Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood has confirmed the government will do a full review of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme early next year.
It comes after the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner witnessed conditions she described as modern day slavery.
I have posted on this…many times on the Standard. Some might find it hard to believe 21st Century NZ could have "modern day slavery" …be sure it exists.
Brave whistleblowers and true Journalists expose it ! And also be very sure that under a nact govt…it would be modus operandi. (not deemed "slavery" of course)
Anyway, please support our Brothers and Sisters who are being exploited..by these scum. Stand Up !!
I agree, however I see that up to now, the main thrust of the law and pubic anger has been directed at the ‘middle management’ (or lower) so to speak, ie; the people who were directly responsible for organizing the crews etc (the easy low hanging fruit of course) but not one orchard owner or company director has had to face any legal action as far as I know.
Now if I have known that this exploitation of RSE workers has been wide spread for nearly a decade…then you can be absolutely sure that those same orchard owners, and company directors have been fully aware to what is going on their own properties for the past decade as well….so let’s see if any of them get caught up, face any sort of penalty, or even get called out in this new govt review….don’t hold your breath.
Police are investigating alleged assaults by an orchard owner against migrant workers in Central Otago, including an incident where a worker says he was made to lie on the floor, stood on, and sworn at.
Another Pacific Island worker alleged he had his ear pulled by the same man, while others say he regularly called the workers names including calling one man “lazy arse”.
Here is an example of the self proclaimed defenders of world democracy in action….the very same one that the Liberals class both here in NZ (and on TS) and abroad and their media, offer their support for in terms of it's foreign interventions….
As Afghan People Boil Grass to Eat, U.S. Refuses to Release $7 Billion of Frozen Afghan Assets
It would be very foolish for the US to hand over substantial money to the Afghan Taleban without enforceable conditions. The Taleban want full untagged control of aid funding, and there ain't no donor going to agree to that.
But with the intensity of hostility from the Taleban rulers, there are now no good analogues for mounting a substantial state-supporting effort in the absence of any UN security. Who in their right mind would even land a plane there let alone fly in to help. Obviously no women can assist now.
It is also pretty unreasonable to expect any decent UN-led effort would be any more successful than that generated over the last two decades. It is one of the most corrupt, repressive, unstable countries in the world. Nor is there any changing it.
"It would be very foolish for the US to hand over substantial money to the Afghan Taleban without enforceable conditions. The Taleban want full untagged control of aid funding, and there ain't no donor going to agree to that"…and yet the Western world do exactly that in the Ukraine..recognized without question as the most corrupt country in Europe, but then double standards are standard operating procedure in the US and it's European/Western enablers foreign policy…and by the way it's Taliban.
Or has this always gone on in this country un-reported?
More importantly, is it leading up to some sort of atrocity?
When he listened to the voicemail message, a female voice said: "Scummy little Maori". At 1.86cm and 115kg I thought they had rung the wrong number.
They called Taonui back – this time on his landline – and said: "Dirty Maori, we know Maori, f**king Maori, dirty Maori" and hung up again….
…..He knows aspects of his work – he was on Race Relations Conciliator Meng Foon's National Anti-Racism task force – have made him a target.
He was followed home last year. When he stopped in his driveway, the driver of the other vehicle got out and said: "It's good to know where you live, you black bastard."
The authorities need to take this matter seriously
These offenders need to be named and shamed and charged in a court of law.
You can’t tell me the police and security forces don’t have the means to detect and identify these offenders and the ability to lay charges. If this is not done in this case these petty fascists will become even more emboldened.
We all know what happened when the authorities didn’t take harassment against the Islamic community seriously
“Have fascists and racists become more emboldened?
Or has this always gone on in this country un-reported?”
It's always gone on, but technology has changed. Good in one sense (the abuse can be recorded as evidence, even insults on the street can be captured on cellphones).
Bad in another: racists can gather online and reinforce each other's bigotry. So yes, emboldened. As demonstrated by the many stories about extremist candidates this year.
Good on him for calling it out, and the messages of support are heartening, at least.
….the messages of support are heartening, at least.
More than 'at least' the outpouring of messages of support for Dr Rawiri Taonui were overwhelming. In my opinion this outflowing of public support is the most significant part of this reported matter.
Which is why I think it imperative that these racists need to be apprehended and named and shamed in public court.
"….racists can gather online and reinforce each other's bigotry"
Observer, what I think you have identified here, is that the online world has enabled minority like minded individuals to gather in virtual spaces where they can reinforce and encourage these views, and where they deludedly can convince each other of the rightness of these views divorced from reality.
Online reinforcement of extremist views bearing little relation to the lived reality and humanity of the targets of their prejudice, or the wider held more tolerant views of community they live in, can allow online extremism to grow and fester, until eventually it breaks out into the real world.
This is why it is imperative that these people need to named and shamed in the real world, so the communities they live and work in and the people they interact with on daily basis can be aware of them, and let them know that their views are unacceptable to the majority of us.
It is good to see that Dr Rawiri Taonui has raised this matter with the police and I see that he has received praise from some commentators for doing so.
It is up to the police now. Because of the power of social media and the serious real world consequences that can arise from the influence of unchecked online hate. When it breaks out into the real world this sort of behavour needs to be nipped in the bud and let know that it is not acceptable.
The public deserve to see a serious police investigation resulting in these people being brought up in court on these offences.
Too long has this sort of thing been ignored and downplayed by the authorities, and as we witnessed in Christchurch this can end in tragic results.
"Lack of local media reporting on significant internation developments on child and youth gender treatment is leaving NZ families to make life-changing decisions in an information vacuum"
This article is about the almost complete black out in media coverage on the closure of the Tavistock and the legal action 1000 families are taking against the gender identity clinic.
This had been extremely hard for some of us trying to blow the whistle on this and being smeared by others (not on this site ) for being anti trans and terfs etc.
I have to say a huge thank you to the Standard and all who work so hard on it. You have allowed us a space to raise concerns when we were shut down in almost every avenue we tried to raise these issues.
All we get is the local Labour MP tweeting her support for the people protesting against the recent therapists (CATA) conference in Nelson because they dared to hear from people who were up to date with the work in this area.
You will probably be aware that the debate in Rugby is coming to a quick head, with the different regulations between Australian and UK players now clear.
Thanks Ad. I have posted so many times Dr Ross Tucker a sports scientist take on treansgender women in sport, He says the advantage is significant and that trans women playing in women's rugby will cause more injuries (see the lint about the Guam women).
When talking about the MOH webiste info on blockers "Blockers are safe and fully reversible….."
"The rassuring statment now seems oddly out of step with the hesitancy being expressed internationally. Hesitancy which has seen a number of internationally renowned gender medicine clinics end the use of these drugs for under 18s within the last few years"
There have been quite a few people poking holes in the whole system of recent times. Issues around commercialization of journals among other things. Fake and ai generated nonsense papers have been finding there way into reputable journals for some time.
I hope somebody vets the Auckland council/local board candidates. Otherwise given the threat of stealth infiltration by VFF and the like I sadly won't be voting for any "independent" candidates this year unless I am personally familiar with them. It's not worth the risk – even one of these people out to make New Zealand "ungovernable" being elected would be one too many.
Yep, these journalists are on a righteous mission to seek out these terrible folk who are spreading disinformation regarding the safety of vaccines. Pleased to see Andrea Vance adding her name to the stable of fearless truthseekers.
A pity about Paula though. Someone remembered this piece she did back in the day when it was (obviously) ok to question the safety of a vaccine and (OMG!!!) to give oxygen to those conspiracy theorists who claim that Gardasil caused serious adverse effects…including deaths.
Aye – it's about who has pricing power in the market, and who doesn't. So it's essentially a political matter – both when inflation is imported and when imported inflation threatens to kick of a domestic wage-price spiral. Who escapes the pain and who cops it – a sh*t fight where the powerful win..
Profit is a lot of things. It is part of what funds future growth, sustains businesses through recessions and market changes, rewards investors who bear the greatest risk.
Did you bother to look at why the Mercury profit had risen so much?
It was caused by a one-off gain of a net $367m from the sale of Tilt renewables. This the profit, at $469m was $328m more than the previous year. However without the one-off sale it would have been less than the previous year wouldn't it?
It is all in their annual report if you had gone to the trouble of looking at it.
So every household in New Zealand has been paying an extra $200 a year for Comalco's sweetheart deal since – well a bloody long time I guess. Of course the unstated is that every retailer, farmer, tradesman, manufacturer have also been paying more. How much do those Comalco jobs cost everyone in total? I'm picking "way too much" as my answer.
My understanding is that Comalco's last bite of the cherry was to gain enormous reductions in it's transmission charges – That will also be everyone in New Zealand subsidising them for that. FFS can we please let them dam smelter die to help the whole of New Zealand
If Tiwai had closed you would not have had the increased investment in generation in the NI,which reduces transmission losses and cost.Transmission costs have increased due to new capacity to allow for the possible closure of Tiwai.
Transpower has completed its Clutha to Upper Waitaki Lines project with the commissioning of the final works to replace conductor (the wire) on the Roxburgh to Livingstone section of the Roxburgh to Islington A 220 kV transmission line this week. The total project has nearly doubled the transmission capacity of the network for transfer northwards – particularly important for either new generation in the area or the potential closure of the aluminium smelter at Tiwai.
Even Tiwais closure would not mean cheaper electricity as the ERA wanted the removal of low user charges (over half of NZ) so a lot of fat cats can have EV.
Bangkok Hospital (Thailand) advice on Covid Vaccination…
COVID-19 vaccine is NOT recommended in:
People aged below 18
People who have had previous history of serious allergic reactions to vaccine (s)
People who have had blood transfusion, plasma or other blood component exchange, including immunoglobulin, antiviral drugs or antibody therapy against COVID-19 in the last 90 days
Patients with confirmed SARS-Cov-2 infection in the last 10 days. In such a case, COVID-19 vaccine can be considered at least 3 months after being infected.
Patients with underlying diseases who have shown uncontrollable symptoms, e.g. chest discomfort, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath and palpitation. If needed, vaccination needs to be advised by the specialists.
Patients with neurological diseases or nervous system disorders. If needed, vaccination needs to be advised by the specialists.
Pregnant or breastfeeding women or women who have planned for pregnancy. Vaccination might be considered if the expert’s opinion can be obtained.
Immunocompromised patients or patients who take immunosuppressant drugs. If needed, vaccination needs to be advised by the specialists.
People with coagulation disorders, e.g. bleeding and low platelet count (thrombocytopenia) and patients who take anticoagulant or antiplatelet medicines. If needed, vaccination needs to be advised by the specialists.
Cardiovascular Effects of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in Adolescents
Cardiovascular effects were found in 29.24% of patients, ranging from tachycardia, palpitation, and myopericarditis. Myopericarditis was confirmed in one patient after vaccination. Two patients had suspected pericarditis and four patients had suspected subclinical myocarditis. Conclusion: Cardiovascular effects in adolescents after BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination included tachycardia, palpitation, and myocarditis. The clinical presentation of myopericarditis after vaccination was usually mild, with all cases fully recovering within 14 days. Hence, adolescents receiving mRNA vaccines should be monitored for side effects.
My personal confidence that Thailand's Covid deaths are understated = 100%
My personal confidence that Thailand's age demographics are a shit load different to New Zealand's and that they have far lower % of elderly and the health compromised = 100%
My personal confidence that you will continue flogging this dead horse for a very long time = 99%
IMHO Barfly may be right about Thailand understating its deaths. Third world countries tend not to have the resources to accurately report such things.
A few years ago a friend was found face down in a Thai marina. No investigation, no postmortem. The death certificate issued the day he was found offered no insight into how, when or why other than he drowned, was signed by the marina plod.
I would hazard a guess that the 4.2% difference between NZ and Thailand would include a longer surviving, more at risk population in New Zealand that is more likely to die of covid-related illness.
According to Rosemary's Demographics.
Thailand 60 + is 17% of the pop
NZ 65+ is 14.9%of the pop
Not fully like with like, but Thailand's population is percentage points fewer at the aged end.
the limiting factor here seems to be a lack of understanding of what variables are and role they play, and that correlation doesn't equal causation (nor does stacking facts next to each other inherently have meaning).
I assume more likely to take risks like swimming in a thunder storm. Less likely to be cautious.
Point was there will be various potential reasons and we can’t necessarily know just because of the data in front of us (but I like your guesses, lol, we should consider all the possibilities. Taller seems less likely to be a factor, being outside more more likely, and so on).
What facts exactly? As far as I can't tell Rosemary is speculating about something, but won't say directly what she means. Maybe you could explain it to me? Is she saying that an extra 54/million people die of covid because of the differences in vaccine policy? What's the connection? Where's the actual evidence?
Anything to say about the differing advice about who should get the Covid vax?
What was your point though? I really wish you would state the up front and directly.
Because here's what I saw you say,
Thailand and NZ have different covid death rates.
Thailand and NZ have different vax policies
Inference being that there is a connection. You don't say what the connection is. Which is why I pointed out the problem of not understanding evidence, and making assumptions about the proximity of data.
Anything to say about the 1 in 300 rate of myocarditis from the Pfizer shot for 11-18 year olds in the study?
where did you get the 1 in 300 rate from? The number 300 doesn't appear in your link. If you copy and paste the relevant bit and explain your thinking, I will have something to say. As it is, I don't know what you are on about
Thailand and NZ have very similar 'death from Covid' rates, and very different 'who should get the vaccine' advice.
I'm guessing you are trying to say that different vax practice should lead to more difference in death rates? Why?
It's already been outlined that the reasons for different rates in different countries comes from a range of variables. You can't just pick one and expect it to be meaningful.
I'd really encourage you to do a basic tutorial on how medical/health research and reporting works, the bit about variables and how/why they are 'controlled' for in particular. I'm not a scientist, and I don't have a huge knowledge in this area, but the basics go a long way.
I'm not being patronising there, I think you have some pertinent perspectives on the pandemic response, and like many others in the anti-response section of society, the lack of research/science literacy leads to extrapolating from science and data to poor analysis and arguments.
If you read the paper. there was 301 subject received their second shot of Pfizer. There subjects baseline heart readings were ascertained beforehand.
Over 29% showed measurable heart issues…some worryingly sub-clinical.
1 of the 301 was diagnosed with myocarditis.
I was rounding weka…rounding.
Sure, but I'm not going to read every paper someone posts online. The onus is on the person making the argument to make an actual argument (and use links/quotes to back that up).
Thanks for the excellent response. Two things: it’s highly misleading to try link overall population-wide reported death rates to the incidence of myocarditis in a small age-selected group. In NZ such link has not been established nor confirmed (yet).
Secondly, rounding from 301 to 300 is a red herring. Rosemary’s reckon is that this number is so much higher than other reported ones for the incidence of myocarditis.
Thailand and NZ have very similar 'death from Covid' rates, …
Yes, depending on where you look and what number you pick it would indeed suggest that reported mortality rates are fairly similar. However, this can be very misleading if the ways of reporting are very different. Therefore, more objective observers tend to use excess death or excess death rates for comparisons. I’m sure that you can find it, if you want to 😉
Here's my lay person opinion about the relevance of
Anything to say about the 1 in 300 rate of myocarditis from the Pfizer shot for 11-18 year olds in the study?
300 seems to me to be quite a small sample. If the same population was studied at say 5,000 people, we might find that the 1 in 300 rate drops. In the abstract the conclusion is that teens have these particular cardiac events post-vax, and teens getting vaxed should be monitored for side effects.
You could ask people with better medical science literacy than me what a useful study number would be (I made up the 5,000).
They're not claiming that their research shows 1 in 300 teens get pericarditis. You are making that claim and the evidence you have presented doesn't support that. Best we can say is that in this small study 1 of the 300 teens got pericarditis, and we can ask should there be follow up studies to see if this is a valid %?
The other thing is that we can't see from the abstract how they controlled for variables. Once the paper is printed, people with sufficient medical science literacy will read the paper and critique whether its methodology is sound. That is a crucial part of medical research, examination of methodology.
beyond that, as you probably know, my position on covid vaccination is that vaccinations come at a cost to some individuals but protect populations. The validity of that approach depends on how many individual people it's ok to harm in the process of protecting the whole population.
I also think that one of the ways we are failing is by minimising vaccine harm and thus failing to adequately support the people who end up with health problems.
On the other side, we are doing pretty much the same with adverse reactions to covid infection, including long covid.
I see both sides dismissing harm. Pro-vax minimise vax harm. the 'covid's not so bad' side minimise the disability created by covid infections. Neither is helping the people being harmed by those positions.
Further, the people arguing against covid vax generally have poor science literacy and are undermining their own arguments by this. Wakefield and the subsequent anti-vax movement have done a massive amount of damage to the pre-anti-vax movements that sought to promote health prevention via other means. We now have a chasm between people who have faith in vaccines and people who have faith in holistic medicine, when we should be working together.
[deleted – I will restore your comment when you have complied with the moderation request. This is costing me time, so if you keep this up I will simply move you to the Black List. I have no time and am not in the mood for your games – Incognito]
Have you bothered to look at excess mortality in Thailand during the pandemic and compared this to NZ? You might be in for a surprise, one that might not suit your biased narrative.
MOH is not going to change anything based on or because of this ‘study’.
Yep. What's a little heart damage for teenagers, eh? They'll get over it, eh?
Of course our Ministry of Health will not change their advice on this prospective study, but the Danish Ministry of Health has changed their Covid vaccine advice.
With quite strict limits on who is allowed to have the shots.
….which is Christine Stabell-Benns 'study' from May.
Video here, again, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_nKoybyMGg ….and its interesting to note that the Danish Health Ministry seems to have largely followed her advice and made it very difficult for under 18 year olds to get the Pfizer shot…because the risk of adverse effects outweigh the benefits.
I presume you are an epidemiologist? A public health expert? A medical doctor? A vaccinologist? A medical statistician?
Any qualification or hands-on experience that makes your reckons more credible than the actual professionals?
[You insinuated that there were vaccine-induced heart attacks reported in that study that you linked that is not (yet) peer-reviewed. You back it up and show where exactly this is mentioned. You’re in Pre-Mod until you’ve provided this particular piece of information because I’ve no inclination chasing you down your usual rabbit holes – Incognito]
…you can take your pick from the definitions offered.
Any happening that causes measurable changes in a young person's baseline indicators of heart health is very, very serious.
Rather than address the study…it is an actual study Incognito, not the idle reckons of some anonymous denizen of the internet…commentors simply mock, joke and trivialize.
Referencing Christine Stabell-Benn and the Danish Ministry of Health indicates a slide down a rabbit hole?
Dear Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the Goddess…please let it not be such as yourself setting policy for our Ministry of Health.
Hint. Denmark, and Thailand, change their advice and policies on Covid vaccinations according to the latest available data.
[Nice deflection 🙂
Anything to say about the 1 in 300 rate of myocarditis from the Pfizer shot for 11-18 year olds in the study?
lol. Like a heart attack.
And
What’s a little heart damage for teenagers, eh?
One more chance for you to put up the support for your misleading and exaggerated comments, from the study you linked to; I have no time today to play your games – Incognito]
so this is a really good example of what I was just talking about regarding medical science literacy. I agree with Incognito that the paper doesn't mention heart attacks at all.
It says,
The most common cardiovascular effects were tachycardia (7.64%), shortness of breath (6.64%), palpitation (4.32%), chest pain (4.32%), and hypertension (3.99%)
And peri/myocarditis.
None of those are a heart attack.
I don't know if you know this and were using hyperbole. Or if you don't in fact know what a heart attack is. Either way, it's exactly this kind of mistake that undermines the vax concerned argument. Science people and public health people, and those that have faith in them, (the ones that need to be convinced) will never take such arguments seriously when they make such fundamental mistakes.
Where did I 'insinuate' that there were vaccine induced heart attacks?
Here,
What ‘heart attacks’?????
Yep. What's a little heart damage for teenagers, eh? They'll get over it, eh?
I can see how it could be read both ways, but the onus is on you to communicate effectively and clarify.
FWIW, you can't provide the evidence that Incognito is asking for, because it's not there, so just take responsibility for the miscommunication and acknowledge that no heart attacks happened in that study and we can move on.
Let me assure you Rosemary, I was in no way making light of heart attacks. A careful reading of 10.1.1.3.2 will show I was in fact making light of being struck by lightning.
Hard to get that information…there are a couple of studies from Israel that counted emergency heart issues incidents before the vaccine roll out and after and found a considerably higher number in the after group.
…has a handy wee chart that might at least tell you what the myocarditis rate due to covid rate they reckoned… 455 per million infections in the 12-17 age group.
The Thai study suggests at least 3000 cases per 1 million second doses of Pfizer.
Exactly! Yet, you’re more than happy & willing to extrapolate your reckons to conclusions without having the info nor the skills & expertise to interpret that info. Any scientist knows that extrapolating (usually in a simplistic uninformed unconditional linear fashion) from a small sample (e.g. a small trial) to a much larger one (e.g. a whole population) is nothing more than a gamble, a stab in the dark and the extrapolated number has such an enormous error (aka uncertainty) that it is essentially meaningless. The way to mitigate this is to have a robust mechanistic model that is validated (aka calibrated), which can be used to make predictions & extrapolations with more acceptable (aka realistic and meaningful) confidence intervals. What you and other amateurs tend to do is essentially hand waving (and barking up wrong trees).
To illustrate the pitfalls of extrapolation:
In the space of one hundred and seventy six years the Lower Mississippi has shortened itself two hundred and forty-two miles. That is an average of a trifle over a mile and a third per year. Therefore, any calm person, who is not blind or idiotic, can see that in the Old Oölitic Silurian Period, just a million years ago next November, the Lower Mississippi was upwards of one million three hundred thousand miles long, and stuck out over the Gulf of Mexico like a fishing-pole. And by the same token any person can see that seven hundred and forty-two years from now the Lower Mississippi will be only a mile and three-quarters long, and Cairo [Illinois] and New Orleans will have joined their streets together and be plodding comfortably along under a single mayor and a mutual board of aldermen. There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact.
Hard to get that information…there are a couple of studies from Israel that counted emergency heart issues incidents before the vaccine roll out and after and found a considerably higher number in the after group.
What that tells us is that emergency heart issues increased later in the pandemic. It doesn't tell us why. eg vax, covid, stress, or some other aspect of the group that we can't see.
The Thai study suggests at least 3000 cases per 1 million second doses of Pfizer.
no, it really doesn't. See explanations above. You are suggesting that, not the study.
that's a great Mark Twain quote. I'm guessing he was writing that in a time when there was a lot of tension in the US between science and the religious power embedded in society? People with a strong attachment to their gut sense and belief/convention struggling with rationality.
(not that I think gut sense is wrong/bad, I see the problem nowdays as it being misapplied and misusing science in the process).
If consensus expert medical opinion shifts, from advocating vaccination against COVID-19 to saying these vaccines do more harm than good, then I'll stop lining up for free boosters. Until then I'll be a fast follower of MoH advice on the best ways to avoid complications from COVID-19 infections – that includes boosters.
If Rosemary's continuing crusade here persuades a few Kiwis not to protect themselves, then that's a shame (and shameful, imho), but it's their choice.
Will anti-vaccine activism in the USA reverse global goals?
(1 August 2022) US anti-vaccine activism under the banner of health freedom (also referred to as medical freedom) has produced tragic and even deadly consequences. The loss of life has been massive. Since 1 May 2021, when President Biden’s administration announced that COVID-19 vaccines would become widely and freely available, at least 200,000 unvaccinated Americans have lost their lives potentially needlessly because they refused to have a COVID immunization.
Kind of annoying the way that google bombards with ads after you buy something.
I started to look for a new desk on the weekend to replace a very small desk that I have suffered with with since 2016 – including working at home during lock-downs. I changed jobs last September just as we went into lockdown again (damnit). So I didn't get a chance to try working from home with a better desk.
As it was a remote job, and I already knew I wasn't productive working at home (probably because of desk and lack of deskspace) I moved to local shared workspace, and was the only one there during that lockdown and since.
The cubicle at the workplace worked perfectly after I got a ultra wide screen and a height adjustable tray for it. Turned out that part of the problem was focal length with my progressives to the screen at eye height. Another part was my home screen resolution was just too damn high for the screen size.
However this workplace has been sold – so I have to move. Time for a new desk for home, and for whatever house we buy over the next few months to get more home office space. I'll try a the new desk.
1.8m x 0.8m white because that is exactly the size that works for me. The old desk was about 1.0m x 0.7m and glass with a fixed screen riser.
Standing desk with dual electric motors. Not because I'm likely to spend much time standing – but because I find that I'm pretty sensitive to desk/seat heights to get the correct hand/eye levels.
So on Tuesday I had a look at the one at showroom that I selected off the net. Got them to get a wide custom corner radius so we don't cripple ourselves when we walk into a corner. Paid for it in Wednesday via the net after confirming the custom change.
Since Tuesday I have been bombarded by ads via google for standing desks. At least half from the place I brought it from.
On monday I brought and paid-for a set of yubikey from yubico. Today the bloody net is starting to push similar devices.
What gets me is that the ads start days after I have already made a ddision an dbrought something.
Who do they cater to – people who always dither?
Grrr… I might have to put a ad-blocker in. Or start just blocking google from tracking me.
Anyway in a few weeks I should have half-way decent class desk available if anyone wants one and they live in Auckland and can pick it up….
Most people don’t need to be as functionally finicky about gear as I have to be. I might even throw in a older high end logitech mouse that will happily work on a glass desk if I can find where I stashed it.
Yeah just having the same experience. I've been doing on-line searches for rear wheel bearings for my 1991 Volvo 360 GLT which I am rebuilding. (Have had one since 1984 when I bought one new, Military sales, when serving in Singapore.)
Now inundated by Google with ads for all manner of wheel bearings!
PS. It the car gets used very little just the odd run once a month, down the coast to the beach. It's kept (along with my 1957 R50 BMW motorbike also recently rebuilt) for sentimental reasons. The Beemer has been ridden halfway round the world, starting in Pretoria South Africa, up through Africa, around the continent, then down through the middle east (as you could do in the late 50's – early 60's) India, then shipped to Perth, across the Nullibor to Melbourne and finally to NZ in wellington when I bought it in the mid 60's.
I was looking for a rug a year or so ago and was bombarded with ads for rugs. Still get them now and then. I bought some shoes and a cell blanket online a few months ago and have had blanket coverage of shoes and blankets ever since. Never ending.
Hand with slightly cupped palm down on cutting surface, insert goods between the two, slide in a reasonably large pair of scissors and chop, chop, away using using cupped palm to contain goods. Better than a grinder.
"I refuse to stand by while people are living in cars" Leader of the opposition Jacinda Ardern, 2020
The housing crisis could be fixed with the stroke of a pen.
Pick up your pen Prime Minister, stop standing by, make it illegal for perfectly good homes to be left empty.
Fine the owners to pressure them to sell or rent these homes out. Fix the housing crisis with your pen.
Stop standing by.
Prime Minister Ardern. Why are you doing this?
Are the "Wealth Storing" creeps more important to you, than the suffering of families and children living in cars?
What Auckland’s ‘ghost homes’ could do for the housing crisis
There are about 40,000 'ghost houses' in Auckland. Cat MacLennan asks if a tax on these empty homes could help house homeless people and low-income workers.
….According to the 2018 Census, there are approximately 40,000 empty private homes in Auckland. That is 7.3 percent of the total, up from 6.6 percent in the previous Census in 2013. And Auckland is not the only place in Aotearoa with vacant homes at a time when accommodation is expensive and in short supply…
….a significant number are empty simply because the owners are focused on capital gains. This is now an international phenomenon. In England it is called “buy to leave,” in New York it is described as “warehousing,” while in British Columbia it is known as “wealth storing”.
190,000 empty houses in New Zealand. If only 10% of those were inhabited there would be no housing crisis. FFS this is a PM who had a nuclear moment re climate and we're now importing 30% more coal
"The city only wants to target large companies. All apartments set for the potential take-over belong to owners of multiple housing units. Moreover, the flats have to be empty for more than two years and there may not be a record of recent power use. This should ensure that second homes are not included.
Vacancies are a worldwide issue. In the US, there are 18.9 million vacant homes – compared to 3.5 million homeless. This means there are more than five times as many vacant apartments as there are homeless people. It is the same in Europe: more than 11 million homes lie empty, while 4 million people have no roof over their heads."
Not only do we have homeless unhoused while homes are empty, we have RSE workers housed in appalling conditions, and areas where people don't come to live even though there are desirable jobs because of the lack of housing.
The worms will live in every hostIt's hard to pick which one they eat the mostThe horrible people, the horrible peopleIt's as anatomic as the size of your steepleCapitalism has made it this wayOld-fashioned fascism will take it awaySongwriter: Twiggy Ramirez Read more ...
Hi,It’s almost Christmas Day which means it is almost my birthday, where you will find me whimpering in the corner clutching a warm bottle of Baileys.If you’re out of ideas for presents (and truly desperate) then it is possible to gift a full Webworm subscription to a friend (or enemy) ...
This morning’s six standouts for me at 6.30am include:Rachel Helyer Donaldson’s scoop via RNZ last night of cuts to maternity jobs in the health system;Maddy Croad’s scoop via The Press-$ this morning on funding cuts for Christchurch’s biggest food rescue charity;Benedict Collins’ scoop last night via 1News on a last-minute ...
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 15, 2024 thru Sat, December 21, 2024. Based on feedback we received, this week's roundup is the first one published soleley by category. We are still interested in ...
Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...
So the Solstice has arrived – Summer in this part of the world, Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. And with it, the publication my new Norse dark-fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens at Eternal Haunted Summer: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/winter-solstice-2024/as-our-power-lessens/ As previously noted, this one is very ‘wyrd’, and Northern Theory of Courage. ...
The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, “saving the planet” is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on UnsplashEvery morning I get up at 3am to go around the traps of news sites in Aotearoa and globally. I pick out the top ones from my point of view and have been putting them into my Dawn Chorus email, which goes out with a podcast. ...
Over on Kikorangi Newsroom's Marc Daalder has published his annual OIA stats. So I thought I'd do mine: 82 OIA requests sent in 2024 7 posts based on those requests 20 average working days to receive a response Ministry of Justice was my most-requested entity, ...
Welcome to the December 2024 Economic Bulletin. We have two monthly features in this edition. In the first, we discuss what the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update from Treasury and the Budget Policy Statement from the Minister of Finance tell us about the fiscal position and what to ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have submitted against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, slamming the Bill as a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an attack on tino rangatiratanga and the collective rights of Tangata Whenua. “This Bill seeks to legislate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles that are ...
I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...
Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...
Twas the Friday before Christmas and all through the week we’ve been collecting stories for our final roundup of the year. As we start to wind down for the year we hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and new year. If you’re travelling please be safe on ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the year’s news with: on climate. Her book of the year was Tim Winton’s cli-fi novel Juice and she also mentioned Mike Joy’s memoir The Fight for Fresh Water. ...
The Government can head off to the holidays, entitled to assure itself that it has done more or less what it said it would do. The campaign last year promised to “get New Zealand back on track.” When you look at the basic promises—to trim back Government expenditure, toughen up ...
Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment:Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...
“Like you said, I’m an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.”“ONE OF THOSE had better be for me!” Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.“Of course!”, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...
Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...
It is difficult to make sense of the Luxon Coalition Government’s economic management.This end-of-year review about the state of economic management – the state of the economy was last week – is not going to cover the National Party contribution. Frankly, like every other careful observer, I cannot make up ...
This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...
Remember those silent movies where the heroine is tied to the railway tracks or going over the waterfall in a barrel? Finance Minister Nicola Willis seems intent on portraying herself as that damsel in distress. According to Willis, this country’s current economic problems have all been caused by the spending ...
Similar to the cuts and the austerity drive imposed by Ruth Richardson in the 1990’s, an era which to all intents and purposes we’ve largely fiddled around the edges with fixing in the time since – over, to be fair, several administrations – whilst trying our best it seems to ...
String-Pulling in the Dark: For the democratic process to be meaningful it must also be public. WITH TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in New Zealand’s politicians and journalists steadily declining, restoring those virtues poses a daunting challenge. Just how daunting is made clear by comparing the way politicians and journalists treated New Zealanders ...
Dear Nicola Willis, thank you for letting us know in so many words that the swingeing austerity hasn't worked.By in so many words I mean the bit where you said, Here is a sea of red ink in which we are drowning after twelve months of savage cost cutting and ...
The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral organisation committed to advancing open government. Countries which join are supposed to co-create regular action plans with civil society, committing to making verifiable improvements in transparency, accountability, participation, or technology and innovation for the above. And they're held to account through an Independent ...
Today I tuned into something strange: a press conference that didn’t make my stomach churn or the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Which was strange, because it was about the torture of children. It was the announcement by Erica Stanford — on her own, unusually ...
This is a must watch, and puts on brilliant and practical display the implications and mechanics of fast-track law corruption and weakness.CLICK HERE: LINK TO WATCH VIDEOOur news media as it is set up is simply not equipped to deal with the brazen disinformation and corruption under this right wing ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting Secretary Erin Polaczuk is welcoming the announcement from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden that she is opening consultation on engineered stone and is calling on her to listen to the evidence and implement a total ban of the product. “We need ...
The Government has announced a 1.5% increase in the minimum wage from 1 April 2025, well below forecast inflation of 2.5%. Unions have reacted strongly and denounced it as a real terms cut. PSA and the CTU are opposing a new round of staff cuts at WorkSafe, which they say ...
The decision to unilaterally repudiate the contract for new Cook Strait ferries is beginning to look like one of the stupidest decisions a New Zealand government ever made. While cancelling the ferries and their associated port infrastructure may have made this year's books look good, it means higher costs later, ...
Hi there! I’ve been overseas recently, looking after a situation with a family member. So apologies if there any less than focused posts! Vanuatu has just had a significant 7.3 earthquake. Two MFAT staff are unaccounted for with local fatalities.It’s always sad to hear of such things happening.I think of ...
Today is a special member's morning, scheduled to make up for the government's theft of member's days throughout the year. First up was the first reading of Greg Fleming's Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill, which was passed unanimously. Currently the House is debating the third reading of ...
We're going backwardsIgnoring the realitiesGoing backwardsAre you counting all the casualties?We are not there yetWhere we need to beWe are still in debtTo our insanitiesSongwriter: Martin Gore Read more ...
Willis blamed Treasury for changing its productivity assumptions and Labour’s spending increases since Covid for the worsening Budget outlook. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, December 18 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above ...
Today the Auckland Transport board meet for the last time this year. For those interested (and with time to spare), you can follow along via this MS Teams link from 10am. I’ve taken a quick look through the agenda items to see what I think the most interesting aspects are. ...
Hi,If you’re a New Zealander — you know who Mike King is. He is the face of New Zealand’s battle against mental health problems. He can be loud and brash. He raises, and is entrusted with, a lot of cash. Last year his “I Am Hope” charity reported a revenue ...
Probably about the only consolation available from yesterday’s unveiling of the Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) is that it could have been worse. Though Finance Minister Nicola Willis has tightened the screws on future government spending, she has resisted the calls from hard-line academics, fiscal purists and fiscal hawks ...
The right have a stupid saying that is only occasionally true:When is democracy not democracy? When it hasn’t been voted on.While not true in regards to branches of government such as the judiciary, it’s a philosophy that probably should apply to recently-elected local government councillors. Nevertheless, this concept seemed to ...
Long story short: the Government’s austerity policy has driven the economy into a deeper and longer recession that means it will have to borrow $20 billion more over the next four years than it expected just six months ago. Treasury’s latest forecasts show the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s fiscal strategy of ...
Come and join myself and CTU Chief Economist for a pop-up ‘Hoon’ webinar on the Government’s Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) with paying subscribers to The Kākā for 30 minutes at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream to watch our chat. Don’t worry if ...
In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...
New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...
At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...
Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob HensonIn this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...
In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...
On Friday the government announced it would double the number of toll roads in New Zealand as well as make a few other changes to how toll roads are used in the country. The real issue though is not that tolling is being used but the suggestion it will make ...
The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...
This whooping cough story from south Auckland is a good example of the coalition government’s approach to social need – spend money on urging people to get vaccinated but only after you’ve cut the funding to where they could get vaccinated. This has been the case all year with public ...
And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...
Here’s a quick round up of today’s political news:1. MORE FOOD BANKS, CHARITIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND YOUTH SOCIAL SERVICES SET TO CLOSE OR SCALE BACK AROUND THE COUNTRY AS GOVT CUTS FUNDINGSome of Auckland's largest foodbanks are warning they may need to close or significantly reduce food parcels after ...
Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...
This is a guest post by Tim Adriaansen, a community, climate, and accessibility advocate.I won’t shut up about climate breakdown, and whenever possible I try to shift the focus of a climate conversation towards solutions. But you’ll almost never hear me give more than a passing nod to ...
A grassroots backlash has forced a backdown from Brown, but he is still eyeing up plenty of tolls for other new roads. And the pressure is on Willis to ramp up the Government’s austerity strategy. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 8, 2024 thru Sat, December 14, 2024. Listing by Category Like last week's summary this one contains the list of articles twice: based on categories and based on ...
I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...
Once, long before there was Harry and Meghan and Dodi and all those episodes of The Crown, they came to spend some time with us, Charles and Diana. Was there anyone in the world more glamorous than the Princess of Wales?Dazzled as everyone was by their company, the leader of ...
The collective right have a problem.The entire foundation for their world view is antiscientific. Their preferred economic strategies have been disproven. Their whole neoliberal model faces accusations of corporate corruption and worsening inequality. Climate change not only definitely exists, its rapid progression demands an immediate and expensive response in order ...
Just ten days ago, South Korea's president attempted a self-coup, declaring martial law and attempting to have opposition MPs murdered or arrested in an effort to seize unconstrained power. The attempt was rapidly defeated by the national assembly voting it down and the people flooding the streets to defend democracy. ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...
After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...
In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...
Kiwis planning a swim or heading out on a boat this summer should remember to stop and think about water safety, Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop and ACC and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “New Zealand’s beaches, lakes and rivers are some of the most beautiful in the ...
The Government is urging Kiwis to drive safely this summer and reminding motorists that Police will be out in force to enforce the road rules, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“This time of year can be stressful and result in poor decision-making on our roads. Whether you are travelling to see ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...
Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...
The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...
The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...
The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...
People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...
Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
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I have posted on this…many times on the Standard. Some might find it hard to believe 21st Century NZ could have "modern day slavery" …be sure it exists.
Brave whistleblowers and true Journalists expose it ! And also be very sure that under a nact govt…it would be modus operandi. (not deemed "slavery" of course)
Anyway, please support our Brothers and Sisters who are being exploited..by these scum. Stand Up !!
I agree, however I see that up to now, the main thrust of the law and pubic anger has been directed at the ‘middle management’ (or lower) so to speak, ie; the people who were directly responsible for organizing the crews etc (the easy low hanging fruit of course) but not one orchard owner or company director has had to face any legal action as far as I know.
Now if I have known that this exploitation of RSE workers has been wide spread for nearly a decade…then you can be absolutely sure that those same orchard owners, and company directors have been fully aware to what is going on their own properties for the past decade as well….so let’s see if any of them get caught up, face any sort of penalty, or even get called out in this new govt review….don’t hold your breath.
Hi Adrian. I do (and have previously) note your concern for our Brother and Sister Workers. I will be following this particular case for sure !
Stand Up !
Here is an example of the self proclaimed defenders of world democracy in action….the very same one that the Liberals class both here in NZ (and on TS) and abroad and their media, offer their support for in terms of it's foreign interventions….
As Afghan People Boil Grass to Eat, U.S. Refuses to Release $7 Billion of Frozen Afghan Assets
It would be very foolish for the US to hand over substantial money to the Afghan Taleban without enforceable conditions. The Taleban want full untagged control of aid funding, and there ain't no donor going to agree to that.
Taliban Want to Control Aid Funds, a Red Line for Donors – WSJ
Prior to the Taleban takeover last year about 80% of Afghanistan's income came from donors.
Afghanistan earthquake: What foreign aid is getting in? – BBC News
But with the intensity of hostility from the Taleban rulers, there are now no good analogues for mounting a substantial state-supporting effort in the absence of any UN security. Who in their right mind would even land a plane there let alone fly in to help. Obviously no women can assist now.
It is also pretty unreasonable to expect any decent UN-led effort would be any more successful than that generated over the last two decades. It is one of the most corrupt, repressive, unstable countries in the world. Nor is there any changing it.
Good luck to the remaining donors.
"It would be very foolish for the US to hand over substantial money to the Afghan Taleban without enforceable conditions. The Taleban want full untagged control of aid funding, and there ain't no donor going to agree to that"…and yet the Western world do exactly that in the Ukraine..recognized without question as the most corrupt country in Europe, but then double standards are standard operating procedure in the US and it's European/Western enablers foreign policy…and by the way it's Taliban.
70% of Western weapons sent to Ukraine don’t reach troops – CBS
https://www.rt.com/russia/560419-ukraine-weapons-lost-cbs/
Completely irrelevant to whether as you claimed the US ought to be giving finance to the Afghan Taleban. Also, terrible source.
"It would be very foolish for the US to hand over substantial money to the Afghan Taleban without enforceable conditions."
Whose f**king money is it anyway? Sure as s**t doesn't belong to the US.
Would you really let people starve on the strange notion that it is good for them? Oh yeah – Ad Allbright !!!!
What to make of this?
Have fascists and racists become more emboldened?
Or has this always gone on in this country un-reported?
More importantly, is it leading up to some sort of atrocity?
The authorities need to take this matter seriously
These offenders need to be named and shamed and charged in a court of law.
You can’t tell me the police and security forces don’t have the means to detect and identify these offenders and the ability to lay charges. If this is not done in this case these petty fascists will become even more emboldened.
We all know what happened when the authorities didn’t take harassment against the Islamic community seriously
I hope to see these people in court very soon
“Have fascists and racists become more emboldened?
Or has this always gone on in this country un-reported?”
It's always gone on, but technology has changed. Good in one sense (the abuse can be recorded as evidence, even insults on the street can be captured on cellphones).
Bad in another: racists can gather online and reinforce each other's bigotry. So yes, emboldened. As demonstrated by the many stories about extremist candidates this year.
Good on him for calling it out, and the messages of support are heartening, at least.
More than 'at least' the outpouring of messages of support for Dr Rawiri Taonui were overwhelming. In my opinion this outflowing of public support is the most significant part of this reported matter.
Which is why I think it imperative that these racists need to be apprehended and named and shamed in public court.
"….racists can gather online and reinforce each other's bigotry"
Observer, what I think you have identified here, is that the online world has enabled minority like minded individuals to gather in virtual spaces where they can reinforce and encourage these views, and where they deludedly can convince each other of the rightness of these views divorced from reality.
Online reinforcement of extremist views bearing little relation to the lived reality and humanity of the targets of their prejudice, or the wider held more tolerant views of community they live in, can allow online extremism to grow and fester, until eventually it breaks out into the real world.
This is why it is imperative that these people need to named and shamed in the real world, so the communities they live and work in and the people they interact with on daily basis can be aware of them, and let them know that their views are unacceptable to the majority of us.
It is good to see that Dr Rawiri Taonui has raised this matter with the police and I see that he has received praise from some commentators for doing so.
It is up to the police now. Because of the power of social media and the serious real world consequences that can arise from the influence of unchecked online hate. When it breaks out into the real world this sort of behavour needs to be nipped in the bud and let know that it is not acceptable.
The public deserve to see a serious police investigation resulting in these people being brought up in court on these offences.
Too long has this sort of thing been ignored and downplayed by the authorities, and as we witnessed in Christchurch this can end in tragic results.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/07/christchurch-shooting-agencies-accused-of-ignoring-years-of-warnings-the-muslim-community-was-in-danger.html
We need a swift police investigation with results. Dr Rawiri Taonui police complaint needs to be taken seriously.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/gender-questioning-kids-being-let-down
"Lack of local media reporting on significant internation developments on child and youth gender treatment is leaving NZ families to make life-changing decisions in an information vacuum"
This article is about the almost complete black out in media coverage on the closure of the Tavistock and the legal action 1000 families are taking against the gender identity clinic.
This had been extremely hard for some of us trying to blow the whistle on this and being smeared by others (not on this site ) for being anti trans and terfs etc.
I have to say a huge thank you to the Standard and all who work so hard on it. You have allowed us a space to raise concerns when we were shut down in almost every avenue we tried to raise these issues.
All we get is the local Labour MP tweeting her support for the people protesting against the recent therapists (CATA) conference in Nelson because they dared to hear from people who were up to date with the work in this area.
You will probably be aware that the debate in Rugby is coming to a quick head, with the different regulations between Australian and UK players now clear.
Rugby 2022: Rugby Australia stance on transgender players to remain (smh.com.au)
Also this month, there was a conference in Ottawa in which this developing set of regulations was discussed
Rugby: Olympic champion Ellia Green finds liberation in transition – NZ Herald
Given how slowly many other spheres of sporting rule change, this is actually a pretty quick response that is well on its way to global stabilisation.
https://www.naturalnews.com/2022-04-17-guam-coach-female-players-injured-trans-athlete.html#
Thanks Ad. I have posted so many times Dr Ross Tucker a sports scientist take on treansgender women in sport, He says the advantage is significant and that trans women playing in women's rugby will cause more injuries (see the lint about the Guam women).
More from the article I linked above
When talking about the MOH webiste info on blockers "Blockers are safe and fully reversible….."
"The rassuring statment now seems oddly out of step with the hesitancy being expressed internationally. Hesitancy which has seen a number of internationally renowned gender medicine clinics end the use of these drugs for under 18s within the last few years"
Bookmarking for later,
https://twitter.com/FrancescoNicoli/status/1559815190815903746
There have been quite a few people poking holes in the whole system of recent times. Issues around commercialization of journals among other things. Fake and ai generated nonsense papers have been finding there way into reputable journals for some time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_scholarly_publishing_stings
https://www.science.org/content/article/two-elite-medical-journals-retract-coronavirus-papers-over-data-integrity-questions
10/10 for Andrea Vance:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/129598951/the-covid19-conspiracy-theorists-targeting-northlands-local-elections
Now it is up to all her fellow journalists to do the hard yards and name the rest of them. Maybe some have started. I hope so.
I hope somebody vets the Auckland council/local board candidates. Otherwise given the threat of stealth infiltration by VFF and the like I sadly won't be voting for any "independent" candidates this year unless I am personally familiar with them. It's not worth the risk – even one of these people out to make New Zealand "ungovernable" being elected would be one too many.
Yep, these journalists are on a righteous mission to seek out these terrible folk who are spreading disinformation regarding the safety of vaccines. Pleased to see Andrea Vance adding her name to the stable of fearless truthseekers.
A pity about Paula though. Someone remembered this piece she did back in the day when it was (obviously) ok to question the safety of a vaccine and (OMG!!!) to give oxygen to those conspiracy theorists who claim that Gardasil caused serious adverse effects…including deaths.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2015/11/cause-or-coincidence-teen-dies-after-gardasil-vaccine.html
It is going to be very interesting how this Fearless Journalist reconciles her work today with her work back then.
But wage increases will cause inflation! /s
https://twitter.com/labourcartel/status/1560026230988034049
Profit is unpaid wages/taxes.
Can I please use your comment in a post?
Absolutely!
😎 thanks!
Aye – it's about who has pricing power in the market, and who doesn't. So it's essentially a political matter – both when inflation is imported and when imported inflation threatens to kick of a domestic wage-price spiral. Who escapes the pain and who cops it – a sh*t fight where the powerful win..
“Profit is unpaid wages/taxes.“
Profit is a lot of things. It is part of what funds future growth, sustains businesses through recessions and market changes, rewards investors who bear the greatest risk.
Did you bother to look at why the Mercury profit had risen so much?
It was caused by a one-off gain of a net $367m from the sale of Tilt renewables. This the profit, at $469m was $328m more than the previous year. However without the one-off sale it would have been less than the previous year wouldn't it?
It is all in their annual report if you had gone to the trouble of looking at it.
https://indd.adobe.com/view/3d4b71af-e25a-4f7b-9860-9478b32541dc
Wait, what?
Facts?
Don't tell them the facts. That will upset them. No, no, no, they are excessive profits.
Well well well…….
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2208/S00245/authority-imposes-interim-restrictions-on-very-large-electricity-contracts.htm
So every household in New Zealand has been paying an extra $200 a year for Comalco's sweetheart deal since – well a bloody long time I guess. Of course the unstated is that every retailer, farmer, tradesman, manufacturer have also been paying more. How much do those Comalco jobs cost everyone in total? I'm picking "way too much" as my answer.
My understanding is that Comalco's last bite of the cherry was to gain enormous reductions in it's transmission charges – That will also be everyone in New Zealand subsidising them for that. FFS can we please let them dam smelter die to help the whole of New Zealand
Complete madness.
If Tiwai had closed you would not have had the increased investment in generation in the NI,which reduces transmission losses and cost.Transmission costs have increased due to new capacity to allow for the possible closure of Tiwai.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/power-bill-changes-bring-fairness-charges
Even Tiwais closure would not mean cheaper electricity as the ERA wanted the removal of low user charges (over half of NZ) so a lot of fat cats can have EV.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/power-bill-changes-bring-fairness-charges
Thailand. Covid deaths … 455/million.
New Zealand Covid deaths… 509/million
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
New Zealand Ministry of Health advice on Covid vaccination….
Recommended for children over 5 and pregnant women etc etc
https://www.health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines
Bangkok Hospital (Thailand) advice on Covid Vaccination…
COVID-19 vaccine is NOT recommended in:
https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en/content/symptoms-to-know-after-getting-the-covid-19-vaccine
And I'll pop this up again…since it is such an important piece of work.
https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202208.0151/v1
Cardiovascular Effects of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in Adolescents
Cardiovascular effects were found in 29.24% of patients, ranging from tachycardia, palpitation, and myopericarditis. Myopericarditis was confirmed in one patient after vaccination. Two patients had suspected pericarditis and four patients had suspected subclinical myocarditis. Conclusion: Cardiovascular effects in adolescents after BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination included tachycardia, palpitation, and myocarditis. The clinical presentation of myopericarditis after vaccination was usually mild, with all cases fully recovering within 14 days. Hence, adolescents receiving mRNA vaccines should be monitored for side effects.
The comments make for an interesting read.
My personal confidence that Thailand's Covid deaths are understated = 100%
My personal confidence that Thailand's age demographics are a shit load different to New Zealand's and that they have far lower % of elderly and the health compromised = 100%
My personal confidence that you will continue flogging this dead horse for a very long time = 99%
Evidence to support your claims? Zero.
You theory is based on what? New Zealand/Western superiority? Racism?
And you can easily look up the demographics…no need to guess…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_New_Zealand
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Thailand
Covid Deaths: NZ 509/m UK 2711/m USA 3221/m
IMHO Barfly may be right about Thailand understating its deaths. Third world countries tend not to have the resources to accurately report such things.
A few years ago a friend was found face down in a Thai marina. No investigation, no postmortem. The death certificate issued the day he was found offered no insight into how, when or why other than he drowned, was signed by the marina plod.
Wow….well that graphically says it all.
NZ 2018 715,200 people aged 65+ years (15.2% of the population).
https://www.ehinz.ac.nz/indicators/population-vulnerability/age-profile/
Thailand 2016 11% of the Thai population are 65 years or older.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/thailand/publication/thailand-economic-monitor-june-2016-aging-society-and-economy
I would hazard a guess that the 4.2% difference between NZ and Thailand would include a longer surviving, more at risk population in New Zealand that is more likely to die of covid-related illness.
According to Rosemary's Demographics.
Thailand 60 + is 17% of the pop
NZ 65+ is 14.9%of the pop
Not fully like with like, but Thailand's population is percentage points fewer at the aged end.
The tropics help, too. As would well ventilated homes, community activities conducted outside, plant based diets and obesity rates a third of ours.
more vitamin D from sun exposure, different hemispheres and thus seasons, timing of covid waves etc probably factor in as well.
the limiting factor here seems to be a lack of understanding of what variables are and role they play, and that correlation doesn't equal causation (nor does stacking facts next to each other inherently have meaning).
to wit, what are the potential reasons for this?
https://twitter.com/UberFacts/status/1555820218307551233
Because men are taller?
More likely to be outside in a thunderstorm?
Just kidding!
I assume more likely to take risks like swimming in a thunder storm. Less likely to be cautious.
Point was there will be various potential reasons and we can’t necessarily know just because of the data in front of us (but I like your guesses, lol, we should consider all the possibilities. Taller seems less likely to be a factor, being outside more more likely, and so on).
Males taking their disputes to the highest available authority.
lol
Nicely deflected there weka.
Anything to say about the differing advice about who should get the Covid vax?
Anything to say about the 1 in 300 rate of myocarditis from the Pfizer shot for 11-18 year olds in the study?
lol. Like a heart attack.
Thanks again for yr efforts, Rosemary.
I am reminded that it is politically unwise to be correct too soon.
Interesting that facts can seemingly countered with reckons and anecdotes when the righteous do it.
What facts exactly? As far as I can't tell Rosemary is speculating about something, but won't say directly what she means. Maybe you could explain it to me? Is she saying that an extra 54/million people die of covid because of the differences in vaccine policy? What's the connection? Where's the actual evidence?
What was your point though? I really wish you would state the up front and directly.
Because here's what I saw you say,
Inference being that there is a connection. You don't say what the connection is. Which is why I pointed out the problem of not understanding evidence, and making assumptions about the proximity of data.
where did you get the 1 in 300 rate from? The number 300 doesn't appear in your link. If you copy and paste the relevant bit and explain your thinking, I will have something to say. As it is, I don't know what you are on about
Thailand and NZ have very similar 'death from Covid' rates, and very different 'who should get the vaccine' advice.
If you read the paper. there was 301 subject received their second shot of Pfizer. There subjects baseline heart readings were ascertained beforehand.
Over 29% showed measurable heart issues…some worryingly sub-clinical.
1 of the 301 was diagnosed with myocarditis.
I was rounding weka…rounding.
thanks for explaining.
I'm guessing you are trying to say that different vax practice should lead to more difference in death rates? Why?
It's already been outlined that the reasons for different rates in different countries comes from a range of variables. You can't just pick one and expect it to be meaningful.
I'd really encourage you to do a basic tutorial on how medical/health research and reporting works, the bit about variables and how/why they are 'controlled' for in particular. I'm not a scientist, and I don't have a huge knowledge in this area, but the basics go a long way.
I'm not being patronising there, I think you have some pertinent perspectives on the pandemic response, and like many others in the anti-response section of society, the lack of research/science literacy leads to extrapolating from science and data to poor analysis and arguments.
Sure, but I'm not going to read every paper someone posts online. The onus is on the person making the argument to make an actual argument (and use links/quotes to back that up).
@ weka
Thanks for the excellent response. Two things: it’s highly misleading to try link overall population-wide reported death rates to the incidence of myocarditis in a small age-selected group. In NZ such link has not been established nor confirmed (yet).
https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/safety-report-44.asp
Secondly, rounding from 301 to 300 is a red herring. Rosemary’s reckon is that this number is so much higher than other reported ones for the incidence of myocarditis.
Yes, depending on where you look and what number you pick it would indeed suggest that reported mortality rates are fairly similar. However, this can be very misleading if the ways of reporting are very different. Therefore, more objective observers tend to use excess death or excess death rates for comparisons. I’m sure that you can find it, if you want to 😉
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-03-08-2022/#comment-1903615
Here's my lay person opinion about the relevance of
300 seems to me to be quite a small sample. If the same population was studied at say 5,000 people, we might find that the 1 in 300 rate drops. In the abstract the conclusion is that teens have these particular cardiac events post-vax, and teens getting vaxed should be monitored for side effects.
You could ask people with better medical science literacy than me what a useful study number would be (I made up the 5,000).
They're not claiming that their research shows 1 in 300 teens get pericarditis. You are making that claim and the evidence you have presented doesn't support that. Best we can say is that in this small study 1 of the 300 teens got pericarditis, and we can ask should there be follow up studies to see if this is a valid %?
The other thing is that we can't see from the abstract how they controlled for variables. Once the paper is printed, people with sufficient medical science literacy will read the paper and critique whether its methodology is sound. That is a crucial part of medical research, examination of methodology.
beyond that, as you probably know, my position on covid vaccination is that vaccinations come at a cost to some individuals but protect populations. The validity of that approach depends on how many individual people it's ok to harm in the process of protecting the whole population.
I also think that one of the ways we are failing is by minimising vaccine harm and thus failing to adequately support the people who end up with health problems.
On the other side, we are doing pretty much the same with adverse reactions to covid infection, including long covid.
I see both sides dismissing harm. Pro-vax minimise vax harm. the 'covid's not so bad' side minimise the disability created by covid infections. Neither is helping the people being harmed by those positions.
Further, the people arguing against covid vax generally have poor science literacy and are undermining their own arguments by this. Wakefield and the subsequent anti-vax movement have done a massive amount of damage to the pre-anti-vax movements that sought to promote health prevention via other means. We now have a chasm between people who have faith in vaccines and people who have faith in holistic medicine, when we should be working together.
[deleted – I will restore your comment when you have complied with the moderation request. This is costing me time, so if you keep this up I will simply move you to the Black List. I have no time and am not in the mood for your games – Incognito]
Mod note
What ‘heart attacks’?????
Have you bothered to look at excess mortality in Thailand during the pandemic and compared this to NZ? You might be in for a surprise, one that might not suit your biased narrative.
MOH is not going to change anything based on or because of this ‘study’.
What ‘heart attacks’?????
Yep. What's a little heart damage for teenagers, eh? They'll get over it, eh?
Of course our Ministry of Health will not change their advice on this prospective study, but the Danish Ministry of Health has changed their Covid vaccine advice.
With quite strict limits on who is allowed to have the shots.
You can find the Danish Ministry site through here… https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-coronavirus-denmark-idUSL1N2ZS0J8 (No doubt you will find this site more credible than, say, this link https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4072489 )
….which is Christine Stabell-Benns 'study' from May.
Video here, again, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_nKoybyMGg ….and its interesting to note that the Danish Health Ministry seems to have largely followed her advice and made it very difficult for under 18 year olds to get the Pfizer shot…because the risk of adverse effects outweigh the benefits.
I presume you are an epidemiologist? A public health expert? A medical doctor? A vaccinologist? A medical statistician?
Any qualification or hands-on experience that makes your reckons more credible than the actual professionals?
[You insinuated that there were vaccine-induced heart attacks reported in that study that you linked that is not (yet) peer-reviewed. You back it up and show where exactly this is mentioned. You’re in Pre-Mod until you’ve provided this particular piece of information because I’ve no inclination chasing you down your usual rabbit holes – Incognito]
Mod note
Where did I 'insinuate' that there were vaccine induced heart attacks?
I referenced a common saying…
https://www.quora.com/Where-did-the-phrase-Im-as-serious-as-a-heart-attack-come-from-And-what-does-it-really-mean
…you can take your pick from the definitions offered.
Any happening that causes measurable changes in a young person's baseline indicators of heart health is very, very serious.
Rather than address the study…it is an actual study Incognito, not the idle reckons of some anonymous denizen of the internet…commentors simply mock, joke and trivialize.
Referencing Christine Stabell-Benn and the Danish Ministry of Health indicates a slide down a rabbit hole?
Dear Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the Goddess…please let it not be such as yourself setting policy for our Ministry of Health.
Hint. Denmark, and Thailand, change their advice and policies on Covid vaccinations according to the latest available data.
[Nice deflection 🙂
And
One more chance for you to put up the support for your misleading and exaggerated comments, from the study you linked to; I have no time today to play your games – Incognito]
Mod note
so this is a really good example of what I was just talking about regarding medical science literacy. I agree with Incognito that the paper doesn't mention heart attacks at all.
It says,
And peri/myocarditis.
None of those are a heart attack.
I don't know if you know this and were using hyperbole. Or if you don't in fact know what a heart attack is. Either way, it's exactly this kind of mistake that undermines the vax concerned argument. Science people and public health people, and those that have faith in them, (the ones that need to be convinced) will never take such arguments seriously when they make such fundamental mistakes.
Here,
I can see how it could be read both ways, but the onus is on you to communicate effectively and clarify.
FWIW, you can't provide the evidence that Incognito is asking for, because it's not there, so just take responsibility for the miscommunication and acknowledge that no heart attacks happened in that study and we can move on.
Let me assure you Rosemary, I was in no way making light of heart attacks. A careful reading of 10.1.1.3.2 will show I was in fact making light of being struck by lightning.
Rosemary.
What is the rate of myocarditis in young people who havn't had a covid shot?
What is the rate of myocarditis in young people who havn't had a covid shot and got covid?
KJT.
Hard to get that information…there are a couple of studies from Israel that counted emergency heart issues incidents before the vaccine roll out and after and found a considerably higher number in the after group.
The Newsroom article I linked to…https://www.newsroom.co.nz/ideasroom/some-perspective-on-vaccine-side-effects
…has a handy wee chart that might at least tell you what the myocarditis rate due to covid rate they reckoned… 455 per million infections in the 12-17 age group.
The Thai study suggests at least 3000 cases per 1 million second doses of Pfizer.
A bit of a difference.
Exactly! Yet, you’re more than happy & willing to extrapolate your reckons to conclusions without having the info nor the skills & expertise to interpret that info. Any scientist knows that extrapolating (usually in a simplistic uninformed unconditional linear fashion) from a small sample (e.g. a small trial) to a much larger one (e.g. a whole population) is nothing more than a gamble, a stab in the dark and the extrapolated number has such an enormous error (aka uncertainty) that it is essentially meaningless. The way to mitigate this is to have a robust mechanistic model that is validated (aka calibrated), which can be used to make predictions & extrapolations with more acceptable (aka realistic and meaningful) confidence intervals. What you and other amateurs tend to do is essentially hand waving (and barking up wrong trees).
To illustrate the pitfalls of extrapolation:
Mark Twain – Life on the Mississippi
What that tells us is that emergency heart issues increased later in the pandemic. It doesn't tell us why. eg vax, covid, stress, or some other aspect of the group that we can't see.
no, it really doesn't. See explanations above. You are suggesting that, not the study.
that's a great Mark Twain quote. I'm guessing he was writing that in a time when there was a lot of tension in the US between science and the religious power embedded in society? People with a strong attachment to their gut sense and belief/convention struggling with rationality.
(not that I think gut sense is wrong/bad, I see the problem nowdays as it being misapplied and misusing science in the process).
It's obvious: men have more iron in their blood, because they don't lose it through menstruation.
These things are not difficult…
It's because many men have a bolt spot.
😂
Now you know how we get them – respect!
Another reason is that many men wear tin foil hats.
If consensus expert medical opinion shifts, from advocating vaccination against COVID-19 to saying these vaccines do more harm than good, then I'll stop lining up for free boosters. Until then I'll be a fast follower of MoH advice on the best ways to avoid complications from COVID-19 infections – that includes boosters.
If Rosemary's continuing crusade here persuades a few Kiwis not to protect themselves, then that's a shame (and shameful, imho), but it's their choice.
She ought to have had the bat phone with her but hey, I'd be playing up too if I were PM and had Russia camped on the back doorstep.
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1560018591688302595
This is darkly comic, I guess … 2022 in headlines:
"Newshub Live – Emergency Minister Kieran McAnulty gives flooding update, also expected to be quizzed on bullying claims"
"So Minister, apart from all the poor people losing their homes and hope, communities feeling crushed, what about the real news?"
Some dude from Hamilton never won battle of the bands despite being just the cleverest and now everyone, just everyone knows who he is! Rockn rolla!
Kind of annoying the way that google bombards with ads after you buy something.
I started to look for a new desk on the weekend to replace a very small desk that I have suffered with with since 2016 – including working at home during lock-downs. I changed jobs last September just as we went into lockdown again (damnit). So I didn't get a chance to try working from home with a better desk.
As it was a remote job, and I already knew I wasn't productive working at home (probably because of desk and lack of deskspace) I moved to local shared workspace, and was the only one there during that lockdown and since.
The cubicle at the workplace worked perfectly after I got a ultra wide screen and a height adjustable tray for it. Turned out that part of the problem was focal length with my progressives to the screen at eye height. Another part was my home screen resolution was just too damn high for the screen size.
However this workplace has been sold – so I have to move. Time for a new desk for home, and for whatever house we buy over the next few months to get more home office space. I'll try a the new desk.
1.8m x 0.8m white because that is exactly the size that works for me. The old desk was about 1.0m x 0.7m and glass with a fixed screen riser.
Standing desk with dual electric motors. Not because I'm likely to spend much time standing – but because I find that I'm pretty sensitive to desk/seat heights to get the correct hand/eye levels.
So on Tuesday I had a look at the one at showroom that I selected off the net. Got them to get a wide custom corner radius so we don't cripple ourselves when we walk into a corner. Paid for it in Wednesday via the net after confirming the custom change.
Since Tuesday I have been bombarded by ads via google for standing desks. At least half from the place I brought it from.
On monday I brought and paid-for a set of yubikey from yubico. Today the bloody net is starting to push similar devices.
What gets me is that the ads start days after I have already made a ddision an dbrought something.
Who do they cater to – people who always dither?
Grrr… I might have to put a ad-blocker in. Or start just blocking google from tracking me.
Anyway in a few weeks I should have half-way decent class desk available if anyone wants one and they live in Auckland and can pick it up….
Most people don’t need to be as functionally finicky about gear as I have to be. I might even throw in a older high end logitech mouse that will happily work on a glass desk if I can find where I stashed it.
Yeah just having the same experience. I've been doing on-line searches for rear wheel bearings for my 1991 Volvo 360 GLT which I am rebuilding. (Have had one since 1984 when I bought one new, Military sales, when serving in Singapore.)
Now inundated by Google with ads for all manner of wheel bearings!
PS. It the car gets used very little just the odd run once a month, down the coast to the beach. It's kept (along with my 1957 R50 BMW motorbike also recently rebuilt) for sentimental reasons. The Beemer has been ridden halfway round the world, starting in Pretoria South Africa, up through Africa, around the continent, then down through the middle east (as you could do in the late 50's – early 60's) India, then shipped to Perth, across the Nullibor to Melbourne and finally to NZ in wellington when I bought it in the mid 60's.
I hate to think what it'd be like if I started looking other furniture!
Time to don a VPN before browsing for goods and a custom identity. Or even better spoofing one.Who do I dislike….
😈
I was looking for a rug a year or so ago and was bombarded with ads for rugs. Still get them now and then. I bought some shoes and a cell blanket online a few months ago and have had blanket coverage of shoes and blankets ever since. Never ending.
Dr Martens and sheepskin boots for me lol
With it being a great harvest this season, I searched for a grinder to make vaping the medicinal buds easier.
I was surprised to find there are plenty of single men in my area who apparently want to f%#k me…
Nutri
Bullet
Hand with slightly cupped palm down on cutting surface, insert goods between the two, slide in a reasonably large pair of scissors and chop, chop, away using using cupped palm to contain goods. Better than a grinder.
So what do you do when the crop is excessive – does it or the oil freeze?
Search for the medicinal properties of the active ingredients on the net? It would probably be a more interesting read.
I keep away from freezing, well cured, low light and little oxygen. Agee jars are ideal.
"I
refuse tostand by while people are living in cars" Leader of the opposition Jacinda Ardern, 2020The housing crisis could be fixed with the stroke of a pen.
Pick up your pen Prime Minister, stop standing by, make it illegal for perfectly good homes to be left empty.
Fine the owners to pressure them to sell or rent these homes out. Fix the housing crisis with your pen.
Stop standing by.
Prime Minister Ardern. Why are you doing this?
Are the "Wealth Storing" creeps more important to you, than the suffering of families and children living in cars?
People Living In Cars Has Quadrupled Under Labour
https://community.scoop.co.nz/2022/07/people-living-in-cars-has-quadrupled-under-labour-2/
190,000 empty houses in New Zealand. If only 10% of those were inhabited there would be no housing crisis. FFS this is a PM who had a nuclear moment re climate and we're now importing 30% more coal
Like this?
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2007/S00143/barcelona-warns-companies-rent-out-your-empty-apartments-or-we-will-take-them-over.htm
"The city only wants to target large companies. All apartments set for the potential take-over belong to owners of multiple housing units. Moreover, the flats have to be empty for more than two years and there may not be a record of recent power use. This should ensure that second homes are not included.
Vacancies are a worldwide issue. In the US, there are 18.9 million vacant homes – compared to 3.5 million homeless. This means there are more than five times as many vacant apartments as there are homeless people. It is the same in Europe: more than 11 million homes lie empty, while 4 million people have no roof over their heads."
Not only do we have homeless unhoused while homes are empty, we have RSE workers housed in appalling conditions, and areas where people don't come to live even though there are desirable jobs because of the lack of housing.