Thought experiments have been part of the praxis of physicists the past century so the technique ought to work in politics too. You start with an hypothesis. For instance, that the Three Kings suburb of Auckland was thus named due to a prophecy that one day Aotearoa would be ruled by three kings simultaneously.
A tad unlikely? So is most of physics. King Charles III is one contender, obviously, and the Maori king another. Sir John Key attempted to out the third recently: the hermit king of Aotearoa. Privacy law protects his anonymity, of course, but there has been the threat of investigative journalism in the past. Nowadays nobody is going it (with the possible exception of the old bald-headed geezer David Lomas) so the royal hermit need no longer fear exposure.
We know how everyone loves royals – ubiquitous featuring in women's mags always reinforces the point. A possible invalidation of the triumvirate theory is the tight definition of rule, so we go with the looser option: rule by influence rather than rule by decree. Mana. Advice. Guidance.
Trump drove a stake through the heart of the Republican vampire, so that threat is gone. The republican movement never took root here anyway. Not part of our ethos. So I anticipate a collegial arrangement in which the three kings consult in a suitable venue and then hold audience to proclaim their consensual view of the political trajectory of the nation. Makes sense to put the venue in the suburb of Three Kings. If you see a developer knocking down current buildings on a block there, let me know. The palace needs to be grand – perhaps a design competition will attract global expertise? Great for tourism too. Oh, wait…
How about Westpac (or is that CBA)? They seem to have a pretty tight hold on the NZ government's purse-strings:
The All-of-Government Banking Services solution has been broken into four Services Agreements:
Crown Transactional Banking Services;
Foreign Exchange Services;
Payment Services; and
Card Services.
Westpac has been appointed to supply services across all Services Agreements. We are the only provider that can enable access to the savings of all Services Agreements.
We know how everyone loves royals – ubiquitous featuring in women's mags always reinforces the point.
Ah the royals. The gloss should be turning to rust. But I guess charlie, willie and georgie fit the bill for out-dated concepts while still attempting to be relevant.
I wonder why the reporter felt the need to reveal that she was somewhat alienated by the fact that Charles "had his Aston Martin converted to run on “surplus English white wine and whey from the cheese process”.
Does the notion of fossil-fuel avoidance piss her off? Or was it the notion that English white wine is surplus to requirements? You can imagine how she felt at having to report on "a withering assessment from Prince William on the various billionaire space programmes". Due to their use of fossil fuels, I presume.
How can an enterprising reporter continue to support the establishment when those at the top of the hierarchy are so keen on being subversive? I bet she has to keep clutching her pearls when trying to cognite the thought.
Friday’s big news, however, is that the Queen has been overheard at the opening of the Welsh parliament yesterday expressing frustration with the pace of concrete action on climate change. According to Her Maj, who is still in the dark about which world leaders are going to show up to next month’s big conference in Glasgow, “It’s really irritating when they talk, but they don’t DO.”
Almost as if Queenie is starting to connect the dots, eh? And
is this the same Queen whose lawyers very recently lobbied the Scottish government in secret to change a draft law to exempt her private estates from a major carbon-cutting initiative ? Yes. Yes, it is the same Queen. As a result of this, the sovereign is the only landowner in the whole of Scotland who doesn’t have to facilitate renewable energy pipelines on her various estates in the country.
Ha! Reporter ought to have recalled that Queenie was brainwashed into the Church of England as a child. Christians do hypocrisy way better than anyone else on Earth. She's just toeing the party line automatically. Dots not connected.
Her critique does have merit though. Charles ought to appoint an ethics advisor to his considerable staff. He's led by example admirably most of his life but as trainee king he needs to clean up the authenticity angle.
So this wasn't an empty threat, and the clock is ticking until Tuesday evening!
The letter from Tam’s barrister Ron Mansfield, QC, sent this morning called on Peters “to honestly account for your false comments about him [Tam] and the harm that those comments have caused him and the community”…
The letter requests a public statement of apology by 5pm on October 19 to avoid further defamation action which would seek damages. Tam intends to donate any such damages to KidsCan charity…
“In doing so, you were prepared to defame Mr Tam. Even worse, as far as Mr Tam is concerned, you were prepared to damage his ability to be effective within our community to ensure that his immediate community was vaccinated and safe,” the letter says.
“Mr Tam believes that if we are all vaccinated we protect each other, personally and financially. This Government had the political courage to communicate with gangs and risk ill-informed public backlash and by doing so everyone has and will benefit.”…
The legal letter says Tam simply wants a retraction and an apology from Peters in an “agreed form” that could be distributed by all New Zealand media.
“He [Tam] had hoped, now that you know you were wrong, that you may have done so honourably by now,” Mansfield writes.
“Sadly, it appears you are content to let this falsehood spread. Your apology should be made publicly by you in person and available to all mainstream media.”
Peters isn't going to be able to get out of this one with a; sorry you were so sensitive and got offended by my words, brushoff. The putting it in terms of; sabotaging the vaccine rollout in hard to reach populations, was pretty smart of Tam and Mansfield. But is Peters physically able to apologize to an unperson such as Tam, or will he choke on his words? Popcorn time!
Well, that seems to answer the question will Tam really go thru with a defamation action if he doesn’t get a public apology & a retraction from Peters.
This is the typical groundwork for a defamation case. Should be interesting. More work for Brian Henry, I expect.
Has Winston ever apologised for public utterances he had no proof for? Can’t recall any at the present time. He may have to fess up 🙏🏼 or pay up 💵💰❓
If Harry really is as pure as the driven snow on this matter – which this letter is a strong indication is indeed the case – then Winston Peters definitely fired off his volley in completely the wrong direction.
But it does perhaps beg the question: “Who loaded & cocked Winston’s gun? And why?
Slater would be my guess, but I am not about to go toshing in his sewer to find out:
“The social media sites that made this claim have no credibility and also did not refer to any credible basis for making such a claim. When you claimed that you were certain of your source, you simply lied,” Mansfield writes.
The cute little sparrow hen the Sparrer Farno sent to perch two feet in front of me, when I was standing at the fence looking down at the stream, to ask when lunch was being served at Gezza’s Bird Café.
One just out of interest, as imagine the majority of people on here are half/fully vaxed already. An extremely rough and amateur survey of the Standard posters.
Are you going to actively (and not accidently put the channel on) watch the vaxathon?
My vote is I will be avoiding the thing like the plague as its cheesey as btw. Just a photo shoot for politicians and an embarrassing day for other kiwi celebs, who genuinely want to help but will end up looking a bit silly.
Having said that. If it gets another couple of 10k vaxed, cheesey as, or not. It can only be a good thing in the long run.
And it is has a certain funny factor, that it was John Keys idea., he got slagged off for on here.
No Im not going to watch it. I dont really like circuses either, and felt queasy, hanging back at lolly scrambles as a kid.And it’s a beautiful day here.I’m not going to waste it in front of the telly
BTW. The Vaxathon was not bloody well Keys idea. Many others were suggesting it months before Key was re-excavated from the grave.
If it works, all good.
National party politicians have made a practice of suggesting things that they knew were going to happen anyway, and taking credit for it. Another type of dis honesty they seem to think is acceptable.
The thing looks like it is working out pretty well so far.
No one can seriously be that defensive that the idea came from another team when Ardern is the one that achieves the success from it (assuming it will carry on being one throughout the day)
That is just hate for things that is pointless hating
I think that despite her failings Clark was a good PM. Despite Keys failings Key was a good PM. Despite her failings Ardern is a good PM (with the only side note of her never actually answering questions in interviews and well trained PR speak).
I don't feel the need to call any of them names. If you do. All good.
with the only side note of her [PM Ardern] never actually answering questions in interviews
"Never"? Typical partisan hyperbole. Imho 'Honest John' was ever the political dilettante – never ‘dirtied’ his hands. Unlike the current 'leader' of the National party – no love lost there.
After nearly two years of Adern "answering questions" openly, honestly and with precision and a myriad of facts at her fingertips, that have been addressed to her with a mysoginistic, ignorant hostility Key never had to face…………..
Facing up to people, I use the word in it’s broadest sense, like O brian, Wall, Hoskings and Garner, who seem incapable of comprehending what they heard five minutes ago, would test a Saint.
V's Key, who I actually give some credit to, for things like raising welfare payments for the first time for a while, and avioding the pressure from within his party to go for destructive austerity in the GFC as the right wing did elsewhere, was a Master of deflection and burying a question in "o shucks" verbiage. Helped by interviewers whose fawning over the wealthy Hero, was embarrassing.
Sorry Drowsy but working on tiny lap top and can't actually read the images for Collins
Lets face it. I think you have to admit both Key and Ardern are one offs in their generations even if you irrationally hate Key.
I just found Key actually answered questions more often rather than rambling PR.
Trying to remember what Ryan Bridges opinion was. Not his words, but it was something like she could talk the arse off a donkey and not say anything. And I tend to agree. But then that deserves respect as it is a very good skill. And to do it and still have dumb people thinking you are ace is an even better one.
My own, which I put down to me being probably having a bug, or basically just a weirdo, with first aside (probably shouldn't have mentioned)
I have said it before, but the amount of times I have heard from various sources the second vax is a sorer arm or slight nausea was getting a bit silly, given it is only 24 hours or so.
Geezes she aint a broken arm. It is just a bit of discomfort for 24 hours in most cases and sorted. Get over yourself.
It was more the loss of mental clarity that made even simple addition challenging for a day or two (let alone any statistical analyses) that I found difficult with my second vax. I made the the mistake of having my first vax in my dominant arm, which did mess me up some. The second I had in my non-dominant (submissive?) arm, and barely noticed that unless I needed to reach something up over my shoulder level.
When you have a good chuck, you always feel better afterwards. The nausea appears to be sorted.
I had my second jab yesterday in my L arm. 2 weeks ago I had an iron infusion in R arm, (needle connected to the line is in for an hour). Crazy where the needle went in for the iron infusion the sight became sore 2 days before the second Covid jab. No issue with any previous lines.
TBF even if it stayed at 47 thou that is 47 thou that may not have been vaxed, so can only be a good thing and well worth the cheesiness.
Good idea Key.
(I am working on the assumption that people realise I am pointing out the Key bit for a laugh as it looks like a good day vax wise and we could do with a laugh, given the circumstances. That and it will annoy people 🙂 )
was it keys idea? I very much doubt it. like the walkways to provide jobs, others thought of it but key was the headhoncho at the time, so took the credit. I doubt key has ever had an original idea, while in politics. all of his ideas came from focus groups.
Think all these ideas come from focus groups, and committees. MPs just get to suck the good PR from the ones that work they happened to be associated with.
Mind you Key is just a (nz standards) mega rich dude, retired apart from boards and is hanging out, so might be an exception and could be his own one.
Professor John Potter, epidemiologist and former Chief Science Adviser to the MOHNZ, who Kim Hill has just finished interviewing this morning on RNZ, says that NZ should continue to pursue Covid elimination, and that this is possible while we have it ringfenced in Auckland.
In his opinion the alternative is much worse. Auckland needs to go back to L4 for the sake of all of NZ.
I'm in Auckland and have had my two jabs, and after this weekends big vaxathon everyone that wants one will have had a first jab. Four weeks later they would have had both. So I'm happy to go to level 2 say 1st of December.
Yes and with everyone double jabbed the cases will be very mild with very few requiring hospitalisation. And we can go back to living more normal lives like the rest of the world.
we should also be counting long covid and the impact of that cumulatively over the medium and long term. How many people in Invalid's benefit can NZ support? What's the impact on workplaces? What's the impact on families?
Estimates of long covid vary from 10% of people with covid (MoH) to something like 30% (internationally).
There was a good article the other day, (sorry don't have the link…in fact may have been an advert in NZ Herald) about the number of women who do not know yet that they have breast cancer, due to many of these normal tests being put off due to Covid.
Yes agreed. So first jab today, second jab on or around 13th November, and two weeks later around 27th November you're at your most immune so level 2 from 1st December?
One thing we should be doing immediately and ongoing is addressing where L4 is so hard for some people.
Is it mental health impacts? Teach resiliency skills. Is it being stuck home with the kids? Build more outside spaces and systems that take the pressure off.
Is it not being able to socialise? Build better online platforms.
Is it related to poverty? Raise benefits, bring in a GMI, cash payments to people really struggling.
Is it the stress of such a big change to daily life? Redesign societal expectations to include down time as a health promoting practice, and put in the things that support that rather than just leaving people to sort it out.
I cannot see how we can stop having periodic lockdowns given the vaccine is partial protection and wanes over time, and there will be new variants.
anyone who is not on a government stipend of sorts, or who can work from home fulltime, does not yet understand the stress that comes with having a business in these times – and a lot of businesses are impacted from tourism to dentistry, the stress that comes with having an essential worker at home – if they get covid the household gets it, the stress of losing a job – retail, front of house, office cleaning, etc etc – often low paid and female orientated, the stress of living 11 to a 3 brdm home with several kids and adults, and then also the limited funds for say food, netflix – as the only option of entertainment, etc.
And we are social animals by an large, so for people who don't mind mingling being alone or cramped into a small space with many but no way out can be a very distressing situation.
And unless we are actually addressing these issues i don't think much is going to change. There will be rolling lockdowns, and people will break these lockdown rules.
Maybe the govt should look at the rehabilitation of Marie Jeanne once more.
I'd put poverty, cultural issues and overcrowding high in the list to attend to. But yeah, special attention to business as well.
What you say points also to the need for regionally and locally designed solutions. Obviously South Auckland hits the big three, and will have additional ones. Rural South Island is going to be different from there and from Chch and Dndn. Regional NI will be different from regional SI. Climate will make a big difference.
Timeframes matter too. Hard to solve overcrowding in the short term, but not so hard to redesign outside public spaces quickly. Pair that with poverty relief and positive education on adapting.
Would love to know the demographic and motivation break down of people attending the protests. That would tell us a lot too.
We need to understand that one can not lock up almost a third of the country for any lenght of time and not think that this will affect others.
Many of us are simply there because we are stubborn and also because we can't just all give up and stand there and let our towns die. And make no mistakes, our towns are dying. Slowly but surely, and the most affected of this are women and their jobs, and yet we don't want to talk about that at all. No siree!
And if you look at the protests, also look at the funerals – there was one in the south island a day before the tamaki protest with a hundred people in their ars and burn outs and what nots , and illegal gatherings in homes, the soft undermining of rules by people simply out and about waiting in line and going to the beach. I mean do you think you are much safer from Covid while standing in line at Supermarket then you are in an illegal protest? One mass gathering is permitted the other is not..
It is easy for many to bash the Tamakis of this world as they are brash and out there, we don't seem to like however to apply the same standards to people that don't look like that particular crowd.
And last, so what if we all get the jab, we drop all restrictions, and overload our healthcare sector because despite being injected we still get the disease, carry and spread it, and if unlucky enough become either a long hauler with various ailments or die.
To me the lack of an open and honest discussion of what can and can not be permitted is one issue, the pretense that we can have mass gatherings and concerts because we are jabbed makes no sense. But that is just me.
I think a lot of people are in for a shock next year when things don’t return to the normal they want.
not sure if NZ will succumb to containment fatigue and be resigned to death and disability instead.
funerals and supermarket shopping carry very different risks, I don’t see them as comparable. Happy agree there’s a problem with the vax concert thing, we will see how that works out.
funerals/supermarket shopping do carry different risks, but last year during the BLM demos, it seems that the risk was acceptable. Maybe we don't like the risk because we don't find it acceptable. So what is an acceptable risk to someone who lives in the ignored suburbs vs the posh and leafy suburbs of our elite?
and fwiw, it is n
ot only Auckland that suffers with the restrictions on Auckland, the whole south island is feeling the lack of people – most people of the north island live in Auckland, and it trickles down to the businesses also, but here we are pretending its only Auckland.
funerals/supermarket shopping do carry different risks, but last year during the BLM demos, it seems that the risk was acceptable. Maybe we don't like the risk because we don't find it acceptable. So what is an acceptable risk to someone who lives in the ignored suburbs vs the posh and leafy suburbs of our elite?
Not sure what your point is there. BLM protest in NZ was a bad idea and badly done, early in the pandemic before NZ knew better. And it was Level 2. I said at the time that I thought it was a bad move.
Everyone has their personal feelings about risk and how they assess it. Fortunately we have a reasonably competent government doing the risk assessments for the collective. Lots I disagree with them on in that, but there's still a big material difference (i.e. not based on feelings) between going to a funeral and going to the supermarket.
I guess the point i am trying to make is that what is acceptable might be different to some that can work from home full time with full pay, and those that are forced to stay home at wage subsidy level with full costs and those that get to go to work as essential workers with the full risk of catching covid and transmitting it to their households.
Thanks Sabine – that's a really interesting article.
“The current death rate is equivalent to over 40,000 people a year dying of Covid [in the UK]. This is not normal,” he said.
“The government has abandoned all pretence at public health measures to control Covid. It’s a national scandal, but one which seems to have largely slipped from view.”
Given NZ's spectacularly low per capita number of Covid-related deaths so far, I’d hope the team will have a low tolerance for increases in the 'death rate', and still be relatively accepting of Covid death mitigation measures.
Since those deaths will be very highly concentrated among the vaccine refusers, and the lockdowns really really are severely fkn onerous, my acceptance of being locked down is dropping very rapidly.
We are not vaccinating to prevent people from dying, we are vaccinating to prevent our underfunded, understaffed and under resourced medical complex from falling apart.
So what is going to happen when you have your 90% vaccination rate, but your hospitals are still not coping and any other medical procedures cancelled for lack of beds – even if not ICU beds?
This 'vaccination' does not give immunity, in fact you will need booster shots – Israel is currently at the second booser shot for those that got vaccianted earlier this year or late last year, how many booster shots a year do you think you can force down?
disclaimer, i am 'vaccinated', i wear my maks full time at work and when outside, i am still fully on contactless business and will be so for a long time coming.
@Sabine: I'm well aware of what's coming at our medical system, having a cousin and her husband, both hospital doctors, living through it in the US.
I think the best answer for that is setting up tents in the far corner of hospital parking lots as unvaccinated covid patient wards. Then when triaging becomes necessary, unvaccinated covid patients are first on the list to get triaged out to the tents.
That's the brutal reality of what's likely to be necessary to preserve some capacity to care for those that need help for other issues that weren't easily and safely preventable by a simple vaccine.
@Andre (11:32 am): I can assure you, neither am I, "lockdowns really really are severely fkn onerous" notwithstanding. It boils down to personal thresholds, informed by experience, circumstance and ‘team spirit’.
Tbh, your brutal “best answer” (@12:04 pm) fills me with unease.
This meta-analysis does seem to bear out your contention that some of us are more social animals than others; Sabine:
Human mobility and daily SARS-CoV-2 infection rate were significantly associated with the change in major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder prevalence (table 1). After controlling for human mobility and daily SARS-CoV-2 infection rate, daily excess mortality rate was not associated with the change in prevalence for either major depressive disorder or anxiety disorders…
For both disorders, females were affected more than males, and younger age groups were affected more than older age groups.
I find it fascinating that we as a species seem to be more afraid of infection than death itself. Though, as the researchers themselves note: This was likely due to high collinearity between the daily excess mortality rate and the other two COVID-19 impact variables.
There seems to be a strong increase in both anxiety and depression from; decreased human mobility, to; increased infection rates (Depression; 0.9 to 18.1 B values respectively, with no Uncertainty Interval overlap at 95% range. Anxiety; 0.9 to 13.8 with no UI overlap). So opening up a region before elimination is achieved may be counterproductive if your intention is to reduce adverse mental health effects.
Weka….I can see sense in all of this….I think we have to throw money at all of the issues associated with L4 lockdowns.
I know that this is expensive and will not cure all the issues but it might well get NZ through Covid-free until a sterilizing vaccine emerges where Covid is not passed on at all by infected people.
This is how the measles vaccine works, for example.
Giving up and allowing Covid to spread through NZ when this goes not need to happen (see my reference to Professor John Potter above) doesn't make any sense.
The government needs to go back to elimination NOW while it still can.
I think we should be merging covid response with climate/eco response. Long term thinking, mitigation and adaptation, relocalise and focus on improving supports. If we get a sterile vaccine, that’s the icing on the cake. We shouldn’t rely on that.
Its seems lockdowns will have some very long reaching and long term consequences. This study shows some pretty scary effects with regards the devolpment of babies, down to a lack of social interaction (mums groups as an example) at a critical time and stressed parents. This study covers what is a weathy middle class cohort.
Thanks will take a look. How is this different from what a whole lot of people were experiencing before covid? Best we get on with helping us all. We can’t control covid, we can control what sort of society we build.
The results are from a longitudinal study so show a clear difference.
But for a start the study shows how vital socializationfor human development so we need to stay very community based.
Also that putting parents under extreme stress leads to poor out comes for children but we already know that I think and we arnt really prepared to actually do much about it.
Also read a different study that talked about the effect of mask wearing on development of children at school. The lack of social ques from expression is a big problem. Will try to find a link
No, I mean that before covid there were a whole lot of people raising their kids in less than optimal ways (poverty, disability etc). Now the middle classes are also affected. Instead of blaming covid response, we should be looking at how to help be ok no matter what the conditions. We can and should be adapting around this.
Spinoff Ed: "Elimination was not only a successful health and economic strategy, it was something we all did together and mostly agreed upon… The policy was overwhelmingly popular across the political spectrum."
Unification of the nation as transitional phase, he's on about.
It has become clear that there was no real plan for post-pandemic life, with a slow initial vaccine rollout, constrained MIQ capacity and lack of finished policy on vaccine mandates or passports particularly confounding.
Confounded reality, getting in the way of mass perceptions.
Beyond that, the end of nationwide elimination also exposes a large number of potential faultlines that its unifying halo concealed, each of which contains potential for division and tension, the likes of which have been common overseas
Faultlines is a nice change from bogeymen, eh? Kinda more rarefied a notion, almost intellectual even.
Yesterday morning the director general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, confidently opined that businesses could require their employees to be vaccinated based on their health and safety obligations. If they were unsure, he said they should consult a lawyer. This appears to be bad advice – no lawyer will give a definitive answer on this, because they’re waiting for definitive guidance from the government. In any case, asking hundreds of thousands of businesses to seek costly advice as individuals rather than providing definitive legal cover as the state seems a colossal waste of precious time and money.
Market or state? Whatta conundrum. Thought that issue got settled back in the '80s. Better roll out Roger Douglas in his wheelchair to sort it. But maybe competing legal opinions is just what everyone needs? I know: ask Pipsqueak. He's sitting on the prospect of displacing the leader of the opposition. Oughta be gung ho to proclaim the new reality.
The state should legally mandate vaccinations, with listed exceptions, & residual vested authority for the Minister or DGH to approve special exemptions. Imo.
Likewise. Unsure if the North Korean option is sufficiently stealthy tho. Could get business leaders declaring a shift in stance: "Communism isn't as bad as we thought. State control blended with business leadership is the way to go. If China can do that, we can too." So I think Key was wrong to point to North Korea. China is the model. Call it a public/private partnership to get traction via framing…
Well, govts are supposed to ensure public safety. That duty is as traditional as they get – goes back centuries. Unsurprising any would not respond to public calls for moral responsibility to be enforced on the issue. I see the irony in the situation (as ought to be clear from my prior comments) but governance that actually works defeats irreverent commentary anytime…
Probably not but we ought to allow Bloomfield time to figure it out. If the trend of spread continues to escalate, we get a negative viability. If the control strategy works, the contagion numbers will trend back down. It's a matter of time.
Probably not without using Chinese and North Korea levels of compulsion. Y'know, welding peoples doors shut on their homes.
It seems clear that covid is now in communities that aren't going to pay any attention to level 3 and level 4 rules. There's a lot more of those communities than just gangs and poor brown folks that are unfairly getting blamed right now. So going back into level 4 really isn't going to eliminate covid.
There's also the factor that a strong majority of over 12s in Auckland are already double-vaxxed. Getting locked down again after having done all the individual actions one can possibly do, in order to protect those that refuse to do a really minimal action to protect themselves and the community, simply feels horribly unjust.
There probably isn't a broad social license for another round of level 4, and even if there still was, it wouldn't last anywhere near long enough to actually achieve elimination against Delta.
Compliance is the issue and this requires personal responsibility. Non compliant people are the spoilers. Their impulse gets the better of them. There would be a common denominator in non compliance such as not coping with lockdown. Coping with high Covid cases is going to be far worse.
Gina Peddy, the executive director of curriculum and instruction for Carroll independent school district in Southlake, made the statement while giving teacher training on which books classrooms can stock. The training came after the Carroll school board rebuked a fourth-grade teacher following complaints by parents about a book on anti-racism in her class.
What did Peddy say? “Make sure that if you have a book on the Holocaust that you have one that has an opposing, that has other perspectives,” she can be heard saying on tape.
How did we get here? A new Texas law requires teachers who discuss “widely debated and currently controversial issues of public policy or social affairs” to examine the issues from diverse viewpoints without giving “deference to any one perspective”.
Texas governor Greg Abbott has said the law aims to abolish critical race theory in schools (an academic discipline not currently taught in US secondary schools)."
“Make sure that if you have a book on the Holocaust that you have one that has an opposing, that has other perspectives,” she can be heard saying on tape."
Maybe she meant different perspectives on the way the holocaust was experienced e.g. a prison guard and a prisoner, a crematorium workers and a possessions sorter for example?
yeah-nah – to believe that, I'd have to credit her (or the lot of them) with good faith, historical knowledge, nuance and empathy.
I fully support covid vaccination .I am double vaxxed , from very early on , thus missing out on all the hoopla and spot prizes etc..I do not want to see our hospitals over run with acute covid cases, wear masks, sanitise, scan in religiously, comply with restrictions without bitching
But..Why weren't all the tools in the toolbox being utilised ?Why not vaccine plus treatment .I want both available
Here is Chris Leitch from Socal Credit, the only political party that advocated for Julian Assange's release in the last election campaign incidentally
There are many countries and states within countries who have done this with very good results.We are stuck with covid for the duration, and we can learn from other's successes in reducing severe illness and hospitalisation , and conversely where any pitfalls of home treatment may lie.
This is John Campbell on the Uttar Pradesh.success for one Trigger alert. It includes the word ivermectin (as do the state provided home kits) Scroll on by if this provokes inflammation
The particularly dodgy Ivermectin study led by Dr Ahmed Elgazzar from Benha University in Egypt, published on the Research Square website last November has not done belief in the efficacy of the drug much good.
I would rather John Campbell concentrate on vaccination, mask wearing, track and tracing exclusively, until there are legitimate trials done on ivermectin, with supporting data.
That study has ben removed .A dodgy study, done for publish or perish reasons I presume, shouldn't close the subject.And Campbell constantly stresses mask wearing , vaccination etc.
There is plenty of epedemiological data that really should be looked at.But no, we've signed up to molnupiravir before the studies are over, and at huge expense
The blatant double standard is jaw-dropping. Cheap as chips Ivermectin with a stellar track record of safety over decades and billions of doses is slammed as 'dangerous' – while expensive new drugs with zero long term safety data are embraced as the new saviour.
Don't know, probably have a look see now and again but my take is that if bumps the vaccine uptake then it is doing its job plus people do have fun with the mad challenges etc.
Bloody hell Paddy Gower just said he hoped his pronOUnciation of some Māori word or other was correct. Then he repeated the same mispronunciation as mispronounciation.
The Education Department has a lot to answer for when even our newscasters like Gower are worried about their pronunciation of reo Māori when they are functionally illiterate in English! 😠
Re Bomber's rant "the continued death spiral of the National Party. I predict ACT will overtake National during the foolish Hate Speech debate next year." Sooner is likelier. Debating hate speech law ain't foolish, it's pragmatic. The issue has currency. Politicians must engage with prospective legislation.
Just how many transman have actually given birth and will give birth? The very vast majority some – my guess – 97.5% of all children born are born to 'women', and the rest would then be born to a TIF – trans identified female.
Speaking of Erasure, there are also NonBinary, amongst other, people to consider. I personally wouldn't be averse to; Pregnant woman and others, though I do know people who would claim than was literally Othering them (and it's kind of hard to disagree with that). Plus that's without addressing the imminent advent of Biobags (or similar IVF linked external uterine biotech), that is going to be more than slightly controversial!
Language formulations will continue to evolve apace, I don't even try to predict that nowadays. If an utterance can be understood by its intended audience, then it is effective; if it is ambiguous, then it should be changed. But sometimes different audiences need different language to engage them (eg Māori & Pākehā), though it is a weird experience to have to translate English into English (say; New York into Kiwi dialects, or even; cis into trans dialects). Respect for the intended audience seems to be the key to effective communication (though easier said than done).
I know I've said this before, but 'pregnant people' is the one language change I accept. It has nothing to do with trans (although language change benefits them), and everything to do with being a pregnant 15-year-old who felt that everything about being pregnant was for grown-ups.
As a result I didn't 'find out' I was pregnant for 7 months, when I fainted at work, endangering me and my child (of course I guessed/knew, but had no idea what to do). These 'hidden' pregnancies are not unusual in young teens. Inclusive language may help pregnant kids seek care earlier.
I'm not yet convinced. I've known a number of women who didn't know they were pregnant until a long way in, including a woman who didn't know until she went into labour. Some of those women didn't know because they were young and not in their bodies or didn't understand female reproductive anatomy and physiology. I think being disconnected from women's culture around sex and pregnancy is part of it too.
Rather than removing women's language, I'm in favour of adding in. So if there's a problem for teens, then we need to do public health messaging, services and education specific to them. Likewise trans men and NB females.
We can also go with all those things and just go with 'woman' meaning biological sex, and that includes young women (anyone able to get pregnant), and make sure that we actually provide services and culture for all of those women.
health, including public health messaging, is best delivered culturally appropriately.
women's rights are actually under threat and we have to retain our language in order to talk about that. The tweet about black people and slavery was a really good way of demonstrating this.
women's culture is a positive, creative force that shouldn't be messed with. This applies to other areas, but particularly to giving birth, where all sorts of factors influence pregnancy, labour, lactation and post-natal experiences and outcomes.
I'm not yet convinced. I've known a number of women who didn't know they were pregnant until a long way in
Fair call. But this is my voice …
Calling a young teen a woman is problematic to me. Both in terms of access to care and the ideas society has about what a women is, compared to a girl. What do you call a 14 year-old who is pregnant, a 12 y.o, an 11 y.o? It feels more than vaguely permissive for some males to redefine these girls as women just because they are capable of being impregnated. I’m not just talking about a teen boy partner here. To put it bluntly, as my partner says, ‘you’re giving paedophiles a green card’.
Girls (like I was) aren’t pregnant because everything it hunky dory in their lives. I’m quite sure I’m not unique in how I felt about being alone, isolated and excluded. I think not knowing you’re pregnant is rather different to wilfully denying pregnancy – which is the space I was in. I can only imagine how it would have worked out if I hadn’t been taken to a GP after fainting at 7-months pregnant.
women's culture [should be] a positive, creative force that shouldn't be messed with. This applies to other areas, but particularly to giving birth*
It’s not so much a positive force when you’re young and invalidated. If it’s a positive force, why are girls excluded in the language, which flows on to them feeling excluded in practice?
We can, and indeed should, take the public health steps you describe. But I fully believe language needs to be more inclusive to validate girls’ pregnancies and ensure, especially if they are unable to count on family support for information, they can reach out to health and maternity services.
I don’t believe it’s a lack of knowledge about biological and reproductive functions that is the problem. My experience suggests a lack of care, attention and consideration from adults who should know better is a bigger problem. Maybe the public health messaging (and societal/economic structures) should be at the adult, rather than the adolescent level here. I’ll put my hand up here as well and say I should have known more and done better when my own daughter was a teen.
So maybe we could use (the not so snappy phrasing) ‘pregnant women and girls’, as in Sabine’s comment below – and respect women’s rights and pregnant girl’s rights to be visible too.
What a difference it would make we could gather at-risks kids in a warm, mentoring hug like this teen teaching unit does, before they’re in difficult situations that lead to hidden teen pregnancies.
Because it is women and girls – irrespective of their own identification that are the ones falling pregnant. No transgirl will face a pregnancy, nor will a transwomen.
This is the same as people with vaginas. Transwomen can have neo vaginas. Transmen can have vaginas. Intersex people can have a vagina. Women and girls have a vagina. But and unless you specify which person with a vagina you are talking too, chances are that Transmen will continue to die of a totally preventable cancer due to not being spoken too. Ditto with non binaries.
Again, our sexed bodies – do not care one bit about our self identification. And if we don't care about appropriate language when speaking abut specific subjects than that can kill, and it has.
We are not pregnant people. We are pregnant women, to whom all of the worlds population has been born , all every single human since the dawn of time.
Maybe the issue really is that we actually don't speak to our young ones in terms that are understandable to them. And that involves clear language about what our bodies can and can not do.
Yes, some of them are so removed, and if you are 'trans identified' at a young age and only revered to as he/him why on earth would you think that much of that female biology applies to you? Many do get double radical masectomies and hysterectomies as soon as they can secure funding and are legally allowed to do so. But yes, recently there has been a few articles of transmen complaining that they don't get invites for pap smears- but only 'F' for female get invites, or that have died of cervical cancer because they refused to have pap smears. A young transman also was not diagnosed as pregnant but rather considered 'overweight' because the marker on 'gender/sex' was M.
One can identify as one cares, but one must still accept the basic biological concept of the two sexes and their differences, and their importance in the reproductive cycle.
Sometimes I wonder if we're heading towards disembodiment , whereby eggs are harvested, inseminated , gene edited, "improved" and grown on in a laboratory.Certain breeding stock will be retained,for their eggs and sperm, but the rest will be sexless semi cyborgs, untroubled by the messy business of sex and human reproduction
She was extremely frank and unapologetic about who she was. She was truly a great advocate for transexuals(her word) , and bloody witty, "I was born a stallion, became a gelding and ended up a mare(mayor)"
A strong person always willing to talk about her experience., and not trying to be anything but herself.
She converted my very conservative mother, who thought a great deal of her
She persuaded my mother of her genuineness,her warmth and charm,that such a person was above all a person and not the outlandish deviant my mother may have imagined
Sure, say pregnant women and girls (or pregnant females, but that feels a bit clinical). It wasn't until this discussion that I actually realised how, as a young teen, that more inclusive language would likely have made a difference to me.
Caitlin is saying it hasn't been approved as a treatment for covid.In the european and anglophone spheres .Which we take the most notice of it seems .Possibly because their cultures more closely resemble ours.
But it has most certainly been approved and used by health authorities in Mexico, Goa, Peru, Uttar Pradesh with good results.More controlled studies are needed, as causality can't be proved by epimediological findings.
Chris Leitch includes this link in his press release (Scoop, Social Credit)
And ivermectin in the doses used by those countries (12mg)has a proven safety record for humans.
When horse paste drowns out the quieter studies being undertaken right now, ivermectin is not getting a fair hearing .Messaging would be better to include, please be patient, we are undertaking studies, please do not resort to the available veterinary invermectin as they are calibrated for large mammals and will do you harm
All the horse paste stuff predisposes people to distrust what may very well turn out to be a useful adjunct to vaccines
Where Ivermectin will help a covid victim is by resolving any underlying parasite infestation they might have. In the countries / states you've listed this is a high likelihood. You could probably put the anti vax / oxycontin parts of US in the same category. Get rid of the worms and the individual is able to devote more resources to fighting the covid infection.
This is how Ivermectin is used in agriculture, either prophylactically to promote greater general health and production, or specifically as a first line treatment to help an ailing animal.
Direct antiviral effect in an otherwise healthy individual however is unlikely.
Everything has antiviral properties if you put the concentration up high enough. Those ivermectin tests in petri dishes just demonstrate that principle yet again.
The interesting question is whether a substance has sufficient antiviral properties at low enough concentrations to reduce harms caused by a virus without the substance directly causing undue harms to the organism we're trying to protect, ie us.
Where ivermectin fails is this regard is that 1) because of the way ivermectin is absorbed, it's simply not possible to reach high enough concentrations in a human to actually achieve antiviral properties, and 2) if those extremely high concentrations necessary for antiviral properties were somehow actually achieved, ivermectin would cross the blood-brain barrier and be neurotoxic.
These two facts are the likely explanation why well-designed and conducted clinical trials (eg Lopez-Medina in Colombia, and the TOGETHER trial conducted by McMaster University) have found ivermectin has negligible detected positive effect on actual covid patients. Whereas the trials that claim to have found beneficial effects are at best poorly conducted by highly biased practitioners producing unreliable and unrepeatable results, ranging to probable outright fraud from the likes of Elgazzar in Egypt and Carvallo in Argentina.
In the end, what's needed are well-designed, well-conducted studies producing reliable repeatable results from a reproducible treatment protocol showing substantial improvements over placebo or best standard-of-care. Nobody has yet done that with ivermectin.
It doesn't do anything for the nutters who are utterly unpersuadable in any case.
For those on the fence, it might show how ridiculous the unpersuadable nutters actually are, leading the fence-sitters to decide they don't want to end up on the side with the ridiculous nutters.
These aren't reasonable people. They're bored, selfish nobodies living the same nobody lives the rest of us live, with the wherewithal and nothing better to do to than to travel, gather, and behave like narcissistic toddlers, stamping their feet and yodeling you're not the boss of me!
And then they'll all go home, hop on their devices, log in, stroke themselves and declare that today, they showed da man who's boss!
Because behaving like reasonable people and acting collectively as a community to solve a collective, community problem is what?….too adult, too boring, not satisfying?
The democracy project seems to do a line in this. Children of ‘legal nullity’ concerned to teach the about tribal history and the like. They had an ode to the great Pacific historian Michael Bassett awhile back and now giving ACT publicity. The underlying takeaway goes back to the attitude of McCully taking about quizlings in the media: the media should be controlled by us constantly.
What is the current right wing blog/etc. eco-system like? I guess these things are much more fractured than they used to be with FB groups and other social media.
Are there dominant outlets post-00s Slater? Do particularly groups use particular sites?
An advisory panel of FDA unanimously recommended a booster dose of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine
The evidence shows the immunity provided by this vaccine is greater than that of Pfizer.
for those over 65 and for adults who are at high risk of severe illness because of underlying conditions or exposure on the job.
Committee members reviewed data that showed Moderna’s two-shot regimen remains robustly protective at more than five months after vaccination: 93 percent effective in preventing all virus-related symptomatic illness and 98 percent protective against severe cases.
To make the case for boosters, Jacqueline Miller, head of Moderna’s infectious-disease therapeutic area, presented data showing that six to eight months after vaccination, antibody levels dropped in vaccine recipients. A half-dose booster at least six months after initial vaccination restored those antibodies in a study of nearly 300 people.
Faafoi started well as a minister but seems unable to cope with judgment calls. Dunno if he just follows departmental advice due to fear of using his initiative or he just can't do appropriate decision-making. Seems a contender for reshuffle downwards.
Had a phone call today from a delightful young woman who explained she was phoning up folk to check in as to their wellbeing during the pandemic. Were we coping okay etc. She was earnest and sincere and we had a wee chat. Now I am a woman of older years with a few dings and dents picked up along the way and a cynic of some repute but I have to give her due she was a treat.
We chatted about history and the lack of learning from it. The lack of grit and stoicism which is not so fashionable a trait these days. The wars that have a seen enemy and the wars that have an unseen enemy, for example this pesky virus. Finally the lass eased the bible into the conversation which I sort of knew was coming. A God botherer but a sweet one. We chatted on for a bit and then she said to me "what do you think God would be saying to us right now" and I just replied "I think she would be saying "I think its high time you lot got your shit together". She had no answer. We hung up and I wished her well.
I think us older ones are coping about as good as we can be in the circumstances. Times like this its good to have some life history on board and strength of character to not be one of the me me generation. Just my thoughts.
Hope we get a good result today in the vaccine department.
On the afternoon of the big 1987 Edgecumbe shake I rang mum in Ohope.
All sorts of bother with the phones and finally someone answered, but not my mum. Of course I'd fat fingered it and rung the wrong elderly woman.
Turned out the not my mum woman had no power, was on her own and distressed so I thought bugger it, one of the others will ring mum, and we spent the next couple of hours on the phone getting along like a house on fire. I met not my mum and recieved a Christmas card from her every year until she died.
Brilliant story Joe90. I was in the school hall in Rotorua and all the glass belled and rippled. After a roll call outside we allowed the chn an early break. I rang my husband who was alarmed as he could not reach his parents in Whakatane 'till much later in the day later in the day. They were fine but friends who lived in Ohope on the hills lost half their house. It was not ever really repaired properly.
Tamaki has breached his bail conditions and must now be convicted.
It was reasonable for police to stand back in a large crowd and not make him a martyr in a volatile situation, but now there is no excuse. Arrest him at his home.
Vaxathon, Nearly 95 000 including 12 500 Maori is going well as some stations close at 3pm ish others 9.30pm ish So great. Final count available 1pm tomorrow (Sun) and perhaps how many first vaxers out of the total.
So no excuses for Waikato and Northland to return to level 2 Tuesday 23:59, and Auckland to move up the steps 3.2 then 3.3 and level 2 in 3 weeks time, or will that be amber under the traffic light system.
I was talking to my sister-in law in England and she was saying every one was having to have booster doses (A third one) and she had just had hers. Apparently after 6 months there.
We are starting to hit 6 months since our more vulnerable were rightfully put first in the queue, but (may just me me missing it) our govt isn't even mentioning booster doses.
Any brainier people than me know which govt is right? As tend to trust the UK one a bit as an overseas opinion
Edit: Sorry. Was only this morning I was talking to her, so may be a new thing
Boosters have been discussed, as the virologists know efficacy wanes, but they have discovered our immune systems still operate at a lower level, and do limit severity Can't think where I saw that…. Stuff?
But if England has decided everyone should have one after 6 months because the first to wear off, surely the govt here should at least be being slightly more vocal about it an prepping if true?
As best as I can make out, the peak of the bell curve of info seems to be that yes, immunity does wane. But not enough to be of concern for the huge majority of fully-vaxxed, at least not within a six-month-ish timeframe. So for that huge majority, six or eight month boosters wouldn't be of value. Maybe later, though, as more data comes in.
For the particularly vulnerable, boosters probably are of value sometime after the six-month timeframe. The particularly vulnerable might be around 15%ish of our population, and would only need one booster shot. So delivering boosters to those that would need them would be a much smaller operation than the current huge effort to double-vax our entire population.
It would probably kinda slide right in with the likely effort to vax our 5 to 11s likely coming towards the end of this year. If it turns out to be needed.
People are routinely charged for breaching bail conditions. Tamaki will be no different.
His bail conditions included that he "not organise or attend any protests in breach of any Covid-19 level requirement", and "not use the internet for the purpose of organising, attending or encouraging non-compliance with the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act 2020".
So he will be charged and then it's up to his lawyers to persuade the judge that what happened didn't actually happen.
The organisers, the freedom and rights coalition have a very carefully worded FAQ section on their website (and I imagine, on their many facebook sites – for each town the protests are to take place) about abiding by covid rules and behaviours on the so-called family picnics. Additionally stating"'Each family is however personally responsible for whether they abide or not."
They also tell people what signs to carry.
The site are easy to find, I'm not inclined to link to this bunch of shites.
I hope it's not enough to avoid prosecution.
they claim 30,000 across the country turned up, 6,000 in Auckland, cf Newshub's 2,000 – either way, clearly breaching covid restrictions.
My partner saw one setting up beside the Events Centre in Frankton today with a big 'toot for freedom' banner, said no one was tooting but lots of glares, raised middle fingers and downward thumbs form passing drivers. I went past the spot half an hour later and they had gone.
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See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Pacific Media Watch Earthwise hosts Lois and Martin Griffiths. Earthwise presenters Lois and Martin Griffiths on Plains FM 96.9 community radio talk to Dr David Robie, a New Zealand author, independent journalist and media educator with a passion for the Asia-Pacific region. David talks about the struggle to raise awareness ...
Pacific Media Watch Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent who was held for 12 hours at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, says Israeli forces rounded up Palestinian journalists at the facility and made them kneel on the ground for hours, while naked and blindfolded. “The occupation forces handcuffed and blindfolded us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute chinasong, Shutterstock Electricity customers in four Australian states can breathe a sigh of relief. After two years in a row of 20% price increases, power prices have finally stabilised. In many places they’re ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
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Thought experiments have been part of the praxis of physicists the past century so the technique ought to work in politics too. You start with an hypothesis. For instance, that the Three Kings suburb of Auckland was thus named due to a prophecy that one day Aotearoa would be ruled by three kings simultaneously.
A tad unlikely? So is most of physics. King Charles III is one contender, obviously, and the Maori king another. Sir John Key attempted to out the third recently: the hermit king of Aotearoa. Privacy law protects his anonymity, of course, but there has been the threat of investigative journalism in the past. Nowadays nobody is going it (with the possible exception of the old bald-headed geezer David Lomas) so the royal hermit need no longer fear exposure.
We know how everyone loves royals – ubiquitous featuring in women's mags always reinforces the point. A possible invalidation of the triumvirate theory is the tight definition of rule, so we go with the looser option: rule by influence rather than rule by decree. Mana. Advice. Guidance.
Trump drove a stake through the heart of the Republican vampire, so that threat is gone. The republican movement never took root here anyway. Not part of our ethos. So I anticipate a collegial arrangement in which the three kings consult in a suitable venue and then hold audience to proclaim their consensual view of the political trajectory of the nation. Makes sense to put the venue in the suburb of Three Kings. If you see a developer knocking down current buildings on a block there, let me know. The palace needs to be grand – perhaps a design competition will attract global expertise? Great for tourism too. Oh, wait…
We only have three functional rulers: ANZ headquarters Melbourne, CBA headquarters Sydney, and ………… oh wait it's two.
How about Westpac (or is that CBA)? They seem to have a pretty tight hold on the NZ government's purse-strings:
https://www.westpac.co.nz/institutional/relationship-management/government-banking/services/
ANZ and CBA have by far the dominant share of us.
Ah the royals. The gloss should be turning to rust. But I guess charlie, willie and georgie fit the bill for out-dated concepts while still attempting to be relevant.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/15/green-royals-saving-the-planet-helicopter-queen-charles-william-climate
I wonder why the reporter felt the need to reveal that she was somewhat alienated by the fact that Charles "had his Aston Martin converted to run on “surplus English white wine and whey from the cheese process”.
Does the notion of fossil-fuel avoidance piss her off? Or was it the notion that English white wine is surplus to requirements? You can imagine how she felt at having to report on "a withering assessment from Prince William on the various billionaire space programmes". Due to their use of fossil fuels, I presume.
How can an enterprising reporter continue to support the establishment when those at the top of the hierarchy are so keen on being subversive? I bet she has to keep clutching her pearls when trying to cognite the thought.
Almost as if Queenie is starting to connect the dots, eh? And
Ha! Reporter ought to have recalled that Queenie was brainwashed into the Church of England as a child. Christians do hypocrisy way better than anyone else on Earth. She's just toeing the party line automatically. Dots not connected.
Her critique does have merit though. Charles ought to appoint an ethics advisor to his considerable staff. He's led by example admirably most of his life but as trainee king he needs to clean up the authenticity angle.
The royals would all have more credibility if they gave up the grouse
So this wasn't an empty threat, and the clock is ticking until Tuesday evening!
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/tam-threatens-legal-action-against-peters
Peters isn't going to be able to get out of this one with a; sorry you were so sensitive and got offended by my words, brushoff. The putting it in terms of; sabotaging the vaccine rollout in hard to reach populations, was pretty smart of Tam and Mansfield. But is Peters physically able to apologize to an unperson such as Tam, or will he choke on his words? Popcorn time!
M&Ms for me 😀
Well, that seems to answer the question will Tam really go thru with a defamation action if he doesn’t get a public apology & a retraction from Peters.
This is the typical groundwork for a defamation case. Should be interesting. More work for Brian Henry, I expect.
Has Winston ever apologised for public utterances he had no proof for? Can’t recall any at the present time. He may have to fess up 🙏🏼 or pay up 💵💰❓
If Harry really is as pure as the driven snow on this matter – which this letter is a strong indication is indeed the case – then Winston Peters definitely fired off his volley in completely the wrong direction.
But it does perhaps beg the question: “Who loaded & cocked Winston’s gun? And why?
N’est-ce pas?
“Who loaded & cocked Winston’s gun? And why?
That is a very good question.
Slater would be my guess, but I am not about to go toshing in his sewer to find out:
Cant wait for Slater to be named as the credible source
Peters is not the type to come out unarmed, even if it is only with a pop-gun.
As I have learned from watching the Texans on the sad sorry anti antivax site
'He's not usually all hat and no cattle'
There appears to be a breakdown in communication with Peter's source.
Peter's isn't the one laughing, neither is Tam.
Winston won't apologize and I doubt Harry Tam would want to appear in court or even participate in discovery.
Will fizzle out
Why wouldn't Harry want to appear in court or even participate in discovery?
I am sure there are a few be-wigged lawyers that would love to stick it to Peters, all in the name of a good cause, of course. KidsCan.
Yes time for Winston to either front up with evidence, or shut up and apologise. Both would probably be a first.
The cute little sparrow hen the Sparrer Farno sent to perch two feet in front of me, when I was standing at the fence looking down at the stream, to ask when lunch was being served at Gezza’s Bird Café.
https://i.imgur.com/WCZ8XBa.gif
One just out of interest, as imagine the majority of people on here are half/fully vaxed already. An extremely rough and amateur survey of the Standard posters.
Are you going to actively (and not accidently put the channel on) watch the vaxathon?
My vote is I will be avoiding the thing like the plague as its cheesey as btw. Just a photo shoot for politicians and an embarrassing day for other kiwi celebs, who genuinely want to help but will end up looking a bit silly.
Having said that. If it gets another couple of 10k vaxed, cheesey as, or not. It can only be a good thing in the long run.
And it is has a certain funny factor, that it was John Keys idea., he got slagged off for on here.
No Im not going to watch it. I dont really like circuses either, and felt queasy, hanging back at lolly scrambles as a kid.And it’s a beautiful day here.I’m not going to waste it in front of the telly
Both.
Exposed to border workers.
BTW. The Vaxathon was not bloody well Keys idea. Many others were suggesting it months before Key was re-excavated from the grave.
If it works, all good.
National party politicians have made a practice of suggesting things that they knew were going to happen anyway, and taking credit for it. Another type of dis honesty they seem to think is acceptable.
No offence, but severely doubt the current Labour govt would have thought of it without prompting, given their record,
…before Key was re – excavated from the grave.
A bit early for Halloween.
"BTW. The Vaxathon was not bloody well Keys idea. Many others were suggesting it months before Key."
Care to post a link? As it was no one from Labour till Key suggested it on all the national news media.
Lets face it. If it is a success, which I hope it is, we all know Ardern won't thank him, when she should.
Sir Johnny Mee the imitator.
https://www.phillymag.com/news/2021/02/26/vaxathon-black-americans-covid-vaccine/
Kind of meant in NZ and not some obscure website in the US no one would have seen and you took over 5 minutes to google to find, but all good.
Some random yank on a website no one in NZ would ever see also thought of it.
Ardern probably got it from there, and not just watched the news with Key on it.
Because Johnny Mee would never read a fucking newspaper and think...now there's an idea I'll call my own.
/
Putting aside the immature name calling
The thing looks like it is working out pretty well so far.
No one can seriously be that defensive that the idea came from another team when Ardern is the one that achieves the success from it (assuming it will carry on being one throughout the day)
That is just hate for things that is pointless hating
Don't worry sport, my visceral loathing for the creepy AF trichophiliac ain't just pointless hating.
Fair enough. It just comes across that way.
Put it this way.
I think that despite her failings Clark was a good PM. Despite Keys failings Key was a good PM. Despite her failings Ardern is a good PM (with the only side note of her never actually answering questions in interviews and well trained PR speak).
I don't feel the need to call any of them names. If you do. All good.
"Never"? Typical partisan hyperbole. Imho 'Honest John' was ever the political dilettante – never ‘dirtied’ his hands. Unlike the current 'leader' of the National party – no love lost there.
After nearly two years of Adern "answering questions" openly, honestly and with precision and a myriad of facts at her fingertips, that have been addressed to her with a mysoginistic, ignorant hostility Key never had to face…………..
Facing up to people, I use the word in it’s broadest sense, like O brian, Wall, Hoskings and Garner, who seem incapable of comprehending what they heard five minutes ago, would test a Saint.
V's Key, who I actually give some credit to, for things like raising welfare payments for the first time for a while, and avioding the pressure from within his party to go for destructive austerity in the GFC as the right wing did elsewhere, was a Master of deflection and burying a question in "o shucks" verbiage. Helped by interviewers whose fawning over the wealthy Hero, was embarrassing.
Sorry Drowsy but working on tiny lap top and can't actually read the images for Collins
Lets face it. I think you have to admit both Key and Ardern are one offs in their generations even if you irrationally hate Key.
I just found Key actually answered questions more often rather than rambling PR.
Trying to remember what Ryan Bridges opinion was. Not his words, but it was something like she could talk the arse off a donkey and not say anything. And I tend to agree. But then that deserves respect as it is a very good skill. And to do it and still have dumb people thinking you are ace is an even better one.
No apologies necessary Chris.
'Hate' is a strong word – I'm thankful for the National party’s low ebb, which will be Key's most lasting legacy (shame about the flag).
Imho PM Ardern is good for more than just talking the arse off a donkey and not saying anything, but each to their own.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacinda_Ardern#Honours
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Key#Honours
The appeal of "mega wealthy" Key was lost on me – I wish him well.
I will tune in and out of the vaxathon coverage.
A good idea from Key, first jab sorted. Second jab needs sorting???
I think the second one is the big issue tbh.
My own, which I put down to me being probably having a bug, or basically just a weirdo, with first aside (probably shouldn't have mentioned)
I have said it before, but the amount of times I have heard from various sources the second vax is a sorer arm or slight nausea was getting a bit silly, given it is only 24 hours or so.
Geezes she aint a broken arm. It is just a bit of discomfort for 24 hours in most cases and sorted. Get over yourself.
No sorer for 2nd vax may be a day where arm was sore when touched
It was more the loss of mental clarity that made even simple addition challenging for a day or two (let alone any statistical analyses) that I found difficult with my second vax. I made the the mistake of having my first vax in my dominant arm, which did mess me up some. The second I had in my non-dominant (submissive?) arm, and barely noticed that unless I needed to reach something up over my shoulder level.
The change of weather can bring on tummy bugs.
When you have a good chuck, you always feel better afterwards. The nausea appears to be sorted.
I had my second jab yesterday in my L arm. 2 weeks ago I had an iron infusion in R arm, (needle connected to the line is in for an hour). Crazy where the needle went in for the iron infusion the sight became sore 2 days before the second Covid jab. No issue with any previous lines.
Edit: A good half idea from Key, first jab sorted. Second jab needs sorting???
47 000 so far Chris T. Is John Key helping somewhere? Or is he all p… and wind or got his golf hat on as usual?
It's a good number 47,000
Well done to the person that mentioned the idea
TBF even if it stayed at 47 thou that is 47 thou that may not have been vaxed, so can only be a good thing and well worth the cheesiness.
Good idea Key.
(I am working on the assumption that people realise I am pointing out the Key bit for a laugh as it looks like a good day vax wise and we could do with a laugh, given the circumstances. That and it will annoy people 🙂 )
was it keys idea? I very much doubt it. like the walkways to provide jobs, others thought of it but key was the headhoncho at the time, so took the credit. I doubt key has ever had an original idea, while in politics. all of his ideas came from focus groups.
Think all these ideas come from focus groups, and committees. MPs just get to suck the good PR from the ones that work they happened to be associated with.
Mind you Key is just a (nz standards) mega rich dude, retired apart from boards and is hanging out, so might be an exception and could be his own one.
Just forget it and delete it. It seemed a harmless question at the time.
If it causes moderators micro aggressions it aint worth the hassle.
FFS. It didn't even question anything
Edit: I have to put an edit in. If this is where we have got to in screening posta just because of Covid, it is f’ing ridiculous given the post
Professor John Potter, epidemiologist and former Chief Science Adviser to the MOHNZ, who Kim Hill has just finished interviewing this morning on RNZ, says that NZ should continue to pursue Covid elimination, and that this is possible while we have it ringfenced in Auckland.
In his opinion the alternative is much worse. Auckland needs to go back to L4 for the sake of all of NZ.
I'm in Auckland and have had my two jabs, and after this weekends big vaxathon everyone that wants one will have had a first jab. Four weeks later they would have had both. So I'm happy to go to level 2 say 1st of December.
…meaning I am happy for Covid to spread across NZ for Xmas. Cheers mate.
Yes and with everyone double jabbed the cases will be very mild with very few requiring hospitalisation. And we can go back to living more normal lives like the rest of the world.
Vaccination does not PREVENT spread, it reduces the effect of covid.
Correct. The number of cases are virtually irrelevant now. We should only be counting hospitalisation or death numbers.
we should also be counting long covid and the impact of that cumulatively over the medium and long term. How many people in Invalid's benefit can NZ support? What's the impact on workplaces? What's the impact on families?
Estimates of long covid vary from 10% of people with covid (MoH) to something like 30% (internationally).
There was a good article the other day, (sorry don't have the link…in fact may have been an advert in NZ Herald) about the number of women who do not know yet that they have breast cancer, due to many of these normal tests being put off due to Covid.
and if we had covid in the community that would still be true, possibly worse, due to health system overload.
Yeah, sadly in the face of Delta the current vaccines are very leaky.
That will likely pose it's own set of problems.
Need two weeks after the second one to have built immunity.
Yes agreed. So first jab today, second jab on or around 13th November, and two weeks later around 27th November you're at your most immune so level 2 from 1st December?
One thing we should be doing immediately and ongoing is addressing where L4 is so hard for some people.
Is it mental health impacts? Teach resiliency skills. Is it being stuck home with the kids? Build more outside spaces and systems that take the pressure off.
Is it not being able to socialise? Build better online platforms.
Is it related to poverty? Raise benefits, bring in a GMI, cash payments to people really struggling.
Is it the stress of such a big change to daily life? Redesign societal expectations to include down time as a health promoting practice, and put in the things that support that rather than just leaving people to sort it out.
I cannot see how we can stop having periodic lockdowns given the vaccine is partial protection and wanes over time, and there will be new variants.
all of the above.
anyone who is not on a government stipend of sorts, or who can work from home fulltime, does not yet understand the stress that comes with having a business in these times – and a lot of businesses are impacted from tourism to dentistry, the stress that comes with having an essential worker at home – if they get covid the household gets it, the stress of losing a job – retail, front of house, office cleaning, etc etc – often low paid and female orientated, the stress of living 11 to a 3 brdm home with several kids and adults, and then also the limited funds for say food, netflix – as the only option of entertainment, etc.
And we are social animals by an large, so for people who don't mind mingling being alone or cramped into a small space with many but no way out can be a very distressing situation.
And unless we are actually addressing these issues i don't think much is going to change. There will be rolling lockdowns, and people will break these lockdown rules.
Maybe the govt should look at the rehabilitation of Marie Jeanne once more.
who is Marie Jeanne?
weed.
A health professional asked me a couple weeks ago if I have a hash breakfast?
I told them I only pop absolutely essential prescription meds.
Lol, pronunciation difficulties.
yes, legalising would have been sensible.
I'd put poverty, cultural issues and overcrowding high in the list to attend to. But yeah, special attention to business as well.
What you say points also to the need for regionally and locally designed solutions. Obviously South Auckland hits the big three, and will have additional ones. Rural South Island is going to be different from there and from Chch and Dndn. Regional NI will be different from regional SI. Climate will make a big difference.
Timeframes matter too. Hard to solve overcrowding in the short term, but not so hard to redesign outside public spaces quickly. Pair that with poverty relief and positive education on adapting.
Would love to know the demographic and motivation break down of people attending the protests. That would tell us a lot too.
We need to understand that one can not lock up almost a third of the country for any lenght of time and not think that this will affect others.
Many of us are simply there because we are stubborn and also because we can't just all give up and stand there and let our towns die. And make no mistakes, our towns are dying. Slowly but surely, and the most affected of this are women and their jobs, and yet we don't want to talk about that at all. No siree!
And if you look at the protests, also look at the funerals – there was one in the south island a day before the tamaki protest with a hundred people in their ars and burn outs and what nots , and illegal gatherings in homes, the soft undermining of rules by people simply out and about waiting in line and going to the beach. I mean do you think you are much safer from Covid while standing in line at Supermarket then you are in an illegal protest? One mass gathering is permitted the other is not..
It is easy for many to bash the Tamakis of this world as they are brash and out there, we don't seem to like however to apply the same standards to people that don't look like that particular crowd.
And last, so what if we all get the jab, we drop all restrictions, and overload our healthcare sector because despite being injected we still get the disease, carry and spread it, and if unlucky enough become either a long hauler with various ailments or die.
To me the lack of an open and honest discussion of what can and can not be permitted is one issue, the pretense that we can have mass gatherings and concerts because we are jabbed makes no sense. But that is just me.
I think a lot of people are in for a shock next year when things don’t return to the normal they want.
not sure if NZ will succumb to containment fatigue and be resigned to death and disability instead.
funerals and supermarket shopping carry very different risks, I don’t see them as comparable. Happy agree there’s a problem with the vax concert thing, we will see how that works out.
I came across this re England.
funerals/supermarket shopping do carry different risks, but last year during the BLM demos, it seems that the risk was acceptable. Maybe we don't like the risk because we don't find it acceptable. So what is an acceptable risk to someone who lives in the ignored suburbs vs the posh and leafy suburbs of our elite?
and fwiw, it is n
ot only Auckland that suffers with the restrictions on Auckland, the whole south island is feeling the lack of people – most people of the north island live in Auckland, and it trickles down to the businesses also, but here we are pretending its only Auckland.
We need to really start accepting reality.
https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/15/why-britons-are-tolerating-sky-high-covid-rates-and-why-this-may-not-last
South Island should be North Island.
even tho i would suspect a few places in the south island that also suffers from not having AKL'ers be able to move about.
Not sure what your point is there. BLM protest in NZ was a bad idea and badly done, early in the pandemic before NZ knew better. And it was Level 2. I said at the time that I thought it was a bad move.
Everyone has their personal feelings about risk and how they assess it. Fortunately we have a reasonably competent government doing the risk assessments for the collective. Lots I disagree with them on in that, but there's still a big material difference (i.e. not based on feelings) between going to a funeral and going to the supermarket.
I guess the point i am trying to make is that what is acceptable might be different to some that can work from home full time with full pay, and those that are forced to stay home at wage subsidy level with full costs and those that get to go to work as essential workers with the full risk of catching covid and transmitting it to their households.
Thanks Sabine – that's a really interesting article.
Given NZ's spectacularly low per capita number of Covid-related deaths so far, I’d hope the team will have a low tolerance for increases in the 'death rate', and still be relatively accepting of Covid death mitigation measures.
Since those deaths will be very highly concentrated among the vaccine refusers, and the lockdowns really really are severely fkn onerous, my acceptance of being locked down is dropping very rapidly.
I can assure you, I'm not the only one.
We are not vaccinating to prevent people from dying, we are vaccinating to prevent our underfunded, understaffed and under resourced medical complex from falling apart.
So what is going to happen when you have your 90% vaccination rate, but your hospitals are still not coping and any other medical procedures cancelled for lack of beds – even if not ICU beds?
This 'vaccination' does not give immunity, in fact you will need booster shots – Israel is currently at the second booser shot for those that got vaccianted earlier this year or late last year, how many booster shots a year do you think you can force down?
disclaimer, i am 'vaccinated', i wear my maks full time at work and when outside, i am still fully on contactless business and will be so for a long time coming.
@Sabine: I'm well aware of what's coming at our medical system, having a cousin and her husband, both hospital doctors, living through it in the US.
I think the best answer for that is setting up tents in the far corner of hospital parking lots as unvaccinated covid patient wards. Then when triaging becomes necessary, unvaccinated covid patients are first on the list to get triaged out to the tents.
That's the brutal reality of what's likely to be necessary to preserve some capacity to care for those that need help for other issues that weren't easily and safely preventable by a simple vaccine.
@Andre (11:32 am): I can assure you, neither am I, "lockdowns really really are severely fkn onerous" notwithstanding. It boils down to personal thresholds, informed by experience, circumstance and ‘team spirit’.
Tbh, your brutal “best answer” (@12:04 pm) fills me with unease.
@DMK I'm not feeling much team spirit from non-Aucklanders gleefully advocating more level 4 for Auckland.
"Gleefully"? Not much ‘Covid glee’ in this neck of the woods
This meta-analysis does seem to bear out your contention that some of us are more social animals than others; Sabine:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02143-7/fulltext
I find it fascinating that we as a species seem to be more afraid of infection than death itself. Though, as the researchers themselves note: This was likely due to high collinearity between the daily excess mortality rate and the other two COVID-19 impact variables.
There seems to be a strong increase in both anxiety and depression from; decreased human mobility, to; increased infection rates (Depression; 0.9 to 18.1 B values respectively, with no Uncertainty Interval overlap at 95% range. Anxiety; 0.9 to 13.8 with no UI overlap). So opening up a region before elimination is achieved may be counterproductive if your intention is to reduce adverse mental health effects.
We all need to have purpose in our lives. Once pressure hits a certain point the cause of it needs to be reduced.
Weka….I can see sense in all of this….I think we have to throw money at all of the issues associated with L4 lockdowns.
I know that this is expensive and will not cure all the issues but it might well get NZ through Covid-free until a sterilizing vaccine emerges where Covid is not passed on at all by infected people.
This is how the measles vaccine works, for example.
Giving up and allowing Covid to spread through NZ when this goes not need to happen (see my reference to Professor John Potter above) doesn't make any sense.
The government needs to go back to elimination NOW while it still can.
I think we should be merging covid response with climate/eco response. Long term thinking, mitigation and adaptation, relocalise and focus on improving supports. If we get a sterile vaccine, that’s the icing on the cake. We shouldn’t rely on that.
Its seems lockdowns will have some very long reaching and long term consequences. This study shows some pretty scary effects with regards the devolpment of babies, down to a lack of social interaction (mums groups as an example) at a critical time and stressed parents. This study covers what is a weathy middle class cohort.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/12/children-born-during-pandemic-have-lower-iqs-us-study-finds
Thanks will take a look. How is this different from what a whole lot of people were experiencing before covid? Best we get on with helping us all. We can’t control covid, we can control what sort of society we build.
The results are from a longitudinal study so show a clear difference.
But for a start the study shows how vital socializationfor human development so we need to stay very community based.
Also that putting parents under extreme stress leads to poor out comes for children but we already know that I think and we arnt really prepared to actually do much about it.
Also read a different study that talked about the effect of mask wearing on development of children at school. The lack of social ques from expression is a big problem. Will try to find a link
No, I mean that before covid there were a whole lot of people raising their kids in less than optimal ways (poverty, disability etc). Now the middle classes are also affected. Instead of blaming covid response, we should be looking at how to help be ok no matter what the conditions. We can and should be adapting around this.
Spinoff Ed: "Elimination was not only a successful health and economic strategy, it was something we all did together and mostly agreed upon… The policy was overwhelmingly popular across the political spectrum."
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/13-10-2021/some-big-clear-calls-are-needed-on-the-path-out-of-elimination/
Unification of the nation as transitional phase, he's on about.
Confounded reality, getting in the way of mass perceptions.
Faultlines is a nice change from bogeymen, eh? Kinda more rarefied a notion, almost intellectual even.
Market or state? Whatta conundrum. Thought that issue got settled back in the '80s. Better roll out Roger Douglas in his wheelchair to sort it. But maybe competing legal opinions is just what everyone needs? I know: ask Pipsqueak. He's sitting on the prospect of displacing the leader of the opposition. Oughta be gung ho to proclaim the new reality.
The state should legally mandate vaccinations, with listed exceptions, & residual vested authority for the Minister or DGH to approve special exemptions. Imo.
But I’m open to other arguments?
Likewise. Unsure if the North Korean option is sufficiently stealthy tho. Could get business leaders declaring a shift in stance: "Communism isn't as bad as we thought. State control blended with business leadership is the way to go. If China can do that, we can too." So I think Key was wrong to point to North Korea. China is the model. Call it a public/private partnership to get traction via framing…
Northern Territory has brought in vax or be fined $4000 or 6 mths prison if anyone works without vaccination.
Well, govts are supposed to ensure public safety. That duty is as traditional as they get – goes back centuries. Unsurprising any would not respond to public calls for moral responsibility to be enforced on the issue. I see the irony in the situation (as ought to be clear from my prior comments) but governance that actually works defeats irreverent commentary anytime…
Elimination is clear, containment is reducing the spread. Reducing the spread requires an elimination strategy.
In Auckland is elimination no longer viable?
Probably not but we ought to allow Bloomfield time to figure it out. If the trend of spread continues to escalate, we get a negative viability. If the control strategy works, the contagion numbers will trend back down. It's a matter of time.
In Auckland is elimination no longer viable?
Probably not without using Chinese and North Korea levels of compulsion. Y'know, welding peoples doors shut on their homes.
It seems clear that covid is now in communities that aren't going to pay any attention to level 3 and level 4 rules. There's a lot more of those communities than just gangs and poor brown folks that are unfairly getting blamed right now. So going back into level 4 really isn't going to eliminate covid.
There's also the factor that a strong majority of over 12s in Auckland are already double-vaxxed. Getting locked down again after having done all the individual actions one can possibly do, in order to protect those that refuse to do a really minimal action to protect themselves and the community, simply feels horribly unjust.
There probably isn't a broad social license for another round of level 4, and even if there still was, it wouldn't last anywhere near long enough to actually achieve elimination against Delta.
Compliance is the issue and this requires personal responsibility. Non compliant people are the spoilers. Their impulse gets the better of them. There would be a common denominator in non compliance such as not coping with lockdown. Coping with high Covid cases is going to be far worse.
I knew Texas had is own schtick, but this!!
From The Guardian
"A Texas school district official has told teachers they must offer “opposing” perspectives to the Holocaust if they keep books about the genocide in their classroom libraries.
Gina Peddy, the executive director of curriculum and instruction for Carroll independent school district in Southlake, made the statement while giving teacher training on which books classrooms can stock. The training came after the Carroll school board rebuked a fourth-grade teacher following complaints by parents about a book on anti-racism in her class.
Obviously Texas doesn’t just have gun nuts. They have other nuts there as well. 😐
Also anti vaxx nuts in a big way, if you follow such unedifying but must see sites such as
https://www.sorryantivaxxer.com/
Maybe she meant different perspectives on the way the holocaust was experienced e.g. a prison guard and a prisoner, a crematorium workers and a possessions sorter for example?
yeah-nah – to believe that, I'd have to credit her (or the lot of them) with good faith, historical knowledge, nuance and empathy.
First of all
I fully support covid vaccination .I am double vaxxed , from very early on , thus missing out on all the hoopla and spot prizes etc..I do not want to see our hospitals over run with acute covid cases, wear masks, sanitise, scan in religiously, comply with restrictions without bitching
But..Why weren't all the tools in the toolbox being utilised ?Why not vaccine plus treatment .I want both available
Here is Chris Leitch from Socal Credit, the only political party that advocated for Julian Assange's release in the last election campaign incidentally
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE2110/S00137/call-for-treatment-kits-to-be-issued-to-home-isolatees.htm
There are many countries and states within countries who have done this with very good results.We are stuck with covid for the duration, and we can learn from other's successes in reducing severe illness and hospitalisation , and conversely where any pitfalls of home treatment may lie.
An example
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO9cjy3Rydc
This is John Campbell on the Uttar Pradesh.success for one Trigger alert. It includes the word ivermectin (as do the state provided home kits) Scroll on by if this provokes inflammation
The particularly dodgy Ivermectin study led by Dr Ahmed Elgazzar from Benha University in Egypt, published on the Research Square website last November has not done belief in the efficacy of the drug much good.
https://grftr.news/why-was-a-major-study-on-ivermectin-for-covid-19-just-retracted/?fbclid=IwAR2wIFoKt5X0Vz-KHR43ewxGOqVfYXfwXeWdbxC4yzHxqIpb8aI1dmDeU0k
https://steamtraen.blogspot.com/2021/07/Some-problems-with-the-data-from-a-Covid-study.html?fbclid=IwAR2RQueyxR_7bxtQUcTdidx9Rx6FqrqZzkWK90Bvd7EdBX0P9vl5omi-uoc
I would rather John Campbell concentrate on vaccination, mask wearing, track and tracing exclusively, until there are legitimate trials done on ivermectin, with supporting data.
That study has ben removed .A dodgy study, done for publish or perish reasons I presume, shouldn't close the subject.And Campbell constantly stresses mask wearing , vaccination etc.
There is plenty of epedemiological data that really should be looked at.But no, we've signed up to molnupiravir before the studies are over, and at huge expense
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300427219/covid19-pharmac-signs-deal-for-experimental-treatment-pill-molnupiravir
The blatant double standard is jaw-dropping. Cheap as chips Ivermectin with a stellar track record of safety over decades and billions of doses is slammed as 'dangerous' – while expensive new drugs with zero long term safety data are embraced as the new saviour.
People are losing their minds.
Can I just post who here is going to watch the vaxathon and lose the other bits is that ok?
Already said Nah
Not a great fan of highly organised and curated fun
Don't know, probably have a look see now and again but my take is that if bumps the vaccine uptake then it is doing its job plus people do have fun with the mad challenges etc.
So yes from me.
Exactly. It's not a "one hand … other hand" issue.
If 90% is eye-rolling and 10% gets some more people vaccinated then it's +10, not 10 minus 90. There is no downside.
(As long as we don't get celebs singing "Imagine" …)
Bloody hell Paddy Gower just said he hoped his pronOUnciation of some Māori word or other was correct. Then he repeated the same mispronunciation as mispronounciation.
The Education Department has a lot to answer for when even our newscasters like Gower are worried about their pronunciation of reo Māori when they are functionally illiterate in English! 😠
That’s enough Vaxathon for me. 7 minutes.
78327 so far.
Then as Patricia says we need to do the second vaccine to give the best immunity.
Thankfully I don't have tv reception.
The TV sits on a cabinet with a lovely picture of Mimiwhangata in front of it.
Re Bomber's rant "the continued death spiral of the National Party. I predict ACT will overtake National during the foolish Hate Speech debate next year." Sooner is likelier. Debating hate speech law ain't foolish, it's pragmatic. The issue has currency. Politicians must engage with prospective legislation.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2021/10/14/new-poll-labour-act-soar/
Martyn's used his nifty diagnostic tool again (mod please adjust size to fit):
" The issue has currency.":
I disagree. The legislation should be ditched and never see the light of day ever again.
Why women's language matters part 63.
https://twitter.com/PeachesJenkins4/status/1449037462341312515?s=20
Why thanks for not yet removing the status of 'people' from women.
Note Sabine, that Ashley Bloomfield for instance, if he really wanted to be inclusive , could have said pregnant men and women.(To include transmen)
But that would have been a step too far for most thinking people.Using the vague and butt saving people fudged the issue .
Most people would have quietly assumed women,as so far nobody's managed to graft a working uterus on to a male body.Female bodies bear children
How about we say
pregnant women and people?
Just how many transman have actually given birth and will give birth? The very vast majority some – my guess – 97.5% of all children born are born to 'women', and the rest would then be born to a TIF – trans identified female.
And i am sure the good Dr. knows that.
Speaking of Erasure, there are also NonBinary, amongst other, people to consider. I personally wouldn't be averse to; Pregnant woman and others, though I do know people who would claim than was literally Othering them (and it's kind of hard to disagree with that). Plus that's without addressing the imminent advent of Biobags (or similar IVF linked external uterine biotech), that is going to be more than slightly controversial!
Language formulations will continue to evolve apace, I don't even try to predict that nowadays. If an utterance can be understood by its intended audience, then it is effective; if it is ambiguous, then it should be changed. But sometimes different audiences need different language to engage them (eg Māori & Pākehā), though it is a weird experience to have to translate English into English (say; New York into Kiwi dialects, or even; cis into trans dialects). Respect for the intended audience seems to be the key to effective communication (though easier said than done).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x34icYC8zA0
I know I've said this before, but 'pregnant people' is the one language change I accept. It has nothing to do with trans (although language change benefits them), and everything to do with being a pregnant 15-year-old who felt that everything about being pregnant was for grown-ups.
As a result I didn't 'find out' I was pregnant for 7 months, when I fainted at work, endangering me and my child (of course I guessed/knew, but had no idea what to do). These 'hidden' pregnancies are not unusual in young teens. Inclusive language may help pregnant kids seek care earlier.
I'm not yet convinced. I've known a number of women who didn't know they were pregnant until a long way in, including a woman who didn't know until she went into labour. Some of those women didn't know because they were young and not in their bodies or didn't understand female reproductive anatomy and physiology. I think being disconnected from women's culture around sex and pregnancy is part of it too.
Rather than removing women's language, I'm in favour of adding in. So if there's a problem for teens, then we need to do public health messaging, services and education specific to them. Likewise trans men and NB females.
We can also go with all those things and just go with 'woman' meaning biological sex, and that includes young women (anyone able to get pregnant), and make sure that we actually provide services and culture for all of those women.
I feel strongly about this for three reasons.
Fair call. But this is my voice …
Calling a young teen a woman is problematic to me. Both in terms of access to care and the ideas society has about what a women is, compared to a girl. What do you call a 14 year-old who is pregnant, a 12 y.o, an 11 y.o? It feels more than vaguely permissive for some males to redefine these girls as women just because they are capable of being impregnated. I’m not just talking about a teen boy partner here. To put it bluntly, as my partner says, ‘you’re giving paedophiles a green card’.
Girls (like I was) aren’t pregnant because everything it hunky dory in their lives. I’m quite sure I’m not unique in how I felt about being alone, isolated and excluded. I think not knowing you’re pregnant is rather different to wilfully denying pregnancy – which is the space I was in. I can only imagine how it would have worked out if I hadn’t been taken to a GP after fainting at 7-months pregnant.
It’s not so much a positive force when you’re young and invalidated. If it’s a positive force, why are girls excluded in the language, which flows on to them feeling excluded in practice?
We can, and indeed should, take the public health steps you describe. But I fully believe language needs to be more inclusive to validate girls’ pregnancies and ensure, especially if they are unable to count on family support for information, they can reach out to health and maternity services.
I don’t believe it’s a lack of knowledge about biological and reproductive functions that is the problem. My experience suggests a lack of care, attention and consideration from adults who should know better is a bigger problem. Maybe the public health messaging (and societal/economic structures) should be at the adult, rather than the adolescent level here. I’ll put my hand up here as well and say I should have known more and done better when my own daughter was a teen.
So maybe we could use (the not so snappy phrasing) ‘pregnant women and girls’, as in Sabine’s comment below – and respect women’s rights and pregnant girl’s rights to be visible too.
* as an aside, one of the most powerful examples of women’s positive, creative forces is this doco on the Fraser High teaching unit for teen mums.
What a difference it would make we could gather at-risks kids in a warm, mentoring hug like this teen teaching unit does, before they’re in difficult situations that lead to hidden teen pregnancies.
Because it is women and girls – irrespective of their own identification that are the ones falling pregnant. No transgirl will face a pregnancy, nor will a transwomen.
This is the same as people with vaginas. Transwomen can have neo vaginas. Transmen can have vaginas. Intersex people can have a vagina. Women and girls have a vagina. But and unless you specify which person with a vagina you are talking too, chances are that Transmen will continue to die of a totally preventable cancer due to not being spoken too. Ditto with non binaries.
Again, our sexed bodies – do not care one bit about our self identification. And if we don't care about appropriate language when speaking abut specific subjects than that can kill, and it has.
We are not pregnant people. We are pregnant women, to whom all of the worlds population has been born , all every single human since the dawn of time.
Maybe the issue really is that we actually don't speak to our young ones in terms that are understandable to them. And that involves clear language about what our bodies can and can not do.
Are transmen so divorced from their bodies they don't realise they have a cervix?I find that hard to believe
Yes, some of them are so removed, and if you are 'trans identified' at a young age and only revered to as he/him why on earth would you think that much of that female biology applies to you? Many do get double radical masectomies and hysterectomies as soon as they can secure funding and are legally allowed to do so. But yes, recently there has been a few articles of transmen complaining that they don't get invites for pap smears- but only 'F' for female get invites, or that have died of cervical cancer because they refused to have pap smears. A young transman also was not diagnosed as pregnant but rather considered 'overweight' because the marker on 'gender/sex' was M.
One can identify as one cares, but one must still accept the basic biological concept of the two sexes and their differences, and their importance in the reproductive cycle.
There are women who don’t know what a cervix is.
Amazing.
Sometimes I wonder if we're heading towards disembodiment , whereby eggs are harvested, inseminated , gene edited, "improved" and grown on in a laboratory.Certain breeding stock will be retained,for their eggs and sperm, but the rest will be sexless semi cyborgs, untroubled by the messy business of sex and human reproduction
i can see this be part of the desired outcome.
Episode 1
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raised_by_Wolves_(Raised_by_Wolves_episode)
Have they considered running for office with the UK Labour party?
Lol. Vastly different kind of not knowing 😈
Georgina Beyer ran in NZ local politics for one term and in central politics for three terms. No drama. Had a lot of fun along the way too.
Don't think she was in any doubt about whether she had a cervix or not
You'd have to ask her. She had plenty to say on patriarchy and more than most did something about it.
She was extremely frank and unapologetic about who she was. She was truly a great advocate for transexuals(her word) , and bloody witty, "I was born a stallion, became a gelding and ended up a mare(mayor)"
A strong person always willing to talk about her experience., and not trying to be anything but herself.
She converted my very conservative mother, who thought a great deal of her
Maybe it was more about her character than her category.
Yes,that's true
She persuaded my mother of her genuineness,her warmth and charm,that such a person was above all a person and not the outlandish deviant my mother may have imagined
Politicians have higher standards these days. Georgina Beyer seemed incapable of generating this kind of viral meme.
https://inews.co.uk/news/david-lammy-police-officer-labour-london-murder-crime-141751
Whatever the equivalent of a meme was in her three terms, Georgina Beyer got a good share of publicity. And generally avoided looking stupid.
I'll never forget when Paul Holmes went into a Carton bar and asked this crusty old guy on a barstool with a long grey beard:
"So do you really want a transsexual as Mayor?", and his reply:
"I do if it's Georgina Beyer."
Sorry, I keep forgetting that online there is always somebody around who doesn't realize there is a joke being made.
Sure, say pregnant women and girls (or pregnant females, but that feels a bit clinical). It wasn't until this discussion that I actually realised how, as a young teen, that more inclusive language would likely have made a difference to me.
Emily Oster is being disingenuous. And we're losing our collective minds with this bs.
how we talk about covid and vaccination matters if we want an effective vaccination rate. Ridicule is not an effective communication strategy.
https://twitter.com/caitoz/status/1449127753907769346
Caitlin is saying it hasn't been approved as a treatment for covid.In the european and anglophone spheres .Which we take the most notice of it seems .Possibly because their cultures more closely resemble ours.
But it has most certainly been approved and used by health authorities in Mexico, Goa, Peru, Uttar Pradesh with good results.More controlled studies are needed, as causality can't be proved by epimediological findings.
Chris Leitch includes this link in his press release (Scoop, Social Credit)
https://covid19criticalcare.com/ivermectin-in-covid-19/epidemiologic-analyses-on-covid19-and-ivermectin
And ivermectin in the doses used by those countries (12mg)has a proven safety record for humans.
When horse paste drowns out the quieter studies being undertaken right now, ivermectin is not getting a fair hearing .Messaging would be better to include, please be patient, we are undertaking studies, please do not resort to the available veterinary invermectin as they are calibrated for large mammals and will do you harm
All the horse paste stuff predisposes people to distrust what may very well turn out to be a useful adjunct to vaccines
Yale School of Medicine guy looks at Invermectin use – concludes we should be kept up to date while ongoing studies continue
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa66Sb4NbaY
Where Ivermectin will help a covid victim is by resolving any underlying parasite infestation they might have. In the countries / states you've listed this is a high likelihood. You could probably put the anti vax / oxycontin parts of US in the same category. Get rid of the worms and the individual is able to devote more resources to fighting the covid infection.
This is how Ivermectin is used in agriculture, either prophylactically to promote greater general health and production, or specifically as a first line treatment to help an ailing animal.
Direct antiviral effect in an otherwise healthy individual however is unlikely.
Since at least 2012 it's anti viral qualities have been recognised
https://encyclopedia.pub/2895
But that's an interesting theory! Could be a double whammer there!
Everything has antiviral properties if you put the concentration up high enough. Those ivermectin tests in petri dishes just demonstrate that principle yet again.
The interesting question is whether a substance has sufficient antiviral properties at low enough concentrations to reduce harms caused by a virus without the substance directly causing undue harms to the organism we're trying to protect, ie us.
Where ivermectin fails is this regard is that 1) because of the way ivermectin is absorbed, it's simply not possible to reach high enough concentrations in a human to actually achieve antiviral properties, and 2) if those extremely high concentrations necessary for antiviral properties were somehow actually achieved, ivermectin would cross the blood-brain barrier and be neurotoxic.
These two facts are the likely explanation why well-designed and conducted clinical trials (eg Lopez-Medina in Colombia, and the TOGETHER trial conducted by McMaster University) have found ivermectin has negligible detected positive effect on actual covid patients. Whereas the trials that claim to have found beneficial effects are at best poorly conducted by highly biased practitioners producing unreliable and unrepeatable results, ranging to probable outright fraud from the likes of Elgazzar in Egypt and Carvallo in Argentina.
In the end, what's needed are well-designed, well-conducted studies producing reliable repeatable results from a reproducible treatment protocol showing substantial improvements over placebo or best standard-of-care. Nobody has yet done that with ivermectin.
Best we don't ridicule the oppositional defiance of morons because we might exacerbate public distrust, eh.
https://twitter.com/nzherald/status/1449163550866362368
Explain to me how ridicule works strategically please.
It doesn't do anything for the nutters who are utterly unpersuadable in any case.
For those on the fence, it might show how ridiculous the unpersuadable nutters actually are, leading the fence-sitters to decide they don't want to end up on the side with the ridiculous nutters.
interesting theory. Do you have any evidence for that?
Only anecdotal, from some former fence-sitters that finally twigged to what a bunch of ridiculous %^&* loons the unpersuadable nutters really are.
You strategise to motivate reasonable people.
These aren't reasonable people. They're bored, selfish nobodies living the same nobody lives the rest of us live, with the wherewithal and nothing better to do to than to travel, gather, and behave like narcissistic toddlers, stamping their feet and yodeling you're not the boss of me!
And then they'll all go home, hop on their devices, log in, stroke themselves and declare that today, they showed da man who's boss!
Because behaving like reasonable people and acting collectively as a community to solve a collective, community problem is what?….too adult, too boring, not satisfying?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqbk9cDX0l0
My fave:
New World is running low on fucks to give currently, but there's a shipment in time for Christmas.
Yeah, nah. The local New Worlds have been locations of interest a few too many times lately for my comfort level.
It can shush people on forums quite effectively.
then what happens to them?
Arrests are more direct.
The democracy project seems to do a line in this. Children of ‘legal nullity’ concerned to teach the about tribal history and the like. They had an ode to the great Pacific historian Michael Bassett awhile back and now giving ACT publicity. The underlying takeaway goes back to the attitude of McCully taking about quizlings in the media: the media should be controlled by us constantly.
What is the current right wing blog/etc. eco-system like? I guess these things are much more fractured than they used to be with FB groups and other social media.
Are there dominant outlets post-00s Slater? Do particularly groups use particular sites?
An advisory panel of FDA unanimously recommended a booster dose of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine
The evidence shows the immunity provided by this vaccine is greater than that of Pfizer.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/10/14/moderna-booster-shot-fda/?utm_campaign=wp_for_you&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_personalizedforyou&utm_content=readinghistory_Carolyn_Y._Johnson__position1
American workers are resigning from jobs because they are facing higher living costs (inflation) and have better options.
And the GOP seems perturbed by people either walking away from hospitality and retail jobs because of poor pay and conditions or striking for better.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/10/15/great-resignation-better-economy/
It's amazing how the message of "if you don't like the job, find a better one or go to college" has suddenly morphed into "entitled millennials"…
Old-timer journo issues comprehensive critique: http://werewolf.co.nz/2021/10/gordon-campbell-on-the-epic-fails-of-kris-faafoi/
Faafoi started well as a minister but seems unable to cope with judgment calls. Dunno if he just follows departmental advice due to fear of using his initiative or he just can't do appropriate decision-making. Seems a contender for reshuffle downwards.
That's a burn!
Covid has protected poorer performers such as Faafoi in a way Twyford, Lees-Galloway, Curran etc didn't enjoy.
Didnt he want to leave parliament at last election but was persuaded to be list only?
Had a phone call today from a delightful young woman who explained she was phoning up folk to check in as to their wellbeing during the pandemic. Were we coping okay etc. She was earnest and sincere and we had a wee chat. Now I am a woman of older years with a few dings and dents picked up along the way and a cynic of some repute but I have to give her due she was a treat.
We chatted about history and the lack of learning from it. The lack of grit and stoicism which is not so fashionable a trait these days. The wars that have a seen enemy and the wars that have an unseen enemy, for example this pesky virus. Finally the lass eased the bible into the conversation which I sort of knew was coming. A God botherer but a sweet one. We chatted on for a bit and then she said to me "what do you think God would be saying to us right now" and I just replied "I think she would be saying "I think its high time you lot got your shit together". She had no answer. We hung up and I wished her well.
I think us older ones are coping about as good as we can be in the circumstances. Times like this its good to have some life history on board and strength of character to not be one of the me me generation. Just my thoughts.
Hope we get a good result today in the vaccine department.
Comment of the day. Good story 😎
Thank you Weka – you have made my day.
Same here
On the afternoon of the big 1987 Edgecumbe shake I rang mum in Ohope.
All sorts of bother with the phones and finally someone answered, but not my mum. Of course I'd fat fingered it and rung the wrong elderly woman.
Turned out the not my mum woman had no power, was on her own and distressed so I thought bugger it, one of the others will ring mum, and we spent the next couple of hours on the phone getting along like a house on fire. I met not my mum and recieved a Christmas card from her every year until she died.
Mum was fine.
Brilliant story Joe90. I was in the school hall in Rotorua and all the glass belled and rippled. After a roll call outside we allowed the chn an early break. I rang my husband who was alarmed as he could not reach his parents in Whakatane 'till much later in the day later in the day. They were fine but friends who lived in Ohope on the hills lost half their house. It was not ever really repaired properly.
The Brian Tamaki crowd are driving round Auckland CBD now. Signs like "Covid response = Crime of the Century", "Say No to Tyranny", etc.
Making enough noise to annoy everyone else, not exactly winning friends. I hope it doesn't turn nasty.
Probably a super spreader event.
And he probably should have alook at how many antivaxer have died from covid.
Bang goes ‘I thought it was legal”
Tamaki has breached his bail conditions and must now be convicted.
It was reasonable for police to stand back in a large crowd and not make him a martyr in a volatile situation, but now there is no excuse. Arrest him at his home.
Did he get arrested after the last one?
Arrested and (rightly) bailed, but with conditions. Main one: don't do it again.
cool, so can they lock him up now?
Vaxathon count 84 000 at 1.21pm. Will be more than 100 000 vaccinations. Tamaki shamiki…
That is great. They are aiming for 100,000. Let's hope we 'over-deliver' on that!
Vaxathon, Nearly 95 000 including 12 500 Maori is going well as some stations close at 3pm ish others 9.30pm ish So great. Final count available 1pm tomorrow (Sun) and perhaps how many first vaxers out of the total.
So no excuses for Waikato and Northland to return to level 2 Tuesday 23:59, and Auckland to move up the steps 3.2 then 3.3 and level 2 in 3 weeks time, or will that be amber under the traffic light system.
They really are optimistic about how the rest of the century is going to go.
Something I am slightly worried about.
I was talking to my sister-in law in England and she was saying every one was having to have booster doses (A third one) and she had just had hers. Apparently after 6 months there.
We are starting to hit 6 months since our more vulnerable were rightfully put first in the queue, but (may just me me missing it) our govt isn't even mentioning booster doses.
Any brainier people than me know which govt is right? As tend to trust the UK one a bit as an overseas opinion
Edit: Sorry. Was only this morning I was talking to her, so may be a new thing
Boosters have been discussed, as the virologists know efficacy wanes, but they have discovered our immune systems still operate at a lower level, and do limit severity Can't think where I saw that…. Stuff?
But if England has decided everyone should have one after 6 months because the first to wear off, surely the govt here should at least be being slightly more vocal about it an prepping if true?
As best as I can make out, the peak of the bell curve of info seems to be that yes, immunity does wane. But not enough to be of concern for the huge majority of fully-vaxxed, at least not within a six-month-ish timeframe. So for that huge majority, six or eight month boosters wouldn't be of value. Maybe later, though, as more data comes in.
For the particularly vulnerable, boosters probably are of value sometime after the six-month timeframe. The particularly vulnerable might be around 15%ish of our population, and would only need one booster shot. So delivering boosters to those that would need them would be a much smaller operation than the current huge effort to double-vax our entire population.
It would probably kinda slide right in with the likely effort to vax our 5 to 11s likely coming towards the end of this year. If it turns out to be needed.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/126322689/covid19-novavax-booster-shot-decision-surprises-experts
Keep up with the game concern guy
I have literally no idea what your point is.
I said my sister in law is saying in England they a trying to get people to get booster dhots after 6 moths and you post some link to nova vax
You are that thick ha?
Apparently yes.
Maybe you could write an actual post explaining your point rather than just a random link and some vague 6 word post that means jack shit to me
I mean what the fuck does this mean?
"Keep up with the game concern guy"
You claimed this government isnt doing anything about boosters , the link shows otherwise,
But you concern is noted
Anyone know if there is a specific charge for people who organise collective breaches of covid orders?
https://twitter.com/wekatweets/status/1449207914762145792
Doubt they will charge them. Maybe Tanaki but it would be pointless
People are routinely charged for breaching bail conditions. Tamaki will be no different.
His bail conditions included that he "not organise or attend any protests in breach of any Covid-19 level requirement", and "not use the internet for the purpose of organising, attending or encouraging non-compliance with the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act 2020".
So he will be charged and then it's up to his lawyers to persuade the judge that what happened didn't actually happen.
Yeah, but they will basically just mini matyrise him to his dim zombie followers.
Can't stop the Bish's bid for 'mini matyrdom' – wonder what sentence he'll get.
More than 400 people convicted for breaching Covid-19 restrictions [5Apr]
The organisers, the freedom and rights coalition have a very carefully worded FAQ section on their website (and I imagine, on their many facebook sites – for each town the protests are to take place) about abiding by covid rules and behaviours on the so-called family picnics. Additionally stating"'Each family is however personally responsible for whether they abide or not."
They also tell people what signs to carry.
The site are easy to find, I'm not inclined to link to this bunch of shites.
I hope it's not enough to avoid prosecution.
they claim 30,000 across the country turned up, 6,000 in Auckland, cf Newshub's 2,000 – either way, clearly breaching covid restrictions.
ok, I'm confused. If people did respect the family picnic rules, is there a problem?
The total number of people at one event would be a problem. I guess the legal arguments will be important.
Seems a bit waste of money given the distances kept and frankly what difference does it make now value
My partner saw one setting up beside the Events Centre in Frankton today with a big 'toot for freedom' banner, said no one was tooting but lots of glares, raised middle fingers and downward thumbs form passing drivers. I went past the spot half an hour later and they had gone.
Rather alarming piece about the price Brits are seemingly willing to pay for the freedom day claptrap being sold by the Tories.
https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/15/why-britons-are-tolerating-sky-high-covid-rates-and-why-this-may-not-last?