Good news! Todd's found a job for Simon and Paula. He's sending them to Auckland airport for the next 6 months to make sure those charged with implementing the quarantine rules do the job properly.
It might seem a bit extreme but he'll see it as a good investment if it saves him from needing to be on RNZ of a morning doing his dork impression.
Yes, Todd Muller has been doing his round of media interviews this morning, and obviously he's critical of the failure that led to 2 Covid-19 cases yesterday. That's fair enough – his job is to hold gov't to account, and this was a major stuff-up. A free hit for Todd.
But amazingly he then pivots to National's "plan" to bring in thousands of international students immediately. They would be in "quarantine", he says.
He doesn't say where. But we know the answer – the same places that are used now. Hotels, motels, especially in Auckland. And we all know that young people away from home always follow the rules (every student hostel that says "No alcohol, no drugs" is like a monastery, eh?).
Armed guards on the doors? Kids walking up and down corridors for weeks when there's a city to explore outside? Or supervised walks on crowded streets, which have gone so well already? What's the genius quarantine plan, Todd?
Hundreds of students coming to party town. Some will be free of their parents for the first time in their lives. But they won't look out the window and even think about going outside. It's like National have never met a young person.
That's what Simon and Paula are for. The scheme will be the same except there'll be thousands of overseas students. S&P will make sure that no Ministry of Health person stuffs up.
I note that S&P is the initials for Standard & Poor the well-known effective financial stability and probity firm. And in an acronym-driven word a similar sounding one is S&M. That fits into the thoughts of National also. No doubt other terms will come to mind.
If my social media is any guide the biggest losers from the recent border breach is the media (they are being blamed for a constant drum beat of clickbait human tragedy stories designed to take Jacinda down a peg or two by painting her government monstrously inhuman and uncaring) and National and business (for consistantly demanding the borders open) in that order which only goes to show that when things are against you you can't win a trick. The MSM is hugely unpopular at the moment, although they live in one of those weird feedback loops where criticism is taken as evidence of success and stinging criticism is dismissed as beastley personal attacks from the wrong headed. For National, the social media feedback should be all the evidence they need that they just need to stop talking about the Covid response (and being associated with the evil virus) and talk about statues and slides or something.
I see the Hosking ZB Taliban is being primed to switch it's vote to ACT, both Hawkesby and Hosking have indulged in a remarkably coordinated (perish the thought that Kate is a bubble head doing the bidding of her husband!) endorsement of David Seymour, while Hawkesby is warming to the crusade against the Unite for Recovery campaign. Apparently people have "written to her" (how delightfully quaint, but perhaps keeping with ZB's superannuated audience of boomer Karens and Kevins) confessing to a feeling of anxiety at being told to buy local.
Mmm…personally I wouldn’t put much faith in your own social media reflecting your opinion back at you.
But certainly there are questions around the way the media and Opposition tried to cast the government as inhumane and uncaring when they rolled out the original limitations around funerals and other family gatherings.
Funnily enough, my (very active) social media reflects my hobbies and wider interests rather than my politics, which I largely keep to myself on social media platforms like Instagram, twitter, FB, WhatsApp or even Tik Tok. But I do accept that social media by it's nature is quite self-selecting.
Much of the MSM coverage has reflected the dynamics of the ailing private media sector – the bias towards simple, feeling based human interest story telling to drive clickbait and a rump of an over-aged chummy coterie of senior establishment journalists considerably to the right of the general public and biased in favour of business interests and their lobbyists.
Edit 'ZB's superannuated audience of boomer Karens and Kevins) confessing to a feeling of anxiety at being told to buy local. '
The explanation of the anxiety is that it involves change, and thinking from a community and national support angle and being asked to give thought to that rather than just have the hand out. Their feelings will be that the oldies have gone through so much and want to cling to their customary shibboleths.
After having Hosking/Hawkesby and their ilk jumping up and down about Jacinda/Ashley forgetting about kindness, and ruining the economy, by taking time to go to level 1, will they admit they have egg on their faces? Admittedly these two cases seem to have arisen from a lapse in procedure, but Bridges/Muller/Peters/universities have been piling on the pressure to open up and the media has made much of the hard luck tales of bereft family members. Unfortunate this has happened, but perhaps a timely reminder of the risks of opening up.
Based on the usual media memory cycle, we'll need a top-up of new virus cases every couple of weeks, in order to keep the virus out. The paradox of stupidity.
Yeah I think that the chances of the media casting a critical eye over their own behaviour on the matter of funeral attendances since we went into lockdown are about zero.
Reality check: without the nasty MSM the breach of quarantine by the two teenagers who went AWOL, the two women who tested positive due to incompetence, and have potentially spread c19 far and wide, the ludicrous and extremely dangerous management of the entire isolation/quarantine at Novotel would never even have seen the light of day.
The incompetence of how the borders were managed (or totally neglected prior to lockdown) starting way back in February, also were only highlighted by the same MSM.
Blaming the MSM for the obvious incompetence of the Health Minister and others is just ridiculous. If the procedures were followed, this problem would not have occurred. Nothing to do with the media.
The "media" also aren't one thing, John Campbell to Mike Hosking and many many views in between, from the sensible to the wacky and irresponsible (depending on ones own point of view). Though I expect an end to the "I can't go to a funeral" stories.
He thinks NZ is to blame for no trans-Tasman bubble, and in the same breath says that Australia still has the virus. So we should totally quarantine and not quarantine, or something.
Blaming the MSM for the obvious incompetence of the Health Minister and others is just ridiculous.
That is as big a cop-out as blaming the MSM for the breach.
The protocol was made abundantly clear time and again by the PM, the Health Minister and the DG of Health. Not only that, they all three have been stressing the need for continued vigilance since we moved to Level 1.
If every time a public servant or whoever mucked up big time – and it happens from time to time – their top man/woman had to resign we would never have a prime minister or any ministers – let alone a Public Service. Anarchy would prevail.
Put the blame fairly and squarely on the shoulders where it lies – the person or persons who did not follow correct process at the border and/or the person/persons who allowed the women to travel to Wellington even though they had not been tested.
Anne, yes I take your point, but right from the beginning in February and March, there seems to have been a continual disconnect between what was supposed to be happening at our borders (eg, temperature checks and serious attempt at screening) and what was actually happening. Same with the dangerous fiasco of a lack of an effective system at Novotel from the beginning.
When a disconnect like that persists for so long, something beyond individual people failing to follow set procedures seems to be present. At some point the Minister should have become aware of the systemic failures and shown a bit of leadership. I certainly hope he does how with, as he said this morning, enforcing accountability.
this did impose considerable extra work in managing "compassionate grounds" at a time when the public health was very busy with more important matters. good on the minister for calling time on this but i guess that also now can be challenged in court,
one good outcome (assuming we dont end up back in level4) is that people might just have been getting a bit complacent. a good wake up
Xanthe. Pardon my ignorance but the decision on the judgement that you so kindly published above has me uncertain to what the outcome was. Was/is the judgement for or against the Health Act?
That judgement was to overturn the refusal to allow the applicant to leave quarantine early so he could visit his dying father. I.e. the same situation as these 2 sisters who were granted permission after this decision.
What this means is that at first the MoH was being harsh and saying no visits, then the courts said that they shouldn't be harsh, then we got 2 covid cases.
I read the judgement as saying that the MOH failed to consider the request under either the compassionate or exceptional grounds (despite being led to water to those grounds by the applicant), relied on other policy criteria only e.,g. written rules, that meant they failed to exercise discretion but were formulaic in their decision making (courts have previously ruled on public servants following formulas where discretion is allowed e.g. the corrections and housing cases referred to, and that given these delays and the imminent death of the father the court should make a ruling now rather than direct MOH to properly exercise discretion by considering the case under compassionate or exceptional.
Pretty straightforward really – surprised it got so far.
The circling vultures have landed on the carcass of Bauer Media.
Mercury Capital (the name says it all) is to buy Bauer Australia and New Zealand. I understand private equity firms specialise in taking troubled companies, stripping them of any remaining value and dumping the leftovers in a ditch. Happy to be proven wrong here if it helps NZ stories be told, but I'm not optimistic.
Remember Bauer bought these assets from ACP Media for $800 million just 8 years ago.
Maybe they will asset strip, or maybe relaunch the titles in digital form only. Let's face it, like it or not, print is dead or soon will be.
What's your thoughts on the future of the titles if Mercury does try and resurrect them?
I certainly miss North and South. Some great investigative journalism there over the years (eg, Swedish backpacker case, National Womens scandel and so on).
Bauer appeared to have a go at a couple of digital platforms where they recreated stories from the print edition. It was basically an article online though, not a web experience.
The investigative side has been pressured heavily by fairfax and stuff who do semi-interactive digital long form journalism full of great visuals and graphic transitions. A designed web experience as opposed to what Bauer was up to.
There is money available from the restructured NZ on air for web based media and video documentaries which is what has prompted fairfax and stuff to move into that area.
Bauer is a family owned 150 year old publishing business out of Hamburg. That doesn't scream agility in the modern era to me.
The other problem with running print alongside digital is you are competing with yourself.
Maybe they'll keep one Listener/North&South type title and mount a digital challenge to the other players.
If it is good for a photo opportunity, then to our speaker front up when the crap hits the fan.
And for balance the Covid 19 was always going to happen and will continue that is something we will have to learn to live with on this planet for many years to come – Hopefully we will be better with incursions of the disease.
No wonder our PM and Min of Finance are under so much pressure – A team of 2 to carry the country. I would guess that there are 3 Labour list candidates that had a job in Wellington , but no more.
$180k on consultants – that is 8 months full time for a survey or junior consultant engineer, or 6 months form a senior engineer for this.
Google's algorithms are still too simplistic and literal and would only show instances of the exact word. It's not yet sophisticated enough to find illustrative examples in action.
Saw that one. There's definitely neurological decline. Probably frontotemporal dementia. Syphilis can have these sort of neurological effects in later life as well.
Half a dozen pieces I have read put his posture down to a combo of “shoe lifts” (2.5-3.5 inches!) and ailments, particularly the lifts-ever tried walking down hill in high heels?
A body language site showed comparisons of Trump next to various people of certified height over time, such as Tiger Woods, Barrack Obama and Justin Trudeau, there seemed to be some variation. Apparently the forward lean is off putting on several accounts, people are concerned he may fall, and he invades personal space. One sick Pressie in my view.
Woodhouse told by the Minister if he had information such as he asked the Minister about, he should have informed the authorities then, and not brought it in at first recounting at Question Time.
What is more important? Covid-19 tracing or attempting to point score in the House?
Perhaps the helpers could say colour of car and identifying characteristics of the two women, in order to increase the credibility of the helpers. Luckily Woodhouse would not be part of a Dirty Tricks effort – would he?
This could backfire on the Nats I suppose?
dv hope you are having a good laugh, you got the 2nd word correct "up". With our Minister of Health said on ZB "that we know all the contacts of these people", yet we did not know of this it appears.
Team of 2 must shudder.
A member of an Auckland gym is believed to be the person who "kissed and hugged" the two women who tested positive for Covid-19 on their way down to Wellington.
Todd Muller gave a remarkably passionate speech -without apparent text, during the general Debate today. Nothing but criticism of the Government of course.
A different performance from all previous outing. Look out!
Todd Conehead has been a non event so far, maybe he has had the electrodes on and a spot of media training. Call me cynical, but his pre election performance really will not matter to the tory faithful who will tick “Party Vote National” as they are hardwired to do.
Tiger Mountain, in previous elections when National did poorly, some of those hard-wired National voters stayed away from the polls, some voted NZF, some to small fringe parties.
Those tory faithful have options- New Conservative, NZF, ACT, and others or to stay away.
Sorry about that… after intensely 🕵️♀️ listening and 👓 watching mullers five minute rehearsed speech, I'm not sure if we share the same view on said topic.
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
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 The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 26 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Good news! Todd's found a job for Simon and Paula. He's sending them to Auckland airport for the next 6 months to make sure those charged with implementing the quarantine rules do the job properly.
It might seem a bit extreme but he'll see it as a good investment if it saves him from needing to be on RNZ of a morning doing his dork impression.
Yes, Todd Muller has been doing his round of media interviews this morning, and obviously he's critical of the failure that led to 2 Covid-19 cases yesterday. That's fair enough – his job is to hold gov't to account, and this was a major stuff-up. A free hit for Todd.
But amazingly he then pivots to National's "plan" to bring in thousands of international students immediately. They would be in "quarantine", he says.
He doesn't say where. But we know the answer – the same places that are used now. Hotels, motels, especially in Auckland. And we all know that young people away from home always follow the rules (every student hostel that says "No alcohol, no drugs" is like a monastery, eh?).
Armed guards on the doors? Kids walking up and down corridors for weeks when there's a city to explore outside? Or supervised walks on crowded streets, which have gone so well already? What's the genius quarantine plan, Todd?
Well it looks like National are looking at student quarantine in Queenstown
Penny Simmons is the Nat candidate for Invercargill. Can see it working well in Queenstown, not.
Hundreds of students coming to party town. Some will be free of their parents for the first time in their lives. But they won't look out the window and even think about going outside. It's like National have never met a young person.
And of course quarantine in Queenstown will feature prominently in SIT’s marketing.
But think of those poor starving rental owners who might have to start working for a living .
And look at the Covid rates which still exist in the countries they're coming from. Insanity.
That's what Simon and Paula are for. The scheme will be the same except there'll be thousands of overseas students. S&P will make sure that no Ministry of Health person stuffs up.
I note that S&P is the initials for Standard & Poor the well-known effective financial stability and probity firm. And in an acronym-driven word a similar sounding one is S&M. That fits into the thoughts of National also. No doubt other terms will come to mind.
If my social media is any guide the biggest losers from the recent border breach is the media (they are being blamed for a constant drum beat of clickbait human tragedy stories designed to take Jacinda down a peg or two by painting her government monstrously inhuman and uncaring) and National and business (for consistantly demanding the borders open) in that order which only goes to show that when things are against you you can't win a trick. The MSM is hugely unpopular at the moment, although they live in one of those weird feedback loops where criticism is taken as evidence of success and stinging criticism is dismissed as beastley personal attacks from the wrong headed. For National, the social media feedback should be all the evidence they need that they just need to stop talking about the Covid response (and being associated with the evil virus) and talk about statues and slides or something.
I see the Hosking ZB Taliban is being primed to switch it's vote to ACT, both Hawkesby and Hosking have indulged in a remarkably coordinated (perish the thought that Kate is a bubble head doing the bidding of her husband!) endorsement of David Seymour, while Hawkesby is warming to the crusade against the Unite for Recovery campaign. Apparently people have "written to her" (how delightfully quaint, but perhaps keeping with ZB's superannuated audience of boomer Karens and Kevins) confessing to a feeling of anxiety at being told to buy local.
Mmm…personally I wouldn’t put much faith in your own social media reflecting your opinion back at you.
But certainly there are questions around the way the media and Opposition tried to cast the government as inhumane and uncaring when they rolled out the original limitations around funerals and other family gatherings.
Funnily enough, my (very active) social media reflects my hobbies and wider interests rather than my politics, which I largely keep to myself on social media platforms like Instagram, twitter, FB, WhatsApp or even Tik Tok. But I do accept that social media by it's nature is quite self-selecting.
Agree and IMO they're irresponsible and owned behaviour could drive the creation of independent public broadcasting isolated from political meddling.
Oz have the legislative template, between rnz and tvnz the resources exist with a commercial channel carving away as ad revenue subsidy.
Proper legacy stuff if they've the courage to put up with the bs and spin the private operators will scream constantly with.
That $50m was whined for by interests not serving nz's common benefit so a call is there to be made.
Much of the MSM coverage has reflected the dynamics of the ailing private media sector – the bias towards simple, feeling based human interest story telling to drive clickbait and a rump of an over-aged chummy coterie of senior establishment journalists considerably to the right of the general public and biased in favour of business interests and their lobbyists.
Edit
'ZB's superannuated audience of boomer Karens and Kevins) confessing to a feeling of anxiety at being told to buy local. '
The explanation of the anxiety is that it involves change, and thinking from a community and national support angle and being asked to give thought to that rather than just have the hand out. Their feelings will be that the oldies have gone through so much and want to cling to their customary shibboleths.
After having Hosking/Hawkesby and their ilk jumping up and down about Jacinda/Ashley forgetting about kindness, and ruining the economy, by taking time to go to level 1, will they admit they have egg on their faces? Admittedly these two cases seem to have arisen from a lapse in procedure, but Bridges/Muller/Peters/universities have been piling on the pressure to open up and the media has made much of the hard luck tales of bereft family members. Unfortunate this has happened, but perhaps a timely reminder of the risks of opening up.
Based on the usual media memory cycle, we'll need a top-up of new virus cases every couple of weeks, in order to keep the virus out. The paradox of stupidity.
Yeah I think that the chances of the media casting a critical eye over their own behaviour on the matter of funeral attendances since we went into lockdown are about zero.
Reality check: without the nasty MSM the breach of quarantine by the two teenagers who went AWOL, the two women who tested positive due to incompetence, and have potentially spread c19 far and wide, the ludicrous and extremely dangerous management of the entire isolation/quarantine at Novotel would never even have seen the light of day.
The incompetence of how the borders were managed (or totally neglected prior to lockdown) starting way back in February, also were only highlighted by the same MSM.
Blaming the MSM for the obvious incompetence of the Health Minister and others is just ridiculous. If the procedures were followed, this problem would not have occurred. Nothing to do with the media.
The "media" also aren't one thing, John Campbell to Mike Hosking and many many views in between, from the sensible to the wacky and irresponsible (depending on ones own point of view). Though I expect an end to the "I can't go to a funeral" stories.
Clear distinction between the reporting (essential) and the reckons (too often uninformed and useless).
Latest example: Brook Sabin on Stuff
He thinks NZ is to blame for no trans-Tasman bubble, and in the same breath says that Australia still has the virus. So we should totally quarantine and not quarantine, or something.
That is as big a cop-out as blaming the MSM for the breach.
The protocol was made abundantly clear time and again by the PM, the Health Minister and the DG of Health. Not only that, they all three have been stressing the need for continued vigilance since we moved to Level 1.
If every time a public servant or whoever mucked up big time – and it happens from time to time – their top man/woman had to resign we would never have a prime minister or any ministers – let alone a Public Service. Anarchy would prevail.
Put the blame fairly and squarely on the shoulders where it lies – the person or persons who did not follow correct process at the border and/or the person/persons who allowed the women to travel to Wellington even though they had not been tested.
Anne, yes I take your point, but right from the beginning in February and March, there seems to have been a continual disconnect between what was supposed to be happening at our borders (eg, temperature checks and serious attempt at screening) and what was actually happening. Same with the dangerous fiasco of a lack of an effective system at Novotel from the beginning.
When a disconnect like that persists for so long, something beyond individual people failing to follow set procedures seems to be present. At some point the Minister should have become aware of the systemic failures and shown a bit of leadership. I certainly hope he does how with, as he said this morning, enforcing accountability.
will they admit they have egg on their faces?
https://silencedmajority.blogs.com/.a/6a00d834520b4b69e2011168a2b8de970c-400wi
It was maby a bad idea for the high court to allow itself to be brought in to the process
https://courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases/Christiansen-v-The-Director-General-of-Health-Reasons-NZHC-887.pdf
this did impose considerable extra work in managing "compassionate grounds" at a time when the public health was very busy with more important matters. good on the minister for calling time on this but i guess that also now can be challenged in court,
one good outcome (assuming we dont end up back in level4) is that people might just have been getting a bit complacent. a good wake up
Xanthe. Pardon my ignorance but the decision on the judgement that you so kindly published above has me uncertain to what the outcome was. Was/is the judgement for or against the Health Act?
That judgement was to overturn the refusal to allow the applicant to leave quarantine early so he could visit his dying father. I.e. the same situation as these 2 sisters who were granted permission after this decision.
What this means is that at first the MoH was being harsh and saying no visits, then the courts said that they shouldn't be harsh, then we got 2 covid cases.
I read the judgement as saying that the MOH failed to consider the request under either the compassionate or exceptional grounds (despite being led to water to those grounds by the applicant), relied on other policy criteria only e.,g. written rules, that meant they failed to exercise discretion but were formulaic in their decision making (courts have previously ruled on public servants following formulas where discretion is allowed e.g. the corrections and housing cases referred to, and that given these delays and the imminent death of the father the court should make a ruling now rather than direct MOH to properly exercise discretion by considering the case under compassionate or exceptional.
Pretty straightforward really – surprised it got so far.
The circling vultures have landed on the carcass of Bauer Media.
Mercury Capital (the name says it all) is to buy Bauer Australia and New Zealand. I understand private equity firms specialise in taking troubled companies, stripping them of any remaining value and dumping the leftovers in a ditch. Happy to be proven wrong here if it helps NZ stories be told, but I'm not optimistic.
Remember Bauer bought these assets from ACP Media for $800 million just 8 years ago.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2020/06/bauer-media-s-kiwi-business-reportedly-purchased-by-australia-s-mercury-capital.html
Maybe they will asset strip, or maybe relaunch the titles in digital form only. Let's face it, like it or not, print is dead or soon will be.
What's your thoughts on the future of the titles if Mercury does try and resurrect them?
I certainly miss North and South. Some great investigative journalism there over the years (eg, Swedish backpacker case, National Womens scandel and so on).
Bauer appeared to have a go at a couple of digital platforms where they recreated stories from the print edition. It was basically an article online though, not a web experience.
The investigative side has been pressured heavily by fairfax and stuff who do semi-interactive digital long form journalism full of great visuals and graphic transitions. A designed web experience as opposed to what Bauer was up to.
There is money available from the restructured NZ on air for web based media and video documentaries which is what has prompted fairfax and stuff to move into that area.
Bauer is a family owned 150 year old publishing business out of Hamburg. That doesn't scream agility in the modern era to me.
The other problem with running print alongside digital is you are competing with yourself.
Maybe they'll keep one Listener/North&South type title and mount a digital challenge to the other players.
Well what i wnt to know is will I get my listener subscription back, handed over the monies the night before bauer torched it… damn
If it is good for a photo opportunity, then to our speaker front up when the crap hits the fan.
And for balance the Covid 19 was always going to happen and will continue that is something we will have to learn to live with on this planet for many years to come – Hopefully we will be better with incursions of the disease.
No wonder our PM and Min of Finance are under so much pressure – A team of 2 to carry the country. I would guess that there are 3 Labour list candidates that had a job in Wellington , but no more.
$180k on consultants – that is 8 months full time for a survey or junior consultant engineer, or 6 months form a senior engineer for this.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/get-involved/features/parliament-opens-playground-on-international-children-s-day/
The Search function on this site is not working.
Why the hell not?
https://i.imgur.com/UoVWnOc.gif
Hmm wow I think you should demand a refund!!
Or use google search instead: e.g. "site:thestandard.org.nz peotillomania"
Google's algorithms are still too simplistic and literal and would only show instances of the exact word. It's not yet sophisticated enough to find illustrative examples in action.
Good one, rob!
It's so unfair to be picking on him. Obviously it's just his bone spurs playing up again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVy_LWM091g
Saw that one. There's definitely neurological decline. Probably frontotemporal dementia. Syphilis can have these sort of neurological effects in later life as well.
https://twitter.com/sheriffali/status/1272304829285543936
You're linking William Kristol as if he’s a reputable source. Are you aware of just how toxic and dishonest he is?
But even a stopped clock can be right twice a say
Or even three times a day?
Only wanted to show the graphic by @sherrifali, don't care about Bill Kristol. I don't know how to embed an image in a comment 🙁
The russians did it…
Gave him syphilis?
Prescient.
https://twitter.com/PresidentShow/status/895011740500545547
I guess it explains the tangerine turdgoblin's panic grab at Theresa May – yes they appeared to be navigating a short gentle ramp at the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vdk09KRnAM
Also, Trump's eyes often show huge dilation of the pupils. Creepy, and probably drug related (Cocaine, MDMA, Amphetamines, or several others)
Half a dozen pieces I have read put his posture down to a combo of “shoe lifts” (2.5-3.5 inches!) and ailments, particularly the lifts-ever tried walking down hill in high heels?
A body language site showed comparisons of Trump next to various people of certified height over time, such as Tiger Woods, Barrack Obama and Justin Trudeau, there seemed to be some variation. Apparently the forward lean is off putting on several accounts, people are concerned he may fall, and he invades personal space. One sick Pressie in my view.
Lotsa fun to be had.
https://twitter.com/jwgop/status/1273039461883039744
"lightening will hit tomorrow"
Well that solves the race issue.
In Parliament National's Woodhouse alleges that the 2 women "kissed" somebody who helped them on their journey. Gets all excited about his big reveal.
How low can National get? Does he want the women to resign? From what?
AND they still drove to want with o stopping!!
I assume Woodhouse has advised those got kissed to get tested.
Yesterday Bloomfield said that the two women were able to discretely pee on the side of the road.
Woodhouse told by the Minister if he had information such as he asked the Minister about, he should have informed the authorities then, and not brought it in at first recounting at Question Time.
What is more important? Covid-19 tracing or attempting to point score in the House?
In the paper Woodhouse said he knew who the helpers were who told the story but would not reveal who they were. Mrs Woodhouse perhaps trying to help?
Perhaps the helpers could say colour of car and identifying characteristics of the two women, in order to increase the credibility of the helpers. Luckily Woodhouse would not be part of a Dirty Tricks effort – would he?
This could backfire on the Nats I suppose?
Be sort of funny if it was a set up!!!
How did the helpers know who the two travelling women were?
Have those helpers put themselves forward for testing?
Close acquaintances – the interview starts with that.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/video.cfm?c_id=280&gal_cid=280&gallery_id=221127
dv hope you are having a good laugh, you got the 2nd word correct "up". With our Minister of Health said on ZB "that we know all the contacts of these people", yet we did not know of this it appears.
Team of 2 must shudder.
A member of an Auckland gym is believed to be the person who "kissed and hugged" the two women who tested positive for Covid-19 on their way down to Wellington.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12340830
Todd Muller gave a remarkably passionate speech -without apparent text, during the general Debate today. Nothing but criticism of the Government of course.
A different performance from all previous outing. Look out!
https://ondemand.parliament.nz/parliament-tv-on-demand/?itemId=213063
Todd Conehead has been a non event so far, maybe he has had the electrodes on and a spot of media training. Call me cynical, but his pre election performance really will not matter to the tory faithful who will tick “Party Vote National” as they are hardwired to do.
Tiger Mountain, in previous elections when National did poorly, some of those hard-wired National voters stayed away from the polls, some voted NZF, some to small fringe parties.
Those tory faithful have options- New Conservative, NZF, ACT, and others or to stay away.
🤔 😂Bahahahaha hahahaha 😂 LMAO !!! 🤣 ROFL !!! 😉 *composes herself*
Sorry about that… after intensely 🕵️♀️ listening and 👓 watching mullers five minute rehearsed speech, I'm not sure if we share the same view on said topic.
For those who like a quick and generous summary of Prime Minister Ardern:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5LRxEma1JE
I thought perhaps since she is single, I might ask her to marry me. Perhaps not. But a really nice video.