Local, regional or full lock-downs. Checkpoints, soldiers on the streets, mandatory door-to-door testing. Further job losses, mass anxiety, bankruptcies. How long before the team of 5 million start calling for the Government to fully close the borders?
Jacinda warned that even the best trained and best equipped staff face a high risk of picking up the virus at one of New Zealand’s border facilities.
If we genuinely want to take a better safe than sorry approach, isn't it time we start having the discussion on fully closing the borders. I believe so. What say you?
I'm not concerned about the risk of having to go back into lockdowns, let alone the other bizarre things you're suggesting.
At this point, it's frankly nuts to be suggesting to suggest we might want to completely lock down borders, denying New Zealanders their right to come home. As for soldiers in the streets – get a grip.
The very few wobbles with managed isolation and quarantine that have happened at the border have come about from a slight excess of confidence in regular people being able to be trusted to do the right thing. Those holes are being plugged.
But even if there's spread to staff, they know how to manage it, and the behavioural changes most of us have made will slow any undetected community transmission down to much more easily manageable levels when it finally does get detected.
Good to know you are not personally concerned about the risk of having to go back into lockdowns. However, I think it would be fair to assume some are.
What are these bizarre things you think I'm suggesting? Local, regional or full lock-downs. Checkpoints, soldiers on the streets, mandatory door-to-door testing. Resulting in further job losses, mass anxiety, bankruptcies etc is the Government's new plan of action.
As for being nuts to suggest we need to have a discussion on fully closing down the borders, I think you will find some of us think it's crazy not to be having this discussion.
In normal circumstances allowing New Zealanders access is unquestionable, however this is far from normal circumstances. Globally, the rate of those infected is vastly growing, hence so is the risk
Not playing the hysteria card. Highlighting the reality of going back into lockdown. Which is a genuine risk the longer the border remains open and the virus vastly spreads.
PS
As for the Nats, don’t they want to widen the border – ie by bringing in offshore students? No wonder them playing the hysteria card went down like a cup of hot sick.
Here’s an informative article without the emotive hyperbole by people who put their names to it, unlike you who’s referring to imaginary and assumed “we” and “some of us”, which is a form of astroturfing and thus frowned upon by Moderators.
Stringent border controls and mandatory quarantine give New Zealand a good chance to remain free of Covid-19 for months to come, according to our latest modelling.
It's been 76 days since New Zealand's last reported case of community transmission, and our model shows the risk of an infectious person slipping through the border undetected remains very low. Provided the rules are followed, we would expect this to happen only once over the next 18 months — and even then, this person may not infect anyone else.
According to your link, currently about 400 people fly into New Zealand each day.
And again from your link, the modelling suggests the risk of an infectious person being released into the community is around 0.1 per cent – which according to your link means for every 1000 infected people who arrive at the border, one person will be released from quarantine while still infectious.
Moreover, the modeling in your link doesn't take into account people deliberately absconding from quarantine.
Therefore, in a perfect world where all rules are followed and no human mishaps occur then yes, the risk is no doubt far lower. However, as we know, we don't live in a perfect world. And as we have all seen, mishaps and people deliberately absconding happens.
If you aren't already hearing it from people within your current social circles, wait till we end up going back into lockdown, then the cries to fully close the border will become much louder.
Therefore, the discussion should be considered now rather than after the shit hits the fan.
Therefore, the discussion should be considered now rather than after the shit hits the fan.
Therefore, any discussion should be grounded in reality and be based on realistic assumptions and risk assessments rather than on scaremongering by individuals who freak out because they’re having nightmares or personal agendas.
The article was quite clear about their assumptions and based on our collective experience over the last months I think those assumptions are valid.
I don’t have a social circle filled with cries – no crybabies here. Even if I did, I wouldn’t base my comments here on it!
Therefore, any discussion should be grounded in reality and be based on realistic assumptions and risk assessments rather than on scaremongering by individuals who freak out because they’re having nightmares or personal agendas.
Indeed. No argument there.
The article was also quite clear their assumptions were based on all the rules being followed. However, based on our collective experience over the last months, the rules clearly haven't been followed.
And now we are or will be facing Martial Law and health ‘pogroms’? What I’m saying is that yes, there are risks that can be and are managed well enough and that there’s no need at present for kneejerk reactions and scaremongering. You do live in NZ, don’t you?
Calling for a discussion is not a knee-jerk reaction or scaremongering.
As for martial law and health ‘pogroms’, all I know is what the Government have announced, which is troops possibly manning regional check points. There could potentially be mandatory door-to-door testing. And there could be local, regional or full lock-downs with no warning notices given. Which will result in further job losses, mass anxiety, bankruptcies etc
Could you please stop your knee-jerking and scaremongering? Your whole comment is steeped in it! You’re not calling for a discussion with an open mind and your kind of ‘discussion’ is not worth having here. What you’re doing here on TS is scaring the horses for no good reason. Please, stop it or I will stop you, again.
Yes, the article does indeed state that the modelling suggests that around 1 in 1000 released from isolation/quarantine are still infectious. But I suspect there's either a typo or significant modifiers are being left out.
We have had around 26,000 people be released from managed isolation/quarantine since March 26, so an estimated 26 infectious people have been released. Yet not one of them has apparently infected anyone else after release.
So if there isn't a typo involved, maybe that "infectious" is really "theoretically infectious, but negligibly so in practical terms".
We need to improve the managed isolation regime to reduce risk.
All those in the first week confined to their room – keeping the first week intake and the second week intake separate is important.
As for the second week they should be separated by day – thus day 8, day 9, day 10, day 11 day 12 day 13 and day 14 would be allowed out of their rooms at different times.
Re guards being infected.
They should be required to practice social distancing when off work and maybe have a wristbracelet that identifies their position time for easy track tracing. soition
And pay them extra (with generous paid leave in 6 week blocks – 2 week self isolation, a month off without social distancing). It's money well spent. 12 weeks on, 6 weeks off.
As to community spread – we really need a card with bluetooth, and if we get this spread before we have such a card – we have to consider phone location tracking (develop capacity for this until such time as we have a card).
Yes, more can be done to help reduce the risk in managed isolation. Although, that will be offset somewhat by the increase in risk due to the growing rate of global infections.
I've yet to see any good articles exploring how it might play out as the parts of the world experiencing the highest population growth – India, Nigeria, Tanzania, Pakistan, Angola etc – run smack into increasing severe heat stress from climate change. Let alone water supply issues.
As a baby boomer I do consider that I am of the golden age due to having had the luxury of security on many levels compared to what the two generations below me are facing.
This is a nasty virus but even in the US it has still so far only affected about 1% of the population or 3.5 million out of about 338 million though their figures may be light by up to 40%. This in a country that seems to be trying its hardest to contact Covid.
The figures coming over the border here appear to be well below that threshold with 1 or 2 a day out of about 500-700. It is hard to get a handle on how many but it seems like around 30 with Covid in about 10,000 since level 1. My figures are probably shit but thats about .03% affected, hardly the plague of Biblical proportions but no reason to relax our guard, but also not a lot of reason for so much fear mongering.
Exactly froggle, my point was lets keep the bloody thing out but I am seeing a fair bit of every day unessecary angst about the pretty much non-existent threat to us here in NZ. Things like local nimbys complaining when a hotel gets requisitioned and silly little worries, I think some are winding up their mental anxiety levels for no good reason and harming their health , I blame the Nats for a lot of that with their disinformation. We are OK, we did the right thing and we are living with the well earned benefits of that, so lets shut down the Panic Merchants as quickly as we can by telling them to calm down.
It is satisfying to see the biggest most egregious bunch of PMs reaping the rewards of their nastiness with their precious party publicly garroting itself, the funny part is how much it looks like an old style Soviet putsch when an even more toxic arsehole grabs power and the bodies of the previous arsehole's acolytes start getting piled up in the streets.
Actually, "all it takes" is one person being missed by the departure terminal screening, not being observed on the plane, not being detected in iso tests, passing it to someone else in an undetected manner, that person not being symptomatic, then that person passing it to someone otherwise unconnected with the iso facility, then that person passing it on to another person via an unrecorded contact, then the next thing you know we have community transmission when the last person in the chain finally presents to medical care and they can't find any connection with overseas travellers or an isolation facility.
Even though your figure is that 1% have been infected, the disruption of the virus has a huge impact in many other ways on every person in the country.
This in a country that seems to be trying its hardest to contact Covid.
A pretty good number are also trying very hard to avoid it. Let's say it's 50% are taking measures, this slows it down big-time. Didn't the NZ Covid Brains Trust suggest that when you get above 80% taking social distancing etc seriously, then the infection rate drops? so this may explain the non-explosive spread you allude to.
There is no doubt that "kiwibuild" will be bandied about by national in the coming electioneering
So here is my scorecard for kiwibuild.
Labour
Positive 10, for recognizing a housing crisis and having a plan to deal with it.
Negative 10, for plan implementation and being naive in believing that a developer will build cheap housing, when using the same crap materials the same crap construction methods they can flossie it up a bit and ask twice the price for a 25 year life cycle house. Thereby doubling the profit.
Average net effect = zero
National.
Negative 10, for dishonestly denying there is a housing crisis.
For instance they won't compare what happened between 2014 to 2017 and 2017 to 2020, as being equivalents. Labour made Kiwibuild a flagship policy and have transparently failed. That failure is what will be in the voters minds.
If Labour can successfully pivot to the number of state house builds, they will be on much firmer ground.
So what you're saying is, Labour's attempt to let the free mark fully participate in Kiwibuild is what failed, and they should have just built them all themselves.
Seems like a bit of a repudiation to National's favoured philosophy.
Well that is the thing that voters do remember dear Wayne,
Labour builds State Houses
National sells them.
And National replaces the sold stock of houses with ditches and tents and vans parked in parks with open public toilets and calls it a 'housing initiative'.
And Wayne, its not Labour that needs to pivot, its your troupe of clowns that need to stop spinning out of control in the clown car.
Although relying on short voter memory is the only thing National has to offer, it is by no means a perfect strategy. Hypocrisy offends people, and offended people spread the reminders of how the Key government contributed to the present housing crisis. It is a subject upon which National MPs would not be able to speak for shame – if any of them had ever had any integrity whatsoever. 😀
The facts immediately below it (The headline) show that Labour has developed 5400 homes and sold 146 that were not worth repairing or in the wrong place.
"Massey University associate professor Grant Duncan, who teaches public policy and political theory, said politicians were known to make statements without providing additional information to qualify it.
While it made sense for the Government to sell housing stock that may not be fit for purpose or not geographically suited to demand, it had not done what it said it would and stop the sale of state houses, he said.
Don't forget Hobsonville and the meager promises of National to provide affordable houses ,developers sold those earmarked for affordable houses on the private market for a good profit.
You know that is a hyperlinked headline, don’t you? You know that others can click and read it the actual article, unlike you, and see straight through your BS troll attempt, don’t you? This begs the question why you act so stupid thinking that others are even more stupid? It looks like I may need to remove you from TS in the lead-up to the Election, don’t you agree?
The problem, of course, is that many won't go past the headline and so the headline will do its job of putting people off Labour despite the fact that the reality is far more nuanced.
edit
DTB So true. There is so much information or hyperbole or lies or part-facts swirling around that people don't have time to look up and read every link provided. It takes time just reading the blogs and comments that have the links in them. It is misleading for stuff business journalists/headline specialists to write that part truth headline about Labour, so that it reads entirely against Labour.
(In the media item John Anthony presents a valid point – that Twyford (let's blame him, I feel he deserves it) said that no more state houses would be sold by Labour. But I still think that the heading could have been better written. Better to say that Labour wanted to have its cake and eat it in its 100-days announcement.)
In the lead up to the 2017 election Labour said if elected it would immediately end the sale of state houses. In December that year former housing minister Phil Twyford issued a press release titled: Government stops the sale of state houses. The statement said the Labour-led Government had “cancelled the sell-off of state houses, fulfilling another of its first 100 day promises”. However, towards the bottom of the statement Twyford said it would still sell houses that were no longer fit for purpose.
You know that is a hyperlinked headline, don’t you?
This is i believe a deliberate stratagem and seems to be happening sufficiently often that perhaps we could start documenting and analyzing which publications are mostly responsible (NZ HERALD, stuff) for starters.
Its just more DP as far as i can see and would be good to be calling these players out.
Not necessarily DP per se, but certainly used by DP operators. MSM use headlines/clickbait to lure readers to their sites; it is how they operate. TS Moderators have no control over MSM but can point out ‘bad habits’ by some punters here on this site.
No deal, hyperlinks are fine and handy. It is the headline ‘message’ embedded in the hyperlink that often is the issue. Most people don’t even read past the headline but/because they have already taken in the ‘message’, mostly sub-consciously, especially when it confirms their cognitive bias.
Commenters are often asked by moderators to be descriptive when commenting. If linking, at a minimum we need to explain what the link is and, in the form of a response, why we are posting it. I think a quote from the article always helps liven it up too.
"It is the headline ‘message’ embedded in the hyperlink that often is the issue. Most people don’t even read past the headline but/because they have already taken in the ‘message’, mostly sub-consciously, especially when it confirms their cognitive bias."
Catering for "rural interests and scaling back what Ball labels overbearing and nonsensical environmental policies." A journo ought to ask Todd Muller why heartland Nats are deserting! No point asking the Nat leader? Well she didn't work with James Shaw. But she did grow up on a farm, so maybe.
Just like four out of five kiwis, most farmers also want cleaner lakes and streams, says Ball. But the government should set the environmental targets, not the rules and regulations. Leave that to the regional councils and farmers groups, who know the best way to manage their land.
Good point, so the Stuff journo got clever & ran it by a Bluegreen.
“He's got quite a good point there actually,” says Guy Salmon, an executive director of Ecologic a non-profit foundation that promotes sustainable development. Salmon says The Land and Water Forum, recommended this approach in 2012, which was then trialled in the Waikato with some success. However, delayed negotiations over iwi water rights stalled the policy from going nation-wide.
“Good luck to them if they can make it work,” says Salmon. But while Salmon says the Heartland freshwater ideas make some sense, the same can’t be said for their stance on climate change.
What interests me is that these hicks from the sticks have decided that Nats + neocons + Act look too much like one big pile of crap to be worth supporting.
Leave that to the regional councils and farmers groups, who know the best way to manage their land.
Can't see how you can think that is a good point. If farmers knew how to best manage 'their' land and actually gave a shit then we wouldn't have a problem. Most farmers know jack shit about fresh water ecology.
Yes, definitely, re farmers. I was agreeing with the logic about regional councils. I recall how big the Greens were on local & regional governance when I was an activist. It is true, however, that capture of governance decisions by farmer activists could be a downside of that.
The reality is that regional councils have been fuck useless at enforcing their own rules. Yes often regional councils are captured by farmer interests.
It's all about culture and agri-culture is embedded in all of us; recognising it for what it is, then acting outside of its influence is our only hope (imo).
Agree with both soltka and RG here. Elected regional councils tend to be conservative and farmer heavy. RC staff tend not to enforce their own regs. It's a shit show, literally and figuratively. NZ mostly stood by and watched it happen. Part of the issue is regional council elections and lots of people not voting.
In that case there's important learning to be done by Green parliamentarians. They may have already done it. But could be worth checking Green policy to discern if that learning has been integrated! In respect of the relevant Green Charter principle, I mean. Policy ought to signal how to implement our principles in real life situations…
Good question – but I was just acknowledging your point about democracy vs vested interests. I see no future in Greens advocating local/regional democracy if it doesn't work in practice. Mere words, then. As devoid of substance as any sloganeering by Labour.
It's up to your generation & any other generation younger than mine to progress the situation now. Whatever framing the GP has since put around the principle we adopted ought to be reality-checked!
I see no future in Greens advocating local/regional democracy if it doesn't work in practice.
It works. NZers generally don't care if we have shitty rivers, despite what they say, and they vote in the local govt that gives them that. It's a low form of democracy but I don't see that giving up on it would improve the situation, and would actually make it much worse.
I was agreeing with the logic about regional councils.
High probability that the regional councils don't know any thing about fresh water ecology either. They simply don't have the dedicated research teams and I doubt if they read what the universities put out.
Oh, that's not true at all! Not only do councils have such teams/people, but they are intimately connected to the non-council teams that are dedicated to such research. Councillors may know little, but their science staff know full-well!
They are political institutions. If those were dominated by National Party voting councillors, what sort of decisions do you expect would be made? Environmentally-friendly ones?
I don’t follow how you set targets without rules & regulations. Very wishy-washy toothless proposal. My target is to lose 15 kg by Christmas but I don’t set rules & regulations for myself and it will just happen by my sheer willpower (positive thinking) and motivation (NY’s resolutions from 2016) without having to change any habits or make any sacrifices. Mate, they’re dreaming!
And living that dream. Trying to. I agree targets are insufficient: implementation strategies are crucial to hitting a target. As bowmen of your discovered: need a straight arrow, a competent fletcher, plus a yew bow like Robin Hood!
Leave that to the regional councils and farmers groups, who know the best way to manage their land.
If they knew the best way to manage their land then we wouldn't be having the issues that we're having now and we wouldn't need to have the central government stepping in to fix their mess.
Couple of pieces on the state of play with Tiwai Point.
There's a six month "un-termination" window in the power supply contract. So maybe this is next-level hardball negotiation from Rio Tinto. For mine, fuck 'em. Let's sort out an alternative plan for the Southland economy and the affected people and say Bye Felicia to Rio Tinto.
But it seems WinnieFirst wants to pay the ransom to buy a temporary reprieve for the jobs hostages. Hopefully they'll get told Bye Felicia in a couple of months too.
For a start, the government is the only party that has the required cash. Funny really, all these reforms after 36 years and the New Zealand private sector is still too weak to engage in capital intensive activities.
The only national interest reason to have a smelter is if there's a massive oversupply of electricity that we want to somehow sell overseas. That may have been arguably true back when Tiwai Point and Manapouri were first conceived and hardly anybody cared about GHG emissions. That is definitely no longer true, we have plenty of good uses for that electricity domestically, not least of which is simply shutting down Huntly's inefficient single stage coal-fired turbines.
The other possible (really dumb) reason is just as an explicit jobs creation scheme, regardless of how the economics stack up. In this case, the economics just won't stack up, because of the messed up structure of the worldwide aluminium production market.
Chinese suppliers are a real mess of subsidies and other government intervention, and non-chinese suppliers are heavily vertically integrated. As I understand it, there are very few alumina suppliers that aren't tightly bound to smelters, so a nationalised smelter would be subject to the same jobs-hostage squeezes that we're currently subjected to from Rio Tinto. That makes it all a snake-pit we would do best to keep well clear of.
But the private sector is really great at getting subsidies and ripping off the tax payer as proven by all the subsidies that we've paid over for the aluminium smelter over the decades.
But having the ability to smelt aluminium, especially if we develop that bauxite up in Northland, would be beneficial to the country if our supply lines become even more disrupted.
And, of course, the whole point of the government keeping it going is for the benefit of NZ which means that it cannot be left in private hands.
First question that should be answered is smelting aluminium from imported raw materials the best use of that energy and labour. Are there better options that would be better for Southland and New Zealand.
There’s been talk if a Tesla plant and also of a silica industry, refining a local resource. Not sure about the scale of that resource but it’s said to be of very good quality. Also wonder if there’s a connection between the two.
That Tesla gigafactory thing is pure unicorns frolicking in a meadow with daffodils.
Silica could be more interesting if it indeed uses a local resource so it's not subject to international supply chain fuckery and the value of the final product is largely dependent on the energy supplied to produce it.
Electricity consumption really isn't that significant an input, so access to Manapouri power isn't much of an advantage.
A Tesla gigafactory needs a lot of people with very highly specialised skills. Attracting them to the bottom of the South Island would be quite the project. (well, maybe attracting them wouldn't be difficult right now, but getting them to stay might be tougher).
People with high paying jobs on Southland tend to hang onto them. The lifestyle, and low cost of living makes the place pretty good. The climate can have it's moments, but Southland on a good day takes some beating, and if it's crap you're not far from somewhere that's not too bad. Even a howling southwesterly has it's charms for it's sheer power.
The smelter has a very stable workforce and it's really hard to get jobs there.
It's one or the other, a lot of people get into what the region has to offer and thrive on it, others it's not their cup of tea and can't stand the place. But I'm like that with Auckland.
While the smelter has a stable workforce, the money has a lot to do with that. On smelter wages Southland is pretty good. No one's that fussed about the job but know people from process workers to engineers and admin that have been there 20+ years
The hill was pretty good today too, I'm working at 1000m on a north aspect, had fantails flying around this afternoon, but looking down on permafrost in the basin.
There’s been talk if a Tesla plant and also of a silica industry, refining a local resource. Not sure about the scale of that resource but it’s said to be of very good quality.
Government estimates put Southland's reserves at 350,000 to 400,000 tonnes of high-purity silica, as well as one billion tonnes of potentially usable lower-grade silica.
Of course, if we put the effort in, the low quality can be turned to high quality.
The problem, IMO, is that we tend to only think of doing one thing with it. Solar cells or batteries – not both. Thing is, if we also developed our rare earth extraction and processing then producing silicon chips (CPUs, GPUs, and other) becomes an option as well. Build a fabrication plant and produce Intel/AMD/nVidia chips under contract as Taiwan does as well as being able to support the development of our own local IT industry.
People are worried about the loss of jobs when the smelter closes down but there's so much potential for other jobs.
And I'd keep the smelter going to some extent so as to support our local aircraft manufacture even going so far as to develop our bauxite deposit in Northland.
The problem of focussing on farming as the main earner (with everyone else doing low paid service jobs) over the last few decades is that we've let so much potential go to waste.
Pretty sure import bauxite from Australia for smelting – not alumina. This would indicate that Tiwai either does process to alumina or skips that step altogether.
An interesting point is that the smelter at Tiwai uses an old smelting technique. It produces better aluminium but it costs a lot more to run that what the rest of the world is using.
"The facility, New Zealand’s only aluminium smelter,[3] is at Tiwai Point, near Bluff. It imports alumina and processes it into primary aluminium. The plant's alumina is supplied from refineries in Queensland and the Northern Territory of Australia. Around 90 per cent of the aluminium produced at NZAS is exported, mainly to Japan.[4]"
An interesting point is that the smelter at Tiwai uses an old smelting technique. It produces better aluminium but it costs a lot more to run that what the rest of the world is using.
And that is the problem with Tiwai. It was built just before the process changed to something more efficient and has never been competitive. Tiwai's closing has been a thing from pretty much the day it opened.
Turn it into a huge hydrogen production plant producing clean hydrogen instead of aluminium. Sell that on the international market as a new green fuel alternative. Become the ME/OPEC of the Pacific.
Let's put some rough hand-wavy numbers to that thought.
Tiwai Point consumes around 5,000 GWhr of electricity annually. It takes about 65kWhr of electricity to split enough water to get 1 kg of hydrogen and compress it for storage and transportation. So that could produce around 80,000 tonnes of compressed hydrogen. That's just over 0.1% of the 70 million tonnes of hydrogen currently produced worldwide.
In dollar terms, Tiwai Point is probably paying a bit over 6 cents per kWhr (including transmission charges). That means the electricity cost for 1kg would be around NZD3.50 to NZD4.00. That doesn't look great compared to a worldwide market price for hydrogen of around USD1.65/kg.
The main reason hydrogen is so cheap is it's mostly produced by steam reformation of fossil fuels, and the producers get to dump the hazardous waste CO2 produced into the atmosphere for free. But even if that wasn't the case, and NZ hydrogen had to compete against worldwide electrically produced green hydrogen, it would probably be competing against photovoltaic electricity produced at a price under USD0.02/kWhr, produced somewhat geographically closer to where it gets used.
So it would make more sense to use it domestically, reducing our imports of fossil fuels.
I'm personally of the view that hydrogen is unlikely to take off, except for niche uses, and that batteries will become the dominant energy storage for most users such as cars, domestic, industrial etc.
First up, the hydrogen round-trip energy efficiency from electricity generation to finally doing useful work is lucky to beat 50%, and down as low as 30% is reasonably likely.
Sources of energy loss are in the electrolytic splitting of water, compressing and/or cooling it for storage, then fuel cell efficiency isn't that great (if the final energy conversion is in an internal combustion energy, total efficiency is abominable). In contrast, electricity generation to final useful work easily exceeds 80%, and can go into the 90s if the energy is stored in batteries.
Hydrogen is a real materials engineering nightmare. It embrittles many useful grades of metals, and the ones it doesn't tend to have lower performance but be more expensive. It just pisses through plastics and other polymers, usually degrading them rapidly. So flexible piping and sealing are headaches. It requires skill and care from mechanics and technicians that's a level or two up from most common technologies now.
It scares me from a safety viewpoint. It has a very wide range of explosion concentration in air, from 4% to 74% (IIRC, only acetylene has a wider range for the commonish gases). Its flame is invisible, but gives off a shitload of UV.
For a while in the early noughties when hydrogen was more widely thought to be the future and battery tech hadn't taken off, there was concern that widespread hydrogen leakage would have serious effects on the ozone layer. That's gone a bit quiet, but I dunno if that's just because hydrogen hype has gone a bit quiet, or further investigation suggests the risk to the ozone layer isn't so serious.
To my mind, the only potential real advantage hydrogen has for most users is it's quickish to refuel, closer to filling up with petrol than recharging a battery. But charging speeds are quickly increasing along with battery sizes, so that potential advantage is rapidly shrinking.
It hasn't gone unnoticed – the case of Tauranga's entire stock of Housing NZ homes being sold lock stock & barrel for an undisclosed pittance is another part of the story that remains untold IMO. Accessible Properties now are after govt funding to exploit the land in the guise of "social housing" by now demolishing a significant number of the homes
This government needs to remove IHC the heck away from the provision of state housing. What a complete and utter balls up that was. The filthy money grubbing snakes at IHC swooped in when the opportunity arose purely because the Salvation Army gave Key's government the finger. Total slime.
It certainly was convenient – I thought it was a bit moot with them for a bit effectively "gone" but I will wait with interest for the next candidate election returns as both Bridges (2014 & 2017) & Muller (2017) had the same main donor who oversaw the sale here as the CEO of Accessible Properties. It's all a matter of public record that's been largely over looked but with the "bad blood" that appears to have arisen between the 2 local candidates it will be fascinating if the patronage continues to both of them – or as I suspect only one or more likely neither of them this time around
The facts immediately below it show that Labour has developed 5400 homes and sold 146 that were not worth repairing or in the wrong place.
The article only looks at Nationals record over its last 3 years where over its 9 years in power it decreased the stock of state houses by several thousand….somebody on TS will have the exact numbers.
After a quick look all I can say is that National has gone full on delusional. They seem to still be thinking in terms of economic growth that is simply not physically possible.
At first glance it looks like a gold-plated make work scheme and given the Transmission Gully stuff up, it looks as though it could be extended for years with a never ending series of financial top ups. However, TG is mopping up overseas unemployed more than make-work for Kiwi's. Looking closer, it seems more likely that it is a financial transfusion from essential services into the pockets of profiteering parasites like Downer, Fulton Hogan et al and cash pools for the 'financial partners' to slosh around tax havens. Oh joy!
Interesting to watch the headlines change, it went from "It's the biggest infrastructure spend ever!" then a couple of hours later they added "National claims", someone's obviously done some fact checking.
It seems they are going to smash congestion according to Bishop,who's aspiration to build world class cities suggest he is provincial.
“Previous governments have not been ambitious enough in dealing to congestion. World-class cities have high-quality public transport networks where mass transit is a normal part of everyday life.
“Under National, Auckland will become the world-class city it can and should be – and the Upper North Island will become an interconnected economic powerhouse.”
As John Raulston Saul suggests (quite convincing)
“World class is a phrase used by provincial cities and second-rate entertainment events, as well as a wide variety of insecure individuals, to assert that they are not provincial or second-rate, thereby confirming that they are.”
Further as Bishop states.
“Congestion costs Auckland over $1 billion per year. It means unreliable journey times,
Indeed the problems that arose for his constituents ( Corona and Disease) on their big day out was problematic at best.
Why are they proposing heavy rail to Auckland Airport, via a Puhunui spur, I thought that debate had been well canvassed, and a heavy rail line was always the first option but found to be unworkable
Greater Auckland might say it's unworkable because it's not in their Congestion Free Network Mk2. But how workable is two raised tram lines running the length of Dominion Road and beyond???
I, presumably like everyone else, am kind of seduced by their CFN2 with its London Underground graphics but am also bewildered why it never seems to be referenced in high level discussions. I could be wrong on this.
The constant criticism of Twyford and Labour is there was no vision but there is a vision, GA has worked on this very thing for years.
Right now I prefer the Puhinui spur CBD-airport solution but am happy to change my mind if a case for GA's 'Central Line' has some widespread consensus. But nobody seems to be selling it.
I would say that the London Underground is better 'rail' than NZ ‘Toytown Express’ rail system, and it goes all the way to Heathrow underground, unimpeded by road traffic. The same would apply to Paris's larger underground service (the RER?) which efficiently services Paris's airports. I don't think your point is valid here: I see trams being held up in Dominion Road as a bloody silly idea.
Yes, was too slow to delete as my wife pointed out there were trains to both Heathrow and Charles deGaulle though not Melbourne (I asked why we then used taxis). …so the comment can be ignored.
Thanks for correcting Pat. There's both Underground and BR lines beneath Heathrow.
I think New Zealand's tourism numbers and the industry's contribution to GDP demands better infrastructure for travellers.
There's a lot of talk about improving tourism infrastructure up and down the line so that both visitors and Kiwis benefit and I think a 21st Century connection from the main entry point to the rest of the country is vital to that cause.
Very good and well worth the read. I see MMT as an interesting evolution pulling together the functional threads of both socialism and capitalism into a form better adapted to the world we are rapidly plunging into.
According to MMT economists, we've been thinking about government spending and budget deficits the wrong way.
They say Margaret Thatcher's dictum that federal governments must tax or borrow before they can spend is fundamentally wrong, and it's the other way around — federal governments have to spend money into the economy before they can tax or borrow.
It's a crucial point.
That is a crucial point. But it has a point that most don't realise.
If the government can spend money then we don't need rich people to fund enterprise.
We don't need shareholders and we don't need owners and at that point it becomes obvious that we don't need capitalism to push development.
A group of people can come together, form a business and then go down to the state bank and, if their business plan looks good, get a 0% interest loan that only needs to be paid back once the business starts making a profit – or not paid back at all if the business falls over. That business would, of course, be a cooperative with none of the people working there owning it but all sharing in its governance and sharing in the rewards.
That silica development mentioned up thread could be done that way as well or it could be that the government finances and directs for a time until its established and then has it continue as a cooperative. What we most definitely shouldn't do is finance people to develop it and then allowing them to take ownership of it as that just increases the bludging of the shareholders.
The article doesn't address the question of whether the private banking establishment should be allowed to create money out of nothing – an issue which also seems to be part of the the MMT agenda.
National party supporters are criticizing the government for loading the government up with debt in response to the covid19 crisis. I'm inclined to agree; instead the government should simply have "printed" the money.
Sorry – I am not getting notifications for replies to comments and I am not constantly perusing them to see a response.
There were insinuations in the comments sections re the declined breakfast show – people pointed out that Helen, still working full time as an employment lawyer may have other commitments – to which Chloe made snarky 'at 7am' comments and the suggestion that she is not working as hard as she should be this close to the election.
Every reference to Helen being the nearest competitor has been coupled with comments about entitlement to votes. – Again repeatedly on her facebook page and commentary there. I don't think the fact that she hasn't singled Helen out by name really matters, given her initial refusal to even name her as the candidate (although I saw that was edited later following criticism in the comments section).
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[you look like you are new here Breanna, so please read the About and the Policy before commenting again. If there’s anything you don’t understand, please ask. The upshot is that if you make claims of fact eg Swarbrick called White lazy, then you have to back that up. This is to protect the site owners legally, and it’s also to protect the debate culture here. The expectation is that you will do the work to back up what you say. This is doubly so if a moderator asks you.
If you want have a go about the Greens you have to make a sound political argument not just spread rumours. In this instance you would need to quote what CS actually said and give a citation or link. The site exists for robust debate, not political slander. At the moment it looks like you just made shit up. I’d appreciate a response so I know you have read this an understood. Incognito may also want to address the issues he moderated – weka]
Pretty rough to move Breanna's comment and give it the old 'two paragraphs of bold type' when it seemed like a pretty detailed observation on the battle for Auckland Central.
A steep learning curve for a newcomer to the site who demonstrates a clear negative bias towards the Greens, in this case, in all comments so far. Either they learn quickly or they’ll be moved on. The site is attracting more traffic and comments and there have been an increased number of new users as one would expect on a political blog in Pre-Election time. Moderators will display decreasing levels of leniency.
I’m not that quite satisfied with your response to the Moderation and I’ll explain why.
When you state that people said something, e.g. about another person, it needs to be linked/shown as a quote. Paraphrasing is often more like selective quoting. Going on insinuations and comments in threads means you are making some assumptions of the intended meaning and that you’re drawing your own conclusions (or spin). Given your obvious negativity towards the Greens, I think that this is what’s happened when you accused CS of the things you did.
To avoid future run-ins with Moderators here you should stick to facts and verbatim quotes and clearly indicate when you state your opinion, i.e. what you think or believe to be true but you cannot be sure that it is actually true and that you haven’t made it up, e.g. in your own mind. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have malicious intend but that your own mind tricks you in believing things that are not real, true, or correct. When in doubt, say so, e.g. ‘I think …’ or ‘I believe …’, et cetera.
In Summary, don’t assert or allege things that you cannot support or prove. Don’t put words into people’s mouths if you cannot show the verbatim text.
On reflection the big Transport declaration from Collins is an example of, "We might impress by declaring huge plans as we have nothing to lose. So promise the Earth with no planning, no costing and maybe we will impress."
I reckon the biggest takeout from the Nats announcement today is the timing really. Presumably they would have preferred to announce this in the campaign proper. But after the disaster of the last few weeks they’ve been forced to roll something big out now just to try and arrest the damage.
Omg- in the week when two of the former top 3 resign FROM PARLIAMENT, and the former leader says I voted for the other guy RNZ's round up is 'Collins moves fast to fix the National party'.
What a total farce. Complete disarray and backstabbing is gone in 60 seconds with RNZ. Imagine if it had been the Labour party. Actually don't need to- remember how they treated the last two leaders?
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 ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
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. ...
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. ...
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. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
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 ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
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 ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
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, Thursday 25 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
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. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
Local, regional or full lock-downs. Checkpoints, soldiers on the streets, mandatory door-to-door testing. Further job losses, mass anxiety, bankruptcies. How long before the team of 5 million start calling for the Government to fully close the borders?
Jacinda warned that even the best trained and best equipped staff face a high risk of picking up the virus at one of New Zealand’s border facilities.
If we genuinely want to take a better safe than sorry approach, isn't it time we start having the discussion on fully closing the borders. I believe so. What say you?
I'm not concerned about the risk of having to go back into lockdowns, let alone the other bizarre things you're suggesting.
At this point, it's frankly nuts to be suggesting to suggest we might want to completely lock down borders, denying New Zealanders their right to come home. As for soldiers in the streets – get a grip.
The very few wobbles with managed isolation and quarantine that have happened at the border have come about from a slight excess of confidence in regular people being able to be trusted to do the right thing. Those holes are being plugged.
But even if there's spread to staff, they know how to manage it, and the behavioural changes most of us have made will slow any undetected community transmission down to much more easily manageable levels when it finally does get detected.
Good to know you are not personally concerned about the risk of having to go back into lockdowns. However, I think it would be fair to assume some are.
What are these bizarre things you think I'm suggesting? Local, regional or full lock-downs. Checkpoints, soldiers on the streets, mandatory door-to-door testing. Resulting in further job losses, mass anxiety, bankruptcies etc is the Government's new plan of action.
As for being nuts to suggest we need to have a discussion on fully closing down the borders, I think you will find some of us think it's crazy not to be having this discussion.
In normal circumstances allowing New Zealanders access is unquestionable, however this is far from normal circumstances. Globally, the rate of those infected is vastly growing, hence so is the risk
So does that include freight? Or will you just put the cargo handlers in lockdown, for fear they came within 50ft of a sailor?
They could get crushed by a falling shipping container or something heavy.
https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/public/news/media-releases-2020/20200710a.asp
Playing the hysteria card that went down like a cup of hot sick.
Bridges Woodhouse boag etc all tried it .
Not playing the hysteria card. Highlighting the reality of going back into lockdown. Which is a genuine risk the longer the border remains open and the virus vastly spreads.
PS
As for the Nats, don’t they want to widen the border – ie by bringing in offshore students? No wonder them playing the hysteria card went down like a cup of hot sick.
Oh dear, here we go again 🙁
Here’s an informative article without the emotive hyperbole by people who put their names to it, unlike you who’s referring to imaginary and assumed “we” and “some of us”, which is a form of astroturfing and thus frowned upon by Moderators.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/122156782/how-new-zealand-could-keep-eliminating-covid19-the-border-for-months-to-come-even-as-the-coronavirus-pandemic-worsens
According to your link, currently about 400 people fly into New Zealand each day.
And again from your link, the modelling suggests the risk of an infectious person being released into the community is around 0.1 per cent – which according to your link means for every 1000 infected people who arrive at the border, one person will be released from quarantine while still infectious.
Moreover, the modeling in your link doesn't take into account people deliberately absconding from quarantine.
Therefore, in a perfect world where all rules are followed and no human mishaps occur then yes, the risk is no doubt far lower. However, as we know, we don't live in a perfect world. And as we have all seen, mishaps and people deliberately absconding happens.
If you aren't already hearing it from people within your current social circles, wait till we end up going back into lockdown, then the cries to fully close the border will become much louder.
Therefore, the discussion should be considered now rather than after the shit hits the fan.
Therefore, any discussion should be grounded in reality and be based on realistic assumptions and risk assessments rather than on scaremongering by individuals who freak out because they’re having nightmares or personal agendas.
The article was quite clear about their assumptions and based on our collective experience over the last months I think those assumptions are valid.
I don’t have a social circle filled with cries – no crybabies here. Even if I did, I wouldn’t base my comments here on it!
Indeed. No argument there.
The article was also quite clear their assumptions were based on all the rules being followed. However, based on our collective experience over the last months, the rules clearly haven't been followed.
And now we are or will be facing Martial Law and health ‘pogroms’? What I’m saying is that yes, there are risks that can be and are managed well enough and that there’s no need at present for kneejerk reactions and scaremongering. You do live in NZ, don’t you?
Calling for a discussion is not a knee-jerk reaction or scaremongering.
As for martial law and health ‘pogroms’, all I know is what the Government have announced, which is troops possibly manning regional check points. There could potentially be mandatory door-to-door testing. And there could be local, regional or full lock-downs with no warning notices given. Which will result in further job losses, mass anxiety, bankruptcies etc
Could you please stop your knee-jerking and scaremongering? Your whole comment is steeped in it! You’re not calling for a discussion with an open mind and your kind of ‘discussion’ is not worth having here. What you’re doing here on TS is scaring the horses for no good reason. Please, stop it or I will stop you, again.
That's why there are outbreaks of community transmission and our hospitals are overflowing. Oh, wait..
No. But the potential was there for that to happen. Moreover, you seem to have missed the point, rules were not followed.
Therefore, if we genuinely want to take a better safe than sorry approach, we really need to consider fully closing the borders.
Oh noes, the sky is falling! Quick, take down the stars lest they hurt our heads.
Don't be silly. The sky hasn't fallen yet.
But it won't be looking too good if we end up back in total lockdown.
Therefore, one needs to ask, doesn't the best interest of the country come before the inconvenience of Kiwis wanting to return home?
And ponder this, would Kiwis really want to return home if shit hits the fan here?
One does not need to ask. You just want to. For fun.
Out of 30,000 plus returning NZers 30 have tested positive 4 escaped one tested positive 1 in 30,000 is not 0.1%.
That would equate to 30 people with covid escaping.
Most of the escape's are wealthy Most likely a Right Wing supporters
Yes, the article does indeed state that the modelling suggests that around 1 in 1000 released from isolation/quarantine are still infectious. But I suspect there's either a typo or significant modifiers are being left out.
We have had around 26,000 people be released from managed isolation/quarantine since March 26, so an estimated 26 infectious people have been released. Yet not one of them has apparently infected anyone else after release.
So if there isn't a typo involved, maybe that "infectious" is really "theoretically infectious, but negligibly so in practical terms".
Pretty much.
We need to improve the managed isolation regime to reduce risk.
All those in the first week confined to their room – keeping the first week intake and the second week intake separate is important.
As for the second week they should be separated by day – thus day 8, day 9, day 10, day 11 day 12 day 13 and day 14 would be allowed out of their rooms at different times.
Re guards being infected.
They should be required to practice social distancing when off work and maybe have a wristbracelet that identifies their position time for easy track tracing. soition
And pay them extra (with generous paid leave in 6 week blocks – 2 week self isolation, a month off without social distancing). It's money well spent. 12 weeks on, 6 weeks off.
As to community spread – we really need a card with bluetooth, and if we get this spread before we have such a card – we have to consider phone location tracking (develop capacity for this until such time as we have a card).
Yes, more can be done to help reduce the risk in managed isolation. Although, that will be offset somewhat by the increase in risk due to the growing rate of global infections.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53415298
When combined with super bugs making hospitals more dangerous places, the baby boomer era may be seen as the golden age.
For mine the population forecast of a lot more old people by 2100 has taken none of this into account.
I've yet to see any good articles exploring how it might play out as the parts of the world experiencing the highest population growth – India, Nigeria, Tanzania, Pakistan, Angola etc – run smack into increasing severe heat stress from climate change. Let alone water supply issues.
As a baby boomer I do consider that I am of the golden age due to having had the luxury of security on many levels compared to what the two generations below me are facing.
Fantastic. Reminds me of the old Colbert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNvuYPpX0C0&ab_channel=TheLateShowwithStephenColbert
Can't believe that people take that site seriously, knowing the people involved
https://medium.com/discourse/the-lincoln-project-is-not-our-ally-bd3c845b1f4b
Late last night I feel love posted this gem to Daily Review:
Definitely worth recycling! 👍 😍
Even the ACT Party has the ambition to have more MP's than the number who have escaped managed isolation.
This is a nasty virus but even in the US it has still so far only affected about 1% of the population or 3.5 million out of about 338 million though their figures may be light by up to 40%. This in a country that seems to be trying its hardest to contact Covid.
The figures coming over the border here appear to be well below that threshold with 1 or 2 a day out of about 500-700. It is hard to get a handle on how many but it seems like around 30 with Covid in about 10,000 since level 1. My figures are probably shit but thats about .03% affected, hardly the plague of Biblical proportions but no reason to relax our guard, but also not a lot of reason for so much fear mongering.
But all it takes is 1 person to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Exactly froggle, my point was lets keep the bloody thing out but I am seeing a fair bit of every day unessecary angst about the pretty much non-existent threat to us here in NZ. Things like local nimbys complaining when a hotel gets requisitioned and silly little worries, I think some are winding up their mental anxiety levels for no good reason and harming their health , I blame the Nats for a lot of that with their disinformation. We are OK, we did the right thing and we are living with the well earned benefits of that, so lets shut down the Panic Merchants as quickly as we can by telling them to calm down.
It is satisfying to see the biggest most egregious bunch of PMs reaping the rewards of their nastiness with their precious party publicly garroting itself, the funny part is how much it looks like an old style Soviet putsch when an even more toxic arsehole grabs power and the bodies of the previous arsehole's acolytes start getting piled up in the streets.
I'm loving it.
It's always bloody Neal, innit.
Actually, "all it takes" is one person being missed by the departure terminal screening, not being observed on the plane, not being detected in iso tests, passing it to someone else in an undetected manner, that person not being symptomatic, then that person passing it to someone otherwise unconnected with the iso facility, then that person passing it on to another person via an unrecorded contact, then the next thing you know we have community transmission when the last person in the chain finally presents to medical care and they can't find any connection with overseas travellers or an isolation facility.
Even though your figure is that 1% have been infected, the disruption of the virus has a huge impact in many other ways on every person in the country.
A pretty good number are also trying very hard to avoid it. Let's say it's 50% are taking measures, this slows it down big-time. Didn't the NZ Covid Brains Trust suggest that when you get above 80% taking social distancing etc seriously, then the infection rate drops? so this may explain the non-explosive spread you allude to.
There is no doubt that "kiwibuild" will be bandied about by national in the coming electioneering
So here is my scorecard for kiwibuild.
Labour
Positive 10, for recognizing a housing crisis and having a plan to deal with it.
Negative 10, for plan implementation and being naive in believing that a developer will build cheap housing, when using the same crap materials the same crap construction methods they can flossie it up a bit and ask twice the price for a 25 year life cycle house. Thereby doubling the profit.
Average net effect = zero
National.
Negative 10, for dishonestly denying there is a housing crisis.
Zero, for no plan and no implementation
Average net effect = negative 5
Voters don't look at things the way you suggest.
For instance they won't compare what happened between 2014 to 2017 and 2017 to 2020, as being equivalents. Labour made Kiwibuild a flagship policy and have transparently failed. That failure is what will be in the voters minds.
If Labour can successfully pivot to the number of state house builds, they will be on much firmer ground.
So what you're saying is, Labour's attempt to let the free mark fully participate in Kiwibuild is what failed, and they should have just built them all themselves.
Seems like a bit of a repudiation to National's favoured philosophy.
National say they will build more state houses, it'll be the public/private style, Labour should abandon privatisation once and for all.
It wasn't the private sector that promised to build the houses, it was politicians.
Well that is the thing that voters do remember dear Wayne,
Labour builds State Houses
National sells them.
And National replaces the sold stock of houses with ditches and tents and vans parked in parks with open public toilets and calls it a 'housing initiative'.
And Wayne, its not Labour that needs to pivot, its your troupe of clowns that need to stop spinning out of control in the clown car.
Nationals housing spokesperson apologized for selling off state houses it was a mistake that they won't repeat.
Although relying on short voter memory is the only thing National has to offer, it is by no means a perfect strategy. Hypocrisy offends people, and offended people spread the reminders of how the Key government contributed to the present housing crisis. It is a subject upon which National MPs would not be able to speak for shame – if any of them had ever had any integrity whatsoever. 😀
The leaky party that gave us leaky homes hospitals schools etc
Oooops!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/122149832/government-sells-30m-worth-of-state-houses-after-labour-promised-to-stop-sales
From Bearded Git below
The facts immediately below it (The headline) show that Labour has developed 5400 homes and sold 146 that were not worth repairing or in the wrong place.
NOTE a plus of about 5200 new homes!!!!
The houes' they sold are still there as well. Its not like they disappeared so there has been no loss of houses.
Good point.
Still got tenants or are they owner occupied?
If the former then we have more bludging drowning the economy.
But that wasn't the promise.
"Massey University associate professor Grant Duncan, who teaches public policy and political theory, said politicians were known to make statements without providing additional information to qualify it.
While it made sense for the Government to sell housing stock that may not be fit for purpose or not geographically suited to demand, it had not done what it said it would and stop the sale of state houses, he said.
“They didn’t stop selling, that’s clear,” Duncan said."
I'd say that's a fair reflection.
Don't forget Hobsonville and the meager promises of National to provide affordable houses ,developers sold those earmarked for affordable houses on the private market for a good profit.
Yep, they both do it. No argument from me there.
https://twitter.com/nealejones/status/1283847212447993857
Neale's right, but Labour set themselves up for this by precisely the statements quoted in the Stuff article, including:
"In the lead up to the 2017 election Labour said if elected it would immediately end the sale of state houses."
"In December that year, former housing minister Phil Twyford issued a press release titled: Government stops the sale of state houses."
"The statement said the Labour-led Government had “cancelled the sell-off of state houses, fulfilling another of its first 100 day promises.”
No-one is going to release a statement saying,
"Government stops the sale of state houses, except for this small number of ones that weren't repairable or fit for purpose"
The words used were 'stops', 'end', 'cancelled'. There is a hint of dishonesty here.
I would say more than a hint of anal retention.
Nice one
The statements made are misleading. When you ‘cancel’ something, you put a stop to it. Not slow it. Not reduce it.
You know that is a hyperlinked headline, don’t you? You know that others can click and read it the actual article, unlike you, and see straight through your BS troll attempt, don’t you? This begs the question why you act so stupid thinking that others are even more stupid? It looks like I may need to remove you from TS in the lead-up to the Election, don’t you agree?
I know you have in for me, so here is something that might entertain you.
https://youtu.be/2MZZ__5F_-A
I was much more ‘entertained’ by DTB’s reply @ 6.2.2.2. (2:12 PM) that hit the nail on the head. Did it make you laugh too?
The problem, of course, is that many won't go past the headline and so the headline will do its job of putting people off Labour despite the fact that the reality is far more nuanced.
edit
DTB So true. There is so much information or hyperbole or lies or part-facts swirling around that people don't have time to look up and read every link provided. It takes time just reading the blogs and comments that have the links in them. It is misleading for stuff business journalists/headline specialists to write that part truth headline about Labour, so that it reads entirely against Labour.
(In the media item John Anthony presents a valid point – that Twyford (let's blame him, I feel he deserves it) said that no more state houses would be sold by Labour. But I still think that the heading could have been better written. Better to say that Labour wanted to have its cake and eat it in its 100-days announcement.)
In the lead up to the 2017 election Labour said if elected it would immediately end the sale of state houses.
In December that year former housing minister Phil Twyford issued a press release titled: Government stops the sale of state houses.
The statement said the Labour-led Government had “cancelled the sell-off of state houses, fulfilling another of its first 100 day promises”.
However, towards the bottom of the statement Twyford said it would still sell houses that were no longer fit for purpose.
TBF, Twyford used exactly the same tactic.
"In December that year, former housing minister Phil Twyford issued a press release titled: Government stops the sale of state houses."
then…
However, towards the bottom of the statement, Twyford said it would still sell houses that were no longer fit for purpose.
Edit, oops ditto grey.
You know that is a hyperlinked headline, don’t you?
This is i believe a deliberate stratagem and seems to be happening sufficiently often that perhaps we could start documenting and analyzing which publications are mostly responsible (NZ HERALD, stuff) for starters.
Its just more DP as far as i can see and would be good to be calling these players out.
Not necessarily DP per se, but certainly used by DP operators. MSM use headlines/clickbait to lure readers to their sites; it is how they operate. TS Moderators have no control over MSM but can point out ‘bad habits’ by some punters here on this site.
What's the deal with hyperlinks, that they causes such consternation?
No deal, hyperlinks are fine and handy. It is the headline ‘message’ embedded in the hyperlink that often is the issue. Most people don’t even read past the headline but/because they have already taken in the ‘message’, mostly sub-consciously, especially when it confirms their cognitive bias.
Ahh. Ta.
Commenters are often asked by moderators to be descriptive when commenting. If linking, at a minimum we need to explain what the link is and, in the form of a response, why we are posting it. I think a quote from the article always helps liven it up too.
It's just good forumming.
Indeed, context is important and it applies also to YT and other clips.
"It is the headline ‘message’ embedded in the hyperlink that often is the issue. Most people don’t even read past the headline but/because they have already taken in the ‘message’, mostly sub-consciously, especially when it confirms their cognitive bias."
Thanks cogs well put!
Interesting the Herald doesn't include the sub-headline in their links.
Had Covid-19 not have occurred I think that housing was going to be the winner.
The Heartland Party, yet another bunch of conservative splitters pitching for the dinosaur vote: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300054112/new-rural-heartland-party-challenges-climate-change-and-water-restrictions
Catering for "rural interests and scaling back what Ball labels overbearing and nonsensical environmental policies." A journo ought to ask Todd Muller why heartland Nats are deserting! No point asking the Nat leader? Well she didn't work with James Shaw. But she did grow up on a farm, so maybe.
Good point, so the Stuff journo got clever & ran it by a Bluegreen.
What interests me is that these hicks from the sticks have decided that Nats + neocons + Act look too much like one big pile of crap to be worth supporting.
Leave that to the regional councils and farmers groups, who know the best way to manage their land.
Can't see how you can think that is a good point. If farmers knew how to best manage 'their' land and actually gave a shit then we wouldn't have a problem. Most farmers know jack shit about fresh water ecology.
Yes, definitely, re farmers. I was agreeing with the logic about regional councils. I recall how big the Greens were on local & regional governance when I was an activist. It is true, however, that capture of governance decisions by farmer activists could be a downside of that.
The dominance in numbers and influence of farmer-councillors on regional councils is a significant factor.
The reality is that regional councils have been fuck useless at enforcing their own rules. Yes often regional councils are captured by farmer interests.
It's all about culture and agri-culture is embedded in all of us; recognising it for what it is, then acting outside of its influence is our only hope (imo).
Agree with both soltka and RG here. Elected regional councils tend to be conservative and farmer heavy. RC staff tend not to enforce their own regs. It's a shit show, literally and figuratively. NZ mostly stood by and watched it happen. Part of the issue is regional council elections and lots of people not voting.
In that case there's important learning to be done by Green parliamentarians. They may have already done it. But could be worth checking Green policy to discern if that learning has been integrated! In respect of the relevant Green Charter principle, I mean. Policy ought to signal how to implement our principles in real life situations…
what learning?
Good question – but I was just acknowledging your point about democracy vs vested interests. I see no future in Greens advocating local/regional democracy if it doesn't work in practice. Mere words, then. As devoid of substance as any sloganeering by Labour.
It's up to your generation & any other generation younger than mine to progress the situation now. Whatever framing the GP has since put around the principle we adopted ought to be reality-checked!
It works. NZers generally don't care if we have shitty rivers, despite what they say, and they vote in the local govt that gives them that. It's a low form of democracy but I don't see that giving up on it would improve the situation, and would actually make it much worse.
A left-leaning govt would overcome the problem with national policy overrides like the law already allows.
A right-leaning one would fire disobedient councillors and replace them with protected cronies, as we saw with ECan.
in that regard, it would be nice if we had a left leaning govt not stymied by a centrist one.
High probability that the regional councils don't know any thing about fresh water ecology either. They simply don't have the dedicated research teams and I doubt if they read what the universities put out.
Oh, that's not true at all! Not only do councils have such teams/people, but they are intimately connected to the non-council teams that are dedicated to such research. Councillors may know little, but their science staff know full-well!
Glad to hear but it does raise the question:
Why are so many councils then making poor decisions regarding the land under their care?
They are political institutions. If those were dominated by National Party voting councillors, what sort of decisions do you expect would be made? Environmentally-friendly ones?
I expect that politicians should make decisions based upon evidence and not ideology.
And if they don't then they should be going to jail as they're being detrimental to the people of the local community and NZ as a whole.
I don’t follow how you set targets without rules & regulations. Very wishy-washy toothless proposal. My target is to lose 15 kg by Christmas but I don’t set rules & regulations for myself and it will just happen by my sheer willpower (positive thinking) and motivation (NY’s resolutions from 2016) without having to change any habits or make any sacrifices. Mate, they’re dreaming!
And living that dream. Trying to. I agree targets are insufficient: implementation strategies are crucial to hitting a target. As bowmen of your discovered: need a straight arrow, a competent fletcher, plus a yew bow like Robin Hood!
dreaming, or it's deliberate strategy 😉
If they knew the best way to manage their land then we wouldn't be having the issues that we're having now and we wouldn't need to have the central government stepping in to fix their mess.
Don't leave the banks out of that picture when casting nasturtiums.
Couple of pieces on the state of play with Tiwai Point.
There's a six month "un-termination" window in the power supply contract. So maybe this is next-level hardball negotiation from Rio Tinto. For mine, fuck 'em. Let's sort out an alternative plan for the Southland economy and the affected people and say Bye Felicia to Rio Tinto.
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/money/business/un-terminating-tiwai-point/ar-BB16Pxfy?li=BBqdg4K&ocid=mailsignout
But it seems WinnieFirst wants to pay the ransom to buy a temporary reprieve for the jobs hostages. Hopefully they'll get told Bye Felicia in a couple of months too.
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/coalition-split-over-tiwai-point-aluminium-smelters-fate/ar-BB16O0da?li=BBqdg4K&ocid=mailsignout
I see nationalisation the only step forward.
For a start, the government is the only party that has the required cash. Funny really, all these reforms after 36 years and the New Zealand private sector is still too weak to engage in capital intensive activities.
The only national interest reason to have a smelter is if there's a massive oversupply of electricity that we want to somehow sell overseas. That may have been arguably true back when Tiwai Point and Manapouri were first conceived and hardly anybody cared about GHG emissions. That is definitely no longer true, we have plenty of good uses for that electricity domestically, not least of which is simply shutting down Huntly's inefficient single stage coal-fired turbines.
The other possible (really dumb) reason is just as an explicit jobs creation scheme, regardless of how the economics stack up. In this case, the economics just won't stack up, because of the messed up structure of the worldwide aluminium production market.
Chinese suppliers are a real mess of subsidies and other government intervention, and non-chinese suppliers are heavily vertically integrated. As I understand it, there are very few alumina suppliers that aren't tightly bound to smelters, so a nationalised smelter would be subject to the same jobs-hostage squeezes that we're currently subjected to from Rio Tinto. That makes it all a snake-pit we would do best to keep well clear of.
Nationalising it is only a massive taxpayer subsidy to Rio Tinto, considering their bill for cleaning up the site is an estimated $256m
But the private sector is really great at getting subsidies and ripping off the tax payer as proven by all the subsidies that we've paid over for the aluminium smelter over the decades.
Why would the private sector even be interested in investing in a business that is " no longer viable given high energy costs and a challenging outlook for the aluminium industry" (https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/300052786/tiwai-point-aluminium-smelter-to-close-1000-jobs-to-go)? For that matter, why would the government?
Because it builds up our resilience in a troubled world?
Investing in a non-viable aluminium smelter? Surely there's better things for government to spend it's money on.
It's non-viable commercially.
But having the ability to smelt aluminium, especially if we develop that bauxite up in Northland, would be beneficial to the country if our supply lines become even more disrupted.
And, of course, the whole point of the government keeping it going is for the benefit of NZ which means that it cannot be left in private hands.
First question that should be answered is smelting aluminium from imported raw materials the best use of that energy and labour. Are there better options that would be better for Southland and New Zealand.
There’s been talk if a Tesla plant and also of a silica industry, refining a local resource. Not sure about the scale of that resource but it’s said to be of very good quality. Also wonder if there’s a connection between the two.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/science/09-12-2019/not-so-modest-proposals-for-tiwai/
That Tesla gigafactory thing is pure unicorns frolicking in a meadow with daffodils.
Silica could be more interesting if it indeed uses a local resource so it's not subject to international supply chain fuckery and the value of the final product is largely dependent on the energy supplied to produce it.
Here’s a link that’s got a bit more about the silica resource. On the side if a hill on my phone so linking a bit tricky
https://venture.vsnet.nz/projects/diversification-of-the-southland-economy/southlands-silica-potential
Bet it's a cold hillside, too!
Thanks for the linky. I'll keep an eye on them to see what processing they're proposing to do in NZ that uses huge quantities of electricity.
Agreed. Too far from markets primarily? when manufacturing is going closer to markets.
Distance from markets, and distance from inputs.
Electricity consumption really isn't that significant an input, so access to Manapouri power isn't much of an advantage.
A Tesla gigafactory needs a lot of people with very highly specialised skills. Attracting them to the bottom of the South Island would be quite the project. (well, maybe attracting them wouldn't be difficult right now, but getting them to stay might be tougher).
People with high paying jobs on Southland tend to hang onto them. The lifestyle, and low cost of living makes the place pretty good. The climate can have it's moments, but Southland on a good day takes some beating, and if it's crap you're not far from somewhere that's not too bad. Even a howling southwesterly has it's charms for it's sheer power.
The smelter has a very stable workforce and it's really hard to get jobs there.
Interesting. The two ex-smelter people I know (both engineers) hated being there and were delighted to be gone.
It's one or the other, a lot of people get into what the region has to offer and thrive on it, others it's not their cup of tea and can't stand the place. But I'm like that with Auckland.
While the smelter has a stable workforce, the money has a lot to do with that. On smelter wages Southland is pretty good. No one's that fussed about the job but know people from process workers to engineers and admin that have been there 20+ years
The hill was pretty good today too, I'm working at 1000m on a north aspect, had fantails flying around this afternoon, but looking down on permafrost in the basin.
There's a bit of very high quality silica in Southland and a hell of a lot of low quality:
Of course, if we put the effort in, the low quality can be turned to high quality.
The problem, IMO, is that we tend to only think of doing one thing with it. Solar cells or batteries – not both. Thing is, if we also developed our rare earth extraction and processing then producing silicon chips (CPUs, GPUs, and other) becomes an option as well. Build a fabrication plant and produce Intel/AMD/nVidia chips under contract as Taiwan does as well as being able to support the development of our own local IT industry.
People are worried about the loss of jobs when the smelter closes down but there's so much potential for other jobs.
And I'd keep the smelter going to some extent so as to support our local aircraft manufacture even going so far as to develop our bauxite deposit in Northland.
The problem of focussing on farming as the main earner (with everyone else doing low paid service jobs) over the last few decades is that we've let so much potential go to waste.
Are those bauxite deposits pitifully small or minuscule?
Estimated to be 20 to 25 million tonnes of low quality ore.
The low quality seems to be the issue for commercial viability.
Then it needs to be refined to produce alumina. Tiwai don't do that do they.
Pretty sure import bauxite from Australia for smelting – not alumina. This would indicate that Tiwai either does process to alumina or skips that step altogether.
An interesting point is that the smelter at Tiwai uses an old smelting technique. It produces better aluminium but it costs a lot more to run that what the rest of the world is using.
"The facility, New Zealand’s only aluminium smelter,[3] is at Tiwai Point, near Bluff. It imports alumina and processes it into primary aluminium. The plant's alumina is supplied from refineries in Queensland and the Northern Territory of Australia. Around 90 per cent of the aluminium produced at NZAS is exported, mainly to Japan.[4]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiwai_Point_Aluminium_Smelter
And that is the problem with Tiwai. It was built just before the process changed to something more efficient and has never been competitive. Tiwai's closing has been a thing from pretty much the day it opened.
You'd know if Tiwai had a red mud cycle – they don't.
Turn it into a huge hydrogen production plant producing clean hydrogen instead of aluminium. Sell that on the international market as a new green fuel alternative. Become the ME/OPEC of the Pacific.
Let's put some rough hand-wavy numbers to that thought.
Tiwai Point consumes around 5,000 GWhr of electricity annually. It takes about 65kWhr of electricity to split enough water to get 1 kg of hydrogen and compress it for storage and transportation. So that could produce around 80,000 tonnes of compressed hydrogen. That's just over 0.1% of the 70 million tonnes of hydrogen currently produced worldwide.
In dollar terms, Tiwai Point is probably paying a bit over 6 cents per kWhr (including transmission charges). That means the electricity cost for 1kg would be around NZD3.50 to NZD4.00. That doesn't look great compared to a worldwide market price for hydrogen of around USD1.65/kg.
The main reason hydrogen is so cheap is it's mostly produced by steam reformation of fossil fuels, and the producers get to dump the hazardous waste CO2 produced into the atmosphere for free. But even if that wasn't the case, and NZ hydrogen had to compete against worldwide electrically produced green hydrogen, it would probably be competing against photovoltaic electricity produced at a price under USD0.02/kWhr, produced somewhat geographically closer to where it gets used.
So it would make more sense to use it domestically, reducing our imports of fossil fuels.
Ta
I was hoping (!) somebody (…) would shoot it out of the water, to a degree 😉
Topical, particularly at the end.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/evs/122140021/new-zealand-needs-to-catch-up-with-global-demand-for-hydrogen-technology
I'm personally of the view that hydrogen is unlikely to take off, except for niche uses, and that batteries will become the dominant energy storage for most users such as cars, domestic, industrial etc.
First up, the hydrogen round-trip energy efficiency from electricity generation to finally doing useful work is lucky to beat 50%, and down as low as 30% is reasonably likely.
Sources of energy loss are in the electrolytic splitting of water, compressing and/or cooling it for storage, then fuel cell efficiency isn't that great (if the final energy conversion is in an internal combustion energy, total efficiency is abominable). In contrast, electricity generation to final useful work easily exceeds 80%, and can go into the 90s if the energy is stored in batteries.
Hydrogen is a real materials engineering nightmare. It embrittles many useful grades of metals, and the ones it doesn't tend to have lower performance but be more expensive. It just pisses through plastics and other polymers, usually degrading them rapidly. So flexible piping and sealing are headaches. It requires skill and care from mechanics and technicians that's a level or two up from most common technologies now.
It scares me from a safety viewpoint. It has a very wide range of explosion concentration in air, from 4% to 74% (IIRC, only acetylene has a wider range for the commonish gases). Its flame is invisible, but gives off a shitload of UV.
For a while in the early noughties when hydrogen was more widely thought to be the future and battery tech hadn't taken off, there was concern that widespread hydrogen leakage would have serious effects on the ozone layer. That's gone a bit quiet, but I dunno if that's just because hydrogen hype has gone a bit quiet, or further investigation suggests the risk to the ozone layer isn't so serious.
To my mind, the only potential real advantage hydrogen has for most users is it's quickish to refuel, closer to filling up with petrol than recharging a battery. But charging speeds are quickly increasing along with battery sizes, so that potential advantage is rapidly shrinking.
I thought the new Stuff management people would've put a stop to this kind of disingenuous and scaremongering headlines.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/122149832/government-sells-30m-worth-of-state-houses-after-labour-promised-to-stop-sales
It hasn't gone unnoticed – the case of Tauranga's entire stock of Housing NZ homes being sold lock stock & barrel for an undisclosed pittance is another part of the story that remains untold IMO. Accessible Properties now are after govt funding to exploit the land in the guise of "social housing" by now demolishing a significant number of the homes
https://twitter.com/nealejones/status/1283847212447993857
This government needs to remove IHC the heck away from the provision of state housing. What a complete and utter balls up that was. The filthy money grubbing snakes at IHC swooped in when the opportunity arose purely because the Salvation Army gave Key's government the finger. Total slime.
It certainly was convenient – I thought it was a bit moot with them for a bit effectively "gone" but I will wait with interest for the next candidate election returns as both Bridges (2014 & 2017) & Muller (2017) had the same main donor who oversaw the sale here as the CEO of Accessible Properties. It's all a matter of public record that's been largely over looked but with the "bad blood" that appears to have arisen between the 2 local candidates it will be fascinating if the patronage continues to both of them – or as I suspect only one or more likely neither of them this time around
Ridiculously biased headline.
The facts immediately below it show that Labour has developed 5400 homes and sold 146 that were not worth repairing or in the wrong place.
The article only looks at Nationals record over its last 3 years where over its 9 years in power it decreased the stock of state houses by several thousand….somebody on TS will have the exact numbers.
Yeah BG and that 38k one must have been a luxury waterfront property with indoor-outdoor flow!
In a plot twist that absolutely nobody saw coming, National's big new policy announcement is: moRe rOaDs!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/122153158/national-announces-biggest-infrastructure-package-in-history
And it's going to be the biggest and longest and shiniest road in the whole world.
Yellow lines gold-plated with Taxpayers’ money and little diamonds as cat-eyes.
After a quick look all I can say is that National has gone full on delusional. They seem to still be thinking in terms of economic growth that is simply not physically possible.
At first glance it looks like a gold-plated make work scheme and given the Transmission Gully stuff up, it looks as though it could be extended for years with a never ending series of financial top ups. However, TG is mopping up overseas unemployed more than make-work for Kiwi's. Looking closer, it seems more likely that it is a financial transfusion from essential services into the pockets of profiteering parasites like Downer, Fulton Hogan et al and cash pools for the 'financial partners' to slosh around tax havens. Oh joy!
You should provide evidence that the companies you name are "profiteering parasites".
On which job did they earn more than 7% return?
You should be able to answer.
Interesting to watch the headlines change, it went from "It's the biggest infrastructure spend ever!" then a couple of hours later they added "National claims", someone's obviously done some fact checking.
Seems to be a spending reduction, even.
https://twitter.com/ClintVSmith/status/1283898475285905408
It seems they are going to smash congestion according to Bishop,who's aspiration to build world class cities suggest he is provincial.
“Previous governments have not been ambitious enough in dealing to congestion. World-class cities have high-quality public transport networks where mass transit is a normal part of everyday life.
“Under National, Auckland will become the world-class city it can and should be – and the Upper North Island will become an interconnected economic powerhouse.”
As John Raulston Saul suggests (quite convincing)
“World class is a phrase used by provincial cities and second-rate entertainment events, as well as a wide variety of insecure individuals, to assert that they are not provincial or second-rate, thereby confirming that they are.”
Further as Bishop states.
“Congestion costs Auckland over $1 billion per year. It means unreliable journey times,
Indeed the problems that arose for his constituents ( Corona and Disease) on their big day out was problematic at best.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2007/S00158/national-will-smash-congestion-with-intergenerational-funding.htm
Watch out for the strong masculine metaphors “smash” and “crush”.
That's right building roads has always led to less congestion right?(sarc)
So effectively Labour’s infrastructure policy plus logical extensions, and using Labour’s covid fast track RMA provisions to approve it in time
So all that’s go then, lets get into it. So what’s the point of difference.
Collins and team announce a 31 billion transport package for Auckland (mostly ) and vague about how it would be paid for.
Will this be an Election with mine is bigger than yours?
Hate to raise a National promise but we have to consider its merit – or not.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12348768
Why are they proposing heavy rail to Auckland Airport, via a Puhunui spur, I thought that debate had been well canvassed, and a heavy rail line was always the first option but found to be unworkable
https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2018/10/19/how-easy-is-a-puhinui-airport-rail-spur/
Greater Auckland might say it's unworkable because it's not in their Congestion Free Network Mk2. But how workable is two raised tram lines running the length of Dominion Road and beyond???
I, presumably like everyone else, am kind of seduced by their CFN2 with its London Underground graphics but am also bewildered why it never seems to be referenced in high level discussions. I could be wrong on this.
The constant criticism of Twyford and Labour is there was no vision but there is a vision, GA has worked on this very thing for years.
Right now I prefer the Puhinui spur CBD-airport solution but am happy to change my mind if a case for GA's 'Central Line' has some widespread consensus. But nobody seems to be selling it.
a curious thing….there is no rail to the airports of London . Paris or Melbourne….and yet all three have extensive rail networks
I would say that the London Underground is better 'rail' than NZ ‘Toytown Express’ rail system, and it goes all the way to Heathrow underground, unimpeded by road traffic. The same would apply to Paris's larger underground service (the RER?) which efficiently services Paris's airports. I don't think your point is valid here: I see trams being held up in Dominion Road as a bloody silly idea.
Yes, was too slow to delete as my wife pointed out there were trains to both Heathrow and Charles deGaulle though not Melbourne (I asked why we then used taxis). …so the comment can be ignored.
Thanks for correcting Pat. There's both Underground and BR lines beneath Heathrow.
I think New Zealand's tourism numbers and the industry's contribution to GDP demands better infrastructure for travellers.
There's a lot of talk about improving tourism infrastructure up and down the line so that both visitors and Kiwis benefit and I think a 21st Century connection from the main entry point to the rest of the country is vital to that cause.
AND
suspending super contributions
continuing to sell state houses
stopping the ak fuel tax
For those interested in a "Different Monetary System" this a very good article on an alternative system, MMT, Modern Monetary theory.
Worth the long read if you think the current economic system isn't working.
https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-17/what-is-modern-monetary-theory/12455806
Very good and well worth the read. I see MMT as an interesting evolution pulling together the functional threads of both socialism and capitalism into a form better adapted to the world we are rapidly plunging into.
That is a crucial point. But it has a point that most don't realise.
If the government can spend money then we don't need rich people to fund enterprise.
We don't need shareholders and we don't need owners and at that point it becomes obvious that we don't need capitalism to push development.
A group of people can come together, form a business and then go down to the state bank and, if their business plan looks good, get a 0% interest loan that only needs to be paid back once the business starts making a profit – or not paid back at all if the business falls over. That business would, of course, be a cooperative with none of the people working there owning it but all sharing in its governance and sharing in the rewards.
That silica development mentioned up thread could be done that way as well or it could be that the government finances and directs for a time until its established and then has it continue as a cooperative. What we most definitely shouldn't do is finance people to develop it and then allowing them to take ownership of it as that just increases the bludging of the shareholders.
The article doesn't address the question of whether the private banking establishment should be allowed to create money out of nothing – an issue which also seems to be part of the the MMT agenda.
National party supporters are criticizing the government for loading the government up with debt in response to the covid19 crisis. I'm inclined to agree; instead the government should simply have "printed" the money.
Yes, but how do we persuade Governments to consider this alternative
There certainly is merit in theory, there are a number here who would prescribe to this economic way of thinking.
Skeletons
https://twitter.com/MandyHager/status/1283925821686595585
Outstanding protest action against the proposed Dome Valley Dump.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/300059289/hundreds-march-in-auckland-cbd-for-hkoi-protesting-dome-valley-dump-poposal
Its election time…come on candidates step up and show your true colours!
Some excellent speakers…well worth a listen.
Potential solution…waste emanating from inside the pre super city boundary has to stay inside that boundary by law.
Yes 100%. This should never have been allowed.
Well done those people. Unfortunately I don't hold out any hope Auckland Council will listen.
Sorry – I am not getting notifications for replies to comments and I am not constantly perusing them to see a response.
There were insinuations in the comments sections re the declined breakfast show – people pointed out that Helen, still working full time as an employment lawyer may have other commitments – to which Chloe made snarky 'at 7am' comments and the suggestion that she is not working as hard as she should be this close to the election.
Every reference to Helen being the nearest competitor has been coupled with comments about entitlement to votes. – Again repeatedly on her facebook page and commentary there. I don't think the fact that she hasn't singled Helen out by name really matters, given her initial refusal to even name her as the candidate (although I saw that was edited later following criticism in the comments section).
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[you look like you are new here Breanna, so please read the About and the Policy before commenting again. If there’s anything you don’t understand, please ask. The upshot is that if you make claims of fact eg Swarbrick called White lazy, then you have to back that up. This is to protect the site owners legally, and it’s also to protect the debate culture here. The expectation is that you will do the work to back up what you say. This is doubly so if a moderator asks you.
If you want have a go about the Greens you have to make a sound political argument not just spread rumours. In this instance you would need to quote what CS actually said and give a citation or link. The site exists for robust debate, not political slander. At the moment it looks like you just made shit up. I’d appreciate a response so I know you have read this an understood. Incognito may also want to address the issues he moderated – weka]
Which ones? And by whom?
Pretty rough to move Breanna's comment and give it the old 'two paragraphs of bold type' when it seemed like a pretty detailed observation on the battle for Auckland Central.
A steep learning curve for a newcomer to the site who demonstrates a clear negative bias towards the Greens, in this case, in all comments so far. Either they learn quickly or they’ll be moved on. The site is attracting more traffic and comments and there have been an increased number of new users as one would expect on a political blog in Pre-Election time. Moderators will display decreasing levels of leniency.
I’m not that quite satisfied with your response to the Moderation and I’ll explain why.
When you state that people said something, e.g. about another person, it needs to be linked/shown as a quote. Paraphrasing is often more like selective quoting. Going on insinuations and comments in threads means you are making some assumptions of the intended meaning and that you’re drawing your own conclusions (or spin). Given your obvious negativity towards the Greens, I think that this is what’s happened when you accused CS of the things you did.
To avoid future run-ins with Moderators here you should stick to facts and verbatim quotes and clearly indicate when you state your opinion, i.e. what you think or believe to be true but you cannot be sure that it is actually true and that you haven’t made it up, e.g. in your own mind. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have malicious intend but that your own mind tricks you in believing things that are not real, true, or correct. When in doubt, say so, e.g. ‘I think …’ or ‘I believe …’, et cetera.
In Summary, don’t assert or allege things that you cannot support or prove. Don’t put words into people’s mouths if you cannot show the verbatim text.
HTH
On reflection the big Transport declaration from Collins is an example of, "We might impress by declaring huge plans as we have nothing to lose. So promise the Earth with no planning, no costing and maybe we will impress."
I reckon the biggest takeout from the Nats announcement today is the timing really. Presumably they would have preferred to announce this in the campaign proper. But after the disaster of the last few weeks they’ve been forced to roll something big out now just to try and arrest the damage.
The National Party Board meets to elect a leader
Board Chair: Ok everyone, we are meeting today to elect a new leader of the party
Board member #1:who have we got left to choose from
Board Chair: hmmmm lets see, Judith Collins, Gerry Brownlee and David Bennett
Board member #2: Gordon Bennett
Board Chair: No DAVID Bennett
Board member #2: I know what you said
Omg- in the week when two of the former top 3 resign FROM PARLIAMENT, and the former leader says I voted for the other guy RNZ's round up is 'Collins moves fast to fix the National party'.
What a total farce. Complete disarray and backstabbing is gone in 60 seconds with RNZ. Imagine if it had been the Labour party. Actually don't need to- remember how they treated the last two leaders?
'Collins moves fast to fix the National party'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMw8kttO4KU