Interesting how when Russia sent a missile into Poland it's a deliberate strike on NATO and the start of WW3, but when Ukraine sends a missile into Poland, it's a stray.
Yes that is exactly right, the fairness and balance in reporting by western MSM has almost completely disappeared…and the sad thing is that the most vocal and staunchest cheerleaders for this relentless western propaganda fuelled warmongering is no longer the Right, it now comes from the Liberal class, as anyone who even occasionally reads comments here on TS can plainly see..
..on most days I could put up this stadium full of Ukrainian soccer fans giving the Nazi salute, and you can be sure at least one of those war mongering liberal imperialists would come on here and run defence for them…just take a moment to think about that, imagine running defence for actual Nazi’s….crazy.
Nothing to see here…..as I am sure they will tell you..
the s-300 missiles that Ukraine possesses are ground to air only and are designed to explode harmlessly if they miss their air target.
Also, some of the debris shown in the video of Russian missiles looks suspiciously like that shown to be found at the Polish site.
While I don't think for a minute that the Russian's targeted Polish territory, I have deep reservations about the accuracy of Russia's missiles.
I think Biden et al quite rightly decided to shut the discussion down, but I'll bet by back-channels they've delivered a very stern message to the Kremlin.
I haven't seen anyone here dispute that their are Nazi's in Ukraine, that there are strong right wing elements in Ukraine, etc. People have pointed out that there are right wing and Nazi elements in Russia, Poland, Germany, etc.
The Nazi influence in Ukraine has been getting reported on for years. There's weird religious shit as well such as tying people to lamp posts with their pants down so people can whip them going past but that is true of Russia as well.
Putin has over the years tested the boundaries – killing people overseas who oppose him, etc. I don't profess to know his motivations. He's been an ass for quite a while now and invading Ukraine is an intensification of the sort of shit he has been doing for a while.
And just cause I think he's a dick to do this shit doesn't impact at all on my view that the bullshit about weapons of mass destruction was clearly false and Bush was as much of a dick then as Putin is being now.
You keep presenting an argument that it is one or the other with no nuances or shades of grey.
Yeah I guess that was because he was given the job of tamping down the war hungry maniacs in Washington who are pulling at the leash for NATO intervention in the Ukraine….
And that just proves the point…western MSM flex is to immediately just print whatever shit fed is to them without checking the facts.. but only when it follows the narrative they are so obviously pushing themselves.
It shows Biden's State Department can also successfully do its job against the Pentagon, because they simultaneously stopped the bullshit and also pushed through the near-unanimous statement from the G20 condemning Russia's war against the Ukrainian people … and achieved both things on the same day.
A dumbass Republican in the White House could easily jumped to go from NATO Article 4 to Article 5. Also didn't occur.
For now at least the checks and balances – under the Biden administration – are working as intended.
Another theory that has been mentioned is that it was fired by Russia but deflected by one of Ukraine's defensive missiles. So I guess both countries would be guilty in that case. Perhaps it’s time for peace talks.
After Russia removes its military from all Ukrainian territory and stops mercilessly bombing it – sure. Only needs one order from Putin and it all ends. Peace talks at the moment would not give lasting peace but instead would just rubberstamp and reward aggression and warcrimes.
Most commentary yesterday was about how unlikely it would be that this was a deliberate strike on a third country. And when it was established that this was an errant air defense missile fired to save civilian lives from a terrorising Russian bombardment, Ukraine and their allies put their hand up.
Transparency, another marked difference with how Russia behaves.
It's hard to believe Russia would attack a NATO country when they can't even defeat Ukraine. Ultimately, it's up to Poland to tell the world what happened.
But it's a nice distraction form what should be the real story, the brutality of Russia's objective of freezing millions of civilians to death by destroying critical electrical and heating infrastructure.
Even if it was fired from inside Ukraine it could have been fired by Russian backed separatists, maybe the same ones who killed a few hundred people shooting down a civilian airplane for fun a decade ago.
This town, Prewodów, borders the most western part of Ukraine. I'm no expert, but I'd be surprised if there were any Russian backed separatists in the area.
Funny (not really) that Sanctuary commented to be only two days ago… "Before you decide to die on a hill for Putin's Dirlewanger Brigade"…that this should pop up…
"Everyone there is dying on hills"…yes that is the tragedy of this whole avoidable disaster…it is heart breaking to see the human lives from all sides being slaughtered so pointlessly.
”A new poll has Te Pāti Māori in the driver’s seat and a likely Labour-Green government, while NZ First is on the cusp of the 5 per cent threshold to make it back into Parliament”
Possibly because all the easy land is already developed. What is left is either "brownfield" sites which have been industrial and bring with them requirements for remediation from pollutants etc and noise from adjacent sites, "greyfield" sites which already have residential developments on them which need to be torn down which brings other community problems, or "greenfield" sites which are either agricultural or remote from services, or both. Add to that the land which has not been developed for very good reasons, too wet, or too steep (and occasionally both). The last site I sent back to the surveyor with a note that this decision was going to be made by engineers not planners, was too steep at the top and too wet at the bottom.
I understand the supply and financial reasons, just not the possible impacts on future residents. Happy to learn if you have the time.
What's the weighting you would give in reference to flood plains, as opposed to regeneration of brownfields sites? Especially as incidence of flooding is likely to increase as climate change contributes to changing weather patterns.
Looking at the photo, the adjoining surrounds seem low-lying as well. How do they mitigate the expected high water levels, if it appears draining will send the problem elsewhere?
Anything that diverts flood waters, or reduces the capacity of the flood plain has to be supported by very extensive (and not cheap) hydrological surveys. Same with things like overland flow paths. I have an overland flow path on my moderately steep site and had to have an engineer's report to accompany my Land Use application for additions and alterations. That showed that the flow path was a sheet flow and could be managed with normal building practice.
In regard to brownfield sites and neighbours – you get into the whole question of existing use rights of the surrounding users to continue with their industrial or commercial activities. This may involve noise, late night traffic movements, odours etc which are fine when the subject site was a warehouse or whatever, but turn that site into an apartment block, and unless you have sale conditions saying that the new residents cannot complain about the surrounding uses, there can be problems.
As a Planner – I would rather deal with a brownfield site than a flood plain. With ground levels sinking and seal level rising there are limits on use.
I processed a Consent once for a residential development on a site that was subject to a storm surge of up to 1.5m in height. Consequently, the whole lower level of the dwelling could not be habitable space. No bedrooms, living rooms etc, just garage, storage, laundry etc. All electrical wiring had to be at least 1.5m above the ground level. It took 2 designers to get something acceptable.
I know of a brownfields site where the whole thing was contaminated with mercury, and the developer had to take out the top 3 or 4m of soil from underneath where the buildings were. And the top metre of so of the surrounding soil. They did get underground garaging out of it.
I had a tendency towards thinking brownfields development would be less risky in general, but it's good to hear your thoughts on this.
Back a few years, when I was interested in planning, I came across (IIRC) a New York development on a heavily contaminated industrial site that they were using planting (willow?) to draw out contaminants before development. I also seem to recall a local woman doing the same thing here in NZ. Are you aware of any successful methods of doing this instead of relocating soil?
I think the NZ decontamination using planting might have been related to either this documentary, or contaminated sites similar to those mentioned here:
The issue is that once those assessments are completed, and the mitigation measures are accepted by council, and consents issued it is not the developer, consultants, planners, bankers or contractors that will have to deal with any failures.
They will get paid, and move on.
It's the people who live there that shoulder the risks and consequences of failure.
One of the obvious problems of fast-tracking shovel ready projects is that they are often at that stage because a fundamental flaw or problem would remain after completion. So they stalled.
Another big hole appears in Government debt hole,noted but unquantified in the Budget.
Along with the Housing corp debt blowout,and inability to fund,the revenue decrease in the Transport agency, CTL, the Government looks like they are facing a budget hole by christmas of at least 1 Goldsmith.
Apparently the state has enough readies to buy back a bank that honestly pretty much sucks in its returns, but not enough to buy the 49% back of a gentailer who could make the state some serious bank.
kiwibank was more about propping up ACC ( for its new job tax project) after its investment losses,and NZSF for its poor investment decisions. ( 9 billion in losses between them on investments)
Bonds still retain the coupon value ( interest paid till expiry) moving from value to growth investments (some with p/e greater then 50) was a poor investment decision,
With Kiwi Saver there was government direction from conservative to balanced fund portfolios as the default option. And the encouragement of growth (stock investment) funds for younger investors (greater returns over time).
My own provider suggested back to conservative straight away.
When did ACC and NZSF move (relatively I presume) from value to growth investments?
I would have presumed a move back to value stocks/property/gold as soon as QE was over and interest rates rose. Then back to growth stocks after the price correction.
That switch for the default savers,cost users a lot of money.The other problem was the use of Kiwisaver for first home buyers,where withdrawls made the funds sell for losses on semi liquid assets (the with drawls for FHB exceeded those cashing out on retirement effectively doubling the withdrawl rates.)
Acc and NZSF changed the funds types they invested in selling out of some very high yield funds.There was also margin calls on leveraged assets ( still hedged against forex losses on most assets till next year)
The Government cannot remove the opportunity for offshore money to make an acceptable return from NZ…..and Kiwibank in its current form is no threat, but the 'gentailers' are a real opportunity.
It may suck but when you rely on necessities from offshore you have little choice
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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara Solomon Islands’ incumbent prime minister Manasseh Sogavare has been re-elected in the East Choiseul constituency. It is the opening move in the political chess match to form the country’s next government. Returning officer Christopher Makoni made the declaration late last night after ...
Headline: The moment of friction. – 36th Parallel Assessments In strategic studies “friction” is a term that it is used to describe the moment when military action encounters adversary resistance. “Friction” is one of four (along with an unofficial fifth) “F’s” in military strategy, which includes force (kinetic mass), ...
The Fast-track Bill, if passed, would allow three Ministers, unchallenged and unchecked, to approve the immediate extraction and exhaustion of one-off resources. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term “bulk billed” refers to a GP visit they don’t have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what’s in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to what’s been on my mind for a while. It’s very important. You see we’ve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so we’ve destroyed valuable coastal habitat – in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he can’t stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
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A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
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“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
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Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
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Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
Everyone having a lie in this morning?
Only the TS ram raiders
Every Democrat who voted in New Hampshire for State representative can each consider themselves the single vote that took out the Republican.
Recount flips New Hampshire seat from Republican to Democrat — by one vote | Salon.com
Interesting how when Russia sent a missile into Poland it's a deliberate strike on NATO and the start of WW3, but when Ukraine sends a missile into Poland, it's a stray.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2022/11/escalation-fears-ease-after-nato-warsaw-say-missile-that-hit-poland-was-ukrainian-stray.html
And not just one missile but 2???
Yes that is exactly right, the fairness and balance in reporting by western MSM has almost completely disappeared…and the sad thing is that the most vocal and staunchest cheerleaders for this relentless western propaganda fuelled warmongering is no longer the Right, it now comes from the Liberal class, as anyone who even occasionally reads comments here on TS can plainly see..
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eKYI3LtQbYs
..on most days I could put up this stadium full of Ukrainian soccer fans giving the Nazi salute, and you can be sure at least one of those war mongering liberal imperialists would come on here and run defence for them…just take a moment to think about that, imagine running defence for actual Nazi’s….crazy.
Nothing to see here…..as I am sure they will tell you..
According to an admittedly pro-Ukrainian source: 11 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRR49Wvaogs
the s-300 missiles that Ukraine possesses are ground to air only and are designed to explode harmlessly if they miss their air target.
Also, some of the debris shown in the video of Russian missiles looks suspiciously like that shown to be found at the Polish site.
While I don't think for a minute that the Russian's targeted Polish territory, I have deep reservations about the accuracy of Russia's missiles.
I think Biden et al quite rightly decided to shut the discussion down, but I'll bet by back-channels they've delivered a very stern message to the Kremlin.
Well, well, well!
It appear is you put in the co-ordinates of Lviv and Kiev (one latitude and one longitude) you end up on a farm just across the border in Poland!
As explained in this video – admittedly, again, pro-Ukrainian:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwXZcT4b5BU&t=33s
Human error in some Russian command post?
I haven't seen anyone here dispute that their are Nazi's in Ukraine, that there are strong right wing elements in Ukraine, etc. People have pointed out that there are right wing and Nazi elements in Russia, Poland, Germany, etc.
The Nazi influence in Ukraine has been getting reported on for years. There's weird religious shit as well such as tying people to lamp posts with their pants down so people can whip them going past but that is true of Russia as well.
Putin has over the years tested the boundaries – killing people overseas who oppose him, etc. I don't profess to know his motivations. He's been an ass for quite a while now and invading Ukraine is an intensification of the sort of shit he has been doing for a while.
And just cause I think he's a dick to do this shit doesn't impact at all on my view that the bullshit about weapons of mass destruction was clearly false and Bush was as much of a dick then as Putin is being now.
You keep presenting an argument that it is one or the other with no nuances or shades of grey.
Biden was the first world leader to state that the missile likely did not come from Russia.
Yeah I guess that was because he was given the job of tamping down the war hungry maniacs in Washington who are pulling at the leash for NATO intervention in the Ukraine….
like this one…
U.S. official says Russian missiles hit Poland, killing two
And that just proves the point…western MSM flex is to immediately just print whatever shit fed is to them without checking the facts.. but only when it follows the narrative they are so obviously pushing themselves.
It shows Biden's State Department can also successfully do its job against the Pentagon, because they simultaneously stopped the bullshit and also pushed through the near-unanimous statement from the G20 condemning Russia's war against the Ukrainian people … and achieved both things on the same day.
A dumbass Republican in the White House could easily jumped to go from NATO Article 4 to Article 5. Also didn't occur.
For now at least the checks and balances – under the Biden administration – are working as intended.
Another theory that has been mentioned is that it was fired by Russia but deflected by one of Ukraine's defensive missiles. So I guess both countries would be guilty in that case. Perhaps it’s time for peace talks.
"Perhaps it’s time for peace talks."
After Russia removes its military from all Ukrainian territory and stops mercilessly bombing it – sure. Only needs one order from Putin and it all ends. Peace talks at the moment would not give lasting peace but instead would just rubberstamp and reward aggression and warcrimes.
Most commentary yesterday was about how unlikely it would be that this was a deliberate strike on a third country. And when it was established that this was an errant air defense missile fired to save civilian lives from a terrorising Russian bombardment, Ukraine and their allies put their hand up.
Transparency, another marked difference with how Russia behaves.
Really? Not yet.
https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/872588.html
It's hard to believe Russia would attack a NATO country when they can't even defeat Ukraine. Ultimately, it's up to Poland to tell the world what happened.
But it's a nice distraction form what should be the real story, the brutality of Russia's objective of freezing millions of civilians to death by destroying critical electrical and heating infrastructure.
Even if it was fired from inside Ukraine it could have been fired by Russian backed separatists, maybe the same ones who killed a few hundred people shooting down a civilian airplane for fun a decade ago.
This town, Prewodów, borders the most western part of Ukraine. I'm no expert, but I'd be surprised if there were any Russian backed separatists in the area.
Funny (not really) that Sanctuary commented to be only two days ago… "Before you decide to die on a hill for Putin's Dirlewanger Brigade"…that this should pop up…
https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueAnon/comments/ytebdj/how_does_this_keep_happening/
No no no Adrian, you can see the guy is just a teenager and this is harmless transgressive youthful posturing.He's just being anti authoritarian
Everyone there is dying on hills.
"Everyone there is dying on hills"…yes that is the tragedy of this whole avoidable disaster…it is heart breaking to see the human lives from all sides being slaughtered so pointlessly.
More interesting polling.
”A new poll has Te Pāti Māori in the driver’s seat and a likely Labour-Green government, while NZ First is on the cusp of the 5 per cent threshold to make it back into Parliament”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/labour-just-behind-nats-nz-first-on-the-cusp-in-new-poll/6HHJTEBYYZGD7KID6N5AWW5SPE/
Not Winston again? Have we learned nothing?
If Winston will stop the wholesale selling of productive farmland to grifting carbon farmers hell get my vote.
Why would land prone to flooding be considered suitable for residential housing in the first place?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/plan-to-build-houses-on-flood-prone-napier-land-not-viable-councillor-says/P5FLAVVRBFGCZOWJJG6RCG2RBI/
Possibly because all the easy land is already developed. What is left is either "brownfield" sites which have been industrial and bring with them requirements for remediation from pollutants etc and noise from adjacent sites, "greyfield" sites which already have residential developments on them which need to be torn down which brings other community problems, or "greenfield" sites which are either agricultural or remote from services, or both. Add to that the land which has not been developed for very good reasons, too wet, or too steep (and occasionally both). The last site I sent back to the surveyor with a note that this decision was going to be made by engineers not planners, was too steep at the top and too wet at the bottom.
I understand the supply and financial reasons, just not the possible impacts on future residents. Happy to learn if you have the time.
What's the weighting you would give in reference to flood plains, as opposed to regeneration of brownfields sites? Especially as incidence of flooding is likely to increase as climate change contributes to changing weather patterns.
Looking at the photo, the adjoining surrounds seem low-lying as well. How do they mitigate the expected high water levels, if it appears draining will send the problem elsewhere?
Or are there design measures that can be taken?
Anything that diverts flood waters, or reduces the capacity of the flood plain has to be supported by very extensive (and not cheap) hydrological surveys. Same with things like overland flow paths. I have an overland flow path on my moderately steep site and had to have an engineer's report to accompany my Land Use application for additions and alterations. That showed that the flow path was a sheet flow and could be managed with normal building practice.
In regard to brownfield sites and neighbours – you get into the whole question of existing use rights of the surrounding users to continue with their industrial or commercial activities. This may involve noise, late night traffic movements, odours etc which are fine when the subject site was a warehouse or whatever, but turn that site into an apartment block, and unless you have sale conditions saying that the new residents cannot complain about the surrounding uses, there can be problems.
As a Planner – I would rather deal with a brownfield site than a flood plain. With ground levels sinking and seal level rising there are limits on use.
I processed a Consent once for a residential development on a site that was subject to a storm surge of up to 1.5m in height. Consequently, the whole lower level of the dwelling could not be habitable space. No bedrooms, living rooms etc, just garage, storage, laundry etc. All electrical wiring had to be at least 1.5m above the ground level. It took 2 designers to get something acceptable.
I know of a brownfields site where the whole thing was contaminated with mercury, and the developer had to take out the top 3 or 4m of soil from underneath where the buildings were. And the top metre of so of the surrounding soil. They did get underground garaging out of it.
Thanks, visubversa
I had a tendency towards thinking brownfields development would be less risky in general, but it's good to hear your thoughts on this.
Back a few years, when I was interested in planning, I came across (IIRC) a New York development on a heavily contaminated industrial site that they were using planting (willow?) to draw out contaminants before development. I also seem to recall a local woman doing the same thing here in NZ. Are you aware of any successful methods of doing this instead of relocating soil?
I think the NZ decontamination using planting might have been related to either this documentary, or contaminated sites similar to those mentioned here:
Green Chain (2012) documentary
https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/the-green-chain-2011
that's one of the more stupid things I've read lately.
I guess that's the system kind of working, but how much money is being wasted on the planning and assessments for a clearly unsuitable site?
The issue is that once those assessments are completed, and the mitigation measures are accepted by council, and consents issued it is not the developer, consultants, planners, bankers or contractors that will have to deal with any failures.
They will get paid, and move on.
It's the people who live there that shoulder the risks and consequences of failure.
One of the obvious problems of fast-tracking shovel ready projects is that they are often at that stage because a fundamental flaw or problem would remain after completion. So they stalled.
would be interesting to see what the LIMs say, and insurance companies. At this point in history I think buyer beware is an imperative with housing.
Another big hole appears in Government debt hole,noted but unquantified in the Budget.
Along with the Housing corp debt blowout,and inability to fund,the revenue decrease in the Transport agency, CTL, the Government looks like they are facing a budget hole by christmas of at least 1 Goldsmith.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/478910/holidays-act-fix-cost-of-backpay-for-health-workers-balloons-to-2b
Apparently the state has enough readies to buy back a bank that honestly pretty much sucks in its returns, but not enough to buy the 49% back of a gentailer who could make the state some serious bank.
kiwibank was more about propping up ACC ( for its new job tax project) after its investment losses,and NZSF for its poor investment decisions. ( 9 billion in losses between them on investments)
That is so depressing.
The political on-ground fights we have in so many departments, but when state plutocrats need a bailout…
Like asking for $500k loan from a bank you're a worm,
Ask for $500m they buy you lunch.
All about leverage and debt creation,and adding costs and liabilities to NZ.
What were the good options with shares and bonds (and bit coin) going down together – throw it all into gold?
Bonds still retain the coupon value ( interest paid till expiry) moving from value to growth investments (some with p/e greater then 50) was a poor investment decision,
With Kiwi Saver there was government direction from conservative to balanced fund portfolios as the default option. And the encouragement of growth (stock investment) funds for younger investors (greater returns over time).
My own provider suggested back to conservative straight away.
When did ACC and NZSF move (relatively I presume) from value to growth investments?
I would have presumed a move back to value stocks/property/gold as soon as QE was over and interest rates rose. Then back to growth stocks after the price correction.
That switch for the default savers,cost users a lot of money.The other problem was the use of Kiwisaver for first home buyers,where withdrawls made the funds sell for losses on semi liquid assets (the with drawls for FHB exceeded those cashing out on retirement effectively doubling the withdrawl rates.)
Acc and NZSF changed the funds types they invested in selling out of some very high yield funds.There was also margin calls on leveraged assets ( still hedged against forex losses on most assets till next year)
The Government cannot remove the opportunity for offshore money to make an acceptable return from NZ…..and Kiwibank in its current form is no threat, but the 'gentailers' are a real opportunity.
It may suck but when you rely on necessities from offshore you have little choice