The unbelievable level of incompetence on display from the MOH over the running of the border quarantine seems to be just another chapter of failure from government departments systematically wrecked by the last National government. Name me one agency – police bungling the self isolation checks, NZTA's inability to deliver even a core function like warrants of fitness, the housing debacle, ht list goes on – that has been able to meet the increased expectations that have been put on it?
Second, the border fiasco clearly represents a classic example of stakeholder capture of the MOH/MBIE – they've been far to it willing to bend to the demands of lobby groups and business. Hopefully the government now finally has the mandate to enforce the border restrictions as strictly and as entusiastically as the public has expected them to be enforced. One the big takes to me has been that the public has been in favour of far tougher borders than the government agencies enforcing them have been.
This is the one free pass the government will get on this, and that is only because their opponents have not a shred of credibility in their criticism. They need the military to act to get this right.
Also, I don’t know about anyone else but I am really not looking forward to weeks of middle class Karens telling us of how they think the system doesn’t work based on their one off experience that we are now going to get in the media.
I just hope that this sorry little episodes might make a few Labour politicians reflect on the fact that some of their 'officials' are not necessarily all that they seem. At the moment (due to various circumstances), I'm most familiar with MoBIE. People have been warning of its shortcomings for years – i.e. people at the coalface and even former employees. Its a bugger's muddle and the clue should probably have been in whose creation it was (Mr Fixit Joyce, being one of them). Failed restructures, high staff turnover, demographic spreadsheets and now the notional one, people having to be "managed" out because of overt racism while covert racists remain, Thompson and Clark, people trying to be a select little police force rather than actually trying to serve the public – it covers the entire spectrum. And probably the saddest thing is that many in the organisation probably think the culture is quite OK.
But as you say, there are the other departments.
Helen Clark ws being diplomatic when she said the public service doesn't have the capacity it once had. She's correct, but its not just capacity. And it actually predates the last gummint though nowhere near the extent of dysfunction that crept in during the gNats reign of bullshit where even ethical behaviour was reduced merely to a tradable commodity if and when affordable .
If this latest episode doesn't now convince Labour that there are departments/ministries/agencies that are not fit for purpose, nothing will.
I am really not looking forward to weeks of middle class Karens telling us of how they think the system doesn’t work based on their one off experience that we are now going to get in the media.
There will be a "human interest" story any day the media want to find one.
"Separated family denied by cruel officials" OR "Blundering officials" OR "Inconsistent officials".
Sometimes I think Ardern should just announce a vote in Parliament on Martial Law, but say the government will abstain, so the Opposition can have it if they vote for it. If they don't then we're staying with what we've got – officials trying to follow the law, and strike a balance, and inevitably somebody somewhere making a mistake.
I think that's better than armed soldiers on the streets but then I'm not some deranged Trump wannabe in opposition, who wants Tough Action alongside Total Freedom.
Guests can't figure out why there is a temporary ban?
Haven't they got half a brain to work it out?
"It is a temporary measure and guests' ability to purchase alcohol will be reinstated once all test results have been returned and the facility has been given the all-clear.”
Those inside the hotel said no reason was given for the ban, which came into force after the announcement on Tuesday afternoon of the new cases and their links to the facility.
Another man at the Novotel, who asked not to be named, also said no reason was given for the ban.
Compassionate exemptions: there's now been a big flurry of stories about people being granted release from quarantines and then abusing that enormous privilege they've been granted and indulging in behaviours that are a huge risk of creating infection hotspots.
There appears to be a common feature – they have been allowed to go after the pivotal person has died. To a funeral. A wake. To comfort a grieving relative. And so on.
None of the stories I've seen have been about someone allowed to go see a loved one their last days, in order to say their last goodbyes. Or to be with loved ones at a critical life event such as birth.
Something is very messed up here where condoning risk for the sake of dead bodies seems acceptable, but not for the sake of the living.
Something is very very wrong with our systems, and with the way those that have been given a privilege within the system then go on to behave after being granted that privilege.
Well the lockdown worked because the rules were brutally simple. it looks like we need a similar set of brutally simple rules for the quarantine system. Fourteen days in isolation, compulsory testing, no exceptions, no excuses. Ever. If you don’t like it, don’t come.
Perhaps we also need to completely close the border with the UK. These two women and their attitude are pure failed state insouiance. There is a reason 60,000 people have died in the UK and this behaviour is it – everyone living there seems to think they are an exception to the rules. We simply cannot trust anyone arriving from the UK to not treat our rules with a cavalier attitude up to and including outright lying to officials.
Michael Woodhouse, a nasty Nat if there ever was one, has just been perpetrating a major beat-up of the problems with the quarantine system just now on Morning Report.
While there appear to have been isolated cases where the system has failed (the 2 UK women especially) overall it seems to have been working well. There was always going to be the odd slip-the system has already been tightened to stop this.
Woodhouse’s claims that there was physical contact between the 2 UK women and their friends seems to be false.
Meanwhile Woodhouse admitted he would have opened the border to many thousands of overseas students some time ago. No matter how good the quarantine and testing system, this represents a much higher risk to NZ than the current regime.
Sure, Woodhouse and the other Nats with their advocacy for internally contradictory future actions are just making it ever clearer that they're simply unfit for government.
But that doesn't negate that they have brought to light very serious failings with the current system that are a lot more than just the inevitable occasional slip.
Agreed Andre-it was stupid to let the two UK people to sneak around the system without getting their test results-my guess is they argued long and hard and one of them hid symptoms. But I still think this is probably one of a few mistakes among many thousands of people that have come into NZ and overall the system has worked superbly well.
The Nats need to crack the Jacinda magic and will majorly beat-up anything they can use against her. The NZ public's mood is so "fortress NZ" at the moment that they tend to buy into the idea that the system is failing when shown the slightest crack.
NZ 2 cases in 25 days. Sweden 1,239 cases yesterday.
"Woodhouse’s claims that there was physical contact between the 2 UK women and their friends seems to be false."
Bloomfield said on radio this morning that a friend put an arm around one of the women after they got help with directions. So sadly… Woodhouse's claims are more correct than the MOH at this point. MOH stated yesterday that the women had no contact with anyone on their journey.
Let's assume 2 things: Woodhouse was both told the truth, and he then repeated the truth.
That doesn't make it better, it makes it worse. If you/I had info about the close contact with Covid-19 cases, what would we do? Or what should we do?
I don't think "tell Michael Woodhouse" comes near the top of the list. He's not in the public health system.
They witnessed this action on Saturday. It was raised in parliament on Wednesday, after they contacted him on Tuesday. What the hell were they doing in the meantime, and how many people were affected during the delay?
This is about winning public trust and confidence during a national crisis, like it or not Woodhouse has dented that confidence. You really think the public response is going to be aimed at Woody's actions over the MOH's??
It's all about public trust and by his actions Woodhouse showed he can't be trusted in the slightest to primarily do good for the country. It won't make the headlines and journos won't give him a hard time about it but every time you see him on TV know you are looking at someone who behaves like a total slimebag.
I'd kinda prefer to be a little more nuanced than that.
It seems that after a death, the risk of people not thinking straight and behaving irresponsibly is just unacceptably high. So yeah, no exemptions from quarantine.
But so far, we don't have evidence of that risky behaviour coming from those granted leave for critical moments with the living. It's not clear whether it's because in those cases leave has not been granted (in which case our system priorities are seriously fucked up), or whether people actually do behave more responsibly after being granted leave for these other life events.
As to the reports of lack of testing, and the idea that testing can be declined, and mingling of those near the start of quarantine and near the end – yeah, those are just fuckups that have to be fixed. No if, buts or maybes. Given the frequency of false negatives, I also question giving people the all clear on the basis of just one test – two clear tests 24 hours apart should be required. Don't agree to that, don't come.
It seems that after a death, the risk of people not thinking straight and behaving irresponsibly is just unacceptably high. So yeah, no exemptions from quarantine.
You would think that after a death, the value of life would actually be right to the forefront of your mind. If the person who had died could speak, they would probably say two things: 'I don't want to be here' and 'Don't do anything that may endanger the lives of others'
How you could be given an exemption to attend a funeral, and not have in mind your own position with respect to this pandemic which is taking a heavy toll of lives, completely escapes me.
I haven't heard one person from the right of politics suggest these people should have shown some personal responsibility.
They just don't seem to have any concept of responsibility to the community. If the gym story is true it boggles the mind. Why on earth would you even think about going there, given their position.
A good FTA with the UK would be bloody useful for reducing our strategic dependence on China, even if we just went back to 1972 levels of exports – that is, around 400,000 tons of butter and cheese and 250,000 tons of sheepmeat – along with our wine and other exports. Imagine if we could send them 500,000 tons of dairy productsd and 300,000 tons of lamb! Luckily, we actually have some leverage on the Brexit brigade currently in charge in the UK, who are very keen on getting some runs on the board outside the EU on trade and even more importantly, for NZ to not veto their attempts to join the Pacific free trade partnership.
Is this the agreement that has the investor state can sue the government clause?Last thing we need. Plus we need to be able to put in SROI clauses. And anyway who wants to be associated with Boris and EU exit at this point – I can't see that serving any long term interest. Better to keep negotiating with the EU not wind up being played off.
Some lax procedures, plus people who expect they be able to bend the rules, has resulted in what has happened. The two women driving to Wellington should have known better, given they had come from the UK. To blame the bureaucrats alone in this case and others, is overlooking the people who think rules don’t apply to them.
I was told yesterday by a person in charge of checking people visiting a rest home/hospital that some would refuse to give their tracing details. Also a cafe manager told me some would refuse to give their details. She simply told them to leave as her first priority was the welfare of her staff.
To blame the bureaucrats alone in this case and others, is overlooking the people who think rules don’t apply to them.
Some alternative headlines:
"Place requires contact tracing. Says it's now required. Plucky Kiwi fights for his freedoms, won't give his details. This is dictatorship! We've beaten the virus, so why the heavy-handed bureaucracy? Outraged Opposition MP joins us now …"
So naturally the AM show turns to Simon Thornley for his valuable insights on NZ's Covid challenges. We have 22 dead, it would be (per capita) 100 times more if the Sweden fans had their way.
I guess it's the old story: people have to take responsibility for what they do, but never for what they say and don't have to do.
22 dead and political uproar in NZ because two less-than-forthcoming (privileged?) UK people manage to talk and sneak their way around the system and end up testing positive.
Imagine if we had 1,239 new cases daily like Sweden did yesterday. That would be cause for the type of reaction Woodhouse and Muller have exhibited in the last 2 days.
Then there is RNZ's headline that that the tracing /test regime has "failed" when it achieved 79 and 74% in 2 days where it was aiming for 80%. That looks very close to the gold standard to me.
Still smarting over the quarantine/isolation issue.
it is a system failure of course. Nursing training possibly implicated where gaining consent patient rights etc is over emphasised. So how a nurse phrases the question about the test is highly influential in what happens. “Would you like a covid test? You don’t have to”. Versus, “I am here to give you your Covid test”. I say this because last night Lisa Owen interviewed a women who is isolating in the covid women’s hotel. This women said they were offered a test on day three, but she didn’t want to have it. But now of course that this women has been in the same facility with two women with covid she couldn’t wait to get the test (and had had it just before she talked to Lisa). I am so furious with this woman’s blatant self interest……..
but responsibility lies further up the chain. Who knew that people were absconding from funerals and didn’t alert the minister. Sounds like he genuinely didn’t know when asked about it by heather d p Allen. Someone somewhere in the chain knew and did nothing. They need to be sacked
it’s a f…g pandemic. Bring in the military.
btw my apologies for my angry posts over this. I can’t remember when I last felt this angry.
I too will not be happy until the person /persons directly responsible for managing/supervising the day to day quarantine procedures lose their jobs/s. So many people in NZ have lost jobs in NZ because of Covid and this lackadaisical implementation of quarantining proceedures is unforgivable. So relieved to hear the military /airforce is to control the situation now.
Actually as an health care worker I feel this Minister is far better than the previous few. He is not responsible for my f–k ups nor am I responsible for those I supervise f–k ups but I am responsible for fixing the f–k ups and preventing further f–k ups.There got that off my chest.
It's the nature of fast-changing news coverage that facts slip through the cracks, and people who rant without the facts don't bother re-visiting what they said. We all move on to the next episode.
So, for the record – everyone who said (with complete certainty and no evidence) the 2 women driving to Wellington MUST have stopped for petrol … was wrong. It was diesel. So they didn't.
It might be worth pausing before the next instant judgement, but hey, where's the fun in that?
I'm gobsmacked that whether they could go Orcland-Wellie on one tank ever got to be an issue. Anyone with just a bit more driving experience than needed for a restricted licence should be able to work out it depends on the car's fuel tank size, efficiency, driving style and skills, and how close the driver is willing to get to empty. Of the cars I've owned in the last thirty years, I'd be confident of doing it in roughly a third, could maybe eke it out in a third, and not a chance in a third of them.
Besides, there's plenty of zero-contact places to fill up. Most Gulls are unmanned, and the Gull at Atiamuri definitely is (it's usually the cheapest around). Pretty sure last couple of times I filled up anywhere near Wellie I paid at the pump.
Thanks. I wasn't attacking anyone in particular (I've got things wrong too), it just seems funny that some aspects of a story become the big Debating Point. The whole "could they or couldn't they?" question was all over social media, and the various talking heads on radio etc. Seemed like everyone had an opinion.
Thanks for documenting this Joe90. I can't bear to look – I am afraid of losing my mind watching the implosion and the toxic stuff emerging from the USA every day. There is no truth in the thinking that raising people's living standards (as regularly said about low-paid Asian workers) is sure to make life better. The USA is one of the richest countries, but getting money has only made them meaner and then the strugglers at the bottom are still relatively if not actually poorer. A concrete like conformist mindset creeps in to those with some improvements, and sets up waves of negative thinking about those whose lives aren't improving and who struggle still. Why can't we all get on.
Surely assisting business to comply with regs has been the leitmotif since neolib came in. Why should a plumber be dumped on who realised something was wrong on a big job, notified the management, but continued with his contractual work? If he doesn't do his work, he doesn't pay his rent or eat, and he might be avoided in future as a trouble-maker. How damn ignorant of the chap from the Plumbing Board to blame the bloke at the bottom, and make him (or her) the scapegoat for shoddy design and sector laxness and rule-breaking.
However, Plumbing Board investigator David Thomas said the certifying plumber had to do much more than just speak up."You couldn't keep installing them the way they were, because they weren't correct, they didn't comply.
"So it's no good saying, 'Oh these aren't right, but I'll just keep going'."Surely you've got to have that ability to say, 'This is where we stop', document it, then wait for a solution to come back," Thomas told the five-member panel in Wellington yesterday.
I think that this Thomas needs to stop working, while he waits for somebody with integrity to investigate his findings, and see whether his employer pays him. There needs to be protection for whistle-blowers that involves paying their costs for doing so. This Plumbing Board guy must be paid to keep authority off the backs of the builders and speculators; he doesn't seem concerned about the contractor. That poor guy, when looking for his next job, may end up in a job shelf-stacking at any hardware shop that remains open.
The opinion the Plumbing Board guy has espoused enables business to slope away from its responsibilities as has been its habit. Government imposes tight regulations and costs on the contractors, workers, micro businesses but the lead guys are virtual criminals allowed free rein. Government itself does not want to accept the responsibility that its power and finances require. The pollies are mates with lead business people who are 'wealth creators' (for themselves). We citizens scrape the pot, and they get the gravy.
Heh. My only question is why is this guy homeless when he's got the skills to identify an opportunity and the initiative to jump on it when the moment is right?
On Monday Joe, Darwin in the NT hit its highest ever recorded June temp of 35.5 deg and has now push our average daily temp up to 30.7 degrees. We aren’t meant to see these temperatures until mid to late Jul. Soils moisture content in the Northern NT has also crashed to record lows for this time of the yr and again we shouldn’t be seeing this until at least August or September.
The BOM guys have said it going to get even worse during the Dry and a greatest likely hood of more running fires than last yr, btw running fires usually lead to crown fires. Last yrs fire season saw many people too see their first running and crown fires in the NT which were to the old hands a very rare event, but to have 3 such events last yr on the weekend was crazy a enough and very stressful for those on the fire line as well.
Anyway got to head and finish my jobs around the house, before head out bush again on Monday for fire duty.
Kind regards Scud – you seem to be on the front line – to this keyboard 'warrior.' Are the farmers up there connecting with the Mulloon Institute on how to contain water. What to do when you don't get any – the aborigines would probably know something about that.
I appreciate your details, above. But you're like a hyped up current events class.
I'm always out of sync on that account. Shouldn't we concentrate on the central things of the neediest and the fact this is the decade of 1939 for climate change? And we are already too late, 100s of millions will die now.
Papatuanuku albartross day great we need to care for the wildlife.
I say that our government has handled the economy quite well keeping people in jobs the alternative government would have sent all the subsidies straight to top and forgot about the common people next minute a big financial mess the trickle down lie never worked .
Its all your m8s in the system that are throwing a spanner in the works.
Its good to see %20 of people don't consume alcohol.
More Wai storage is needed in Aotearoa we also have to minimise our Wai usage and wastage of Wai with what our scientists have forcast for our Mokopuna weather and environment.
It would be good to see Maori business thriving in their exporting markets Maori we're one of the first to export Aotearoa products.
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April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Photo by Jari Hytönen on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
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. ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
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 ...
A senior lawyer has filed a complaint about tikanga becoming a required law school module. Law lecturer Carwyn Jones explains what he’s getting wrong. “…the first law of Aotearoa, a law that served the needs of tangata whenua for a thousand years before the arrival of tauiwi.”– Ani Mikaere ...
In 2019, an Auckland woman woke up from surgery to find that she had undergone a treatment she didn’t consent to. She tells Alex Casey about her experience. From her very first period at the age of 14, Laura experienced “debilitating” levels of pain that forced her to withdraw from ...
In the gloom following director-general Al Morrison’s job cuts in 2013, the Department of Conservation restructured its operations arm. Eleven conservancy districts were whittled into six new “conservation delivery” regions, under which the Rēkohu/Wharekauri/Chatham Islands area, comprising 40 scattered islands more than 800km east of Christchurch, was tethered to the ...
One of th e country’s top litigation lawyers says New Zealand is seeing a lift in court action between companies. Chapman Tripp partner Justin Graham, who oversees a team of around 80 litigation specialists, says the courts are now so log-jammed that it’s taking over two years to get cases ...
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Comment: Concerns about the state of the economy are creeping up to the top of firms’ list of challenges. That’s evident in both surveys and the tone of our recent client discussions. Skimming the past few weeks of eco-news, it’s not hard to see why. – Retail card spending fell ...
Opinion: Could former co-leader James Shaw still make a difference to working with National? The post How the Greens could be contenders appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: What if we got rid of our existing drug laws and replaced them with a new law that legalised and carefully regulated all psychoactive substances, from cannabis to MDMA, methamphetamine and LSD to magic mushrooms? And which also included legal drugs such as alcohol and nicotine. “Wow,” you might ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government is talking up the crucial role of gas as a transition fuel “through to 2050 and beyond”. In a gas strategy to be released on Thursday, the government envisages the fuel’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Next week the government will again next try to get its legislation through to deal with non-citizens who won’t cooperate with efforts to deport them. The bill, which the opposition and crossbench refused to rush ...
A long-term project that will set out an alternative vision for Aotearoa that looks beyond the narrow confines of the policy straight jacket adopted by successive governments. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bree Hurst, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Law, QUT, Queensland University of Technology TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock A much-awaited report into Coles and Woolworths has found what many customers have long believed – Australia’s big supermarkets engage in price gouging. What started ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Ghezelbash, Associate Professor and Deputy Director, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney The Albanese government wanted to avoid an inquiry into its migration amendment bill. The report, handed down yesterday by a senate committee that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joo-Cheong Tham, Professor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Lobbying is at the heart of government. Who has access to and influence over key government officials shapes the decisions governments make – and how they make them. The ability to influence ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Myfany Turpin, Associate Professor, Ethnomusicology, Linguistics and Ethnobiology, University of Sydney The act representing Australia at this year’s Eurovision contest has sadly not qualified for the grand final. Yet for Zaachariaha Fielding and Michael Ross, the duo that makes up Electric Fields, ...
In announcing changes to the school lunches programme, David Seymour said kids would no longer be served ‘woke’ foods. To clear up any confusion, The Spinoff has compiled a guide to the wokeness levels of some common food items. Apple = NOT WOKE Avocado = WOKE Avocado, smashed = EVEN ...
The Minister Responsible for GCSB and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security have been notified of this review, and have been provided a finalised Terms of Reference. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Minglu Chen, Senior Lecturer, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney Robert Way/Shutterstock As the past few years have illustrated so clearly, the Australia-China relationship is complicated. As such, it is crucial for Australians to develop a more nuanced understanding of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mariana Campbell, Research Lecturer, Conservation, Charles Darwin University Marilyn Connell Australian freshwater turtles are facing an alarming trend. Almost half of these species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) is one of Australia’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debbie Passey, Digital Health Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Josephine Barbaro, Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow, Psychologist, La Trobe University Unsplash We’ve come a long way in terms of understanding that everyone thinks, interacts and experiences the world differently. In the past, autistic people, people with attention deficit hyperactive disorder ...
PNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea’s deputy opposition leader James Nomane has accused the government of “reckless economic management” that has forced devaluation to manage loan repayments in foreign currency and placate the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Prime Minister James Marape “must stop lying to the people of Papua New Guinea”, ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Jane Arthur, author of Brown Bird, and former bookseller at Good Books.The book I wish I’d writtenI have been working on not comparing myself to others. On accepting that what I can ...
The final decision on the Wellington District Plan makes it official: High-density housing is legal across most of Wellington. Housing minister Chris Bishop has announced his decision on the Wellington District Plan, approving a series of amendments to radically upzone most of Wellington, allowing tens of thousands of new townhouses ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
With funding set to be scrapped for the Hamilton-Auckland commuter train, Te Huia enthusiast Georgie Dansey argues for it to be thrown a lifeline. It’s 5.45am and the chain of my crappy old bike falls off slugging up the one hill in Hamilton. I contemplate yeeting the bike into the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto A shift to hybrid and remote work continues to affect worker presence in Toronto’s downtown.(Shutterstock) Downtown Toronto, the core of Canada’s largest city, continues to reel from the lingering ...
Responding to an Auditor-General's report slamming failures in the administration of the 2023 General Election, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: ...
Productivity apps now make up a big chunk of the software market. But do they work? And why do they all have AI integrations?Despite being firmly on the record as a physical planner fan, I sometimes dream of something better than my pretty diary and its scrawled, ugly, interior ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says the Beehive need to lead by example, following reports of more than $50,000 spent upgrading video conferencing equipment and furniture in the Prime Minister’s office. Taxpayers’ Union Campaign Manager, Connor Molloy, ...
An objective list of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand, as judged by the Spinoff Editorial Board. It’s power list season, baby, and we want in on the action. Sure, there’s the rich list and the powerful “c-suite” list and the young people with power (hmmm) but here, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. First Nations people in Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University Netflix Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account of sexual abuse, harassment and stalking. Gadd’s story has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
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The unbelievable level of incompetence on display from the MOH over the running of the border quarantine seems to be just another chapter of failure from government departments systematically wrecked by the last National government. Name me one agency – police bungling the self isolation checks, NZTA's inability to deliver even a core function like warrants of fitness, the housing debacle, ht list goes on – that has been able to meet the increased expectations that have been put on it?
Second, the border fiasco clearly represents a classic example of stakeholder capture of the MOH/MBIE – they've been far to it willing to bend to the demands of lobby groups and business. Hopefully the government now finally has the mandate to enforce the border restrictions as strictly and as entusiastically as the public has expected them to be enforced. One the big takes to me has been that the public has been in favour of far tougher borders than the government agencies enforcing them have been.
This is the one free pass the government will get on this, and that is only because their opponents have not a shred of credibility in their criticism. They need the military to act to get this right.
Also, I don’t know about anyone else but I am really not looking forward to weeks of middle class Karens telling us of how they think the system doesn’t work based on their one off experience that we are now going to get in the media.
I just hope that this sorry little episodes might make a few Labour politicians reflect on the fact that some of their 'officials' are not necessarily all that they seem. At the moment (due to various circumstances), I'm most familiar with MoBIE. People have been warning of its shortcomings for years – i.e. people at the coalface and even former employees. Its a bugger's muddle and the clue should probably have been in whose creation it was (Mr Fixit Joyce, being one of them). Failed restructures, high staff turnover, demographic spreadsheets and now the notional one, people having to be "managed" out because of overt racism while covert racists remain, Thompson and Clark, people trying to be a select little police force rather than actually trying to serve the public – it covers the entire spectrum. And probably the saddest thing is that many in the organisation probably think the culture is quite OK.
But as you say, there are the other departments.
Helen Clark ws being diplomatic when she said the public service doesn't have the capacity it once had. She's correct, but its not just capacity. And it actually predates the last gummint though nowhere near the extent of dysfunction that crept in during the gNats reign of bullshit where even ethical behaviour was reduced merely to a tradable commodity if and when affordable .
If this latest episode doesn't now convince Labour that there are departments/ministries/agencies that are not fit for purpose, nothing will.
I am really not looking forward to weeks of middle class Karens telling us of how they think the system doesn’t work based on their one off experience that we are now going to get in the media.
There will be a "human interest" story any day the media want to find one.
"Separated family denied by cruel officials" OR "Blundering officials" OR "Inconsistent officials".
Sometimes I think Ardern should just announce a vote in Parliament on Martial Law, but say the government will abstain, so the Opposition can have it if they vote for it. If they don't then we're staying with what we've got – officials trying to follow the law, and strike a balance, and inevitably somebody somewhere making a mistake.
I think that's better than armed soldiers on the streets but then I'm not some deranged Trump wannabe in opposition, who wants Tough Action alongside Total Freedom.
And right on cue …
Booze ban in quarantine hotel
We demand all our rights, and we also demand the government do whatever it takes.
observer 1.2.1
Guests can't figure out why there is a temporary ban?
Haven't they got half a brain to work it out?
Compassionate exemptions: there's now been a big flurry of stories about people being granted release from quarantines and then abusing that enormous privilege they've been granted and indulging in behaviours that are a huge risk of creating infection hotspots.
There appears to be a common feature – they have been allowed to go after the pivotal person has died. To a funeral. A wake. To comfort a grieving relative. And so on.
None of the stories I've seen have been about someone allowed to go see a loved one their last days, in order to say their last goodbyes. Or to be with loved ones at a critical life event such as birth.
Something is very messed up here where condoning risk for the sake of dead bodies seems acceptable, but not for the sake of the living.
Something is very very wrong with our systems, and with the way those that have been given a privilege within the system then go on to behave after being granted that privilege.
Well the lockdown worked because the rules were brutally simple. it looks like we need a similar set of brutally simple rules for the quarantine system. Fourteen days in isolation, compulsory testing, no exceptions, no excuses. Ever. If you don’t like it, don’t come.
Perhaps we also need to completely close the border with the UK. These two women and their attitude are pure failed state insouiance. There is a reason 60,000 people have died in the UK and this behaviour is it – everyone living there seems to think they are an exception to the rules. We simply cannot trust anyone arriving from the UK to not treat our rules with a cavalier attitude up to and including outright lying to officials.
Michael Woodhouse, a nasty Nat if there ever was one, has just been perpetrating a major beat-up of the problems with the quarantine system just now on Morning Report.
While there appear to have been isolated cases where the system has failed (the 2 UK women especially) overall it seems to have been working well. There was always going to be the odd slip-the system has already been tightened to stop this.
Woodhouse’s claims that there was physical contact between the 2 UK women and their friends seems to be false.
Meanwhile Woodhouse admitted he would have opened the border to many thousands of overseas students some time ago. No matter how good the quarantine and testing system, this represents a much higher risk to NZ than the current regime.
Sure, Woodhouse and the other Nats with their advocacy for internally contradictory future actions are just making it ever clearer that they're simply unfit for government.
But that doesn't negate that they have brought to light very serious failings with the current system that are a lot more than just the inevitable occasional slip.
Agreed Andre-it was stupid to let the two UK people to sneak around the system without getting their test results-my guess is they argued long and hard and one of them hid symptoms. But I still think this is probably one of a few mistakes among many thousands of people that have come into NZ and overall the system has worked superbly well.
The Nats need to crack the Jacinda magic and will majorly beat-up anything they can use against her. The NZ public's mood is so "fortress NZ" at the moment that they tend to buy into the idea that the system is failing when shown the slightest crack.
NZ 2 cases in 25 days. Sweden 1,239 cases yesterday.
"Woodhouse’s claims that there was physical contact between the 2 UK women and their friends seems to be false."
Bloomfield said on radio this morning that a friend put an arm around one of the women after they got help with directions. So sadly… Woodhouse's claims are more correct than the MOH at this point. MOH stated yesterday that the women had no contact with anyone on their journey.
Woodhouse said he didn't inform the MOH he only came out with information after the story was 'verified.'
What's verified? When you hear what you wanted to hear? Did the stories come from those who wanted to embarrass the government?
Let's assume 2 things: Woodhouse was both told the truth, and he then repeated the truth.
That doesn't make it better, it makes it worse. If you/I had info about the close contact with Covid-19 cases, what would we do? Or what should we do?
I don't think "tell Michael Woodhouse" comes near the top of the list. He's not in the public health system.
They witnessed this action on Saturday. It was raised in parliament on Wednesday, after they contacted him on Tuesday. What the hell were they doing in the meantime, and how many people were affected during the delay?
This is about winning public trust and confidence during a national crisis, like it or not Woodhouse has dented that confidence. You really think the public response is going to be aimed at Woody's actions over the MOH's??
Of course not. But if instant public opinion led by headlines was our guide, we would have the death penalty for beneficiaries who eat takeaways.
That doesn't change the moral responsibility of those who have important information about the virus in the community.
eating takeaways is a death penalty
False dichotomy.
It's all about public trust and by his actions Woodhouse showed he can't be trusted in the slightest to primarily do good for the country. It won't make the headlines and journos won't give him a hard time about it but every time you see him on TV know you are looking at someone who behaves like a total slimebag.
I'd kinda prefer to be a little more nuanced than that.
It seems that after a death, the risk of people not thinking straight and behaving irresponsibly is just unacceptably high. So yeah, no exemptions from quarantine.
But so far, we don't have evidence of that risky behaviour coming from those granted leave for critical moments with the living. It's not clear whether it's because in those cases leave has not been granted (in which case our system priorities are seriously fucked up), or whether people actually do behave more responsibly after being granted leave for these other life events.
As to the reports of lack of testing, and the idea that testing can be declined, and mingling of those near the start of quarantine and near the end – yeah, those are just fuckups that have to be fixed. No if, buts or maybes. Given the frequency of false negatives, I also question giving people the all clear on the basis of just one test – two clear tests 24 hours apart should be required. Don't agree to that, don't come.
I see no problem with people in quarantine being required to were tracking braclets especially if we return to letting them out on occasion.
Hell, I'd even go as far as assigning a minder to every single one of them.
Ankle bracelets. They'd be cheaper and wearers would think twice about being seen wearing one in public.
The neighbour's cat has just dropped by for a visit wearing his cone of shame.
You would think that after a death, the value of life would actually be right to the forefront of your mind. If the person who had died could speak, they would probably say two things: 'I don't want to be here' and 'Don't do anything that may endanger the lives of others'
How you could be given an exemption to attend a funeral, and not have in mind your own position with respect to this pandemic which is taking a heavy toll of lives, completely escapes me.
I haven't heard one person from the right of politics suggest these people should have shown some personal responsibility.
+100
They just don't seem to have any concept of responsibility to the community. If the gym story is true it boggles the mind. Why on earth would you even think about going there, given their position.
They went In the morning found out in the afternoon that there was a positive test for the pair in Wellington.
"failed state insouciance"
Phrase of the week! So good I barely care if it's true or not
Got to wonder what connexions the exemptees might have had. A group of 10 getting to pop off to a funeral suggests someone had a bit of influence.
A good FTA with the UK would be bloody useful for reducing our strategic dependence on China, even if we just went back to 1972 levels of exports – that is, around 400,000 tons of butter and cheese and 250,000 tons of sheepmeat – along with our wine and other exports. Imagine if we could send them 500,000 tons of dairy productsd and 300,000 tons of lamb! Luckily, we actually have some leverage on the Brexit brigade currently in charge in the UK, who are very keen on getting some runs on the board outside the EU on trade and even more importantly, for NZ to not veto their attempts to join the Pacific free trade partnership.
Is this the agreement that has the investor state can sue the government clause?Last thing we need. Plus we need to be able to put in SROI clauses. And anyway who wants to be associated with Boris and EU exit at this point – I can't see that serving any long term interest. Better to keep negotiating with the EU not wind up being played off.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/419278/cptpp-to-be-used-as-leverage-in-free-trade-negotiations-david-parker
Some lax procedures, plus people who expect they be able to bend the rules, has resulted in what has happened. The two women driving to Wellington should have known better, given they had come from the UK. To blame the bureaucrats alone in this case and others, is overlooking the people who think rules don’t apply to them.
I was told yesterday by a person in charge of checking people visiting a rest home/hospital that some would refuse to give their tracing details. Also a cafe manager told me some would refuse to give their details. She simply told them to leave as her first priority was the welfare of her staff.
To blame the bureaucrats alone in this case and others, is overlooking the people who think rules don’t apply to them.
Some alternative headlines:
"Place requires contact tracing. Says it's now required. Plucky Kiwi fights for his freedoms, won't give his details. This is dictatorship! We've beaten the virus, so why the heavy-handed bureaucracy? Outraged Opposition MP joins us now …"
Sweden: over 5,000 dead now.
So naturally the AM show turns to Simon Thornley for his valuable insights on NZ's Covid challenges. We have 22 dead, it would be (per capita) 100 times more if the Sweden fans had their way.
I guess it's the old story: people have to take responsibility for what they do, but never for what they say and don't have to do.
22 dead and political uproar in NZ because two less-than-forthcoming (privileged?) UK people manage to talk and sneak their way around the system and end up testing positive.
Imagine if we had 1,239 new cases daily like Sweden did yesterday. That would be cause for the type of reaction Woodhouse and Muller have exhibited in the last 2 days.
Then there is RNZ's headline that that the tracing /test regime has "failed" when it achieved 79 and 74% in 2 days where it was aiming for 80%. That looks very close to the gold standard to me.
Still smarting over the quarantine/isolation issue.
but responsibility lies further up the chain. Who knew that people were absconding from funerals and didn’t alert the minister. Sounds like he genuinely didn’t know when asked about it by heather d p Allen. Someone somewhere in the chain knew and did nothing. They need to be sacked
it’s a f…g pandemic. Bring in the military.
btw my apologies for my angry posts over this. I can’t remember when I last felt this angry.
I too will not be happy until the person /persons directly responsible for managing/supervising the day to day quarantine procedures lose their jobs/s. So many people in NZ have lost jobs in NZ because of Covid and this lackadaisical implementation of quarantining proceedures is unforgivable. So relieved to hear the military /airforce is to control the situation now.
I sympathise, bit it's hard to justify them losing their jobs when a dead set useless Minister of Health retains his.
Actually as an health care worker I feel this Minister is far better than the previous few. He is not responsible for my f–k ups nor am I responsible for those I supervise f–k ups but I am responsible for fixing the f–k ups and preventing further f–k ups.There got that off my chest.
He is accountable for the way the health system functions. And he is responsible for his own actions. On both counts, he should be gone.
You need to lower your bile Paddinton, and put some honey on your tongue.
"Dead set useless Minister of Health"
That is an opinion. Not everyone agrees with you.
Great advice – honey's so good for your health; in moderation, of course.
It's not a difficult case to make. He didn't start well (https://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?objectid=12040202&ref=twitter), but more recently he is the Minister of Health who twice breached lockdown rules – in a health crisis. He is the Minister of health who was absent during the crisis. He is the Minister who scrapped health targets (https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/105016474/editorial-trust-me-i-know-what-im-doing), and then has sat back and watched a health system that is delivering less in key outcomes, despite spending more money. But then you could just watch these:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/video.cfm?c_id=1&gal_cid=1&gallery_id=221095
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=642014136528186
It's the nature of fast-changing news coverage that facts slip through the cracks, and people who rant without the facts don't bother re-visiting what they said. We all move on to the next episode.
So, for the record – everyone who said (with complete certainty and no evidence) the 2 women driving to Wellington MUST have stopped for petrol … was wrong. It was diesel. So they didn't.
It might be worth pausing before the next instant judgement, but hey, where's the fun in that?
I'm gobsmacked that whether they could go Orcland-Wellie on one tank ever got to be an issue. Anyone with just a bit more driving experience than needed for a restricted licence should be able to work out it depends on the car's fuel tank size, efficiency, driving style and skills, and how close the driver is willing to get to empty. Of the cars I've owned in the last thirty years, I'd be confident of doing it in roughly a third, could maybe eke it out in a third, and not a chance in a third of them.
Besides, there's plenty of zero-contact places to fill up. Most Gulls are unmanned, and the Gull at Atiamuri definitely is (it's usually the cheapest around). Pretty sure last couple of times I filled up anywhere near Wellie I paid at the pump.
Observer, I have been appreciating your comments on this issue.
Realize some of mine are generated in anger, although didn't accuse women of not being able to drive from Ak to Wellington. Knew that was possible.
Thanks. I wasn't attacking anyone in particular (I've got things wrong too), it just seems funny that some aspects of a story become the big Debating Point. The whole "could they or couldn't they?" question was all over social media, and the various talking heads on radio etc. Seemed like everyone had an opinion.
Turns out it didn't matter at all.
It seems to me that the process for visas is arse backwards at the moment. Surely the process should be
1 how many people have we the capacity to hold in isolation/ quarantine
2 how many people presently in quarantine
if 2 >= 1 no visa.
it looks like there is an essential feedback path missing here
Sixth in the past fortnight. Looks like something awful is going on.
https://twitter.com/thedailybeast/status/1273128251972599809
Thanks for documenting this Joe90. I can't bear to look – I am afraid of losing my mind watching the implosion and the toxic stuff emerging from the USA every day. There is no truth in the thinking that raising people's living standards (as regularly said about low-paid Asian workers) is sure to make life better. The USA is one of the richest countries, but getting money has only made them meaner and then the strugglers at the bottom are still relatively if not actually poorer. A concrete like conformist mindset creeps in to those with some improvements, and sets up waves of negative thinking about those whose lives aren't improving and who struggle still. Why can't we all get on.
It is a school area and they don't have cameras? Yeah, right Tui.
Surely assisting business to comply with regs has been the leitmotif since neolib came in. Why should a plumber be dumped on who realised something was wrong on a big job, notified the management, but continued with his contractual work? If he doesn't do his work, he doesn't pay his rent or eat, and he might be avoided in future as a trouble-maker. How damn ignorant of the chap from the Plumbing Board to blame the bloke at the bottom, and make him (or her) the scapegoat for shoddy design and sector laxness and rule-breaking.
However, Plumbing Board investigator David Thomas said the certifying plumber had to do much more than just speak up."You couldn't keep installing them the way they were, because they weren't correct, they didn't comply.
"So it's no good saying, 'Oh these aren't right, but I'll just keep going'."Surely you've got to have that ability to say, 'This is where we stop', document it, then wait for a solution to come back," Thomas told the five-member panel in Wellington yesterday.
I think that this Thomas needs to stop working, while he waits for somebody with integrity to investigate his findings, and see whether his employer pays him. There needs to be protection for whistle-blowers that involves paying their costs for doing so. This Plumbing Board guy must be paid to keep authority off the backs of the builders and speculators; he doesn't seem concerned about the contractor. That poor guy, when looking for his next job, may end up in a job shelf-stacking at any hardware shop that remains open.
The opinion the Plumbing Board guy has espoused enables business to slope away from its responsibilities as has been its habit. Government imposes tight regulations and costs on the contractors, workers, micro businesses but the lead guys are virtual criminals allowed free rein. Government itself does not want to accept the responsibility that its power and finances require. The pollies are mates with lead business people who are 'wealth creators' (for themselves). We citizens scrape the pot, and they get the gravy.
Ooooh, Walrus-mo might be delivering the goods after all.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/john-bolton-book-trump-china_n_5eea670ac5b6f4a696b35d21
Fucker did more than ask Xi to help him win reelection.
And Trump told Xi that Americans were clamoring for him to change constitutional rules to serve more than two terms, according to the book.
http://archive.li/jPEcJ#selection-1661.357-1661.496
You might like this one then:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhMAt3BluAU
It sounds like your normal conspiracy theory about China – but it does have published sources.
Heh. My only question is why is this guy homeless when he's got the skills to identify an opportunity and the initiative to jump on it when the moment is right?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12340918
i guess the same reason he swindled his stay at hotel, no money honey.
Sounds a bit dodgy, all most all homeless were housed during and after lockdown. Maybe Chris bishop vouched for him.
Just following up on the warmest May on record.
https://twitter.com/bbcweather/status/1270386079250735105
https://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/nasa-last-month-was-earths-warmest-may-on-record
On Monday Joe, Darwin in the NT hit its highest ever recorded June temp of 35.5 deg and has now push our average daily temp up to 30.7 degrees. We aren’t meant to see these temperatures until mid to late Jul. Soils moisture content in the Northern NT has also crashed to record lows for this time of the yr and again we shouldn’t be seeing this until at least August or September.
The BOM guys have said it going to get even worse during the Dry and a greatest likely hood of more running fires than last yr, btw running fires usually lead to crown fires. Last yrs fire season saw many people too see their first running and crown fires in the NT which were to the old hands a very rare event, but to have 3 such events last yr on the weekend was crazy a enough and very stressful for those on the fire line as well.
Anyway got to head and finish my jobs around the house, before head out bush again on Monday for fire duty.
Kind regards Scud – you seem to be on the front line – to this keyboard 'warrior.' Are the farmers up there connecting with the Mulloon Institute on how to contain water. What to do when you don't get any – the aborigines would probably know something about that.
who can't leave the novatel hotel drive 50 metre turn left and keep going
Savant/Idiot
I appreciate your details, above. But you're like a hyped up current events class.
I'm always out of sync on that account. Shouldn't we concentrate on the central things of the neediest and the fact this is the decade of 1939 for climate change? And we are already too late, 100s of millions will die now.
Kia Ora
The Am Show.
Papatuanuku albartross day great we need to care for the wildlife.
I say that our government has handled the economy quite well keeping people in jobs the alternative government would have sent all the subsidies straight to top and forgot about the common people next minute a big financial mess the trickle down lie never worked .
Its all your m8s in the system that are throwing a spanner in the works.
Its good to see %20 of people don't consume alcohol.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora
Te Ao Maori Marama.
More Wai storage is needed in Aotearoa we also have to minimise our Wai usage and wastage of Wai with what our scientists have forcast for our Mokopuna weather and environment.
It would be good to see Maori business thriving in their exporting markets Maori we're one of the first to export Aotearoa products.
The art wall is a great project.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub.
That's is great Iwi investing in water storage and horticultural.
Mclarn the supercar with A Aotearoa connection.
Matariki starts today we had some Thunder and lightning last night to.
Ka kite Ano
https://youtu.be/qQfetkoGrpU
Kia Ora
Newshub.
The trees need to be planted in steep farm land its all about a ballance.
Anti virus masks and clothing cool new tech clothing.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora
The Am Show.
Aotearoa is lucky we are in a better situation than most.
Asia is important to Aotearoa.
We do need to protect the wildlife.
Ka kite Ano.