You may have forgotten that Labour officially endorsed wizardry, so here's a reminder of that history:
The Wizard, who was born in England, began performing acts of wizardry and entertainment in public spaces shortly after arriving in New Zealand in 1976. When the council originally tried to stop him, the public protested. In 1982, the New Zealand Art Gallery Directors Association said he had become a living work of art, and then, in 1990, the prime minister at the time, Mike Moore, asked that he consider becoming the Wizard of New Zealand. “I am concerned that your wizardry is not at the disposal of the entire nation,” Moore wrote on his official letterhead.
“I suggest therefore that you should urgently consider my suggestion that you become the Wizard of New Zealand, Antarctica and relevant offshore areas … no doubt there will be implications in the area of spells, blessings, curses, and other supernatural matters that are beyond the competence of mere Prime Ministers.”
Not just implications. Imprecations. Incantations. Chants, even. Sadly, the Labour Party failed to follow through on the initiative, and under Helen Clark reverted to merely copying the National Party.
Jacinda has displayed a noteworthy talent for enchanting people, but few observers would use magical thinking to account for that. There's a lack of evident espousal of witchery in her messaging. Unlike several of my old female friends – one of whom has the number plate BRMSTCK on her EV.
Cultural commentators tend to forget that an entire generation of teenage rebels in the 1960s went on to explore the possibilities of magical thinking, and the culture of Western civilisation got transformed as a result. Political scientists are too stupid to learn from the political consequences – that goes without saying – so they remain a fertile area of investigation for thesis writers of the future.
The Wizard, whose real name is Ian Brackenbury Channell, 88, had been contracted to Christchurch city council for the past two decades to promote the city through “acts of wizardry and other wizard-like services”, at a cost of $16,000 a year. He has been paid a total of $368,000.
Chch was a hotbed of leftism through the 1970s. Notable survivor from that era is Murray Horton, still operating his Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aoteroa (CAFCA). As Ad pointed out yesterday, the foreign control over Aotearoa is primarily exercised by a couple of Aussie banks – but that's the economy. Sovereign control of Aotearoa still resides in the British Crown. A triumvirate of foreign control can be discerned if you factor in Facebook, Five-Eyes, and the century in which the CFR has directed the USA foreign policy regardless of the coming & going of US presidents…
It was 1969, and he was starting a new position in the Department of Social Science and Sociology at the University of New South Wales, where he specialised in religion and revitalisation movements.
During this period, he was looking into new ways to challenge social and political ideology. But he wanted to activate this by steering clear of violence, and instead, confronting people with what he refers to as ‘unusually creative responses.’
It was the zeitgeist. Yippies using street theatre to warp mass consciousness alt-left. Establishment left had spines permanently horizontal in obeisance to their overlords. The real pioneers of the technique were Kesey & the Pranksters, after he liberated LSD from the chem lab around '62 & they got into freaking straights with day-glo.
Exposé on that origin of hippie came via The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. I read my brand-new paperback copy early 1970 and it was a revelation. Shadbolt was using the technique in Albert Park that year when we first saw him. Jumping Sundays, the media called it.
Oh christ on a bike !, save us from self-indulgent middle-class hippies, affluent New Age fantasists with vastly more money than sense … & worst of all … far, far worse than anything else … spoilt narcissists of dubious talent terrorising the general public with ostentatious displays of street theatre … everyone fiercely competing against each other to be the centre of attention as a desperate substitute for the cloying indulgence of their comfortably-off parents after leaving home … [a bit like Woke Twitter when you think about it].
Could there be anything worse than the smug self-indulgence of the children of the Establishment ?
“If I was invisible for the day I think I’d kick a mime artist to death. At least he'd go with people thinking he's great at his job":
Yeah yeah but there's always been a world of difference between the trend-setters & the trend-followers. You're right about the narcissism bit. The yanks did rather go to an extreme with that. Jung would explain it as compensatory reaction to a childhood of extreme repression.
Dunno if it's that simple tho. I had that. I didn't lose the plot like the narcissists. Gotta remember that growing up in a world where the political left and right are threatening you with competing forms of totalitarian govt, not to mention nuclear war, did make a rebel wave that was rather fervent…
“What we’re seeing now is a Cambrian explosion of activity where the superior courts are in several contexts affirming tikanga Māori,” says high court judge Christian Whata. It’s a shift which could profoundly alter the way New Zealand law is applied in areas as diverse as defamation and trust law. Ultimately, it represents the indigenisation of a legal system which has been dominated by English thinking since its inception.
The Cambrian explosion is a geological metaphor. So the old thing about restless natives is ramping up to a higher level.
One of the few Māori serving in New Zealand’s higher courts, he has recently been appointed to the Law Commission (a government thinktank charged with guiding legal reform) to define and chart the future relationship between tikanga and state law.
A welcome move. Seems to indicate a shift in the hierarchy from pretending to be progressive into actually making progress.
“What is tikanga? I’m not an expert on that. It’s a massive topic in itself. How can tikanga be used in a state law context? That’s its own topic. Should [we even] use tikanga in a state law context?” Despite the immensity of these questions and the courts’ usual preference for more incremental change, to some extent they have little choice but to keep up.
Worthy questions, those. Worth an essay onsite here! My intuitive response to the one about the state is yes, but I'll defer to those with more grasp of tikanga first.
I've got family guests, so I can't devote any time to this at the moment, but yes, I think the time is ripe for NZ to develop some of its own legal code & jurisprudence around, & incorporating concepts like tikanga Māori.
I believe the Peter Ellis appeal is a bold step in the right direction & suspect that will be around Ellis's mana, which survives him, & also affects his family's mana. The English law idea that when you die you no longer have a reputation to be restored (for example) so you have no need of redress, in my view is wrong. Your mana remains & should be legally capable of being restored.
Peter Martin, a political reporter for Bloomberg News, reports on Xi's exemplary demonstrations of how to lose friends and depress people (contrary to Dale Carnegie's `how to win friends & impress people' advice).
A global poll released in June 2021 showed that negative perceptions of China were near historic highs in nearly every one of the 17 advanced economies surveyed. These setbacks matter. As global politics is increasingly defined by Sino-American rivalry, the ability to compete diplomatically will help shape the history of the twenty-first century.
Taken together with economic, military, technological, and ideological prowess, diplomacy is a key part of what makes any power great. American strategists have long defined it as a core element of any nation’s power: diplomatic, informational, military, and economic capabilities are often reduced to the acronym “DIME.”
As in `ain't worth a dime'. Geopolitics from an establishment perspective. The future, as defined by the past. Automata rule, ok? Am I being too hard on the control system? Probably. Establishment folk do sometimes improvise.
The foreign media began to brand this new confrontational approach “wolf warrior diplomacy” after a series of Chinese action movies that depicted Rambo-like heroes battling China’s enemies at home and abroad.
Yeah, I get it. Copy the Reagan model. Must've made quite an impression on Xi at the time. Martin explores the historical development of the regime's diplomacy.
Diplomats were instructed to ask permission before they acted, even on the most trivial matters, and to always report what they said, did, and heard to their superiors. They were banned from dating or marrying foreigners. They were told to stick rigidly to pre-approved talking points, even when they knew these often failed to resonate with foreign audiences.
Born of necessity more than seventy years ago, these rules and practices are still in place today. Zhou’s approach has survived and evolved through revolution, famine, capitalist reforms, and the rise of China as a global power. “We’re very different to other ministries,” one diplomat said. “We’re unusual in that we’ve had a strong culture that’s lasted since 1949.”
Dunno if this `diplomats as automata' praxis has accomplished a hell of a lot for China really. Seven decades of the Chou model correlates with rise of China, sure, but correlation ain't causation. Globalising is coming together. Using a separatist policy in that context is likely to ensure minimal gains.
Kris Faafoi has a thankless task. Organise billets for those returning plus sports people business people arts people emergency quota of returns, essential workers with everyone wanting his attention "NOW". With the outbreak of Delta MIQ spots are under pressure. He has tried to be fair to those stranded those with visa requests in the pipeline, while he has done sterling work in the commercial sphere, and has stood the buffeting from all sides for months on end.
mac1's reply @5.1 relates to the last sentence in your brief comment. 5.1 begins by quoting that sentence, making it difficult to fathom the depths of your confusion.
Well obviously, but it isn't the ones hiding as pressure is on them, Like Collin's a few weeks ago, Fa'afoi and Ardern with Hosking
Edit: Throwing some associate minister at question time and you giving a list of mps who have fronted on their behalf doesn’t change the fact the others didn’t There is 120 of them ffs
You wrote "TBF. having meet him a few times before he became a politician and thinking he was a twat, Hipkins always fronts."
TBF means 'to be fair'. Well, Chris T, in your comment at #5, you were not fair. You made a very wild claim, with no substantiation, which is what I called you on, with 13 recent examples as evidence.
I'd call it a boycott rather than hiding. And who could disagree with withdrawing from that toxic sicko. When a so-called professional treats the PM in such a rude and disrespectful manner consistently he really should be sent home and told not to return. Calling any woman guest a lying hussy should result in a final warning at the very least.
If I saw that prick down here in Kapiti I'd break his nose.
Good point. Absolutely not. No politician should feel in any way obligated to appear on any programme generated by commercialism (ie, a right-wing outlet) where they are likely to be grilled by some right-wing nut job.
To create a level playing-field, we need impartial media with intelligent, disinterested interviewers. Kim Hill on RNZ is about the last example that I have heard make a reasonable effort at being so.
Talkback radio is commercialised cacklemush, and the right wing of society would like to eliminate state radio (or any kind of radio independent to their commercially-driven system) and hold a right-wing monopoly over the media, pretending it is independent because there is an artificial competitive market.
If it's of any help Chris T, I took your original comment to mean that you thought Shaw's performance was so lacklustre he might as well have not been there, but kudos to him for trying.
Could be wrong, but don't understand why you are being harried on this particular comment. Seems of little consequence.
Covid is getting close and very real. Thank you for yesterdays confirmation of our commitment to community, Jacinda Ardern and all the many people involved. I await the final totals with a sense of hope.
However, we have just had an unsettling email from our Doctor's surgery team. They have reorganised into Red and Green zones, to help when covid arrives. (definitely when not if) A portable cabin for the red zone , the surgery the green zone. Full PPE for all staff, patients to remain in cars 'till they are checked.
We are glad they are as prepared as possible, but the tone of gravity with the mention of no relief staff if they get sick, their efforts not to take the virus home, and their fully vaccinated status, all felt too "close to home".
We have known this excellent team for forty years, and know this is preparing to meet the enemy head on. I am thankful for these brave people who will strive to keep us safe, and I realised how lucky we are to have a wee safe bolt hole. They stressed vaccination was key in keeping this manageable. Again thanks to everyone who turned up to be vaccinated, you helped your local medical team.
Anyone who is dithering, don't wait, do it asp, 1st now 2nd in 3 weeks plus 2 weeks to build immunity and by 29th of November you will have "done your bit" for your health your Doctors and Nurses and others in the community.
Thank You in advance. “Let’s Do This”
Shaun Hendy said 7,000 deaths a year if 80% of over 5 year old's vaccinated. We are only vaccinating over 12's but are probably over 80% by now. So hopefully less than 7,000.
"The latest tests released by the company have found 83 percent of groundwater samples exceed drinking water standards as well as regional council guidelines for aluminium and toxic fluoride.
New Zealand Aluminium Smelters says no one uses the groundwater for drinking."
But it turned sour when almost half of the 112 diners fell ill after eating the turkey.
A long-time restaurateur's legal battle to overturn a conviction brought by the NZ Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) looks to have ended after more than three years before four courts.
But Robin Pierson, owner of Gisborne's Bushmere Arms, says he has not decided what he will do now to protect the reputation of his restaurant and bar. He maintains a norovirus is responsible for the outbreak which affected 50 to 53 diners, whose symptoms included vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps.
We are told that Jacinda and Clarke, while visiting a hotel out of Auckland, had identified it as a possible venue for their wedding reception – but the negotiations had broken down when the couple had stipulated that their friend, the celebrated chef Peter Gordon, should be responsible for the catering. The proprietor was unwilling to accede to this request and the negotiations had therefore broken down.
We are further told that the disappointed proprietor had produced, as a term in the “contract” that had yet to be agreed, a cancellation clause that required the couple to pay a cancellation fee of $5000.
One does not need to be a lawyer to recognise that such a claim would be unlikely to succeed, but this does not deter the Herald from giving prominence to the story. Leopards, after all, do not change their spots.
In Jack's Solar Garden in Boulder County, Colorado, owner Byron Kominek has covered 4 of his 24 acres with solar panels. The farm is growing a huge array of crops underneath them—carrots, kale, tomatoes, garlic, beets, radishes, lettuce, and more. It’s also been generating enough electricity to power 300 homes. “We decided to go about this in terms of needing to figure out how to make more money for land that we thought should be doing more,” Kominek says.
Rooftops are so 2020. If humanity’s going to stave off the worst of climate change, people will need to get creative about where they put solar panels. Now scientists are thinking about how to cover canals with them, reducing evaporation while generating power. Airports are filling up their open space with sun-eaters. And space doesn’t get much more open than on a farm: Why not stick a solar array in a field and plant crops underneath? It’s a new scientific (and literal) field known as agrivoltaics—agriculture plus photovoltaics—and it’s not as counterintuitive as it might seem.
Anchovies and kalamata olives, when I'm making it myself.
Although, since I needed to use an oven to test some materials at high temperatures for a project at work, the last one I made tasted like hot epoxy and vinyl ester. I don't recommend that.
The cheese-eating surrender monkeys have a habit of taking individual things that are quite interesting on their own, and blending them into some sort of weird unidentifiable goo that's even more wrong than vegemite. That looks like another one of those.
The surrender monkeys ain't the only ones to do stomach-churning things with unmentionables.
I joyfully and easily eat all manner of shellfish from gulper clams to mussels much to the astonishment of my children. I cannot, however, bring myself to eat woodcock with the trail left in place to cook and the juices to run free.
I found a recipe on the internet for ‘flambe woodcock’ where after cooking them whole with the guts intact the entrails were scooped out and mixed with bacon, olive oil, mustard, port, and lemon juice to make a puree.
The puree and woodcock are then warmed in a frying pan for a few minutes before tipping cognac over and setting alight. Simple as that and it is apparently delicious. Other cooks roast the bird intact then scoop out the ‘trail’ into a hot pan, add some red wine and seasoning and spread on bread or toast when heated.
Pizza is basically cheese on toast. Putting marmite on that is not that uncommon – down in the southwest anyway. That exta vegemitey one from Adelaide does look pretty vile though. The entire point of a (small) smear of marmite on top of cheese on toasted bread (crumpets by my preference) is the slighty caramelised brittleness it gets during the grilling, putting a lake of it under the cheese just seems weird to me!
It's all rather moot though, as that NZH article concludes:
The vegemite pizza is not available in New Zealand.
The Givalittle page to help Tairawhiti get a mobile clinic for vaccines and medical needs for their remote area has reached $90 000 from public donations. Wonderful news. Good among the thoughtless Jester.
Up in Auckland were we not fortunately that the weather arrived today? Everything appeared to align for a successful day. My thanks to all those unseen volunteers and community leaders who heavily contributed to the last few weeks success.👏🏿
"But, a few men do cause immense harm to both women and men. And many other men, consider that sex-based harm to be women's problems and do not bother to keep track or speak out against those members of their sex."
BTW There have been quite a few women that have caused harm. Especially to their kids, so you might want to take a step off your pedestal for a sec.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
If you want to argue that men as a class aren't responsible for most of the violence against humans, then you can do it in OM rather than derail my post (the derail is in accusing a feminist of putting herself or women on a pedestal when she was talking about men). However if you do run that argument I will expect you to provide evidence as you go.
Otoh, you could just stop taking it personally when women point out the problems they have with men as a class and subgroups of those men, and instead make the time to learn what we are talking about.
weka, just noticed this had been moved to OM. Was trying to think of a good response, but saw yours. Much more succinct, but exactly what I wanted to ask.
Thread on the likely Covid end-game in the US – a death rate of 40/100K a year, twice the current flu rates, and costly burdens on resources and systems but probably deemed tolerable enough to avoid radical public health measures.
Scotland has 3.8 million people double vaccinated with Pfizer.
It also stresses that the 616 who have died from the disease after being fully vaccinated represent just 0.016% of the 3.8 million people to date given both doses.
The report states: "These individuals had several co-morbidities which contributed to their deaths.
"Of the [616] confirmed Covid-19 related deaths, in individuals that have received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine, 80.4% were in the 70 and over age group."
Further on, it states that the death rate drops drastically if a booster shot is given.
Prof Ferguson said: “I’d like to see us be a little more aggressive in rolling out booster doses, because the sooner we can, the sooner we’ll reap the benefits of that and I think the data supports that not just after six months, probably after four months after second doses, you still get a very big effect of booster doses.”
Data this week from Israel has found that the rate of hospitalisation for Covid was just 2.6 per 100,000 among over-60s who had had a third booster shot, compared to 28.5 per 100,000 for individuals the same age group who have had just two Pfizer doses.
The double vaccination target is just the beginning – not the end goal.
Class distinctions also matter. Within the power structure, without consideration for sex, there are mechanisms that serve to keep the elite classes immune from the privations of the lower classes.
That deserves attention as well, and should be recognised. I would wholeheartedly support any who chose to address this inequity, and only if they had not considered the distinct experiences of racial minorities or women would I bring those extra considerations up. Because to solve issues like this with effectiveness, you have to make sure to identify the problem as fully as you can.
As regards power and privilege in our current society – if you believe there currently exists equity between men and women, then I would disagree.
The point is it is power and privilege as a whole, not the noticeable few. Some few 'chicks' are in positions of power. Totally agree.
But all the other 'chicks' in our present society are still dealing with sexism in society, work and relationships, while just trying to feed their kids, with or without partners.
(BTW, can we start referring to the categories as women and men now? I feel like I've wandered on to an 80's movie set.)
Id prefer females and males, as man and women tends to have turned into some weird made up inner touchy feely gender thing if ok, but all good. Will do.
I don't think you got my point I agree with you.
But just the other way round
Most blokes males aren't walking around actively oppressing females.
Apart from "noticeable few" males the rest of us are just trying to look after our kids and work our arse off, like our partners.
Just an aside but it reminds me of the whole pay equity thing.
Jobs predominently female? Not enough women studying STEM, they must be oppressed! WTF?
There is nothing stopping females doing STEM. They just may not be into it as much as males. Why are no females asking why there is not enough men doing child teaching?
But I totally agree their have been far to many "noticeable few" that were male and not enough "noticeable few" that have been female.
But this is just a culture change that is happening. Probably too slowly and in some particuar religiously nutty countries not happening
"But way to paint everyone in tetiary education with the same brush as a few arseholes hiding behind computer keyboards"
But that is not what was said.
Gamergate was getting close to a decade ago and again was a small bunch of arssehole males.
Interestingly, just had a conversation on this topic last week with my twenty-year old son. Learnt a lot, and went away looking for updates. Found this.
A suggestion: I think it might help if you stopped assuming that every time someone uses the word 'men' they are referring to you as an individual. If someone references women being involved in atrocities, I don't go into defensive mode just because I am a woman, I seek to know more.
There are social cues, implicit boundaries and many varied and legal ways of making people feel uncomfortable. Women often experience the same discomfort in certain industries because the culture has been formed on the sensibilities and priorities of men.
"There are social cues, implicit boundaries and many varied and legal ways of making people feel uncomfortable. Women often experience the same discomfort in certain industries because the culture has been formed on the sensibilities and priorities of men."
I'm sorry, but this is just not my experience in places I have worked in the last 15 or so years. TBF most of them were run by females.
Do you honestly think a male primary school teacher is not in the same predicament?
It is normally the vibe you are creating within yourself, more than automatically assuming everyone of the opposite bio sex is against you.
Though I think my male primary school teacher has it harder than the vast majority of (persecuted females"
Edit actually ignore the teacher bit. Re-read your post. Sorry. Cocked that one up agree
Just read this comment which raises a whole lot of responses, that will make it difficult to rest easy. Can we take a raincheck and come back to this some other time?
I wrote a whole post Chris. If you didn't understand it, you can just ask.
I'm not going to provide evidence for things that you can very easily look up yourself. Start with the stats on which sex commits most violence, then look at which sex commits most violence against women, then look at which sex commits most violence against trans women.
when there is no reply button, scroll upwards from the comment you want to reply to until you find the first comment with a reply button that is inline with the comment you are replying to. That way your comments will go in the right place and it will make more sense.
I'm less interested in you saying it was your fault than I am in you just getting the basics right. Use the reply conventions, and/or quote what you are replying to so people reading can understand.
And if you are going to accuse me of whinging, then be specific about what you mean so I can address it.
"Jobs predominently female? Not enough women studying STEM, they must be oppressed! WTF?
There is nothing stopping females doing STEM. They just may not be into it as much as males. Why are no females asking why there is not enough men doing child teaching?"
These are relevant questions, for which there are no easy answers.
You may well think that women are not into STEM, but those that are do find that their qualifications often are not enough to get them jobs or pay parity. My partner did a post-graduate university course a few years ago with a female engineer. She was the only one in the course to achieve 100% scores on papers, but in her work environment she was often ignored and did not have pay parity with others with the same qualifications and experience.
Go look at the experience of women in NZ within the Fire Department, and try to determine what kind of culture allowed those actions to not only occur, but for the perpetrators to be promoted. Apparently, firefighters are the top profession of trust for most people, and yet women were still not safe in that space – solely because of their biological sex.
By 2004, those numbers were 82 per cent in primary schools and 57 per cent in secondary schools.
The proportions have actually been relatively stable since then, with women rising to 84 per cent at primary and 60 per cent at secondary level.
Despite this long history, most primary and intermediate school principals were men until 2012, and most secondary principals are still men. Last year 55 per cent of primary, and only 33 per cent of secondary, principals were women.
(Note: Although men teaching children was a low percentage, the percentage of men as principals – the authority over the teachers was higher than proportional. The power positions were allocated to men.)
There is a distinct difference in talking about individual lived experiences as a particular sex, and a collective experience of a sex.
The first relates to the very distinct and unique experience of a particular person. They may or may not experience the general common experiences of their sex, and that is just life.
However, there are wider experiences of being a woman – or a man – and it is the attributes of those regular commonalities that are being referenced when we talk about biological sex differences in society.
"but those that are do find that their qualifications often are not enough to get them jobs or pay parity."
This is a fair point worth actual investigation, and I also suspect if true it might be a who you know thing as well. But again. It will be a small bunch of arsehole males, not a whole sex working in the industry.
"It will be a small bunch of arsehole males, not a whole sex working in the industry."
Once again, not all individual males experience the privilege of men as a biological class. However, the power structures within our society are formed and maintained most particularly by men.
I’m going to think about what you are writing, and think about how I am explaining myself and try and figure out why we seem to be misunderstanding each other. I might not reply again because it’s an early night for me, but didn’t want you to think I’m abandoning this discussion for good.
She was the only one in the course to achieve 100% scores on papers, but in her work environment she was often ignored and did not have pay parity with others with the same qualifications and experience.
This is pretty much the common experience of all juniors – having a cervix is certainly not the whole explanation in play here.
As a working engineer let me do a rough description of my current work team – totaling about 40 people across controls, process and operations:
Fully 45% of the entire group are women
The lead process engineer is a woman.
The cultural and ethnic diversity is pretty typical of Australia as a whole, with a tilt toward Asian's.
Our Chair of the Board is an Asian – and a woman.
Our CEO is of Nigerian heritage
Chris T has a point – that workplaces of the last 15 years or so have changed a fair bit. As a contractor I get to move around quite a lot so my experience is reasonably representative I'd suggest.
That's good. If my son training to be an engineer completes his degree, I'll send him your way. (BTW, he's in the process of selecting his branch of engineering. Would you mind sharing what branch you are in, and what are the recommendations and pitfalls that you consider related to that branch?)
His older brother was put off engineering when he volunteered for a year at a local vintage railway workshop. Unknown to me, the workshop was covered in pictures of naked ladies, and tea break talk was often sexual. He was young, and only told me how uncomfortable he felt after he had left.
Goes without saying why his younger sister didn't follow his volunteer path.
I started in Electrical but if I had my time again I'd probably do Process Engineering. After a wobbly start in my 20s I found myself doing Industrial Automation and have never looked back. Decades later and I still look forward to each day. Or night as it happens right now.
There is a huge diversity of roles in Engineering and not all of them are strictly professional as such. The key thing is to have an abiding interest in the nature of the work. That alone will carry anyone a long way.
Honestly I haven't seen a porno parlour like your son encountered since the 80s. If they still exist it would be mostly in marginal non-professional settings like the one described.
As for sexual talk, the most wonderfully vivid banter along these lines belonged to a female Control operator I worked with in Canada. Takes all sorts.
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Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
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 in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Asia Pacific Report A Pacific civil society alliance has condemned French neocolonial policies in Kanaky New Caledonia, saying Paris is set on “maintaining the status quo” and denying the indigenous Kanak people their inalienable right to self-determination. The Pacific Regional Non-Governmental Organisations (PRNGOs) Alliance, representing some 15 groups, said in ...
Koi Tū New Zealand cannot sit back and see the collapse of its Fourth Estate, the director of Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, Sir Peter Gluckman, says in the foreword of a paper published today. The paper, “If not journalists, then who?” paints a picture of an industry ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Foreign investment proposals with implications for Australia’s strategic or economic security will face tougher scrutiny, under a policy overhaul to be announced by Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Wednesday. At the same time, the government ...
A Waitangi Tribunal inquiry report has warned government that a repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act could cause harm to children in care. ...
The Treasury has published today three new papers covering government consumption multipliers, automatic stabilisers and the impacts of global shocks on New Zealand’s economy. ...
Asia Pacific Report The Pacific state of Hawai’i’s House of Representatives has joined the state’s Senate in calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, becoming the first state to pass such a resolution, reports Hawaii News Now. In March, the Senate passed a ceasefire resolution with a 24–1 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Ferrie, A/Prof, UTS Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research and ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Technology Sydney PsiQuantum The Australian government has announced a pledge of approximately A$940 million (US$617 million) to PsiQuantum, a quantum computing start-up company based in Silicon Valley. Half ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, University of South Australia Cameron Prins/Shutterstock If you spend a lot of time exploring fitness content online, you might have come across the concept of heart rate zones. Heart rate zone training has become more ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Eugene Doyle He is the most popular Palestinian leader alive today — and yet few people in the West even know his name. Absolutely no one in Gaza or the West Bank does not know him. That difference speaks volumes about who dominates the media narrative that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Will McCallum, PhD Candidate – School of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University Earlier this year, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of not supporting Operation Sovereign Borders – the military-led border security operation that has “closed Australia’s borders ...
By Melyne Baroi in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinea MP, Peter Isoaimo, who had been ousted by the National Court in an alleged bribery case, has been reinstated by the Supreme Court on appeal. A three-member Supreme Court bench found that the National Court had erred in finding that ...
Publisher Chris Holdaway reflects on the unique project of collecting the work of the late, terrific poet Schaeffer Lemalu. One of the nice things you can do as a truly independent publisher is to make the books that writers want to make, whatever they happen to be. That’s how I’ve ...
Those profiled in the stamp series served on overseas deployments from 1995 onwards, and all have been awarded theNew Zealand Operational Service Medal. ...
Last night’s dismal poll result for the coalition government shows the limits of trying to govern as an opposition, argues Joel MacManus. There’s a quote from the American political activist Barbara Deming: “Vengeance is not the point; change is. But the trouble is that in most people’s minds, the thought ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shireen Morris, Associate Professor and Director of the Radical Centre Reform Lab at Macquarie University Law School, Macquarie University Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock Foreign interference in Australian democracy poses a growing risk to our national sovereignty. It refers to coercive, corrupt or ...
A defendant charged by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has pleaded guilty to four charges of obtaining by deception in relation to a mortgage fraud scheme. Sentencing has been scheduled for 14 August 2024. ...
What to say when pesky journalists ask gotcha questions like ‘can you name a single book you’ve ever read?’ and ‘did you read it, or did you just see the movie?’This week, Act Party arts spokesperson Todd Stephenson foolishly agreed to an interview with Newsroom’s Steve Braunias regarding his ...
Explainer - What will a ban on cellphones in schools achieve? Can students use them during lunch breaks? And what happens if you need to contact your child? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum, UNSW Sydney Jodi Rowley, CC BY-NC-ND In winter 2021, Australia’s frogs started dropping dead. People began posting images of dead frogs on social media. Unable to travel to investigate the deaths ...
In the year ended March 2024, 0.4 percent of home transfers were to people who didn’t hold New Zealand citizenship or a resident visa, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wasay Majid, Research Assistant , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau New Zealand’s accommodation supplement scheme is facing scrutiny, with Social Development Minister Louise Upston recently saying “there is merit in considering whether the current settings are fair and sustainable long-term”. The ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor The first prime ministerial candidate has been announced in Solomon Islands and it is not Manasseh Sogavare. The man of the hour is Jeremiah Manele, the MP for Hograno/Kia/Havulei constituency in Isabel Province, who served as minister of foreign affairs in the last government. ...
Protesting the removal of bins by leaving piles of your dog’s shit for others to deal with doesn’t make you a hero – it’s precious and entitled behaviour. You haven’t truly lived until you’ve stood on the shoreline of Auckland’s Cheltenham beach, desperately trying to scoop increasingly liquid dog shit ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon will be alert to the factors driving the dire polling, but won't be waving the white flag just yet, RNZ political editor Jo Moir writes. ...
Writer, teacher and academic Vincent O’Sullivan died on Sunday 28 April. Here we gather tributes from friends, colleagues, and students who remember his extraordinary contributions. I went down to the garage tonight. There was a bird shrieking out in the bush, in the dark, maybe a kākā. Miraculously, through the ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a burnt-out corporate escapee explains how she gets by ‘working as little as possible’. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 31 Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: Contractor in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Schmidt, Professor of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney Albert Russ / Shutterstock The icebreaker of many a barbeque conversation is something like “what do you do for a crust?” “I teach chemistry at university,” is what we usually reply. Then silence. Our ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Asher Flynn, Associate Professor of Criminology, Monash University Shutterstock Sexual harassment is often considered to be a person-to-person act, but new research shows Australians are also experiencing and perpetrating workplace harassment in large numbers through technology. Our latest study shows one ...
A petition signed by more than 16,500 people, demanding the government take stronger action to halt the genocide of Palestinians by the State of Israel, is being presented to the House of Representatives today by Hon Phil Twyford. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Burnett, Honorary Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, Australian National University jenmartin/Shutterstock April has been a bad month for the Australian environment. The Great Barrier Reef was hit, yet again, by intense coral bleaching. And Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek delayed ...
Winston Peters might not give a ‘rat’s derriere’ about last night’s poll, but it revealed the unusual absence of a honeymoon period and little payoff for the government’s action plan approach, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marco de Jong, Lecturer, Law School, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Details released by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet under the Official Information Act reveal New Zealand officials have been considering involvement in AUKUS from the outset. ...
The government's treatment of Māori raised eyebrows, with countries saying New Zealand needed to do more to reduce health, education and justice inequities. ...
The age of criminal responsibility was one of numerous human rights issues raised during Aotearoa New Zealand’s UPR. Other key themes were racism and discrimination, the disproportionate representation of Māori in prison, and to uphold the UN Declaration ...
In a sitdown interview ahead of his final day at Parliament this week, the former Green Party co-leader tells RNZ about his lowest point during 2017's rough election campaign. ...
Is the fringe radio station really in a financial crisis, or is it just running a hyped-up donation drive? Fringe internet radio station Reality Check Radio was launched by the anti-vaccine mandates group Voices for Freedom in March 2023. For the next year, it undertook probably the most aggressive promotional ...
Above the Fold: On Monday, the biggest Māori screen production company faced down the biggest funder of Māori content at the High Court. It was an incredibly tense moment – then, just as quickly, it resolved. Duncan Greive breaks down a strange day in the screen sector.Yesterday morning, Māori ...
Opinion: The debate over single gender versus co-educational schooling has long been controversial. I went to a co-ed school and was inspired by a remarkable woman who was my maths teacher, and because of her deep knowledge and passion for the subject, I knew that maths was definitely an option ...
He won everything and he earned a knighthood and he was a senior literary figure to the point that he was a living monument to himself until his death in the weekend at 86, but there was something about Vincent O’Sullivan that flew under the radar, that was independent and ...
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It’s a ride that’s lasted almost 30 years for mother and daughter BMX riders Nancy and Toni James, and the next stop is the World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Almost 27 years ago, Nancy and her husband Gerrard took their oldest child, Daniel, to the Waitākere BMX Club. ...
When it comes to talking about the Government’s controversial fast-track consenting process, political scientist Richard Shaw refers to the famous Chinese sci-fi novel Three-Body Problem, while RNZ’s In Depth journalist Farah Hancock talks about zombie projects. Shaw is referring to the three-party coalition Government and how the proposed legislation is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rick Sarre, Emeritus Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia The rate of women killed by their partners in Australia grew by 28% from 2021–22 to 2022–23, according to new statistics released today by the Australian Institute of Criminology ...
Ministry of Disabled People employees were promised a permanent role, but were told to start packing three weeks before their fixed term contract finished, says a former employee. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National University Clean Energy Council / Neoen As Australia’s rapid renewable energy rollout continues, so too does debate over land use. Nationals Leader David Littleproud, for example, claimed regional areas had reached “saturation point” and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan C. Walsh, Sessional Academic, The University of Queensland Arrest for witchcraft (1866) by John PettieNGV, CC BY-NC In recent decades, governments the world over have increasingly taken action to address the dark history of witch-hunting. In western Europe, memorials to ...
By Mark Rabago, RNZ Pacific Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas correspondent The US Department of Justice is being urged to condemn and cease its reliance on the “Insular Cases” — a series of US Supreme Court opinions on US territories, which have been labelled racist. Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kara Dadswell, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Victoria University Ask your son or daughter, niece, or nephew to draw you a picture of a sport coach. They will most probably draw a man. Why? Our latest research published in the Psychology of Sport ...
Wizard put out to pasture: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/15/new-zealand-council-ends-contract-with-wizard-after-two-decades-of-service
You may have forgotten that Labour officially endorsed wizardry, so here's a reminder of that history:
Not just implications. Imprecations. Incantations. Chants, even. Sadly, the Labour Party failed to follow through on the initiative, and under Helen Clark reverted to merely copying the National Party.
Jacinda has displayed a noteworthy talent for enchanting people, but few observers would use magical thinking to account for that. There's a lack of evident espousal of witchery in her messaging. Unlike several of my old female friends – one of whom has the number plate BRMSTCK on her EV.
Cultural commentators tend to forget that an entire generation of teenage rebels in the 1960s went on to explore the possibilities of magical thinking, and the culture of Western civilisation got transformed as a result. Political scientists are too stupid to learn from the political consequences – that goes without saying – so they remain a fertile area of investigation for thesis writers of the future.
Chch was a hotbed of leftism through the 1970s. Notable survivor from that era is Murray Horton, still operating his Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aoteroa (CAFCA). As Ad pointed out yesterday, the foreign control over Aotearoa is primarily exercised by a couple of Aussie banks – but that's the economy. Sovereign control of Aotearoa still resides in the British Crown. A triumvirate of foreign control can be discerned if you factor in Facebook, Five-Eyes, and the century in which the CFR has directed the USA foreign policy regardless of the coming & going of US presidents…
RNZ's Eyewitness did a profile on The Wizard.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/eyewitness/audio/2018810599/the-wizard-a-living-work-of-art
It was the zeitgeist. Yippies using street theatre to warp mass consciousness alt-left. Establishment left had spines permanently horizontal in obeisance to their overlords. The real pioneers of the technique were Kesey & the Pranksters, after he liberated LSD from the chem lab around '62 & they got into freaking straights with day-glo.
Exposé on that origin of hippie came via The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. I read my brand-new paperback copy early 1970 and it was a revelation. Shadbolt was using the technique in Albert Park that year when we first saw him. Jumping Sundays, the media called it.
.
Oh christ on a bike !, save us from self-indulgent middle-class hippies, affluent New Age fantasists with vastly more money than sense … & worst of all … far, far worse than anything else … spoilt narcissists of dubious talent terrorising the general public with ostentatious displays of street theatre … everyone fiercely competing against each other to be the centre of attention as a desperate substitute for the cloying indulgence of their comfortably-off parents after leaving home … [a bit like Woke Twitter when you think about it].
Could there be anything worse than the smug self-indulgence of the children of the Establishment ?
Yeah yeah but there's always been a world of difference between the trend-setters & the trend-followers. You're right about the narcissism bit. The yanks did rather go to an extreme with that. Jung would explain it as compensatory reaction to a childhood of extreme repression.
Dunno if it's that simple tho. I had that. I didn't lose the plot like the narcissists. Gotta remember that growing up in a world where the political left and right are threatening you with competing forms of totalitarian govt, not to mention nuclear war, did make a rebel wave that was rather fervent…
I would like to know if the wizard is pro or anti vaccination?
I have a wonderful photo of the wizard taken in 1991 on a ladder in the square in Christchurch when I did my decade trip there.
Sweety Pook
Aw…I mucked that up. Try again…
Sweety Pook
Legal ructions in Aotearoa: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/17/explosion-of-ideas-how-maori-concepts-are-being-incorporated-into-new-zealand-law
The Cambrian explosion is a geological metaphor. So the old thing about restless natives is ramping up to a higher level.
A welcome move. Seems to indicate a shift in the hierarchy from pretending to be progressive into actually making progress.
Worthy questions, those. Worth an essay onsite here! My intuitive response to the one about the state is yes, but I'll defer to those with more grasp of tikanga first.
I've got family guests, so I can't devote any time to this at the moment, but yes, I think the time is ripe for NZ to develop some of its own legal code & jurisprudence around, & incorporating concepts like tikanga Māori.
I believe the Peter Ellis appeal is a bold step in the right direction & suspect that will be around Ellis's mana, which survives him, & also affects his family's mana. The English law idea that when you die you no longer have a reputation to be restored (for example) so you have no need of redress, in my view is wrong. Your mana remains & should be legally capable of being restored.
Peter Martin, a political reporter for Bloomberg News, reports on Xi's exemplary demonstrations of how to lose friends and depress people (contrary to Dale Carnegie's `how to win friends & impress people' advice).
As in `ain't worth a dime'. Geopolitics from an establishment perspective. The future, as defined by the past. Automata rule, ok? Am I being too hard on the control system? Probably. Establishment folk do sometimes improvise.
Yeah, I get it. Copy the Reagan model. Must've made quite an impression on Xi at the time. Martin explores the historical development of the regime's diplomacy.
Dunno if this `diplomats as automata' praxis has accomplished a hell of a lot for China really. Seven decades of the Chou model correlates with rise of China, sure, but correlation ain't causation. Globalising is coming together. Using a separatist policy in that context is likely to ensure minimal gains.
Far out. James Shaw is a bit awkward on Q and A this morning.
At least he fronted I guess. Which is more than other politicians do.
"Which is more than other politicians do."
Seen on Q & A recently. MPs Verrall, Chhour, Jackson, Packer, Bridges, Bishop, Shaw, Luxon, Seymour, Robertson, Hipkins, Collins, Mahuta.
Just a brief survey of this blog and the Q&A site brought up these names.
One very incorrect 'reckon'. This kind of comment epitomises the danger of social media.
Thanks for the check. Mac
Kris Faafoi seems to be doing a pretty good job hiding from media currently…
Kris Faafoi has a thankless task. Organise billets for those returning plus sports people business people arts people emergency quota of returns, essential workers with everyone wanting his attention "NOW". With the outbreak of Delta MIQ spots are under pressure. He has tried to be fair to those stranded those with visa requests in the pipeline, while he has done sterling work in the commercial sphere, and has stood the buffeting from all sides for months on end.
/mind saying that in Wnglish?
I was just talking about Shaw on Q and A this morning
mac1's reply @5.1 relates to the last sentence in your brief comment. 5.1 begins by quoting that sentence, making it difficult to fathom the depths of your confusion.
Are you trying to pretend politicians don't hide.
Ardern from Hosking. Collins a couple of weeks ago from everybody. Faafoi has gone AWOL
TBF. having meet him a few times before he became a politician and thinking he was a twat, Hipkins always fronts
No. What an odd question.
Still can't fathom your "/mind saying that in Wnglish?" comment @5.1.3.
I just had no idea what this meant
And apologies for the spelling mistake. I am thinking you knew what I meant even though it is there
"
Just a brief survey of this blog and the Q&A site brought up these names.
One very incorrect 'reckon'. This kind of comment epitomises the danger of social media."
Edit: I mean wtf has social media got to do with it?
You really had no idea what a list of 13 politicians who recently appeared on Q & A meant, in the context of your comment @5? Extraordinary!
Well obviously, but it isn't the ones hiding as pressure is on them, Like Collin's a few weeks ago, Fa'afoi and Ardern with Hosking
Edit: Throwing some associate minister at question time and you giving a list of mps who have fronted on their behalf doesn’t change the fact the others didn’t There is 120 of them ffs
You wrote "TBF. having meet him a few times before he became a politician and thinking he was a twat, Hipkins always fronts."
TBF means 'to be fair'. Well, Chris T, in your comment at #5, you were not fair. You made a very wild claim, with no substantiation, which is what I called you on, with 13 recent examples as evidence.
Now, what was that about being a 'twat'?
Chris have you heard of The Standard, a popular social media site?
"Ardern" from Hosking"
I'd call it a boycott rather than hiding. And who could disagree with withdrawing from that toxic sicko. When a so-called professional treats the PM in such a rude and disrespectful manner consistently he really should be sent home and told not to return. Calling any woman guest a lying hussy should result in a final warning at the very least.
If I saw that prick down here in Kapiti I'd break his nose.
Ardern was unable to answer Hoskings basic questions and came across terribly. Hipkins, Robertson and Little still go on his show.
Is that supposed to be an excuse for his misogynistic abusive bullying?
Does Kate let him treat her that way?
In what way was it "unfair"?
Saying people don't do things when they do do things is unfair. It's also untrue. Facts makes for truth and trust.
So the 2021 Nobel Peace prize winner, Maria Ressa, tells us. "A world without facts means a world without truth and trust."
I think we might have to agree to disagree, as obviously you are not getting my point and I am not getting yours.
Probably mt fault tbh.
If an MP, (or anyone for that matter) does not accept an invitation to appear on some media entertainment show, does that mean they are 'hiding?'
Good point. Absolutely not. No politician should feel in any way obligated to appear on any programme generated by commercialism (ie, a right-wing outlet) where they are likely to be grilled by some right-wing nut job.
To create a level playing-field, we need impartial media with intelligent, disinterested interviewers. Kim Hill on RNZ is about the last example that I have heard make a reasonable effort at being so.
Talkback radio is commercialised cacklemush, and the right wing of society would like to eliminate state radio (or any kind of radio independent to their commercially-driven system) and hold a right-wing monopoly over the media, pretending it is independent because there is an artificial competitive market.
Fallacy.
If it's of any help Chris T, I took your original comment to mean that you thought Shaw's performance was so lacklustre he might as well have not been there, but kudos to him for trying.
Could be wrong, but don't understand why you are being harried on this particular comment. Seems of little consequence.
That was basically my point
Covid is getting close and very real. Thank you for yesterdays confirmation of our commitment to community, Jacinda Ardern and all the many people involved. I await the final totals with a sense of hope.
However, we have just had an unsettling email from our Doctor's surgery team. They have reorganised into Red and Green zones, to help when covid arrives. (definitely when not if) A portable cabin for the red zone , the surgery the green zone. Full PPE for all staff, patients to remain in cars 'till they are checked.
We are glad they are as prepared as possible, but the tone of gravity with the mention of no relief staff if they get sick, their efforts not to take the virus home, and their fully vaccinated status, all felt too "close to home".
We have known this excellent team for forty years, and know this is preparing to meet the enemy head on. I am thankful for these brave people who will strive to keep us safe, and I realised how lucky we are to have a wee safe bolt hole. They stressed vaccination was key in keeping this manageable. Again thanks to everyone who turned up to be vaccinated, you helped your local medical team.
Anyone who is dithering, don't wait, do it asp, 1st now 2nd in 3 weeks plus 2 weeks to build immunity and by 29th of November you will have "done your bit" for your health your Doctors and Nurses and others in the community.
Thank You in advance. “Let’s Do This”
The double-vaccinated have much less to fear now. That's almost all older people already.
Peak fear is passing, replaced with peak re-organisation.
This is a good phase.
What's the current estimate of deaths if 90% are fully vaxxed?
What's the estimate for long covid?
"less to fear" is accurate and fudges reality at the same time.
Shaun Hendy said 7,000 deaths a year if 80% of over 5 year old's vaccinated. We are only vaccinating over 12's but are probably over 80% by now. So hopefully less than 7,000.
From RNZ on Tiwai Pt
"The latest tests released by the company have found 83 percent of groundwater samples exceed drinking water standards as well as regional council guidelines for aluminium and toxic fluoride.
New Zealand Aluminium Smelters says no one uses the groundwater for drinking."
But I think a few people eat Bluff oysters
Little wonder you weren't involved in the catering at all, sport.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/pms-wedding-stoush-jacinda-ardern-and-clarke-gayford-given-5000-bill-jilted-venue-owner-robin-pierson-says-dealings-insulting/KHSROFLW2FTBJAWYWHOADDN254/
But it turned sour when almost half of the 112 diners fell ill after eating the turkey.
A long-time restaurateur's legal battle to overturn a conviction brought by the NZ Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) looks to have ended after more than three years before four courts.
But Robin Pierson, owner of Gisborne's Bushmere Arms, says he has not decided what he will do now to protect the reputation of his restaurant and bar. He maintains a norovirus is responsible for the outbreak which affected 50 to 53 diners, whose symptoms included vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3568092/Restaurateur-loses-final-legal-bid
Covid can be a wedding spoiler even if everything was meticulously planned for the day.
I would like to know what the situation would be due to a level lockdown regarding all costs?
Brian Gould give more bGround.
https://bryangould.com/blog/
Surprise.
https://twitter.com/nealejones/status/1449524709280796676
I thought in court cases there were claims that Slater was incapacitated with a stroke.
Anyone know? If so, did it affect his body or his mind?
He's a veritable Lazarus.
Word of the day – agrivoltaics.
In Jack's Solar Garden in Boulder County, Colorado, owner Byron Kominek has covered 4 of his 24 acres with solar panels. The farm is growing a huge array of crops underneath them—carrots, kale, tomatoes, garlic, beets, radishes, lettuce, and more. It’s also been generating enough electricity to power 300 homes. “We decided to go about this in terms of needing to figure out how to make more money for land that we thought should be doing more,” Kominek says.
Rooftops are so 2020. If humanity’s going to stave off the worst of climate change, people will need to get creative about where they put solar panels. Now scientists are thinking about how to cover canals with them, reducing evaporation while generating power. Airports are filling up their open space with sun-eaters. And space doesn’t get much more open than on a farm: Why not stick a solar array in a field and plant crops underneath? It’s a new scientific (and literal) field known as agrivoltaics—agriculture plus photovoltaics—and it’s not as counterintuitive as it might seem.
https://www.wired.com/story/growing-crops-under-solar-panels-now-theres-a-bright-idea/
Yet another reason to never go to Australia. Vegemite pizza. Truly a crime against humanity.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/this-has-gone-too-far-is-the-surprise-new-dominos-pizza-topping-a-bridge-too-far/6PGJUZ7RS5X56R4BGWQJLSWVVI/
And you all thought this was satire, didncha?
Just stick with whatever combination of sausage, ham, pepperoni, cheese and onion and be done with it
Adding more stuff to pizza just works it worse
Thats also a scientific fact.
Anchovies and kalamata olives, when I'm making it myself.
Although, since I needed to use an oven to test some materials at high temperatures for a project at work, the last one I made tasted like hot epoxy and vinyl ester. I don't recommend that.
maybe you should do this at home then? https://www.undejeunerdesoleil.com/2019/08/anchoiade-maison.html
Oh I dunno.
The cheese-eating surrender monkeys have a habit of taking individual things that are quite interesting on their own, and blending them into some sort of weird unidentifiable goo that's even more wrong than vegemite. That looks like another one of those.
The surrender monkeys ain't the only ones to do stomach-churning things with unmentionables.
I joyfully and easily eat all manner of shellfish from gulper clams to mussels much to the astonishment of my children. I cannot, however, bring myself to eat woodcock with the trail left in place to cook and the juices to run free.
I found a recipe on the internet for ‘flambe woodcock’ where after cooking them whole with the guts intact the entrails were scooped out and mixed with bacon, olive oil, mustard, port, and lemon juice to make a puree.
The puree and woodcock are then warmed in a frying pan for a few minutes before tipping cognac over and setting alight. Simple as that and it is apparently delicious. Other cooks roast the bird intact then scoop out the ‘trail’ into a hot pan, add some red wine and seasoning and spread on bread or toast when heated.
https://www.countrymansweekly.com/gamekeeper/risky-woodcock/
Oh no sir, you are greatly mistaken.
this is nicois as it gets and it is delish, and easy to make.
Pizza is basically cheese on toast. Putting marmite on that is not that uncommon – down in the southwest anyway. That exta vegemitey one from Adelaide does look pretty vile though. The entire point of a (small) smear of marmite on top of cheese on toasted bread (crumpets by my preference) is the slighty caramelised brittleness it gets during the grilling, putting a lake of it under the cheese just seems weird to me!
It's all rather moot though, as that NZH article concludes:
please fix email address typo on next comment, ta.
Worked in a 'prestige' restaurant on Hamilton Island in the 80's.
Diluted Grenadine to accompany the monkfish, and chicken served with watered down Vegemite.
I don’t know, vegemite, cheese, white carbs, sounds classic. Just needs some pineapple.
Unfortunately soon there is going to be more and more of this.
Alleged 'influencer party' infuriates locked-down Aucklanders, police receive multiple complaints – NZ Herald
The Givalittle page to help Tairawhiti get a mobile clinic for vaccines and medical needs for their remote area has reached $90 000 from public donations. Wonderful news. Good among the thoughtless Jester.
Up in Auckland were we not fortunately that the weather arrived today? Everything appeared to align for a successful day. My thanks to all those unseen volunteers and community leaders who heavily contributed to the last few weeks success.👏🏿
"But, a few men do cause immense harm to both women and men. And many other men, consider that sex-based harm to be women's problems and do not bother to keep track or speak out against those members of their sex."
BTW There have been quite a few women that have caused harm. Especially to their kids, so you might want to take a step off your pedestal for a sec.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
If you want to argue that men as a class aren't responsible for most of the violence against humans, then you can do it in OM rather than derail my post (the derail is in accusing a feminist of putting herself or women on a pedestal when she was talking about men). However if you do run that argument I will expect you to provide evidence as you go.
Otoh, you could just stop taking it personally when women point out the problems they have with men as a class and subgroups of those men, and instead make the time to learn what we are talking about.
"If you want to argue that men as a class aren't responsible for most of the violence against humans"
I haven't and they obviously have been, but this doesn't make us all bad as a group.
How are Mary 1, Myra Hindley Rosemary West going?
You see when we speakof evil women we say their names and don't paint the who sex with it.
Nwlson Mandela's missus was into necklessing people. I don't blame her for it because she was a chick
what's your point? That male violence isn't done by men, they just happen to be male people?
weka, just noticed this had been moved to OM. Was trying to think of a good response, but saw yours. Much more succinct, but exactly what I wanted to ask.
@chris T – What she said above.
Thread on the likely Covid end-game in the US – a death rate of 40/100K a year, twice the current flu rates, and costly burdens on resources and systems but probably deemed tolerable enough to avoid radical public health measures.
https://twitter.com/trvrb/status/1448297954306150401
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1448297954306150401.html
Good data in an article in the Scottish Herald.
Scotland has 3.8 million people double vaccinated with Pfizer.
Further on, it states that the death rate drops drastically if a booster shot is given.
The double vaccination target is just the beginning – not the end goal.
Weka. I realise this now. Which is why I apologised.
Molly. I wish people could work out it wasn't the fact they were dudes.
There have in hisotry been plenty of evil powerful women.
Jence my Mary 1 post.
The point is it is power and privilege, not sex. Some few dudes were the ones that got it. Totally agree.
But all the other dudes in past history prior to about 1800 starving their arses off and just trying to fee their kids, with their wives
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Hold on to your hat, Chris. The ride might get wild from here on out.
Class distinctions also matter. Within the power structure, without consideration for sex, there are mechanisms that serve to keep the elite classes immune from the privations of the lower classes.
That deserves attention as well, and should be recognised. I would wholeheartedly support any who chose to address this inequity, and only if they had not considered the distinct experiences of racial minorities or women would I bring those extra considerations up. Because to solve issues like this with effectiveness, you have to make sure to identify the problem as fully as you can.
As regards power and privilege in our current society – if you believe there currently exists equity between men and women, then I would disagree.
"If you believe there currently exists equity between men and women, then I would disagree."
In what respect fo you mean equity?
Money? Status?
The PM, Leader of the opposition and Governer General are all woman.
Probably the 3 most up there jobs in the country.
There is a chick "The queenster! running the commonwealth)
Did you need a female ABs coach?
The point is it is power and privilege as a whole, not the noticeable few. Some few 'chicks' are in positions of power. Totally agree.
But all the other 'chicks' in our present society are still dealing with sexism in society, work and relationships, while just trying to feed their kids, with or without partners.
(BTW, can we start referring to the categories as women and men now? I feel like I've wandered on to an 80's movie set.)
Id prefer females and males, as man and women tends to have turned into some weird made up inner touchy feely gender thing if ok, but all good. Will do.
I don't think you got my point I agree with you.
But just the other way round
Most blokes males aren't walking around actively oppressing females.
Apart from "noticeable few" males the rest of us are just trying to look after our kids and work our arse off, like our partners.
Just an aside but it reminds me of the whole pay equity thing.
Jobs predominently female? Not enough women studying STEM, they must be oppressed! WTF?
There is nothing stopping females doing STEM. They just may not be into it as much as males. Why are no females asking why there is not enough men doing child teaching?
But I totally agree their have been far to many "noticeable few" that were male and not enough "noticeable few" that have been female.
But this is just a culture change that is happening. Probably too slowly and in some particuar religiously nutty countries not happening
Barriers to women in STEM
https://www.google.com/search?q=stem+sexism&client=firefox-b-d&channel=trow5&ei=xNdrYaWaFNKy9QPln7GgBQ&ved=0ahUKEwiljN7o_NDzAhVSWX0KHeVPDFQQ4dUDCA0&uact=5&oq=stem+sexism&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyBQgAEIAEMgYIABAWEB4yBggAEBYQHjIGCAAQFhAeOgcIABBHELADOgcIABCwAxBDOgUIABCRAjoICAAQFhAKEB5KBAhBGABQwBBYsRtgjB9oAXACeACAAZMDiAGmEZIBBzItNC4yLjGYAQCgAQHIAQrAAQE&sclient=gws-wiz
Also, gamergate,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamergate_(harassment_campaign)
There is nothing stopping females doing STEM
Gamergate was getting close to a decade ago and again was a small bunch of arssehole males.
But way to paint everyone in tetiary education with the same brush as a few arseholes hiding behind computer keyboards
"But way to paint everyone in tetiary education with the same brush as a few arseholes hiding behind computer keyboards"
But that is not what was said.
Gamergate was getting close to a decade ago and again was a small bunch of arssehole males.
Interestingly, just had a conversation on this topic last week with my twenty-year old son. Learnt a lot, and went away looking for updates. Found this.
A suggestion: I think it might help if you stopped assuming that every time someone uses the word 'men' they are referring to you as an individual. If someone references women being involved in atrocities, I don't go into defensive mode just because I am a woman, I seek to know more.
There are social cues, implicit boundaries and many varied and legal ways of making people feel uncomfortable. Women often experience the same discomfort in certain industries because the culture has been formed on the sensibilities and priorities of men.
"There are social cues, implicit boundaries and many varied and legal ways of making people feel uncomfortable. Women often experience the same discomfort in certain industries because the culture has been formed on the sensibilities and priorities of men."
I'm sorry, but this is just not my experience in places I have worked in the last 15 or so years. TBF most of them were run by females.
Do you honestly think a male primary school teacher is not in the same predicament?
It is normally the vibe you are creating within yourself, more than automatically assuming everyone of the opposite bio sex is against you.
Though I think my male primary school teacher has it harder than the vast majority of (persecuted females"
Edit actually ignore the teacher bit. Re-read your post. Sorry. Cocked that one up agree
See my comment below.
Just read this comment which raises a whole lot of responses, that will make it difficult to rest easy. Can we take a raincheck and come back to this some other time?
Hey. Edited my post earlier sorry.
Cocked that one up a tad.
Mis-read
KO. Nighty-night.
Have a good night mate 🙂
you don't really have any argument do you, just a bunch of reckons.
No offence, but you ain't exactly filling my day with any coherent, relevant ones.
I am completely open to any you may have if there is actual evidence behind it.
I wrote a whole post Chris. If you didn't understand it, you can just ask.
I'm not going to provide evidence for things that you can very easily look up yourself. Start with the stats on which sex commits most violence, then look at which sex commits most violence against women, then look at which sex commits most violence against trans women.
Gamergate again?
That is turning into a winge more than an argument?
Or aplogies if I missed a relevant one.
no idea what you are on about, and you're starting to look like a troll.
It would help if you either used the reply conventions on TS, or cut and paste what you are referring to.
I apologise.
I obviously got the wrong end of the stick , and this is my fault.
when there is no reply button, scroll upwards from the comment you want to reply to until you find the first comment with a reply button that is inline with the comment you are replying to. That way your comments will go in the right place and it will make more sense.
I'm less interested in you saying it was your fault than I am in you just getting the basics right. Use the reply conventions, and/or quote what you are replying to so people reading can understand.
And if you are going to accuse me of whinging, then be specific about what you mean so I can address it.
"Jobs predominently female? Not enough women studying STEM, they must be oppressed! WTF?
There is nothing stopping females doing STEM. They just may not be into it as much as males. Why are no females asking why there is not enough men doing child teaching?"
These are relevant questions, for which there are no easy answers.
You may well think that women are not into STEM, but those that are do find that their qualifications often are not enough to get them jobs or pay parity. My partner did a post-graduate university course a few years ago with a female engineer. She was the only one in the course to achieve 100% scores on papers, but in her work environment she was often ignored and did not have pay parity with others with the same qualifications and experience.
Go look at the experience of women in NZ within the Fire Department, and try to determine what kind of culture allowed those actions to not only occur, but for the perpetrators to be promoted. Apparently, firefighters are the top profession of trust for most people, and yet women were still not safe in that space – solely because of their biological sex.
There are men involved in child teaching, a quick Google search comes up with a 2018 article:
(Note: Although men teaching children was a low percentage, the percentage of men as principals – the authority over the teachers was higher than proportional. The power positions were allocated to men.)
There is a distinct difference in talking about individual lived experiences as a particular sex, and a collective experience of a sex.
The first relates to the very distinct and unique experience of a particular person. They may or may not experience the general common experiences of their sex, and that is just life.
However, there are wider experiences of being a woman – or a man – and it is the attributes of those regular commonalities that are being referenced when we talk about biological sex differences in society.
"but those that are do find that their qualifications often are not enough to get them jobs or pay parity."
This is a fair point worth actual investigation, and I also suspect if true it might be a who you know thing as well. But again. It will be a small bunch of arsehole males, not a whole sex working in the industry.
"It will be a small bunch of arsehole males, not a whole sex working in the industry."
Once again, not all individual males experience the privilege of men as a biological class. However, the power structures within our society are formed and maintained most particularly by men.
I’m going to think about what you are writing, and think about how I am explaining myself and try and figure out why we seem to be misunderstanding each other. I might not reply again because it’s an early night for me, but didn’t want you to think I’m abandoning this discussion for good.
She was the only one in the course to achieve 100% scores on papers, but in her work environment she was often ignored and did not have pay parity with others with the same qualifications and experience.
This is pretty much the common experience of all juniors – having a cervix is certainly not the whole explanation in play here.
As a working engineer let me do a rough description of my current work team – totaling about 40 people across controls, process and operations:
Chris T has a point – that workplaces of the last 15 years or so have changed a fair bit. As a contractor I get to move around quite a lot so my experience is reasonably representative I'd suggest.
That's good. If my son training to be an engineer completes his degree, I'll send him your way. (BTW, he's in the process of selecting his branch of engineering. Would you mind sharing what branch you are in, and what are the recommendations and pitfalls that you consider related to that branch?)
His older brother was put off engineering when he volunteered for a year at a local vintage railway workshop. Unknown to me, the workshop was covered in pictures of naked ladies, and tea break talk was often sexual. He was young, and only told me how uncomfortable he felt after he had left.
Goes without saying why his younger sister didn't follow his volunteer path.
Queenie got her boy off the hook.
https://twitter.com/Forbes/status/1447548936844189696
We ignore these developments in Singapore at our peril.
There the business classes and the expatriates pushed to open the country.
And everyone is paying for it.
Note that 80 per cent of the population are fully vaccinated – and they are now re-imposing restrictions.
I may post on this in more detail tomorrow if time permits.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/300432375/living-with-covid19-singapore-confronts-division-and-fear-as-the-country-moves-away-from-zerocovid
@ Molly
I started in Electrical but if I had my time again I'd probably do Process Engineering. After a wobbly start in my 20s I found myself doing Industrial Automation and have never looked back. Decades later and I still look forward to each day. Or night as it happens right now.
There is a huge diversity of roles in Engineering and not all of them are strictly professional as such. The key thing is to have an abiding interest in the nature of the work. That alone will carry anyone a long way.
Honestly I haven't seen a porno parlour like your son encountered since the 80s. If they still exist it would be mostly in marginal non-professional settings like the one described.
As for sexual talk, the most wonderfully vivid banter along these lines belonged to a female Control operator I worked with in Canada. Takes all sorts.
Thanks RedLogix. You seem to be aware how unusual and fortunate you are to have a job you enjoy, I appreciate you taking the time to share.
I hope you're right about the changing culture, there do seem to be changes in some of the bigger companies especially.