Policy.nz summarises every single policy released by the major parties, making it easy for voters to compare. More than 410,000 people have now visited the site and picked their favourites from among the nearly 2,000 policies we’ve published.
But is the statue of Colin Meads in Te Kuiti historic?? He's still alive, so I reckon not. Road signs with capital letters as big as a hand-span alert drivers heading north & south to where it can be found, and such civic care & attention to worshippers is indeed heart-warming, but I wonder how long it will take for woke activists to get there & do their eliminating…
is that I don't like the wording, good intention though. 'Less create, get a plan to provide' and actually have the word 'DO' in it. No paralysis by analysis. My guru Yoda says 'No try – just Do'. Obviously there has to be a plan, and that could be – Utilise all the present programs that are suitable and have been monitored and show good effect, and if they are keen have them put forward method and priorities and amalgamate them all, and have them carry out training, then compare their success rate, and include the trainees in the process for their opinion as to their success or note, and rejig things.
Get started, refine the practice with the trainees understanding that they are part of the study, and they will feel proud and put their best in. Only a year would see a huge change in attitudes throughout the actual working people at the coalface (new word needed for that). The workers are carrying the country forward and supporting the oldies, the young ones deserve our respect and support.
So Do That, Greens and prove your wokeness where it is crucial. (And to keep our irony level up for mental health, here is a collection of random opinions about what 'woke' means from the Urban Dictionary.) https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=woke
Ah hah. Well I register my vote for Do and make it fit for purpose, and include the trainers and trainees and listen to them and work out quickly a practical way forward that they will all trial, and report on. Then they will all Own the project, which means that they will all feel that it includes their own ideas and wishes, and that they have 'Skin in the game'.
Kate Raworth, the British economist who invented "doughnut economics", spoke via Zoom to a candidates' debate in Freemans Bay last week.
Raworth's doughnut is a ring that describes the relationship between our standards of living and our use of the world's resources. Inside the ring – in the doughnut hole – it is not possible to live well; outside the ring, we squander resources and ruin the planet.
We prosper and are in balance with the world when we live within the inner and outer limits of the doughnut. The aim of economics in the 21st century, said Raworth, must be to find a way to get there and stay there. But the Covid crisis has made inequalities worse. "We see it in gender and race, in class and in power." Doughnut economics, said Raworth, offers "a compass for humanity".
She says she doesn't have all the answers. No one does. Reducing our use of resources means reducing growth, and in conventional terms that creates poverty. But Raworth is not put off. "It's never been done before, but we have to work out how to do it. This is a new science, it's not even 10 years old." In fact, Raworth does have some answers. She's consulting to the city of Amsterdam on its post-Covid rebuild, and several other cities, including Los Angeles and Berlin, have also been inspired by her thinking as they plan their rebuild. I'll write more on this soon.
I hope he elucidates. Is her framing just a superficial rehash of sustainability? Or does it actually go beyond that, to provide strategic policy frameworks??
So you haven't noticed Rod Oram doing it recently? You do realise that the academic discipline economists are trained in was originally defined as political economy?? Before they attempted to emulate the divorce from the real world that physicists succeeded in accomplishing.
Not all economists prefer abstract irrelevance. Some are motivated to make the discipline useful. That means outlining political implementation strategies…
Not sure what the relevance is of the history of economics as a discipline other than showing off your expert knowledge of said topic in order to establish your intellectual superiority in this thread. I’m impressed.
Of course, an ascetic of Praxis would describe economic theory as “abstract irrelevance”; you failed to apply both/and logic, again.
"Is there any room to move in Ardern's point-blank rejection of both the Greens' wealth tax and a capital gains tax?"
Good article in other ways, but pity Wilson didn't answer that question. Is there a way now that Labour can agree to some kind of capital gains taxation? Or have they locked themselves, and us, out?
Ditto any kind of wealth tax, let alone the Green's.
"Labour leader Jacinda Ardern has moved to try to kill off National's claims she would bow to the Green Party's wish for a wealth tax by saying she would not implement a wealth tax as long as she is Prime Minister.
It is a step further than she has gone before – her previous comments on it related to the next term."
There’s very little wriggle room here, which is a pity because I doubt that the wider NZ political scene will be better disposed to the introduction of a significantly more progressive tax system again in my lifetime. A lost opportunity, IMHO.
Faith is like melting snow on rocks forming a little trickle that turns into a mountain stream, small, chaotic, disappearing between and underneath rocks. But it gains volume and strength and becomes a steady flow and then a giant river that can transport ships when it nears the sea. Have faith 🙂
Internal polling must say that the contested chunk of 'centre' voters with mortgages don't like it. And I bet the finance industry has been leaning on pollies too.
Could be strategy – clear point of difference between the Green and Labour parties? Hopefully the Greens will be in parliament and continue to advocate for a wealth tax. Careful fine-tuning may get the number of NZers in favour up to a clear majority – in this poll 53% of decided voters were is favour of a larger increase in tax paid by wealthy NZers than Labour is proposing.
Uncertainties include whether the climate for change will be any more favourable in three years' time, and whether Labour will continue to act as a handbrake in order to secure a third term.
"But perhaps the Greens have actually hit the jackpot.
The Newshub-Reid Research poll asked voters if Labour should have gone further in taxing the wealthiest New Zealanders.
Opinion was split, but more voters – 48.7 percent – said yes while 43 percent said no and 8 percent didn't know.
A majority of Labour's own voters – nearly 60 percent – wanted them to go further, while a third of National voters think so too."
Probably polling (going for the "govern alone" target), but it might also be a caucus/party-stalwart issue as well. Stamping hard on the idea certainly made JuCo's obseesion with it look stupid.
DTB's idea of a referendum to clear the way is a good 'un, but I also wonder if there are similar tax moves that haven't been ruled out, e.g. shifting the bright line on home investments and suchlike. Greens can leverage them in negotiations, circumstances permitting.
But Tova's announcement of the Reid Research poll this morning shows a widening gap and the fear-mongering has obviously become contagious amongst the hitherto undecided. Gangsters will be delighted that the nation’s conservatives still want to preserve their monopoly of the market…
Thinking about change needed re cannabis et al. 50 shades of grey!
Oh, oh we are being asked what we think. (We don't, we just react.)
It's so hard to read through all the stuff about cannabis – it's so dangerous, and it will have so many consequences if we agree to a change. (We mustn't have change.)
If we agree to change, who knows where this thinking business will end. Having done it once, government will be asking us about everything next. (What do we have gummint for and pay them all that money – how dare they ask us to do their jobs.)
We might get drug-deranged people come and live nextdoor, and that would be horrible. (We know how bad that can be from reports from one Standardista about what his elderly parents are suffering.)
Everything will get worse if people aren't under prohibition; it's not good now, so 'they' will get totally out of control. That's what all of us who try to live good lives think, and we don't want to hear any more about differing opinions, it's all greenwash! So there!
"Gangsters will be delighted that the nation’s conservatives still want to preserve their monopoly of the market… " You need to get out more Dennis, P is where the gangs are focused and have been for many years now.
Cannabis isn’t the business it used to be anymore as it's everywhere and anyone can grow it whereas P gives them repeat business.
Police would likely welcome a refocus of scarce resources to combat P so if it doesn’t pass then it’s job done scaremongers, NZMA, Key etc
From the article, "Before legalisation in 2002, the Netherlands had some of the lowest suicide rates in Europe. For a period of 4-5 years after legalisation, that rate continued to fall, in line with what had previously been happening. However, from 2007, the rates started increasing dramatically and, over the next 10 years, increased by a staggering total of 33 per cent."
I found this news chilling, the Netherlands is looking at extending euthanasia to 1-12 year olds. How long until we are considering this?
Can you please make a comparison between NZ and the Netherlands and qualify how long it will take? I think it would be asking too much ask if I were also to ask for your figures showing that euthanasia of 1-12 year olds is cheaper than hospice care but this is a separate issue anyway.
That's a flip, throwaway comment about the very young rates Morrissey. Please don't treat this important issue as an opportunity for a quip, not in a public discourse. How you talk to your friends and family can be a comment in passing, but on here it 'sticks in the throat'.
Then make your case on how the Netherlands compares to NZ. So far, all you have done is a throwaway comment that lacks context and nuance, no critical analysis or any thought from you.
If you think this debate is important and if you want to contribute, you’d better sharpen up!
"In 2018, altogether 1,829 people in the Netherlands took their own lives, which is 88 fewer than in 2017. The number of suicides declined among young people aged 10 to 19 years, from 81 in 2017 to 51 in 2018. The number went up slightly among persons aged 20 to 39 years and among female residents." https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/news/2019/26/fewer-suicide-deaths-in-2018
From 1995 to 2006 the the Netherland’s suicide rate was between 9.5 and 10.7 per 100,000. In 2018 (the most recent year for which data is given in the link), the rate was 10.6 per 100,000.
The decrease in 2018 means the suicide rate is back at the 2012 level of 10.6 per 100,000. In the 1980s the rate was as high as 14.6 per 100,000 (for 1984).
There is a fundamental difference between suicide and euthanasia, which commenters here have completely ignored so far, for some reason. I think it is misleading to put the two in one sentence as if they are somehow similar or equal.
I wasn't trying to conflate the two issues. One can have an impact on another though.
In the article by Dion Howard he says "In the early stages of the End of Life Choice debate in Parliament, I noticed something shocking: the young people I was working with were rehearsing the very-same arguments used by those supporting euthanasia – autonomy, dignity and compassion – and applying them to their own situations."
Then "In my mind, I understand that assisted dying and suicide can, in principle, be distinguished from each other. That point is often made. But my real-life experience, and that of others in the field of mental health support, is that there is a huge potential for what the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention has called “overlap cases”.
All good, nothing personal. Although there is, of course, overlap and points of connection, I personally think we’ll have a better chance at constructive and positive debate if we keep the two separate, at least at the outset.
“I found this news chilling, the Netherlands is looking at extending euthanasia to 1-12 year olds.”
“How long until we are considering this? ”
Well considering under the rules ..those poor children are suffering unbearable pain and are terminally ill…
I hope we are considering it as soon as possible.
But then I don’t form opinions based on listening to my imaginary friend.
It would be good if we could live a life as fully as possible but people have to learn how to appreciate what they have to do that. We had a good life with opportunities for social mobility and advancement but for various reasons we gave up on that.
People can feel they have had a full life and choose to die at an early age if matters deterioratel for them. In fact when someone has gone through a process of personal and family/friends resignation and legal organisation, they are often happier without care for the future. Enjoy the life you have is the answer, and put some money aside to give to refugees in foreign countries – whether economic or fleeing violence.
That helps to give perspective about one's own situation.
I would rather, we as a society, were talking about what a life lived as fully as possible looks like and how to achieve it.
How would someone who is either drugged out of their mind so that they can't do anything or in so much pain that they can't do anything going to live their life fully?
Ideally the pursuit of a meaningful life has begun before being stupified with drugs or in chronic pain.
As a start, learning mastery of the monkey mind. Putting the mind to task and being able to still or calm the mind. Instead of following it on one of its loops on high rotation.
Artificially prolonging a life by hooking someone up to a respirator—yes, it is reasonable to call that torture. Of course nature should be allowed to take its course in those cases. But to kill someone is something else entirely. And why are doctors expected to have to do the killing?
You’re like a bull in a China shop. What do you know about the Hippocratic Oath and euthanasia? Very little, by the sounds of it. Are you familiar with medical ethics? It doesn’t look that way.
A one year old has to do less work than we do, it is only just starting to have an idea of self. Far less of an ego to overcome, still mostly a universal being.
"Or how about if, even if 12 years old, has a mind of a 4 month old and its never going to get any better?"
Better? As good as you are?
"Or has a disease so debilitating that they cannot move by themselves?
Do you think these people are going to be learning simple breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, tai chi? To live a more full life?"
If they do, they will be able to able to discern between pain and suffering.
The police are breeding specially for the genes with the chase impulse in their recruits. It is a closely guarded secret. It is planned that it will be as innate in the traffic police, as it is in dogs chasing cats. (I have heard this through the grapevine.)
How's this for mature, responsible response in transport control!
Hermione McKeich says she was driving in a 100km/h zone between Melling and Petone, north of Wellington city, when the terrifying experience happened without warning.
She told RNZ's David Reid that four men in a small truck laughed as they crashed into her small Mazda, using their vehicle as a weapon against her.
I have had a small experience of reporting bad behaviour and it being belittled. My complaint was followed up, but the perp had some excuse and the matter was just dismissed.
Well, yes. I'm a Driver and Cyclist. Some of the fwits on our roads are mind boggling. Biking…Ive had them come so close the Campervan side mirror nearly hit me, cars "purposely" similar…Anyway it certainly makes you Situationally Aware. Re reporting…was it *555?
And an FYI (for The Interested) I support our NZ Police. They have an, at times difficult/hazardous job. I honestly feel that some of the pursuit chases they have engaged in were unnecessary/dangerous.
A kind and thoughtful man in Nelson developed a springy device that a cyclist could fit on the hub or the seat, can't remember. It stuck out to the legal width of spacing for cyclist's safety. I think it had a little yellow flag drawing attention to that outer line. They didn't sell, it was withdrawn. But maybe it needs to be recalled as judging distance is hard for drivers.
Ah yea that would work. But sadly, maybe only for the kind and thoughtful Driver? I was talking to some German/Swiss/Dutch Cyclists (pre Covid) and they said they had never struck so many seemingly angry/aggressive Drivers. They had the Hi Vis gear and Vis flags on upright flexi poles. One of the guys , sick of being passed so close, did like you said and mounted it off to right. He said some morons were actually going past trying to grab it !?
Oh and re your link with lady being rammed? Far out…they were prob P'd up. She def shouldnt been chasin them. Slack Police, aye..
We have always had hoons but I think a prolonged period of teaching not to be concerned about others, just be an individual and go for it, has meant many young males (and females) in NZ have become anti-social and angry 'white trash'. There isn't a better term for them. These people come from families where there isn't a lot of philosophical thought! Nor religion, of a kind that promotes kind thought and good sharing community. And when there are insufficient jobs that go on a regular basis, there is opportunity to get drugged or liquored up and amuse themselves. And then when there is testing for drugs before you can get a job, there is a really vicious circle.
The Vicious Cycle: Why the Poor Get Poorer
A vicious cycle (also known as a vicious circle) is when a chain of negative events reinforce themselves. The situation spirals in a downward loop, becoming increasingly worse with time.
Yea I would agree re hoons….they were probably racing horses back from the pub in the day….
And re "a prolonged period of teaching not to be concerned about others"? Could we call that the neolib nineties?
Gonna take a LONG time to heal us. Hope our New Govt takes on it board.
Re the Cycle thing…talking to Dutch (born on a bike : ) and other Euro/Scandinavian Cyclists, its just a whole different mindset. In Holland if a car has an incident with a cyclist the onus is on the Driver to prove they weren't in the wrong. Aside from that they look more…
"The authority believes that the circumstances of this pursuit highlight the assistance pursuit controllers would gain from the greater use of technology to give access to accurate and comprehensive "real time" location and speed data," it said.
More cameras and RADAR connected to an AI to estimate route and best place to apprehend the criminals would be the only way for this to work. Such will, inevitably, result in people whinging about the excessive use of surveillance by the police.
The IPCA has come out with a statement about the use of more technology so as to help prevent these kinds of pursuit and death happening again.
But, as we've seen time and time again on here, almost everyone complains about the use of technology by the police to catch criminals. Calling it Orwellian and excessive and that the police shouldn't be able to watch everyone's every move despite the fact that its public information.
Thing is, I suspect that the statement by the IPCA is actually propaganda to help sell the idea of the police having more cameras and RADAR.
Yea I wasnt focusing too much on the IPCA…as they are well known for "nothing to see here,move along".
It probably is more to do with Andrew Becroft calling it…
Commissioner Becroft said if it's known young people are more likely to be killed or harm others as a result of a police pursuit, then the policy of chasing them should change.
He referenced a previous report from NZ Police which showed that between 2014 and 2017, police pursuits resulted in 22 deaths, five of which were of children under the age of 18.
"It's good that Police have been working on a culture change and training recruits in the dangers involved with chasing young drivers," he said on Friday.
I used to be on "another political site" where the majority were in favour of chasing and indeed if it led to the young kids death then "good". Even when the poor buggers were burnt to death….Fuck those kind of ghouls…..
The Show Trial of Julian Assange carries on, virtually ignored by New Zealand's government and media
The Israeli-American human rights activist Miko Peled says early in this video: "What I find terribly troubling is the fact that so few journalists are actually standing up for him."
Hopefully, after the election, Jacinda Ardern will find the courage to speak out about this obscene persecution.
True. But does Andrew Little have to be so craven as he was the other day when backing the Trump regime's demand to make phone data available to the likes of Mike Pompeo and his cronies?
…The Department of Internal Affairs requested information from the council in August following rising tensions between elected members, and at times, with staff…
It followed feedback from many of the 450 businesses the chamber represents and concerns also raised by the Department that several high profile capital projects – including the multi-million dollar city block development – were testing the capacity of the council to provide strong, unified leadership.
The Chamber believed there was a vacuum in leadership around the council table and many councillors didn't understand their governance role, he said…
How does the Department of Internal Affairs itself shape up? I can't remember what recent reports on their behaviour and usefulness have shown.
But it is inevitable that there will be disputes up and down the country as government entities bow to private interests. Bureaucracy has a lot of power and publicly elected councillors may say something is an 'operational matter' or be neutered by other interests, apart from any ineptness they show themselves. The civil servants/bureaucracy may just concentrate on efficiencies and projects that local governments in similar areas have introduced as modern, whatever those at the receiving end think. Then there is the high level of salary to the CEO and top managers and recruitment of overseas or neo-lib-soaked 'change agents' ushering in new approaches like weather bombs before moving away to their next target.
The Newshub-Reid Research poll asked voters if Labour should have gone further in taxing the wealthiest New Zealanders. Opinion was split, but more voters – 48.7 percent – said yes while 43 percent said no and 8 percent didn't know.
A majority of Labour's own voters – nearly 60 percent – wanted them to go further, while a third of National voters think so too.
But here's a surprise: a quarter of the Greens' supporters think the wealthy should not be taxed further.
I'm not one. I'd like to see a journo interview the Greens co-leaders about that though. See how they handle the news that a quarter of the Greens support base disagrees with the principle underlying the wealth tax policy. My guess is that they would carefully explain that GP policy research didn't discover that fact. They may then add that some deep thought may be required post-election…
Yep. All good pc-drones know minorities must be included in democratic process. Why oh why did they make the elementary mistake of not discovering such a huge minority before designing the policy?? That's what they'll be bemoaning now. Shock horror, reach for the smelling salts…
Relax Dennis – don't have a binary! The key follow-up question for that 25% minority is: "Would you swallow this 'progressive wealth tax rat' and party vote Green anyway?" Maybe the Green party drones did their research after all, but forgot to inform you of the results you – can't think why
There's a big difference between agreeing that the wealthy should bear a greater taxation burden and agreeing with the proposed wealth tax.
I'd like to know how much, if any, focus group work was done on the wealth tax policy outside their own circle. A lot of un-necessary discussion has happened that shouldn't have happened in the last week of a campaign. Although the Green Party's polling went up in the final polls, whether that was because of the tax policy or despite it probably can't be answered.
I don't think the poll was on the WT, but Labour taxing wealthy people more.
That we're having this conversation at all is a credit to the Greens, no matter what kind of solutions we end up with for social security, and the housing crisis. Now we can have a wide ranging public conversation about fairness and how to create it.
Desperate headline from Tova. The only knife edge is Labour getting a majority of seats – 61. The Greens are on 6.3% and 8 seats, so Labour has mates. No path to victory for National and ACT. Labour clearly the winner.
Now a trust to preserve and maintain this is something I could contribute to. Does make me wonder though how many writers retreats there are around New Zealand?
I'd rather a trust own it than the state because future governments can't be "trust"ed to not sell it off for a later profit – just like Waikato University is doing so.
Chancellor Neil Quigley told Stuff it would be selling the home, used by many creatives and academics as a holiday home and a writers’ retreat.
The only thing stopping it from going on the open market, would be if the King family bought the house back.
But the property’s price tag is now in the millions and serious maintenance is required. Daughter Rachael King said she needs some assistance to preserve the site.
Headline still on site as having been put there an hour ago. Page missing, so been pulled. Sounds to me like the filthy yarn has been doing the rounds again. Also the accompanying photo of Jacinda looks suspicious. Think its been tampered with or it isn’t Jacinda.
I loved Newshub's description of the final poll tonight as a 'nailbiter'. The only nailbiting thing was whether Labour can govern alone (which the Reid Research Newhub poll suggests they could, just, with 61 seats) or whether it's an arrangement with the Greens. Labour 46, Nat 31, Act 7, Green 6 is very consistent with CB's last couple of polls. Tova says tomorrow night is going to be incredibly exciting – but it won't be really, at least not in the sense of a cliffhanger. Just a few stories around the edges of the main narrative. Obviously she wants viewers to tune in.
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New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
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Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
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 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
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But is the statue of Colin Meads in Te Kuiti historic?? He's still alive, so I reckon not. Road signs with capital letters as big as a hand-span alert drivers heading north & south to where it can be found, and such civic care & attention to worshippers is indeed heart-warming, but I wonder how long it will take for woke activists to get there & do their eliminating…
"But is the statue of Colin Meads in Te Kuiti historic?? He's still alive, so I reckon not
'
Colin Meads died 3 years ago – sheesh
Oops, obviously I missed that news!
Brilliant self-elimination!
Shoelaces a challenge.
Watch out for those bold assertions Dennis – too many wrong ones and we will stop paying attention to you!
My comment on the Greens favoured policy:
Create a plan to provide training for new clean energy jobs.
is that I don't like the wording, good intention though. 'Less create, get a plan to provide' and actually have the word 'DO' in it. No paralysis by analysis. My guru Yoda says 'No try – just Do'. Obviously there has to be a plan, and that could be – Utilise all the present programs that are suitable and have been monitored and show good effect, and if they are keen have them put forward method and priorities and amalgamate them all, and have them carry out training, then compare their success rate, and include the trainees in the process for their opinion as to their success or note, and rejig things.
Get started, refine the practice with the trainees understanding that they are part of the study, and they will feel proud and put their best in. Only a year would see a huge change in attitudes throughout the actual working people at the coalface (new word needed for that). The workers are carrying the country forward and supporting the oldies, the young ones deserve our respect and support.
So Do That, Greens and prove your wokeness where it is crucial. (And to keep our irony level up for mental health, here is a collection of random opinions about what 'woke' means from the Urban Dictionary.) https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=woke
actually have the word 'DO' in it. No paralysis by analysis
I wrote Greens policy on exactly that basis. I saw standard leftist language as defective, so set out to declare intent for exactly that reason.
Needless to say, subsequent Green policy writers reverted to type. Not quite as blatant with the weasel words as Labour, mind you!
Ah hah. Well I register my vote for Do and make it fit for purpose, and include the trainers and trainees and listen to them and work out quickly a practical way forward that they will all trial, and report on. Then they will all Own the project, which means that they will all feel that it includes their own ideas and wishes, and that they have 'Skin in the game'.
Simon Wilson asks
I hope he elucidates. Is her framing just a superficial rehash of sustainability? Or does it actually go beyond that, to provide strategic policy frameworks??
Both/and logic applies!
And most people have heard of her work by now, rendering such basic questions stale and pointless.
They haven't been answered in this forum, have they? You could prove that you're not just full of hot air if you provided the answers, eh?
Sealion away, good man.
Never heard of that, but found a few insights here:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2019/03/07/sealioning-is-a-common-trolling-tactic-on-social-media-what-is-it/#197a2d467a41
Couldn't discern any from those competing meanings that applied to me, so I guess you're one of them people who misreads others on social media…
Has been deployed here more than a few times – sound familiar? http://wondermark.com/1k62/
No-one has all the answers Dennis, but the concept is attractive. "Mmm, donuts."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doughnut_(economic_model)
She’s an economist and you’re demanding her to provide “strategic policy frameworks” for whom? For the doughnut-loving National Party of New Zealand?
Has she considered fashioning a donut from mackerel? Ocean-faring mammals need to know.
So you haven't noticed Rod Oram doing it recently? You do realise that the academic discipline economists are trained in was originally defined as political economy?? Before they attempted to emulate the divorce from the real world that physicists succeeded in accomplishing.
Not all economists prefer abstract irrelevance. Some are motivated to make the discipline useful. That means outlining political implementation strategies…
From Drowsy M. Kram’s link @ 2.1.1.1.2:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doughnut_(economic_model)#Real_World_Economies_in_the_Doughnut_Perspective
Not sure what the relevance is of the history of economics as a discipline other than showing off your expert knowledge of said topic in order to establish your intellectual superiority in this thread. I’m impressed.
Of course, an ascetic of Praxis would describe economic theory as “abstract irrelevance”; you failed to apply both/and logic, again.
So many bigly words, so little meaning.
"A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man."
Yeah, sorry about that. When in Rome, eat pizza.
"Is there any room to move in Ardern's point-blank rejection of both the Greens' wealth tax and a capital gains tax?"
Good article in other ways, but pity Wilson didn't answer that question. Is there a way now that Labour can agree to some kind of capital gains taxation? Or have they locked themselves, and us, out?
Ardern has locked the Labour party out of supporting a CGT while she's leader:
Ditto any kind of wealth tax, let alone the Green's.
There’s very little wriggle room here, which is a pity because I doubt that the wider NZ political scene will be better disposed to the introduction of a significantly more progressive tax system again in my lifetime. A lost opportunity, IMHO.
Don’t look down on detail, look up at the bigger picture and the endless sky. Don’t lose faith.
My faith is weak – I'm clinging to hope and a misquote.
Faith is like melting snow on rocks forming a little trickle that turns into a mountain stream, small, chaotic, disappearing between and underneath rocks. But it gains volume and strength and becomes a steady flow and then a giant river that can transport ships when it nears the sea. Have faith 🙂
But has the public spoken on a CGT or just the rich?
I don't seem to recall a referendum on it and that would be the only way to know.
Internal polling must say that the contested chunk of 'centre' voters with mortgages don't like it. And I bet the finance industry has been leaning on pollies too.
That's what I'm thinking but that's just a small portion of the country and not everyone.
Perhaps the Greens, after the election, should push for a referendum on it at the next election. Then we'd have the public speaking on it.
"Internal polling must say that the contested chunk of 'centre' voters with mortgages don't like it."
Would be interesting to see how much that changes if the tax was explained properly, both who it would affect and what it would fund.
There was a poll out today saying that 50% of NZers were in favour of a wealth tax.
Labour know which side their bread is buttered on though. For now at least.
A well-led public conversation would help, yes.
yep. She's ruled out a "GCT" and a "wealth tax", but is there any way that Labour can come back from this?
Don't know why she went that step further on the WT. Maybe their internal polling had them worried?
Could be strategy – clear point of difference between the Green and Labour parties? Hopefully the Greens will be in parliament and continue to advocate for a wealth tax. Careful fine-tuning may get the number of NZers in favour up to a clear majority – in this poll 53% of decided voters were is favour of a larger increase in tax paid by wealthy NZers than Labour is proposing.
Uncertainties include whether the climate for change will be any more favourable in three years' time, and whether Labour will continue to act as a handbrake in order to secure a third term.
Probably polling (going for the "govern alone" target), but it might also be a caucus/party-stalwart issue as well. Stamping hard on the idea certainly made JuCo's obseesion with it look stupid.
DTB's idea of a referendum to clear the way is a good 'un, but I also wonder if there are similar tax moves that haven't been ruled out, e.g. shifting the bright line on home investments and suchlike. Greens can leverage them in negotiations, circumstances permitting.
huge amount of wriggle room. its done all the time. very similar policy, with a couple of tweaks, call it something else and tadah!.
Chris Trotter's advocacy for yes in the cannabis referendum comes out of a fictional tv character – used to provide plausible deniability, no doubt.
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2020/10/fitz-on-cannabis.html
But Tova's announcement of the Reid Research poll this morning shows a widening gap and the fear-mongering has obviously become contagious amongst the hitherto undecided. Gangsters will be delighted that the nation’s conservatives still want to preserve their monopoly of the market…
"bugger"
Thinking about change needed re cannabis et al. 50 shades of grey!
Oh, oh we are being asked what we think. (We don't, we just react.)
It's so hard to read through all the stuff about cannabis – it's so dangerous, and it will have so many consequences if we agree to a change. (We mustn't have change.)
If we agree to change, who knows where this thinking business will end. Having done it once, government will be asking us about everything next. (What do we have gummint for and pay them all that money – how dare they ask us to do their jobs.)
We might get drug-deranged people come and live nextdoor, and that would be horrible. (We know how bad that can be from reports from one Standardista about what his elderly parents are suffering.)
Everything will get worse if people aren't under prohibition; it's not good now, so 'they' will get totally out of control. That's what all of us who try to live good lives think, and we don't want to hear any more about differing opinions, it's all greenwash! So there!
"Gangsters will be delighted that the nation’s conservatives still want to preserve their monopoly of the market… " You need to get out more Dennis, P is where the gangs are focused and have been for many years now.
Cannabis isn’t the business it used to be anymore as it's everywhere and anyone can grow it whereas P gives them repeat business.
Police would likely welcome a refocus of scarce resources to combat P so if it doesn’t pass then it’s job done scaremongers, NZMA, Key etc
Dennis what was the Reid Research poll released by Tova this morning?
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/10/nz-election-2020-new-poll-shows-increased-support-for-no-vote-in-cannabis-referendum.html
I'm expecting the main poll to headline their news tonight…
that's very disappointing.
Ian, they use different topics from the same poll (yesterday's) to seed multiple stories.
Sorry, I stand corrected. Poll from overnight, not yesterday.
In regards the euthanasia referendum this article touched on an issue that adds to the reservations I have with what is proposed:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/euthanasia-debate/123070527/would-legal-assisted-dying-add-to-our-dire-suicide-figures
From the article, "Before legalisation in 2002, the Netherlands had some of the lowest suicide rates in Europe. For a period of 4-5 years after legalisation, that rate continued to fall, in line with what had previously been happening. However, from 2007, the rates started increasing dramatically and, over the next 10 years, increased by a staggering total of 33 per cent."
I found this news chilling, the Netherlands is looking at extending euthanasia to 1-12 year olds. How long until we are considering this?
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54538288
the Netherlands is looking at extending euthanasia to 1-12 year olds. How long until we are considering this?
It won't be long. It's cheaper than actually providing hospice care.
Can you please make a comparison between NZ and the Netherlands and qualify how long it will take? I think it would be asking too much ask if I were also to ask for your figures showing that euthanasia of 1-12 year olds is cheaper than hospice care but this is a separate issue anyway.
That's a flip, throwaway comment about the very young rates Morrissey. Please don't treat this important issue as an opportunity for a quip, not in a public discourse. How you talk to your friends and family can be a comment in passing, but on here it 'sticks in the throat'.
Actually, I take with extreme seriousness the issue of people advocating for the "euthanising" of anyone, including young people.
Or do you trust the assurances about "safeguards" by that renowned moral philosopher David Seymour?
Then make your case on how the Netherlands compares to NZ. So far, all you have done is a throwaway comment that lacks context and nuance, no critical analysis or any thought from you.
If you think this debate is important and if you want to contribute, you’d better sharpen up!
From 1995 to 2006 the the Netherland’s suicide rate was between 9.5 and 10.7 per 100,000. In 2018 (the most recent year for which data is given in the link), the rate was 10.6 per 100,000.
The decrease in 2018 means the suicide rate is back at the 2012 level of 10.6 per 100,000. In the 1980s the rate was as high as 14.6 per 100,000 (for 1984).
Thank you.
There is a fundamental difference between suicide and euthanasia, which commenters here have completely ignored so far, for some reason. I think it is misleading to put the two in one sentence as if they are somehow similar or equal.
I wasn't trying to conflate the two issues. One can have an impact on another though.
In the article by Dion Howard he says "In the early stages of the End of Life Choice debate in Parliament, I noticed something shocking: the young people I was working with were rehearsing the very-same arguments used by those supporting euthanasia – autonomy, dignity and compassion – and applying them to their own situations."
Then "In my mind, I understand that assisted dying and suicide can, in principle, be distinguished from each other. That point is often made. But my real-life experience, and that of others in the field of mental health support, is that there is a huge potential for what the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention has called “overlap cases”.
All good, nothing personal. Although there is, of course, overlap and points of connection, I personally think we’ll have a better chance at constructive and positive debate if we keep the two separate, at least at the outset.
“I found this news chilling, the Netherlands is looking at extending euthanasia to 1-12 year olds.”
“How long until we are considering this? ”
Well considering under the rules ..those poor children are suffering unbearable pain and are terminally ill…
I hope we are considering it as soon as possible.
But then I don’t form opinions based on listening to my imaginary friend.
Imaginary friend? Big assumptions there, outofbed.
The line between suicide and euthanasia isn't blurred for you at all?
I would rather, we as a society, were talking about what a life lived as fully as possible looks like and how to achieve it.
It would be good if we could live a life as fully as possible but people have to learn how to appreciate what they have to do that. We had a good life with opportunities for social mobility and advancement but for various reasons we gave up on that.
People can feel they have had a full life and choose to die at an early age if matters deterioratel for them. In fact when someone has gone through a process of personal and family/friends resignation and legal organisation, they are often happier without care for the future. Enjoy the life you have is the answer, and put some money aside to give to refugees in foreign countries – whether economic or fleeing violence.
That helps to give perspective about one's own situation.
"It would be good if we could live a life as fully as possible but people have to learn how to appreciate what they have to do that. "
Showing gratitude is a great step in the right direction.
How would someone who is either drugged out of their mind so that they can't do anything or in so much pain that they can't do anything going to live their life fully?
Ideally the pursuit of a meaningful life has begun before being stupified with drugs or in chronic pain.
As a start, learning mastery of the monkey mind. Putting the mind to task and being able to still or calm the mind. Instead of following it on one of its loops on high rotation.
Sorry, missed the how part- simple breathing excercises, meditation, yoga, tai chi.
And if that person is less than a year old?
Or how about if, even if 12 years old, has a mind of a 4 month old and its never going to get any better?
Or has a disease so debilitating that they cannot move by themselves?
Do you think these people are going to be learning simple breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, tai chi? To live a more full life?
At what point do we call keeping them alive torture?
Artificially prolonging a life by hooking someone up to a respirator—yes, it is reasonable to call that torture. Of course nature should be allowed to take its course in those cases. But to kill someone is something else entirely. And why are doctors expected to have to do the killing?
Under the conditions I listed – no its not. Keeping them alive is enacting torture upon them.
Because they're the ones qualified to diagnose and to properly use the drugs needed to enact a painless death.
Allowing someone to die is very different to "enacting a painless death", which is a euphemism for killing that person.
And, as I am sure you know, doctors take the Hippocratic Oath, which forbids them killing a patient.
You’re like a bull in a China shop. What do you know about the Hippocratic Oath and euthanasia? Very little, by the sounds of it. Are you familiar with medical ethics? It doesn’t look that way.
A one year old has to do less work than we do, it is only just starting to have an idea of self. Far less of an ego to overcome, still mostly a universal being.
"Or how about if, even if 12 years old, has a mind of a 4 month old and its never going to get any better?"
Better? As good as you are?
"Or has a disease so debilitating that they cannot move by themselves?
Do you think these people are going to be learning simple breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, tai chi? To live a more full life?"
If they do, they will be able to able to discern between pain and suffering.
/facepalm
You really don't get it do you?
The ones I describe are never, ever going to have a fulfilling life because their life is torture.
And you want to continue torturing them.
I reckon I get it ok.
If you believe that having impaired thinking or movement is "torture", you are closer to eugenics attitudes than you may be comfortable acknowledging.
Please own your own idea of what fulfilment is rather than projecting it onto others.
I hope we are considering it as soon as possible.
???? What would you use? Poison? Gas?
Until you’re able to lift your game beyond your current puerile level, I think it might be better if you refrain from commenting and just listen.
"Fatal police pursuit should not have been started: IPCA"
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/fatal-police-pursuit-should-not-have-been-started-ipca
Well theres a first. How many of these Police pursuits (often through busy streets) are necessary/safe? Some think otherwise…
The police are breeding specially for the genes with the chase impulse in their recruits. It is a closely guarded secret. It is planned that it will be as innate in the traffic police, as it is in dogs chasing cats. (I have heard this through the grapevine.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hajBdDM2qdg
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/428474/woman-rammed-repeatedly-on-motorway-shocked-by-police-response
How's this for mature, responsible response in transport control!
Hermione McKeich says she was driving in a 100km/h zone between Melling and Petone, north of Wellington city, when the terrifying experience happened without warning.
She told RNZ's David Reid that four men in a small truck laughed as they crashed into her small Mazda, using their vehicle as a weapon against her.
I have had a small experience of reporting bad behaviour and it being belittled. My complaint was followed up, but the perp had some excuse and the matter was just dismissed.
Well, yes. I'm a Driver and Cyclist. Some of the fwits on our roads are mind boggling. Biking…Ive had them come so close the Campervan side mirror nearly hit me, cars "purposely" similar…Anyway it certainly makes you Situationally Aware. Re reporting…was it *555?
And an FYI (for The Interested) I support our NZ Police. They have an, at times difficult/hazardous job. I honestly feel that some of the pursuit chases they have engaged in were unnecessary/dangerous.
A kind and thoughtful man in Nelson developed a springy device that a cyclist could fit on the hub or the seat, can't remember. It stuck out to the legal width of spacing for cyclist's safety. I think it had a little yellow flag drawing attention to that outer line. They didn't sell, it was withdrawn. But maybe it needs to be recalled as judging distance is hard for drivers.
Ah yea that would work. But sadly, maybe only for the kind and thoughtful Driver? I was talking to some German/Swiss/Dutch Cyclists (pre Covid) and they said they had never struck so many seemingly angry/aggressive Drivers. They had the Hi Vis gear and Vis flags on upright flexi poles. One of the guys , sick of being passed so close, did like you said and mounted it off to right. He said some morons were actually going past trying to grab it !?
Oh and re your link with lady being rammed? Far out…they were prob P'd up. She def shouldnt been chasin them. Slack Police, aye..
We have always had hoons but I think a prolonged period of teaching not to be concerned about others, just be an individual and go for it, has meant many young males (and females) in NZ have become anti-social and angry 'white trash'. There isn't a better term for them. These people come from families where there isn't a lot of philosophical thought! Nor religion, of a kind that promotes kind thought and good sharing community. And when there are insufficient jobs that go on a regular basis, there is opportunity to get drugged or liquored up and amuse themselves. And then when there is testing for drugs before you can get a job, there is a really vicious circle.
The Vicious Cycle: Why the Poor Get Poorer
A vicious cycle (also known as a vicious circle) is when a chain of negative events reinforce themselves. The situation spirals in a downward loop, becoming increasingly worse with time.
https://www.jumpstartyourdreamlife.com/vicious-and-virtuous-cycles/
Yea I would agree re hoons….they were probably racing horses back from the pub in the day….
And re "a prolonged period of teaching not to be concerned about others"? Could we call that the neolib nineties?
Gonna take a LONG time to heal us. Hope our New Govt takes on it board.
Re the Cycle thing…talking to Dutch (born on a bike : ) and other Euro/Scandinavian Cyclists, its just a whole different mindset. In Holland if a car has an incident with a cyclist the onus is on the Driver to prove they weren't in the wrong. Aside from that they look more…
Can't say that I've ever seen religion promoting that. War seems to be more of what religions cause instead.
It's just possible the vehicle owner has a 'glittering future' and is therefore immune to prosecution.
If a driver finds it hard to judge distance then they probably shouldn't be driving.
Thanks for the advice Mr Perfect.
Someone with such poor eyesight shouldn't be driving as it endangers others.
More cameras and RADAR connected to an AI to estimate route and best place to apprehend the criminals would be the only way for this to work. Such will, inevitably, result in people whinging about the excessive use of surveillance by the police.
Ah what? Is this a dig?
The IPCA has come out with a statement about the use of more technology so as to help prevent these kinds of pursuit and death happening again.
But, as we've seen time and time again on here, almost everyone complains about the use of technology by the police to catch criminals. Calling it Orwellian and excessive and that the police shouldn't be able to watch everyone's every move despite the fact that its public information.
Thing is, I suspect that the statement by the IPCA is actually propaganda to help sell the idea of the police having more cameras and RADAR.
Yea I wasnt focusing too much on the IPCA…as they are well known for "nothing to see here,move along".
It probably is more to do with Andrew Becroft calling it…
Commissioner Becroft said if it's known young people are more likely to be killed or harm others as a result of a police pursuit, then the policy of chasing them should change.
He referenced a previous report from NZ Police which showed that between 2014 and 2017, police pursuits resulted in 22 deaths, five of which were of children under the age of 18.
"It's good that Police have been working on a culture change and training recruits in the dangers involved with chasing young drivers," he said on Friday.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/10/children-s-commissioner-calls-for-police-pursuits-of-young-drivers-to-stop.html
I used to be on "another political site" where the majority were in favour of chasing and indeed if it led to the young kids death then "good". Even when the poor buggers were burnt to death….Fuck those kind of ghouls…..
Vox pop
The reasons for voting choice are many and often bizarre
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018768610/election-2020-any-regrets-from-people-voting-early
We really don't know how lucky we are.
https://twitter.com/meenaharris/status/1316576818938421249
The Show Trial of Julian Assange carries on, virtually ignored by New Zealand's government and media
The Israeli-American human rights activist Miko Peled says early in this video: "What I find terribly troubling is the fact that so few journalists are actually standing up for him."
Hopefully, after the election, Jacinda Ardern will find the courage to speak out about this obscene persecution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNskcUR-L3s&feature=emb_logo
You expect the NZ Government to comment on individual court cases overseas?
Of course. She's supposed to show leadership, and integrity.
Do you think New Zealand was wrong to speak out against the apartheid regime in South Africa?
Your man aint no Mandela.
Your man aint [sic] no Mandela.
There are of course many similarities. Mandela was also reviled, ridiculed, and labeled a "terrorist" by the U.S. and U.K. regimes.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36296551
Thank you.
I have no more questions.
Always a pleasure, Mr. Cognito.
Not while participating in 5-eyes.
Uncle Sam will sanction dissenters.
True. But does Andrew Little have to be so craven as he was the other day when backing the Trump regime's demand to make phone data available to the likes of Mike Pompeo and his cronies?
The NZ government often comments on international goings on , particularly if prompted by our 5Eyes partners
Its a human rights issue, and our govt has often issued "statements" on that matter though admittedly only when supporting US/UK stances
I thought my question was quite specific and clear. Obviously, my bad 🙁
There will always be more answers than questions..
Indeed, but very few answers to questions 🙁
It's what we get with international men of mystery.
The answer of course is "No"
None of us expects the government to comment on this individual overseas court case.
If it were to comment on this case, we know that such comment will have been dictated to it by the prosecuting country.
Your answer is almost correct except for the fact that some of us expect so, apparently 😉
Good move, good news.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/428477/success-of-rangatahi-courts-applauded-by-judges-and-minister
Critique of local Council not good, but may be good news if there is the right sort of improvement.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/428478/southland-businesses-concerned-about-invercargill-council
…The Department of Internal Affairs requested information from the council in August following rising tensions between elected members, and at times, with staff…
It followed feedback from many of the 450 businesses the chamber represents and concerns also raised by the Department that several high profile capital projects – including the multi-million dollar city block development – were testing the capacity of the council to provide strong, unified leadership.
The Chamber believed there was a vacuum in leadership around the council table and many councillors didn't understand their governance role, he said…
How does the Department of Internal Affairs itself shape up? I can't remember what recent reports on their behaviour and usefulness have shown.
But it is inevitable that there will be disputes up and down the country as government entities bow to private interests. Bureaucracy has a lot of power and publicly elected councillors may say something is an 'operational matter' or be neutered by other interests, apart from any ineptness they show themselves. The civil servants/bureaucracy may just concentrate on efficiencies and projects that local governments in similar areas have introduced as modern, whatever those at the receiving end think. Then there is the high level of salary to the CEO and top managers and recruitment of overseas or neo-lib-soaked 'change agents' ushering in new approaches like weather bombs before moving away to their next target.
Assange is just the last of a long line of heroes targeted by the U.K.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/margaret-thatcher-branded-anc-terrorist-while-urging-nelson-mandela-s-release-8994191.html
https://www.ellsberg.net/public-accuracy-press-release/
Looking like almost 2 million will have voted before the election day proper.
https://elections.nz/stats-and-research/2020-general-election-advance-voting-statistics/
National Party caucus on Monday?
https://twitter.com/glitttermp4/status/1316250576188039168
Still laughing
Me too. That little pink thing is so purposeful, lol.
Her name is Nicola.
lol.
I'm not one. I'd like to see a journo interview the Greens co-leaders about that though. See how they handle the news that a quarter of the Greens support base disagrees with the principle underlying the wealth tax policy. My guess is that they would carefully explain that GP policy research didn't discover that fact. They may then add that some deep thought may be required post-election…
Oh noes, only three-quarters of Green supporters back the policy! That goose needs chasing..
Yep. All good pc-drones know minorities must be included in democratic process. Why oh why did they make the elementary mistake of not discovering such a huge minority before designing the policy?? That's what they'll be bemoaning now. Shock horror, reach for the smelling salts…
Relax Dennis – don't have a binary! The key follow-up question for that 25% minority is: "Would you swallow this 'progressive wealth tax rat' and party vote Green anyway?" Maybe the Green party drones did their research after all, but forgot to inform you of the results you – can't think why
😀
GP policy gets developed by active members. As I'm sure you know 😉
Out of the 60 people the poll spoke to who vote Green, 15 were oppose to taxing wealthy people more? What's the margin of error on that?
And what was the actual question?
So many people don't understand who the WT would affect and how. Betting the ratios change over time as it gets explained properly in the MSM.
There's a big difference between agreeing that the wealthy should bear a greater taxation burden and agreeing with the proposed wealth tax.
I'd like to know how much, if any, focus group work was done on the wealth tax policy outside their own circle. A lot of un-necessary discussion has happened that shouldn't have happened in the last week of a campaign. Although the Green Party's polling went up in the final polls, whether that was because of the tax policy or despite it probably can't be answered.
I don't think the poll was on the WT, but Labour taxing wealthy people more.
That we're having this conversation at all is a credit to the Greens, no matter what kind of solutions we end up with for social security, and the housing crisis. Now we can have a wide ranging public conversation about fairness and how to create it.
Please keep up, the poll question was quite specific.
This is another example of intellectual overreach.
”Nat-hub’s” Tova has been hawking a “nail biter” poll for 6pm tonight that “puts the election on a knife edge”…
Desperate headline from Tova. The only knife edge is Labour getting a majority of seats – 61. The Greens are on 6.3% and 8 seats, so Labour has mates. No path to victory for National and ACT. Labour clearly the winner.
Now a trust to preserve and maintain this is something I could contribute to. Does make me wonder though how many writers retreats there are around New Zealand?
I'd rather a trust own it than the state because future governments can't be "trust"ed to not sell it off for a later profit – just like Waikato University is doing so.
This is an interesting headline:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/10/nz-election-2020-jacinda-ardern-addresses-nasty-nanny-rumours-like-a-pro.html\ (my bold)
Headline still on site as having been put there an hour ago. Page missing, so been pulled. Sounds to me like the filthy yarn has been doing the rounds again. Also the accompanying photo of Jacinda looks suspicious. Think its been tampered with or it isn’t Jacinda.
Dirty politics?
I loved Newshub's description of the final poll tonight as a 'nailbiter'. The only nailbiting thing was whether Labour can govern alone (which the Reid Research Newhub poll suggests they could, just, with 61 seats) or whether it's an arrangement with the Greens. Labour 46, Nat 31, Act 7, Green 6 is very consistent with CB's last couple of polls. Tova says tomorrow night is going to be incredibly exciting – but it won't be really, at least not in the sense of a cliffhanger. Just a few stories around the edges of the main narrative. Obviously she wants viewers to tune in.