Open mike 17/04/2021
Written By:
- Date published:
6:00 am, April 17th, 2021 - 40 comments
Categories: open mike -
Tags:
Open mike is your post.
For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.
The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Step up to the mike …
40 comments on “Open mike 17/04/2021 ”
- Comments are now closed
- Comments are now closed
Recent Comments
- The Gadfly
Opinion polls, as opposed to elections, provide the participants with a chance to give effect to a fleeting impression, rather than a considered judgment. The poll will often reflect something that has caught the eye rather than engaged the brain. An opinion poll, in other words, is likely to reward ...2 hours ago - Bright skies named colour of the year – here’s why there’s so much more to the heavens than b...
Daniel Brown, Nottingham Trent University The colour of 2022 will be “bright skies”, according to paint manufacturer Dulux. This mellow light blue may certainly seem familiar. Depending on where and at what time of the day you look at the sky, you might well expect to catch a glimpse ...4 hours ago - NZ Politics Daily: 28 September 2021
Today’s NZPD testimonial from Karl du Fresne, Journalist, former editor of the Dominion NZ Politics Daily delivers so much information and opinion that it’s like trying to drink from a firehose. You just have to cherry-pick it for whatever’s relevant to you. But because the news media are now so fragmented, it’s ...5 hours ago - SkS Analogy 23 – Ferris Wheel Supply Chain
Large-Scale Ocean Circulation Ferris Wheels are large amusement-park rides that carry us high up to provide an unrivaled view of the surroundings. They do no useful work, and are typically driven by one or more electric motors at the base. Around and around they go in a steady, ceaseless motion. ...19 hours ago - Off-Key.
Not Helpful: It is no small thing when a former leader steps forward to criticise the present leadership’s handling of a national crisis. Far from generating unity, such interventions can only intensify divisions – especially when the former leader concerned hails from the Opposition party. On top of the fears ...20 hours ago - Climate Change: Off to the World Court?
Vanuatu is leading a push to take the issue of climate change to the World Court: Vanuatu will ask the International court of justice for an advisory opinion on the rights of present and future generations to be protected from climate change. [...] Ahead of the summit, Vanuatu will ...22 hours ago - Progress in EuropeThere's a lot of votes in Europe today, and the headline after the German election is that the Swiss have voted overwhelmingly for marriage equality in a referendum: Swiss voters have decided by a clear margin to allow same-sex couples to marry, in a referendum that brings the Alpine ...24 hours ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 27 September 2021Today’s NZPD testimonial from Shamubeel Eaqub, Economist “NZ politics Daily is a great little digest of all the news of the day in one place, including blogs, that provides a wider perspective than just my news subscriptions.” Anyone can sign up to NZPD for free at: https://democracyproject.nz/nz-politics-daily/ Today’s content Govt Covid response, modelling advice ...1 day ago
- 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #39Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, September 19, 2021 through Sat, September 25, 2021 The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: The false promise of massive tree-planting campaigns, Can the economy afford NOT to fight climate change?, Will ...2 days ago
- Maui dolphin declines below 50 individualsThe chances of Maui dolphin avoiding extinction have just got even worse. It was bad enough already, but the latest population estimate shows that there are now fewer than 50 Maui dolphins left in the World. Meanwhile, the Ministry for Primary Industries has just increased the quotas for gillnet and ...2 days ago
- Climate Change: Anatomy of a mistakeAt the beginning of the month, the Emissions Trading Scheme turned into a farce, when the government flooded the market with credits in a failed and wasteful attempt to Keep Carbon Prices Low. This cost us a billion dollars while undermining the fundamental purpose of the ETS. So why did ...3 days ago
- To meet America’s Paris pledge, climate policy Avengers must assembleThis is a re-post from the Citizens' Climate Lobby Blog To meet our share of greenhouse gas emissions cuts as part of the Paris target to limit global warming to well below 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels, the United States has committed to cutting emissions by 50–52% below 2005 levels by 2030. ...4 days ago
- Libertarians, Neoliberals, Ordoliberals and Economists.
Not all neoliberals are the same, as a comparison ranging from Don Giovanni to Geneva School ordoliberals shows. Wellington was lucky to get the Wellington Opera Company’s production of Don Giovanni, especially as it missed the NZ Opera Company’s The Marriage of Figaro because of a lockdown. It was staged ...4 days ago - Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Is the Wage Subsidy still transferring massive wealth to the ri...Over $15 billion has been transferred to businesses by the Government via the Wage Subsidy Scheme since Covid hit in 2020. The scheme has turned out to be effective at both keeping businesses afloat and enriching the already wealthy. Now that the scheme is back in operation, and because it’s ...4 days ago
- Sweden one year on
The response to Covid around the world has been highly politicised. This was evident early on with the hostility towards Sweden for not having mandated lockdowns. In Sweden people were encouraged to work from home if they could, and schools were kept open. As someone on Twitter pointed out: First ...4 days ago - Ideational and ideological in the construction of “isms.”
A lot has been made in recent times about the dark and pernicious side of ideology, particularly its ability to incite hate or dispute obvious fact. In that regard there has been much discussion of political ideologies, particularly national populism such as that practiced by the likes of Viktor Orban, ...4 days ago - NZ Politics Daily: 24 September 2021Today’s NZPD testimonial from Ian Powell, Health commentator, former Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists: “When I was Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists I found NZ Politics Daily a highly valuable tool for quickly identifying articles of relevance and developments in the health and ...4 days ago
- Daily Blog Branded Upper-Middle-Class, Pseudo-Left, Imperialists! Who Knew?4 days ago
- Ian Powell: Reputations in tattersOn 19 May 2021 the Democracy Project published an article by me discussing how a ‘very bureaucratic coup’ was successfully undertaken to undermine the district health board with the strongest leadership engagement culture of the 20 DHBs responsible for the provision of health services from community to hospital in New ...4 days ago
- Graham Adams: Going where the media won’tBehind the coverage of David Seymour’s rise in the polls and Maori Language Week lurk inconvenient truths. Graham Adams argues journalists need to be more even-handed to maintain their credibility. In the hullaballoo that followed Curia’s poll results last week, the media focused mainly on the startling fact that ...4 days ago
- Is This What We Want?Heavy Hands: Over the past few days, the centre of Melbourne has witnessed some of the worst political violence in a generation. Police officers have been hospitalised. Rubber bullets have been fired. Hundreds have been arrested. And all because the state government of Victoria is insisting that all construction workers ...4 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #38, 202189 articles by 535 contributing authors Observations of climate change, effects Rainfall regime trends at annual and monthly scales in Catalonia (NE Spain) and indications of CO2 emissions effects Lana et al. Theoretical and Applied Climatology Open Access pdf 10.1007/s00704-021-03773-z Trends and Variability of North American Cool-Season Extratropical Cyclones: 1979–2019 ...5 days ago
- MBIE’s muppetry on carbon pricesA while ago I snarked on Twitter about how awful MBIE's carbon price modelling is: in their Energy in New Zealand 2020 report, they made the following assumption: Apart from the Environmental scenario, carbon prices are assumed to increase from NZD$25 per tonne of carbon dioxide in 2019 to ...5 days ago
- Climate Change: Why are we ignoring nitrogen fertiliser?Synthetic nitrogen fertiliser is a significant source of greenhouse gas emisisons. According to Emissions Tracker, it was responsible for 1.4 million tons of direct CO2-equivalent emissions in 2019, plus an unspecified amount of indirect emissions due to enabling dairy intensification. This is big enough to matter, and you'd expect there ...5 days ago
- DrawnA ballot for seven Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Protection of Journalists’ Sources Bill (Louisa Wall) Plain Language Bill (Rachel Boyack) Public Finance (Prohibition on Providing Public Funds to Gangs) Amendment Bill (Simeon Brown) Improving Arrangements for Surrogacy Bill ...5 days ago
- Hi-Viz Vengeance On Melbourne’s Streets.Fuck The Jab! Are all these protesting Melbourne construction workers right? No, of course not. Covid-19 is not a figment of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ imagination. Nor can one help speculating, just a little, that mixed-in with all this working-class fury there might also be a pretty large dose of ...5 days ago
- Pinpointing the role of climate change in every storm is impossible – and a luxury most countries ...Friederike Otto, University of Oxford and Luke Harrington, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Tropical Storm Ida recently left a path of devastation across the US, capping a summer beset by wildfires, heatwaves and floods which broke records around the world. The inevitable question after each of ...5 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 23 September 2021Today’s NZPD testimonial from Heather Roy, Commentator, former Parliamentarian and Minister “As a political commentator I find the ‘NZ Politics Daily” email extremely useful. It is great having links to up to date topical political issues listed in one place and I’m particularly grateful for the inclusion of blog posts, many ...5 days ago
- The Cost of “Living With The Virus”
I noted in my previous post that the New Zealand media is eagerly pushing the notion that Elimination Has Failed, and that we need to re-open because the Virus is Inevitable. Luke Malpass – the chappie I criticised there – is actually one of the tamer examples. The likes ...6 days ago - Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Why Australia’s nuclear-sub defence plans are unpopular in NZNew Zealand was said to have been sidelined when the trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States was announced a week ago. But very quickly the “Aukus” pact has taken on an unpopularity in this country, with a consensus forming that New Zealand is best ...6 days ago
- Thinking is Power: Don't be fooled… fact check!This is a re-post from the Thinking is Power website maintained by Melanie Trecek-King where she regularly writes about many aspects of critical thinking in an effort to provide accessible and engaging critical thinking information to the general public. Please see this overview to find links to other reposts from Thinking is Power. Post ...6 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: What happened to the dream of a peaceful nuclear-free Pacific?Plans by Anglophone countries to ramp up militarisation in the Asia Pacific region have been welcomed by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. But Bryce Edwards argues that what’s actually needed is strong condemnation of this dangerous drive to war and instability. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is ...6 days ago
- Equality under the law?Twelve days ago New Zealand was shocked to learn that a rich Auckland couple had abused "essential worker" paperwork to break lockdown and fly down to Wanaka for a holiday. But despite multiple criminal offences apparently being committed, they still haven't been charged: At least 20 people have been ...6 days ago
- Member’s DayToday is a Member's Day, and due to the postponement of a lot of business, it consists entirely of first readings. First up is Ricardo Menéndez March's Human Rights (Disability Assist Dogs Non-Discrimination) Amendment Bill, which should easily go to committee. Second is Mark Cameron's Resource Management (Regional Responsibility for ...6 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 22 September 2021Today’s NZPD testimonial from Bernard Hickey, Journalist and commentator “NZ Politics Daily is so useful I think Bryce and his team should charge for it! But it’s great it’s available for all and I hope it gets the financial support it needs. A real-time experiment in whether there is enough of ...6 days ago
- Outdated Views? Andrea Vance On Sean Plunket.Re-Platforming: In the eyes of senior Stuff journalist, Andrea Vance, Sean Plunket’s “dalliances with controversy make it easy to paint him as a two-dimensional character: a right-wing, shock-jock with outdated views on privilege and race.” Dear me! The scorn dripping from those words could fill a large spittoon! Regardless, Plunket’s new ...6 days ago
- Book Review: Saving Us by Katharine HayhoeIn late 2013, my mother went into a hospice for the final time. Her illness had reached a stage where little more could be done. I had to face the fact that she was going to die, and soon, when for the preceding few years of palliative care, there was ...7 days ago
- Legal Beagle: Not too late to make the Counter Terrorism Legislation Bill clearer
The Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill was back from Select Committee last week, and got its second reading today.My submission on the original bill is here. As I often am, I was more reticitent in pushing back that other submitters, largely focussed on asking the Justice Committee to assure itself the new ...7 days ago - Don’t plan on orderly transitionsThe nature, scale, and pace of change is central to futures work. But usually more attention is given to identifying what’s happening rather than what needs to happen. Are we living in fast times? Many futures studies focus on how fast the world is changing now. Partly that seems ...7 days ago
- The Siren Song of Negativity: Luke Malpass on EliminationI must say, I was a bit surprised at the New Zealand Government’s decision to shift Auckland out of Level 4 to Level 3. There are still around 20 daily Delta cases in Auckland (14 today) – a fraction of the earlier peak, but a seriously stubborn tail-end of ...7 days ago
- Why you shouldn’t make a habit of doing a ‘just in case’ wee — and don’t tell your kids to...Jennifer King, University of Sydney We’ve all done a quick “just in case” wee before heading out or because we’re passing the bathroom. If you’re a parent, you might have also told the kids to “do a wee now so we don’t have to find a toilet later.” Doing ...7 days ago
- Let them voteA side effect of the pandemic and resulting closed borders: tens of thousands of overseas kiwis could lose the right to vote: Currently, New Zealanders who are overseas must have visited the country once within the last three years to be allowed to vote - or once in the ...7 days ago
- AUKUS has consequencesLast week Australia announced a new security deal with the UK and US which would see it abandon its plans to buy conventional submarines from France and instead acquire nuclear-powered submarines from one of its new partners. France is pretty pissed about this - they were completely blindsided, and the ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily – 21 September 2021Today’s NZPD testimonial from Ros Rice, Executive Officer Community Networks Aotearoa “Community Networks Aotearoa has been subscribed to NZ Politics Daily for some time now, and it is one of the most regularly read items in the office. It enables us to instantly get feedback on media views on topics of the ...1 week ago
- Can the economy afford NOT to fight climate change?This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Those opposing a fast transition to renewable energy and other aggressive action to fight catastrophic climate change often argue that the economic costs would be too great. Now, with the proliferation of extreme hurricanes, droughts, floods, wildfires, and other disasters linked to a ...1 week ago
- Rest of New Zealand won’t move to Level 1 until threat of Christmas in the Park has passed
Christmas in the Park is a seasonal affliction, but can be particularly tricky to wipe out due to its unpredictable timing, usually occurring at a completely different time to Christmas. While Auckland prepares to move to Alert Level 3 on Wednesday, New Zealanders in the fun part of the country ...1 week ago - Expropriate the house hoardersNorth & South has an in-depth piece on the origins of the housing crisis, and like so much else wrong with Aotearoa, the blame can be laid firmly at the feet of the NeoLiberal regimes of the 80's and 90's, who sold state houses, slashed benefits while imposing market rents, ...1 week ago
- A Coalition Of The Waning.The Sunset Of Anglo-Saxon Imperialism: To join this “Coalition of the Waning”: this AUKUS pact composed of the three military aggressors of the Iraq War; would not only be folly – it would be criminal folly.THE FORMATION OF AUKUS, the new military pact linking Australia, the United Kingdom and the ...1 week ago
- “No Debate!” Means No Democracy.To The Lamp-Post With Them! Revolutionaries, along with the counter-revolutionaries they inevitably call into existence, are not disposed to engage in rational political discussion with their opponents. Their objective is not to change minds, but to crush bodies. Tragically, those who rule out the possibility of debate, almost always end ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 20 September 2021Today’s NZPD testimonial from Hamish Rutherford, Journalist, New Zealand Herald “I find the NZ Daily Politics an important part of my morning, allowing me to scan and access a wide variety of the material published in New Zealand over the previous 24 hours. It often draws my attention to work I would ...1 week ago
- Covax misses its 2021 delivery target – what’s gone wrong in the fight against vaccine nationali...Rory Horner, University of Manchester The latest supply forecast for Covax – the programme for sharing COVID-19 vaccines around the world – suggests that accelerating vaccination in low-income countries looks unlikely. Covax estimates it will have distributed 1.425 billion vaccine doses by the end of 2021, significantly less than ...1 week ago
- Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand could be the big winner of Aukus falloutInternational analyst Geoffrey Miller considers the implications for New Zealand of the new Aukus partnership China’s level of anger at the new Aukus defence pact between Australia, the UK and the US was only to be expected. France’s was not. And Paris’s dramatic recall of its ambassadors to Canberra and ...1 week ago
- 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #38Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, September 12, 2021 through Sat, September 18, 2021 The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: Do high levels of CO2 in the past contradict the warming effect of CO2?, What would it ...1 week ago
- One thousand dead New Zealanders per year?
. . . . . References RNZ: Covid-19 debate – When should New Zealand open up its borders? Worldometer: Coronavirus Cases – United States RNZ: US hospitals ration care amid shortages and Covid-19 surge Reuters: Some U.S. hospitals forced to ration care amid staffing shortages, COVID-19 surge NPR: A COVID ...1 week ago - 1pm health update for Saturday, September 18 2021The following is a summary of today’s 1pm health update from the Ministry of Health Today there are 20 new cases of Covid-19 to report in the community, and 6 new cases of the Ebola virus. Please do not concern yourself with the Ebola; this will probably be fine. Of ...1 week ago
- Reading the Covid Tea-Leaves: 18th September
This past month’s blogging has really turned into an extended rant on the subject of the Coronavirus (primarily because I still haven’t got my hands on The Nature of Middle-earth, and there’s little update on the Amazon series). Auckland is still on Level 4, of course, and the rest ...1 week ago - Experts warn exclusion from AUSUK pact could see New Zealand miss out on future catastrophic warsPICTURED: US President Joe Biden deep in thought as he searches his brain for any memory of the person on screen. New Zealand’s exclusion from a tripartite security pact between the United States, Australia and the UK may not come as a surprise to many kiwis, but experts warn that ...2 weeks ago
- Big Challenges for the Government
A short review of the policy issues that Labour is facing and the ministers undertaking them. There is a sense that there are two major issues facing any government. One is policy management and the other is political management – not just of policies. As a result New Zealand’s political ...2 weeks ago - Seymour and CollinsThe Herald continues to hitch its wagon to David Seymour’s coat-tails. They don’t seem to realise that Seymour is almost entirely an (inadvertent) creation of Judith Collins. If it weren’t for the fact that Collins is performing so badly as National leader, Seymour would not be noticed. For those interested ...2 weeks ago
- Keep New Zealand Nuclear-Free – Stay Out of AUKUS!2 weeks ago
- Making the Most of MasksDr Nitasha Rimar, Dr Lucy Telfar Barnard, Dr Amanda Kvalsvig, Lesley Gray, Prof Michael Baker Masks and vaccination have a central role in minimising the health and economic impact of COVID-19, regardless of the long-term strategy we use against the pandemic. These interventions depend on both good performance and high ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 17 September 2021Today’s NZPD testimonial from Simon Bridges, Parliamentarian “NZ Politics Daily is an essential news service for me, enabling me to cut through the constant noise and quickly see what’s going on. Dr Bryce Edwards and NZ politics Daily are a big public good, keeping kiwis, even politicians, better informed.” Anyone can ...2 weeks ago
- The 'team of five million' isn't all of us. Are we doing enough for the others?
The “team of five million” has become a well-worn but still powerful call to arms in the past 18 months as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield have tried to rally a sense of national unity in the fight to save lives in this Covid-19 pandemic. ...2 weeks ago - Covid outreach disaster as online poll sees vaccination bus named ‘the murder wagon’Ashley Bloomfield says he doesn’t want those hesitant about getting the vaccine to “be distracted” by the fact they come out of the murder wagon. The Government is dealing with a Covid outreach debacle today, after the decision to put the naming of New Zealand’s vaccination bus service to a ...2 weeks ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #37, 2021Go with real guilt, or imaginatively hide? This week's New Research includes a couple of interesting papers exploring the confused, noisy marketplace of ideas, volitions and impulses we call "the human mind," in connection with thinking about climate change and our responsibility for causing harm and remedy. We're all (surely?) ...2 weeks ago
- Overlooked and undervalued, New Zealand’s community caregivers have become the ‘invisible’ ess...Katherine Ravenswood, Auckland University of Technology; Amber Nicholson, Auckland University of Technology, and Fiona Hurd, Auckland University of Technology As Auckland enters its fifth week in level 4 lockdown and the rest of New Zealand stays at level 2, spare a thought for the nation’s invisible network of essential ...2 weeks ago
- Gesta Gertrudis: Volume IV
Time for another Gertrude update. Alas, due to personal issues involving the DM, this will be the last update from this campaign for some time. Until then, Gertrude shall be put on ice. Since Dunedin is no longer in lockdown, both these sessions were in-person. Session Seven/Sixty-Three Technically, ...2 weeks ago - Samoa’s opposition should be sworn inOn Monday, in response to a refusal by HRPP MPs to accept the proper process for being sworn in, Samoa's speaker banned them from parliament. Because they'd also called for a mob, he took the unprecedented step of banning the public too. These decisions were reasonable at the time. MPs ...2 weeks ago
- Racist from top to bottomBack in 2019, the government tweaked drug laws to encourage the use of police discretion. So did it work? well, charges are down, but the burden of prosecution is falling even more disproportionately on Māori: A 2019 change to drug laws has led to far fewer people being charged ...2 weeks ago
- Pattern recognitionGovernment defers introducing tougher winter grazing rules - again, RNZ, 26 August 2021: The government has pushed intensive winter grazing rules back by another six months. Intensive winter grazing is when livestock are feed fodder crops - when done poorly it can create a muddy mess leading to animal ...2 weeks ago
- Climate Change: An excuse, not a justificationYesterday the government announced plans to delay its key Emissions Reduction Plan - currently due by law by 31 December - until next year. Its "justification"? Shaw said consultations on the plan would begin in early October. "It is only right to make sure everyone has the chance to ...2 weeks ago
- Bringing woolly mammoths back from extinction might not be such a bad idea — ethicists explainJulian Koplin, The University of Melbourne and Christopher Gyngell, The University of Melbourne US startup Colossal Biosciences has announced plans to bring woolly mammoths, or animals like them, back from extinction and into the frosty landscape of the Siberian tundra. Colossal has received US$15 million in initial funds to ...2 weeks ago
- Lessons learned from a remote blood pressure lowering trial in AotearoaHelen Eyles, Jacqui Grey, Elaine Umali, Cliona Ni Mhurchu Technologies such as smartphone apps, Wi-Fi-enabled data collection devices, and web-based data management systems offer the opportunity to deliver and assess the impact of clinical trials remotely, something which researchers are becoming increasingly drawn to. However, there are drawbacks, and even ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 16 September 2021Today’s NZPD testimonial from Chris Trotter, Political commentator: “NZ Politics Daily has become an invaluable resource for all those who practice, study and/or write about politics in New Zealand. So much so that I can’t remember how I ever did without it.” Anyone can sign up to NZPD for free at: https://democracyproject.nz/nz-politics-daily/ Today’s ...2 weeks ago
- Josh Van Veen: The Ghost of lockdowns PastJudith Collins may have led the New Zealand National Party to a catastrophic defeat in 2020. But the election result was not of her making. The real turning point for National came twelve weeks before Collins’ elevation to the leadership. In those days the Opposition could still boast of having ...2 weeks ago
- Government should cover all birth injuries and trauma
The Green Party says expanding coverage for birth injuries is a step in the right direction, but much more still needs to be done to ensure ACC is a person-centred organisation that provides comprehensive support for all birth injuries and birth trauma. ...8 hours ago - 5 reasons to get vaccinated
You’ve probably heard a lot about the COVID-19 vaccine lately – and you might be wondering what the big deal is, or why you should bother getting vaccinated. If that’s the case, here are five reasons to roll up your sleeves. ...4 days ago - Kiwis overseas must be allowed to vote next yearNew Zealanders stranded overseas should be allowed to vote in next year’s local government elections and the 2023 general election, the Green Party said today. ...6 days ago
- Disability-assist dog Bill to have first reading todayAfter being delayed due to lockdown, Ricardo Menéndez March’s Members Bill to ensure that disabled New Zealanders do not face discrimination for having a disability assist dog will have its first reading in Parliament today. ...6 days ago
- Auckland Central MP calls for Government funding to revive the St James Theatre, launches open lette...Green Party MP for Auckland Central, Chlöe Swarbrick, is launching an open letter to the Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Hon Kiritapu Allan, asking for the Government to match the Auckland Council’s contribution of $15 million to revive the St James Theatre. ...7 days ago
- Open letter calling for ACC to cover all birth injuries and trauma reaches 10,000 signaturesIn less than 12 hours, more than 10,000 people have signed on the Green Party’s open letter asking for ACC to cover all birth injuries and trauma. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for all birth injuries to be covered by ACC, launch open letterThe Green Party is launching an open letter to the Minister for ACC asking for all birth injuries and trauma to be covered, and the letter has strong support from the sector. ...2 weeks ago
- Our mihi to the ways te reo Māori can unite and inspire through COVIDKia ora e te whānau, and happy Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori! Yes, it’s Māori Language Week. And even though we’ll be celebrating a little differently this year as we work to stamp out mate korona, there are still plenty of opportunities to embrace this taonga and advance our ...2 weeks ago
- Alert Level 2: Everything you need to knowStamping out COVID-19 isn’t easy, but together, we are stronger than the virus. We’ve made good progress, but the job still isn’t done. We need to stay vigilant to stop the spread. Here’s where you can find the essential information you need to stay safe at Alert Level 2. ...3 weeks ago
- Greens call for immediate student support, launches petitionGreen Party Tertiary Education Spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick has launched a petition calling for immediate, meaningful support for students, saying the Government’s announced boost to the student hardship funds doesn’t go far enough. ...3 weeks ago
- Details of interest deductibility rules released
The Government has released the draft legislation outlining the details of the policy limiting the deductibility of interest costs on residential property investments. Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the interest limitation proposals, announced in March, aim to stem investor demand for existing residential properties. They do not affect the main ...2 hours ago - GPS sets long-term direction for housing, urban developmentThe Government has today laid out its long-term vision for housing and urban development in Aotearoa New Zealand, ensuring we have the infrastructure and homes needed to nurture thriving communities in the decades to come. The Housing Minister Megan Woods says the Government Policy Statement on Housing and Urban Development (GPS-HUD) ...2 hours ago
- Government welcomes collaboration between Vector and XA move by Vector to form a strategic collaboration with X, (formerly Google X) to work together on the virtualisation of the Auckland electricity grid highlights the type of innovation that can help decarbonise and decentralise the electricity system, says Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods. “The visualisation of New ...4 hours ago
- PM farewells Governor General Dame Patsy ReddyThe Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy completes her five year term as Governor-General of New Zealand today. “Today marks the end of an eventful term of office for Dame Patsy and I want to acknowledge and thank her for her tireless service to New Zealand over the last five years,” ...5 hours ago
- Government delivers on improving health and equity outcomes for womenACC cover for maternal childbirth injuries Government working to improve and strengthen maternity services The Government is laying the foundations for a better future by improving equity and health outcomes for women through amending ACC legislation and an updated Maternity Action Plan. “Amongst a suite of changes, we’re proposing to ...6 hours ago
- Backing world-class innovation in New Zealand$12 million Government investment to support cutting-edge R&D in New Zealand by international businesses Dawn Aerospace and Merlin Labs join Innovative Partnership’s Airspace Integration Trials programme MOU signed with Air New Zealand to conduct a nationwide feasibility study into sustainable aviation fuels The Government is propelling cutting-edge innovation through a ...19 hours ago
- One-way quarantine free travel dates confirmed for RSE schemeFrom 4 October RSE workers from Vanuatu can begin arriving into New Zealand From 12 October RSE workers Samoa and Tonga from can begin arriving into New Zealand As part of a programme of work to reopen our borders and reconnect with the world, the Government has announced quarantine free ...20 hours ago
- More community grants to support youth mental wellbeingThe Government continues to make more mental health and wellbeing supports available to young people to ensure services are there when and where they need them, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “More than twenty community-led projects have now received a funding boost through The Youth Mental Wellbeing Fund to keep ...21 hours ago
- Self-isolation pilot to start with 150 peopleThe goal of safely re-opening our borders and developing new ways for people to travel will start with a self-isolation pilot, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. “As part of the Reconnecting New Zealanders plan announced in August, the self-isolation pilot will look at self-isolation for vaccinated travellers who ...21 hours ago
- Poroporoaki: Waka Joseph NathanE Waka e, kei hea ra koe, kua ngaro nei i te iwi e, E kawe nei i ngā rongo, i ngā mahara mōu, i ngā wawata i hua mai i a koe. E Waka e, haere ra, kei te tuahu koe o te ati a toa, Kei poho tonu ...22 hours ago
- Canterbury school students get hands-on with food and fibre careersSecondary school students in Canterbury will have the breadth of food and fibre careers showcased to them thanks to a new initiative launched today, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said. Secondary School Employer Partnerships (SSEP) Canterbury is a collaboration between the Ministry for Primary Industries and SmartNZ, a charitable trust that connects ...24 hours ago
- Tuvalu language revival and COVID-19Te Vaiaso o te Gana Tuvalu 2021 - Tuvalu Language Week moves online due to the uncertainty around COVID-19 said the Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio. “However it is a timely reminder of the power of embracing both traditional and new ways of doing things. It has been ...2 days ago
- Strengthened reporting will improve abortion and sterilisation servicesAssociate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall has announced new data and reporting regulations which will help improve abortion and sterilisation services in New Zealand, by painting a clearer picture of the need in our communities. “The Government is committed to ensuring everyone who needs to access abortion services can, ...3 days ago
- United Nations General Assembly: 76th General Debate StatementE ngā Mana, e ngā Reo, Rau Rangatira mā o tēnei Whare Nui o te Ao Prestigious people, Speakers of note, Chiefs one and all of this General Assembly Ngā mihi mahana ki o koutou katoa, mai i toku Whenua o Aotearoa Warm greetings to you all from my home ...3 days ago
- APEC 2021 Women and the Economy Forum prioritises women’s economic empowermentMinister for Women Jan Tinetti today chaired the virtual APEC 2021 Women and the Economy Forum, which is working to address outstanding issues for women and girls across the region as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. The forum brought together Ministers and representatives from 21 economies to discuss gender ...3 days ago
- Government invests in restoring iconic South Canterbury river valleysThe Government is investing up to $18.4 million over four years to create jobs and help restore braided river valleys, alpine and pastoral lands in the South Island as part of its Jobs for Nature programme Land Information Minister, Damien O’Connor announced. Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) ...4 days ago
- Upper Hauraki to move to Alert Level 2Upper Hauraki will move to Alert Level 2 from 11:59pm tomorrow, 25 September, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. After positive cases were detected in the Upper Hauraki area on Sunday, extra Alert Level restrictions were put in place to immediately prevent any wider transmission of the virus. “We’ve ...4 days ago
- Report into Aotearoa New Zealand’s export controls system releasedForeign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta today welcomed the findings of an independent review into Aotearoa New Zealand’s export controls system, which regulates the export of goods to foreign militaries, police forces or paramilitaries. Produced by David Smol, a former Chief Executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the ...4 days ago
- New District Court Judge appointedAttorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Brett Crowley of Wellington as a District Court Judge. He is currently the Wellington Public Defender and started his career as a staff solicitor working in a range of litigation including criminal defence work. He went to the bar in 1999 specialising ...4 days ago
- Mental health stocktake shows strong progressThe first report of the Government’s Implementation Unit has found strong progress has been made since the Mental Health and Addictions Package was announced in 2019. “The report notes most initiatives funded in the Budget 2019 package are on track to deliver what is expected by 2023/24,” Grant Robertson said. ...4 days ago
- Working together to grow the West CoastA project that has been crucial in allowing businesses to continue during the tourism downturn is among a number of initiatives to receive a boost from the Government’s Jobs For Nature programme, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. Sustaining South Westland is an extension of an initiative set up last year ...4 days ago
- Next steps to improve safety in wake of Whakaari White Island tragedyThe Government is moving to improve safety in light of the Whakaari White Island tragedy and has released proposals to reinforce safety standards in registered adventure activities. The package of proposals includes: Strengthening requirements for how operators, landowners and the regulator manage natural hazard risks Improving how risks are monitored, ...4 days ago
- New Zealand donates more COVID-19 vaccines to COVAX and the PacificForeign Affairs Minister Hon Nanaia Mahuta and Associate Health Minister Aupito William Sio announced today that New Zealand is donating additional Pfizer vaccines to the Pacific and AstraZeneca vaccines to the COVAX Facility, to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. “New Zealand is donating 708,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine ...4 days ago
- Speech to the Property Council of New ZealandKia ora koutou katoa Is it a pleasure to be able to speak with you today, and to be able to answer some questions you may have. I would like to acknowledge the organisers of this event, the Property Council. The theme of this year’s conference is City Shapers. Together ...5 days ago
- Additional MIQ for ChristchurchAn additional hotel will be added to our network of managed isolation and quarantine facilities, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “I have approved and Cabinet is in the final stages of signing off The Quality Hotel Elms in Christchurch as a new managed isolation facility,” Chris Hipkins said. ...5 days ago
- NZ COVID-19 response earns another major digital investmentMinister for the Digital Economy and Communications Dr David Clark welcomes Amazon’s Web Services’ (AWS) decision to establish a Cloud Region on New Zealand shores, further boosting New Zealand’s growing digital sector, and providing a vote of confidence in the direction of New Zealand’s economic recovery. “Amazon is the second ...5 days ago
- New Zealand invests in cutting edge cancer R&DScaling up the manufacture of CAR T-cell cancer therapy for clinical trials Advancing New Zealand’s biomedical manufacturing capability Supporting future international scientific collaborations Transforming cancer care with targeted, affordable solutions Research, Science and Innovation Minister Hon Dr Megan Woods has announced that the fight against COVID-19 will not stop the ...5 days ago
- Expert group appointed to lead New Zealand’s future health systemAn outstanding group of people with extensive and wide-ranging governance and health experience have been appointed to lead the Māori Health Authority and Health New Zealand, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “This Government is building a truly national health system to provide consistent, high-quality health services right across the country. This ...5 days ago
- Funding to help clean up contaminated sitesThe Government is supporting the clean-up of contaminated sites in Northland, Dunedin and Southland to reduce risk to people’s health and protect the environment. Environment Minister David Parker said the funding announced today, through the Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund, will help us turn previously hazardous sites into safe, usable public ...5 days ago
- Predator Free apprenticeships open up new job opportunitiesThe expansion of a predator free apprenticeship programme is an opportunity for more people to kick-start a conservation career, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “The Predator Free Apprenticeship Programme is focused on increasing the number of skilled predator control operators in New Zealand through a two-year training programme. “The Trust ...6 days ago
- Further NCEA support confirmed for Auckland studentsThe number of Learning Recognition Credits for senior secondary school students will be increased for Auckland students, Education Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. This recognises the extended time these students will spend in Alert Levels 3 and 4. “It means students in Auckland will have a fair opportunity to attain ...6 days ago
- Long-term pathway next step to better mental wellbeing for New ZealandersThe Government is taking a new approach to support people who experience mental distress, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “Kia Manawanui Aotearoa – Long-term pathway to mental wellbeing (Kia Manawanui) is the first 10-year plan of its kind that targets the cause of mental distress and also sets out how ...6 days ago
- Keeping our Police safe to keep our communities safeThe Government is committed to keeping our frontline police officers safe, so they in turn can keep New Zealanders safe – with one of the largest investments in frontline safety announced by Police Minister Poto Williams at the Police College today. The $45 million investment includes $15.496 million in ...6 days ago
- Clean Vehicles Bill passes first checkpointThe Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill will help New Zealand drive down transport emissions by cleaning up the light vehicle fleet, Transport Minister Michael Wood says. The Bill passed its first reading today and will establish the legislative framework for key parts of the Government’s Clean Car Package, including ...7 days ago
- Funding boost supports ongoing Māori COVID-19 responseThe Government is responding to the need by whānau Māori and Māori Health providers to support their ongoing work responding to COVID-19 and to continue increasing rates of Māori vaccination, Associate Minister for Health (Māori Health), Peeni Henare and Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson announced today. This increased ...7 days ago
- Significant increase to COVID-19 penaltiesPenalties for breaches of COVID-19 orders are set to significantly increase from early November 2021 to better reflect the seriousness of any behaviour that threatens New Zealand’s response to the virus, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “Throughout this Delta outbreak we’ve seen the overwhelming majority of people doing ...7 days ago
- Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill returns to ParliamentThe Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill has returned to Parliament for its second reading in an important step towards giving enforcement agencies greater power to protect New Zealanders from terrorist activity. “The Bill addresses longstanding gaps in our counter terrorism legislation that seek to protect New Zealanders and make us safer,” Justice ...1 week ago
- Joint Statement: New Zealand and Australian Trade MinistersHon Damien O'Connor MP, New Zealand Minister for Trade and Export Growth, and Hon Dan Tehan MP, Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, met virtually on Monday 20 September to advance trans-Tasman cooperation under the Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement (CER). CER is one of the most ...1 week ago
- Prime Minister’s Post Cabinet Press Conference/COVID-19 Update opening statement***Please check against delivery*** E te tī, e te tā, nau mai rā [To all, I bid you welcome] As you will have seen earlier, today there are 22 new community cases to report; three of which are in Whakatiwai in the Hauraki area, and the remainder in ...1 week ago
- Major milestones for Māori COVID-19 vaccine rollout as new campaign launchesWhānau Ora and Associate Health (Māori Health) Minister Peeni Henare acknowledges two major milestones in the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination programme for Māori. “I am very pleased to announce more than 50 percent of eligible Māori have received their first dose and 25 per cent are now fully vaccinated,” ...1 week ago
- Watch live: Jacinda Ardern and Ashley Bloomfield give an update on the Delta outbreak
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield are giving a briefing on the Delta outbreak. ...38 mins ago - Child Poverty Action Group Welcomes Moves To Cover Birth Injuries Under ACC
The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) welcomes the announcement by ACC Minister Carmel Sepuloni that some birth injuries to the mother will be covered under ACC scheme. CPAG says this announcement is an important first step towards wider reform ...1 hour ago - Online Handover: Killer Robots Petition To ParliamentDue to lockdown restrictions, the event to hand over the Aotearoa New Zealand Campaign to Stop Killer Robots' petition to parliament to the Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control, Phil Twyford, on Wednesday 29 September will be held online from 1pm ...1 hour ago
- Lower the drawbridge – the PM is planning to bust out of the NZ bubble to talk trade (among other ...
PM Jacinda Ardern is planning a major visit to Europe next month. Details have yet to be announced but she is expected to visit Paris, Brussels and possibly Berlin. She is heading NZ’s campaign to secure a free trade agreement with the European Union. First visit is likely to be ...2 hours ago - Government Must Rule Out Water Royalties As Official Three Waters Campaign LaunchedThe New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is calling on Nanaia Mahuta to rule out the introduction of water royalties by the four super water entities proposed by her Three Waters reforms. This comes as the Union launches a new briefing paper , submission tool ...2 hours ago
- Use Your Right To Know: Chief OmbudsmanChief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says it is alarming that awareness of the Official Information Act and Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act has declined for the second year in a row. Today is International Right to Know Day, and Mr Boshier ...3 hours ago
- New Deputy Chief Censor AppointedThe Classification Office is pleased to announce the appointment of Rupert Ablett-Hampson to the position of Deputy Chief Censor. Mr Ablett-Hampson is appointed for a three year term, replacing Jared Mullen who left the Office in May 2020. “Rupert brings ...3 hours ago
- It’s official: RuPaul’s Drag Race UK is the best of the franchise
As Drag Race UK returns for another year, Sam Brooks reflects on how the Brits bring some much-needed brashness to the franchise. RuPaul’s Drag Race is one of the most important reality show franchises in the world. It’s a platform not just for the art of drag, but for queer voices, ...3 hours ago - Keith Rankin Analysis – Vaccination Rates and the Population Denominator
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin. We are learning that, in the absence of high levels of natural immunity to Covid19, New Zealand will need extremely high vaccination rates before it can repudiate its growing ‘hermit kingdom’ status. (It is important to note that the expression ‘hermit kingdom’ dates to ...3 hours ago - Save The Children Launch Child Rights Education Programme To Empower Kiwi KidsSave the Children is today launching a new education programme for schools that aims to teach Kiwi kids about their rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The free online programme has been developed by educators at Save the ...4 hours ago
- ACT proposes abandoning 'eradication' strategyACT leader David Seymour says the government's Covid-19 strategy is no longer viable, and is calling for an end to regional lockdowns. ...4 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – September 28 2021Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. You can sign up to NZ Politics Daily as well as New Zealand Political Roundup columns for free here. Today’s content 1 News Colmar Brunton poll, Parliament 1 ...4 hours ago
- Meet the prehistoric eagle that ruled Australian forests 25 million years agoSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trevor H. Worthy, Associate Professor, Vertebrate Palaeontology Group, Flinders University Jacob Blokland/Flinders University, Author provided The parched deserts of the South Australian outback were once a rainforest filled with a rich variety of birds and animals. Now, thanks to a ...4 hours ago
- Rapid antigen tests have long been used overseas to detect COVID. Here’s what Australia can learnSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Kinsella, Honorary Clinical Fellow, Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity Shutterstock Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt wants COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to be available for home use as soon ...4 hours ago
- Emotional vaccine: 3 ways we can move from ‘languishing’ to ‘flourishing’ in these testing t...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dougal Sutherland, Clinical Psychologist, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Shutterstock/Maksim Shmeljov If you’re feeling uninspired, stagnant and joyless, you’re not alone. A sense of languishing is one of the dominant emotions of 2021 as we navigate life ...4 hours ago
- Celebrating K’gari: why the renaming of Fraser Island is about so much more than a nameSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rose Barrowcliffe, Doctoral Candidate, University of the Sunshine Coast On the 19th of September, Butchulla dancers and community representatives came together at Kingfisher Bay Resort to celebrate the renaming of Fraser Island to the K’gari (Fraser Island) World Heritage Area. The ...4 hours ago
- The hydropower industry is talking the talk. But fine words won’t save our last wild riversSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jamie Pittock, Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Shutterstock Technologies to harness the power of water are touted as crucial for a low-emissions future. But over many decades, the hydropower industry has caused serious damage to ...4 hours ago
- Free speech doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want, wherever. Here’s how to explain this to ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Zaphir, Researcher for the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project, The University of Queensland Melbourne has seen days of anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination protests with hundreds of arrests made. Many protesters hold right-wing and extremist views. Police say people have been ...4 hours ago
- Your household power bills could be 15% cheaper, if Australia’s energy regulator was doing its jobSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University Joe Castro/AAP If you’re like most Australians, the single biggest chunk of your energy bill — about 40% — goes to a network services company, which owns and operates the transmission ...4 hours ago
- Nitram review: new film about Port Arthur perpetrator is uncomfortable viewing, but not for the reas...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Taylor, Senior Teaching Fellow, Bond University Madman Entertainment A film about the perpetrator of Australia’s worst mass shooting was always going to be controversial. After 25 years, Tasmania’s Port Arthur massacre — in which 35 people were killed and ...4 hours ago
- Teeth and claws and tenacity: how rats came to New ZealandIn her new book Invasive Predators in New Zealand: Disaster on Four Small Paws, zoologist Carolyn M. King tells the immigration story of the Norway rat. Editor’s note: The book’s also about mice, mustelids, rabbits, cats and hedgehogs, and it’s terrific. This excerpt has been abridged for length. Norway rats are large, ...5 hours ago
- Grant Robertson answers questions over government's Covid-19 self-isolation trialDeputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson answers questions about privacy issues during monitoring of those involved in a self-isolation trial. ...5 hours ago
- ACC cover for 'dangerous tasks' – and childbirth is one
Those doing working in dangerous environments will welcome a change shifting the onus of proof to ACC, but some industries may be more tentative. Claiming ACC will become easier for employees injured by a work-related process, disease or infection. The law changes, which will be introduced to Parliament later this year, reverse a 2010 ...5 hours ago - 'Asset grab' – entrenched local opposition to Three Waters planMayors around the country are lining up for a fight as the controversial Three Waters reforms approach another deadline. ...5 hours ago
- Live updates, September 28: Childbirth injuries to be covered by ACC Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for September 28, by Stewart Sowman-Lund. Send me thoughts and feelings to stewart@thespinoff.co.nz. Help us keep you informed on Covid-19 – click here to learn how you can join The Spinoff Members.8.00am: Childbirth injuries to be covered by ACC The accident compensation scheme will soon cover injuries ...6 hours ago
- Self-isolation trial to start next monthUp to 150 business people will try home isolation after an overseas trip, as government looks at ways to reopen, Justin Giovannetti writes in The Bulletin.A first step to reopening the country’s border. A self-isolation pilot, allowing 150 travellers to leave the country on a short business trip and return with ...6 hours ago
- Lockdowns Must StopNew Conservative states the Labour government’s Covid 19 response strategy of ongoing lockdowns must stop. New Zealanders are tired of these continued restrictions on movement and freedom. Businesses are suffering with people digging into their ...6 hours ago
- Business to Govt on vaccinations: 'We are flying blind'
The Government is ignoring pleas from SMEs for clarity around the Covid jab. ...7 hours ago - Baker’s warning on Delta: ‘I’d love to be wrong’
The University of Otago epidemiologist isn’t entirely reassured by Jacinda Ardern and Ashley Bloomfield. David Williams reports In the whack-a-mole attempt to stamp out the Delta variant there are different views on how the country is faring. The official line, from the Beehive theatrette podium, goes something like this: The ...8 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Tuesday 28 September8 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 28 September8 hours ago
- Find out how much house prices rose in your suburb last year with this fun* toolThe latest property data from CoreLogic NZ shows a now familiar rise in house prices across the motu. (*extremely bleak)Even closed borders, nationwide lockdowns and a global pandemic can’t stop New Zealand house prices from rising. CoreLogic’s latest data update shows an increase in median house prices in every one ...8 hours ago
- I am writing an allegorical novel about alpaca breeders and democracyCritics of public funding for the arts during the Covid crisis have alighted in recent weeks on a grant for a novel about alpaca breeders. We invited its author, Duncan Sarkies, to give us an insight into his work.Here it is, are you ready? An allegorical novel about the collapse ...9 hours ago
- Key's threat greater than Seymour or Collins
Comment: ACT’s David Seymour is winning poll after poll in recent months but rearranging the deck chairs on the Opposition ship isn’t going to sink the Government, writes political editor Jo Moir. Monday night’s 1News Colmar Brunton poll has National and Labour both down while ACT’s star continues to rise. ...9 hours ago - The sportswriter, by Warwick Roger
In between the two All Blacks-Springboks tests, we reproduce a classic rugby story by Warwick Roger I’d written to Noel Holmes months earlier to ask if I could see him, and in reply I’d had a phone call. His voice was faint and scratchy as he told me that although ...9 hours ago - A brain technique to tame depression
A technique shown to have significant results in people with depression is currently only available through private psychiatrists in New Zealand. This Mental Health Awareness Week, Kate Godfrey puts forward a case for making it widely-available. A brain stimulation technique used widely overseas to treat depression could make a big difference in ...9 hours ago - Girls want to play on their terms
New research shows many young Kiwi women and girls want more flexibility, fun and freedom of uniforms around playing sport, as drop-out rates aren't helped by a pandemic. More young women in New Zealand want to play sport or be active – but under their own terms. Our 12 to 17-year-old girls are ...9 hours ago - China's trade bid exposes fiscal hole in US strategy
The Asian superpower may not enter trans-Pacific bloc, but it's shown up American deficiencies ...9 hours ago - Pfizer rebuts John Key's vaccine payment claim
Claims of cash for early access are "baseless and incorrect", the drug giant says. ...9 hours ago - Stop the clocks: The politics of nostalgia in the Groundswell farmer protests
In part one of a two-part series on farm politics in NZ, Professor Hugh Campbell explores the declining influence and privilege of farmers across the country. ...9 hours ago - Secret court risks as espionage trial looms
A hearing ahead of the espionage trial of a New Zealand soldier and far-right extremist grappled with upholding open justice and balancing acute national security concerns, Marc Daalder reports Analysis: Chief Judge Kevin Riordan says secret courts aren't compatible with New Zealand's justice system, but now finds himself presiding over one ...9 hours ago - Employers caught in conflicting rights over vaccination
Employers trying to keep their workplaces safe are caught between four different conflicting laws and rights over compulsory vaccination - and they want some government guidance As vaccination rates in Aotearoa creep up, conversation is starting to turn to how employers will manage their unvaccinated employees. Whatever one might ...9 hours ago - Traumatised, and nowhere to get help: An epidemic in our justice system
*Content warning: This story discusses violence and sexual abuse* More than half the inmates in New Zealand’s three women’s prisons are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), often due to physical and sexual abuse. It is well-known that untreated PTSD is linked to criminal offending, so why is ...9 hours ago - With MMP the politicians have to decide what Germany has decided
Voters in the German federal election on Sunday had the opportunity to sweep away the detritus of 16 years of compromises from retiring Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Green party led in the opinion polls by a good margin earlier in the year. Only a few days ago, the Guardian ...14 hours ago - The Good Fight: exhilarating entertainment and a grim warning of what the US could becomeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dennis Altman, Professorial Fellow in Human Security, La Trobe University Christine Baranski and Audra McDonald in The Good Fight. Scott Free Productions, King Size Productions, CBS All Access Our writers nominate the TV series keeping them entertained during a time of COVID. ...19 hours ago
- Judith Collins sinks below David Seymour as preferred PMACT leader David Seymour has overtaken National's Judith Collins as preferred prime minister in the latest 1News Colmar Brunton Poll, with both major parties taking a hit. ...19 hours ago
- Germans have voted to replace Angela Merkel — here are 7 ways to understand the results so farSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Fitzpatrick, Professor in International History, Flinders University Martin Meissner/AP/AAP On Sunday, Germans went to the polls to decide who will succeed retiring Angela Merkel as chancellor. Read more: From ‘Mädchen’ to ‘Mutti’: as Angela ...19 hours ago
- Linda Evangelista says fat freezing made her a recluse. Cryolipolysis can do the opposite to what’...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Freeman, Dermatologist, Associate Professor, Bond University Linda Evangelista walks down the catwalk wearing Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2008. Photo by Toni Anne Barson Archive/WireImage At the height of her fame in the 1990s, supermodel Linda Evangelista was often quoted as saying ...20 hours ago
- Government announces more details on home isolation pilot schemePrime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced a pilot that will allow those travelling overseas for business to forgo MIQ and isolate at home will be open for expressions of interest on Thursday. ...20 hours ago
- Undersea thriller Vigil is the next must-watch for Line of Duty fansAll your questions about TVNZ’s gripping new submarine-set drama, answered by Tara Ward. This story contains a spoiler for an early scene in episode 1 of VigilI’m so over crime dramas set in an office. I really wish they’d set one under the sea.Grab your snorkel and flippers, because this ...20 hours ago
- Not all men’s violence prevention programs are effective: why women’s voices need to be includedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chay Brown, Postdoctoral fellow, Australian National University Dylan Gillis/Unsplash In the opening panel of the National Summit on Women’s Safety 2021, Professor Marcia Langton called for a separate national plan to address violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. ...21 hours ago
- Self-Isolation Trial PositiveBusinesses locked in New Zealand or marooned overseas and locked out of MIQ, will leap at the opportunity to be part of a self-isolation travel trial, and welcome an indication of shorter isolation periods and the easing of quarantine-free travel ...21 hours ago
- New drives to counter China come with a major risk: throwing fuel on the Indo-Pacific arms raceSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Walker, Vice-chancellor’s fellow, La Trobe University Evan Vucci/AP An accelerating arms race in the Indo-Pacific is all but guaranteed now that China finds itself a target of new security arrangements — AUKUS and the Quad — aimed at containing ...21 hours ago
- https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2109/S00172/.htm...21 hours ago
- Watch live: PM Jacinda Ardern provides post-Cabinet briefingPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern is due to address a media conference at about 4pm after Cabinet met this afternoon. ...22 hours ago
- Extraordinary Council Meeting To Discuss Government's Proposed Three Waters Reform...22 hours ago
- A recipe and giveaway to mark a belated Korean thanksgiving A recipe from the head chef at Waiheke Island restaurant The Shed and a delicious giveaway to celebrate the move to level three in Tāmaki Makaurau.This year, Chuseok (추석) or Korean thanksgiving fell on September 21. One of the biggest and most important holidays in Korea, it’s a time for ...22 hours ago
- DHBs Call For Stronger Action On Alcohol Will Improve Health And EquityAlcohol Healthwatch strongly supports the collective call made by all 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) for New Zealand’s liquor laws to be reviewed. This is the first time the collective heads of the DHBs have joined forces on a singular position ...22 hours ago
- Oliver Hartwich: Germany faces coalition conundrum
Germany’s election results will require some creative coalition-building, writes Oliver Hartwich Germany has voted. The result is not an earthquake, but a landslide. A change of power is looming after 16 years of Christian Democrat-led federal governments. MMP electoral systems can take longer for a new coalition government to emerge. ...22 hours ago - Two thirds of New Zealanders favour border ‘safety first’, says Herald pollPacific Media Watch newsdesk A new poll shows nearly two out of three New Zealanders want the border to remain closed until at least 90 percent of the country is vaccinated. The poll, in partnership with the country’s leading daily newspaper The New Zealand Herald, which is also running a ...22 hours ago
- The Fiji Times: The role of the media – holding power to accountEDITORIAL: By the Fiji Times editor-in-chief Fred Wesley Fiji’s Assistant Minister for iTaukei Affairs Selai Adimaitoga said quite a lot on Friday in her end of week statement on the Media Industry Development Act 2010 in Parliament. She blamed reckless reporting by journalists as “one of the causes of violence ...22 hours ago
- Lawyer Koman calls for inquiry into tragic death of health worker in PapuaAsia Pacific Report newsdesk Papua human rights activist and lawyer Veronica Koman has called for an independent inquiry into the attack on health workers in the Kiwirok district, Star Highlands, Papua, saying there are two versions of how the tragedy happened. A healthcare worker, 22-year-old Gabriella Maelani, was killed during ...22 hours ago
- Doctors rally on phone to help Pasifika families in isolationRNZ Pacific A group of doctors have hit the phones to support Pasifika families who have tested positive for covid-19 and been transferred into managed isolation. The chairperson of the Royal New Zealand College of GPs’ Pasifika chapter, Monica Liva, said about half the people infected with the virus in ...22 hours ago
- NZ reports 16 new community covid cases after drop to single figuresRNZ News New Zealand has 16 community cases of covid-19 today, according to the Ministry of Health. In a statement, the ministry said 13 of today’s 16 cases had been epidemiologically linked to previous cases. There have been 10 unlinked cases in the past fortnight. There was also one historical ...22 hours ago
- Hipkins gets huffy about “hermit” remark while the PM communicates with the UN General Assembly ...
The Minister in charge of the country’s Covid-19 response, Chris Hipkins, was wrong to say former PM John Key’s description of New Zealand as a “smug hermit kingdom” is an insult to New Zealanders. ... 23 hours ago - Auckland’s America’s Cup dream isn’t dead yetWhen the wealthy businessman who’s attempting to fund a cup defence in Auckland – against Team NZ’s wishes – was copied into a controversial email last week, all hell broke loose. Writing for BusinessDesk, Pattrick Smellie lays out the background to the scrap, and what Grant Dalton could do ...23 hours ago
- With the AUKUS alliance confronting China, New Zealand should ramp up its anti-nuclear diplomacySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato New Zealand might not be part of the recently revealed security agreement between the US, Britain and Australia (AUKUS), but it certainly can’t avoid the diplomatic and strategic fallout. Under the pact, Australia stands ...24 hours ago
- Politicians Conveniently Ignore Last Sunday’s World Rivers DayThe New Zealand government and political parties have been taken to task by a New Zealand outdoor recreation advocacy for seemingly ignoring the significance of Sunday (26 September) as World Rivers Day. The Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations ...1 day ago
- NZ needs to produce its own vaccines
With vaccines the only long-term option to keep New Zealanders safe, building local infrastructure that can produce vaccines capable of backing up international efforts is crucial for our resilience, argues Dr Davide Comoletti As New Zealand emerges from another Covid-19 lockdown and the Northern Hemisphere braces for winter, scientists around the world are ...1 day ago - Yesterday’s World Rivers’ Day Is NZ’s Rivers Shame DayWorld Rivers Day designated for Sunday 26 September, should be renamed ‘Rivers’ Shame Day' according to the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater Anglers. Federation secretary David Haynes of Nelson, said in New Zealand, politicians, regional councils, ...1 day ago
- The case for Air NZ focusing more on its freight operationsNew Zealand’s vulnerability in terms of air and shipping services has been among the ominous consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. Air NZ has parked its fleet of eight Boeing 777-200 and seven Boeing 777-300 and reckons they will never fly them again. All its international services are based on its ...1 day ago
- Lack Of Access To MIQ Endangers Vets And AnimalsThe New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) is calling on the Government to take action when it comes to prioritising access to MIQ spaces. After sustained but unsuccessful lobbying to achieve a commitment from the Minister for COVID-19 Response to allocate ...1 day ago
- Where to find heaps of online te reo Māori resourcesBecause every week is Te Wiki o Te Reo, here are some tools to keep you company on your te reo learning journey.Ka taea te whakatika te reo hapa, tē taea te whakatika te reo ngū. You can fix language that is broken but you can’t fix language that is ...1 day ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – September 27 2021Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. You can sign up to NZ Politics Daily as well as New Zealand Political Roundup columns for free here. Today’s content Govt Covid response, modelling advice Shamubeel Eaqub ...1 day ago
- How can we help more Māori and Pasifika businesses succeed in contracting?Last December, the government procurement rules were updated, requiring that a minimum of at least 5% of government procurement contracts (by volume) should be awarded to Māori businesses from 2021. This should be celebrated, writes Height founder Warner Cowin.When Māori and Pasifika people self-determine their economic destiny and participate meaningfully ...1 day ago
France acts to restrict air travel.
While the French government are passing legislation to restrict air travel.
The New Zealand government are making tens of $millions available to subsidise air travel.
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/france-domestic-flight-ban-emissions-scli-intl/index.html
this is happening in Germany
https://www.aviationpros.com/airlines/news/21218870/german-aviation-rail-industry-want-to-cut-back-on-domestic-flights
essentially cut out air transport to get to Frankfurt airport and rather use trains. Not a bad idea.
Yes. Franfurt is the focal airport for a region of 16 million people in Rhine-Main-Ruhr regions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt_Rhine-Main
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhine-Ruhr
The inter-urban services already have their own direct Frankfurt airport terminal on the Cologne Franfurt high speed line only 177 km ( the same distance as Te Awamutu to Auckland)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt_Airport_long-distance_station
Its a wonderful service they provide.
If we extended the SH1 expressway through to Tauranga and Tirau and Whangarei we could conceivably remove domestic flights from Auckland to Hamilton, Tauranga, Whangarei, and Taupo. Just needs an extra $8b and another decade.
"tens of $millions available to subsidise air travel."
International flights, mainly air cargo exports and imports – you do know how vaccines and most medicines get here ?
WE dont have the population density/ city size and the existing infrastructure – and public acceptance- of medium distance trains
Netherlands is size of Canterbury but with 18 mill people
London to Birmingham – a region with 1.5 mill people is 190km, thats the same distance to Otorohanga from Auckland
Stuttgart region has 4 mill people and its the capital of a state with 11 mill people ( more than NSW) and is the size of Hawkes Bay/Manawatu Whanganui combined.
well one day Auckland region with nigh on two million people will have a tram to the Airport. Surely one day.
Funny thing is , NZ used to have a fairly decent railway system, and it was much smaller in population then.
And goods can and in the future probably will moved again by water.
Tram to airport was just a ruse to make the Domionion road part business case stack up. They even made the tram size twice as long by runnning them coupled together, which wont happen either, even Melbourne doesnt run its articulated trams that way. All done to make the 'case' .
Trackless trams are the best solution for this route.
People in Mangere arent going want to travel city via Dominion Rd, they will transfer to catch the train in Onehunga. For most there South Auckland is their focus not 1950s style trips into town to visit George Courts, Maple or Farmers
When did the Trans-Tasman Tunnel open again?
Your comparison is a false equivalence.
No Trans-Tasman Tunnel, but a Trans-Tasman Seabridge might be a viable option.
Especially if the same amount of eye watering amount of government finance was made available.
Don't need to lay tracks, all the infrastructure and staff is transferable and mostly in place.
Your false equivalence is no comparison.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2021/04/11/guest-blog-patrick-john-odea-meet-the-bullet-trains-of-the-sea/
New Zealand isn't as flat as France and we don't have the population of Japan, even though we have similar terrain. At this time in our history for five million people aeroplanes are a far more practical way of getting around a mountainous archipelago than trying to build the rail infrastructure required.
@Sanctuary
Mass air travel is only a recent innovation.
For more than a century of European settlement the coasts of this ribbon like mountainous archipelago seperated into two main islands the coasts were our highways. And for even longer if you consider Maori transportation.
"At this time in our history….
…aeroplanes are a far more practical way of getting around"
Sanctuary
'Practical', Is not how I would describe air travel. At this time in our history, unsustainable long term, and evironmentally destructive and profligately wasteful, would be my depiction of air travel.
Sooner or later it will have to be curtailed.
Better sooner than later.
What if the $1.5 billion in financial support made available to Air New Zealand to keep them polluting was instead made available for a coastal and Trans-Tasman and coastal passenger ferry service to compete with the air lines, to permanently complete the job of grounding the airlines that the pandemic began.
And climate change will finish.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/feb/19/climate-change-spells-turbulent-times-ahead-for-air-travel
They are confusing the public utility of subsidizing freight for exporters, with serving the community they are elected to represent.
There is no limit to what they will spend on exporters, but contemporary rail is beyond them. They imagine that carbon responsibility is something they can talk their way out of, which is why they let the agricultural sector do so. Second best is good enough they figure – perish the thought NZ should have proper government, much less proper transport infrastructure.
Shameless.
Anyone aware of extra prebudget announcements?
There don't seem to have been many outside of housing.
Doing a budget would not be easy. This budget will need to factor in a high level lock down level 3 minimum. As well not having a trans – Tasman bubble.
The way the pfizer vaccine is going (uncertainty that the vaccine is enough with two jabs and that a third jab 6-12 months from the second jab and then an annual jab may be needed) I am not confident that the trans – Tasman bubble will last.
Brian Easton was asking a similar question: https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/will-the-2021-budget-be-focused-on-wellbeing [from Feeds on TS]
You gotta admire the balls of the US elite…Biden keeps Trump appointed Russian Ambassador…you know the same Trump who was apparently in the pocket of the Russians and doing the bidding of the evil genius Vladimir Putin, how anyone with half a brain can still buy into the Russian conspiracy is quite astounding, but there you have it….
<strong>Biden Team Asks Trump-Picked Russia Ambassador to Stay in Post</strong>
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-18/biden-team-asks-some-trump-appointees-to-stay-as-ambassadors
It can only be an admittance that Russia is far far superior in cyber technology that they can so easily hack American security and able to sway the intelligent American voter in which way to vote, if only they could sway the American health authorities to use the Sputnik jab to protect those same voters. Mmm.
Why would they bother. Russians don't.
https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/vaccination-rollout-and-access/
https://www.dw.com/en/putin-gets-his-covid-jab-as-russians-stay-away-from-sputnik-v/a-56963871
Not that sort of vote meddling… it seems Manafort , Trumps crony, may have provided the Russians inside knowledge of their polling data and that sort of thing, campaign quadrants and such. Some hackers may have penetrated Democratic party DNC email system, but campaigns by candidates are separate and all it showed was party activists are two faced. Politicians rate lowly anyway so no real surprises there
US voters are inundated by advertising and saturation news coverage, what could the Russians do that could 'sway' people.
It provided an opportunity for an attack on Hillary that was sufficient to at least temporarily persuade Comey to break protocols about current elections in the crucial period in the weeks leading up to the election. If it wasn't decisive, it wasn't from want of trying.
Holy hell, you people are really living in some sort of self induced Conspiracy la la land…here is a link that might help you….
Conspiracy Theory Addiction Center
https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/conspiracy-theory-addiction/
I suppose the ignorance that comes from an unrelieved diet of RT and rohypnol is such that you slept through the Trump/Hillary election.
The Comey Letter Probably Cost Clinton The Election | FiveThirtyEight
Go back to sleep and leave the conversation to the adults.
Clinton later went on to blame the election loss squarely on Comey and the Russian meddling. Which is as ridiculous as it sounds.
It was certainly a contributing factor.
But no doubt as the lickspittle lackey of a genocidal despot you want to deny it.
" an opportunity for an attack on Hillary"
Clintons private email server wasnt hacked at all, the controversy was over her using one and its ramifications and wheter all the data was provided to FBI etc.
That wasnt a Russian operation at all. Clinton was running as an old time 'machine politician' and heir to Obama. Trump was a better campaigner/liar who got out voters who didnt normally vote
Didn't her emails end up on wikileaks? Standard Russian MO.
from your link (before the paywall sprung up):
Its also a log jam in the Senate when a new President starts as he wants his agency heads approved by the Senate first. Next comes the judges and I think last are the Ambassadors
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018791897/james-cameron-explains-dairy-cows-on-wairarapa-farm
Cameron can only go organic vege if hes got access to cheap indentured labourers!
Maybe Cameron could make a movie on organic veg and get some sort of tax relief so he can ditch the cows.
don't give them any ideas, we are going to run of tax gifts to donate to rich people.
Its not really a tax gift as such. When you export a product the GST component ( 15%) is refunded. Movies are more complicated as far as exporting goes, but this was a way of them getting the GST accumulated during production back. – with a bit more for the big projects. I would check very very closely Hollywood accounting and that various parts of the movie are done offshore ( for their tax benefits) and then recycled through NZ again to double dip.
One way or another, we the taxpayer will fund the bill. No matter the colorful and legal accounting shenanigans.
I thought OIA approval was conditional, for purchases such as this farm, upon providing extra jobs for locals not for underpaid imported labour from elsewhere. Any imported labour needs to not replace local labour, be at the living wage for a full 40 hour week and I think it is long overdue that these work visas come with a requirement for the employer to pay the union fees for all the labour with a visa so that the conditions are properly policed. Time to tell the Cameron's to sod off really – plenty of people here can run cows.
AFAIK, James Cameron is a NZ Resident.
So is whats his name,and he is a resident for life.
Ah, yes, sorry, how could I forget about what’s his name …
Wally.
Thiel ?
He was German citizen at birth, became naturalised American and again for NZ in 'instant coffee process' which none of those responsible can remember who approved it- which in politics means they are covering for the boss!
I gather Cameron has been in NZ more than he normally would have been due to Covid restrictions and needing to be in MIQ. He would not be alone with clocking up time as an NZ resident.