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.
I ran across a recent essay from The Brothers Krynn, which attempts to map common horror monsters onto the Seven Deadly Sins: https://canadianculturecorner.substack.com/p/horror-monsters-and-vice My interest, however, is not in the meat of the piece, but rather the opening paragraph: It is an interesting fact that in recent decades, Vampires have ...
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News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
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Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
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Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
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 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5cjAkWqz4Y
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.
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.