Even in the middle of winter rain, the Auckland region water levels are still tracking the same levels as last year, and still well below the 2019 trend. That means a likely summer of more water rationing.
As soon as Watercare taps in that second big pipe into the Waikato, about 40% of New Zealand's population will have more secure fresh water access. Cna't happen fast enough IMHO.
Mayor Goff isn't buying the outright bribe by the Government to join in their water reforms. Unless one of the other regions like Canterbury all vote to go into it, I think this reform is in trouble.
Water supply and treatment are hard enough without a Max Bradford-scale commercialisation exercise.
Last week water take from the Waikato was exceptionally low, around 25% of supply, compared to around 40% normally. I'm guessing that might have been because of shutoffs to enable the works needed for connecting the new supply.
Daniell and Espiner are on the case of those totalitarian, self-censoring Chinese
Red Line, RNZ National, Sunday 18 July 2021, 7:30 a.m.
This morning's episode culminated with John Daniell intoning gravely that the CCP "doesn't have to tell the Chinese media what to say", that they have learned to self-censor. His co-presenter, Guyon Espiner, expressed wonderment at that totalitarian control of the press. These awed comments were underscored by a minatory soundtrack of thrumming basso profundo chords.
The unspoken implication: How lucky we are to live in a country with a press that doesn't self-censor.
Remarkably, both of them made those comments without any hint of self-awareness or irony.
… they can see the mote in another's eye but not in their own.
On RNZ National’s light chat show The Panel a couple of months ago, one of the few guests who has anything interesting to say, Chris Gallavin, made a comment about Tony Blair. Unlike the host Wallace Chapman and the others (Robert Kelly and Ali Jones) in the studio, Gallavin wasn't content to make lighthearted quips about Blair's mullet haircut: Gallavin reminded them that Blair was responsible for crimes against humanity in Iraq. That comment was met with a stony silence and then this scolding response from the producer Robert Kelly: "A-a-a-a-and as a public broadcaster I'm not touching that with a pole."
The awkward silence from both Chapman and Jones was telling. Gallavin had failed to self-censor, and the reaction of the other three—either Chapman's and Jones's stunned silence or Kelly's embarrassed dismissal—showed that they were well aware of that.
Gallavin might have been speaking to Red Guards in 1960s China, or Soviet Commissars in the 1930s. It is an act of hypocrisy and audacity for Radio NZ to single out CHINESE journalists for acting similarly to the host and producer of The Panel. I would bet a small fortune that neither John Daniell nor Guyon Espiner has ever questioned, let alone confronted, RNZ management about its softball, PR, self-censored interviews with the likes of Tony Blair, his wife Cherie, Blair’s hatchet man Alistair Campbell, or any of the host of other grotesques and criminals of British politics that it has indulged over the years.
Radio New Zealand hosts and panellists constantly self-censor, following the party line on China, Russia, Syria, the Ukraine, Palestine, Venezuela, Hong Kong….
If you are looking for independent thinking journalism on foreign affairs, steer clear of RNZ.
And Australia as well, Ed. They are always careful—fearful—when they speak about that rogue state. It's almost as if they are diplomats afraid of speaking plainly.
By the way, a transcript of that Panel episode is available here….
In a win, win, for the taxpayers and the rational and conscientious farmers who take their responsibility to the climate and environment seriously, the protesting 'farmers and growers' who object to climate change mitigation and prevention measures, like the Ute Tax, should not have to pay this tax, if they agree to forgo goverment assistance when their farms and crops are damaged in extreme weather events.
I think the government should seriously make this offer to the protest organisers and their supporters.
That should shut them up.
In light of the headlines from here and around the world of the recent extreme weather events, droughts, floods, fires, heatwaves, crop failures and deaths, I would venture, zero to none would agree to take up such an offer, if it was made to them.
NZ farmers in tractor protest against environmental ‘ute tax’ rules
Groundswell NZ organised the “Howl of a Protest” in more than 40 towns and cities across New Zealand over recent environmental regulations, the “ute tax” and a Pacific seasonal worker shortage…..
Labour MP for Wairarapa Kieran McAnulty told RNZ that most of the farmers he had heard from told him the protest did not represent their views.
Farmers doing their bit
He said most farmers had been doing their bit for a long time, and he worried the protest would paint all farmers as climate deniers who did not care about the environment.
“I know that’s not true but I would hate for that to be the image of farmers as a result of today …
… McAnulty said there was a very strong economic argument for the proposed changes, the farming leadership bodies and the majority of farmers were on board with them, and the protest would undermine the good consensus work done in the past four years.
“That’s what the farming leadership bodies are saying, they’re on board with this — Federated Farmers is on board with this. Unfortunately that message is being lost with today’s protest.”
….The National Party is among the most ardent critics of the government’s electric car rebate scheme and has said it will immediately reverse the policy if returned to power.*
*[Thankfully what the Nutional Party had to say is irrellevant as they will not be allowed near the levers of power for some time.]
Back in the day, everyone either had a family member or knew someone who worked on a farm. These days us townies are much more disconnected from the land. National are fomenting this division for political purposes. To the detriment of the country.
"As British green party activist Derek Wall argues in his book on green politics, the movement has important differences from both the left and right. Most greens see themselves on the economic and social left, but their focus on decentralization and local solutions separates them from many traditional socialist parties."
Greens are currently part of the government in these countries: Austria, Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Sweden. Seven – the magic number! We may be entering a transition phase in which the Greens achieve leverage globally.
"Most green parties have committed themselves to four pillars:
ecological sustainability;
grassroots democracy;
social justice; and,
nonviolence."
After four decades it's high time the Green movement realises such minimalism is no longer fit for purpose. The survival of humanity now and into the future depends on the shift of its relation to nature from parasitic to symbiotic. So a spiritual principle is implied as the essential fifth element in the ideological framing of Green politics.
The Council on Foreign Relations has long been one of the key US think-tanks, operating at the top level of the hierarchy: "With over 5,000 members, the institution’s ranks include top government officials, scholars, lawyers, nonprofit professionals, journalists, educators, religious leaders, and business executives." Their website update on Green politics serves to brief members on a significant global trend. It signifies potential entry of the Greens into the US establishment.
I don't see them doing more than propping up other governments at best, unless they can get more coherent on issues such as nuclear energy, military force, foreign policy, and cooperation with right-wing and populist parties.
Depends on how much the future is a child of the past. Your appraisal is in accord with how I've seen things moving the past quarter-century. Most folk do default to the status quo of left/right even when those are both part of the problem. Collective solutions to social problems are normally defeated by the establishment, so few advocates spend time promoting them, and even fewer are capable of political collaboration that works.
Nonetheless the survival imperative will eventually overwhelm the status quo, so the fact that the CFR are signalling their shift gives us some hope.
The leftism/centrism hybrid thing has begun to gell here. The Dunedin rebel standing against James Shaw for the leadership faces the intellectual challenge of how to frame his stand above & beyond impatience. Should be an interesting test. Is he just another Jack McDonald? Or can he see the big picture?
Not sure where you have been seeing this Ad. The showing on the Womens Day thread has been poor in my view. I for one have been disappointed as it would be good to get a younger feminist perspective. No knowledge or recognition of the vast background/history of feminism, once again the oldies of feminism times past are among those doing the heavy lifting in the discussion of the issues.
Boots Theory is still the most trenchant and concise feminist commentary around.
Far from being this one commenter on the Womens Day thread has written in response to SR
a long list of mantras isn’t discussion.
Tracey 10.1
The responses have been formulaic on the issues.
Squashing people down is not a viable way of getting support or educating on the issues.
My big concern is that the amendment may not get through because of what is happening out in the field, the fomenting of civil unrest. This is different from the 1981 Springbok tour issue as the Govt has signalled that it will enact legislation to fix/improve the issue. The 1981 the then Govt stood resolutely with the pro tour people.
That moderates ie the centre on which we are depending on this issue, will see it as too much of a risk and that the religious extremists who have had a voice in Womens issues for too long over the years will marshall themselves to force it out based on the unrest it is causing.
I'm always impressed with the way simply praising a commenter who left here after substantial bullying, turns right into insults about whether one is feminist, the entire history of feminism, one's lineage into the Springbok Tour, and the role of religious extremism within New Zealand feminism … and that unless you can follow all of that, you are "squashing people down".
Pull back from your keyboard if all you have is insults.
Far out. I have no knowledge of bullying or any background and really it has nothing to do with the issue. Why would it? The issue is about knowledge that we are able to use to help us learn. Why am I not able to say that I was disappointed?
Just to clarify I have been amazed, astounded and welcome all the views in The Women Day thread. I would dearly love to get a view from the ones who feel that attacking others trying to find out what the issues are about (ie talking about the SUFW meetings and why people have been attempting to shut them down ie stop discussion on the issues.)
There have been other points raised that would be good to have a well crafted response from another POV.
You have misinterpreted what I have said above, if you think it is insulting. What I have said is/was the reality for many of us, we will need to get the centre on side for it to go anywhere.
We would welcome over in the Womens thread contributions from younger 'anyones'.
What does not get very far are formulaic responses. Many of us support the legislation and fear that this growing unrest seemingly promulgated by those who have the most to gain by its enactment will mean it may not get through.
When it comes to getting people on side, I can report that those arguing an exclusionary position have indeed been influential in shaping my opinion on topics where previously I had been undecided. Just not in the direction they were trying for.
From what I am reading the issue relating to the birth certificate and changing it where needed is one of great importance to the trans community. It is of great importance now to me that the enactment go through based on this and in terms of equity for all which as been part of my life.
I am holding on to this. I will continue to support it despite the 'shooting oneself in the foot' and 'own goals' that are occurring when discussion is closed down or attempted to be closed down.
Well, it's good you've finally made a decision, Andre – the issue's only been floating around on the left since 1990 or so. I first blogged about it in 9 years ago when this most marginalised and sidelined of all minorities managed to get a tampon ad pulled – and completely expunged from the historical record apart from some stills and well-buried links to the news stories of the day.
That was the point Greer was crowned as Chief Bitch-Witch (TERF was yet to become the all-purpose insult.)
Looking back at that post, although I was very aware of the issues, having been a feminist and on the left since the early 70s, I never saw this coming. In 2015 (a seminal year for the development of Transgenderism as a political movement) I saw a video which had 4 million views at the time, by a men's rights vlogger "Turd Flinging Monkey" calling for his fellow MGTOW monks (really, it's a thing) – to pose as "transgender lesbians" on social media to "fuck up feminists"- but even then I didn't register all the implications.
I can hardly be blamed for that – after all, most of the loudest opiners on the subject only got on board the trans rights train very recently.
Meanwhile – NZ continues to imprison more indigenous women per capita than any other country. The use of solitary confinement in NZ prisons has increased on Labour's watch. Until there was an outcry, some women prisoners were shackled during childbirth. Corrections used methods tantamount to torture against "difficult" wāhine….. I want to write about stuff like that – and poverty, homelessness, substandard housing, health triaging, how we are going to confront the rise of rightwing populism and authoritarianism which is lurking in the wings learning its lines – so that's what I'm going to do.
I'd forgotten about Turd Flinging Monkey! That there are third and fourth actors in the war, with their own agenda, and with substantial cyber tech skills, is something that isn't foregrounded, and it should be. I don't think this aspect of it can be underestimated. MRAs and neoliberal power mongers laughing all the way to the bank.
Weka, 'at war with their own agenda' seems to me to be a way of explaining the rationale???? (if there is one) for shutting up, or trying to, any debate on the issue about birth certificates.
It is happening so frequently that looks like strategy. This picketing, litigation etc can't all be spontaneous can it?
MRAs have an obvious reason to fuck with both feminists and trans people.
Gender activists see GCFs as the enemy, so shutting GCFs down is righteous. They're well organised online and have a lot of community group influence.
I would guess but don't have any evidence that there are also people with high tech skills running bots on social media to fuck with citizens and undermine democracy.
The religious right especially in the US are another complicating factor.
It's complex, and the left infighting so bitterly over this is happening at the worst possible time. That we are getting less and less able to talk with each other and disagree is alarming to me.
Some people can never be wrong. Others are paid professional cats among the pigeons whose entire objective is to disturb and disrupt.
What agendas are working with, and against, a cause. The trolls are from the professional against camp, but come well disguised.
Provided you convince people there is still debate to be had – an issue does not get settled. Leaving something in litigation is just as effective as shutting it down.
A couple of years back there was a tweet from someone referencing TFM and that video, which I hadn't keep a link to. I copied the link again but have lost it somewhere in the vast amount of stuff I have archived. I can't face trawling through all the woman-hating vileness to find it. I'm in no doubt there are all manner of bad faith actors stirring the pot. I can't make up my mind whether I'm amused, appalled, or depressed by leftists swallowing stuff which back in the day we'd have suspected was a CIA (or similar) psy-op.
I was wondering what changed your mind about the veracity of the latest Russiagate museings. Its good to see you don't actually support the guy dismissing all the credible journalists as shrieking moonbats.
First: what you think you saw was not what was actually there.
Second: if you want to have a go at something that's going on on another thread, have your go at it over where it belongs instead of hijacking an unrelated thread.
Ad, I clicked in SR avatar and the columns came up. It was after reading those and then reading the contributions in the thread that I was disappointed.
I have no knowledge of any background about SR on these boards. How would I? Does it have relevance? Why would it?
Do we have to now self censor in case we might offend someone whose back ground we know nothing of?
I don't understand the various fluid methods of stopping discussion for some reason that is then counted as something negative because it is criticism. SR is something new to me also.
Here is what I found on google about what its meaning probably is.
Screen Recording (Copyright Protected/Private) Media Is Theoretically Illegal Unless You Are Licensed. … In these cases, as a streaming viewer or an online event attendee, screen recording is not just a personal thing, because it may break some rules or even laws.14/07/2020
Is Screen Recording Illegal on PC? Any Copyright Infringement Here? https://www.recmaster.net › how-to › is-screen-recording-…
If you had no knowledge of Stephanie Rodgers when there was plenty on her overultiple sites and years, then you commented about my praise of her her in ignorance.
Yeah, there's always the "it didn't sound like that when I wrote it" problem.
The main redline for me is if I have to delete more than two f-words in a comment, or clauses like "you infantile, petulant manbaby" (and there are many other expressions that have been typed and deleted over the years). Then it's definitely time to not make a comment but instead to go have a cup of tea, no matter how stupid I think someone else is being.
Writing comments in Word and then copying & pasting them into the comment field/editor can help smooth out and blunt the sharper edges. There’s no time limit in Word.
"substantial bullying" that's no good. What was the nature of the bullying? What were the issues? I would hope that the moderators shut down substantial bullying.
TS has a long complex history re women authors. Don’t think it can be adequately explained at least not easily at this time, in part because some of it played out in the backend
Ok cheers, Weka. Was she bullied on the Standard or on her blog. Not that it would matter to her. Bullying is bullying.
I find things get a little heated on this site, and like others I count to 10 or something before I post (or try to). I know I can be a bit feisty, but I trust moderators to make sure things don't cross the line. That's why I was asking about Stephanie, cause I generally trust the Standard not to let things get too out of hand
in part because some of it played out in the backend
What played out was quite simple really. A group of pro-feminist authors were absolutely opposed to me expressing the idea that IPV (Intimate Partner Violence) was perhaps better understood as an enduring problem in which both sexes played their role, and that in order to make progress both sexes had their own experiences and voices that should be heard.
Well that set off a reaction – the mere suggestion that the 'patriarchy' might not be the sole explanation for all the evils of the world was an anathema. I was subject to sustained bullying and emotional manipulation in a massive pile-on. One author – much to my considerable disappointment at the time – resigned citing my problematic presence. The whole story need not be repeated, but the upshot was that in order to keep the peace I made the commitment at the time not to comment on anything directly related to gender henceforth.
That was about four years ago and I believe with maybe a few trifling exceptions, I've self-censored on the topic since. Moreover weka has since pointedly refused to directly engage me on virtually any topic whatsoever (social exclusion being a preferred female form of aggression as my partner pointed out to me a while back). I've been the subject of countless bullshit moderations where obviously on topic comments get moved to OM as 'distractions' simply because she disagrees with my view. In general I've been made as unwelcome as possible and as a result I've scaled back my participation considerably.
In addition weka has had a very free hand on moderation and authoring in the backend for at least four years now, while I've almost completely avoided any involvement in that space. The idea that she constantly repeats that 'TS is unsafe for women' is nonsense.
And now this entire 'gender critical debate' arises, that plays out the same shitty Identity Politics game but now weka finds herself at the wrong end of it – just as I did four years ago. I'm one of the few male regulars here (Sanctuary is the other that springs to mind) who actually supports her position on principle yet she cannot even acknowledge this, continuing to insinuate 'problematic male behaviour in the backend'.
I can even bring myself to accept a 'womens only' thread (a privilege that's obvious she would never tolerate being extended to male only voices) even though I have some reservations. But again that's not good enough, still TS is problematic for you.
These insinuations that TS isn't safe for 'women' need to stop. TS has in fact given you every support and encouragement possible for years. On my part I've stepped back and ceded uncontested to you the public space to run whatever viewpoint you like. You've been given pretty much full rein to curate threads far more aggressively than any other moderator, to make them the safe spaces you want them to be. You can find of course plenty of moments where people have disagreed with you – almost none where you have been personally attacked, slurred or arbitrarily moderated against.
In the past year I've been reading these 'trans gender critical' threads, it's clear that many biological women are finding themselves wrongly marginalised, emotionally manipulated and in other forums outright cancelled. Part of me is tempted to snicker at the deep irony of it all, but instead I've broken my self-imposed silence to express my support for the SUFW position as a matter of important principle. As you've recently discovered – the ability to discuss and debate across deeply held differences of opinion is important. The descent into mutually hostile tribal groups that cannot tolerate each other's presence, much less listen to each other, is the predictable and degenerate consequence of Identity Politics. Consequences you're now experiencing for yourself.
The only difference here is that you've had the unconstrained opportunity to use TS as a safe space to both defend and promote your voice. It's time you acknowledged that.
You are absolutely right that the responses have been weak and formulaic. But you are mistaken I think if you believe that there is much critical thinking on this issue. I've been looking for good reasons as to why I should desist from fighting for women's sex based rights to be retained in the face of legislation that risks them becoming meaningless and found nothing that is convincing. Believe me it is a thankless task, as well as utterly tiresome, to be called a hater and to be accused of causing suicide and all manner of other nonsense by advocates for the bill. “No debate” is not a claim that is fit call for those who wish to live in a democracy after all.
I think it is because the so called allies of transgender people have been able to get away with simple intimidation – calling discussion hatred and making baseless claims of transphobia – for 4 years!!!!! It has been successful in shutting many down. No actual case has been marshalled.
In any case a winning and robust case would have recognised the need to balance rights and develop a fair solution not a winner takes all result. But instead of that the BDMRR Bill’s self-id provisions that were nearly forced through in 2018 appears to have been the result of a coordinated and covert effort facilitated by the Select Committee in a way that was never covered in the media or made public in any other way until the amended bill was revealed for its Second Reading. SUFW was formed when some women became concerned about what was happening and some belated counter submissions were made. But how can good law be made without engaging stakeholders from interested parties on all sides?
No debate, trying to close down public meetings and agitating to get paid adverstising taken down are anti-democratic approaches that also attack our civil society ecosystem more generally and breed cyncism and disconnection across the whole sphere of political life. If a movement relies on cancellation of the opposition based on claims of hatred and harm those arguments do tend to stop working when they are revealed to be clearly untrue.
And even if the Bill goes through with self-ID, it's not like women are going to suddenly disappear or go, oh, that's alright then. Self-ID isn't just this one amendment, it's a broad social change tied into gender over sex that is being ushered in without due process. Most of NZ either doesn't know this is going on, or doesn't have the whole picture because of No Debate.
I agree that it's anti-democratic. Imo with rising fascism in the west, it's dangerous for the left to be operating this way.
I didn't know she'd been away let alone been bullied. There's a lot of that about. I haven't commented here in a while either and it was seeing the utterly shameful way a TS stalwart was treated by some leftist men on Twitter that reignited my interest.
Debate is good. Trenchant is good, and concise is essential in this era of short attention spans and debate by sound bite. I fail miserably in respect of the latter – I'm on the way too loooong end of the long form ––short form spectrum. Sigh.
One of the things I love about TS is that we do have people who do want a longer read that is not full of slogans or soundbites. To have these thoughtful pieces we need people who write longer pieces/posts.
So neither 'concise' nor 'trenchant' is necessarily a plus in my view. Trenchant views by their very nature are better with some explanation otherwise they appear untethered and being untethered just float off into the ether. With explanation they may be something you would agree with.
I didn't know she'd been away let alone been bullied.
I recall Stephanie Rodgers as an author and commenter here some 5 or more years ago. Sometimes I agreed with her synopsis, sometimes I didn't.
As for the bullying accusation… it is possible she was, but bullying in this type of forum can sometimes be strong disagreement which has been misconstrued as bullying.
My recollection of Stephanie is that she could give as good as she got.
This is about Britain, but there is enough here that can be related to Aotearoa. Especially our preparedness and councils such as Thames allowing waterfront developments.
and the MSD getting an upgrade! Oh it's just to the building and perhaps nicer surroundings for the workers coping with the savage hordes and losers! More toilets needed? /sarc.
The proposed They Are Us film wouldn’t actually be about New Zealand in any meaningful sense. It’d simply be weaponising New Zealand for American Culture War purposes, and that is seriously offensive.
One thing to remember about New Zealand politics is that in contrast to the United States (or even Australia), gun-ownership is not a politicised issue. Only very small fringes actually care about the subject (in normal circumstances). Our gun regulations are written with the support of both big parties, and tend to be responsive to events, rather than an ideological football – the last big update of New Zealand firearm legislation was done in the aftermath of the Aramoana shooting three decades ago. And among people who do own guns… they are weapons for shooting animals (recreational or otherwise), or for target-shooting, not for “protecting” yourself.
The Babylon Bee is a conservative Christian news satire website that publishes satirical articles on topics including religion, politics, current events, and public figures. It has been referred to in the media as a Christian, evangelical, or conservative version of The Onion
Anker. You do know that indiana is a right wing troll. Indiana would disagree with almost every value you have except, curiously, anti-transgender sentiment.
It’s no accident that that person posted what they did @ 10. They have been watching the discussion over the last few days did it deliberately to sow division.
I don't comment much on the GCF v Transgender debate but I do comment on how GCF has simultaneously cosied up to, and been highjacked by right wing politicians and supporters desperate for single issues with which to attack progressive policy.
Ok fair call Muttobird. It does ring a bell about Indiana.
I don't feel hijacked by the right wing. I do feel very let down by Labour though and to a huge degree they have lost my support.
As I have said previously I think Tinetti could have shown some leadership and tried to bring both sides together, but she has completely shut gc out.
But perhaps this is how the right capture the disenfranchised as happened with Brexit. Its something the left wing need to be aware of. For all people criticize Bomber Bradbury, I think he has his finger on this potential for this to happen
I am aware of Babylon Bee. I was tempted to post one of their satires on this site after Sacha posted some satire written by Stephanie Rodgers the other day. But I paused and wrote a long point of view about what I believe the issues to be from my point of view.
How big business screws NZ. Villa Maria a successful winery is for some reason going belly up for $200 million, approx. owing to banks, the tax dept and sundry creditors not mentioned. Never mind there is always some overseas buyer that will take our resources off our hands.
Rabobank and ANZ appointed Calibre Partners as receivers of the holding company, FFWL, in May.
At the time, one of the receivers, Brendon Gibson stressed that Villa Maria's domestic and international business, which had been operating for 60 years, remained in good health…
The first receivers report, released earlier today, said the company owed its bankers $211.9m…
"In the lead up to our appointment the [FFWL] and [Villa Maria] came under pressure due to issues with the Group's capital structure," the report said.
"[FFWL] had been running processes to raise equity and sell some land in Māngere, Auckland that is surplus to its core operating requirements."
Among the other suitors rumoured to be in the running to take a stake in Villa Maria was the French beverage giant Pernod Ricard, Australian wine company Accolade Wines, and US beverage company Constellation Brands.
(And inhttps://opencorporates.com/companies/nz/7765197 an above company is actually registered as FFWL Limited. How open is that – it doesn't even have a recognisable name in words, just a bunch of letters! Why not numbers – no doubt because that would be confusing with communication cellphone numbers. It is a step away from honest representation of an entity, a part of our slide down a greasy track.)
Entirely predictable July 17th escalation from last weekend's stabbings. The police in that clip seem entirely out of patience with everyone – apparently they had some tear gas thrown back at them. Dozens arrested and; knives, stungun & pepperspray, littering the ground behind the dispersed.
It strikes me, in the context of the ongoing Incitement of Discrimination discussion, that this is a good example of behavior that should be captured by those law changes. If cubangel; premeditatedly went, as a conservative Christian, to a known trans-friendly women's spa (unless maybe as a clueless tourist) and preformed outrage for her social media platform at the presence of trans women on a day when no trans women were booked in; then that seems pretty clear incitement to discrimination to me. She surely bears some culpability for the ensuing stabbings, intimidation, and other violence? Though all alleged and probably under investigation, though no charges seem to have been made in regards to the other week that I have yet seen.
Thanks for putting your thoughts on this clearly Fn 👍 I disagree about culpability there or likelihood of it being a hoax, but am glad we have common ground on avoiding the creation of violent politics in NZ, important for trans ppl who are already at risk in public spaces and women who are becoming more at risk.
I am still having some quoting problems on mobile, Weka – but at least I have worked out how to link again (that may be due to my not having cleared enough kid videos space to update Android as it just reminded me to). There are definitely more buttons in the comment frame than there used to be. Learning curve.
But; cubangel, should be cubanangel – typo. It's the USA, so the worst that is likely to happen to her is getting sued by Wi Spa for loss of earnings and reputational damage.
Personally, I think no one has any business being in a shared spa during a raging pandemic in LA. Even if vaccinated themselves.
I am concerned about things esculating too. Emotions are running very high.
I am not a violent type at all, and use to joke with my friends during the Spring box tour protests that I was a bit of a coward and would protest at the back.
I don't know who stabbed who, which protesters and I don't want to get into was it a hoax wasn' it or who stabbbed who. Whoever did the stabbing is responsible for doing the stabbing though. And I say that with no idea of whether it was the trans or the gender critical
But if the spa lets trans women into the women’s area, then in my mind whether its a hoax isn’t that relevant. I posted another article where a spa in Calafornia had a similar incident and this was reported by the spa itself.
Women protestors in the UK visited the Hampstead mens only pool, some with beards on, in protest about gender self id. It was obviously a “hoax”. But interestingly enough the men at the mens only pool were really pissed about the women being there and called the police
As I said in another thread, I wished Labour and Tinetti had have shown some leadership and tried to bring parties together. Just siding with one group as what happened during the tour, only makes things worse.
In case anyone is less incurious than Anker about who (allegedly) was stabbed by whom on July 3rd:
A right-wing protestor drew a gun on a person recording the event and told him it was “something to shoot you with.” A videographer wearing a vest marked “PRESS” was struck from behind by a right wing protester with a metal pipe. Another anti-trans protester stabbed two people: a pro-trans counter protester who was reportedly hospitalized by the wound, and a fellow anti-trans protesters while she was attempting to help him off the ground. The LAPD quickly declared the protest and counter-protest unlawful assemblies and dispersed them.
As for the spa allowing trans women entry – yes that is their policy, in accordance with the laws of California. If cubanangel and her allies had a problem with that, they would have been better advised to target the lawmakers rather than try to harass a private business into breaking that law.
Calls to defend “female spaces” and “women’s shelters” have become rallying cries of anti-trans groups, who have falsely suggested that trans-inclusive policies endanger cis women. California has for years had laws in place that allow trans people to use facilities that match their gender…
“Like many other metropolitan areas, Los Angeles contains a transgender population, some of whom enjoy visiting a spa,” Wi Spa had said in a statement to Los Angeles Magazine in late June, noting that California law bars businesses from discriminating against trans people. “Wi Spa strives to meet the needs of all its customers.”
Which was on the 16th of July – more than a week after the July 3rd violence (that's a fortnight ago now). The stabbing of his own ally as she came to help him does stick in the mind! I assumed that you were referring to the original June 24th instagram by cubanangel, and were not aware of the later developments. I think you said as much somewhere later in the thread. But by that date the story was much more about the violence and the ticking clock countdown to July 17th (that was reported here today with NZ time). At least on more international fora that I also comment on (under different pseudonyms).
I probably wouldn't have been talking about it so much here these last couple of days except for rumours that protrans protests were getting subjected to violence in NZ, and people might have to think about defending themselves. Which seems a huge mistake to me! Shields are also weapons, and protests do get tense. The source for the rumour seems to be this single slap – which no one condones, but is a fair way from the street warfare outside Wi Spa in LA. I did like this statement from SUFW spokeswomen too:
Johnson, whose group has repeatedly been criticised for insulting the mana of transgender people, was “shocked” to hear of the alleged incident. “We are a non-violent organisation, and we’re really staunch in that.
“We are calling for respectful, considered public dialogue. This is the last thing we want. We don’t know the validity of that [slapping] claim … but I absolutely condemn physical violence and abuse,”
I am not sure why you were surprized I brought up the Wi Spa. I remain of the view that it could of been a hoax or maybe it was n’t a hoax.
I also posted an article where the Century Spa in Calafornia, the business itself reported that very thing happened in the spa i.e. naked man who identified as a women walking around naked with his penis out.
It is uncommon for protesters to use set ups to get their point across. I would like to read what the women who recorded the video at the WI Spa says. It may have been a set up to get the point across and the reality is that trans women do appear to be able to access the women only area of the spa. If that is the case, I don’t agree with it.
So I don't know how this problem will get ressolved, but I don't condone violence, I never have and I never will. It appears SUFW don't either.
This issues for me are that women's human rights are protected in the human rights act. This is for women only spaces in public change rooms etc, womens schools, refuges, prisons and sport. I am adamant I don't want those rights eroded and many women feel the same way (I know some women don't as well). I hear very little from the christian right in the country on this issue. This defence of biological womens rights is coming from women on the left.
I also feel really pissed off about the dehumanizing changes to how women are described e.g people who menstuate, birhting units and chest feeders. I hear left wing women starting to say "well of course I support trans rights, but the bridge too far was starting to refer to chest feeders. This woman has laboured to give birth to four children and breast fed them.
Why is it proponants of gender ideology want to change how biological women are described?
I accept that some people feel/want to identify as member of the opposite sex to what they were born. They are entitled to do that. I don't want to prevent anyone from living their life in the way they want too. But I first started to question what the hell was going on, when I was hearing about women being told if they didn't concur with the idea that trans women were real women then they were trans phobic if they didn’t.. Never in my life has anyone required me to accept their world view and if not I was considered a bigot. I don't think it is reasonable to do this. Its a bit like the close friend I have who is a practicing catholic. I am an athiest btw. This catholic friend of mine has a strong religious faith. It is something internal to them. Its not material and it can't be measured. And although I have no belief in god as such, I completely respect their right to hold their faith. BUT if they started saying I should agree with the mantra God is real and really exists, I would have a big problem with that. And if they started smearing me and calling me a bigot because I wouldn't agree with them, that isn't right. And if they started changing the language on me e.g. rather than calling me a women they started refering to me as god's creasture or something like that, I would reject that. And likely I would begin to feel they were imposing something on me and wern't respecting my boundaries.
I probably wouldn't have been talking about it so much here these last couple of days except for rumours that protrans protests were getting subjected to violence in NZ, and people might have to think about defending themselves.
has there been more than that one incidence in Wellington?
This is difficult to link to Weka. Because I am either paraphrasing confidences, or reporting rumors. So indulge me a little here, and I'll avoid such poorly founded speculation on other comments. You got to admit that I got it right predicting WiSpa protests and counterprotests in LA on July the 17th – this is informed by similar sources.
Firstly, it doesn't matter what the facts may actually be, people will act on what they believe the facts to be. So, there is a certain portion of the trans community who seem to be spoiling for a fight. To be fair, it is not just the Wellington slap at the SUFW, violence against trans women in particular has been spiking a bit this past month.
The Dunedin SUFW meeting and protests are set for Saturday the 24th. I wasn't actually intending to attend myself, but now I am starting to think I should go, to keep an eye on the young ones and make sure they don't decide that the best defense is a good offense.
There is also a rumor about trans men starting to aggressively use women's spaces. So any bearded jeans wearing individuals that you might encounter there might turn out to be a "Bull Dyke on steroids" (say that to their faces when you meet them and I am sure they will help correct your language usage in their own peculiar ways). Though; that's a community I have only the most tangential relationship with, and is hopefully humour for which I am not the target audience.
So Wi spa aside this stuff is happening in the States, where male bodied individuals feel entitled to be around women and girls. The spa doing their best to manage this situation.
Note to anyone reading this. I would be grateful if male bodied humans did not enter my women only spaces such as toilets, change rooms spas. I would be grateful if you would respect this please.
Anker, NZ Trans women already are legally allowed in public spaces designed for the use of women. They can't just walk into any woman's home and do as they please without permission. But then, nor can cis-women.
The law states that "an employee should be able to use facilities that match their gender identity, for example: trans women should be able to use a women's toilet, and trans men should be able to use a men's toilet".
"While a unisex toilet is a positive way to ensure facilities are inclusive (and may be more comfortable for a trans person early in their transition), a trans employee should not be excluded from using the appropriate single sex toilet."
The piece is from 2016 – a few years ago now. But I haven't heard that the law has changed since. First thing that popped up on Google, rather than any reason for this particular article.
maybe just maybe, the issue is not Transwomen in women spaces – who generally don't expose themselves to women and kids, but men who identify as such to gain access to spaces that are single sex spaces.
Maybe the issue is that violent male who have a record for raping and killing females get to transition to female with all that it entails.
Most transgender women are probably horrified by these 'women' themselves. Personally i would see legislation passed that while these individuals have their right to transition, they should not be given the right to access single female spaces as they are neither safe for bio women nor transwomen.
And above all we must also at some stage admit the damage that gendered violence does to women – again, All women. But i guess that will be for a different century, as 'Not all men' is still an issue, despite NOT All men being rapists and sexual abusers, but MOST rapists and sexual abusers are men, and some of these men present as women. And women now get to be fearful of men and women.
"I'm trans, but the purpose of bathing there is that I'm deciding to be female, but really that shouldn't be any of your fucking concern," Acosta told Gothamist on Monday.
This is Acosta who wanted to use the women's spa in New York.
Read the article. He was determind to be able to be in the change room and naked areas. F….entitled. No thought that others might not want him the there. He might be deciding to be a female but the majority of women would never be so entitled.
Acosta is a transgender man, and was assigned female at birth. His legal ID lists female.
also:
On Sunday, Acosta was hoping to avoid confusion. "Let me get the pink key so I can be with people who have the same body as I do," he recalled thinking.
So by your rules he shouldn't be allowed to use the men's, but because people love speculating about what is in other people's pants he couldn’t use the nude areas you think he should be using.
On Sunday, Acosta was hoping to avoid confusion. "Let me get the pink key so I can be with people who have the same body as I do," he recalled thinking. "So I asked them to give me a pink key, and that's when it started rolling."
Niv Acosta (the person at the centre of the 2016 article that Anker linked to @2:02 pm – and yes, I did read the article) has a Wikipedia page that indicates they were born female (in 1988), and that they began to identify as a (trans) man in 2009. [McFlock beat me to it.]
Acosta made that choice as a young adult in their 20s – all good. I personally have some concerns about the increasing number of teenage (or younger) females who want to change gender, and how society is responding to, and maybe even fostering this trend, but I've no idea how to curtail it, or even if it should be curtailed.
Yes, I get where you are coming from (to the extent that's realistically possible for someone who didn't experience it). And I'm sorry that was done to you.
I don't get how self-id will makes crimes like that more likely, especially when the issue is more complex than "men" and "women", as your confusion over Acosta indicates.
As you know Forget Now I absolutely don't condone violence.
Maybe people should have done a better job about consulting women about who they do and don't want in their bathrooms. And then listened to them. That would save the discomfort all round. I do know how this trans women feels. I have posted a number of times on this site that I was attacked by a masked man in a change room who attempted to rape me. I got away with only a punch to the face. Now I don't trust any biological males in change rooms. And for years I did everything I could to avoid public toilets and change rooms, unless accommpanied. I still will check empty cubicles when I do use public toilets. I avoid talking and thinking about this attack. I thought the mask man was going to kill me when I first saw him. But on this site no compassion for my position about biological men and change rooms.
I didn't know about the toilet rules for work places. For me that is just another example of how they don't care enough about womens private spaces to ask us whether we are o.k. with it.
Perhaps you will understand where I am coming from with this stuff when you read my comment above about the attack I experienced in a change room. There is also a women on the women's day post who had to have a masectomy due to breast cancer and is saying surely she dosne't have to have biological males in her change room.
But I doubt it. Where is the compassion for women and girls?
actually I eat my words. Good on Acosta. He did the right thing. As far as I am concerned he (with his female body) is welcome in to the pink key.
So for those who think I am trans phobic, that isn’t what this is about for me. Its about biology and trust. Yes and making the decision that you identify as a member of the opposite sex in your early 20’s sounds about right. Brain is nearer full development. I am glad none of the decisions i made in my teens were of significant consequences or irreversable
Thanks McFlock. Iam not sure if you will get this due to the reply button!
I have got quite a lot. going on at the moment, so want be on the Standard too much.
I have been thinking it would be good to call a truce of all the your side were terrible, no your side were worse. And somewhat more idealistically than I usually am wondered about the possibility on the Standard of coming up with some common ground between trans and gender critical. And maybe some rules of engagement such as agree to disagree.
I hate reading about the visciousnes of the fighting and it bothered me a great deal about the fighting.
I think at the heart of the matter is gender ideology versus biological materialism, but I could be wrong.
Anyway if you get this message and you think its worth having a go let me know. Even if there is very little overlap it could be a start.
It seems to me that a lot of the commenters on the topic here at TS have a lot of common values, but on this issue we disagree on some particular things that are fundamental to the discussion. As in, I think it's even more basic than the definition arguments. But those fundamental differences cascade into different definitions, frames, and desired resolutions.
It's like two physicists planning the first orbital space station, but they disagree on the value of the gravitational constant. A little tweak there makes them disagree on everything from the size of launch vehicles to the shape of the orbit, even the feasibility of the entire project.
But because this particular issue also has some pretty important effects on rights and people's safety, arguments get heated.
On a separate note, a commenter above mentions having some info saved but that it's swamped amongst all the other items they've saved.
Several others over the years have mentioned bookmarking or archiving large amounts of material.
What tools do people use to keep track of their information and collate the sources?
Does anyone use a separate data management tool or archiving/collation database? Or is everything just saved to a directory or bookmarks toolbar?
Basically, does anyone use a tool like a library catalogue: a wee form that has things like subject category, keywords you might search for in the future, authors, publications, web links, saved filename, all of that sort of "metadata" about the thing you want to save. Then when you're looking for something about "First labour govt" or "housing", you type that term into the search engine and it tells you exactly what items cover that subject.
It was recorded last April, and may have been commented on at that time, but cannot recall hearing it then.
For some of the discussion, there was talk of whether we should have a capital gains tax. My understanding is that we do, but we have over the years exempted a lot of those gains from being taxed.
For funds like superannuation schemes (including Kiwisaver), and insurance companies and banks, any investments are clearly being made to make profits, and they are automatically taxable – and that will include profits and losses on the sale of shares, fixed interest securities, and property. So all those hard working New Zealanders who do not have enough money to buy an investment property, but have a Kiwisaver account, you are paying tax on capital gains made on your investments. (Kiwisaver providers seldom offer funds that invest in property – they could not guarantee that they could sell if enough people wanted to transfer out of property; but if they did, yes profits on sale of a property would be taxable.)
A company that sells a property that they operate from and moves to another will pay tax on any capital gains on the sale of the first property.
So why do people who own a rental property not pay tax on the sale of that property?
Why do we pretend that we can have an exemption from tax on capital gains for a rental property and everyone thinks that means we do not have tax on capital gains?
Is this just jargon designed to confuse?
I believe it should be fairly easy to say that a person that owns more than two properties should be able to designate perhaps two as being for personal use, but any more should be regarded as an investment property on which tax on capital gains would be payable – and if the owner wants to change the designation of which property is 'personal use', then that change should generate in some way a liability for capital gains as at that date. Are we being conned by the professional landlords to a fiction that we do not have capital gains tax in New Zealand already?
The plan seems to be for the government to have assets to borrow against to fund investment in water infrastructure. With the assets no increase in net public debt etc.
Yeah, I suspect the reason the councils are irked is because they've been doing a similar booking thing.
So if they tranfer, say, a billion dollars worth of water system over to the central govt and only get ten million for it, their assets take a major hit.
Well that girl needs to quickly identify as Binary or something and thus all the bro's will be quick to save her right to a save place somewhere. But if she is 'just' a gender conform women, then she is shit out of luck, cause as Jessica Valenti says
"When we say 'yes all men' this is what we mean," wrote feminist author and columnist Jessica Valenti, sharing the video on Twitter. "Because it's not just about the man who harasses or assaults women, and it's not just about the guy who jokes about it. It's about the men who laugh, and the men who say nothing. It's true that only a small percentage of men abuse women – but that number doesn't mean shit if the majority of men enable it."
and here is my daily mantra of
Not all men are rapists, but most rapists are men.
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The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
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A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
As a young gymnast, Aimee Didierjean was always conscious of making sure her underwear wasn’t showing on the competition floor. A peek of a bra strap, or briefs if a leotard rode up, would cost a gymnast points in her routines. “When I was growing and going through puberty, it ...
Jubi/West Papua Daily Repeated cases of Indonesian military (TNI) soldiers torturing civilians in Papua have been evident, as seen in the viral video depicting the torture of civilians in the Puncak Regency allegedly done by soldiers of Raider 300/Brajawijaya Infantry Battalion. There is a pressing need for stringent law enforcement ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In 2023, Anthony Albanese was shooting for the moon, his eyes on the Voice referendum. On one view, he looked like the idealist reflecting his left-wing roots. In 2024, we’re seeing a pragmatic, determined, ...
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Asia Pacific Report Two of the global Freedom Flotilla ships are being prepared in Turkey and almost ready for the upcoming humanitarian mission to Gaza. It is expected that the flotilla will include a New Zealand medical team. Kia Ora Gaza is a member of the international Freedom Flotilla Coalition ...
Even in the middle of winter rain, the Auckland region water levels are still tracking the same levels as last year, and still well below the 2019 trend. That means a likely summer of more water rationing.
https://aucklandwatersupply.co.nz/
As soon as Watercare taps in that second big pipe into the Waikato, about 40% of New Zealand's population will have more secure fresh water access. Cna't happen fast enough IMHO.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-democracy-reporting/300358393/governments-25b-three-waters-sweetener-fails-to-gain-traction-with-auckland-mayor
Mayor Goff isn't buying the outright bribe by the Government to join in their water reforms. Unless one of the other regions like Canterbury all vote to go into it, I think this reform is in trouble.
Water supply and treatment are hard enough without a Max Bradford-scale commercialisation exercise.
Allegedly that extra 50 million litres per day is already turned on.
https://www.watercare.co.nz/About-us/News-media/New-water-treatment-plant-near-Tuakau-about-to-go
Last week water take from the Waikato was exceptionally low, around 25% of supply, compared to around 40% normally. I'm guessing that might have been because of shutoffs to enable the works needed for connecting the new supply.
https://wslpwstoreprd.blob.core.windows.net/kentico-media-libraries-prod/watercarepublicweb/media/watercare-media-library-2/drought/drought%202/watercare_akld_water_supply_update_12_july.png?ext=.png
Where do you get those daily water source updates?
The link to the png is on this page:
https://www.watercare.co.nz/Water-and-wastewater/Where-your-water-comes-from/Auckland-s-dam-levels
The png is updated weekly, not daily.
edit: the one from the week before comes up just by editing the date in the url. Haven’t found how to get them from previous months, sorry.
Cheers. I'm off to the Pipeline-Arataki track now, so I'll check out the Nihotipu level from overnight.
OK this looks like a lot of fun:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/experiences/family-holidays/300359066/weta-workshop-unleashed-inside-aucklands-best-new-attraction
Daniell and Espiner are on the case of those totalitarian, self-censoring Chinese
Red Line, RNZ National, Sunday 18 July 2021, 7:30 a.m.
This morning's episode culminated with John Daniell intoning gravely that the CCP "doesn't have to tell the Chinese media what to say", that they have learned to self-censor. His co-presenter, Guyon Espiner, expressed wonderment at that totalitarian control of the press. These awed comments were underscored by a minatory soundtrack of thrumming basso profundo chords.
The unspoken implication: How lucky we are to live in a country with a press that doesn't self-censor.
Remarkably, both of them made those comments without any hint of self-awareness or irony.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/the-detail/story/2018802602/china-is-the-relationship-we-don-t-understand
Just so Morrissey, they can see the moat in another's eye but not in their own.
… they can see the mote in another's eye but not in their own.
On RNZ National’s light chat show The Panel a couple of months ago, one of the few guests who has anything interesting to say, Chris Gallavin, made a comment about Tony Blair. Unlike the host Wallace Chapman and the others (Robert Kelly and Ali Jones) in the studio, Gallavin wasn't content to make lighthearted quips about Blair's mullet haircut: Gallavin reminded them that Blair was responsible for crimes against humanity in Iraq. That comment was met with a stony silence and then this scolding response from the producer Robert Kelly: "A-a-a-a-and as a public broadcaster I'm not touching that with a pole."
The awkward silence from both Chapman and Jones was telling. Gallavin had failed to self-censor, and the reaction of the other three—either Chapman's and Jones's stunned silence or Kelly's embarrassed dismissal—showed that they were well aware of that.
Gallavin might have been speaking to Red Guards in 1960s China, or Soviet Commissars in the 1930s. It is an act of hypocrisy and audacity for Radio NZ to single out CHINESE journalists for acting similarly to the host and producer of The Panel. I would bet a small fortune that neither John Daniell nor Guyon Espiner has ever questioned, let alone confronted, RNZ management about its softball, PR, self-censored interviews with the likes of Tony Blair, his wife Cherie, Blair’s hatchet man Alistair Campbell, or any of the host of other grotesques and criminals of British politics that it has indulged over the years.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018793939
Thank you Morrissey and Patricia.
Radio New Zealand hosts and panellists constantly self-censor, following the party line on China, Russia, Syria, the Ukraine, Palestine, Venezuela, Hong Kong….
If you are looking for independent thinking journalism on foreign affairs, steer clear of RNZ.
And Australia as well, Ed. They are always careful—fearful—when they speak about that rogue state. It's almost as if they are diplomats afraid of speaking plainly.
By the way, a transcript of that Panel episode is available here….
https://members5.boardhost.com/xxxxx/msg/1626577328.html
Exactly @Morrissey a waist of our money Rnz,I have fears for that network.
‘
James Hanson may have to retitle his famous book,
‘STORMS OF MY GRANDCHILDREN’
to
‘STORMS OF MY CHILDREN’
'
June 1 – July 17, the 'New Normal'
In a win, win, for the taxpayers and the rational and conscientious farmers who take their responsibility to the climate and environment seriously, the protesting 'farmers and growers' who object to climate change mitigation and prevention measures, like the Ute Tax, should not have to pay this tax, if they agree to forgo goverment assistance when their farms and crops are damaged in extreme weather events.
I think the government should seriously make this offer to the protest organisers and their supporters.
That should shut them up.
In light of the headlines from here and around the world of the recent extreme weather events, droughts, floods, fires, heatwaves, crop failures and deaths, I would venture, zero to none would agree to take up such an offer, if it was made to them.
….The National Party is among the most ardent critics of the government’s electric car rebate scheme and has said it will immediately reverse the policy if returned to power.*
*[Thankfully what the Nutional Party had to say is irrellevant as they will not be allowed near the levers of power for some time.]
http://werewolf.co.nz/
Gordon Campbell on the money again.
Back in the day, everyone either had a family member or knew someone who worked on a farm. These days us townies are much more disconnected from the land. National are fomenting this division for political purposes. To the detriment of the country.
There's a comprehensive review of Green politics here: https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/how-green-party-success-reshaping-global-politics
"As British green party activist Derek Wall argues in his book on green politics, the movement has important differences from both the left and right. Most greens see themselves on the economic and social left, but their focus on decentralization and local solutions separates them from many traditional socialist parties."
Greens are currently part of the government in these countries: Austria, Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Sweden. Seven – the magic number! We may be entering a transition phase in which the Greens achieve leverage globally.
"Most green parties have committed themselves to four pillars:
After four decades it's high time the Green movement realises such minimalism is no longer fit for purpose. The survival of humanity now and into the future depends on the shift of its relation to nature from parasitic to symbiotic. So a spiritual principle is implied as the essential fifth element in the ideological framing of Green politics.
The Council on Foreign Relations has long been one of the key US think-tanks, operating at the top level of the hierarchy: "With over 5,000 members, the institution’s ranks include top government officials, scholars, lawyers, nonprofit professionals, journalists, educators, religious leaders, and business executives." Their website update on Green politics serves to brief members on a significant global trend. It signifies potential entry of the Greens into the US establishment.
In the 2019 European election, the Greens got 20% in Germany. Since then they've looked like they were going somewhere then went rapidly backwards.
We've had five decades of Greens (+Values) in New Zealand, and it's only this year they've got more than marginal political wins.
Greens are making some ground in UK politics, particularly at a local level and in Scotland.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-57048811
Overall their rise is slow worldwide, but growing in continental Europe:
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/how-green-party-success-reshaping-global-politics
I don't see them doing more than propping up other governments at best, unless they can get more coherent on issues such as nuclear energy, military force, foreign policy, and cooperation with right-wing and populist parties.
Depends on how much the future is a child of the past. Your appraisal is in accord with how I've seen things moving the past quarter-century. Most folk do default to the status quo of left/right even when those are both part of the problem. Collective solutions to social problems are normally defeated by the establishment, so few advocates spend time promoting them, and even fewer are capable of political collaboration that works.
Nonetheless the survival imperative will eventually overwhelm the status quo, so the fact that the CFR are signalling their shift gives us some hope.
The leftism/centrism hybrid thing has begun to gell here. The Dunedin rebel standing against James Shaw for the leadership faces the intellectual challenge of how to frame his stand above & beyond impatience. Should be an interesting test. Is he just another Jack McDonald? Or can he see the big picture?
What a pleasure it is to see Stephanie Rodgers commenting here again.
Boots Theory is still the most trenchant and concise feminist commentary around.
Not sure where you have been seeing this Ad. The showing on the Womens Day thread has been poor in my view. I for one have been disappointed as it would be good to get a younger feminist perspective. No knowledge or recognition of the vast background/history of feminism, once again the oldies of feminism times past are among those doing the heavy lifting in the discussion of the issues.
Far from being this one commenter on the Womens Day thread has written in response to SR
Tracey 10.1
The responses have been formulaic on the issues.
Squashing people down is not a viable way of getting support or educating on the issues.
My big concern is that the amendment may not get through because of what is happening out in the field, the fomenting of civil unrest. This is different from the 1981 Springbok tour issue as the Govt has signalled that it will enact legislation to fix/improve the issue. The 1981 the then Govt stood resolutely with the pro tour people.
That moderates ie the centre on which we are depending on this issue, will see it as too much of a risk and that the religious extremists who have had a voice in Womens issues for too long over the years will marshall themselves to force it out based on the unrest it is causing.
I'm always impressed with the way simply praising a commenter who left here after substantial bullying, turns right into insults about whether one is feminist, the entire history of feminism, one's lineage into the Springbok Tour, and the role of religious extremism within New Zealand feminism … and that unless you can follow all of that, you are "squashing people down".
Pull back from your keyboard if all you have is insults.
Far out. I have no knowledge of bullying or any background and really it has nothing to do with the issue. Why would it? The issue is about knowledge that we are able to use to help us learn. Why am I not able to say that I was disappointed?
Just to clarify I have been amazed, astounded and welcome all the views in The Women Day thread. I would dearly love to get a view from the ones who feel that attacking others trying to find out what the issues are about (ie talking about the SUFW meetings and why people have been attempting to shut them down ie stop discussion on the issues.)
There have been other points raised that would be good to have a well crafted response from another POV.
You have misinterpreted what I have said above, if you think it is insulting. What I have said is/was the reality for many of us, we will need to get the centre on side for it to go anywhere.
We would welcome over in the Womens thread contributions from younger 'anyones'.
What does not get very far are formulaic responses. Many of us support the legislation and fear that this growing unrest seemingly promulgated by those who have the most to gain by its enactment will mean it may not get through.
When it comes to getting people on side, I can report that those arguing an exclusionary position have indeed been influential in shaping my opinion on topics where previously I had been undecided. Just not in the direction they were trying for.
From what I am reading the issue relating to the birth certificate and changing it where needed is one of great importance to the trans community. It is of great importance now to me that the enactment go through based on this and in terms of equity for all which as been part of my life.
I am holding on to this. I will continue to support it despite the 'shooting oneself in the foot' and 'own goals' that are occurring when discussion is closed down or attempted to be closed down.
Would you mind sharing why?
Well, it's good you've finally made a decision, Andre – the issue's only been floating around on the left since 1990 or so. I first blogged about it in 9 years ago when this most marginalised and sidelined of all minorities managed to get a tampon ad pulled – and completely expunged from the historical record apart from some stills and well-buried links to the news stories of the day.
That was the point Greer was crowned as Chief Bitch-Witch (TERF was yet to become the all-purpose insult.)
Looking back at that post, although I was very aware of the issues, having been a feminist and on the left since the early 70s, I never saw this coming. In 2015 (a seminal year for the development of Transgenderism as a political movement) I saw a video which had 4 million views at the time, by a men's rights vlogger "Turd Flinging Monkey" calling for his fellow MGTOW monks (really, it's a thing) – to pose as "transgender lesbians" on social media to "fuck up feminists"- but even then I didn't register all the implications.
I can hardly be blamed for that – after all, most of the loudest opiners on the subject only got on board the trans rights train very recently.
Meanwhile – NZ continues to imprison more indigenous women per capita than any other country. The use of solitary confinement in NZ prisons has increased on Labour's watch. Until there was an outcry, some women prisoners were shackled during childbirth. Corrections used methods tantamount to torture against "difficult" wāhine….. I want to write about stuff like that – and poverty, homelessness, substandard housing, health triaging, how we are going to confront the rise of rightwing populism and authoritarianism which is lurking in the wings learning its lines – so that's what I'm going to do.
I'd forgotten about Turd Flinging Monkey! That there are third and fourth actors in the war, with their own agenda, and with substantial cyber tech skills, is something that isn't foregrounded, and it should be. I don't think this aspect of it can be underestimated. MRAs and neoliberal power mongers laughing all the way to the bank.
Weka, 'at war with their own agenda' seems to me to be a way of explaining the rationale???? (if there is one) for shutting up, or trying to, any debate on the issue about birth certificates.
It is happening so frequently that looks like strategy. This picketing, litigation etc can't all be spontaneous can it?
But why?
I wrote a reply in the Women's Day thread too.
MRAs have an obvious reason to fuck with both feminists and trans people.
Gender activists see GCFs as the enemy, so shutting GCFs down is righteous. They're well organised online and have a lot of community group influence.
I would guess but don't have any evidence that there are also people with high tech skills running bots on social media to fuck with citizens and undermine democracy.
The religious right especially in the US are another complicating factor.
It's complex, and the left infighting so bitterly over this is happening at the worst possible time. That we are getting less and less able to talk with each other and disagree is alarming to me.
"But why?"
Some people can never be wrong. Others are paid professional cats among the pigeons whose entire objective is to disturb and disrupt.
What agendas are working with, and against, a cause. The trolls are from the professional against camp, but come well disguised.
Provided you convince people there is still debate to be had – an issue does not get settled. Leaving something in litigation is just as effective as shutting it down.
A couple of years back there was a tweet from someone referencing TFM and that video, which I hadn't keep a link to. I copied the link again but have lost it somewhere in the vast amount of stuff I have archived. I can't face trawling through all the woman-hating vileness to find it. I'm in no doubt there are all manner of bad faith actors stirring the pot. I can't make up my mind whether I'm amused, appalled, or depressed by leftists swallowing stuff which back in the day we'd have suspected was a CIA (or similar) psy-op.
I was wondering what changed your mind about the veracity of the latest Russiagate museings. Its good to see you don't actually support the guy dismissing all the credible journalists as shrieking moonbats.
First: what you think you saw was not what was actually there.
Second: if you want to have a go at something that's going on on another thread, have your go at it over where it belongs instead of hijacking an unrelated thread.
Ad, I clicked in SR avatar and the columns came up. It was after reading those and then reading the contributions in the thread that I was disappointed.
I have no knowledge of any background about SR on these boards. How would I? Does it have relevance? Why would it?
Do we have to now self censor in case we might offend someone whose back ground we know nothing of?
Seems a bit odd to me.
I don't understand the various fluid methods of stopping discussion for some reason that is then counted as something negative because it is criticism. SR is something new to me also.
Here is what I found on google about what its meaning probably is.
Screen Recording (Copyright Protected/Private) Media Is Theoretically Illegal Unless You Are Licensed. … In these cases, as a streaming viewer or an online event attendee, screen recording is not just a personal thing, because it may break some rules or even laws.14/07/2020
Is Screen Recording Illegal on PC? Any Copyright Infringement Here? https://www.recmaster.net › how-to › is-screen-recording-…
If you had no knowledge of Stephanie Rodgers when there was plenty on her overultiple sites and years, then you commented about my praise of her her in ignorance.
I'm just expressing general ignorance Ad I don't know everything as you do.
@ 6.1.1.1.2.1:
Are you saying that you have never read a post and/or commented under a post by SR here on TS?
Are you saying that you had never heard of SR and/or Boots Theory before and despite that blog showing up in the Feeds section of this site?
Call me incredibly incredulous.
"Do we have to now self censor in case we might offend someone whose back ground we know nothing of?"
I find myself doing this often. Being very careful what I type.
In an a related vein, I've learnt not to comment after 3 homebrew ciders and never after any mead.
What seems, in my head,funny, insightful or skewering comes across as clumsy, brash and provocative.
Admirable self-constraint
Yeah, there's always the "it didn't sound like that when I wrote it" problem.
The main redline for me is if I have to delete more than two f-words in a comment, or clauses like "you infantile, petulant manbaby" (and there are many other expressions that have been typed and deleted over the years). Then it's definitely time to not make a comment but instead to go have a cup of tea, no matter how stupid I think someone else is being.
Writing comments in Word and then copying & pasting them into the comment field/editor can help smooth out and blunt the sharper edges. There’s no time limit in Word.
I generally catch the worst of it before hitting "submit comment".
Those times when writing and rewriting entire paragraphs before going "screw it, I'm off to bed".
Your commenting has got even better, IMO, so please keep it up
lol one or two might think I could do without any encouragement whatsoever 🙂
Just one or two? You’re too modest
McFlock, self description is fine, sarc !
Ah, if only life were that simple.
Self-moderation rather than self-censoring.
Ignorance is not a ‘deadly sin’ but it does tend to get called out here. Ignorance is also relative, of course.
Me thinks that you might be taking it too hard 🙂
100% Shanreagh in reponse to Ad.
"substantial bullying" that's no good. What was the nature of the bullying? What were the issues? I would hope that the moderators shut down substantial bullying.
TS has a long complex history re women authors. Don’t think it can be adequately explained at least not easily at this time, in part because some of it played out in the backend
I honestly don't recall seeing Stephanie commenting on here.
I have noticed and at times read her blog "Boots theory" .. She still seems to be writing it.
Does Stephanie write under another name of the Standard.
Sorry for your suffering Stephane
Stephanie was a long time author and commenter. You can find her posts and comments using her name in the search box.
Ok cheers, Weka. Was she bullied on the Standard or on her blog. Not that it would matter to her. Bullying is bullying.
I find things get a little heated on this site, and like others I count to 10 or something before I post (or try to). I know I can be a bit feisty, but I trust moderators to make sure things don't cross the line. That's why I was asking about Stephanie, cause I generally trust the Standard not to let things get too out of hand
in part because some of it played out in the backend
What played out was quite simple really. A group of pro-feminist authors were absolutely opposed to me expressing the idea that IPV (Intimate Partner Violence) was perhaps better understood as an enduring problem in which both sexes played their role, and that in order to make progress both sexes had their own experiences and voices that should be heard.
Well that set off a reaction – the mere suggestion that the 'patriarchy' might not be the sole explanation for all the evils of the world was an anathema. I was subject to sustained bullying and emotional manipulation in a massive pile-on. One author – much to my considerable disappointment at the time – resigned citing my problematic presence. The whole story need not be repeated, but the upshot was that in order to keep the peace I made the commitment at the time not to comment on anything directly related to gender henceforth.
That was about four years ago and I believe with maybe a few trifling exceptions, I've self-censored on the topic since. Moreover weka has since pointedly refused to directly engage me on virtually any topic whatsoever (social exclusion being a preferred female form of aggression as my partner pointed out to me a while back). I've been the subject of countless bullshit moderations where obviously on topic comments get moved to OM as 'distractions' simply because she disagrees with my view. In general I've been made as unwelcome as possible and as a result I've scaled back my participation considerably.
In addition weka has had a very free hand on moderation and authoring in the backend for at least four years now, while I've almost completely avoided any involvement in that space. The idea that she constantly repeats that 'TS is unsafe for women' is nonsense.
And now this entire 'gender critical debate' arises, that plays out the same shitty Identity Politics game but now weka finds herself at the wrong end of it – just as I did four years ago. I'm one of the few male regulars here (Sanctuary is the other that springs to mind) who actually supports her position on principle yet she cannot even acknowledge this, continuing to insinuate 'problematic male behaviour in the backend'.
I can even bring myself to accept a 'womens only' thread (a privilege that's obvious she would never tolerate being extended to male only voices) even though I have some reservations. But again that's not good enough, still TS is problematic for you.
These insinuations that TS isn't safe for 'women' need to stop. TS has in fact given you every support and encouragement possible for years. On my part I've stepped back and ceded uncontested to you the public space to run whatever viewpoint you like. You've been given pretty much full rein to curate threads far more aggressively than any other moderator, to make them the safe spaces you want them to be. You can find of course plenty of moments where people have disagreed with you – almost none where you have been personally attacked, slurred or arbitrarily moderated against.
In the past year I've been reading these 'trans gender critical' threads, it's clear that many biological women are finding themselves wrongly marginalised, emotionally manipulated and in other forums outright cancelled. Part of me is tempted to snicker at the deep irony of it all, but instead I've broken my self-imposed silence to express my support for the SUFW position as a matter of important principle. As you've recently discovered – the ability to discuss and debate across deeply held differences of opinion is important. The descent into mutually hostile tribal groups that cannot tolerate each other's presence, much less listen to each other, is the predictable and degenerate consequence of Identity Politics. Consequences you're now experiencing for yourself.
The only difference here is that you've had the unconstrained opportunity to use TS as a safe space to both defend and promote your voice. It's time you acknowledged that.
You are absolutely right that the responses have been weak and formulaic. But you are mistaken I think if you believe that there is much critical thinking on this issue. I've been looking for good reasons as to why I should desist from fighting for women's sex based rights to be retained in the face of legislation that risks them becoming meaningless and found nothing that is convincing. Believe me it is a thankless task, as well as utterly tiresome, to be called a hater and to be accused of causing suicide and all manner of other nonsense by advocates for the bill. “No debate” is not a claim that is fit call for those who wish to live in a democracy after all.
I think it is because the so called allies of transgender people have been able to get away with simple intimidation – calling discussion hatred and making baseless claims of transphobia – for 4 years!!!!! It has been successful in shutting many down. No actual case has been marshalled.
In any case a winning and robust case would have recognised the need to balance rights and develop a fair solution not a winner takes all result. But instead of that the BDMRR Bill’s self-id provisions that were nearly forced through in 2018 appears to have been the result of a coordinated and covert effort facilitated by the Select Committee in a way that was never covered in the media or made public in any other way until the amended bill was revealed for its Second Reading. SUFW was formed when some women became concerned about what was happening and some belated counter submissions were made. But how can good law be made without engaging stakeholders from interested parties on all sides?
No debate, trying to close down public meetings and agitating to get paid adverstising taken down are anti-democratic approaches that also attack our civil society ecosystem more generally and breed cyncism and disconnection across the whole sphere of political life. If a movement relies on cancellation of the opposition based on claims of hatred and harm those arguments do tend to stop working when they are revealed to be clearly untrue.
This.
And even if the Bill goes through with self-ID, it's not like women are going to suddenly disappear or go, oh, that's alright then. Self-ID isn't just this one amendment, it's a broad social change tied into gender over sex that is being ushered in without due process. Most of NZ either doesn't know this is going on, or doesn't have the whole picture because of No Debate.
I agree that it's anti-democratic. Imo with rising fascism in the west, it's dangerous for the left to be operating this way.
@ Ad ..passive aggresive from you,wonders never cease,the women alone post was very good bar that particular poster,but freedom of speech.
P.S. why have we not got spell check.I know most aren't dyslexic,but leaves the likes of me out of debate as comments seem jilted.
To myself,the word mysogynist/mysogyny wasn't their in that 1970's edition.
trying to replace missing text.
Oxford online can be found here: https://www.lexico.com
I don't think a dictionary from the 70s is much use.
Thanks.
I didn't know she'd been away let alone been bullied. There's a lot of that about. I haven't commented here in a while either and it was seeing the utterly shameful way a TS stalwart was treated by some leftist men on Twitter that reignited my interest.
Debate is good. Trenchant is good, and concise is essential in this era of short attention spans and debate by sound bite. I fail miserably in respect of the latter – I'm on the way too loooong end of the long form ––short form spectrum. Sigh.
Trenchant is good, and concise is essential in this era of short attention spans and debate by sound bite
This.
How the hell are we supposed to properly discuss all aspects of an issue when most today seem incapable of extending that attention span?
Offering up catchy slogans does not constitute an exchange of ideas.
True and agree Rosemary.
One of the things I love about TS is that we do have people who do want a longer read that is not full of slogans or soundbites. To have these thoughtful pieces we need people who write longer pieces/posts.
So neither 'concise' nor 'trenchant' is necessarily a plus in my view. Trenchant views by their very nature are better with some explanation otherwise they appear untethered and being untethered just float off into the ether. With explanation they may be something you would agree with.
TeWhareWhero your longer pieces are valuable.
There are others who can specialise in the sound bite for the attention span deprived.
Please keep the longer pieces coming.
I didn't know she'd been away let alone been bullied.
I recall Stephanie Rodgers as an author and commenter here some 5 or more years ago. Sometimes I agreed with her synopsis, sometimes I didn't.
As for the bullying accusation… it is possible she was, but bullying in this type of forum can sometimes be strong disagreement which has been misconstrued as bullying.
My recollection of Stephanie is that she could give as good as she got.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/07/great-tide-is-britain-equipped-cope-glbal-warming?utm_term=d7616045ced4fe16950e2b3537bcd2fa&utm_campaign=TheLongRead&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=longread_email
This is about Britain, but there is enough here that can be related to Aotearoa. Especially our preparedness and councils such as Thames allowing waterfront developments.
ness
.
Good news:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/447106/credible-sighting-of-pod-near-where-baby-orca-stranded
and the MSD getting an upgrade! Oh it's just to the building and perhaps nicer surroundings for the workers coping with the savage hordes and losers! More toilets needed? /sarc.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/447113/building-used-by-msd-needs-upgrades-engineering-survey-finds
Interesting discussion about that tentative film on the mosque shootings and PM Ardern's response, or so i thought.
https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2021/07/17/weaponising-they-are-us-the-draft-script/
(Sounds as if a reviewer might dub it 'the daft script'.)
After seeing the media leakage of sections from the draft script… my mind has changed dramatically. This is bad. This is very bad:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/07/they-are-us-draft-script-winston-peters-david-seymour-simon-bridges-condemn-offensive-hollywood-portrayals.html
The proposed They Are Us film wouldn’t actually be about New Zealand in any meaningful sense. It’d simply be weaponising New Zealand for American Culture War purposes, and that is seriously offensive.
One thing to remember about New Zealand politics is that in contrast to the United States (or even Australia), gun-ownership is not a politicised issue. Only very small fringes actually care about the subject (in normal circumstances). Our gun regulations are written with the support of both big parties, and tend to be responsive to events, rather than an ideological football – the last big update of New Zealand firearm legislation was done in the aftermath of the Aramoana shooting three decades ago. And among people who do own guns… they are weapons for shooting animals (recreational or otherwise), or for target-shooting, not for “protecting” yourself.
https://fb.watch/6P9R5CvoTj/
Sometimes it nice to have a giggle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Babylon_Bee
Insteresting Babylon B lampoons christians, democrats, republicans, Trump and IMHO have more than one "lame joke"
And despite their best efforts to create a RWNJ version of The Onion, conservatives still have only one lame joke.
/
Many a true word spoken in jest.
Indiana……….funny and it feels true too
Anker. You do know that indiana is a right wing troll. Indiana would disagree with almost every value you have except, curiously, anti-transgender sentiment.
It’s no accident that that person posted what they did @ 10. They have been watching the discussion over the last few days did it deliberately to sow division.
I don't comment much on the GCF v Transgender debate but I do comment on how GCF has simultaneously cosied up to, and been highjacked by right wing politicians and supporters desperate for single issues with which to attack progressive policy.
Ok fair call Muttobird. It does ring a bell about Indiana.
I don't feel hijacked by the right wing. I do feel very let down by Labour though and to a huge degree they have lost my support.
As I have said previously I think Tinetti could have shown some leadership and tried to bring both sides together, but she has completely shut gc out.
But perhaps this is how the right capture the disenfranchised as happened with Brexit. Its something the left wing need to be aware of. For all people criticize Bomber Bradbury, I think he has his finger on this potential for this to happen
I am aware of Babylon Bee. I was tempted to post one of their satires on this site after Sacha posted some satire written by Stephanie Rodgers the other day. But I paused and wrote a long point of view about what I believe the issues to be from my point of view.
How big business screws NZ. Villa Maria a successful winery is for some reason going belly up for $200 million, approx. owing to banks, the tax dept and sundry creditors not mentioned. Never mind there is always some overseas buyer that will take our resources off our hands.
Jul.16/21 https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/447035/wine-giant-villa-maria-s-owner-owes-212m-to-bankers-report
Rabobank and ANZ appointed Calibre Partners as receivers of the holding company, FFWL, in May.
At the time, one of the receivers, Brendon Gibson stressed that Villa Maria's domestic and international business, which had been operating for 60 years, remained in good health…
The first receivers report, released earlier today, said the company owed its bankers $211.9m…
"In the lead up to our appointment the [FFWL] and [Villa Maria] came under pressure due to issues with the Group's capital structure," the report said.
"[FFWL] had been running processes to raise equity and sell some land in Māngere, Auckland that is surplus to its core operating requirements."
Among the other suitors rumoured to be in the running to take a stake in Villa Maria was the French beverage giant Pernod Ricard, Australian wine company Accolade Wines, and US beverage company Constellation Brands.
(And in https://opencorporates.com/companies/nz/7765197 an above company is actually registered as FFWL Limited. How open is that – it doesn't even have a recognisable name in words, just a bunch of letters! Why not numbers – no doubt because that would be confusing with communication cellphone numbers. It is a step away from honest representation of an entity, a part of our slide down a greasy track.)
Let's not do this in Aotearoa!
Entirely predictable July 17th escalation from last weekend's stabbings. The police in that clip seem entirely out of patience with everyone – apparently they had some tear gas thrown back at them. Dozens arrested and; knives, stungun & pepperspray, littering the ground behind the dispersed.
https://abc7.com/wi-spa-protest-lapd-alert-wilshire/10894299/
It strikes me, in the context of the ongoing Incitement of Discrimination discussion, that this is a good example of behavior that should be captured by those law changes. If cubangel; premeditatedly went, as a conservative Christian, to a known trans-friendly women's spa (unless maybe as a clueless tourist) and preformed outrage for her social media platform at the presence of trans women on a day when no trans women were booked in; then that seems pretty clear incitement to discrimination to me. She surely bears some culpability for the ensuing stabbings, intimidation, and other violence? Though all alleged and probably under investigation, though no charges seem to have been made in regards to the other week that I have yet seen.
https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/07/wi-spa-la-transphobic-protest.html
Thanks for putting your thoughts on this clearly Fn 👍 I disagree about culpability there or likelihood of it being a hoax, but am glad we have common ground on avoiding the creation of violent politics in NZ, important for trans ppl who are already at risk in public spaces and women who are becoming more at risk.
I am still having some quoting problems on mobile, Weka – but at least I have worked out how to link again (that may be due to my not having cleared enough kid videos space to update Android as it just reminded me to). There are definitely more buttons in the comment frame than there used to be. Learning curve.
But; cubangel, should be cubanangel – typo. It's the USA, so the worst that is likely to happen to her is getting sued by Wi Spa for loss of earnings and reputational damage.
Personally, I think no one has any business being in a shared spa during a raging pandemic in LA. Even if vaccinated themselves.
Those Romans are crazy
Ah, only just caught up with the fact that there's been more protest this weekend outside Wi Spa, hadn't realised that.
Well said Weka.
I am concerned about things esculating too. Emotions are running very high.
I am not a violent type at all, and use to joke with my friends during the Spring box tour protests that I was a bit of a coward and would protest at the back.
I don't know who stabbed who, which protesters and I don't want to get into was it a hoax wasn' it or who stabbbed who. Whoever did the stabbing is responsible for doing the stabbing though. And I say that with no idea of whether it was the trans or the gender critical
But if the spa lets trans women into the women’s area, then in my mind whether its a hoax isn’t that relevant. I posted another article where a spa in Calafornia had a similar incident and this was reported by the spa itself.
Women protestors in the UK visited the Hampstead mens only pool, some with beards on, in protest about gender self id. It was obviously a “hoax”. But interestingly enough the men at the mens only pool were really pissed about the women being there and called the police
As I said in another thread, I wished Labour and Tinetti had have shown some leadership and tried to bring parties together. Just siding with one group as what happened during the tour, only makes things worse.
In case anyone is less incurious than Anker about who (allegedly) was stabbed by whom on July 3rd:
https://www.losangelesblade.com/2021/07/07/alleged-trans-incident-at-upscale-la-spa-may-have-been-staged
As for the spa allowing trans women entry – yes that is their policy, in accordance with the laws of California. If cubanangel and her allies had a problem with that, they would have been better advised to target the lawmakers rather than try to harass a private business into breaking that law.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jul/18/dozens-arrested-in-los-angeles-as-anti-trans-protest-outside-spa-turns-violent
Oh no that is truly shocking.
I utterly condemn that.
I genuinely didn’t know who did the stabbing and try not to get into they did it too bit
i am sorry
Yeah, I was a bit surprised when you said this the other day Anker:
https://thestandard.org.nz/the-births-deaths-marriagesrr-and-relationships-registration-bill/#comment-1802987
Which was on the 16th of July – more than a week after the July 3rd violence (that's a fortnight ago now). The stabbing of his own ally as she came to help him does stick in the mind! I assumed that you were referring to the original June 24th instagram by cubanangel, and were not aware of the later developments. I think you said as much somewhere later in the thread. But by that date the story was much more about the violence and the ticking clock countdown to July 17th (that was reported here today with NZ time). At least on more international fora that I also comment on (under different pseudonyms).
I probably wouldn't have been talking about it so much here these last couple of days except for rumours that protrans protests were getting subjected to violence in NZ, and people might have to think about defending themselves. Which seems a huge mistake to me! Shields are also weapons, and protests do get tense. The source for the rumour seems to be this single slap – which no one condones, but is a fair way from the street warfare outside Wi Spa in LA. I did like this statement from SUFW spokeswomen too:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/wellington/125772143/speak-up-for-women-group-shocked-by-reported-slapping-of-protrans-rights-rally-organiser
I am not sure why you were surprized I brought up the Wi Spa. I remain of the view that it could of been a hoax or maybe it was n’t a hoax.
I also posted an article where the Century Spa in Calafornia, the business itself reported that very thing happened in the spa i.e. naked man who identified as a women walking around naked with his penis out.
It is uncommon for protesters to use set ups to get their point across. I would like to read what the women who recorded the video at the WI Spa says. It may have been a set up to get the point across and the reality is that trans women do appear to be able to access the women only area of the spa. If that is the case, I don’t agree with it.
So I don't know how this problem will get ressolved, but I don't condone violence, I never have and I never will. It appears SUFW don't either.
This issues for me are that women's human rights are protected in the human rights act. This is for women only spaces in public change rooms etc, womens schools, refuges, prisons and sport. I am adamant I don't want those rights eroded and many women feel the same way (I know some women don't as well). I hear very little from the christian right in the country on this issue. This defence of biological womens rights is coming from women on the left.
I also feel really pissed off about the dehumanizing changes to how women are described e.g people who menstuate, birhting units and chest feeders. I hear left wing women starting to say "well of course I support trans rights, but the bridge too far was starting to refer to chest feeders. This woman has laboured to give birth to four children and breast fed them.
Why is it proponants of gender ideology want to change how biological women are described?
I accept that some people feel/want to identify as member of the opposite sex to what they were born. They are entitled to do that. I don't want to prevent anyone from living their life in the way they want too. But I first started to question what the hell was going on, when I was hearing about women being told if they didn't concur with the idea that trans women were real women then they were trans phobic if they didn’t.. Never in my life has anyone required me to accept their world view and if not I was considered a bigot. I don't think it is reasonable to do this. Its a bit like the close friend I have who is a practicing catholic. I am an athiest btw. This catholic friend of mine has a strong religious faith. It is something internal to them. Its not material and it can't be measured. And although I have no belief in god as such, I completely respect their right to hold their faith. BUT if they started saying I should agree with the mantra God is real and really exists, I would have a big problem with that. And if they started smearing me and calling me a bigot because I wouldn't agree with them, that isn't right. And if they started changing the language on me e.g. rather than calling me a women they started refering to me as god's creasture or something like that, I would reject that. And likely I would begin to feel they were imposing something on me and wern't respecting my boundaries.
has there been more than that one incidence in Wellington?
who is talking about defending themselves?
This is difficult to link to Weka. Because I am either paraphrasing confidences, or reporting rumors. So indulge me a little here, and I'll avoid such poorly founded speculation on other comments. You got to admit that I got it right predicting WiSpa protests and counterprotests in LA on July the 17th – this is informed by similar sources.
Firstly, it doesn't matter what the facts may actually be, people will act on what they believe the facts to be. So, there is a certain portion of the trans community who seem to be spoiling for a fight. To be fair, it is not just the Wellington slap at the SUFW, violence against trans women in particular has been spiking a bit this past month.
The Dunedin SUFW meeting and protests are set for Saturday the 24th. I wasn't actually intending to attend myself, but now I am starting to think I should go, to keep an eye on the young ones and make sure they don't decide that the best defense is a good offense.
There is also a rumor about trans men starting to aggressively use women's spaces. So any bearded jeans wearing individuals that you might encounter there might turn out to be a "Bull Dyke on steroids" (say that to their faces when you meet them and I am sure they will help correct your language usage in their own peculiar ways). Though; that's a community I have only the most tangential relationship with, and is hopefully humour for which I am not the target audience.
https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/news-and-events/news/july-2021/new-venue-for-speak-up-for-women-meeting
https://gothamist.com/news/spa-castle-allegedly-barred-transgender-man-from-locker-rooms-nude-areas
So Wi spa aside this stuff is happening in the States, where male bodied individuals feel entitled to be around women and girls. The spa doing their best to manage this situation.
Note to anyone reading this. I would be grateful if male bodied humans did not enter my women only spaces such as toilets, change rooms spas. I would be grateful if you would respect this please.
Anker, NZ Trans women already are legally allowed in public spaces designed for the use of women. They can't just walk into any woman's home and do as they please without permission. But then, nor can cis-women.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/79760678/are-new-zealand-bathrooms-doing-enough-to-accommodate-transgender-people
The piece is from 2016 – a few years ago now. But I haven't heard that the law has changed since. First thing that popped up on Google, rather than any reason for this particular article.
maybe just maybe, the issue is not Transwomen in women spaces – who generally don't expose themselves to women and kids, but men who identify as such to gain access to spaces that are single sex spaces.
Maybe the issue is that violent male who have a record for raping and killing females get to transition to female with all that it entails.
this one: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/australian-serial-killer-reginald-arthurells-new-life-as-regina-allegedly-made-threats-against-victims-family/SPAN2DL6QEWHEYOQJNV2QTM6EA/
or this women
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/oct/11/transgender-prisoner-who-sexually-assaulted-inmates-jailed-for-life
this women
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Yaniv
just to name a few.
Most transgender women are probably horrified by these 'women' themselves. Personally i would see legislation passed that while these individuals have their right to transition, they should not be given the right to access single female spaces as they are neither safe for bio women nor transwomen.
And above all we must also at some stage admit the damage that gendered violence does to women – again, All women. But i guess that will be for a different century, as 'Not all men' is still an issue, despite NOT All men being rapists and sexual abusers, but MOST rapists and sexual abusers are men, and some of these men present as women. And women now get to be fearful of men and women.
"I'm trans, but the purpose of bathing there is that I'm deciding to be female, but really that shouldn't be any of your fucking concern," Acosta told Gothamist on Monday.
This is Acosta who wanted to use the women's spa in New York.
Read the article. He was determind to be able to be in the change room and naked areas. F….entitled. No thought that others might not want him the there. He might be deciding to be a female but the majority of women would never be so entitled.
[headdesk]
also:
So by your rules he shouldn't be allowed to use the men's, but because people love speculating about what is in other people's pants he couldn’t use the nude areas you think he should be using.
Niv Acosta (the person at the centre of the 2016 article that Anker linked to @2:02 pm – and yes, I did read the article) has a Wikipedia page that indicates they were born female (in 1988), and that they began to identify as a (trans) man in 2009. [McFlock beat me to it.]
Acosta made that choice as a young adult in their 20s – all good. I personally have some concerns about the increasing number of teenage (or younger) females who want to change gender, and how society is responding to, and maybe even fostering this trend, but I've no idea how to curtail it, or even if it should be curtailed.
Had a big think.
edit: dammit, hit the wrong reply tab.
Yes, I get where you are coming from (to the extent that's realistically possible for someone who didn't experience it). And I'm sorry that was done to you.
I don't get how self-id will makes crimes like that more likely, especially when the issue is more complex than "men" and "women", as your confusion over Acosta indicates.
As you know Forget Now I absolutely don't condone violence.
Maybe people should have done a better job about consulting women about who they do and don't want in their bathrooms. And then listened to them. That would save the discomfort all round. I do know how this trans women feels. I have posted a number of times on this site that I was attacked by a masked man in a change room who attempted to rape me. I got away with only a punch to the face. Now I don't trust any biological males in change rooms. And for years I did everything I could to avoid public toilets and change rooms, unless accommpanied. I still will check empty cubicles when I do use public toilets. I avoid talking and thinking about this attack. I thought the mask man was going to kill me when I first saw him. But on this site no compassion for my position about biological men and change rooms.
I didn't know about the toilet rules for work places. For me that is just another example of how they don't care enough about womens private spaces to ask us whether we are o.k. with it.
Ok McFlock and Drowsy my mistake.
Perhaps you will understand where I am coming from with this stuff when you read my comment above about the attack I experienced in a change room. There is also a women on the women's day post who had to have a masectomy due to breast cancer and is saying surely she dosne't have to have biological males in her change room.
But I doubt it. Where is the compassion for women and girls?
actually I eat my words. Good on Acosta. He did the right thing. As far as I am concerned he (with his female body) is welcome in to the pink key.
So for those who think I am trans phobic, that isn’t what this is about for me. Its about biology and trust. Yes and making the decision that you identify as a member of the opposite sex in your early 20’s sounds about right. Brain is nearer full development. I am glad none of the decisions i made in my teens were of significant consequences or irreversable
God this stuff is confusing trans men/women
Thanks McFlock. Iam not sure if you will get this due to the reply button!
I have got quite a lot. going on at the moment, so want be on the Standard too much.
I have been thinking it would be good to call a truce of all the your side were terrible, no your side were worse. And somewhat more idealistically than I usually am wondered about the possibility on the Standard of coming up with some common ground between trans and gender critical. And maybe some rules of engagement such as agree to disagree.
I hate reading about the visciousnes of the fighting and it bothered me a great deal about the fighting.
I think at the heart of the matter is gender ideology versus biological materialism, but I could be wrong.
Anyway if you get this message and you think its worth having a go let me know. Even if there is very little overlap it could be a start.
It seems to me that a lot of the commenters on the topic here at TS have a lot of common values, but on this issue we disagree on some particular things that are fundamental to the discussion. As in, I think it's even more basic than the definition arguments. But those fundamental differences cascade into different definitions, frames, and desired resolutions.
It's like two physicists planning the first orbital space station, but they disagree on the value of the gravitational constant. A little tweak there makes them disagree on everything from the size of launch vehicles to the shape of the orbit, even the feasibility of the entire project.
But because this particular issue also has some pretty important effects on rights and people's safety, arguments get heated.
Damned if I can see any resolution to it, though.
Being physicists, they would take the mean ± 6 standard deviations.
All flippancy aside, they repeat and refine their measurements until everybody is satisfied.
Now there's a depressing thought. The possibility of it being a completely invented incident.
On a separate note, a commenter above mentions having some info saved but that it's swamped amongst all the other items they've saved.
Several others over the years have mentioned bookmarking or archiving large amounts of material.
What tools do people use to keep track of their information and collate the sources?
Does anyone use a separate data management tool or archiving/collation database? Or is everything just saved to a directory or bookmarks toolbar?
Basically, does anyone use a tool like a library catalogue: a wee form that has things like subject category, keywords you might search for in the future, authors, publications, web links, saved filename, all of that sort of "metadata" about the thing you want to save. Then when you're looking for something about "First labour govt" or "housing", you type that term into the search engine and it tells you exactly what items cover that subject.
I’ve used Zotero for research, should work for news, blogs etc. Good idea, bookmarking is still weirdly clunky.
Oh interesting – Zotero is freeware as well.
[image resized to get the full bull]
I have just listened to most of the following:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/smart_talk/audio/2018802944/a-wanaka-festival-of-colour-panel-discussion-about-taxes-good-bad-and-inevitable
It was recorded last April, and may have been commented on at that time, but cannot recall hearing it then.
For some of the discussion, there was talk of whether we should have a capital gains tax. My understanding is that we do, but we have over the years exempted a lot of those gains from being taxed.
For funds like superannuation schemes (including Kiwisaver), and insurance companies and banks, any investments are clearly being made to make profits, and they are automatically taxable – and that will include profits and losses on the sale of shares, fixed interest securities, and property. So all those hard working New Zealanders who do not have enough money to buy an investment property, but have a Kiwisaver account, you are paying tax on capital gains made on your investments. (Kiwisaver providers seldom offer funds that invest in property – they could not guarantee that they could sell if enough people wanted to transfer out of property; but if they did, yes profits on sale of a property would be taxable.)
A company that sells a property that they operate from and moves to another will pay tax on any capital gains on the sale of the first property.
So why do people who own a rental property not pay tax on the sale of that property?
Why do we pretend that we can have an exemption from tax on capital gains for a rental property and everyone thinks that means we do not have tax on capital gains?
Is this just jargon designed to confuse?
I believe it should be fairly easy to say that a person that owns more than two properties should be able to designate perhaps two as being for personal use, but any more should be regarded as an investment property on which tax on capital gains would be payable – and if the owner wants to change the designation of which property is 'personal use', then that change should generate in some way a liability for capital gains as at that date. Are we being conned by the professional landlords to a fiction that we do not have capital gains tax in New Zealand already?
The centralised water plan seems to be hitting a bit of resistance – not for any major philosophical reason, just offering peppercorn payment to councils to buy the infrastructure.
The plan seems to be for the government to have assets to borrow against to fund investment in water infrastructure. With the assets no increase in net public debt etc.
Yeah, I suspect the reason the councils are irked is because they've been doing a similar booking thing.
So if they tranfer, say, a billion dollars worth of water system over to the central govt and only get ten million for it, their assets take a major hit.
With councils – they have debt caps, so they create at arms length entities that borrow against the assets.
Rest In Peace Philip Sherry.
You were our Sam The Eagle of the 1970s and 1980s.
Male silence is acquiescence. Would be great for all men to show they’re genuinely #notallmen
A chance for liberal progressive men to really lead
https://scoop.upworthy.com/only-girl-in-tech-class-exposes-male-classmates-joking-about-rape-consent?fbclid=IwAR30IUkvbDECrF0vj7pzTiBUT3QV9PoBsFu4w5SMay5MYiJgD8ZU-diCg5k
Utter nonsense.
The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Well that girl needs to quickly identify as Binary or something and thus all the bro's will be quick to save her right to a save place somewhere. But if she is 'just' a gender conform women, then she is shit out of luck, cause as Jessica Valenti says
and here is my daily mantra of
Not all men are rapists, but most rapists are men.