Open mike 15/04/2023

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 15th, 2023 - 62 comments
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62 comments on “Open mike 15/04/2023 ”

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  1. Ad 1
    15 April 2023 at 6:21 am

    Marjorie Taylor Greene has come out in support of Jack Teixeira who allegedly leaked a massive set of US NATO-related documents.

    She's on the Homeland Security Committee.

    MTG would be a natural Charles Linberg VP candidate for Trump, campaigning while he's in trial.

    The Man in the High Castle just needs a decent uniform.

  2. Visubversa 2
    15 April 2023 at 9:09 am

    We are not alone in our Census problems. Somehow, "the most oppressed and marginalised people on the planet" have managed to persuade Statistics departments in at least 2 countries to abandon their professional standards in favor of an ideology.

    "One might ask why the statisticians at the ONS got this so wrong, given that one of their main jobs is to design survey questions that don’t invite false positives. By the ONS’s own admission, the trans question was trialled by means of “community testing at LGBT History Month events”, which is a bit like gauging atheists’ understanding of the Catholic Mass by means of community testing at the Vatican. Why didn’t those in charge anticipate that a question couched in obscure genderese might stump noninitiates, even if it would please their Stonewall overlords?

    The most obvious hypothesis would be that the ONS was cajoled, guilt-tripped, befuddled and emotionally blackmailed into linguistic compliance, like many a fellow national institution before it. Maybe so, but a wider explanation is also available: that those who designed the question didn’t even realise it was couched in obscure genderese. They took their own standards of linguistic apprehension to be universal and binding."

    https://unherd.com/2023/04/how-the-trans-census-fooled-britain/?tl_inbound=1&tl_groups%5B0%5D=18743&tl_period_type=3&mc_cid=fd5d71c105&mc_eid=2c0897f414

  3. Stephen D 3
    15 April 2023 at 9:49 am

    As a teacher I have 27 kids in my Year 7 class. This will grow as the year goes on. It always does.

    The idea of having only 23 students is awesome. It doesn’t sound much, but in the ability to have one on ones with students it is huge.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131774294/smaller-class-sizes-for-years-48-to-be-announced

    • Peter 3.1
      15 April 2023 at 12:25 pm

      One interesting bit to me in the Stuff article was primary teachers’ union NZEI Te Riu Roa president Mark Potter saying very few politicians understood what it was like to work in the classroom.

      I don't think very few anyones really understand what it's like to work in the classroom. There's been more noise lately than usual about what teachers should do and how they should do it. I don't think the average punter pontificating has much real appreciation of what the task is really like.

      • Stephen 3.1.1
        15 April 2023 at 1:19 pm

        And neither do the Nats. Their 3 hours a day of the 3rs is a joke. Leaves no real time for Art, Tech, Languages, Science, Social Studies, PE, and Health.

      • Herodotus 3.1.2
        15 April 2023 at 1:59 pm

        Not only in the classroom, but also the huge efforts and time that teachers endure outside the class room. We have 1 person in our household who has worked most days over the holidays in preparation for the upcoming term, paperwork. There are 2 non English speaking students out of 28 in their class new to NZ and 1 with major learning challengers, all requiring work that I find well beyond the call of teachers- the efforts I am seeing are being replicated by so many teachers all over NZ- and we have the minister telling us of 10+% pay rises-pity their spin is to aggregate such a pay rise to appear as if it is an annual rise. Not limited to teachers but also applied to health workers etc . Disgusting behaviour by a union led party 🤬🤮

  4. Herodotus 4
    15 April 2023 at 10:01 am

    and our govt believes this deserves to be a focal announcement- you under fund a project fit for purpose and then throw a few coins back. Not the 1st time that the govt has done this 🤬
    https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-strengthens-commitment-new-dunedin-hospital

    we had the funding diverted from the eastern bus route in what was once Manukau to pay for the cycle lane for the harbour bridge to then once it was obvious that this wasn’t popular then announced the funding.
    Doesn’t show great decision making – and from a house of voters who’s party votes were more left than almost anyone here – there is a common theme that left is devoid of what is best for this country- only what will gain votes and then followed by u turns.

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-democracy-reporting/300354030/funds-for-auckland-harbour-cycle-bridge-should-go-to-eastern-busway–national-mp

    • Ad 4.1
      15 April 2023 at 1:10 pm

      Yes generally agree.

      Weird that NZTA as a Crown agency with a board with a $500m+ decisionmaking delegation from its Transport minister is rigorously scrutinised by its minister and media, yet a fully Cabinet mandated design for Dunedin Hospital is overturned by MoH which had at the time no Board separation but guts the design and scope after Cabinet decision anyway.

      This is never going to be a government renowned for skilled decision execution.

  5. Anker 5
    15 April 2023 at 10:45 am

    100% Herodotus.

    • The u turns eg with Three Waters, came after legislation was pushed through under urgency. Labour u turned, not for the good of the country, but because they were sinking in the polls prior to Xmas.

    Apparently a letter has gone out to Labour women saying we now have over 50% (or some such figure) women in our Caucus, which begs the question that as Chippy isn’t sure what a woman is and needs to pre formulate an answer to that question, how could they possibly know there are x number of women in the Caucus?

    this of course relates to the census question (great article above thanks Visu).
    sometimes all that is left is humour and so I lol, lol, when the rates of trans (according to the UK census) were particularly high amongst Muslims and people whose second language was English.

    lol, but the serious side of this is that we have extremist ideologues controlling our Govrs

    • Sabine 5.1
      15 April 2023 at 11:28 am

      I was asked a few years back by Phil Twyford what i thought about the concept of 'quota women' and I told him then (his spouse was in his red bus wating) that generally if the Labour party does not promote women on the grounds of excellence and deeds then their quota women will only ever be seen as people who got promoted because they follow the rules and do as they are told.

      And that then follows why the current PM is shitting his pants when asked to define a women, but is happy to pretend to have a half a cabinet of people whom he can't define when asked.

      • Anne 5.1.1
        15 April 2023 at 12:45 pm

        This is one of the most puerile comments I have seen on this site. Just an attempt to create a false premise that Labour only promote women who do as they are told. You got the wrong parties there mate. Its National and ACT who play that game.

        As for the PM shitting in his pants. Once again reality has bypassed you. A silly question raised by a journo bent on revenge did not warrant a reply at all imho. Next thing you will be wanting to know what a man is. Best of luck with that one!

        • bwaghorn 5.1.1.1
          15 April 2023 at 3:02 pm

          Have to disagree with the last bit Anne, chippy showed absolutely weaknesses on the woman question, trying to please everyone never works, .

          It's lucky for labour the greens have racist at no1 spot, ir I'd ditch labour for them .

    • Craig H 5.2
      15 April 2023 at 7:55 pm

      I got an email (from Carmel Sepuloni) so either it was sent to more than just women, or there was more than one email (quite possible).

  6. Reality 6
    15 April 2023 at 11:39 am

    The silly criticism being aimed at the PM regarding what is a woman, will be going over the heads of most people who have busy lives to get on with. No one I know has raised the issue. Dog with a bone by some who would complain whatever the PM said.

    • Terry 6.1
      15 April 2023 at 12:11 pm

      Want is silly is the screaming of the trans activists when someone says that a transgender woman is NOT a real woman.

      Outside of my various work places of the past few years, I’ve never met anyone who does believe a transgender woman is a real woman.

      While in the workplace people are scared to have any opinions other than the officially sanctioned opinions of the rainbow mafia.

      People will say one thing in the office, and something completely different at the weekend BBQ, especially when members of the rainbow mafia are not there.

    • weston 6.2
      15 April 2023 at 12:36 pm

      What is a women etc Well if the busy lives of the sheeple people you know reality have prevented them from realizing the obvious its not so with millions observing the dismal performance of our PM from around the world who now have a perception of him as a weak lilly livered cowed specimen of a man too underdeveloped to have an opinion of his own let alone the most basic knowledge of biology .

      • Anne 6.2.1
        15 April 2023 at 12:53 pm

        They call it projection Weston. Describing one's own image then projecting it on to someone else?

        • Molly 6.2.1.2
          15 April 2023 at 5:24 pm

          Projection, Anne? This issue has impacts on most aspects of society. eg. This woman who attended a planned event called #LetWomenSpeak.

          Recent video came out of the "opposing sides clash" narrative of Stuff:

          Opposing sides clash during the protests over controversial activist Posie Parker/Kellie-Jay Keen, at a rally organised for her in Auckland’s Albert Park.

          https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/300852693/josie-pagani-why-banning-hate-speech-doesnt-get-rid-of-the-hate

          The intimidation, harassment and violence is in one direction when it comes to women wanting to speak.

          When will people stop making excuses for abusive behaviour?

          https://twitter.com/adriftandhappy/status/1647028966094680064?s=20

          • Shanreagh 6.2.1.2.1
            15 April 2023 at 5:44 pm

            I've found a couple of comments from someone who went to the SBYW events. Not sure where they went. Sounds like the transactivists were pests there as much as at the LWS meeting on 25/3.

            'Went to my local Stand By Your Woman rally 2 listen 2 speakers. Like me a (rainbow) group got 2 meeting point early. Surprised 2 see so many kids. SBYW speaker drowned out by (rainbow) member with bullhorn leading chanting. (rainbow) group found that v pleasurable. No dialogue possible. Beyond sad.'

            and

            [deleted unlinked quote]

            Dr Carol Hamilton

            @kiriceilidh

            4h

            [quote deleted, in premod until we sort this out once and for all. Please reply to my comment below – weka]

            • weka 6.2.1.2.1.1
              15 April 2023 at 6:16 pm

              mod note. Please read above and then respond to the directions below. None of you other comments will appear on TS until this is sorted.

              Please read the following instructions and agree to each number. If you don't understand any of the points, then please ask for clarification of each number you don't get.

              To link to a tweet,

              1. do not use the quote tag (") in the Comment editor
              2. go to the specific tweet you want to quote, not the persons twitter account
              3. click on the date/time stamp
              4. copy and paste this into the TS Comment editor
              5. Press the Submit Comment box
              6. Please try the above with this first tweet on this account
            • weka 6.2.1.2.1.2
              15 April 2023 at 10:30 pm

              I trashed your comment by mistake, because you did two replies. Please stop trying to do anything else other than replying to my mod note.

              You said,

              1. do not use the quote tag (") in the Comment editor Ok
              2. go to the specific tweet you want to quote, not the persons twitter account OK
              3. click on the date/time stamp OK
              4. copy and paste this into the TS Comment editor Ok
              5. Press the Submit Comment box Ok
              6. Please try the above with this first tweet on this accountOk

              I can only find the very first one anyway.

              1:01 PM · Apr 15, 2023

              So just a bald link& intro to it and no putting the actual words in my post?

            • weka 6.2.1.2.1.3
              15 April 2023 at 10:36 pm

              when you copy and pasted the link to that Joni Mitchell tweet did you:

              1. paste it directly into the comment box?
              2. Or did you click on the button with the quotation mark symbol at the top of the comment box?
              • Shanreagh …
                15 April 2023 at 10:40 pm

                1 yes

                2 no

                • weka …
                  15 April 2023 at 10:47 pm

                  thanks. What should be happening if you are copy and pasting straight into the comment box is the tweet should embed. But instead, your link is ending up with html tags around it and is turning into a link instead.

                  Hang on, sorry my bad, new instructions.

                  1. go to this link
                  2. go to the first tweet
                  3. click on the time/date stamp
                  4. copy the address in the address bar of your browser (the 'URL')
                  5. paste this into the comment box
                  6. Submit Comment
                  • Shanreagh …
                    15 April 2023 at 11:07 pm

                    https://twitter.com/racoons_daily/status/1558509457130209282

                    Sorry cat has had a sustained period of walking all over the keyboard, I think I have got it right.

                    • weka …
                      15 April 2023 at 11:16 pm

                      brilliant, thanks. That looks good.

                      Right, from now on, whenever you want to share something from a tweet to TS, do what you just did. I need you to agree to that before I let you out of premod.

                      I also want you to agree to keep a copy of these instructions so you can refer to them:

                      1. go to the tweet you want to share
                      2. click on the time/date stamp
                      3. copy the address in the address bar of your browser (the 'URL')
                      4. paste this into the comment box
                      5. Submit Comment
                    • Shanreagh …
                      15 April 2023 at 11:38 pm

                      Thanks Weka. I have done a copy & paste into a word doc and put it on my desktop for reference.

                    • weka []
                      15 April 2023 at 11:52 pm

                      👍 Out of premod now, thanks.

            • weka 6.2.1.2.1.4
              15 April 2023 at 10:38 pm

              please stop trying to do anything other than attend to the current questions I am asking you (everything else is going in the Trash as I don't have the time or bandwidth to get distracted).

          • Anne 6.2.1.2.2
            15 April 2023 at 7:19 pm

            Haven't read a word. Here's why:

            You have twisted a two sentence comment that has nothing to do with the fixation on women's rights that has become all too prevalent on this site. It is a ruse being used (by some – not all) to repeatedly ram the subject down our throats as if the rest of us are dormant mice incapable of figuring anything out for ourselves.

            I'll tell you what a woman is:

            She is a female homo sapien with a vagina and boobs. She's been around since God made little apples and she's the same now as she was then. Some women have brains. Others are as thick as two short planks. Some are full of compassion for others. Others are arseholes who don't have a compassionate bone in their bodies. They are all shapes and sizes and they all have the same rights under the law.

            Their opposite number are male homo sapiens who have a penis and no boobs. Just like their female counterparts they can be clever or dumb, gentle and kind or common garden bastards. They too are all shapes and sizes and have equal rights under the law.

            For the tiny group of individuals who are a varied mix of the two – and nature in its infinite glory can also make mistakes – they also have equal rights under the law.

            Here endeth the lesson. And too bad if some of you have no sense of humour. sad

            • Molly 6.2.1.2.2.1
              15 April 2023 at 10:30 pm

              Anne, you enter threads to make remarks, when it is clear you have no idea of the concerns raised – even with the preponderance of comments.

              Eg:

              ""For the tiny group of individuals who are a varied mix of the two – and nature in its infinite glory can also make mistakes – they also have equal rights under the law."

              Conflating DSDs with gender identity. Thinking that intersex means a mixture of two sexes rather than a developmental disorder.

              This kind of conflation actually harms those with DSDs quite significantly.

              https://differently-normal.com/2021/10/25/the-invention-of-intersex/

              • Visubversa …
                16 April 2023 at 9:10 am

                Thanks for this Molly. Just shows how the Transcult invades and colonises anything and everything they think might further their interests.

                • weka …
                  16 April 2023 at 9:31 am

                  can you please dial back the disparaging rhetoric. Name the gender cult or the TRAs or whatever, by naming the ideology without making it all about trans people. People reading who don't know the issues will see transcult as an insult to trans people and their general rights. Think of the debate as a marathon and how we might keep debate on TS robust and fair as well as not turning it into an ecochamber, over the long term.

      • peterh 6.2.2
        16 April 2023 at 8:46 am

        Stephen Jack NAT candidate knows what a woman is , he posted on F/B he likes them like covid easy to spread

  7. Ad 7
    15 April 2023 at 12:58 pm

    Dunedin nurses had a good solid turnout for their protest in the Octagon this morning.

    Also tge ODT had full page ads against the new hospital cost savings.

    Amazing how bad political management turns the most leftie city in NZ against Labour.

    • Corey 7.1
      15 April 2023 at 3:30 pm

      I love Dunedin, very fun town.

      Dunedin is a very very left town for both Labour and the Greens and Christchurch isnt called the peoples republic of Christchurch for nothing, it's a very reliable labour city and both Dunedin and Chch have been absolutely pivotal in nz's progressive history.

      It's weird how often the left shits on both cities and thinks South Island= Bad.

      Would be cool to see more south Islanders who have ground level experience in cabinet and leadership positions, when Sage retires this year year the greens will have no south island representation and currently iirc only two south Islanders have cabinet positions.

      I don't understand how that damned hospital hasn't started construction it was a 2017 election promise.

      • weka 7.1.1
        15 April 2023 at 4:41 pm

        hoping the Greens’ membership list placement process prioritises some SI people.

  8. ianmac 8
    15 April 2023 at 4:32 pm

    Rebecca Wright was pretty good at holding Luxon to account on Newshub this morning.

    In particular she demanded of him how they formed their policy. Evidence. Research etc. Huge number of words but his MPs "talked" to lots of people, talked to the caucus then came up with a plan.

    She pressed him on any evidence that his plan/policy about boot camps for instance.would have evidence that it would achieve the "outcomes" planned. Big hole!

    "You are taking kids away from their home for a year but you have no idea that it would work?"

    About 17 minutes in. Well done Rebecca.

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/04/christopher-luxon-calls-new-zealand-crime-utterly-unacceptable-as-he-doubles-down-on-boot-camp-policy.html

  9. Stephen 9
    15 April 2023 at 4:47 pm

    Policy by anecdata.

    No matter what your left persuasion is, these bastards have to kept as far away from the levers of power as possible.

  10. bwaghorn 10
    15 April 2023 at 5:17 pm

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/opinion/131777189/forprofit-healthcare-will-lead-to-increasing-neglect-of-kiwis-on-the-margins

    The cancer of private health care must be removed now before it kills the patient

    • Drowsy M. Kram 10.1
      15 April 2023 at 6:52 pm

      yes
      Not-for-profit health care for all; would prefer public, but don't care too much if the health care service provider is public or private, as long as extracting profit isn't its reason for being, and access to all health services is based on need, not ability to pay.

      Myth: "Privatization" can help everyone access health care

      Looking at you, Coleman.

      • bwaghorn 10.1.1
        15 April 2023 at 8:39 pm

        We should ban politicians from having health insurance so they can experience the Healthcare us unwashed do.

        Based on my reckons that they'll all have health insurance I would if I was on their incomes.

    • Belladonna 10.2
      15 April 2023 at 7:41 pm

      Meanwhile public healthcare already is killing the patient.

      https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/health/southern-cancer-patients-harmed-long-delays-report

      https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/487760/investigation-highly-critical-of-wait-times-to-see-cancer-specialists

      Perhaps the government and the Ministry of Health should concentrate on the crisis in their own backyard, before they embark on increasing demand by cutting out private healthcare.

      Doing something like:

      • Doubling the intake of medical (and dental) students every year for the next 5 years
      • Offering claw-backs on tertiary fees for medical practitioners (for every year you work in NZ after graduation, you get 1 year of fees forgiven)
      • Increasing the funding to GPs to make this an attractive career path (it absolutely isn't at the moment)
      • Direct funding GPs in smaller/remote areas – based on the number of people enrolled, rather than a per visit payment. To say enrolled, the patient has to have at least an annual consultation with their GP (a bit like a warrant of fitness for your car)

      No this crisis isn't all to do with Labour – it's been building for decades.

      But, what, practically, is the government currently doing? SFA as far as I can see.

      • bwaghorn 10.2.1
        15 April 2023 at 8:41 pm

        Is that not the reason labour have got rid of dhbs, ? To stop the post code lottery

      • Visubversa 10.2.2
        15 April 2023 at 8:51 pm

        One thing the Government can do is to stop the Medical School accepting dozens of foreign students instead of New Zealanders.. I have been to two prize givings at the Auckland Medical School over the last decade or so. They have them in November – practically before the ink is dry on the exam results because what seems like half the class, will not be in New Zealand at the time of the next Capping ceremony.

        • Incognito 10.2.2.1
          15 April 2023 at 9:14 pm

          Places for international students into the two Med Schools in NZ are limited and restricted. To get into Medicine is highly competitive. The schools need to increase their intakes, progressively.

          https://www.otago.ac.nz/oms/education/mbchb/prospective-students/international-students/electives/

          Your comment is inaccurate and misleading. Feel free to support with hard numbers of domestic vs. international student entries/acceptances and graduations. Until then I’d ignore it.

          • Belladonna 10.2.2.1.1
            16 April 2023 at 8:55 am

            I agree – entry to med school (and to dentistry and to vet science) is ridiculously competitive. You could quadruple the intake into med school in NZ – and still only be creaming off the top 1% of ability in those applying.

            • Incognito 10.2.2.1.1.1
              16 April 2023 at 11:35 am

              A number of ‘rejects’ decide to take the long route and do a Science degree or two (or three) before they try again to get into Med School. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as those individuals bring considerable scientific knowledge and experience to the clinic, ultimately. Those individuals are also much more mature. Others, often with medical degrees from overseas, spend a few years in academic departments being involved in biomedical research. And some continue trying to get into Med School in Oz. It’s not all bad, necessarily, but it does tell us something about the NZ situation. I don’t sense a strong political will from the parties involved to make drastic changes. However, if National gets in, they might shake things up with a third Medical School, likely in Waikato although sorting out the mess of Te Pūkenga has higher priority and National doesn’t not have the bandwidth to tackle more than one bullet point at the time.

              • Belladonna …
                16 April 2023 at 1:12 pm

                Have to say I'm not a great proponent of another medical school. Especially at Waikato – which suffers from being too close to Auckland, as well as not having a strong current background in medical and/or human biomedical science.

                You would have to establish a totally new medical school – and face the already-known-issue that top (or even near the top) people just don't want to live in Hamilton.

                It would be a heck of a lot easier and quicker to expand the capacity of Otago and Auckland. And, I've yet to be convinced that either is approaching the 'natural limit' in the size of their med schools.

                I agree that there seems to be no appetite for change from any political party (seriously short-term thinking). Just where do they think that the next generation of medical specialists is going to come from? We are nowhere near training replacements for the numbers retiring each year; let alone increasing capacity for the population expansion, and increases in medical capability.

                I do wonder if it is just that: "short term thinking" around political cycles – it takes 7 years to train a doctor to the base level – another 2-3 years for specialization (including GP) – which is approaching 3 election cycles away.

                Right now, I can't see what can be done with Te Pūkenga – it just seems to be a rolling disaster. Even abandoning all of the sunk cost in the centralization and rolling back to what we had, isn't going to fix the issue (staff already moved on, lack of enrolments due to uncertainty, whole courses and already campuses shut down).

                • Incognito …
                  16 April 2023 at 1:52 pm

                  If National were to make it an election pledge to open a third Med School in Waikato it would be pork barrelling and pandering to its rural constituency. They could also offer a fee-rebate on utes with diesel engines. But nobody would buy that 😉

                  The current Med Schools are not overflowing with enthusiasm either.

                  Short-term thinking is engrained in the NZ psyche – Kiwis tend to operate on a seasonal and/or annual basis. They ‘manage’ accordingly.

                  The Te Pūkenga mess is a textbook example of change management done by amateurs. By “done” I mean that they probably received sound advice from experts but failed to include this, those, and other experts in the process. Possibly, Government didn’t want to be seen as too controlling and ‘authoritarian’ and this has created a knowledge gap and a vacuum of required expertise & adequate leadership. At least, that’s my armchair view of it from a very long distance away. Others may be better informed of this situation.

                  • Belladonna …
                    16 April 2023 at 3:30 pm

                    Med schools have an offer on the table to increase numbers – being ignored by the Government.

                    Initially only an increase of 18 at Otago – and similar at Auckland (they said they could do this immediately in this year, without any scaling up of staff or facilities) – and are open to proposals for a substantial increase in numbers – the figure of 300 more pa has been floated.

                    Unis have been calling for an increase for some time – as have Medical associations – zip from the Government. Suspect they are concerned over the co-funding costs – but *not* funding is costing us worse.

                    Verrall claims decision made before she took over (so ball in Little's court). But this is *the same government* – just changing a Minister, should not result in a substantial policy change. And, in any case, Verrall was an Associate Minister for Health to Little, so should have been over the detail, and had co-responsibility for the decisions.

                    https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/02/28/offer-from-2-medical-schools-to-train-more-students-ignored-by-govt/

                    Te Whatu Ora's comment seems to be typically bureaucratic:

                    "In considering proposed increases to medical student numbers, Te Whatu Ora would emphasise ensuring that increases maintain student well-being, keep attrition rates low, address underrepresentation of Māori and Pacific peoples in our medical workforce, and train students who want to work in rural communities and hard-to-staff areas."

                    Actually, none of these are significant issues in training doctors. If you want to do retention or rural staffing, then that's a decision that TWO can make in increasing rural funding for doctors to make this more attractive. TWO could even offer scholarships – with graduates bonded to work in rural communities for a decade (if they wanted to do so).

                    There are already plenty of dedicated places for Maori and Pasifika in Med schools – at a lower qualification bar for entry.

                    Relaxing the admission criteria (still only creaming off the top 1%) – is highly unlikely to have any effect on student retention or wellbeing. And is, in any case, the job of the university, not of TWO, to manage.

                    None of this has anything to do with the critical importance of increasing places in med school, now (or at least next year – since they've missed the academic boat for this year).

                    • Incognito …
                      16 April 2023 at 8:14 pm

                      Those are valid concerns and they are not new concerns either. Dismissing it as bureaucratic is simplistic. Training medically qualified people takes time and is expensive. Reductionist technocratic approaches are bound to fail, which is why National will flounder in this space too – it will waste time & Taxpayers’ money to maintain quality & standards and integrity.

                  • Belladonna …
                    16 April 2023 at 3:45 pm

                    I think the Te Pūkenga mess is an example of top-down change management: with poor CM skills at the top level, poor direction (both from the CEO and the Minister responsible); and limited consultation with the people doing the job (and huge trust issues from those people, who had a well-justified belief, that this was a job and budget cutting exercise). So change would never have been easy, but working with people rather than informing them of your decisions, would have had a chance of working.

                    The heavy turnover of management at senior levels in Te Pūkenga has not contributed to a successful outcome, either.

                    There is no trust left in Te Pūkenga from the staff in the constituent organizations (both personal communication, and news coverage).

                    Three friends have bailed, and gone back to the industries they came from or taken early retirement (part of the botched redundancy plan from last year). All are excellent teachers, with a huge body of hands-on-technical knowledge, which is desperately needed for vocational training (plumbing/gas fitting, marine engineering, automotive engineering).

                    They will *not* be easy to replace: the combination of being able to teach as well as the technical expertise – is not common; and, everyone in the industry is regarding Te Pūkenga as a poison chalice (why would you go there).

                    Two friends still hanging in there. Both are staying because they're committed to their students. Both are reporting ongoing world-class levels of incompetence and cluster-fuckery from the Te Pūkenga management.

                    • Incognito …
                      16 April 2023 at 8:16 pm

                      Major restructuring is very different from BAU and requires different management (skills & experience). When it involves Senior Management, or Senior Leadership Teams, as they like to call themselves nowadays, this is another reason why they should delegate as much as possible to neutral objective impartial third parties and let them make the hard calls (read: suggestions and recommendations). By analogy, no surgeon should operate on themselves (and doctors should not act as the primary healthcare provider of close ones, as this can cloud their professional judgement and they may not make decisions that are in the best interest or run into a conflict of interest).

  11. Drowsy M. Kram 11
    15 April 2023 at 7:45 pm

    James Hansen speaks out about global climate change [2012 TED talk]
    This [energy] imbalance, if we want to stabilize climate, means that we must reduce CO2 from 391 ppm, parts per million, back to 350 ppm. That is the change needed to restore energy balance and prevent further warming.

    Big news in the close-knit and secretive climate change community!
    At Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii they just measured Atmospheric CO2 at its highest level in human history – 423.01 ppm!!!

    https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/status/1645145093555322881

    COVID-19 AIR TRAVEL RECOVERY
    CRITICAL AVIATION DATA IN ONE PLACE FOR YOUR BUSINESS
    GLOBAL TOTAL SEATS (DOMESTIC + INTERNATIONAL)
    The air travel data is plotted by week from the beginning of 2019 to week commencing 11 April 2023.

    Sustainability
    The pandemic has had a huge impact on Air New Zealand, but it has not slowed our commitment to sustainability. If anything, it has demonstrated that air transport is vital to sustaining our local economies through tourism and trade, but it is critical we find a more sustainable way to do this.

    Can't argue with that, and can't argue with 423.01 ppm.