Yes.Fully Pfizered.Got stinking cold like symptoms for a week & felt like I had been punched in the arm from the first shot.Second one was uneventful except for a strange compusion to buy 5 copies of windows 11.Well worth it though.
I had the arm ache on the first jab too, but no other side effects. Though I am waiting 3 months for my second, which the booking system isn't too cooperative about. Would have been getting my second tomorrow, I had even set up a vax-date with a friend to get both of our second jabs at the same time and place (so we'd have someone to talk to during the quarter hour waiting after). But then I did a bit of research about optimal interdose intervals – 6 weeks is definitely better than 3; 12 may a bit marginal, but slightly better than that even. My companion just wants it over and done with.
Instead, I will be driving them back after and keeping an eye on them for a bit to be sure they don't have too many side-effects. Seems to vary a lot depending on the person
I must be the biggest Charlie in this lot. 74 yrs old – got 1st jab 6 weeks ago. But had heard English Doctor saying 5-6 weeks was a better gap, so asked for my 2nd jab last Saturday. But just before that, out came the news that 8 – 12 weeks was optimum. So I went in and asked for another 3 weeks' delay. I will now get my second jab on Sept 4.
I thought at the time, just my luck if… and guess what.
Groundswell leader, Jamie McFadden, interviewed by John Campbell on TV1 Breakfast, this morning.
(This is not a direct transcript)
J.M. Only a 'few bad people', are letting us down. And the government should not be making policy that ‘penalises’ everybody.
Not once in the whole interview did Jamie McFadden mention the word 'climate change'.
For that mattter neither did John Campbell.
John Campbell tried to ask Jamie McFadden about nitrate pollution
J.M. What Groundswell are saying about water, we need to look at each catchment.
(No mention of climate).
Maybe both McFadden and Campbell need to read this;
It’s time to freak out about methane emissions
This lesser-known greenhouse gas will make or break a “decisive decade” for climate change.
By Rebecca Leber, Vox, Aug 12, 2021
……Even though methane is not nearly as well understood as carbon, it’s playing an enormous role in the climate crisis. It’s at least 80 times as effective at trapping heat than carbon in a 20-year period, but starts to dissipate in the atmosphere in a matter of years. If this is the “decisive decade” to take action, as the Biden administration has said, then a methane strategy has to be at the center of any policy for tackling global warming.
Methane could mean the difference between a rapidly warming planet changing too quickly and drastically for humanity to handle, and buying the planet some much-needed time to get a handle on the longer-term problem of fossil fuels and carbon pollution….
Farmers are doing what every other business will do as the need to respond to CC bites – fight to protect profitable business models, their decision-making autonomy and a way of life they like. They will obscure this core material fact with fluffy stuff (some of it partly true, some of it greenwash) about feeding the nation, caring about the land, and already doing what is needed in their own way and own time. Meanwhile they will be hard-nosed in trying to install sympathetic governments.
This is how humanity fails in its response to CC – by not seeing that fear of economic insecurity drives behaviours that are rational in the short term, but in the long term are pathological. The idea of an economically just transition needs to be embedded, and soon, but I am not hopeful.
You have plenty of reckons about the Farmers stance, fair enough. They may be true or not. But you do point out some interesting stuff – including fear.
Loads of fear going round. Justifiable and understandable. We should address or at least acknowledge these fears, of both farmers, and persons who fear farmers will stall climate mitigation.
We all know who really stalled climate mitigation. It's big oil, and governments in bed with them. Finding other industries and individuals to take the heat off the big players – those most culpable, is a dirty trick at best, but I'm more inclined to call it sociopathic and self centred murderous and criminal negligence.
They (govts and corporate PR) keep pushing onus onto individuals, and their broad sweeping laws are similar to their broad sweeping statements – largely pointless, but masterful in misdirection.
Now I'd much prefer a Labour to Nat led government, but the neo-lib BS is rife with both. They'd be flying everywhere if not for covid. It's all do as I say not as I do. Feckless wannabes using ecology (which they know fuck all about) to hit others over the head with.
What impact does the NZ government have on big oil? Outside of trying to transition NZ off fossil fuels which is what kicked off this ground swell issue.
In NZ our biggest contributor is Agriculture. We can sit back and cry about big fossil fuel all we want, but if we aren't addressing what we control then who are we to lecture anyone?
Given that methane is so bad (I accept that) shouldn't a large part of any carbon tax go towards the people working on the methane vaccine? Cows arnt hoingcaway here or over seas .
Imho there are two ways to decrease the quantity of methane emitted by farmed ruminants: (1) Decrease the number of ruminants, and (2) Decrease the average amount of methane each ruminant emits. Farmers could (try to) do both.
(1) is in the farmers' fields/court – stock numbers change over time, so it's doable.
(2) Plenty of research on this in NZ and globally; more needed – might be doable.
The idea of a "methane vaccine" calls to mind the farmer protests (in 2003) against a ‘Fart Tax’, which was proposed as a way of funding research into (2).
Based on historical and recent farmer protests, I believe an impartial observer would conclude that many farmers are (still) more concerned about maintaining methane emissions than they are about global warming. Open to Groundswell protesters persuading me otherwise, but they need to do better than this:
"MAD COW"
"PRETTY COMMUNIST"
"CINDY –> STALIN"
"MAGA – Make Ardern Go Away"
"JACINDAis aCOMMUNIST BITCH", and
"What does Jacinda & Toilet Paper have in common?
They are both Full of S*#T"
They really do.
A image from the 4 Sept 2003 protest at Parliament by farmers concerned about the proposed fart tax. The tax has been proposed on ruminant emissions to finance research into emission reduction. Images from the National Party media unit.
The vaccine is well under way , the nz scientists working on give them a reasonable chance of succeeding, but buy all means cherry pick the loonier grunts from the worst morons to have a crack at farmers in general.
… but buy all means cherry pick the loonier grunts from the worst morons to have a crack at farmers in general.
Thanks bwaghorn, will try to remember your invitation for next time – I predict we have even loonier grunts from even worse morons to ‘look forward to’, although hopefully none from a future Prime Minister.
I've been (peripherally) involved in supervising some post-graduate students trying to identify factors associated with low methane emissions – smaller rumens are looking promising for sheep.
One thing the scientists grizzle about is having to down tools every year while they go cap-in-hand for more funding. Who knows how much further down the methanogen vaccine track we'd be now if it wasn't for those 'fart tax' protests.
Talk about a sector shooting itself in the foot. Carry on…
If farmers would rather not pay taxes (such as a 'fart tax') to fund research aimed at mitigating the methane emissions of farmed ruminants then it's no skin off my old nose, but it's not a farsighted stance, imho. Carpe diem!
Btw, NZ ranks 6th in the world (behind Brunei, Grenada, Bahrain, Turkmenistan and Barbados) for per capita methane emissions, and 15th for per capita total GHG emissions (CO2 + methane).
Per capita seems like a stupid measure too me.
after all NZ Ag feeds over 30 million people, factor that into your per capita and we are one of the best in the world.
if change your formula to per hectare again the best in the world.
Intriguing opinion – I quite like per capita measures as a way of highlighting individual responsibilities, and whether (or not) NZers are punching above their weight, as we do for both methane emissions (bad) and food production (pretty good).
If we can agree that ruminant methane emissions are bad (for spaceship Earth, and so for the 'crew'), and that food production is good (for the crew, if not for the spaceship), then it only remains to figure out how to minimise the bad while retaining sufficient 'good'.
How hard can it be, how much longer might it take, and would it really be as bad as the Groundswell movement apparently believes it to be?
Yep, it’s bleak, says expert who tested 1970s end-of-the-world prediction
“The key finding of my study is that we still have a choice to align with a scenario that does not end in collapse. With innovation in business, along with new developments by governments and civil society, continuing to update the model provides another perspective on the challenges and opportunities we have to create a more sustainable world.”
Some more good news – just hope against hope it doesn't come to that.
Actually the claim that it "disappears" is rather a false one. Yes methane may break down over a period of years, but into what? CO2 and water vapour – both Greenhouse gases.
The most effective sink of atmospheric methane is the hydroxyl radical in the troposphere, or the lowest portion of Earth's atmosphere. As methane rises into the air, it reacts with the hydroxyl radical to create water vapor and carbon dioxide. The mean lifespan of methane in the atmosphere was estimated at 9.6 years as of 2001; however, increasing emissions of methane over time reduce the concentration of the hydroxyl radical in the atmosphere.[41]With less OH˚ to react with, the lifespan of methane could also increase, resulting in greater concentrations of atmospheric methane.[75]
If it is not destroyed in the troposphere, methane will last approximately 120 years before it is eventually destroyed in Earth's next atmospheric layer: the stratosphere. Destruction in the stratosphere occurs the same way that it does in the troposphere: methane is oxidized to produce carbon dioxide and water vapor. Based on balloon-borne measurements since 1978, the abundance of stratospheric methane has increased by 13.4%±3.6% between 1978 and 2003.[76]
Groundswell New Zealand says it is planning a "major nationwide protest event" in November, following a lack of response by the Government to its concerns.
Although a date was yet to be set and details of the event outlined, spokesman Bryce McKenzie, of West Otago, said it would be "of a scale and impact that will be significant in New Zealand's history".
This is extremely good timing for the farmers to protest against this government.
The government is in poll freefall and is a long way from bottoming out. This team want that third term like a bastard.
In response, I suspect the government will show that they are listening carefully (even though there are very few votes to be turned in it), and walk back bunches of the water protection provisions.
Very, very hard to see Mahuta's water governance reforms lasting.
The green left have long since been given notice that they are not going to get their climate reforms in without a fight, and should have been able to arrange some kind of supportive counter-march by now. The first protest happened and the green left just sat back.
Instead the field of civic action has been left free for the rural community to rise up and do it all again. So they are. And now have a much better chance of changing the government's mind as a result.
This is probably a super naive question, but why don't they just talk it through with the appropriate minister(s) and see if they can get some compromise? Seems like it went from being an issue to an OTT response very quickly. What have I missed?
We keep broad-brushing the issue, and due to this failing to learn. Some of it we might push back on, some of it is entirely valid. Ignoring it will create a large voting block that takes from the left, who are simply being insulting, and making statements that show their own cognitive dissonance.
Turning farms into pine is one of their issues. Who is the pine benefitting, cos it's an ecological insult to NZ.
We're all concerned with mitigating climate. What are all these farmer bashing townies doing?
The farming industry is lagging badly, like tourism. We need the farmers that want action on climate to organise and be public. Lefties bashing farmers won't help that happen.
In fact farmers like this one, and I know others, like him/her, tell me they get shouted down and drowned out in rural meetings by the Groundswell types.
yep, I get that in my area… not possible to have a proper discussion with most.. it instantly becomes a bomb-fest of useless loud one-liners, interspersed with derogatory comments about women politicians most commonly… been like it for decades
My mild mannered and not 'greenie' b-i-l planted and fenced his stream edges over 25 years ago and was suitably thought of as being odd and weird then. His sheep and cattle farm was able to transition, on the lower areas to dairy run-off in environmental safety. He keeps a good eye on the leased part of his property as some of the workers below herd manager levels can be a bit out of control and lacking in sense.
The point is they pay their subs but just don't go to the Fed Farmers meetings to share or be shouted down. . Therefore innovation on the ground, localised, often does not filter out very far.
The point also about living in a rural community especially for the more feisty 'incomers' used to living in towns, or rural thinkers is that to keep ahead you have to really stand schtum & basically 'shut-up.'. There is little tolerance in some rural communities for anyone who is deemed to rock the boat……in all sorts of ways from speaking out on low quality education strategies adopted by BoTs right through to changes in farming practices.
Sometimes regulation or legislation or the threat of such is the only way to get the community working together to get the best from it rather than waiting for it to evolve incrementally, It won't happen incrementally as we saw with the response to the delay in higher farming standards and this:
The Howl, in my circle were seen by some as a wing of the Nats or worse, and totally out of touch with CC because of the focus on utes and because the organisers had not thought through the impact of having silly off message signs about 'communism' and 'the treaty' and 'cindy' etc carried by the participants.
Another thing that puzzles my non greenie b-i-l are why there are different environmental standards for putting in things such as wood burners between those living in towns and those living in the country, His point is that smoke/particulate matter is released into the atmosphere whether in town or country and polluted air is polluted air.
The country towns used by this couple have incredibly poor or non- existent refuse or /recycling facilities. My sister travels 2 hours every couple of months to to cities with proper recycling facilities. Luckily they buy low plastic etc and have good storage. With reliance on tank water and water supply schemes getting contaminated sometimes they need to buy in drinking water.
The lack of proper recycling facilities leads to the continuation of the ubiquitous gut hole.
So dealing with waste in rural town and hinterlands is usually poor in comparison with cities.
Particulate rules for fireplaces are more about health than emissions.
Cities like Christchurch and Hamilton sit in basins, so particulates and smog hang around in the basin. Causing smog, visibility and health effects. Other places, conveniently, get them blown out to sea. Where it is ," someone else's problem".
For those places fireplace rules are less stringent.
I agree that different rules for different places can seem puzzling.
I used to stay on rellies farms, most long dead now. And the farms sold on.
Most of the streams were planted with trees and fenced.
They were proud of the thriving native stream life, "unlike those overseas rivers" where they are to polluted to support life. Lots of native eels, Koura etc.
Greens, of course, were a thing of the future
I wonder what they would have thought about the overloaded with nutrients, and dying, rivers and lakes we see now
Those "farmer bashing townies" city businesses, and their employees, have for decades complied with safety and environmental requirements, and community regulations, way in excess of the fraction farmers have been dragged kicking and screaming into compliance with. Anyone who thinks farmers are being bashed, when they have simply lost their social licence, because of their own attitudes, is showing"cognitive dissonance". Farming is fast losing the huge amount of urban goodwill and support they once enjoyed. And it is entirely their own fault. Which saddens me because I have many farming relatives who are quietly getting on with it, looking at better ways of farming. Who didn’t join in the pro pollution protests
No because I understand that when they are referring to townies, they are not intending to tar all townies with the same brush. The same as when they used a broad "lefties" term.
I chose to take their argument in the best possible light. That allows for the actual gist of the argument to be considered as opposed to derailing into a discussion about "not all men".
I'm both a townie and a leftie. Are these two words really an issue? A micro-aggression?
It's either ridiculously woke or shouting down groups. Some people need to get the fuck over themselves and stop being so precious about every damn thing.
How will we ever have conversations when most of it is derailed by all this mud slinging? Trot out the worst offenders, attach them to the entire group. Ignore or mock their issues. USA, coming your way.
And no, I'm not pointing at anyone in particular not everything said is about yourselves specifically.
'these farmer bashing townies' implies I'm talking about the townies who are farmer bashing. This really needs no qualification.
No crashcart I'm not addressing you specifically, who seem to have a grip on the silliness of all the lumping in, and the leaping to defend ourselves from nothing… it's just where this point has fallen in the conversation.
Oh I don’t know. I think DB Brown might be a leftie masquerading as a farmer. Something about the writing style seems familiar.
let’s just say I don’t think you will ever see WTB in the same room as DB Brown.
WTB kindly allowed one of their comments to be published as a post, and asked for the name on the post to be DB Brown. That was in a comment on the front end, hardly a secret.
one of the reasons I put up the post is because WTB has over time provided interesting and thoughtful commentary on TS, often presenting counter points outside the binary narratives we too often get stuck in. I find it refreshing and stimulating to my own thought processes.
we often don’t like our beliefs being challenged, are more used to that coming from rw commenters but personally I’m finding the debate better when the dissent is varied in source.
Nope, because it had been approved previously and as far back as 2018, it appears 🙂
The thing with this is when the same person uses two different names interchangeably it can confuse others, which is why I tend to ask them to stick one user handle and one e-mail address. But DB Brown has not done this, so all good 🙂
DBB may be a bit of a Darkhorse. There has certainly been a good Draught around lately. At Uni in the late 60's we were required to sign a register that passed around the lecture theatre lecture in order to get "Terms" to sit the final exams. DB Lager, D Brown, L Red, M Mouse, and D Duck were very regular attendees 🙂
Neither are townies, or those on welfare, or lefties! It appears farming is a "sacred cow" we are not allowed to upset with reality.
In fact Farmers who are trying to clean up their act who talk to me agreeing about the pro pollution protests, are telling me they are a minority. And, unfortunately most are cleaning up their act because Fonterra and regulations are making them. Not from conviction.
KJT "city businesses, and their employees, have for decades complied with safety and environmental requirements, and community regulations, way in excess of the fraction farmers have been dragged kicking and screaming into compliance with."
Was exactly my point yesterday
These issues are the exact same as faced by everyone in business – in type and scale. Yet the others don't cry about it to anything like the same extent. And they certainly don't get exceptions made for them (e.g. excused from the ETS).
I am yet to see this point answered, but have my eyes peeled.
……This is extremely good timing for the farmers to protest against this government.
The government is in poll freefall and is a long way from bottoming out. This team want that third term like a bastard….
Ad, if you are so sure that this government support is in freefall and has not yet bottomed out, then all Groundswell have to do, is wait and vote them out. No need for protest action.
It will take a lot to convince me that this government will lose the next election. If the government stay on track. If they continue to stay on top of their pandemic response, if they continue to keep New Zealanders safe, while the rest of the world is in covid torment, then Labour will win the next election.
If Labour Government, finally get on top of the housing crisis, then in my opinion Labour will win the next two elections after that, as well.
The Right, (including Groundswell), sense that this Government is not going away any time soon. Knowing, they are not going to get their way from any compliant National led administration, Groundswell are using direct protest pressure to try and convince the current government into backing down over its environmental protection regulations.
This is why Groundswell supporters feel the need to hold these protests.
Those Groundswell people are entitled to protest. We are a democracy. If they name call and deny science people will call them out. I know who will look silly, and it won't be Jacinda or Labour.
There is also that issue of disorder and violence, which history shows us result in disproportionate bruises and arrests among those who oppose Massey's Cossacks. Better to let the tractor crowd wander aimlessly and rage against the rising sealevels like king Knut. It aint the Chch shooters that get surveilled or arrested, it's the Keith Lockes.
……The green left have long since been given notice that they are not going to get their climate reforms in without a fight, and should have been able to arrange some kind of supportive counter-march by now. The first protest happened and the green left just sat back……
Ad, yes you are right, we on the Left are prepared to fight for climate reforms, using peaceful and democratic means, and where necessary non-violent civil disobedience. And be prepared to be arrested for it, if that is what it takes.
We will not be organising any counter-march to Groundswell.
My advice to the Left; Do not be drawn into a street brawl with the right wing losers of Groundswell.
Ad if you are trying to incite some sort of confrontation to embarrass the government then you are going the right way about it.
We have no objection to Groundswell holding their protest march in November, that is their democratic right. If they break the law, I fully expect the authorities to act to arrest them, as they so often do for Left protesters, let see how committed these right wing protesters really are to their beliefs.
My feeling; If Groundswell's November protest is anything like their last protest, with the same racist and sexist and climate change denying and conpiracy messaging, they will disgrace themselves in the eyes of most New Zealanders without the Left having to do anything.
If we are so smug we can't even organise a counter-protest to support the government, we stand a much greater chance of losing out of sheer self-righteousness.
If we are so smug we can't even organise a counter-protest to support the government, we stand a much greater chance of losing out of sheer self-righteousness.
Not can't, won't.
Greenies etc won't organise a counter protest to support the government because we believe the government is dragging the chain and/or cementing in neoliberal systems that are problematic from a green perspective.
There were some "counter-protests" at the first "howlin'" – Extinction Rebellion people sat on a pedestrian crossing and halted the "mighty convoy" of tractors and Utes in one centre – and received abuse for their troubles ("Get the freaks off the road" one son of the soil intoned, repeatedly). Similar responses were mounted elsewhere and the reactions were the same.
Jenny htgt @10:22 am makes the valid point that the ill-disciplined, mysogynistic, racist etc. messages that accompanied the first howlin' harmed the whole protest, but I would suggest those "cowboys" will be reined-in by now and the idiotic placards won't appear again…unless… 🙂
I'm curious what the media reporting was of the XR actions, and what the wider community thought. It's a tactical mistake imo for XR to target rural people in conservative communities, and I'd ask what they are trying to achieve.
XR in the UK has been so successful because they were very smart (head and heart) in how they impacted on the general population. You have to meet people half way and bring them along.
Going hard against the banks, Fonterra, Big Oil is a different matter, still needs some intuitive sense.
The power that XR UK has isn't in stopping traffic, it comes from somewhere else. Trying to import the techniques without the kaupapa isn't going to work (imho).
Don't waste your heart and mind trying to pull down what is already destroying itself 🙂 Not my words.
“The wave of the future is on the local level. Don’t waste your heart and mind trying to pull down what is already destroying itself. But come into where you’re almost below the radar and reorganize life. We want communities where we live and work and fight for the future.” – Joanna Macy
Ha! Well, yes, but you'd only want to throw yourself into the sty and wrestle if you were confident of gaining something significant from the engagement. What do you suggest greenies might gain from waving placards at huge farm vehicles?
Televisual glory, of course! More Twitter feeds than you can shake a stick at. Something to rally the team again. Like we used to do in Helen Clark's second term.
Groundswell are proposing to toot us into submission:
"The first event is on this Friday 20th August 2021 under the banner of "CAN YOU HEAR US".
At 12:30 pm all around New Zealand, Groundswell NZ are calling for 2 minutes of show of support by every car, bike, truck, train – anything with a horn, tooting in support of our campaign.
Then this will be repeated every Friday for the following 3 weeks."
I propose a counter-campaign under the banner "STFU" – the placards will be easy to produce 🙂
Doubtless they'll come down hard on the trouble-makers, as they do with any other protester.
"Groundswell NZ is calling for all landowners to decline access for councils or their agents wanting to undertake mapping or information gathering on private land. Groundswell NZ has identified serious implications with this information gathering that landowners are largely unaware of."
Today's events will have will have effectively canceled this Friday's effort, they will be pushing the Essential Service definition to go into town to protest. That'll be an interesting interaction with the police officer.
Going much past this week and calving / lambing will be getting into full swing, and lots else will be making the farm a pretty busy place. And that's assuming we're only in lockdown for 3 – 7 days.
They won't have the spare time they had last month when about all that was happening on farm was feeding out maybe once a day. Once we get to late November farms will be before daylight to well after dusk, 7 days a week workplaces. If farmers can find time to play around protesting then, their protestations about staff shortages are waffle.
The irony is that the National Standards malarkey came about because the District focused approach of the RMA was too hard and gave some perverse boundary issues. There's a pretty stark example at Queensbury (just out of Wanaka) where quite intensive grazing is allowed in Central Otago but not just down the road in Queenstown Lakes District. Unfortunately the boundary goes through a farm unit. There's lots of other examples around the Country and this did farmer's heads in. So they petitioned the previous government for consistency between Districts, hence National Environmental Standards.
Now the current Government is getting those National Standards in place farmers are realising why the RMA took a District and catchment specific approach.
It's still been pretty outrageous to see the regional catchment regulator Otago Regional Council take such a soft stance, since they cover those catchments you mention. Witness their stated inability to regulate for air quality even though it is one of their statutory jobs. So residents like Cromwell suffer through it.
ORC has been a waste of space since it was formed. It's always been farmer and Dunedin dominated and as soon as something comes up that will restrict farming it rapidly becomes dysfunctional. The deemed permit fiasco and Manuherikia minimum flow / overallocation show how difficult ORC are finding things. Both issues aren't totally of their own making, multiple governments going back to year dot have been involved and it's left to the local level to try and sort the differences, which are almost insurmountable without someone / something being badly hurt.
The irony is that the National Standards malarkey came about because the District focused approach of the RMA was too hard and gave some perverse boundary issues. There's a pretty stark example at Queensbury (just out of Wanaka) where quite intensive grazing is allowed in Central Otago but not just down the road in Queenstown Lakes District. Unfortunately the boundary goes through a farm unit. There's lots of other examples around the Country and this did farmer's heads in. So they petitioned the previous government for consistency between Districts, hence National Environmental Standards.
Now the current Government is getting those National Standards in place farmers are realising why the RMA took a District and catchment specific approach."
…
That is very interesting and well worth keeping front of mind, as this is one of their major whinges.
Not hours after the last Groundswell tractor chugged home, in a cloud of diesel fumes, the rains began to fall.
MetService issued a red warning – only the third in its history. A month’s average rainfall came down in two days in parts of the West Coast.
More than 2000 people were forced from their homes, major roads were closed, paddocks submerged, and Buller and Marlborough had to declare local states of emergency.
I wonder if Mr Dalton has found that there really isn't that much interest in the America's Cup anymore and that there aren't people willing to pay him enormous amounts of money for the "privilege" of holding it?
Well the Government must take this chance to tell him NO. We don't need it and we don't want it. We are free of the stupid thing and we want to stay that way. At least I, and people I have talked to about it, don't want it. Trevor Mallard probably would love to have it back but he really shouldn't count.
Don't, under any circumstances, offer Dalton anything. Kick him out of his taxpayer funded quarters in Auckland and tell him to pay for his own inflated standard of living in the future. He has been ripping off the New Zealand taxpayer, and the Auckland ratepayer, for far too long.
"At its core, the regenerative approach is about finding balance between the land a farmer has, and what it can naturally support.
This means less fertilisers, no irrigation, no imported feed – just the natural cycles of sun, air, water and soil that have produced life for time eternal.
Regenerative farmers say if this balance is struck, animals actually become part of the natural cycle of the land, instead of overwhelming it. All that poo and pee becomes natural fertiliser, instead of pollution."
The natural fertility builds up with rotational grazing… this was the way we ( my husband and I and other young farmers ) were farming fifty years ago – before us my great grandfather, my grandfather and my father, until agricultural scientists influenced him otherwise , were farming more like what you would now call “regenerative” farming. Our children are farming sustainably and are financially penalised because they do. eg land rates are geared to the returns of unsustainable farming !
A fortnight ago, driven to despair by long waiting lists, inadequate staffing levels and inefficient working conditions, the departmental health and safety representative lodged a provisional improvement notice (Pin) with the SDHB.
A Pin is a statutory device under the Health and Safety at Work Act which requires a workplace to display the notice and take steps within eight days to address the safety issues raised or face possible further action.
That eight-day period has expired, and the Pin has been referred to WorkSafe for further action.
The HSR complaint was due to; understaffing and poor facilities in the old Dunedin hospital. Meaning that ED nurses had run out of toilets to cry in, while suffering mental distress from being unable to do their work safely in a professional environment.
Pressure of high patient numbers and low staffing levels routinely meant staff went into the toilets to cry, emergency department health and safety representative Anne Daniels said.
Last Thursday, after a nurse told her there were no toilets free to cry in, Ms Daniels lodged a provisional improvement notice (Pin) with the Southern District Health Board…
‘‘This nurse said, ‘Who gives a damn? Someone will die’,’’ Ms Daniels said.
‘‘The Pin is the last straw. We have been living this for the past 18 months.
‘‘We have been compromising and making do for too long, and we can no longer do that.’’
I am curious if Little, as; Minister of Health, is liable for this negligence? It wouldn't surprise me if the DHBs are constructed specifically so as to provide a cutout for ministerial responsibility, the legalese is fairly impenetrable to a nonlawyer (PCBU = Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking). I imagine the SDHB will be looking for someone to do the time (or pay the fine) for them:
A person who commits an offence against subsection (1) is liable on conviction,—
(a) for an individual who is not a PCBU or an officer of a PCBU, to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 5 years or a fine not exceeding $300,000, or both:
(b) for an individual who is a PCBU or an officer of a PCBU, to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 5 years or a fine not exceeding $600,000, or both:
(c) for any other person, to a fine not exceeding $3 million.
One would have expected that, with an ailment called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the respiratory bit would be enough to clue folk up.
The Government’s idea is that the private sector and Community Housing Providers will fund, build and operate new affordable housing to address our housing crisis. Meanwhile, the Government does not know where almost half of the 1,700 children who left emergency housing actually went. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong ...
Oh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youOh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youSongwriters: Alexander Ebert / Jade Allyson CastrinosMorena,I’m on a tight time frame this morning. In about an hour and a half, I’ll need to pack up and hit the road ...
This is a post about the Mountain Tui substack, and small tweaks - further to the poll and request post the other day. Please don’t read if you aren’t interested in my personal matters. Thank you all.After oohing-and-aahing about how to structure the Substack model since November, including obtaining ...
This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.We’ve announced we are the ‘Yes Government’. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. It’s about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “The latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...
The December labour market statistics have been released, showing yet another increase in unemployment. There are now 156,000 unemployed - 34,000 more than when National took office. And having thrown all these people out of work, National is doubling down on cruelty. Because being vicious will somehow magically create the ...
Boarded up homes in Kilbirnie, where work on a planned development was halted. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 5 are;Housing Minister Chris Bishop yesterday announcedKāinga Ora would be stripped of ...
This week Kiwirail and Auckland Transport were celebrating the completion of the summer rail works that had the network shut or for over a month and the start of electric trains to Pukekohe. First up, here’s parts of the press release about the shutdown works. Passengers boarding trains in Auckland ...
Through its austerity measures, the coalition government has engineered a rise in unemployment in order to reduce inflation while – simultaneously – cracking down harder and harder on the people thrown out of work by its own policies. To that end, Social Development Minister Louise Upston this week added two ...
This year, we've seen a radical, white supremacist government ignoring its Tiriti obligations, refusing to consult with Māori, and even trying to legislatively abrogate te Tiriti o Waitangi. When it was criticised by the Waitangi Tribunal, the government sabotaged that body, replacing its legal and historical experts with corporate shills, ...
Poor old democracy, it really is in a sorry state. It would be easy to put all the blame on the vandals and tyrants presently trashing the White House, but this has been years in the making. It begins with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and the spirit of Gordon ...
The new school lunches came in this week, and they were absolutely scrumptious.I had some, and even though Connor said his tasted like “stodge” and gave him a sore tummy, I myself loved it!Look at the photos - I knew Mr Seymour wouldn’t lie when he told us last year:"It ...
The tighter sanctions are modelled on ones used in Britain, which did push people off ‘the dole’, but didn’t increase the number of workers, and which evidence has repeatedly shown don’t work. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, ...
Catching you up on the morning’s global news and a quick look at the parallels -GLOBALTariffs are backSharemarkets in the US, UK and Europe have “plunged” in response to Trump’s tariffs. And while Mexico has won a one month reprieve, Canada and China will see their respective 25% and 10% ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. Gondolas are often in the news, with manufacturers of ropeway systems proposing them as a modern option for mass transit systems in New Zealand. However, like every next big thing in transport, it’s hard ...
This is a re-post from The Climate BrinkBoth 2023 and 2024 were exceptionally warm years, at just below and above 1.5C relative to preindustrial in the WMO composite of surface temperature records, respectively. While we are still working to assess the full set of drivers of this warmth, it is clear that ...
Hi,I woke up feeling nervous this morning, realising that this weekend Flightless Bird is going to do it’s first ever live show. We’re heading to a sold out (!) show in Seattle to test the format out in front of an audience. If it works, we’ll do more. I want ...
From the United-For-Now States of America comes the thrilling news that a New Zealander may be at the very heart of the current coup. Punching above our weight on the world stage once more! Wait, you may be asking, what New Zealander? I speak of Peter Thiel, made street legal ...
Even Stevens: Over the 33 years between 1990 and 2023 (and allowing for the aberrant 2020 result) the average level of support enjoyed by the Left and Right blocs, at roughly 44.5 percent each, turns out to be, as near as dammit, identical.WORLDWIDE, THE PARTIES of the Left are presented ...
Back in 2023, a "prominent political figure" went on trial for historic sex offences. But we weren't allowed to know who they were or what political party they were "prominent" in, because it might affect the way we voted. At the time, I said that this was untenable; it was ...
I'm going, I'm goingWhere the water tastes like wineI'm going where the water tastes like wineWe can jump in the waterStay drunk all the timeI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayAll this fussing and fighting, man, you know I sure ...
Waitangi Day is a time to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and stand together for a just and fair Aotearoa. Across the motu, communities are gathering to reflect, kōrero, and take action for a future built on equity and tino rangatiratanga. From dawn ceremonies to whānau-friendly events, there are ...
Subscribe to Mountain Tūī ! Where you too can learn about exciting things from a flying bird! Tweet.Yes - I absolutely suck at marketing. It’s a fact.But first -My question to all readers is:How should I set up the Substack model?It’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask since November ...
Here’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s political economy on politics and in the week to Feb 3:PM Christopher Luxon began 2025’s first day of Parliament last Tuesday by carrying on where left off in 2024, letting National’s junior coalition partner set the political agenda and dragging ...
The PSA have released a survey of 4000 public service workers showing that budget cuts are taking a toll on the wellbeing of public servants and risking the delivery of essential services to New Zealanders. Economists predict that figures released this week will show continued increases in unemployment, potentially reaching ...
The Prime Minister’s speech 10 days or so ago kicked off a flurry of commentary. No one much anywhere near the mainstream (ie excluding Greens supporters) questioned the rhetoric. New Zealand has done woefully poorly on productivity for a long time and we really need better outcomes, and the sorts ...
President Trump on the day he announced tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, unleashing a shock to supply chains globally that is expected to slow economic growth and increase inflation for most large economies. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 9 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 3Politics: New Zealand Government cabinet meeting usually held early afternoon with post-cabinet news conference possible at 4 pm, although they have not been ...
Trump being Trump, it won’t come as a shock to find that he regards a strong US currency (bolstered by high tariffs on everything made by foreigners) as a sign of America’s virility, and its ability to kick sand in the face of the world. Reality is a tad more ...
A listing of 24 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 26, 2025 thru Sat, February 1, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
What seems to be the common theme in the US, NZ, Argentina and places like Italy under their respective rightwing governments is what I think of as “the politics of cruelty.” Hate-mongering, callous indifference in social policy-making, corporate toadying, political bullying, intimidation and punching down on the most vulnerable with ...
If you are confused, check with the sunCarry a compass to help you alongYour feet are going to be on the groundYour head is there to move you aroundSo, stand in the place where you liveSongwriters: Bill Berry / Michael Mills / Michael Stipe / Peter Buck.Hot in the CityYesterday, ...
Shane Jones announced today he would be contracting out his thinking to a smarter younger person.Reclining on his chaise longue with a mouth full of oysters and Kina he told reporters:Clearly I have become a has-been, a palimpsest, an epigone, a bloviating fossil. I find myself saying such things as: ...
Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is global warming ...
Our low-investment, low-wage, migration-led and housing-market-driven political economy has delivered poorer productivity growth than the rest of the OECD, and our performance since Covid has been particularly poor. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty this ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As far as major government announcements go, a Three Ministers Event is Big. It can signify a major policy development or something has gone Very Well, or an absolute Clusterf**k. When Three Ministers assemble ...
One of those blasts from the past. Peter Dunne – originally neoliberal Labour, then leader of various parties that sought to work with both big parties (generally National) – has taken to calling ...
Completed reads for January: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson The Black Spider, by Jeremias Gotthelf The Spider and the Fly (poem), by Mary Howitt A Noiseless Patient Spider (poem), by Walt Whitman August Heat, by W.F. Harvey Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White The Shrinking Man, by Richard Matheson ...
Do its Property Right Provisions Make Sense?Last week I pointed out that it is uninformed to argue that the New Zealand’s apparently poor economic performance can be traced only to poor regulations. Even were there evidence they had some impact, there are other factors. Of course, we should seek to ...
Richard Wagstaff It was incredibly jarring to hear the hubris from the Prime Minister during his recent state of the nation address. I had just spent close to a week working though the stories and thoughts shared with us by nearly 2000 working people as part of our annual Mood ...
Odd fact about the Broadcasting Standards Authority: for the last few years, they’ve only been upholding about 5% of complaints. Why? I think there’s a range of reasons. Generally responsible broadcasters. Dumb complaints. Complaints brought under the wrong standard. Greater adherence to broadcasters’ rights to freedom of expression in the ...
And I said, "Mama, mama, mama, why am I so alone"'Cause I can't go outside, I'm scared I might not make it homeWell I'm alive, I'm alive, but I'm sinking inIf there's anyone at home at your place, darlingWhy don't you invite me in?Don't try to feed me'Cause I've been ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ star is on the rise, having just added the Energy, Local Government and Revenue portfolios to his responsibilities - but there is nothing ambitious about the Government’s new climate targets. Photo: SuppliedLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
It may have been a short week but there’s been no shortage of things that caught our attention. Here is some of the most interesting. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt took a look at public transport ridership in 2024 On Thursday Connor asked some questions ...
The East Is Red: Journalists and commentators are referring to the sudden and disruptive arrival of DeepSeek as a second “Sputnik moment”. (Sputnik being the name given by the godless communists of the Soviet Union to the world’s first artificial satellite which, to the consternation and dismay of the Americans, ...
Hi,Back on inauguration day we launched a ridiculous RFK Jr. “brain worms” tee on the Webworm store, and I told you I’d be throwing my profits over to Mutual Aid LA and Rainbow Youth New Zealand. Just to show I am not full of shit, here are the receipts. I ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump over Gaza and Ukraine.Health expert and author David Galler ...
In an uncompromising paper Treasury has basically told the Government that its plan for a third medical school at Waikato University is a waste of money. Furthermore, the country cannot afford it. That advice was released this week by the Treasury under the Official Information Act. And it comes as ...
Back in November, He Pou a Rangi provided the government with formal advice on the domestic contribution to our next Paris target. Not what the target should be, but what we could realistically achieve, by domestic action alone, without resorting to offshore mitigation. Their answer was startling: depending on exactly ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guest David Patman and ...
I don't like to spend all my time complaining about our government, so let me complain about the media first.Senior journalistic Herald person Thomas Coughlan reported that Treasury replied yeah nah, wrong bro to Luxon's claim that our benighted little country has been in recession for three years.His excitement rose ...
Back in 2022, when the government was consulting internally about proactive release of cabinet papers, the SIS opposed it. The basis of their opposition was the "mosaic effect" - people being able to piece together individual pieces of innocuous public information in a way which supposedly harms "national security" (effectively: ...
With The Stroke Of A Pen:Populism, especially right-wing populism, invests all the power of an electoral/parliamentary majority in a single political leader because it no longer trusts the bona fides of the sprawling political class among whom power is traditionally dispersed. Populism eschews traditional politics, because, among populists, traditional politics ...
I’ve spent the last week writing a fairly substantial review of a recent book (“Australia’s Pandemic Exceptionalism: How we crushed the curve but lost the race”) by a couple of Australian academic economists on Australia’s pandemic policies and experiences. For all its limitations, there isn’t anything similar in New Zealand. ...
Mr Mojo Rising: Economic growth is possible, Christopher Luxon reassures us, but only under a government that is willing to get out of the way and let those with drive and ambition get on with it.ABOUT TWELVE KILOMETRES from the farm on the North Otago coast where I grew up stands ...
You're nearly a good laughAlmost a jokerWith your head down in the pig binSaying, 'Keep on digging.'Pig stain on your fat chinWhat do you hope to findDown in the pig mine?You're nearly a laughYou're nearly a laughBut you're really a crySongwriter: Roger Waters.NZ First - Kiwi Battlers.Say what you like ...
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Climate denial is dead. Renewable energy denial is here. As “alternative facts” become the norm, it’s worth looking at what actual facts tell us about how renewable energy sources like solar and wind are lowering the price of electricity. As ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
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Everyone here got their shots now?
Getting my first lot of billgatesmindcontrol5Gspacelaser microchips installed tomorrow.
Got mine – my phone reception is a whole lot better now
Yes.Fully Pfizered.Got stinking cold like symptoms for a week & felt like I had been punched in the arm from the first shot.Second one was uneventful except for a strange compusion to buy 5 copies of windows 11.Well worth it though.
I had the arm ache on the first jab too, but no other side effects. Though I am waiting 3 months for my second, which the booking system isn't too cooperative about. Would have been getting my second tomorrow, I had even set up a vax-date with a friend to get both of our second jabs at the same time and place (so we'd have someone to talk to during the quarter hour waiting after). But then I did a bit of research about optimal interdose intervals – 6 weeks is definitely better than 3; 12 may a bit marginal, but slightly better than that even. My companion just wants it over and done with.
Instead, I will be driving them back after and keeping an eye on them for a bit to be sure they don't have too many side-effects. Seems to vary a lot depending on the person
Waiting on my provider.
I'll get my first shot on Saturday.
Booked mine last night, Monday week for the 1st,
Yes Two each, all done. Sons have had their first.
All three in my household are done, x 2.
Mild sore shoulders for a couple of days, nothing to complain about.
Last week of June I had my second jab.
I must be the biggest Charlie in this lot. 74 yrs old – got 1st jab 6 weeks ago. But had heard English Doctor saying 5-6 weeks was a better gap, so asked for my 2nd jab last Saturday. But just before that, out came the news that 8 – 12 weeks was optimum. So I went in and asked for another 3 weeks' delay. I will now get my second jab on Sept 4.
I thought at the time, just my luck if… and guess what.
Groundswell leader, Jamie McFadden, interviewed by John Campbell on TV1 Breakfast, this morning.
(This is not a direct transcript)
J.M. Only a 'few bad people', are letting us down. And the government should not be making policy that ‘penalises’ everybody.
Not once in the whole interview did Jamie McFadden mention the word 'climate change'.
For that mattter neither did John Campbell.
John Campbell tried to ask Jamie McFadden about nitrate pollution
J.M. What Groundswell are saying about water, we need to look at each catchment.
(No mention of climate).
Maybe both McFadden and Campbell need to read this;
Jamie McFadden did a good job and the Minister who followed was pretty average articulating how the new legislation will assist.
Jamie McFadden "did a good job" having a go at the government for putting in legislation that "penalises" everybody, because of a few "bad people".
By Jamie's logic, we should not put in place traffic legislation against speeding that "penalises" everbody, because a few "bad people" speed.
Good Job Jamie.
If the Minister stays as unconvincing as this, it will indeed be a good job by Jamie.
Come to think of it, do we really need laws against murder? Most of us aren't murderers.
Well it depends, killing people while driving drunk or just badly is pretty much a home D offense.
Farmers are doing what every other business will do as the need to respond to CC bites – fight to protect profitable business models, their decision-making autonomy and a way of life they like. They will obscure this core material fact with fluffy stuff (some of it partly true, some of it greenwash) about feeding the nation, caring about the land, and already doing what is needed in their own way and own time. Meanwhile they will be hard-nosed in trying to install sympathetic governments.
This is how humanity fails in its response to CC – by not seeing that fear of economic insecurity drives behaviours that are rational in the short term, but in the long term are pathological. The idea of an economically just transition needs to be embedded, and soon, but I am not hopeful.
You have plenty of reckons about the Farmers stance, fair enough. They may be true or not. But you do point out some interesting stuff – including fear.
Loads of fear going round. Justifiable and understandable. We should address or at least acknowledge these fears, of both farmers, and persons who fear farmers will stall climate mitigation.
We all know who really stalled climate mitigation. It's big oil, and governments in bed with them. Finding other industries and individuals to take the heat off the big players – those most culpable, is a dirty trick at best, but I'm more inclined to call it sociopathic and self centred murderous and criminal negligence.
They (govts and corporate PR) keep pushing onus onto individuals, and their broad sweeping laws are similar to their broad sweeping statements – largely pointless, but masterful in misdirection.
Now I'd much prefer a Labour to Nat led government, but the neo-lib BS is rife with both. They'd be flying everywhere if not for covid. It's all do as I say not as I do. Feckless wannabes using ecology (which they know fuck all about) to hit others over the head with.
What impact does the NZ government have on big oil? Outside of trying to transition NZ off fossil fuels which is what kicked off this ground swell issue.
In NZ our biggest contributor is Agriculture. We can sit back and cry about big fossil fuel all we want, but if we aren't addressing what we control then who are we to lecture anyone?
Given that methane is so bad (I accept that) shouldn't a large part of any carbon tax go towards the people working on the methane vaccine? Cows arnt hoingcaway here or over seas .
Imho there are two ways to decrease the quantity of methane emitted by farmed ruminants: (1) Decrease the number of ruminants, and (2) Decrease the average amount of methane each ruminant emits. Farmers could (try to) do both.
(1) is in the farmers' fields/court – stock numbers change over time, so it's doable.
(2) Plenty of research on this in NZ and globally; more needed – might be doable.
The idea of a "methane vaccine" calls to mind the farmer protests (in 2003) against a ‘Fart Tax’, which was proposed as a way of funding research into (2).
Based on historical and recent farmer protests, I believe an impartial observer would conclude that many farmers are (still) more concerned about maintaining methane emissions than they are about global warming. Open to Groundswell protesters persuading me otherwise, but they need to do better than this:
They really do.
A image from the 4 Sept 2003 protest at Parliament by farmers concerned about the proposed fart tax. The tax has been proposed on ruminant emissions to finance research into emission reduction. Images from the National Party media unit.
The vaccine is well under way , the nz scientists working on give them a reasonable chance of succeeding, but buy all means cherry pick the loonier grunts from the worst morons to have a crack at farmers in general.
Thanks bwaghorn, will try to remember your invitation for next time – I predict we have even loonier grunts from even worse morons to ‘look forward to’, although hopefully none from a future Prime Minister.
I've been (peripherally) involved in supervising some post-graduate students trying to identify factors associated with low methane emissions – smaller rumens are looking promising for sheep.
One thing the scientists grizzle about is having to down tools every year while they go cap-in-hand for more funding. Who knows how much further down the methanogen vaccine track we'd be now if it wasn't for those 'fart tax' protests.
Talk about a sector shooting itself in the foot. Carry on…
Cap on hand for more funding you say.
You mean tax money paid from people like farmers?
If farmers would rather not pay taxes (such as a 'fart tax') to fund research aimed at mitigating the methane emissions of farmed ruminants then it's no skin off my old nose, but it's not a farsighted stance, imho. Carpe diem!
Btw, NZ ranks 6th in the world (behind Brunei, Grenada, Bahrain, Turkmenistan and Barbados) for per capita methane emissions, and 15th for per capita total GHG emissions (CO2 + methane).
https://www.worlddata.info/greenhouse-gas-by-country.php
Per capita seems like a stupid measure too me.
after all NZ Ag feeds over 30 million people, factor that into your per capita and we are one of the best in the world.
if change your formula to per hectare again the best in the world.
[fixed typo in e-mail address]
Intriguing opinion – I quite like per capita measures as a way of highlighting individual responsibilities, and whether (or not) NZers are punching above their weight, as we do for both methane emissions (bad) and food production (pretty good).
If we can agree that ruminant methane emissions are bad (for spaceship Earth, and so for the 'crew'), and that food production is good (for the crew, if not for the spaceship), then it only remains to figure out how to minimise the bad while retaining sufficient 'good'.
How hard can it be, how much longer might it take, and would it really be as bad as the Groundswell movement apparently believes it to be?
Some more good news – just hope against hope it doesn't come to that.
And I keep hearing some of the less aware farmers claiming that methane is not a problem because it disappears after only 12 years.
Yet they keep on producing more of that same methane every year.
How can it disappear when they keep on producing it?
Actually the claim that it "disappears" is rather a false one. Yes methane may break down over a period of years, but into what? CO2 and water vapour – both Greenhouse gases.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_methane
Groundswell New Zealand says it is planning a "major nationwide protest event" in November, following a lack of response by the Government to its concerns.
Although a date was yet to be set and details of the event outlined, spokesman Bryce McKenzie, of West Otago, said it would be "of a scale and impact that will be significant in New Zealand's history".
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/howl-of-a-protest-ii-groundswell-planning-even-larger-action-from-farmers/XGKNVUPK2MLXUA2VXGBJHWSHDQ/
This is extremely good timing for the farmers to protest against this government.
The government is in poll freefall and is a long way from bottoming out. This team want that third term like a bastard.
In response, I suspect the government will show that they are listening carefully (even though there are very few votes to be turned in it), and walk back bunches of the water protection provisions.
Very, very hard to see Mahuta's water governance reforms lasting.
The green left have long since been given notice that they are not going to get their climate reforms in without a fight, and should have been able to arrange some kind of supportive counter-march by now. The first protest happened and the green left just sat back.
Instead the field of civic action has been left free for the rural community to rise up and do it all again. So they are. And now have a much better chance of changing the government's mind as a result.
This is probably a super naive question, but why don't they just talk it through with the appropriate minister(s) and see if they can get some compromise? Seems like it went from being an issue to an OTT response very quickly. What have I missed?
They do not want a compromise. They expect their decades-long veto over any meaningful environmental action involving agribusiness to continue.
Oh. Thanks for the explanation.
Greens more or less decided that giving the nut jobbery pro pollution protests, even more oxygen, is counterproductive.
Considering they will eventually fall over their own cognitive dissonance.
Yup, enough rope …
We keep broad-brushing the issue, and due to this failing to learn. Some of it we might push back on, some of it is entirely valid. Ignoring it will create a large voting block that takes from the left, who are simply being insulting, and making statements that show their own cognitive dissonance.
Turning farms into pine is one of their issues. Who is the pine benefitting, cos it's an ecological insult to NZ.
We're all concerned with mitigating climate. What are all these farmer bashing townies doing?
"We're all concerned with mitigating climate."
But some are more concerned than others.
The farming industry is lagging badly, like tourism. We need the farmers that want action on climate to organise and be public. Lefties bashing farmers won't help that happen.
https://twitter.com/TerriLDonaldson/status/1427175533595353093
In fact farmers like this one, and I know others, like him/her, tell me they get shouted down and drowned out in rural meetings by the Groundswell types.
I wasn't suggesting they try and change Groundswell, but set up their own version of Fed Farmers and get their own movements going.
Groundswell is as much trying to change FedFarmers as it is the Government, https://www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/rural-news/rural-opinion/rural-voices-failing-farmers
Some farmers see Fed Farmers as a branch of the Green Party, so there's a fair bit of diversity there.
Prior to the Howl there was a lot of Fed activity trying to tone it down and get rid of the lunatic fringe. Groundswell co-operated, with varying success. https://www.odt.co.nz/rural-life/rural-people/rural-group%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98wild-conspiracy-theories%E2%80%99-criticised
I am sure they do have contacts for reassurance. Some rural communities it is hard to be 'different' in any way.
yep, I get that in my area… not possible to have a proper discussion with most.. it instantly becomes a bomb-fest of useless loud one-liners, interspersed with derogatory comments about women politicians most commonly… been like it for decades
My mild mannered and not 'greenie' b-i-l planted and fenced his stream edges over 25 years ago and was suitably thought of as being odd and weird then. His sheep and cattle farm was able to transition, on the lower areas to dairy run-off in environmental safety. He keeps a good eye on the leased part of his property as some of the workers below herd manager levels can be a bit out of control and lacking in sense.
The point is they pay their subs but just don't go to the Fed Farmers meetings to share or be shouted down. . Therefore innovation on the ground, localised, often does not filter out very far.
The point also about living in a rural community especially for the more feisty 'incomers' used to living in towns, or rural thinkers is that to keep ahead you have to really stand schtum & basically 'shut-up.'. There is little tolerance in some rural communities for anyone who is deemed to rock the boat……in all sorts of ways from speaking out on low quality education strategies adopted by BoTs right through to changes in farming practices.
Sometimes regulation or legislation or the threat of such is the only way to get the community working together to get the best from it rather than waiting for it to evolve incrementally, It won't happen incrementally as we saw with the response to the delay in higher farming standards and this:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/rural/2021/07/animal-welfare-campaigners-condemn-otago-southland-farmers-caught-grazing-stock-on-substandard-paddocks.html
The Howl, in my circle were seen by some as a wing of the Nats or worse, and totally out of touch with CC because of the focus on utes and because the organisers had not thought through the impact of having silly off message signs about 'communism' and 'the treaty' and 'cindy' etc carried by the participants.
Another thing that puzzles my non greenie b-i-l are why there are different environmental standards for putting in things such as wood burners between those living in towns and those living in the country, His point is that smoke/particulate matter is released into the atmosphere whether in town or country and polluted air is polluted air.
The country towns used by this couple have incredibly poor or non- existent refuse or /recycling facilities. My sister travels 2 hours every couple of months to to cities with proper recycling facilities. Luckily they buy low plastic etc and have good storage. With reliance on tank water and water supply schemes getting contaminated sometimes they need to buy in drinking water.
The lack of proper recycling facilities leads to the continuation of the ubiquitous gut hole.
So dealing with waste in rural town and hinterlands is usually poor in comparison with cities.
Particulate rules for fireplaces are more about health than emissions.
Cities like Christchurch and Hamilton sit in basins, so particulates and smog hang around in the basin. Causing smog, visibility and health effects. Other places, conveniently, get them blown out to sea. Where it is ," someone else's problem".
For those places fireplace rules are less stringent.
I agree that different rules for different places can seem puzzling.
I used to stay on rellies farms, most long dead now. And the farms sold on.
Most of the streams were planted with trees and fenced.
They were proud of the thriving native stream life, "unlike those overseas rivers" where they are to polluted to support life. Lots of native eels, Koura etc.
Greens, of course, were a thing of the future
I wonder what they would have thought about the overloaded with nutrients, and dying, rivers and lakes we see now
Those "farmer bashing townies" city businesses, and their employees, have for decades complied with safety and environmental requirements, and community regulations, way in excess of the fraction farmers have been dragged kicking and screaming into compliance with. Anyone who thinks farmers are being bashed, when they have simply lost their social licence, because of their own attitudes, is showing"cognitive dissonance". Farming is fast losing the huge amount of urban goodwill and support they once enjoyed. And it is entirely their own fault. Which saddens me because I have many farming relatives who are quietly getting on with it, looking at better ways of farming. Who didn’t join in the pro pollution protests
Farmers aren't a hive mind, why talk about them as if they are?
Nor are "townies" but I have yet to see you pull DB Brown on it.
I don't read every comment on TS. Did you call them on it?
No because I understand that when they are referring to townies, they are not intending to tar all townies with the same brush. The same as when they used a broad "lefties" term.
I chose to take their argument in the best possible light. That allows for the actual gist of the argument to be considered as opposed to derailing into a discussion about "not all men".
I'm both a townie and a leftie. Are these two words really an issue? A micro-aggression?
It's either ridiculously woke or shouting down groups. Some people need to get the fuck over themselves and stop being so precious about every damn thing.
How will we ever have conversations when most of it is derailed by all this mud slinging? Trot out the worst offenders, attach them to the entire group. Ignore or mock their issues. USA, coming your way.
And no, I'm not pointing at anyone in particular not everything said is about yourselves specifically.
'these farmer bashing townies' implies I'm talking about the townies who are farmer bashing. This really needs no qualification.
No crashcart I'm not addressing you specifically, who seem to have a grip on the silliness of all the lumping in, and the leaping to defend ourselves from nothing… it's just where this point has fallen in the conversation.
Having been around for a while, I doubt DB Brown's sincerity, and see him as our newest troll, masquerading as a leftie.
Oh I don’t know. I think DB Brown might be a leftie masquerading as a farmer. Something about the writing style seems familiar.
let’s just say I don’t think you will ever see WTB in the same room as DB Brown.
Perhaps you could stop speculating about commenters’ identities and comment on their comments rather, yes? Thanks in advance.
WTB kindly allowed one of their comments to be published as a post, and asked for the name on the post to be DB Brown. That was in a comment on the front end, hardly a secret.
one of the reasons I put up the post is because WTB has over time provided interesting and thoughtful commentary on TS, often presenting counter points outside the binary narratives we too often get stuck in. I find it refreshing and stimulating to my own thought processes.
we often don’t like our beliefs being challenged, are more used to that coming from rw commenters but personally I’m finding the debate better when the dissent is varied in source.
The avatars are identical. Still, Jim’s was a frivolous comment, IMO.
@Incognito, the name change didn't trip the filter?
Nope, because it had been approved previously and as far back as 2018, it appears 🙂
The thing with this is when the same person uses two different names interchangeably it can confuse others, which is why I tend to ask them to stick one user handle and one e-mail address. But DB Brown has not done this, so all good 🙂
I thought it frivolous at first but then wondered if Jim was just pointing out in a humourous way that the DBB is a leftie.
All good, but my sense of humour took a dive yesterday …
Understandable.
DBB may be a bit of a Darkhorse. There has certainly been a good Draught around lately. At Uni in the late 60's we were required to sign a register that passed around the lecture theatre lecture in order to get "Terms" to sit the final exams. DB Lager, D Brown, L Red, M Mouse, and D Duck were very regular attendees 🙂
Neither are townies, or those on welfare, or lefties! It appears farming is a "sacred cow" we are not allowed to upset with reality.
In fact Farmers who are trying to clean up their act who talk to me agreeing about the pro pollution protests, are telling me they are a minority. And, unfortunately most are cleaning up their act because Fonterra and regulations are making them. Not from conviction.
KJT "city businesses, and their employees, have for decades complied with safety and environmental requirements, and community regulations, way in excess of the fraction farmers have been dragged kicking and screaming into compliance with."
Was exactly my point yesterday
These issues are the exact same as faced by everyone in business – in type and scale. Yet the others don't cry about it to anything like the same extent. And they certainly don't get exceptions made for them (e.g. excused from the ETS).
I am yet to see this point answered, but have my eyes peeled.
Ad, if you are so sure that this government support is in freefall and has not yet bottomed out, then all Groundswell have to do, is wait and vote them out. No need for protest action.
It will take a lot to convince me that this government will lose the next election. If the government stay on track. If they continue to stay on top of their pandemic response, if they continue to keep New Zealanders safe, while the rest of the world is in covid torment, then Labour will win the next election.
If Labour Government, finally get on top of the housing crisis, then in my opinion Labour will win the next two elections after that, as well.
The Right, (including Groundswell), sense that this Government is not going away any time soon. Knowing, they are not going to get their way from any compliant National led administration, Groundswell are using direct protest pressure to try and convince the current government into backing down over its environmental protection regulations.
This is why Groundswell supporters feel the need to hold these protests.
They may have decided to let them make fools of themselves unmolested.
That's quite a risk to take.
I wouldn't bet against it.
Those Groundswell people are entitled to protest. We are a democracy. If they name call and deny science people will call them out. I know who will look silly, and it won't be Jacinda or Labour.
There is also that issue of disorder and violence, which history shows us result in disproportionate bruises and arrests among those who oppose Massey's Cossacks. Better to let the tractor crowd wander aimlessly and rage against the rising sealevels like king Knut. It aint the Chch shooters that get surveilled or arrested, it's the Keith Lockes.
Is Knut, Canute? Does not compute 🙂
Cnut is the patron saint of proof readers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnut_the_Great
Knut is more the way the Danes wrote it – it ain't easy carving a C into a runestick with a knife. Spelling standardized a bit later on.
Ad, yes you are right, we on the Left are prepared to fight for climate reforms, using peaceful and democratic means, and where necessary non-violent civil disobedience. And be prepared to be arrested for it, if that is what it takes.
We will not be organising any counter-march to Groundswell.
My advice to the Left; Do not be drawn into a street brawl with the right wing losers of Groundswell.
Ad if you are trying to incite some sort of confrontation to embarrass the government then you are going the right way about it.
We have no objection to Groundswell holding their protest march in November, that is their democratic right. If they break the law, I fully expect the authorities to act to arrest them, as they so often do for Left protesters, let see how committed these right wing protesters really are to their beliefs.
My feeling; If Groundswell's November protest is anything like their last protest, with the same racist and sexist and climate change denying and conpiracy messaging, they will disgrace themselves in the eyes of most New Zealanders without the Left having to do anything.
You just sound like you're too posh to push.
If we are so smug we can't even organise a counter-protest to support the government, we stand a much greater chance of losing out of sheer self-righteousness.
Sounds like you'll be out protesting even if nobody else is, you firebrand, you. Can you lead a protest of one from the back?
Not can't, won't.
Greenies etc won't organise a counter protest to support the government because we believe the government is dragging the chain and/or cementing in neoliberal systems that are problematic from a green perspective.
Labourites won't because they don't.
There were some "counter-protests" at the first "howlin'" – Extinction Rebellion people sat on a pedestrian crossing and halted the "mighty convoy" of tractors and Utes in one centre – and received abuse for their troubles ("Get the freaks off the road" one son of the soil intoned, repeatedly). Similar responses were mounted elsewhere and the reactions were the same.
Jenny htgt @10:22 am makes the valid point that the ill-disciplined, mysogynistic, racist etc. messages that accompanied the first howlin' harmed the whole protest, but I would suggest those "cowboys" will be reined-in by now and the idiotic placards won't appear again…unless… 🙂
Will be interesting to see how they develop.
I'm curious what the media reporting was of the XR actions, and what the wider community thought. It's a tactical mistake imo for XR to target rural people in conservative communities, and I'd ask what they are trying to achieve.
XR in the UK has been so successful because they were very smart (head and heart) in how they impacted on the general population. You have to meet people half way and bring them along.
Going hard against the banks, Fonterra, Big Oil is a different matter, still needs some intuitive sense.
The power that XR UK has isn't in stopping traffic, it comes from somewhere else. Trying to import the techniques without the kaupapa isn't going to work (imho).
I agree.
Don't waste your heart and mind trying to pull down what is already destroying itself 🙂 Not my words.
“The wave of the future is on the local level. Don’t waste your heart and mind trying to pull down what is already destroying itself. But come into where you’re almost below the radar and reorganize life. We want communities where we live and work and fight for the future.” – Joanna Macy
that's a stunningly good quote. I'm working through their active hope process at the moment, seeing a lot of potential for good responses.
That is wet Ad.
Something about wrestling, and the coating you'll receive comes to mind.
Aye true but that is politics. In every respect this is a shit fight.
Ha! Well, yes, but you'd only want to throw yourself into the sty and wrestle if you were confident of gaining something significant from the engagement. What do you suggest greenies might gain from waving placards at huge farm vehicles?
Televisual glory, of course! More Twitter feeds than you can shake a stick at. Something to rally the team again. Like we used to do in Helen Clark's second term.
Groundswell are proposing to toot us into submission:
"The first event is on this Friday 20th August 2021 under the banner of "CAN YOU HEAR US".
At 12:30 pm all around New Zealand, Groundswell NZ are calling for 2 minutes of show of support by every car, bike, truck, train – anything with a horn, tooting in support of our campaign.
Then this will be repeated every Friday for the following 3 weeks."
I propose a counter-campaign under the banner "STFU" – the placards will be easy to produce 🙂
I wonder if the cops will enforce the rules about unreasonable use of horns as much as they RUC-checked all the tractors peddling through town? lol
Doubtless they'll come down hard on the trouble-makers, as they do with any other protester.
"Groundswell NZ is calling for all landowners to decline access for councils or their agents wanting to undertake mapping or information gathering on private land. Groundswell NZ has identified serious implications with this information gathering that landowners are largely unaware of."
Isn't this inciting civil disobedience?
Well, it's a strategy I guess.
Today's events will have will have effectively canceled this Friday's effort, they will be pushing the Essential Service definition to go into town to protest. That'll be an interesting interaction with the police officer.
Going much past this week and calving / lambing will be getting into full swing, and lots else will be making the farm a pretty busy place. And that's assuming we're only in lockdown for 3 – 7 days.
They won't have the spare time they had last month when about all that was happening on farm was feeding out maybe once a day. Once we get to late November farms will be before daylight to well after dusk, 7 days a week workplaces. If farmers can find time to play around protesting then, their protestations about staff shortages are waffle.
They'll be out taking photos of muddy livestock on muddy farms while the farmers are all in town on their tractors.
🙂
Drones to counter the drone.
The irony is that the National Standards malarkey came about because the District focused approach of the RMA was too hard and gave some perverse boundary issues. There's a pretty stark example at Queensbury (just out of Wanaka) where quite intensive grazing is allowed in Central Otago but not just down the road in Queenstown Lakes District. Unfortunately the boundary goes through a farm unit. There's lots of other examples around the Country and this did farmer's heads in. So they petitioned the previous government for consistency between Districts, hence National Environmental Standards.
Now the current Government is getting those National Standards in place farmers are realising why the RMA took a District and catchment specific approach.
It's still been pretty outrageous to see the regional catchment regulator Otago Regional Council take such a soft stance, since they cover those catchments you mention. Witness their stated inability to regulate for air quality even though it is one of their statutory jobs. So residents like Cromwell suffer through it.
ORC has been a waste of space since it was formed. It's always been farmer and Dunedin dominated and as soon as something comes up that will restrict farming it rapidly becomes dysfunctional. The deemed permit fiasco and Manuherikia minimum flow / overallocation show how difficult ORC are finding things. Both issues aren't totally of their own making, multiple governments going back to year dot have been involved and it's left to the local level to try and sort the differences, which are almost insurmountable without someone / something being badly hurt.
Graeme "
The irony is that the National Standards malarkey came about because the District focused approach of the RMA was too hard and gave some perverse boundary issues. There's a pretty stark example at Queensbury (just out of Wanaka) where quite intensive grazing is allowed in Central Otago but not just down the road in Queenstown Lakes District. Unfortunately the boundary goes through a farm unit. There's lots of other examples around the Country and this did farmer's heads in. So they petitioned the previous government for consistency between Districts, hence National Environmental Standards.
Now the current Government is getting those National Standards in place farmers are realising why the RMA took a District and catchment specific approach."
…
That is very interesting and well worth keeping front of mind, as this is one of their major whinges.
Genieus – November's generally drier than July, but beware in Southland, where Groundswell might yet meet ‘Let the River Swell‘.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/americas-cup/126093589/americas-cup-small-chance-of-nz-hosting-next-defence
I wonder if Mr Dalton has found that there really isn't that much interest in the America's Cup anymore and that there aren't people willing to pay him enormous amounts of money for the "privilege" of holding it?
Well the Government must take this chance to tell him NO. We don't need it and we don't want it. We are free of the stupid thing and we want to stay that way. At least I, and people I have talked to about it, don't want it. Trevor Mallard probably would love to have it back but he really shouldn't count.
Don't, under any circumstances, offer Dalton anything. Kick him out of his taxpayer funded quarters in Auckland and tell him to pay for his own inflated standard of living in the future. He has been ripping off the New Zealand taxpayer, and the Auckland ratepayer, for far too long.
Good explanation from Baz:
"At its core, the regenerative approach is about finding balance between the land a farmer has, and what it can naturally support.
This means less fertilisers, no irrigation, no imported feed – just the natural cycles of sun, air, water and soil that have produced life for time eternal.
Regenerative farmers say if this balance is struck, animals actually become part of the natural cycle of the land, instead of overwhelming it. All that poo and pee becomes natural fertiliser, instead of pollution."
https://www.renews.co.nz/dairy-cant-manage-its-crap-but-innovative-farmers-are-trying-to-fix-that/
Yes Robert ,
The natural fertility builds up with rotational grazing… this was the way we ( my husband and I and other young farmers ) were farming fifty years ago – before us my great grandfather, my grandfather and my father, until agricultural scientists influenced him otherwise , were farming more like what you would now call “regenerative” farming. Our children are farming sustainably and are financially penalised because they do. eg land rates are geared to the returns of unsustainable farming !
The Pin has been pulled out of the grenade:
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/health/worksafe-steps-over-ed-concerns
The HSR complaint was due to; understaffing and poor facilities in the old Dunedin hospital. Meaning that ED nurses had run out of toilets to cry in, while suffering mental distress from being unable to do their work safely in a professional environment.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/health/someone-will-die-ed-staff-take-legal-action-work-conditions
I am curious if Little, as; Minister of Health, is liable for this negligence? It wouldn't surprise me if the DHBs are constructed specifically so as to provide a cutout for ministerial responsibility, the legalese is fairly impenetrable to a nonlawyer (PCBU = Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking). I imagine the SDHB will be looking for someone to do the time (or pay the fine) for them:
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2015/0070/latest/DLM5976917.html
Interesting short discussion about Delta variant.
https://twitter.com/marcdaalder/status/1427405469795061761
More here
https://twitter.com/Anna_bw/status/1427407262226599936
The consensus with aerosol science is that covid spread is mostly due to it being airborne.(formites less so)
https://twitter.com/jljcolorado/status/1391111720526024708
Deltas viral load is 1000x greater then its antecedent strains.
One would have expected that, with an ailment called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the respiratory bit would be enough to clue folk up.
You would think the obvious would hold,but like masks and a number of studies on masks that were not even wrong,heuristics are often constrained.
https://twitter.com/nntaleb/status/1425428696748462080
Community case in AK again.Stop flights out at once.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/126097187/covid19-health-officials-investigating-new-community-case-in-auckland
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/126097187/covid19-health-officials-investigating-new-community-case-in-auckland
lets hope that once more we get lucky.
We were lucky with Wellington and Tauranga to name 2, eventually the odds mean that we will have an outbreak.
My thoughts go out to our already under stressed health workers, should this case expand to others.
honestly, i would not want to be a health worker atm, they are made of better stuff then i am.
+1 Sabine
https://twitter.com/henrycooke/status/1427458032280117251?s=21
take care out there today folks.