First images from Nasa’s James Webb space telescope reveal ancient galaxies
First images from Nasa’s James Webb space telescope reveal ancient galaxies
The first full-colour image from Nasa’s James Webb space telescope shows the galaxy cluster ….
Photograph: EyePress News/REX/Shutterstock
Nasa has released an image of far-flung galaxies as they were 13bn years ago, the first glimpse from the most powerful telescope ever launched into space, which promises to reshape our understanding of the dawn of the universe.
The most annoying thing about Christchurch spending what will inevitably turn out to be a billion dollars (fixed price contract my arse) stadium is as night follows day they'll come whining to the government for a bailout, and because the settler class of Canterbury are the most exceptionalist and entitled bunch of complainers and snowflakes in the entire nation as taxpayers we'll all end paying for the cost blow out.
Another astonishing observation is how enthusiastic local business groups always are for billion dollar convention centres and stadiums, yet how the same business groups are always vehemently opposed to spending money on things like critical infrastructure, public transport and community services.
It is almost like entitled rich people who have a big voice in business demanding the rest of us subsidise their recreational choices.
It is almost like entitled rich people who have a big voice in business demanding the rest of us subsidise their recreational choices.
And they are the same people who sneer at and criticise the government for not spending enough on housing, health and education – not enough nurses, not enough doctors, nor enough teachers… and so on.
A billion dollars would go a long way to build more houses, more hospitals, more schools and train more staff to operate them.
I wonder; What if government instead of subsidising private transport and carbon emissions by building more and more motorways put that money into public transport instead?
Would central government support for Efeso Collins plan for free public transport become more viable?
Could the whole of the public transport fleet. (buses and trains), be converted to electric?
Once a project is underway it has to be completed.
According to a poll published a day or two ago, Efeso Collins is now the front runner for the Auckland mayoralty. That would suggest that his plan to make public transport free for everybody is being well received.
He would be a 'breath of fresh air' for Auckland, but be rest assured his opponents will be working overtime as we speak… dreaming up scandals and misdeeds he never committed. Will the MSM correct the record? Some might but most won't.
Efeso is 'Goff lite' and would be a disaster for Auckland. The city needs someone independent who can stand up to central government without party allegiances and endorsements coming first.
[I don’t want you continue to wage an astroturfing campaign against one of the mayoral candidates in Auckland and/or astroturfing in general. Join your other aliases in the sin bin until one month after the Local Elections; only one of your many usernames will be allowed back then here – Incognito]
"Would central government support for Efeso Collins plan for free public transport become more viable?"
Unlikely. Free PT in Auckland would cost the city around $210m each year, which would mean significant rates rises. Not only that, the policy won't reduce greenhouse gas emissions because transport is inside the ETS.
Hi David I went to the embedded link in your comment, I could not find anywhere where it said, that Free PT would cost ratepayers $210 million each year.
But I did find this;
"…..fare revenue was worth more than $150 million a year, and an earlier Auckland Transport assessment was that extra demand would cost $60m to meet."
I am guessing here, that to try and make your case against Free PT, you have deliberately conflated the two figures together. (In some circles this would be called 'creative accounting').
Fare revenue has no relation at all to the cost of running the system. It may cost more, it may cost less.
I might also remind you that with Free PT the $160 million in fare revenue would stay in PT commuters' pockets, instead of filling the pockets of Auckland's totally privately owned bus companies, this $160 therefore represents a loss to PT commuters and the city. A loss which would be returned with Free PT.
Even if we took your conflated combined figure of $210 million, for Free PT at face value.
If public transport was run as a single payer public service, instead of a profit making private enterprise, that figure could be considerably less. Getting rid of all the fare enforcement and collection infrastructure and bureaucracy, would be another cost saving to the commuting public, not having to fish around for cards or cash, would also make PT more convenient to use.
That's a shame, because I was digging around on Te internet I found this.
What is significant about this report is that not only would free public transport, be good for commuters wallets, and good for the climate, it would save lives. Every human life saved is precious beyond cost. But if we were looking at lives saved on a purely economic basis. Rounding up the figures, every road death costs the economy almost $4 million and every major injury costs us almost three quarter million dollars.
This report points out, that PT funding, is a major determinant of PT usage, articulated by the government in the GPS. ie greater PT use requires govt. buy in.
The role public transport can play in Safer Journeys
….PT is generally considered a safe form of transport. For example, in New Zealand, passengers in cars and vans are seven times more likely than bus passengers to be killed or injured in a crash (for the same time spent travelling), indicating that bus travel is comparatively a very safe mode of travel for passengers….
…… Safer Journeys does not actively try to improve safety by increasing PT’s modal share on the basis that it is safer. Instead it leaves PT funding, which is a major determinant of PT usage, to be determined by other urban transport considerations articulated by the government in the GPS.
10.3.1 Social costs
The MoT publishes social costs of crashes and crash injuries each year. These are disaggregated for urban and rural areas.
The relevant urban figures for 2014 are (MoT 2015c):
Hi David, if you are still reading this.
I am sorry you could not expound on your claim that PT, "won't reduce greenhouse gas emissions"
But you might be interested in this.
It seems that greater PT usage also saves lives. To your argument that Free PT is too expensive, (I admit that I haven't done the cost/loss balance).
But it seems to me, that the economic cost of all these tragic deaths and terrible injuries needs to be added to the balance sheet as well.
From the report:
PT is generally considered a safe form of transport. For example, in New Zealand, passengers in cars and vans are seven times more likely than bus passengers to be killed or injured in a crash (for the same time spent travelling),
….public transport as a safe and affordable alternative to car travel. We recognise, however, that safety is only one factor in optimising the mix of private and PT; cost, convenience and environmental impact must also be considered.
When you put the social and economic cost of all the preventable grief, injury and death together, with the cost of traffic congestion, caused by private car use, Efeso Collins case for Free Public Transport starts to make a lot of good social and economic sense.
It can’t come soon enough.
All those concerned about social justice and the environment, need to get behind Efeso Callin’s bid for Mayor of Auckland
On the other hand democratic process was followed through polling and submissions, it carried across socioeconomic groups, and people are really sick and tired of being stuck in limbo for a decade with only a cleared plot of land to show for it. Closure was needed.
Yes, we have seen exactly that with Eden Park. Despite being owned by a private Trust Board, it has a gargantuan appetite for public funds – and the political clout to extract them.
EP is also very subject to capture by (wealthy) local residents – including Helen Clark – who don't want their lives disrupted by actually using the venue as a venue. Which makes it difficult to make money….
We've just seen the pearl clutching over school balls (I don't know why EP would be a good venue – but apparently it is) – resulting in the Trust Board (who seem to know which side their bread is buttered) cancelling the events.
Perhaps the council should zone it for intensive housing – it's bang in the middle of the desirable zone – and see how the pearl clutchers like that solution.
That so called "charity" concert was a less than honest attempt to get around the then rules on concerts and the whole thing collapsed when people found out that there was not even a working prototype for the incubators. Eden Park has always said that if they get "just this last demand for more whatever", or " just this ratepayer or taxpayer handout" they will not come back for more. That has been proven false half a dozen times. I would certainly re-zone everything around it for higher density, give the locals the benefit of the increase in land values and enable new developments with better noise attenuation. I live 800m away from the Park. Never been to a game – tried in 1981 but the cops would not let us in. Viva Mark Jones!
The trust was set up by an Act of Parliament, up to 9 trustees are appointed by the Crown (5), Auckland Cricket Association (2) and Auckland Rugby Union (2), and it is a charitable trust with the purposes of maintaining a venue/ground for cricket, rugby and any other events for the benefit of the Auckland region, so it's not what I think of as a private trust.
Sanctuary, Yep…well remember the battle in Dunedin. And very notable the RUGBY not interested in funding !
Despite their Special Pleading. incl one Richie Richie Richie ..Mcaw . (John Keys special mate )
Everyone touting a fixed price for the build contract manages to neglect talking about the bills that truly gets your ratepayers really bleeding:
fully funded depreciation of over 5% a year on $600m
direct subsidising the operation including: free parking, catering, security, utility bills, rates, utility upgrades, tech upgrades, salaries for staff to attract and run events
indirect subsidising the operation: wear and tear on surrounding civic assets like roads, public transport subsidy for each event, city marketing, accelerated utility upgrades
Pour the next several years of rate increases into the foundations one wheelbarrow at a time.
Note the Auditor General just came out saying it will be $5.5b for Auckland's City Rail Link, and we've still got 3 years of world events and inflation before it even opens. It works out about $1.5m for every metre of track And that's before you get to the OPEX.
While many have hailed the decision to build the multi-use area as a long-awaited economic win for the region, others have warned against gold-plating the central city at the expense of struggling suburban households and other pressing council work.
I'm pretty sure the Christchurch stadium will be under water in a lot less than 2000 years. More like 100 years given the every increasing CO2 levels. It'll make a nice open air swimming pool 😉
In a manner of speaking. Tourism rules the world. As civ collapses there will still be people rich enough and stupid enough to want to visit and take photos.
Based on what? I mean aside from your general loathing of humanity. Rome didn't "fall", it declined. Political structures rearranged themselves. The Eastern Empire lingered on another thousand years. People continued to do things and enjoy things.
Please explain how spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a stadium trumps spending that money on climate transition when we know that climate is going to decline civilisation if we don't act now (and bearing in mind, we're not acting enough yet).
and yes, people will keep enjoying things, but we're already finding that people don't like expensive food and petrol so much and we're not even deep into the crisis yet.
“For 30 years, the New Brighton community rallied for another pier to be built. The Pier and Foreshore Society had campaigned to save the original pier, and the group continued lobbying for a new pier. When NZ$2m had been raised, this was matched by funding from Christchurch City Council and a new pier was designed using reinforced concrete. The new pier was built in exactly the same location, and was officially opened on 1 November 1997. It spans 300 metres (980 ft), which makes it the longest ocean pier in Australasia.[1] The New Brighton Pier is held as the icon of New Brighton and later the icon of Christchurch after the 22 February 2011 earthquake that significantly damaged Christchurch's Cathedral. The pier is one of Christchurch's tourist attractions. Currently the New Brighton Pier is the venue of a number of events, such as regular skate on the Pier events and the annual Guy Fawkes fireworks display held on 5 November every year. The pier sustained some damage in the various earthquakes, which was exacerbated in the 2016 Christchurch earthquake. Repairs started in February 2017, took 16 months, and cost NZ$8.5m. New Brighton pier reopened again in May 2018.[4]
That’s easy enough! In the Text Editor that you use there are 2 icons at the top of the menu, a little T and a little W. They refer to Paste as plain text (Ctrl+Shift+V) and Paste from Word (Ctrl+V), respectively.
Hmm Ive been to Libraries in NZ and as a Library user, I always think they are a great Community Hub……however in winter quite sad the poor buggers that go there…just to be warm. Or sleep even. (poor Librarians have to be diplomatic)
And I spose a Pier Development is where you could go for a long walk.?
Anyway that is some ChCh money to Brighton. Sure would be great with some additional Councillor Input/Drive from there.
The reason the Dunedin stadium was a mere debacle instead of a catastrophe is that it was able to secure a number of events post-quake Christchurch could not host.
It occurs to me that if Kyiv wanted to poke the borax at the Kremlin, they could issue Ukrainian passports to Russian citizens who want them, stamped with 'born in Ukraine'.
Who knows? Applying for one of these passports might be a light hearted way for Russian citizens to express their opposition to Putin's war.
From about 1860 to 1865 cities like Atlanta, Georgia, were not part of the USA. Instead they were part of the Confederacy. Kyiv's independence from Russia seems to have lasted a big longer, but may soon be coming to an end.
Incidentally, hubris is activity which angers the gods, and attracts nemesis, However, on this occasion, if nemesis was aiming at Russia it seems to have missed the target and landed on Ukraine instead, given the destruction it's caused.
"a light hearted way for Russian citizens to express their opposition to Putin's war"
Unfortunately there isn't any light-hearted way to express your opposition in Russia. Any protest at all seems to get very harsh treatment. Even referring to it as a "war" is punished. It is not a "war" or an "invasion". It is a "special military operation". Journalists who call it a war could be jailed for 15 years, as that is publishing false news about the military in Putin's Russia.
Just like this pointless question. I’m 63, sometime between the date that I was born and the year when my father and mother were born, some nation used atomic weapons on two cities, shortly after my parents started attending primary school. How old would my parents be today?
Now what does that have to do with the great depression.
/sarc
Or could you tell me when atomic weapons were used on military? If you can’t then you’re a moron.
/sarc
If you want to ask sheep shagging questions – then at least don’t simply flop your dick out. Actually make some kind of point that adds to the debate rather than making you look like a simple minded fuckwit.
I really like that. What I like is the author or authors are honest about what they want to do. None of this waffle about just transition and so on. They are very specific about the steps they would take and the sort of World they want to see.
Of course it is a complete totalitarian Hellscape which would lead to a civil war but it is at least detailed.
All of this makes it worth asking: What would it look like if we treated the climate crisis like an actual emergency? What would it take to keep global heating to no more than 1.5 degrees? The single most important intervention is the one that so far no government has been willing to touch: cap fossil fuel use and scale it down, on a binding annual schedule, until the industry is mostly dismantled by the middle of the century. That’s it. This is the only fail-safe way to stop climate breakdown.
Jason Hickel is well known for his research in environmental economics and global inequality. That you find his expert opinions on more and equitable climate action unpalatable is unsurprising.
I do agree that the Current Affairs piece is well worth a read.
Hickel is talking about a world in which the fossil fuels industry is "dismantled by the middle of the century". That's 28 years away. I guess it's technically possible, but I doubt the policy prescription required will be either politically or socially acceptable.
The problem being that while the specific steps are imo about right the results are a dysfunctional world….consider the impact of the removal of Ukraine grain and (food) oils from the world markets and you have a taste of the problems….it isnt the wealthy countries most impacted but the developing food reliant economies…we have a world population and productive output barely supported by current energy production, the bulk of which is fossil in origin…reduce that energy and the system collapses (if it isnt already)….its too glib to say remove unnecessary fossil energy use (i.e. private motor vehicles etc) when the maintenance of the system largely relies upon that to function.
We wasted the time to transition that we may have had.
At the same time, we need to scale down less-necessary parts of the economy in order to reduce excess energy demand: SUVs, private jets, commercial air travel, industrial beef, fast fashion, advertising, planned obsolescence, the military industrial complex and so on. We need to focus the economy on what is required for human well-being and ecological stability, rather than on corporate profits and elite consumption.
We either do this in time, or we lose the chance and face extinction.
There's no "complete totalitarian Hellscape" in any of this, compared to what WILL happen if we don't take active steps now!
Same Barfly and Ad, but family have not been so lucky. Two have been told their excess white cell count is part of long covid which has gone on for months now.
Grant's work in Australia is struggling to get and keep staff. That may change now the covid assistance has gone.
Almost no-one comes into our office, so I find it a good place to isolate . I get lonely and bored, but so far the Sword of Damocles continues to hang on in there for us.
Had a mate stay Wednesday night. He was on an apology tour for the fabrication/coating outfit he works for, placating primary/food industry clients affected by covid related productivity problems.
Waiting for the excreta to hit the air circulating device in Queenstown over the School Holidays.
Most / all tourist business are having severe staffing issues, firstly getting staff who are willing to work in customer racing roles, and then keeping them healthy and able to work.
Things were pretty tough in town last week, and the ZQN mountains closed their rental departments saying they were out of gear, but heard it was more staffing related. Best snow they’ve had for a very long time too.
Next two weeks could get interesting. Really glad we're watching from the sidelines (home) until it settles down.
Yep. Had a constant trickle of cases since Omicron arrived – 1-2 off work at a time (workforce of around 100). Since end of June we're around 10-15 at a time (including me) – both Covid/Flu (workplace provides free flu jabs on demand) and household contacts. Some can work from home (assuming they're well enough) – but others have to take the leave – and it's almost impossible to replace them – not only can't hire people, but specialized work – you can't just walk in off the street – there's a significant learning/training curve, and trying to do that puts added pressure on the people who are there.
We're communicating the reasons for delay with our customers – who are understanding – but it doesn't do much for the bottom line (if you're not invoicing the work, you're not getting paid)
Case infections are almost certainly originating outside the workplace (so far) – i.e. the people coming down with Covid/Flu aren't directly connected inside the workplace, and most have a prior household contact with the virus/es.
Hoping that this will quickly work it's way through the staff and give a decent level of immunity. But not optimistic, with the protection against Covid re-infection window now down to a month.
So far, just one serious case (and we have some high risk people – over 70 and with associated health conditions) – not serious enough for hospital, but not bouncing back quickly – she has a history of bronchial conditions, and seems to get hammered by secondary infections.
The Health systems globally are under pressure,with continued problems with Covid,(removing spare capacity) and a large backlog of selective surgery etc, becoming problematic for acute emergency.
It's an uphill battle trying to explain to some people that the situation re-our health services is not confined to NZ. It's everywhere, and many countries are in a far worse state than NZ. I read somewhere in recent days that Australia's hospitals are also stretched to the limit. I would link to it, but can't recall where I saw it.
There is a moral dilemma here. If we were to lure health workers from other countries then we would be denying those countries the workers they desperately need themselves.
And unvaccinated staff are not the answer. If they can show such poor judgement over vaccines and masks, then who can trust them to make sound judgements over other health issues.
I read somewhere in recent days that Australia's hospitals are also stretched to the limit.
Its been on ABC,Hospitals in Queensland (similar pop to NZ ) have slightly more patients for covid,influenza etc.Similar conditions with colder weather (record cold spells in QA) similar economic conditions,staffing shortages,cold housing,all playing out on the same songsheet.
New Zealand has been ranked second-worst place in the world to move by immigrants, according to a survey.
…
In a resulting ranking of 52 countries – those for whom there was a large enough sample size – Aotearoa New Zealand ranked in the doldrums, at 51. It was beaten to the bottom by Kuwait.
…
The country’s poor showing was attributed to lower wages and high cost of living. New Zealand was the worst-performing country in the survey’s personal finance measure: 49% of respondents said their disposable household income was not enough to lead a comfortable life, compared with 28% globally. For general cost of living, 75% rated the country negatively, compared with 35% globally.
You’re pretty damning of human rights and the state of democracy in Australia which is at number 9.
And it was a reply to Anne’s comment about the difficulty of attracting immigrants (Not citizens, at least not yet) to fill our health worker shortage.
“The cost of living is too high here in comparison to the salaries,” one survey respondent from Botswana said. An expat from India was concerned about the “growing divide between the rich and poor”.
This cannot be reasonably refuted, we do have objectively low wages and a higher cost of living compared to our international analogues. Are these conditions just ‘the price of democracy’? Not sure it really works out well for expats, immigrants or citizens in general, personally.
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
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1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
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Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
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Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
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Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
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I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
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You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
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This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
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 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
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The most annoying thing about Christchurch spending what will inevitably turn out to be a billion dollars (fixed price contract my arse) stadium is as night follows day they'll come whining to the government for a bailout, and because the settler class of Canterbury are the most exceptionalist and entitled bunch of complainers and snowflakes in the entire nation as taxpayers we'll all end paying for the cost blow out.
Another astonishing observation is how enthusiastic local business groups always are for billion dollar convention centres and stadiums, yet how the same business groups are always vehemently opposed to spending money on things like critical infrastructure, public transport and community services.
It is almost like entitled rich people who have a big voice in business demanding the rest of us subsidise their recreational choices.
And they are the same people who sneer at and criticise the government for not spending enough on housing, health and education – not enough nurses, not enough doctors, nor enough teachers… and so on.
A billion dollars would go a long way to build more houses, more hospitals, more schools and train more staff to operate them.
The Tron has been bypassed.
Hurrah!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/129283124/hamilton-section-of-waikato-expressway-open-to-traffic
I wonder; What if government instead of subsidising private transport and carbon emissions by building more and more motorways put that money into public transport instead?
Would central government support for Efeso Collins plan for free public transport become more viable?
Could the whole of the public transport fleet. (buses and trains), be converted to electric?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/129234357/southern-hemispheres-first-converted-electric-doubledecker-begins-auckland-trial
No urgency now. Not!
The Hamilton expressway was the brainchild of a National government.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waikato_Expressway
Once a project is underway it has to be completed.
According to a poll published a day or two ago, Efeso Collins is now the front runner for the Auckland mayoralty. That would suggest that his plan to make public transport free for everybody is being well received.
He would be a 'breath of fresh air' for Auckland, but be rest assured his opponents will be working overtime as we speak… dreaming up scandals and misdeeds he never committed. Will the MSM correct the record? Some might but most won't.
As long as Leo Molloy doesn't get in.
Efeso is 'Goff lite' and would be a disaster for Auckland. The city needs someone independent who can stand up to central government without party allegiances and endorsements coming first.
[I don’t want you continue to wage an astroturfing campaign against one of the mayoral candidates in Auckland and/or astroturfing in general. Join your other aliases in the sin bin until one month after the Local Elections; only one of your many usernames will be allowed back then here – Incognito]
Mod note
"Would central government support for Efeso Collins plan for free public transport become more viable?"
Unlikely. Free PT in Auckland would cost the city around $210m each year, which would mean significant rates rises. Not only that, the policy won't reduce greenhouse gas emissions because transport is inside the ETS.
You prefer billions to pay for extra roads, instead?
And. Less car use will reduce Greenhouse gases, in reality. Not the monetary fantasy that is the ETS.
Hi David I went to the embedded link in your comment, I could not find anywhere where it said, that Free PT would cost ratepayers $210 million each year.
But I did find this;
"…..fare revenue was worth more than $150 million a year, and an earlier Auckland Transport assessment was that extra demand would cost $60m to meet."
I am guessing here, that to try and make your case against Free PT, you have deliberately conflated the two figures together. (In some circles this would be called 'creative accounting').
Fare revenue has no relation at all to the cost of running the system. It may cost more, it may cost less.
I might also remind you that with Free PT the $160 million in fare revenue would stay in PT commuters' pockets, instead of filling the pockets of Auckland's totally privately owned bus companies, this $160 therefore represents a loss to PT commuters and the city. A loss which would be returned with Free PT.
Even if we took your conflated combined figure of $210 million, for Free PT at face value.
If public transport was run as a single payer public service, instead of a profit making private enterprise, that figure could be considerably less. Getting rid of all the fare enforcement and collection infrastructure and bureaucracy, would be another cost saving to the commuting public, not having to fish around for cards or cash, would also make PT more convenient to use.
Hi David, I don't get this last one. Could you expound on it a bit?
No, he can’t and he won’t because he’s been banned for astroturfing on this site. I loathe dishonest commenters.
That's a shame, because I was digging around on Te internet I found this.
What is significant about this report is that not only would free public transport, be good for commuters wallets, and good for the climate, it would save lives. Every human life saved is precious beyond cost. But if we were looking at lives saved on a purely economic basis. Rounding up the figures, every road death costs the economy almost $4 million and every major injury costs us almost three quarter million dollars.
This report points out, that PT funding, is a major determinant of PT usage, articulated by the government in the GPS. ie greater PT use requires govt. buy in.
Hi David, if you are still reading this.
I am sorry you could not expound on your claim that PT, "won't reduce greenhouse gas emissions"
But you might be interested in this.
It seems that greater PT usage also saves lives. To your argument that Free PT is too expensive, (I admit that I haven't done the cost/loss balance).
But it seems to me, that the economic cost of all these tragic deaths and terrible injuries needs to be added to the balance sheet as well.
From the report:
P.S And dare I mention the cost of traffic congestion?
When you put the social and economic cost of all the preventable grief, injury and death together, with the cost of traffic congestion, caused by private car use, Efeso Collins case for Free Public Transport starts to make a lot of good social and economic sense.
It can’t come soon enough.
All those concerned about social justice and the environment, need to get behind Efeso Callin’s bid for Mayor of Auckland
On the other hand democratic process was followed through polling and submissions, it carried across socioeconomic groups, and people are really sick and tired of being stuck in limbo for a decade with only a cleared plot of land to show for it. Closure was needed.
Citation?
Young, men more likely to want to pour millions into progressing Christchurch stadium | Stuff.co.nz
Yes, we have seen exactly that with Eden Park. Despite being owned by a private Trust Board, it has a gargantuan appetite for public funds – and the political clout to extract them.
EP is also very subject to capture by (wealthy) local residents – including Helen Clark – who don't want their lives disrupted by actually using the venue as a venue. Which makes it difficult to make money….
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/123290359/eden-park-concerts-helen-clark-opposes-home-invasion-of-noise
https://m.facebook.com/CheckpointRNZ/posts/helen-clark-says-shes-opposed-to-a-charity-concert-at-eden-park-just-400m-from-h/2129311180644640/
We've just seen the pearl clutching over school balls (I don't know why EP would be a good venue – but apparently it is) – resulting in the Trust Board (who seem to know which side their bread is buttered) cancelling the events.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/aucklands-eden-park-no-longer-hosting-school-balls-following-disruptive-behaviour/FQ7AAPZAX5DV5R2PJV6SNZV3V4/
Perhaps the council should zone it for intensive housing – it's bang in the middle of the desirable zone – and see how the pearl clutchers like that solution.
That so called "charity" concert was a less than honest attempt to get around the then rules on concerts and the whole thing collapsed when people found out that there was not even a working prototype for the incubators. Eden Park has always said that if they get "just this last demand for more whatever", or " just this ratepayer or taxpayer handout" they will not come back for more. That has been proven false half a dozen times. I would certainly re-zone everything around it for higher density, give the locals the benefit of the increase in land values and enable new developments with better noise attenuation. I live 800m away from the Park. Never been to a game – tried in 1981 but the cops would not let us in. Viva Mark Jones!
Marx Jones – sorry fumble fingers.
The trust was set up by an Act of Parliament, up to 9 trustees are appointed by the Crown (5), Auckland Cricket Association (2) and Auckland Rugby Union (2), and it is a charitable trust with the purposes of maintaining a venue/ground for cricket, rugby and any other events for the benefit of the Auckland region, so it's not what I think of as a private trust.
The Crown reps were put on the Trust after one of the more expansive Government handouts.
That was required to host the Rugby World Cup – without it, we didn't get the tournament.
I agree with yr $1B.
In the fullness of time and lots of corporate language, advisors and experts will get well paid and bear no responsibility.
Its because rich people pay the bills so expect some action
Am I a rich person?? I want the stadium built and so does 70% of this city.
The earthquake hit just as I hit 18 I've never not had to go to another city to watch a concert or major game.
Young people want a stadium bad and we're going to be the ones paying for it. Read the room
Delaying would make it cost more.
Just get on with it.
Chch is a city of nearly half a million and growing rapidly if ya want young people to stay in the city you're going to have to have things like this
It's been 11 years of utter horrible bollocks and the city has been through enough let people have some fun
The left makes out only rich people want to go see an all blacks game or a concert.
Sanctuary, Yep…well remember the battle in Dunedin. And very notable the RUGBY not interested in funding !
Despite their Special Pleading. incl one Richie Richie Richie ..Mcaw . (John Keys special mate )
ChCh ratepayers…I feel sorry for you.
It's not the CAPEX that gets you, it's the OPEX.
Everyone touting a fixed price for the build contract manages to neglect talking about the bills that truly gets your ratepayers really bleeding:
Pour the next several years of rate increases into the foundations one wheelbarrow at a time.
Note the Auditor General just came out saying it will be $5.5b for Auckland's City Rail Link, and we've still got 3 years of world events and inflation before it even opens. It works out about $1.5m for every metre of track And that's before you get to the OPEX.
Gee, Bread and Circuses comes to mind ! Just go look at under privileged ChCh . Brighton etc….
I spose they can always go watch the rugby…..
That would be Brighton that got the 4 million dollar public library and pier development would it?
Pier vs warm, dry, affordable housing… 🤔
And RUGBY/event Stadium even moreso !
Building stadiums at this point in history is like the fall of the Roman Empire. So much denial, covid, climate, ecology….
The Romans still have their stadium don't they?
They also had bread to accompany the circuses.
heh.
I'm pretty sure the Christchurch stadium will be under water in a lot less than 2000 years. More like 100 years given the every increasing CO2 levels. It'll make a nice open air swimming pool 😉
niche hobby, looking at infrastructure and seeing its repurpose as tshtf.
In a manner of speaking. Tourism rules the world. As civ collapses there will still be people rich enough and stupid enough to want to visit and take photos.
Based on what? I mean aside from your general loathing of humanity. Rome didn't "fall", it declined. Political structures rearranged themselves. The Eastern Empire lingered on another thousand years. People continued to do things and enjoy things.
Please explain how spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a stadium trumps spending that money on climate transition when we know that climate is going to decline civilisation if we don't act now (and bearing in mind, we're not acting enough yet).
I don't loathe humanity, I loathe stupidity.
and yes, people will keep enjoying things, but we're already finding that people don't like expensive food and petrol so much and we're not even deep into the crisis yet.
Community focus planned for New Brighton housing development – ChristchurchNZ.com
what does affordable housing mean for them?
“For 30 years, the New Brighton community rallied for another pier to be built. The Pier and Foreshore Society had campaigned to save the original pier, and the group continued lobbying for a new pier. When NZ$2m had been raised, this was matched by funding from Christchurch City Council and a new pier was designed using reinforced concrete. The new pier was built in exactly the same location, and was officially opened on 1 November 1997. It spans 300 metres (980 ft), which makes it the longest ocean pier in Australasia.[1] The New Brighton Pier is held as the icon of New Brighton and later the icon of Christchurch after the 22 February 2011 earthquake that significantly damaged Christchurch's Cathedral. The pier is one of Christchurch's tourist attractions. Currently the New Brighton Pier is the venue of a number of events, such as regular skate on the Pier events and the annual Guy Fawkes fireworks display held on 5 November every year. The pier sustained some damage in the various earthquakes, which was exacerbated in the 2016 Christchurch earthquake. Repairs started in February 2017, took 16 months, and cost NZ$8.5m. New Brighton pier reopened again in May 2018.[4]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Brighton_Pier,_Christchurch
[Any comment with 10 or more links will automatically be held up in the Pre-Mod queue, so please limit the number of links in your comments.
I’d suggest that you paste Wiki quotes as plain text to avoid triggering the trap – Incognito]
Mod note
K..would post wiki quotes as plain text if i knew how.
That’s easy enough! In the Text Editor that you use there are 2 icons at the top of the menu, a little T and a little W. They refer to Paste as plain text (Ctrl+Shift+V) and Paste from Word (Ctrl+V), respectively.
Thank you
I told you it was easy enough 🙂
Brighton Pier was a community led project, extensively fundraised for by the local community.
Oh right, Pat. There is that then.. Strike some of the Feelgood for ChCh council !
Hmm Ive been to Libraries in NZ and as a Library user, I always think they are a great Community Hub……however in winter quite sad the poor buggers that go there…just to be warm. Or sleep even. (poor Librarians have to be diplomatic)
And I spose a Pier Development is where you could go for a long walk.?
Anyway that is some ChCh money to Brighton. Sure would be great with some additional Councillor Input/Drive from there.
It will hit Dunedin ratepayers hard.
The reason the Dunedin stadium was a mere debacle instead of a catastrophe is that it was able to secure a number of events post-quake Christchurch could not host.
There will be no more of those.
Yep. Also gotta wonder…if a serious (more serious?) pandemic hits. An empty stadium?
Examples of hubris in a Sentence
Russia has released passports made for the Citizens of Ukraine.
Obviously printed before Russia’s invasion and takeover of Ukraine ran into the sand.
People born in Ukraine have been entered as born in Russia.
https://twitter.com/sumlenny/status/1542849072394108934?t=kMPfT8-1t7aOekU3L6BICw&s=19&fbclid=IwAR0yu2Iczra9XuEZbZbC36PI4KXshQ8tHxs_IJPym70XilsKrgS1rW0R01E
It occurs to me that if Kyiv wanted to poke the borax at the Kremlin, they could issue Ukrainian passports to Russian citizens who want them, stamped with 'born in Ukraine'.
Who knows? Applying for one of these passports might be a light hearted way for Russian citizens to express their opposition to Putin's war.
From about 1860 to 1865 cities like Atlanta, Georgia, were not part of the USA. Instead they were part of the Confederacy. Kyiv's independence from Russia seems to have lasted a big longer, but may soon be coming to an end.
Incidentally, hubris is activity which angers the gods, and attracts nemesis, However, on this occasion, if nemesis was aiming at Russia it seems to have missed the target and landed on Ukraine instead, given the destruction it's caused.
"a light hearted way for Russian citizens to express their opposition to Putin's war"
Unfortunately there isn't any light-hearted way to express your opposition in Russia. Any protest at all seems to get very harsh treatment. Even referring to it as a "war" is punished. It is not a "war" or an "invasion". It is a "special military operation". Journalists who call it a war could be jailed for 15 years, as that is publishing false news about the military in Putin's Russia.
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/05/1084729579/russian-law-bans-journalists-from-calling-ukraine-conflict-a-war-or-an-invasion
This is 'huger'!
US President Donald Trump has said he recognises Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president.
The announcement came minutes after the 35-year-old declared himself acting leader in Caracas on Wednesday.
Juan Guaidó: US backs opposition leader as Venezuela president – BBC News
Hey Jenny which is the only nation to use nuclear bombs on civilians-is it Russia,China or U.S.A?
77 years ago Blazer for the USA on that
China Mao's great leap 45million dead
Stalin 20 million plus dead
/shrug
A rhetorical question that needs no answer from me. We all know what the answer is.
You might as well ask me which nation gassed 6 million Jews.
For the one-eyed, the USA is the only evil imperialist power in the world' crowd, a more topical question.
Which nation has threatened to use nuclear bombs in the current war?
P.S. I don't expect an answer.
Kind of a pointless question.
Just like this pointless question. I’m 63, sometime between the date that I was born and the year when my father and mother were born, some nation used atomic weapons on two cities, shortly after my parents started attending primary school. How old would my parents be today?
Now what does that have to do with the great depression.
/sarc
Or could you tell me when atomic weapons were used on military? If you can’t then you’re a moron.
/sarc
If you want to ask sheep shagging questions – then at least don’t simply flop your dick out. Actually make some kind of point that adds to the debate rather than making you look like a simple minded fuckwit.
Quite relevant to Jenny's relentless demonisation of Russia imo.
She appears to have a very black and white view of…the world.
But all the cool kids are demonising Russia.
And lots want to be cool donjaknow
Just like this one.![crying crying](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/cry_smile.png?x42494)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/14/social-media-posts-chart-life-and-death-of-girl-in-russian-strike
Cannot understand how you can make a comment like that above, and possibly think that Russia is not committing war crimes on a daily basis.
They lobbed precision munitions into a city 400km from the front lines to kill civilians as they were going about their mid-morning business.
It's what the Russian military does when things don't go it's way on the battlefield.
Circassians, Chechens, Afghans, Syrians, and now, Ukrainians.
https://www.currentaffairs.org/2021/11/what-would-it-look-like-if-we-treated-climate-change-as-an-actual-emergency?fbclid=IwAR3Gcci4OYuAvs_695IembRvXxIqPrA6Q4jizQ54H1QT1ME0doGjCfzkEHA
I really like that. What I like is the author or authors are honest about what they want to do. None of this waffle about just transition and so on. They are very specific about the steps they would take and the sort of World they want to see.
Of course it is a complete totalitarian Hellscape which would lead to a civil war but it is at least detailed.
Jason Hickel, Current Affairs, 2021. My bold.
"A totalitarian Hellscape".
Did you read their policy proposals?
Jason Hickel is well known for his research in environmental economics and global inequality. That you find his expert opinions on more and equitable climate action unpalatable is unsurprising.
I do agree that the Current Affairs piece is well worth a read.
Hickel is talking about a world in which the fossil fuels industry is "dismantled by the middle of the century". That's 28 years away. I guess it's technically possible, but I doubt the policy prescription required will be either politically or socially acceptable.
The problem being that while the specific steps are imo about right the results are a dysfunctional world….consider the impact of the removal of Ukraine grain and (food) oils from the world markets and you have a taste of the problems….it isnt the wealthy countries most impacted but the developing food reliant economies…we have a world population and productive output barely supported by current energy production, the bulk of which is fossil in origin…reduce that energy and the system collapses (if it isnt already)….its too glib to say remove unnecessary fossil energy use (i.e. private motor vehicles etc) when the maintenance of the system largely relies upon that to function.
We wasted the time to transition that we may have had.
Anyone else's workplace getting smashed with COVID and 'Flu over the last month?
Truly mashing us.
Avoiding it so far in the club I live at.
Same Barfly and Ad, but family have not been so lucky. Two have been told their excess white cell count is part of long covid which has gone on for months now.
Grant's work in Australia is struggling to get and keep staff. That may change now the covid assistance has gone.
Almost no-one comes into our office, so I find it a good place to isolate
. I get lonely and bored, but so far the Sword of Damocles continues to hang on in there for us.
Had a mate stay Wednesday night. He was on an apology tour for the fabrication/coating outfit he works for, placating primary/food industry clients affected by covid related productivity problems.
Waiting for the excreta to hit the air circulating device in Queenstown over the School Holidays.
Most / all tourist business are having severe staffing issues, firstly getting staff who are willing to work in customer racing roles, and then keeping them healthy and able to work.
Things were pretty tough in town last week, and the ZQN mountains closed their rental departments saying they were out of gear, but heard it was more staffing related. Best snow they’ve had for a very long time too.
Next two weeks could get interesting. Really glad we're watching from the sidelines (home) until it settles down.
Yep. Had a constant trickle of cases since Omicron arrived – 1-2 off work at a time (workforce of around 100). Since end of June we're around 10-15 at a time (including me) – both Covid/Flu (workplace provides free flu jabs on demand) and household contacts. Some can work from home (assuming they're well enough) – but others have to take the leave – and it's almost impossible to replace them – not only can't hire people, but specialized work – you can't just walk in off the street – there's a significant learning/training curve, and trying to do that puts added pressure on the people who are there.
We're communicating the reasons for delay with our customers – who are understanding – but it doesn't do much for the bottom line (if you're not invoicing the work, you're not getting paid)
Case infections are almost certainly originating outside the workplace (so far) – i.e. the people coming down with Covid/Flu aren't directly connected inside the workplace, and most have a prior household contact with the virus/es.
Hoping that this will quickly work it's way through the staff and give a decent level of immunity. But not optimistic, with the protection against Covid re-infection window now down to a month.
So far, just one serious case (and we have some high risk people – over 70 and with associated health conditions) – not serious enough for hospital, but not bouncing back quickly – she has a history of bronchial conditions, and seems to get hammered by secondary infections.
Doe anyone in this forum know whether the use of images for any purpose has been officially presented to the public? The article says that
"A business case has been developed and approved,"
Is biometric information not protected in NZ?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/470882/internal-affairs-lawfully-allowed-to-use-facial-recognition-system-waka-kotahi
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/470985/week-in-politics-andrew-little-s-bad-week
this is a very scary read about what Drs are saying re the state of the health system
The Health systems globally are under pressure,with continued problems with Covid,(removing spare capacity) and a large backlog of selective surgery etc, becoming problematic for acute emergency.
https://twitter.com/picardonhealth/status/1547565514578280450
With increased expenditure the outcomes are not necessary improvements of increased life expectancy or increased quality of life as people age.
https://twitter.com/andy23tran/status/1547244767733506050
The increasing challenge with technology (and its complexity) is paradoxical in the Health sector as is increased investment.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/09/05/252307/the-costly-paradox-of-health-care-technology/
It's an uphill battle trying to explain to some people that the situation re-our health services is not confined to NZ. It's everywhere, and many countries are in a far worse state than NZ. I read somewhere in recent days that Australia's hospitals are also stretched to the limit. I would link to it, but can't recall where I saw it.
There is a moral dilemma here. If we were to lure health workers from other countries then we would be denying those countries the workers they desperately need themselves.
And unvaccinated staff are not the answer. If they can show such poor judgement over vaccines and masks, then who can trust them to make sound judgements over other health issues.
Of course it's Labour's fault.
https://twitter.com/Kit_Yates_Maths/status/1547863954193494017
Its been on ABC,Hospitals in Queensland (similar pop to NZ ) have slightly more patients for covid,influenza etc.Similar conditions with colder weather (record cold spells in QA) similar economic conditions,staffing shortages,cold housing,all playing out on the same songsheet.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-15/covid-patients-fill-regional-queensland-hospital-beds/101242460
You could replace "Queensland" with "New Zealand" and it would be just as accurate an assessment.
Try luring anyone when this is how you're ranked:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/14/100-pure-rip-off-new-zealand-voted-second-worst-place-to-move-to
Expats. Not citizens. The opposite, in fact. Many of the most comfortable countries for expats are anything but comfortable … for their own people.
The United Arab Emirates made the top 10. Blasphemy and homosexuality are illegal, and the maximum penalty is death.
If human rights don't matter, the survey is fine. Otherwise, it's a sick joke. Cheap maids are more important than democracy?
You’re pretty damning of human rights and the state of democracy in Australia which is at number 9.
And it was a reply to Anne’s comment about the difficulty of attracting immigrants (Not citizens, at least not yet) to fill our health worker shortage.
This cannot be reasonably refuted, we do have objectively low wages and a higher cost of living compared to our international analogues. Are these conditions just ‘the price of democracy’? Not sure it really works out well for expats, immigrants or citizens in general, personally.
wtf is that photo, lol.