is to be downgraded by $107 million, and women need bother their heads no longer about pay equity, let alone expect ACC to provide adequate sexual violence ...
Brrr, the first cold snap of the year. Hope you’re rugged up nice and warm. Here are some stories that caught our eye this week… This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, we had a post from a new contributor, Connor Sharp, who dug into the public feedback ...
Almost all of the Wellington City Council’s recommended zoning changes to allow many more apartments and townhouses in its inner-suburbs have been approved.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guest on geopolitics, ...
Open access notablesA Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future:Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and always answered “yes”, with very few ...
Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
Alwyn Poole writes – After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
Eric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
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Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
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When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
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David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
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A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
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Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
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The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
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Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
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Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
By Kaneta Naimatu in Suva Journalists in the Pacific region play an important role as the “eyes and ears on the ground” when it comes to reporting the climate crisis, says the European Union’s Pacific Ambassador Barbara Plinkert. Speaking at The University of the South Pacific (USP) on World Press ...
Aldora Itunu is back in the Black Ferns squad after a three-year absence. The last of her 24 internationals was an underwhelming loss to France (7-29) in Castres to conclude the disastrous 2021 Northern Tour. The powerhouse prop won a Rugby World Cup in 2017 and thought she was done. ...
The fight to control major transport policy and projects in Auckland has burst into the open again, with councillors rejecting Mayor Wayne Brown’s latest attempt to steer things more under his influence. Councillors from the left and right broke ranks on the mayor’s bid to control Auckland Transport more directly ...
Exhausted by the general election campaign, horrified by the twilight zone of coalition negotiations, distracted by the silly season and waiting for the honeymoon to begin, Raw Politics has been in hibernation since October. From today, we’re back. Our weekly political video show and podcast returns for ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Authorities in the small town of Boulouparis have commemorated Armistice Day on May 8 with a new memorial honouring New Zealand soldiers who were stationed in New Caledonia during World War II. The ceremony took place in the township on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Dehm, Senior lecturer, international migration and refugee law, University of Technology Sydney The High Court unanimously ruled today that the Australian government can keep asylum seekers in immigration detention indefinitely in cases where they do not “voluntarily” cooperate with their own ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Munro, Lecturer, Creative Industries and Digital Media, University of South Australia Twenty-four hours after the release of Macklemore’s pro-Palestine protest song Hind’s Hall on social media on May 7, the video had already notched up over 24 million views. In ...
Failing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...
350 Aotearoa is calling the Environment Select Committee’s decision to allow oral submissions from just 40% of individual, unique submitters who asked to speak to the committee ‘a disgraceful blight to democracy’. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Helal, Assistant Dean (Sustainability), The University of Melbourne Dubai skylineAleksandarPasaric/Pexels Since ancient times, people have built structures that reach for the skies – from the steep spires of medieval towers to the grand domes of ancient cathedrals and mosques. Today ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Musole, PhD Law Student, University of New England Girts Ragelis/ShutterstockRecent trends show Australians are increasingly buying wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. These electronics track our body movements or vital signs to provide data throughout the day, with ...
Papua New Guinea experienced a significant earthquake on 24 March in East Sepik and there has also been recent flooding there and in surrounding provinces. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yousuf Mohammed, Dermatology researcher, The University of Queensland Maridav/Shutterstock You wake up, stagger to the bathroom and gaze into the mirror. No, you’re not imagining it. You’ve developed face wrinkles overnight. They’re sleep wrinkles. Sleep wrinkles are temporary. But as your ...
The Environment Select Committee has just announced that 60 percent of individuals who asked to speak at the hearings will not be heard. This equates to almost 700 people who made individual submissions and more than 1000 more who made a form submission. ...
The Royal New Zealand Ballet is performing Swan Lake around the country. What kind of dream does the ballet sell?Before going to see the Royal New Zealand Ballet perform Swan Lake, I had about as much familiarity with the plot of this ballet as could be expected from having ...
A new poem by Auckland poet Eamonn Tee. High Tide at Local Maxima It is only going to get worse. The streams will be narrow and fickle. The week will bend and buckle like a pot-bellied waist. You will make it to the weekend with one ...
The New Zealand entrepreneur behind beauty business Ethique is gearing up to launch a new eco-venture. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Our thirst for a tasty bevvy is insatiable, but it comes with a hefty plastic price for the planet: 580 billion ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 James by Percival Everett (Mantle, $38) A retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from ...
By Kamna Kumar in Suva Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Henry Puna stressed the importance of media freedom and its link to the climate and environmental crisis at the 2024 World Press Freedom Day event organised by the University of the South Pacific’s journalism programme. Under the theme “A Planet for ...
Tara Ward previews a new local TV series offering alternative visions of motherhood. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. A woman is clambering up the side of her two-story house, clinging desperately to a drainpipe. Nearby, her child is perched on the ...
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is supportive of the cross-party approach to climate adaptation announced by the Minister of Climate Change today. ...
The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC) welcome today’s announcement from Government around a bipartisan inquiry into an enduring climate adaptation framework for New Zealand. ...
The Free Speech Union welcomes the decision by the Department of Internal Affairs, and Minister Brooke Van Velden, to abandon proposals to further regulate online speech. ...
Its new building in Wellington will not be nearly big enough for all its records, and it has also run out of money to build its new storage facility in Levin. ...
BusinessNZ is congratulating the Minister of Climate Change for his work in achieving cross-party consensus for a way forward on climate adaptation. ...
Recent research reveals the repeal of smokefree measures is not only bad for our health, but also the economy. The Government has repealed various smokefree measures to ensure it keeps collecting $1.2 billion a year in tobacco taxes, in order to pay for tax cuts already being delivered to ...
The club’s surprisingly good season is built on the desire to prove a random A-League YouTuber wrong… and a few other factors.“There’s no way that Wellington Phoenix play finals this year. I can’t see it happening at all.” Those are the words of Lachlan Raeside, an Australian football content ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By César Albarrán-Torres, Senior Lecturer, Department of Media and Communication, Swinburne University of Technology Apple TV+ As one of billions of bilingual individuals in the world, it disappoints me when a film or TV show with characters of a non-English-speaking background is ...
The under-utilised course is a waste of space, and with a little political will, it could be turned into something better. For the duration of her stay in Wellington, my long-suffering cousin listened to me rant about golf courses. They’re bad for the environment: water intensive and pesticide heavy. They ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Ruppanner, Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of The Future of Work Lab, Podcast at MissPerceived, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock A recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows US fertility rates dropped 2% in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Corderoy, Medical doctor and PhD candidate studying involuntary psychiatric treatment, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney shop_py/Shutterstock Picture two people, both suffering from a serious mental illness requiring hospital admission. One was born in Australia, the other in Asia. Hopefully, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Treby, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, RMIT University P.j.Hickox, Shutterstock Peatlands store more carbon per square metre than any other ecosystem on Earth. These waterlogged, mossy bogs beat even dense rainforests for their ability to act as carbon reservoirs. Under the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Goss, Adjunct Associate Professor, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra Government spending on health has been growing so rapidly that a decade ago the then health minister Peter Dutton called it “unmanageable” and “unsustainable”. Health spending grew in real terms by ...
New Zealand's largest electricity distributor is warning the country to hurry up with controls around charging electric vehicles or face unnecessary bills running into the billions. ...
New Zealanders have been asked to conserve energy this morning to combat a possible electricity shortfall, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A call to conserve power New Zealand is facing a possible electricity shortfall, with people up ...
Writer Rebecca K Reilly breaks down the national book awards. What are the Ockhams?The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are our annual national awards for books published for adults, and have existed in this form since 2016. There are four categories: Fiction, Poetry, General Non-fiction and Illustrated Non-fiction. There ...
Wellington City Council should keep its 34% ownership share in Wellington International Airport, argue Unions Wellington spokespeople Finn Cordwell and Ashok Jacob. Insanity, as the saying goes, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Wellington City Council (WCC) is yet again proposing to dispose ...
New Zealand’s largest book publisher has undergone drastic changes this week, leaving its future role in local publishing uncertain. Two of the most recognisable local publishers in New Zealand are among those restructured out of Penguin Random House, it was announced this week. Head of publishing Claire Murdoch will leave ...
The Black Ferns Sevens appeared to be a mile behind Australia at the halfway point of the 2023-24 SVNS international circuit. Winless in three tournaments, a cup quarter-final exit in Perth was one of their worst results. To add insult to injury, talismanic skipper Sarah Hirini had been ruled out ...
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Successive governments have tried, and failed, to count Māori. But with the return of social investment, it’s more important than ever to get good data. The post Government looks for a better way to count Māori appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Experts in financing social investment initiatives say New Zealand is in a prime position to tackle social issues via a social investment approach The post What will Willis’ social investment fund look like? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
In 2021 the Public Interest Journalism Fund launched the Te Rito Journalism project, a $2.4 million initiative to boost diversity in New Zealand’s newsrooms. The initiative was in response to the decades-long shortage of Māori and Pacific journalists in the media industry. It was billed as New Zealand’s ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist A former Tuvalu prime minister says while the New Zealand government’s oil and gas plans show it is concerned about its economy, he is more concerned about the livelihoods and survival of the Tuvalu people. Enele Sopoaga — who still serves as an MP ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Many people who follow federal budgets know about the magnificent “budget tree” in a parliamentary courtyard, which turns a glorious red in time for the May event. This week Treasurer Jim Chalmers posed by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Bennett, Professor of Music, Australian National University Richard P J Lambert/flickr, CC BY The future belongs to the analogue loyalists. Fuck digital. As a tsunami of CDs, DAT tapes and samplers swept the recording industry in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Strong, Associate professor, Music Industry, RMIT University This week American rapper Macklemore released a new track, Hind’s Hall, which has gained a lot of attention because of its explicitly political nature. The track is unapologetically pro-Palestine. It declares the artist’s ...
Explainer - The government from 2025 is mandating how state schools teach children to read. But what is structured literacy and how does it compare to other teaching methods? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danica Jenkins, Lecturer in European Studies, University of Sydney On a freezing spring night in March, Georgia’s national soccer team beat Greece in a nail-biter penalty shootout to qualify for the Euro 2024 championships. The atmosphere on the streets of the capital ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam G. Arian, Lecturer (Accounting & Finance), Australian Catholic University Loic Manegarium/Pexels Imagine every ton of carbon dioxide a company emits is slowly inflating its costs — not just in terms of potential fines or fees but in the capital it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Somwrita Sarkar, Senior Lecturer in Design and Computation, University of Sydney The “latte line” is the infamous, invisible boundary that divides Sydney between the more affluent north-east and the south-west. Historically, people north of the line enjoy better access to jobs and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dowdy, Principal Research Scientist in Extreme Weather, The University of Melbourne Nomad_Soul/Shutterstock In media articles about unprecedented flooding, you’ll often come across the statement that for every 1°C of warming, the atmosphere can hold about 7% more moisture. This ...
RNZ Pacific Former Fiji Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has been sentenced to one year in prison, Fiji media are reporting. Bainimarama, alongside suspended Fiji Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho appeared in the High Court in Suva today for their sentencing hearing for a case involving their roles in blocking a police ...
I feel a lot more confident regarding our borders and MIQ facilities with Chris Hipkins being the lead. I think he is doing a good job and seems competent when fronting the media. David Clark really was useless in comparison to Hipkins and dropped the ball too often.
Yeah, Chippy is brilliant in Level 4 lockdown, isn’t he? Clark never handled the Ministerial Portfolio of Covid-19 Response well, did he?
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/portfolio/labour-2020-2023/covid-19-response
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/why-the-covid-19-response-minister-matters
Probability would suggest we are almost guaranteed another outbreak, irrespective how many times the media prat on “how lucky are we” chippy Jacinda worship or not Lets hope the health sector is prepared this time
Based on NZ's COVID-19 health outcomes to date, is it really the case that "David Clark really was useless", and that the preparation of our health sector was poor?
Goodness gracious, if that's really is the case, then the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care must be considerably worse than useless, and there can be no words to describe the (lack of) preparedness of the UK health sector.
The reality is that the team of nearly five million (with some exceptional leadership and a little bit of luck) did a spectacular job of eliminating COVID-19 (stamp it out), and that MIQ staff have done an amazing job to protect the general population (keep it out) while facilitatating international travel. In the first two weeks of 2021, 5,735 people arrived in NZ, and 6,771 people left.
Life goes on, and it seems there are still some who don't know how lucky we are to live in this country. Yes, I know it’s not all roses, but there’s truly no place I’d rather be at the moment.
It's certainly good advice to be prepared for the next incursion of COVID into the general population. Visit https://covid19.govt.nz/health-and-wellbeing/
Protect yourself and others from COVID-19
" In the first two weeks of 2021, 5,735 people arrived in NZ, and 6,771 people left.".
And you call that facilitating international air travel?
In the first 2 weeks of 2020 there were about 25,000 people per day going each way by air in and out of New Zealand. Thus we now have roughly 1 person travelling for every 60 we had at the same time last year. Those numbers are taken from the same link that you provided.
Just for comparison I have looked at what the figures would be for each Interislander trip between Wellington and Picton if we reduced the traffic volumes in the same way.
Each ferry would carry 3 passengers. Three quarters of the ferry would carry a car. 1 in five ferries would carry a rail wagon and 1 in every 14 would carry a truck.
https://www.greatjourneysofnz.co.nz/blog/history-of-the-nz-interislander-nz-ferry/#:~:text=Fun%20facts%20about%20the%20Interislander%20Ferry&text=Between%20our%20three%20ferries%2C%20we,21%2C000%20trucks%20and%20210%2C000%20cars.
I would call that isolated. I certainly wouldn't say that travel had been facilitated.
Yes, I do call that facilitating the arrival of 5,735 people into NZ in the first two weeks of January 2021 during a steadily worsening global pandemic, including the evolution of more infectious strains.
Alwyn, would you prefer more arrivals (bags not from the US or UK), and if so, where do you suggest we put 'em – all round to yours?
Our international arrivals are twice that of Australia.
https://www.tourism.australia.com/en/markets-and-stats/tourism-statistics/international-market-performance.html
The UK health bloke may be useless, I honestly don't know. But remember we had significant advantages due to our isolation and time on our side to get prepared. Heathrow I believe has around 80 million people go through it a year, that's around 220,000 per day! And don't forget Gatwick (46m) and Manchester (28m) airports. (Auckland airport a mere 20 million per year so only around 1/7th of the quantity). Just imagine the numbers carrying covid in to England in the early days.
I agree I would much rather be in NZ than anywhere else though as we have done a much better job than the UK.
Because it's impossible to reject an international flight plan?
We spent the first six months of the pandemic with people warning us our economy would collapse if we stopped international tourism and had a lockdown.
turns out we just bit the bullet and took the medecine early, and saved ourselves a lot of disease and economic hardship.
Let’s hope the NZ population is prepared this time. You know, the ‘team of five million’; are you one of us?
Yep in principal on the approach, not so much the spin and politics of it all , the team of 5m thing ( vomit inducing) , canonisation of certain individuals, smugness of nz in contrasting other countries without realising how much advantage we have to most other nations, releasing not so complementary reports on health sector performance very late and after the election, attempts to make this a left and right issue Apart from that on board
Red, what makes you think that there's a (general?) lack of realisation of the advantages (e.g. remote island, delayed risk of exposure, small well-educated population, competent leaders and dedicated public health workers focussed on protecting the health of citizens) that NZ has wrt this global pandemic?
IMHO "the team of 5m thing" that you find so nauseating was a masterstoke, both politically and as a subtle modifier of behaviour.
Like it or not, we're all (right and left) in this together – COVID's quite the leveller
I’m glad to hear that despite your visceral reaction and many reservations, you’re one of us and that’s all that matters in this pandemic; all the other stuff is just a distracting sideshow. This doesn’t mean stop criticising the authorities, including experts, as long as it is done with a positive outcome in mind. Often, we react to a particular message because of the messenger and/or the tone used but then we forget/ignore the message, which is lost in the noise in our brain. When people stop listening and start reacting instead, the connection is lost. Once the connection is gone, the cohesion will weaken, and before we know it, we are (back to being) a bunch of five million individuals mimicking Brownian motion.
"You know, the ‘team of five million’; are you one of us?"
"I’m glad to hear that despite your visceral reaction and many reservations, you’re one of us".
My, my. That sounds dreadfully like the mad orange man talking to the group of Congresswoman who disagreed with him. You remember them I assume?
Trump of course, completely ignoring the fact that most of them had been born in the USA, ranted that
"So interesting to see 'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments … … … … now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run."
and "Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came"..
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/07/14/trump-tells-congresswomen-go-back-counties-they-came/1728253001/
Are you going to tell people who think, and god forbid say, that the Government really hasn't done very well at all should leave the country? It does sound a bit like that you know when you start sorting the population into "them" and "us".
The number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 infections has just topped the 2,000,000 mark.
Wouldn't dream of saying "people who think, and god forbid say, that the Government really hasn't done very well at all should leave the country" – how bizarre.
As to whether or not the NZ Government has done a good, bad or indifferent job of handling the COVID-19 pandemic so far, well we're all 'entitled' to our opinions.
The question is, can you be a team player while holding our Government to account? That's behaviour I could admire.
The comment that you actually replied to provides the context. Despite that, you seem to jump to all sorts of weird and wonderful fiction. You really do crack me up, at times 😀
I take it from your bizarre rant, which is over-saturated with false equivalences AKA strawmen and pig-fucker statements, that you don’t see yourself as an integral part of NZ society AKA ‘the team of five million’. That’s ok with me, as long as you don’t create an unsafe situation for us New Zealanders who wish to do their bit ensuring that we’re all staying safe and well.
Breaking News
—from HECTOR STOOP in Beirut, for Daisycutter Sports, Jan. 15, 2021
Syria to send military and financial support to America's 'moderate rebels', to help them fight for democracy in their country. Afghanistan and Iraq to assist by flying in peacekeeping forces which will set up long-term bases in key American flashpoints.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ErqqLP8WMAItCze?format=jpg&name=small
I have twice tried to reply with something funny, something along the lines of asking whether they had set up a Give-a-little page.
Fear of upsetting those that see US democracy as paramount or at least more important than Venezuela,Vietnam, Honduras etc or being quickly labelled a white supremacist apologist has put me off.
A good nights sleep has emboldened me.
Red, the health sector is overdue for some recognition and appreciation of the mammoth organisational task they have undertaken in the last 10-11 months. It's been learning as they go in so many ways, with the last pandemic 100 years ago, before mass travel worldwide was ever thought of or undertaken. Mistakes made, but quickly rectified. Staff being redeployed to new roles, endless behind the scenes issues to deal with. Mind boggling. And Dr Bloomfield's role has been appreciated widely.
A relative has a friend returned to NZ after many years in the US (and we all know the chaos there). He went to the Cinderella pantomime in Wellington recently. Fun references were made throughout about Dr Bloomfield. At the same performance Dr Bloomfield was in the audience and this friend said he wanted to go up and hug Dr Bloomfield. Heartwarming anecdote.
Everyone wants to hug Bloomfield. He has done an amazing job under extreme pressure. Hopefully he has a lot more support now with Hipkins than he did when Clark was minister of health. As per my above comment at 1.0, Hipkins is doing a good job too, but Ashley will be the crowd favourite.
I don’t want to hug Dr Bloomfield, I prefer social distancing. He’s a good leader of a good team and fortunately his political bosses have let him get on with his job without getting in the way and interfering.
one could assume Bloomfield read that report…when it was first presented..
how can he not deny accusations he took part in covering up that report..?
so about the most charitable view of that..
is that he was at the behest of his political masters..
'cos if he were independent..there for the people..he would have demanded action/disclosure..way back then..
but he didn't..did he…?
so no…I don’t wanna hug him..
I want him to tell us why..?
If only I knew what you’re rambling on about, I could try parse your comment. As it is, it reads like something you hear at 1 am in the pub from somebody who’s had a few too many. Maybe best to call it a night, eh?
what don't you understand about that Bloomfield query…?
he knew…he covered up…
(hardly a quantum mechanics equation .is it..?..
quite simple really..)
What did Bloomfield "cover up"?
the report showing the failures @ the border…
that was presented to the govt in September..
that the govt sat on untill post-election/the last possible day to release..
all the while campaigning on their brilliance @ doing..what the report showed they weren't doing that well..
but nothing to see there…eh..?
and if national did that…you would be aok with that..?
I don't think so. .somehow..
Links are wonderful things, dude.
Please provide evidence to back up your assertion that AB covered up "the report showing the failures @ the border…"
Evidence needs to be a link along with a brief cut and paste of the pertinent point, and a brief explanation if needed.
Count this as a moderator request.
link not needed..it is common sense..
the report was about what he was running…
so of course he saw it..
and he said nothing…
and no..there is no link to Bloomfield saying 'i covered it up'..
that is the conclusion I have come to..
this is my opinion..perhaps one not yet voiced by anyone else
and the direct link to my brain is still a work in progress.
I'll let you know when it is up and running…
The Uncertainty Principle most definitely applies to your comment, which states that the more often one reads your comment, the less sense it makes.
Thanks for that Incognito – I was starting to think that Phillip has been indulging in one two many orifice plucks
Your friend is obviously a sensitive soul, good on her but at the end of the day just an emotional response, has no real relevance to facts If Dr Bloomfield was not so geeky nerdish loveable type but an alpha and get out of my way male, get the job done, bugger if people like me or not etc would her response have been the same even if this person had done a better job, ie no second lock down etc
Subconscious sexism 😉
Won't someone please think of the 'alphas'
they could all go and cluster around that billy te kaha..(another alpha male..)
The Alpha Male is, evidently, a myth – which being so, that divisive stereotype need no longer be paraded as a model of leadership, but assessed on its merits, if any. In situations demanding conflict it may suffice, but for generating compliance there are better approaches.
The research is here.
I see OZ MP Dr Fiona martin weighing into her colleagues (George Christensen & Craig Kelly) over "…a duty to our nation to follow the evidence and facts."
Nada from scotty in marketing or any of his murdoch backed party to pull them into line….no surprises there.
Link?
I'm sure the DHB criteria for low cost contraception started out well intended. Now it's come down to this.
Surely other ethnic backgrounds have a need for low cost contraception too. The easy way around this is to make sure you tick Maori/Polynesian on any healthcare form.
In news surprising to nobody with pattern-recognition skills equal or better than a housefly, Don of the Deadbrains is stiffing Oozi Ghouliani. Yep, not paying fees.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/14/politics/donald-trump-rudy-giuliani-impeachment/index.html
But Oozi is still trying hard. In an explanation right up there with 'just tucking his shirt in', he sez he wasn't inciting violence with his "trial by combat" remarks. No sirree, that was just an innocent Game of Thrones reference.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rudy-giuliani-trial-by-combat-game-of-thrones_n_600076b2c5b6ffcab9627499
Did he have hair dye running down his face when he said that about GoT?
The only info I have is the transcription in the tweet, so no way of knowing. However, when he said "trial by combat", his hands were below the lectern so it's entirely possible he was tucking his shirt in at that moment.
This struck me as a peculiar sentence for the offence described. Surely there should be assault charges for presenting a weapon during an argument, not simple possession? And yes, the socks had pool balls in them, but their possession seems insignificant beside the sawnoff pistol. Especially since they apperently stayed in the car while the gun was actually pointed at people.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/crime/road-rage-gun-pointed-father-and-child-nazi-salute-shouted
maybe pled it out on the lesser charges rather than a defended hearing for assault?
I was thinking that it was in place of possession of an unbrandished kitchen knife. Certainly closer to my idea of a functional weapon. Also why wasn't the white powder residue analysed?
But I guess that the assault conviction would look bad at the pending domestic violence case. Impressive work from whomever the lawyer was!
ya hafta give a nod to that 'matinee idle' show on rnz..
it is really good fucken radio..
a shame it ends today ..
programming-idea:
rnz could open one of those unused frequencies they have..
and as part of their programming.. give these guys a drive show..
it would be a ratings winner..
and would also be really good bloody radio..
and the perfect salve for the end of the working day..for many..
o bugga. I forgot again.
Damn. It is the only thing I listen to (when I remember) ont Natrad these days. Plus Kim of course.
On the beer belly putsch.
https://twitter.com/RadioFreeTom/status/1349868097914740737
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1349868097914740737.html
wow. That might be one of the best things I have read on that whole sorry mess.
Dude's a life long repug, too.
https://twitter.com/RadioFreeTom/status/1349547655937064961
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1349547655937064961.html
Why it is good to get information straight from experts.
How good is the AstraZeneca vaccine looking? Look at the data, not news headlines
https://sciblogs.co.nz/diplomaticimmunity/2021/01/15/how-good-is-the-astrazeneca-vaccine-looking-look-at-the-data-not-news-headlines/
A thought-provoking article from Jess Berentson-Shaw who left Twitter last year.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/434117/we-need-social-media-systems-built-to-enhance-our-shared-humanity
Disclaimer: I am not on Twitter and never have been.
that was a good read too. It's where my thinking is at. Where are new models for internet engagement? Does it *have to be left to commerce?
The person who co-founded WhatsApp has created another messaging app, Signal, which relies on donations rather than advertisers for money.
I don’t know if this is viable long-term but Wikipedia is still around.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/300204609/why-whatsapps-new-privacy-rules-are-sparking-alarm
Signal in the news today
Signal messaging platform stops working as downloads surge
Endorsement influencer.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1347165127036977153
https://twitter.com/afshineemrani/status/1350143189378744320
Collateral damage.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/markets/world-markets/elon-musk-tweet-sparks-investment-frenzy-in-wrong-company-called-signal/news-story/c2e798e5011353e5527638c4aa5ba49c
Or con.
Tesla is an oddity in the business landscape. The company’s stock is so stratospheric that Elon Musk has surpassed Jeff Bezos as the world’s richest person. Now, we have another mind-blowing metric. At Tesla’s current price-to-earnings ratio, it would take the company almost 1,600 years to make what the stock market says it’s worth.
The New Statesman put up a startling comparison. In 2020, Tesla delivered 499,550 vehicles. Yet, its market capitalization shot up to $750 billion dollars. Comparatively, General Motors delivered 2.5 million vehicles in the same year, yet its market value is only $62 billion. Tesla’s price-to-earnings ratio — a comparison of current share price to earnings per share — is roughly 128X (the industry average is 15X), according to Zacks Investment Research. Based on that ratio, it would take Tesla 1,600 years to make the kind of money the stock market says it’s worth.
[…]
Musk’s tweets can also result in big changes in Tesla’s stock price. In a single tweet he erased $14 billion dollars in Tesla’s market value.
https://jalopnik.com/tesla-would-take-nearly-1-600-years-to-make-the-amount-1846044574