Edited highlights from The Surge: wheeler/dealer Bernie @ #1
"Sanders reached a deal with Budget Committee moderates on a $3.5 trillion framework for a party-line reconciliation bill they intend to pass this fall. It would create a host of climate initiatives that Democrats claim would meet the president’s goal of halving emissions by 2030; add dental, vision, and hearing aid benefits to Medicare; extend the generously expanded child tax credit and improvements Democrats made to the Affordable Care Act earlier this year; allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices; and fund universal pre-K and paid family and medical leave. “The legislation that the president and I are supporting will go further to improve the lives of working people than any legislation since the 1930s,” Sanders told reporters once the deal was reached." https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/07/the-surge-bernie-sanders-budget-infrastructure-manchin-schumer.html
Legal weed @ #5: "Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with Sens. Ron Wyden and Cory Booker, introduced the first draft of their bill, the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, to remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, is extremely weirdly still not in favor of marijuana legalization."
Stroppy servant @ #7: "Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, got into it with congressional Republicans when he defended studying “white rage” and took offense at accusations over the military going “woke.” Conservatives like Tucker Carlson and Matt Gaetz, both privileged brats, called him “stupid,” a “pig,” and the reason why we lose so many wars. Milley is now likely in for another round of prep school Republicans calling him a wussy war-losing scumbag, as a new book documents some of the insults Milley lobbed Trump’s way when he was actively trying to prevent Trump from launching a coup. In a statement Thursday, Trump—who says he only picked Milley because Jim Mattis didn’t like Milley, and Trump didn’t like Jim Mattis—kicked things off by saying that “if I was going to do a coup, one of the last people I would want to do it with is General Mark Milley.” So there!"
While most of the farmers out yesterday were just sheep who probably didn't even really know why they were protesting, government needs to remember that its up to them to ease the pain of their policies, what's gone on down in otago and Canterbury (which is the main target of many of the policies) was all done legally in most cases and aided and abetted government national and local.
Youre right about local government support in the provinces, though public support will be far more divided (and opposition largely silent)…and its not surprising as in most cases the Ag sector is the main source of both revenue and employment in theses areas….and the method of protest was far from popular if what I hear being expressed is anything to go by.
and buried in 'Lifestyle' – funny and fitting imo – a write up on the casualness on which cis gendered girls experience sexual violence at the hand of their male peers and older male.
Girls, its called a rite of passage. I am waiting on the Minister for Women to have a say on that, and to do something about the 'right to a safe space and environment in which to grow up for human beings with natural vaginas. I am however not holding my breath, cause i'd be dead before anyone in any government really gives a flying fudge.
Of the 724 students who responded (aged 12 to 18), 60 per cent said they had been sexually harassed, many of them multiple times — out on the street, around town, at social gatherings or online. In most cases, their harassers were teenage boys of a similar age, or older men.
The impact of even what might be considered low-level harassment was often distressing. Relentless cat-calls and sexual comments had led some students to change their route to and from school, or to avoid travelling by bus altogether. Some of the verbal abuse that was reported, including rape threats, was truly vile. A girl on her way home from school says she attracted a volley of abuse when she walked past a group of teenage boys, with one of them shouting, "I'll f*** you until your back breaks."
Other students told of being groped, followed, filmed without permission or sent unwanted "dick pics". One was offered money to allow herself to be touched. Several of the reported rapes involved multiple offenders taking turns with a girl who'd had too much to drink or been subdued with drugs. More than once, a supposedly supportive boyfriend had helped her into a bedroom to lie down, then brought in his mates.
I'll deem you Minister for Women for the day. What would you do? Real solutions.
(Not real solutions are the seeming National style solution for gangs, to wit: "Gangs do bad things, put all gang members in jail." So with girls being assaulted, "Males do bad things, lock up all teenage and adult males."
make rape and sexual assault part of the hate crime bill.
– Min. sentencing 3 years plus 50.000 in damages.
– Advertise that in Schools, specifically boys school. Send police to boys schools and tell them what happens if you rape anyone (as boys also get raped).
Anyone cought raping anyone should get at least that for every charge of rape.
So this guy here who assaulted three women during a Navy trip should get at the minimum 3 years for each instance, plus 50.000 to each victim. No parole, no early release, madatory listing on sexual offenders list, no name suppression. – but he got two years. Cause boys will be boys. Right?
Cause clearly girls should know that when they are out and about, trying to live their life that they will inspire men and boys (and some women, althought no women ever told me to smile, never told me to get a breast augmention surgery lest i be considered a boy, or told that my ass is fuckable, nor has ever any women with a vagina raped me, that was always done by weaponsied penises).
So now Pete , that i told you what i would do, what would you do to keep girls as young as 13 save from having a train run over them organised by their supposed 'boyfriends'.
And please remember that the Roastbusters were not even charged with 'supplying alcohol to minors'. They went scot free, and the girls get to pick up what ever is left of them and continue on. Mind i guess they are not Rainbow Youth, so sucks to be a person with a natural vagina.
And do feel free to tell me just how unfair it is that Girls stand up for themselves and demand to not be reduced to a piece of meat by their peers and older male.
Tbh, Sabine I had no real inkling that this shit had got so bad for our young women. I was reading that article very early this morning and thinking we really need to get boys off the fucking porn sites and into some sound and solid consciousness-raising and mindfulness. They also need to learn that women do not exist for their use and entertainment. That women and girls are actually human.
"We're so desensitised to it, and so are the guys. They don't see themselves as 'offenders' whose behaviour is hurting or breaking someone. Men are trained not to respect women. And if you challenge it, they're the ones who feel they've been targeted unfairly."
This has gone way beyond a rank sense of entitlement…and we in the west have the audacity to challenge third world countries on the way they treat women and girls.
Should we start lessons in the earliest classes in schools, or preschools, telling boys what will happen to them if they treat other people badly? Should we have exemplar lists of what constitutes that unacceptable behaviour?
Why don't you answer me this? Do YOU think that girls and women should have a right to NOT be assaulted, insulted and raped by THEIR MALE peers? or is that just boys being boys and rape is a rite of passage for men to commit and for women/girls to suffer through?
A couple of times lately I have been questioned on NOT putting stuff as if something not being there means I accept it or approve of it. As if I have to preface everything I say with a pepeha which includes everything I believe in, anything not being there implying I don't care.
Like an implication that because I didn't lambaste mongrels who assault other people I might think that it's okay for girls and women to be assaulted, insulted and raped by male peers? Or thinking that rape is a reasonable rite of passage for men to commit and for women/girls to suffer through.
I'm going to a public occasion this afternoon. If someone doesn't tell me directly that they think that girls and women should have a right to NOT be assaulted, insulted and raped by THEIR MALE peers and that just boys being boys and rape is a rite of passage for men to commit and for women/girls to suffer through, do I assume the worst about them and their attitudes?
i don't know what you believe, you could answer me my question. Something like, Yes, i believe that, would suffice actually.
But let me tell you…….that
I do believe that women and girls SHOULD have that right, and i am waiting with baited breath for the Minister of Women to state something to that extend, because this is just ONE school, and we can expect this to happen pretty much anywhere in the country.
"I'm going to a public occasion this afternoon. If someone doesn't tell me directly that they think that girls and women should have a right to NOT be assaulted, insulted and raped by THEIR MALE peers and that just boys being boys and rape is a rite of passage for men to commit and for women/girls to suffer through, do I assume the worst about them and their attitudes?"
You are commenting around the topic of sexual harassment as reported by the Christchurch school girls, without actually addressing the impact this harassment has on not only their lives, but the lives of those conducting that harassment (and those around them) if it is not addressed.
Listen to what Sabine is saying, instead of getting all #NotAllMen.
Because the reality is, most women have experienced what is reported to varying degrees of harm.
So, there is a better approach than just pretending there is nothing to address, such as you seem to be doing.
It is necessary for us ALL to address it, as opposed to only those who are participating in harmful behaviour, unless you honestly believe that it is not worth finding a solution for.
(BTW, lessons are learned in cultures and societies, not just schools. The answer does not rely on educational institutions solely, we collectively carry that responsibility.)
Surely you're not telling me what I should be addressing?
And if I haven't addressed what you think I should be addressing I'm pretending there is nothing to address?
Not worth finding a solution for? I asked about specific responses. Sabine has suggested punishment and advertising. You say, "The answer does not rely on educational institutions solely, we collectively carry that responsibility" without saying what can specifically be done.
It's all right saying there is a massive problem, it's obvious there is. Thing is, what specifically should be done about it?
“Surely you’re not telling me what I should be addressing?”
God forbid. Just all those who are concerned about the current environment of harm. Else the involvement of those not caring, gets in the way of discussion and possible solutions by redirecting into dead ends of discussion.
"It's all right saying there is a massive problem, it's obvious there is. Thing is, what specifically should be done about it?"
Well, it was not apparent that you thought this from your previous comments on this thread.
Instead of asking others for solutions, or providing facile tongue-in-cheek proposals, – do you have any real solutions to propose? I'll wait.
And something about consent having to be proved. Along the lines of the accused having to demonstrated reasonable grounds for believing each act (which would take in removing condoms) was desired by the other party.
Seems like debunked Guardian hack Luck Harding is still not yet ready to abandon his wet dream fantasy that Russia helped Trump into the Whitehouse in 2016, a narrative that most thinking humans have now accepted was some sort of smoke screen to protect Clinton and the establishment Dems from taking any kind of responsibility for their embarrassing defeat during that election..a narrative now only mentioned in polite company by hardcore fantasists (like Harding and enabled by The Guardian)…..
Kremlin papers appear to show Putin’s plot to put Trump in White House
The headline warns the Prime Minister to, "dismiss protesting farmers as rednecks at (her) peril."
I could not find any reference to where the PM had done such a thing. Would anyone with a Hurled subscription be able to tell us where the PM said or implied 'protesting farmers are rednecks'?
Harris says he saw some tenants living in “absolutely awful conditions”.
''There are some landlords who are just 100 per cent scumlords, and they should never ever be allowed to own property to rent out.''
Harris' firm, TradeTech, has inspected and assessed 3756 Christchurch homes over the last 18 months. A small percentage of landlords went to extraordinary lengths to avoid fixing their poor quality rentals, he says.
''We have been asked to pass houses without seeing them and been offered money to do so.
‘’Owners are trying to tape insulation around the manhole or scatter [pink] batts around, so it looks like it has been done, or they put new lino over holes in the floor. For draught-stopping, rather than fix windows, some just nail them shut.''
I'd really like to see inspectors have the ability to force sales of rental properties and a ban from being associated in any way (including as a property manager or investor) with residential tenancies. Don't think a licence to landlord is worth anything imho cause scum LL's need more than some certificate of completion. They need repercussions, and serious ones at that. God knows the rest of us are paying via the health and welfare systems for their shoddy treatment of tenants.
I suggest that the landlord needs to put the tenant up in a motel until the repairs or legal installation is carried out or not be paid rent until the work is carried out.
And
That the landlord needs to live in the rental if the work is not carried out and pay for a motel for the tenants.
My elderly parents had their first Pfizer vaccine yesterday, no side effects yet. I'm in Group 3 due to a health condition and have booked my first vaccine for this Thursday. My sister in-law works at Waikato Hospital and is fully vaccinated, as is my brother. All good.
Sore arms and tiredness seem to be the most common side effects. Had my first dose on Thursday and that night the jab site was quite painful. By morning it had receded to a mild irritation. Been feeling a bit tired but don't know if it is due to injection.
Whatever: for anyone feeling a bit unsure of the jab… the side effects are minor and only last a day or so.
Always use my OPPO A53s, ColorOS 7.2 with Android 10. Chrome browser with Adgurd private dns.
I use the Mobile version of The Standard, but the Desktop version also currently works. No issues with functionality at the moment, but I don't comment very often.
Okay, I think I have worked it out now. You have to use the link button (looks like a chain link with a diagonal dash above the bullet point buttons), rather than just pasting the link into the text body. No idea what the flag or 3 horizontal lines buttons mean.
Conversely, I found the scaling didn't work at all with image button, but copy-pasting did on laptop.
At least the link from NRT seems to be working again – that's been out for months.
I like desktop because of the Replies list, and the aesthetics, but can't comment from there so am continually switching back and forth between mobile and desktop.
I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and use mobile Chrome version 91.0.4472.120 (the latest version for my phone). I can post using mobile view but not desktop view. I also have mobile Firefox version 90.1.1 (Build #2015820747), also the latest version, and report the same thing. I also have Samsung Internet (Samsung's mobile browser based on Chrome) version 14.2.1.69 (the latest version), and it didn't load this page beyond the title. When checking on my Samsung Tab S5E (tablet), Samsung Internet allows posting in mobile but not desktop.
By post, I mean that when I press the reply button on the page, I can type in the comments editor in mobile view, but not desktop view.
For all the talk about high-density housing, and its importance in addressing the failure of decades of NZ planning, the reality is that good transitional housing requires great design and location and considerations. Despite the accumulated capital gains that has delighted some of the property owners across the country from land-use changes to high-density, this delight does not necessarily result in a change from existing building designs, or better living experiences for those who end up residing in resulting houses.
As far as Auckland Council is involved past the zoning change, their ability to influence resulting builds has been hampered by their failure to connect the Auckland Design Manual to the Unitary Plan, and developers are businesses who develop to increase their profit margins, not to provide long-term homes that take into account affordability, long-term residents well-being and transition considerations over and above the current inadequate regulatory requirements. This is not a treatise against property developers, just a statement of fact.
Given the current cost of emergency housing at $1million a day, and the more accepted cost of Accommodation Supplement at $30 million a week it is apparent to more than a few of us that current mechanisms to address housing, including Kiwibuild are treating housing as a commodity rather than a human need, and despite all protestations to the contrary are propping up an overheated market. Of course, politically, the cost of depressing house prices are not to be considered, even though many NZers are paying the price of the economic benefit enjoyed by a few that have the ability to financially invest and benefit from this commodification of a human need.
I am one of those that firmly believe the solution to actually access to healthy housing to all NZers, requires a dedicated commitment to vast amounts of state housing, where tenure is stabilised and the building of state housing must consider the wellbeing of residents and connection to community AS WELL AS utilising the investment of government and the judicious use of resources and design to transition these dwellings in terms of climate change. Once all NZers have access to affordable, secure, fit-for-purpose housing as can be provided by the state, then the developers and housing investors can continue with their business model without interference. We should not expect businesses to provide the necessities of living if the government shows little interest in the same. Once again, I believe this disinterest is a result of a lack of political will, the voters that they care about are those that are benefitting from rising housing costs, or are appeased by policies that seem to allow them to get on the property ladder (Kiwibuild).
As at 31 March 2021, the number of those on the State Housing list was 23,688. There has been a marked increase, after a Covid year, but the fact is that this is the number of people awaiting state housing after meeting all requirements.
The Kainga Ora December 2020 Report states that in the previous three years they have built 3500 state houses (without specifying whether this provides 3500 houses in addition to existing available housing stock, or does not include the demolition of previous state houses. This is an important distinction. If the net gain of state houses is minimal, or not meeting demand, NZ will continue to fail to address the inequity that results in many households because of the high cost of a fundamental need.
Apparently, the current government declined to invest in speeding up the glacially slow process of providing state housing, and looking in detail at current project gives a strong impression of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. From their current state housing builds, that is reported on Page 34:
Northcote The Northcote Development replaces about 300 existing state houses with approximately 1,500 new homes, including approximately 470 new state houses, 580 KiwiBuild/affordable homes and the rest as market houses … (Net increase in state homes -170)
Mount Roskill The Mount Roskill Development will deliver approximately 11,000 new high-quality, healthy homes over the next 20 years. The new development will be comprised of approximately 4,400 state homes, 3,300 KiwiBuild/affordable homes and 3,300 market homes. These replace 2,732 existing state houses that have an average age of 48 years. … (Net increase in state homes -1,668 in 20 years)
Māngere The Māngere Development will deliver approximately 10,000 new warm, dry, healthy homes over 20 to 25 years, including around 5,000 state homes, 2,500 KiwiBuild/affordable homes and 2,500 market homes replacing 2,700 existing state houses…((Net increase in state homes -7,300 in 20-25 years)
Delivery is underway in the Māngere West neighbourhood where over 900 homes will be built, of which 342 will be state homes. … The Tāmaki development will deliver around 10,500 new homes over the next 25 years. The development will be comprised of approximately 3,500 state homes, 3,500 affordable homes (including KiwiBuild) and 3,500 market homes replacing 2,800 existing state dwellings. … (Net increase in state homes -700 in 25 years)
North West Glen Innes will deliver more than 1,200 homes, has also commenced. Oranga The Oranga Development replaces around 400 state houses with over 1,100 new homes, including 440 new state homes, over eight years…. (Net increase in state homes -700 in eight years)
Te Kauwhata In June this year, we also entered into a land supply partnership agreement with Winton to deliver 1,300 homes over the next seven to eight years at its greenfield Lakeside development at Te Kauwhata, North Waikato. Kāinga Ora is engaging build partners to construct a wide range of housing choices in a fully consented master-planned community, located in a strategic Southern Corridor location…
In the introduction Kainga Ora states:
Over the next four years, Kāinga Ora plans to invest $11.2 billion in its housing stock, resulting in a net increase of approximately 8,250 additional state homes.
If Kainga Ora was purely investing in state houses, that would be a build price per household unit of $1.3 million. However, they are both providing state housing AND contributing/relying on housing inflation by also providing houses for market and Kiwibuild. I believe there is a disconnect going on here, that is enshrined in the current interpretation of their objective:
Our objective is to contribute to sustainable, inclusive, and thriving communities that provide people with good quality, affordable housing choices that meet diverse needs; support good access to jobs, amenities, and services; and otherwise sustain or enhance the overall economic, social, environmental, and cultural well-being of current and future generations.
The belief that the market is working as it should, allows them to participate in being property developers themselves, and also working in PPP with other developers in order to create a profit.
However, they could, if politically supported do better. Their request to increase the rate of state housing builds was denied by the current Labour government. But they do have the ability to identify development opportunities that exist within their Crown Entity roles.
For a thought experiment, could they look at purchasing Ellerslie racecourse? Six hectares in a location well positioned for walkable community and transport, and if developed with good design by Kainga Ora might provide more household units for state housing than they currently have planned to meet demand.
There is high-density housing, and there is well-designed high density housing. I don't think we are currently doing well at the second.
Kainga Ora could be investing in developments like 8 House in Copenhagen on approx 2-2.5 hectares, which was conceived in 2006 and delivered around 2010.
The cost of €92,000,000 provided 61,000 sqm of building, including 10,000 retail/commercial space, 500 sqm of community space and 476 household units (of which over 300 are unique in design). 1700 sqm of green roof. All household units have access to outside space – balcony or front garden, and many have dual aspect windows. There is also a 1 km walkway ramp that connects all residents to each other, and to the open courtyards.
It is worth taking a look at the other projects that BIG studio has been involved in. I investigated their work after my son expressed interest in the Lego House which was one of their projects. I have also read a couple of interviews with developers that are using the architectural studio because their innovative design reduces build costs on multi-story developments.
I'm not really wanting to start another round of the ivermectin shitfight. But following on the heels of the discrediting and withdrawal of the egyptian study that ivermectin boosters heavily relied on, a new study has just been published where those running the study have taken reasonable care around controls, randomisation etc, and found that ivermectin did not have any benefit.
Oddly enough, I did read them before posting. Do you think I might have missed something important?
Maybe the researcher's conclusion?
Conclusion
Ivermectin had no significant effect on preventing hospitalization of patients with COVID-19. Patients who received ivermectin required invasive MVS earlier in their treatment. No significant differences were observed in any of the other secondary outcomes.
Or perhaps this nugget?
All-cause mortality was 7 cases (1.40%) in the 501 patients, of which 4 were patients (1.60%) in the ivermectin group and 3 were patients (1.20%) in the placebo group,
Or perhaps this little wrinkle pointing to ivermectin being ineffective as prophylaxis?
Incredibly it was extremely hard to find patients for the trial. Why? Too many Argentinians it seems were already taking ivermectin.
Of 15 968 people who tested positive for Covid and were excluded from taking part in the trial, 12 356 could not participate because they were already taking ivermectin. (We are also hearing anecdotal reports of South Africans using ivermectin.)
Or perhaps you could point to what led you to suggest I should read my sources?
Secondly, the mean dose of ivermectin was 192.37 μg/kg/day (SD ± 24.56), which is below the doses proposed as probably effective [20, 33].
They used a low dose of Ivermectin in the study, and they only did a short dose of 2 consecutive days. From what I gather this is not the recommended dosage to treat with this drug.
What is the recommended dose, who made the recommendation, and on what basis was the recommendation made?
There's two links in that quote you found, what do they say? (hint: neither of them have any recommendation on actual dosages to try against covid, let alone having any kind of evidentiary basis)
When it comes to the proposal that some specified substance treats some specified ailment, the default assumption has to be that it doesn't do shit in real life, no matter what happens in test tubes when the concentration is cranked way up. It's up to those claiming it actually does something useful to prove that, to a high standard.
Nobody has come anywhere close to showing ivermectin does anything useful against covid to even a mediocre standard. Even with absolute garbage studies, the claimed improvements are really small by the time the probable outright frauds are weeded out. It's significant that as the quality of study improves, less actual beneficial effect is found.
The two links were from the erroneous study you posted, so I doubt they will be much help re dosage.
In the real world.. when conducting a scientific experiment it's often best to use the same dosage as what doctors say work in the real world… to you know test the hypothesis!
So back to the question above, which you ghosted as you usually do for inconvenient questions:
What is the recommended dose, who made the recommendation, and on what basis was the recommendation made?
A key point of all these studies showing zero effectiveness is that the dosage used was the best guess by the doctors conducting the trial at what would be the most effective dose regime. Those that have had the honesty and integrity to set up reasonably robust trials of what they think is most likely to give positive outcomes have found – nothing, zip, nada. Those who let their hopes and motivated reasoning lead them into conducting badly designed and badly analysed trials with high risk of bias have found – at best very small effects, which haven't been replicated elsewhere.
Johnson also took aim at Tinetti, saying “her silence has created this vast void under which all of this animosity has poured”, and called on the minister to “show leadership and say that … women have the right to speak about women’s rights”.
Tinetti said she sent letters to several groups including Speak Up for Women, encouraging them to make a submission to select committee later this year.
As always, there are multiple sides to a story/narrative and I refuse to be shoehorned into one or the other. It will be interesting to see how many submissions will be received this time and whether public opinion has changed much; opinion and debate certainly seem to be more polarised, which is never a good sign.
As always, there are multiple sides to a story/narrative and I refuse to be shoehorned into one or the other.
Indeed. I'm so tempted to put up a thread title "Man's Day" and exclude all women and any pro-feminist viewpoints from it. But that would be … provocative. Still given that feminists have spent two generations systematically dismantling all the traditional male-only spaces where men might have talked without the distraction of the female perspective – I can't help but note the delicious irony icing on this particular little cupcake.
But as I stated yesterday, all of this was a more or less predictable outcome of the left elevating the post-modernist cult of Identity Politics to the loudest voice in our ideological narrative. Did it never occur to those who promoted it with such fervour, that the day might come when others would learn to play it as well?
Heh! It wouldn’t surprise me if some here would try to counter that by saying that some (most?) of TS could be considered ‘Man’s Day’. However, I understand the desire for a safe harbour to talk with like-minded people but this too easily leads to pseudo-debate and echo chamber stuff, IMO. I don’t think it fits well with the kaupapa of this site, but I stress that this is my personal opinion and I have to and (thus) will respect the opinions of others if/when they make a strong case for it.
Regarding the merit of the loudest voice leading/ruling, this also happens to be one of allegations raised in regard to the self-destruction of the Auckland chapter of SS4C (see my other comment in OM). Indeed, it is highly predictable, especially in hindsight 😉
Like you I'm not particularly against the idea of the thread. It seems largely populated by women who collectively burned their bridges with the male half of humanity a long time ago – and if they need an exclusive space to talk then well and good. But it's also obvious this is not a privilege they would extend to men.
I have a strong egalitarian streak and react to exclusive zones, spaces, meetings, communications, et cetera, and to hierarchical structures as well – a personal problem, obviously 😉 This is also one of the reasons why I have a major issue with the current state of the OIA in particular and with Government and State transparency and accountability in general.
I believe strongly in fair and inclusive debate, which is one reason why I’m on this site and put considerable time and effort into it. Good robust debate is key; it is also lacking, not just here on The Standard but everywhere – people seem to have lost or never learned how to debate each other effectively. It is not about winning or losing, about being right or wrong, about power – all the power is in the coming together in and of mind & spirit; polarisation, division, separation, and exclusion always remove collective power and therefore individual power and mana as well.
I see this reflected in the smoke & mirrors surrounding the so-called hate speech laws as well as He Puapua, for example – all symptomatic of the same problem. This this does not bode well for tackling global issues that affect all humanity and the planet for that matter. Sometimes, it feels we’re still stuck in day-care …
I hear you. We don't always agree but I can sincerely respect the motives you express here.
If I might add an optimistic note, while the standard of debate does fall short of what we might imagine as ideal, but honestly I think in some respects it has gotten better over the years. A quick glance at many social media comment threads shows that we could be a lot worse.
Affirmative, you and I don’t always agree but that’s ok with me; what matters is how we disagree and, for the record, I don’t have any major personal complaints 🙂
As far as your optimistic note is concerned, I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry 😉
Interesting discussion….after talking to female members of my circle re trans rights and 'womens space' I've come to the conclusion that like any group of people the viewpoints will vary tremendously though with one underlying theme…its all good for for men.
Like you I'm not particularly against the idea of the thread. It seems largely populated by women who collectively burned their bridges with the male half of humanity a long time ago – and if they need an exclusive space to talk then well and good. But it's also obvious this is not a privilege they would extend to men.
I haven't seen a comment like this about women since the 1970s when we were all dried up prunes and men haters for thinking as we did.
And I can readily find equivalent ghettos on the internet of men who have similarly 'burned their bridges with women'. You call it misogyny.
That both sexes are in a very real sense sundering their ancient connection and literally 'going their own separate ways' is in my view a totally predictable consequence that I was in my own fumbling way attempting to outline years ago. Watching it all unfold in real-time gives me no pleasure, trust me.
I'm not hurt by the "dismantling of traditional male-only spaces", because those spaces harboured and legitimised the very misogynistic oppression and abuse which is in the process of being addressed today.
As always, those against identity politics are those against the questioning of their traditional power.
Why some men feel the need to insert themselves into every discussion, mansplaining the righteousness of the status quo is beyond me.
No. As I said above, they're welcome to talk among themselves. I've refrained from commenting on almost anything gender related for almost four years now and contrary to what you imagine, I'm not at all keen on 'inserting myself into that conversation'.
I'm merely observing the the endless 'gender critical' threads of recent months and noting it as a predictable outcome of the entire post-modernist project, of which 'identity politics' was a large component. Which is pretty much all I have to say for the moment.
If you would like to 'learn by reading' on the Women's Day thread TeWhareWhero's summation (post 7.1) of the move from Womens' Studies to Gender issues/Studies is instructive.
I heard about that elsewhere, good to have a verifiable source for the story, Incognito. This from the SUFW spokeswoman was also good (not often I type that phrase!):
“We are calling for respectful, considered public dialogue. This is the last thing we want. We don’t know the validity of that [slapping] claim … but I absolutely condemn physical violence and abuse,” Johnson said.
After the Wi Spa violence, it is good to know that the local branch of that trans averse franchise are not gearing up for literal, rather than figurative war. Though trusting that many trans folk believe a word she says at this point seems a bit of a forlorn hope. Really hoping people don't start going to protests armed with protective gear that could become weapons at the wrong moment.
And just so you know, I had a quick look at the link from the other thread re Wi Spa and I'm not finding any credible evidence that the video was a hoax. I'm seeing speculation that it was, which is fine, but that's a different thing.
It also looks like the stabbings were by far right activists. This was in a conflict with antifa. I'm not seeing how women are involved in this at all.
I don't want to spend much time on this tonight, so I'm giving you a warning in comment rather than stepping into moderator mode. You will have to up your game in this debate. If you want to argue that women in NZ present a violent threat to trans people at protest actions, you will need to make an actual argument and back it up if making claims. Dropping in slur comments and using trans activist opinion based websites as evidence fails the requirements here for robust debate.
My suggestion is read the Policy. I want strong debate on sex/gender from all sides because I belief that NZ will be better for an open and honest examination of the issues. You bring in important perspectives, but you are going to have to learn how to present them directly. If you don't know what I am getting at here, please ask.
In the end my moderation response will come down to how much of my time gets sucked up chasing up useless links or asking for back up for claims or explanations of arguments poorly made. This isn't specific to you, or the topic, it's how it's been for a long time on site.
Because this isn't the first time I've had to explain how things work here, next time I have to think about this as a moderator I'll be putting boundaries in place. I suggest you get into the habit of linking well every time, and also cut and pasting the bits from the link that support what you are saying. This is so others don't have to do the work to find what your actual argument is. The onus is on you to state your argument clearly.
If you want to argue that women in NZ present a violent threat to trans people at protest actions, you will need to make an actual argument and back it up if making claims.
Imho some cis NZers are a threat to trans NZers, and NZ is pretty typical in this regard. If it's too much to expect acceptance, or even tolerance, then at least a little more understanding on all 'sides' wouldn't go amiss.
STELLAR PRITCHARD | HERE WE ARE [18 Nov. 2020] Moe: For me motherhood means like it's, it's creating, so it's like kinda help, helping create worlds, for, say, Stellar, creating a world of safety, where she's able to live her authentic self and be unapologetic and, um, having support from us, as well as myself, to guide her through this thing called trans-queer life.
Stellar: All of us weren't necessarily born into womanhood. We had to fight to get accepted, we have to fight to get understood. And we have to find who we are especially, and we have to find ourselves through our communities, and we have to find ourselves through… events, the best and the hardest events of our lives. Yeah, and I feel like all of us have to fight for the womanhood that we have, because there's so many people that will try and doubt our womanhood, and there's so many people that won't understand our womanhood. I may have been treated like that, but I'm not going to fall – yeah.
Gender Violence
Transgender Experiences with Violence and Discrimination
[2002; cited 1088 times] There is a pervasive pattern of discrimination and prejudice against transgendered people within society. Both economic discrimination and experiencing violence could be the result of a larger social climate that severely sanctions people for not conforming to society's norms concerning gender; as such, both would be strongly associated with each other. Questionnaires were distributed to people either through events or through volunteers, and made available upon the World Wide Web. A sample of 402 cases was collected over the span of 12 months (April 1996-April 1997). We found that over half the people within this sample experienced some form of harassment or violence within their lifetime, with a quarter experiencing a violent incident. Further investigation found that experiencing economic discrimination because one is transgendered had the strongest association with experiencing a transgender related violent incident. Economic discrimination was related to transgendered people's experience with violence. Therefore, both hate crimes legislation and employment protections are needed for transgendered individuals.
Can't help wondering if those who identify as trans NZers today are that much better off than 25 years ago when data were collected for the above study.
Factors associated with suicide attempts among Australian transgender adults [2021] Transgender, including gender diverse and non-binary people, henceforth referred to collectively as trans people, are a highly marginalised population with alarming rates of suicidal ideation, attempted suicide and self-harm. We aimed to understand the risk and protective factors of a lifetime history of attempted suicide in a community sample of Australian trans adults to guide better mental health support and suicide prevention strategies.
Experiences and factors associated with transphobic hate crimes among transgender women in the San Francisco Bay Area: comparisons across race [2021] Trans women experience high rates of gender-based violence (GBV)—a risk factor for adverse health outcomes. Transphobic hate crimes are one such form of GBV that affect trans women. However, little is understood about factors that shape transphobic hate crimes and racial/ethnic variation in these experiences. To contextualize GBV risk and police reporting, we examined self-reported types and correlates of transphobic hate crimes by racial/ethnic group of trans women in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Many, possibly a majority, of cis and trans women continue to face many challenges, but it's not a competition (or at least it shouldn't be, imho.) NZ can look to other countries to identify progressive strategies that might minimise real and perceived violence and discrimination against all women.
States Must Push Back Against Harmful Anti-Gender Narratives – UN Expert [26 June 2021]
“Gender theory is a powerful tool to address the oppression of female or non-normative identities,” the report says. “Feminist struggle and the fight to live free from violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity are deeply intertwined, and they reinforce each other.”
This comes after RNZ revealed trans woman Kristine Ablinger's landlord gave her three hours to move out of her home because she found her 'offensive'.
Ablinger laid a complaint with the Commission, but was shocked to learn an exception to the Human Rights Act meant the discrimination she faced was not unlawful, and the Commission was unable to take action.
Why 1 in 5 transgender people experience homelessness
"So, my mum hates me. She doesn't hate me per se, but she just doesn't agree with, in her words, 'my lifestyle'. Whatever that means. So, yeah."
* Almost one in five trans and non-binary New Zealanders have been homeless, according to 2018 survey Counting Ourselves. The proportion is even higher for non-European survey participants (a quarter), while 16 percent of European participants have experienced homelessness, the study found.
Another survey, by Gender Minorities Aotearoa, found of 43 trans homeless people in Wellington, 79 percent had a mental health condition, and 47 percent had a disability. The survey, which is yet to be released publicly, also found that for three quarters of participants, homelessness had been experienced more than once.
For some gender diverse people, intersecting identities – like ethnicity, disability, religion or sexuality – can compound to make life even more difficult. The cumulative effects of these minority stresses can result in mental health difficulties and stable housing is a key ingredient in the maintenance of good mental health.
An interesting PoV from an insider into the implosion of the Auckland chapter of SS4C. Self-appointed leadership and the lack of structure are mentioned as a possible contributing reasons. Hopefully, it was a learning curve for some, at least.
This is too soon and insensitive. I do wonder how many of the farmers who drove their tractors into town one day, have their hand out for govt help following floods the next.
I think it is perfectly ok when farmers ask and receive help and government assistance when there’s a natural disaster. It would be totally wrong to try and link that to democratic protest or to giving one party more leverage over the other – the power balance is almost never equal/symmetrical anyway. Similarly, should nurses, for example, have more negotiating leverage because of what they’re doing as part of the Covid elimination strategy? There’s a calculating and neo-liberal aspect to this, if you ask me, as with the farmers who claim that they feed us, et cetera. The unrealistic and unjustified elevation of people rather than functions has led to over-paid managers, Directors, and CEOs, IMO. The question is: where do you draw the line and how?
When will government be able to take control over the country again, and ensure that their policies are being carried out well, in a timely fashion, and wield some stick?
This business of contracting out of the job is getting to be a farce. Government departments contract out to others, they contract out to associated suppliers, operatives, and now to computer machines and algorithms. These are not doing the job properly, and our economy is built on people doing jobs, it gets leaner paradoxically when people aren't receiving pay to do stuff that machines can do faster and more efficiently. Though it is cheaper, which looks good on one financial statement, it does people out of a job which lowers the money flow and small local business suffers.
Exporters’ trying to sustain essential trade and supply chains are in no man’s land, able to travel offshore but not return, blocked by the MIQ booking system which randomly throws up spots, gobbled up within seconds by gamers or people paid to sit hitting refresh round the clock despite assurances that 10 per cent of the 4,000 available rooms are allocated for critical business.
A group of dissident doctors have joined the ranks of those seeking to undermine confidence in New Zealand's vaccine campaign by spreading misinformation. What are they saying and do they pose a real threat to our Covid-19 response? CATE BROUGHTON reports.
On June 14, talkback radio host Peter Williams welcomed Wellington GP Matt Shelton onto his show to discuss the Covid-19 vaccine.
Shelton was from the little-known group New Zealand Doctors Speaking Out on Science (NZDSOS), Williams said.
When Williams pointed out the decrease in Covid-19 cases and deaths since the rollout of vaccination programmes overseas, Shelton claimed it was the result of widespread falsification of test results. Again, he provided no evidence.
Well, if they're at the level of claiming that global death rates have been faked to make vaccines appear effective, I'd strongly suspect they're either having problems with reality or there's cash in it somewhere for them.
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
Edited highlights from The Surge: wheeler/dealer Bernie @ #1
"Sanders reached a deal with Budget Committee moderates on a $3.5 trillion framework for a party-line reconciliation bill they intend to pass this fall. It would create a host of climate initiatives that Democrats claim would meet the president’s goal of halving emissions by 2030; add dental, vision, and hearing aid benefits to Medicare; extend the generously expanded child tax credit and improvements Democrats made to the Affordable Care Act earlier this year; allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices; and fund universal pre-K and paid family and medical leave. “The legislation that the president and I are supporting will go further to improve the lives of working people than any legislation since the 1930s,” Sanders told reporters once the deal was reached." https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/07/the-surge-bernie-sanders-budget-infrastructure-manchin-schumer.html
Legal weed @ #5: "Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with Sens. Ron Wyden and Cory Booker, introduced the first draft of their bill, the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, to remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, is extremely weirdly still not in favor of marijuana legalization."
Stroppy servant @ #7: "Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, got into it with congressional Republicans when he defended studying “white rage” and took offense at accusations over the military going “woke.” Conservatives like Tucker Carlson and Matt Gaetz, both privileged brats, called him “stupid,” a “pig,” and the reason why we lose so many wars. Milley is now likely in for another round of prep school Republicans calling him a wussy war-losing scumbag, as a new book documents some of the insults Milley lobbed Trump’s way when he was actively trying to prevent Trump from launching a coup. In a statement Thursday, Trump—who says he only picked Milley because Jim Mattis didn’t like Milley, and Trump didn’t like Jim Mattis—kicked things off by saying that “if I was going to do a coup, one of the last people I would want to do it with is General Mark Milley.” So there!"
While most of the farmers out yesterday were just sheep who probably didn't even really know why they were protesting, government needs to remember that its up to them to ease the pain of their policies, what's gone on down in otago and Canterbury (which is the main target of many of the policies) was all done legally in most cases and aided and abetted government national and local.
Youre right about local government support in the provinces, though public support will be far more divided (and opposition largely silent)…and its not surprising as in most cases the Ag sector is the main source of both revenue and employment in theses areas….and the method of protest was far from popular if what I hear being expressed is anything to go by.
and buried in 'Lifestyle' – funny and fitting imo – a write up on the casualness on which cis gendered girls experience sexual violence at the hand of their male peers and older male.
Girls, its called a rite of passage. I am waiting on the Minister for Women to have a say on that, and to do something about the 'right to a safe space and environment in which to grow up for human beings with natural vaginas. I am however not holding my breath, cause i'd be dead before anyone in any government really gives a flying fudge.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/christchurch-girls-high-schools-sexual-harassment-survey-breaking-the-code-of-silence/EAU74JF2AROUEF77FHV2FCRLYQ/
I'll deem you Minister for Women for the day. What would you do? Real solutions.
(Not real solutions are the seeming National style solution for gangs, to wit: "Gangs do bad things, put all gang members in jail." So with girls being assaulted, "Males do bad things, lock up all teenage and adult males."
For a start, it might help to acknowledge there is a problem, instead of indulging in whataboutism.
– Min. sentencing 3 years plus 50.000 in damages.
– Advertise that in Schools, specifically boys school. Send police to boys schools and tell them what happens if you rape anyone (as boys also get raped).
Anyone cought raping anyone should get at least that for every charge of rape.
So this guy here who assaulted three women during a Navy trip should get at the minimum 3 years for each instance, plus 50.000 to each victim. No parole, no early release, madatory listing on sexual offenders list, no name suppression. – but he got two years. Cause boys will be boys. Right?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/royal-new-zealand-navy-sailor-sentenced-over-sex-attacks-on-colleagues/2MFYQ7TSMFZ3QMJO4TBVE3HVNY/
How bout that? Would that work for you?
And what would you do?
Apologize for boys being boys? https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/89110814/willie-jackson-embroiled-in-roast-busters-controversey-just-hours-after-joining-labour-party
Like some people did for the Roast busters?
Cause clearly girls should know that when they are out and about, trying to live their life that they will inspire men and boys (and some women, althought no women ever told me to smile, never told me to get a breast augmention surgery lest i be considered a boy, or told that my ass is fuckable, nor has ever any women with a vagina raped me, that was always done by weaponsied penises).
So now Pete , that i told you what i would do, what would you do to keep girls as young as 13 save from having a train run over them organised by their supposed 'boyfriends'.
And please remember that the Roastbusters were not even charged with 'supplying alcohol to minors'. They went scot free, and the girls get to pick up what ever is left of them and continue on. Mind i guess they are not Rainbow Youth, so sucks to be a person with a natural vagina.
And do feel free to tell me just how unfair it is that Girls stand up for themselves and demand to not be reduced to a piece of meat by their peers and older male.
Tbh, Sabine I had no real inkling that this shit had got so bad for our young women. I was reading that article very early this morning and thinking we really need to get boys off the fucking porn sites and into some sound and solid consciousness-raising and mindfulness. They also need to learn that women do not exist for their use and entertainment. That women and girls are actually human.
"We're so desensitised to it, and so are the guys. They don't see themselves as 'offenders' whose behaviour is hurting or breaking someone. Men are trained not to respect women. And if you challenge it, they're the ones who feel they've been targeted unfairly."
This has gone way beyond a rank sense of entitlement…and we in the west have the audacity to challenge third world countries on the way they treat women and girls.
Thank you. In the cause of robust debate:
Should we start lessons in the earliest classes in schools, or preschools, telling boys what will happen to them if they treat other people badly? Should we have exemplar lists of what constitutes that unacceptable behaviour?
Why don't you answer me this? Do YOU think that girls and women should have a right to NOT be assaulted, insulted and raped by THEIR MALE peers? or is that just boys being boys and rape is a rite of passage for men to commit and for women/girls to suffer through?
🙂
A couple of times lately I have been questioned on NOT putting stuff as if something not being there means I accept it or approve of it. As if I have to preface everything I say with a pepeha which includes everything I believe in, anything not being there implying I don't care.
Like an implication that because I didn't lambaste mongrels who assault other people I might think that it's okay for girls and women to be assaulted, insulted and raped by male peers? Or thinking that rape is a reasonable rite of passage for men to commit and for women/girls to suffer through.
I'm going to a public occasion this afternoon. If someone doesn't tell me directly that they think that girls and women should have a right to NOT be assaulted, insulted and raped by THEIR MALE peers and that just boys being boys and rape is a rite of passage for men to commit and for women/girls to suffer through, do I assume the worst about them and their attitudes?
i don't know what you believe, you could answer me my question. Something like, Yes, i believe that, would suffice actually.
But let me tell you…….that
I do believe that women and girls SHOULD have that right, and i am waiting with baited breath for the Minister of Women to state something to that extend, because this is just ONE school, and we can expect this to happen pretty much anywhere in the country.
"I'm going to a public occasion this afternoon. If someone doesn't tell me directly that they think that girls and women should have a right to NOT be assaulted, insulted and raped by THEIR MALE peers and that just boys being boys and rape is a rite of passage for men to commit and for women/girls to suffer through, do I assume the worst about them and their attitudes?"
You are commenting around the topic of sexual harassment as reported by the Christchurch school girls, without actually addressing the impact this harassment has on not only their lives, but the lives of those conducting that harassment (and those around them) if it is not addressed.
Listen to what Sabine is saying, instead of getting all #NotAllMen.
Because the reality is, most women have experienced what is reported to varying degrees of harm.
So, there is a better approach than just pretending there is nothing to address, such as you seem to be doing.
It is necessary for us ALL to address it, as opposed to only those who are participating in harmful behaviour, unless you honestly believe that it is not worth finding a solution for.
(BTW, lessons are learned in cultures and societies, not just schools. The answer does not rely on educational institutions solely, we collectively carry that responsibility.)
Surely you're not telling me what I should be addressing?
And if I haven't addressed what you think I should be addressing I'm pretending there is nothing to address?
Not worth finding a solution for? I asked about specific responses. Sabine has suggested punishment and advertising. You say, "The answer does not rely on educational institutions solely, we collectively carry that responsibility" without saying what can specifically be done.
It's all right saying there is a massive problem, it's obvious there is. Thing is, what specifically should be done about it?
“Surely you’re not telling me what I should be addressing?”
God forbid. Just all those who are concerned about the current environment of harm. Else the involvement of those not caring, gets in the way of discussion and possible solutions by redirecting into dead ends of discussion.
"It's all right saying there is a massive problem, it's obvious there is. Thing is, what specifically should be done about it?"
Well, it was not apparent that you thought this from your previous comments on this thread.
Instead of asking others for solutions, or providing facile tongue-in-cheek proposals, – do you have any real solutions to propose? I'll wait.
Your comment again suggests that because I didn't condemn scummy attacks on women there was an inference I somehow didn't mind such.
I ask for answers when I see complaints with implications that "something should be done" with no suggestion of what that could be.
Prosecuting some of the pricks would be a start. Barring the 'what were you wearing' defence would be helpful.
And something about consent having to be proved. Along the lines of the accused having to demonstrated reasonable grounds for believing each act (which would take in removing condoms) was desired by the other party.
Flogging a Dead Horse #1…
Seems like debunked Guardian hack Luck Harding is still not yet ready to abandon his wet dream fantasy that Russia helped Trump into the Whitehouse in 2016, a narrative that most thinking humans have now accepted was some sort of smoke screen to protect Clinton and the establishment Dems from taking any kind of responsibility for their embarrassing defeat during that election..a narrative now only mentioned in polite company by hardcore fantasists (like Harding and enabled by The Guardian)…..
Kremlin papers appear to show Putin’s plot to put Trump in White House
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/15/kremlin-papers-appear-to-show-putins-plot-to-put-trump-in-white-house
RUSSIAGATE: Luke Harding’s Hard Sell
https://consortiumnews.com/2021/07/16/luke-hardings-hard-sell/
debunked Guardian hack Luck Harding…
As in "bad luck", I suppose, Adrian? Or, in his case, rotten luck.
I don't know how that sniveling drip has the hide to show himself after his toe-curlingly embarrassing exposure at the hands of Aaron Maté…
https://twitter.com/aaronjmate/status/1070324381396684802?lang=en
The headline warns the Prime Minister to, "dismiss protesting farmers as rednecks at (her) peril."
I could not find any reference to where the PM had done such a thing. Would anyone with a Hurled subscription be able to tell us where the PM said or implied 'protesting farmers are rednecks'?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/claire-trevett-dismiss-protesting-farmers-as-rednecks-at-your-peril-prime-minister/ZVYHGYGEVDLLSP2AL3435HGEFY/
This headline tells it as it is…Bribery, filth and 'scumlords'…
Appalling conditions compounded by weak legislation with the usual crap enforcement.
The obvious scumlords…and they're easily identified…should have their slums confiscated by the Crown with zero compensation.
FFS…make the punishment fit the crime.
I'd really like to see inspectors have the ability to force sales of rental properties and a ban from being associated in any way (including as a property manager or investor) with residential tenancies. Don't think a licence to landlord is worth anything imho cause scum LL's need more than some certificate of completion. They need repercussions, and serious ones at that. God knows the rest of us are paying via the health and welfare systems for their shoddy treatment of tenants.
FFS…make the punishment fit the crime.
I suggest that the landlord needs to put the tenant up in a motel until the repairs or legal installation is carried out or not be paid rent until the work is carried out.
And
That the landlord needs to live in the rental if the work is not carried out and pay for a motel for the tenants.
My elderly parents had their first Pfizer vaccine yesterday, no side effects yet. I'm in Group 3 due to a health condition and have booked my first vaccine for this Thursday. My sister in-law works at Waikato Hospital and is fully vaccinated, as is my brother. All good.
Smooth sailing for us too, both Group 3, both fully vaccinated, only side effect was slightly sore arms at injection site.
Sore arms and tiredness seem to be the most common side effects. Had my first dose on Thursday and that night the jab site was quite painful. By morning it had receded to a mild irritation. Been feeling a bit tired but don't know if it is due to injection.
Whatever: for anyone feeling a bit unsure of the jab… the side effects are minor and only last a day or so.
I'm wanting feedback from people who use a mobile phone to comment on TS.
Trying to gauge how many people are having problems and the nature of the problems. Details is good. Cheers.
Always use my OPPO A53s, ColorOS 7.2 with Android 10. Chrome browser with Adgurd private dns.
I use the Mobile version of The Standard, but the Desktop version also currently works. No issues with functionality at the moment, but I don't comment very often.
Okay, I think I have worked it out now. You have to use the link button (looks like a chain link with a diagonal dash above the bullet point buttons), rather than just pasting the link into the text body. No idea what the flag or 3 horizontal lines buttons mean.
Conversely, I found the scaling didn't work at all with image button, but copy-pasting did on laptop.
At least the link from NRT seems to be working again – that's been out for months.
no idea what all that means because you didn't say what you are referring to.
If you want to link into a comment from a mobile phone, click in the URL of the browser, and cut and paste from there (just like in a computer).
I use an android Samsung x4 I prefer desktop but have to switch to mobile to comment most of the time.
Same on an iphone iOS 14.6
I like desktop because of the Replies list, and the aesthetics, but can't comment from there so am continually switching back and forth between mobile and desktop.
Currently on an HP laptop with windows 7, chrome or firefox and no probs.
Otherwise an Oppo bat fone. I use the mobile version as the desktop doesn't show any replies. More to do with my end I would imagine…
I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and use mobile Chrome version 91.0.4472.120 (the latest version for my phone). I can post using mobile view but not desktop view. I also have mobile Firefox version 90.1.1 (Build #2015820747), also the latest version, and report the same thing. I also have Samsung Internet (Samsung's mobile browser based on Chrome) version 14.2.1.69 (the latest version), and it didn't load this page beyond the title. When checking on my Samsung Tab S5E (tablet), Samsung Internet allows posting in mobile but not desktop.
By post, I mean that when I press the reply button on the page, I can type in the comments editor in mobile view, but not desktop view.
For all the talk about high-density housing, and its importance in addressing the failure of decades of NZ planning, the reality is that good transitional housing requires great design and location and considerations. Despite the accumulated capital gains that has delighted some of the property owners across the country from land-use changes to high-density, this delight does not necessarily result in a change from existing building designs, or better living experiences for those who end up residing in resulting houses.
As far as Auckland Council is involved past the zoning change, their ability to influence resulting builds has been hampered by their failure to connect the Auckland Design Manual to the Unitary Plan, and developers are businesses who develop to increase their profit margins, not to provide long-term homes that take into account affordability, long-term residents well-being and transition considerations over and above the current inadequate regulatory requirements. This is not a treatise against property developers, just a statement of fact.
Given the current cost of emergency housing at $1million a day, and the more accepted cost of Accommodation Supplement at $30 million a week it is apparent to more than a few of us that current mechanisms to address housing, including Kiwibuild are treating housing as a commodity rather than a human need, and despite all protestations to the contrary are propping up an overheated market. Of course, politically, the cost of depressing house prices are not to be considered, even though many NZers are paying the price of the economic benefit enjoyed by a few that have the ability to financially invest and benefit from this commodification of a human need.
I am one of those that firmly believe the solution to actually access to healthy housing to all NZers, requires a dedicated commitment to vast amounts of state housing, where tenure is stabilised and the building of state housing must consider the wellbeing of residents and connection to community AS WELL AS utilising the investment of government and the judicious use of resources and design to transition these dwellings in terms of climate change. Once all NZers have access to affordable, secure, fit-for-purpose housing as can be provided by the state, then the developers and housing investors can continue with their business model without interference. We should not expect businesses to provide the necessities of living if the government shows little interest in the same. Once again, I believe this disinterest is a result of a lack of political will, the voters that they care about are those that are benefitting from rising housing costs, or are appeased by policies that seem to allow them to get on the property ladder (Kiwibuild).
As at 31 March 2021, the number of those on the State Housing list was 23,688. There has been a marked increase, after a Covid year, but the fact is that this is the number of people awaiting state housing after meeting all requirements.
In the introduction Kainga Ora states:
If Kainga Ora was purely investing in state houses, that would be a build price per household unit of $1.3 million. However, they are both providing state housing AND contributing/relying on housing inflation by also providing houses for market and Kiwibuild. I believe there is a disconnect going on here, that is enshrined in the current interpretation of their objective:
The belief that the market is working as it should, allows them to participate in being property developers themselves, and also working in PPP with other developers in order to create a profit.
However, they could, if politically supported do better. Their request to increase the rate of state housing builds was denied by the current Labour government. But they do have the ability to identify development opportunities that exist within their Crown Entity roles.
For a thought experiment, could they look at purchasing Ellerslie racecourse? Six hectares in a location well positioned for walkable community and transport, and if developed with good design by Kainga Ora might provide more household units for state housing than they currently have planned to meet demand.
There is high-density housing, and there is well-designed high density housing. I don't think we are currently doing well at the second.
Kainga Ora could be investing in developments like 8 House in Copenhagen on approx 2-2.5 hectares, which was conceived in 2006 and delivered around 2010.
The cost of €92,000,000 provided 61,000 sqm of building, including 10,000 retail/commercial space, 500 sqm of community space and 476 household units (of which over 300 are unique in design). 1700 sqm of green roof. All household units have access to outside space – balcony or front garden, and many have dual aspect windows. There is also a 1 km walkway ramp that connects all residents to each other, and to the open courtyards.
It is worth taking a look at the other projects that BIG studio has been involved in. I investigated their work after my son expressed interest in the Lego House which was one of their projects. I have also read a couple of interviews with developers that are using the architectural studio because their innovative design reduces build costs on multi-story developments.
You can see how they developed the design concept in a short video on Vimeo, but more importantly, you can also see how residents experience living in such as development – regarded as a village in the sky:
https://youtu.be/uoR_LMi8Lx8
I'm not really wanting to start another round of the ivermectin shitfight. But following on the heels of the discrediting and withdrawal of the egyptian study that ivermectin boosters heavily relied on, a new study has just been published where those running the study have taken reasonable care around controls, randomisation etc, and found that ivermectin did not have any benefit.
https://www.news24.com/health24/medical/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/ivermectin-balance-of-evidence-shows-no-benefit-against-covid-19-20210705
primary source: https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-021-06348-5
Try reading your sources.
Oddly enough, I did read them before posting. Do you think I might have missed something important?
Maybe the researcher's conclusion?
Or perhaps this nugget?
Or perhaps this little wrinkle pointing to ivermectin being ineffective as prophylaxis?
Or perhaps you could point to what led you to suggest I should read my sources?
They used a low dose of Ivermectin in the study, and they only did a short dose of 2 consecutive days. From what I gather this is not the recommended dosage to treat with this drug.
What is the recommended dose, who made the recommendation, and on what basis was the recommendation made?
There's two links in that quote you found, what do they say? (hint: neither of them have any recommendation on actual dosages to try against covid, let alone having any kind of evidentiary basis)
When it comes to the proposal that some specified substance treats some specified ailment, the default assumption has to be that it doesn't do shit in real life, no matter what happens in test tubes when the concentration is cranked way up. It's up to those claiming it actually does something useful to prove that, to a high standard.
Nobody has come anywhere close to showing ivermectin does anything useful against covid to even a mediocre standard. Even with absolute garbage studies, the claimed improvements are really small by the time the probable outright frauds are weeded out. It's significant that as the quality of study improves, less actual beneficial effect is found.
https://respectfulinsolence.com/2021/07/16/ivermectin-is-the-new-hydroxychloroquine-take-4/
The two links were from the erroneous study you posted, so I doubt they will be much help re dosage.
In the real world.. when conducting a scientific experiment it's often best to use the same dosage as what doctors say work in the real world… to you know test the hypothesis!
So back to the question above, which you ghosted as you usually do for inconvenient questions:
What is the recommended dose, who made the recommendation, and on what basis was the recommendation made?
A key point of all these studies showing zero effectiveness is that the dosage used was the best guess by the doctors conducting the trial at what would be the most effective dose regime. Those that have had the honesty and integrity to set up reasonably robust trials of what they think is most likely to give positive outcomes have found – nothing, zip, nada. Those who let their hopes and motivated reasoning lead them into conducting badly designed and badly analysed trials with high risk of bias have found – at best very small effects, which haven't been replicated elsewhere.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/wellington/125772143/speak-up-for-women-group-shocked-by-reported-slapping-of-protrans-rights-rally-organiser
As always, there are multiple sides to a story/narrative and I refuse to be shoehorned into one or the other. It will be interesting to see how many submissions will be received this time and whether public opinion has changed much; opinion and debate certainly seem to be more polarised, which is never a good sign.
As always, there are multiple sides to a story/narrative and I refuse to be shoehorned into one or the other.
Indeed. I'm so tempted to put up a thread title "Man's Day" and exclude all women and any pro-feminist viewpoints from it. But that would be … provocative. Still given that feminists have spent two generations systematically dismantling all the traditional male-only spaces where men might have talked without the distraction of the female perspective – I can't help but note the delicious irony icing on this particular little cupcake.
But as I stated yesterday, all of this was a more or less predictable outcome of the left elevating the post-modernist cult of Identity Politics to the loudest voice in our ideological narrative. Did it never occur to those who promoted it with such fervour, that the day might come when others would learn to play it as well?
Heh! It wouldn’t surprise me if some here would try to counter that by saying that some (most?) of TS could be considered ‘Man’s Day’. However, I understand the desire for a safe harbour to talk with like-minded people but this too easily leads to pseudo-debate and echo chamber stuff, IMO. I don’t think it fits well with the kaupapa of this site, but I stress that this is my personal opinion and I have to and (thus) will respect the opinions of others if/when they make a strong case for it.
Regarding the merit of the loudest voice leading/ruling, this also happens to be one of allegations raised in regard to the self-destruction of the Auckland chapter of SS4C (see my other comment in OM). Indeed, it is highly predictable, especially in hindsight 😉
Like you I'm not particularly against the idea of the thread. It seems largely populated by women who collectively burned their bridges with the male half of humanity a long time ago – and if they need an exclusive space to talk then well and good. But it's also obvious this is not a privilege they would extend to men.
I have a strong egalitarian streak and react to exclusive zones, spaces, meetings, communications, et cetera, and to hierarchical structures as well – a personal problem, obviously 😉 This is also one of the reasons why I have a major issue with the current state of the OIA in particular and with Government and State transparency and accountability in general.
I believe strongly in fair and inclusive debate, which is one reason why I’m on this site and put considerable time and effort into it. Good robust debate is key; it is also lacking, not just here on The Standard but everywhere – people seem to have lost or never learned how to debate each other effectively. It is not about winning or losing, about being right or wrong, about power – all the power is in the coming together in and of mind & spirit; polarisation, division, separation, and exclusion always remove collective power and therefore individual power and mana as well.
I see this reflected in the smoke & mirrors surrounding the so-called hate speech laws as well as He Puapua, for example – all symptomatic of the same problem. This this does not bode well for tackling global issues that affect all humanity and the planet for that matter. Sometimes, it feels we’re still stuck in day-care …
I hear you. We don't always agree but I can sincerely respect the motives you express here.
If I might add an optimistic note, while the standard of debate does fall short of what we might imagine as ideal, but honestly I think in some respects it has gotten better over the years. A quick glance at many social media comment threads shows that we could be a lot worse.
Affirmative, you and I don’t always agree but that’s ok with me; what matters is how we disagree and, for the record, I don’t have any major personal complaints 🙂
As far as your optimistic note is concerned, I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry 😉
Interesting discussion….after talking to female members of my circle re trans rights and 'womens space' I've come to the conclusion that like any group of people the viewpoints will vary tremendously though with one underlying theme…its all good for for men.
Oh that it was.
Choice!
I haven't seen a comment like this about women since the 1970s when we were all dried up prunes and men haters for thinking as we did.
And I can readily find equivalent ghettos on the internet of men who have similarly 'burned their bridges with women'. You call it misogyny.
That both sexes are in a very real sense sundering their ancient connection and literally 'going their own separate ways' is in my view a totally predictable consequence that I was in my own fumbling way attempting to outline years ago. Watching it all unfold in real-time gives me no pleasure, trust me.
"… I don’t think it fits well with the kaupapa of this site…"
Do you feel that way about the Lefties on the Standard posts too?
Yes, and I have said as much in the past.
👍
I'm not hurt by the "dismantling of traditional male-only spaces", because those spaces harboured and legitimised the very misogynistic oppression and abuse which is in the process of being addressed today.
As always, those against identity politics are those against the questioning of their traditional power.
Why some men feel the need to insert themselves into every discussion, mansplaining the righteousness of the status quo is beyond me.
How very 80's of you.
Would you like me to make a plea on the Women's Day thread to let you in so you can tell them about all the mistakes they've made over the years?
No. As I said above, they're welcome to talk among themselves. I've refrained from commenting on almost anything gender related for almost four years now and contrary to what you imagine, I'm not at all keen on 'inserting myself into that conversation'.
I'm merely observing the the endless 'gender critical' threads of recent months and noting it as a predictable outcome of the entire post-modernist project, of which 'identity politics' was a large component. Which is pretty much all I have to say for the moment.
If you would like to 'learn by reading' on the Women's Day thread TeWhareWhero's summation (post 7.1) of the move from Womens' Studies to Gender issues/Studies is instructive.
Yes, that is indeed an interesting comment. Cheers.
November 19, you're welcome.
Can you wait that long before you comment here again? Please, thank you.
I heard about that elsewhere, good to have a verifiable source for the story, Incognito. This from the SUFW spokeswoman was also good (not often I type that phrase!):
After the Wi Spa violence, it is good to know that the local branch of that trans averse franchise are not gearing up for literal, rather than figurative war. Though trusting that many trans folk believe a word she says at this point seems a bit of a forlorn hope. Really hoping people don't start going to protests armed with protective gear that could become weapons at the wrong moment.
you seem to be running a line that GCF women are violent despite any evidence for that.
Meanwhile, https://terfisaslur.com/ documents the range of violent, often sexually violent imagery that's been targeted at GCFs by GAs online.
Almost like violence runs along gendered lines (by which I mean sex and gender, but we already knew that).
And just so you know, I had a quick look at the link from the other thread re Wi Spa and I'm not finding any credible evidence that the video was a hoax. I'm seeing speculation that it was, which is fine, but that's a different thing.
It also looks like the stabbings were by far right activists. This was in a conflict with antifa. I'm not seeing how women are involved in this at all.
I don't want to spend much time on this tonight, so I'm giving you a warning in comment rather than stepping into moderator mode. You will have to up your game in this debate. If you want to argue that women in NZ present a violent threat to trans people at protest actions, you will need to make an actual argument and back it up if making claims. Dropping in slur comments and using trans activist opinion based websites as evidence fails the requirements here for robust debate.
My suggestion is read the Policy. I want strong debate on sex/gender from all sides because I belief that NZ will be better for an open and honest examination of the issues. You bring in important perspectives, but you are going to have to learn how to present them directly. If you don't know what I am getting at here, please ask.
In the end my moderation response will come down to how much of my time gets sucked up chasing up useless links or asking for back up for claims or explanations of arguments poorly made. This isn't specific to you, or the topic, it's how it's been for a long time on site.
Because this isn't the first time I've had to explain how things work here, next time I have to think about this as a moderator I'll be putting boundaries in place. I suggest you get into the habit of linking well every time, and also cut and pasting the bits from the link that support what you are saying. This is so others don't have to do the work to find what your actual argument is. The onus is on you to state your argument clearly.
Warning read.
Imho some cis NZers are a threat to trans NZers, and NZ is pretty typical in this regard. If it's too much to expect acceptance, or even tolerance, then at least a little more understanding on all 'sides' wouldn't go amiss.
https://www.genderjustice.nz/why_this_matters
Can't help wondering if those who identify as trans NZers today are that much better off than 25 years ago when data were collected for the above study.
Many, possibly a majority, of cis and trans women continue to face many challenges, but it's not a competition (or at least it shouldn't be, imho.) NZ can look to other countries to identify progressive strategies that might minimise real and perceived violence and discrimination against all women.
https://www.hrc.org/ – "Breaking down barriers that divide us"
An interesting PoV from an insider into the implosion of the Auckland chapter of SS4C. Self-appointed leadership and the lack of structure are mentioned as a possible contributing reasons. Hopefully, it was a learning curve for some, at least.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2021/07/school-strike-4-climate-s-disbanded-auckland-chapter-was-marred-by-racism-lack-of-structure-former-member.html
Several tons of blowback—but will the dismal Daily Mail get the message?
What's the bet that a similar protest is on the way for the execrable NZ Herald one of these days?
https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2021/06/27/breaking-cut-the-crap-extinction-rebellion-dump-pile-of-bullshit-outside-daily-mail-offices/
This is too soon and insensitive. I do wonder how many of the farmers who drove their tractors into town one day, have their hand out for govt help following floods the next.
I think it is perfectly ok when farmers ask and receive help and government assistance when there’s a natural disaster. It would be totally wrong to try and link that to democratic protest or to giving one party more leverage over the other – the power balance is almost never equal/symmetrical anyway. Similarly, should nurses, for example, have more negotiating leverage because of what they’re doing as part of the Covid elimination strategy? There’s a calculating and neo-liberal aspect to this, if you ask me, as with the farmers who claim that they feed us, et cetera. The unrealistic and unjustified elevation of people rather than functions has led to over-paid managers, Directors, and CEOs, IMO. The question is: where do you draw the line and how?
I know, but my irony meter is in rampant Geiger Counter mode.
When will government be able to take control over the country again, and ensure that their policies are being carried out well, in a timely fashion, and wield some stick?
This business of contracting out of the job is getting to be a farce. Government departments contract out to others, they contract out to associated suppliers, operatives, and now to computer machines and algorithms. These are not doing the job properly, and our economy is built on people doing jobs, it gets leaner paradoxically when people aren't receiving pay to do stuff that machines can do faster and more efficiently. Though it is cheaper, which looks good on one financial statement, it does people out of a job which lowers the money flow and small local business suffers.
Here larger business is suffering from this devilish system. https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2107/S00113/exporters-can-check-out-but-no-guarantee-they-can-return.htm
Exporters’ trying to sustain essential trade and supply chains are in no man’s land, able to travel offshore but not return, blocked by the MIQ booking system which randomly throws up spots, gobbled up within seconds by gamers or people paid to sit hitting refresh round the clock despite assurances that 10 per cent of the 4,000 available rooms are allocated for critical business.
Algorithms – What are these standards for government? https://www.zdnet.com/article/new-zealand-establishes-algorithm-charter-for-government-agencies/
The storm over parts of the country is largely over – Westport hit badly. Buller River was as high as a 1926 large flood.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/125785379/state-of-emergency-evacuations-and-daring-rescues-as-rain-batters-parts-of-nz
Why do we get this undermining after there has been much research and a decision has been carefully made for all of our benefits.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/125605155/the-doctors-trying-to-hijack-new-zealands-covid19-vaccination-rollout
A group of dissident doctors have joined the ranks of those seeking to undermine confidence in New Zealand's vaccine campaign by spreading misinformation. What are they saying and do they pose a real threat to our Covid-19 response? CATE BROUGHTON reports.
On June 14, talkback radio host Peter Williams welcomed Wellington GP Matt Shelton onto his show to discuss the Covid-19 vaccine.
Shelton was from the little-known group New Zealand Doctors Speaking Out on Science (NZDSOS), Williams said.
Well, if they're at the level of claiming that global death rates have been faked to make vaccines appear effective, I'd strongly suspect they're either having problems with reality or there's cash in it somewhere for them.