Open mike 19/01/2021
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6:00 am, January 19th, 2021 - 45 comments
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- First TAB New Zealand Board appointments announcedThe members of the first TAB NZ Board come with experience in racing and sport administration, business and governance, the betting industry, broadcasting and gambling harm minimisation. “This Board will progress from the excellent work done by the interim board, put in place in August 2020,” Grant Robertson said. “The ...1 week ago
- Northland Maori Pathways initiative introducedThe Government has today launched Māori Pathways at Northland Region Corrections Facility, a ground-breaking series of initiatives designed in partnership with Māori to reduce re-offending and improve outcomes for whānau. A key part of the Hōkai Rangi strategy, Māori Pathways looks to achieve long-term change and involves a number of ...1 week ago
- Extended Essential Skills visas being rolled outTwo year Essential Skills visa to provide certainty to at least 18,000 visa holders Streamlined application process to benefit at least 57,000 visa holders The Government is increasing the duration of some Essential Skills visas and streamlining the application process to provide more certainty to employers and visa holders while ...1 week ago
- Pause to Quarantine Free Travel from Victoria to New ZealandQuarantine Free Travel from Victoria to New Zealand will be paused from 1.59am (NZT) Friday, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. The decision follows updated public health advice from New Zealand officials and a growing number of cases and locations of interest. The pause will run for at least ...1 week ago
- Hydrogen agreement signed with SingaporeThe signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation on low-carbon hydrogen with Singapore signals the start of greater collaboration between the two countries as they transition towards low carbon economies, says Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods. The cooperation agreement between New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and ...1 week ago
- Hydrogen arrangement signed with SingaporeThe signing of an Arrangement of Cooperation on low-carbon hydrogen with Singapore heralds the start of greater collaboration between it and New Zealand as both countries transition towards low carbon economies, says Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods. The cooperation arrangement between New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment ...1 week ago
- Speech to LGNZ ConferenceKia ora koutou katoa and thank-you for the invitation to speak to you all today. I would like to acknowledge Local Government New Zealand President Stuart Crosby, and Chief Executive, Susan Freeman-Greene, Te Maruata Chair, Bonita Bigham, and our host, Mayor John Leggett. I also acknowledge all the elected members ...1 week ago
- Government to provide support for water reforms, jobs and growthThe Government today announced a $2.5 billion package to support local government transition through the reforms to New Zealand’s drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services. The package will also stimulate local economies while creating jobs and unlocking infrastructure for housing. “New Zealand’s water systems are facing a significant crisis and ...1 week ago
- Government Initiatives Contribute to Fall in Benefit NumbersMinister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni has welcomed the release of the June quarter Benefit Statistics which show a continuing fall in the number of people receiving a Main Benefit. “This Government’s plan to increase work focused support for Jobseekers is paying off,” Carmel Sepuloni said. “All up Benefit numbers ...1 week ago
- Tourism support package continues rolloutMental wellbeing support is being rolled out to five South Island communities most affected by the absence of international tourists. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash today announced details of how tourism operators and communities can access the help announced in May as part of the government’s $200 million Tourism Communities: Support, ...1 week ago
- NZ-PNG Sign Statement of PartnershipNew Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape signed the first ever New Zealand - Papua New Guinea Statement of Partnership today. “This new Statement of Partnership reflects the importance we place on the close economic, cultural and people-to-people links our two countries have ...1 week ago
- Further advice being sought on new cases in VictoriaFurther advice is being sought from public health officials following seven new positive cases of COVID-19 in Victoria today, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. “There are also a growing number of locations of interest that are of concern, including a sports stadium on Saturday and several pubs,” Chris Hipkins ...1 week ago
- Christchurch Learning Community Hubs supporting ethnic familiesAs part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to working with the victims and those affected by the March 15 terror attacks, today Associate Minister of Education Hon Jan Tinetti released the report ‘Voices from the Ōtautahi’ on the Christchurch Learning Community Hubs. “It’s so important we continue to support the ...1 week ago
- Hundreds more hands funded to work for natureSupporting biodiversity protection through community-led projects and on private property will create at least 500 more jobs under the Mahi mō te Taiao/Jobs for Nature programme, Minister of Conservation Kiritapu Allan announced today. “The work we are funding includes everything from pest control and restoration planting to plant propagation, skill ...1 week ago
- Saliva testing expansion for frontline border workersAll frontline border workers who are required to be regularly tested for COVID-19 will soon be able to choose regular saliva testing as a full replacement for nasopharyngeal testing, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. Saliva testing will be expanded as an option for all those on a regular ...1 week ago
- Government consults on freshwater farm planThe Government is inviting farmers and growers to provide their practical ideas to help develop high-quality and workable freshwater farm plans, in line with its freshwater goals said Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Environment Minister David Parker. The ministers today released the consultation documents for freshwater farm plans and stock exclusion low slope maps. Comment is being sought on a new, more ...1 week ago
- Increased support for midwivesNew measures to help bolster the midwifery workforce as they care for the next generation of New Zealanders, have been announced today by Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall. “New Zealand’s midwives are committed to the wellbeing of women and whānau, but they’re facing significant challenges. The DHB midwifery ...1 week ago
- Prime Minister's Speech to NZIIA Annual ConferenceLadies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, ata mārie, tēnā koutou katoa. It’s a great pleasure to attend an event on such an important topic as New Zealand’s future in the Indo-Pacific region. Thank you to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs for bringing this hui together. I am encouraged to ...1 week ago
- New national cancer treatment service opensA new national cancer treatment service will see patients who used to travel to Australia treated in Auckland, Health Minister Andrew Little announced today. Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy, or PRRT, can help manage symptoms of metastatic neuroendocrine cancer and increase and improve life for people who have it. The treatment ...1 week ago
- Radicalism mixed with openness: how Desmond Tutu used his gifts to help end Apartheid
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew McGowan, Dean and President of Berkeley Divinity School, Yale University AAP/EPA/Nic Bothma This piece is part of a new series in collaboration with the ABC’s Saturday Extra program. Each week, the show will have a “who am I” quiz ...2 hours ago - Podcast: Hate speech debate gets mired in politics
Focus on Politics - "Our communities suffered greatly and politicising it is actually demeaning". Minorities are growing frustrated at the direction hate speech debate has gone, Anneke Smith reports. ...2 hours ago - Forget Tokyo. For me, the real opening ceremony was in the TVNZ studio
How did TVNZ’s Olympic team warm us up for last night’s big event? Tara Ward tunes in. I am an athlete in my prime, and sleep is for losers. The Tokyo Olympics 2020 launched yesterday, and although the opening ceremony began deep into the New Zealand night, I was ready. I’d ...5 hours ago - Controlled digital lending – is it ‘piracy’?
Copyright lawyer Michael Wolfe argues that the future of our libraries does not hinge on the outcome of an American court case The National Library is sending books removed from its collections to the Internet Archive, a charitable library in the United States, to see them digitised and preserved in ways ...6 hours ago - Changing South: World peace easier than fixing damaged house
Kate Dewes fought for peace on the global stage, but trying to get her earthquake-damaged home in Christchurch repaired “nearly finished me” Kate Dewes is a peace negotiator of global standing. A long-time activist for disarmament, she successfully lobbied for New Zealand’s Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act, ...6 hours ago - Short story: The Day in Bed, by James Courage
A classic short story from 1959 by the great North Canterbury writer James Courage In the middle of the morning, an hour after the doctor's car had left the farm-house, the man lying in bed heard his wife's voice calling to him half-way up the stairs: "Jonathan, will you have ...6 hours ago - Freedom For All
New Conservative stands for Human Rights, freedom for all, our freedom, and freedom as stated in the NZ Bill of Rights Act. Our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, is working hard to silence the words we speak through so-called ‘hate speech’ laws so we ...7 hours ago - Ted Lasso is the heartfelt comedy the world needs right nowA new season of the charming US-UK comedy arrived on Apple TV+ last night, and Ted fans could not be more excited. But why does everyone love Ted Lasso so much? Ted Lasso wants us to believe. He also wants us to be as wise as a goldfish, but mostly, ...7 hours ago
- Your queer Chinese-New Zealand teenage fantasy: How we wrote Yang/Young/杨Yang/Young//杨 is a brand-new Gen-Z coming-of-age story with a Kiwi-Asian twist, part of Auckland Theatre Company’s Here & Now Festival. Co-writer Sherry Zhang reflects on writing her first play. I never thought I’d write a play. In a scene that puts High School Musical’s Troy Bolton to shame, I chose the ...8 hours ago
- ‘Don’t tell me how to run the ball’: Louisa Wall on forging her own path in politicsShe’s more visible than many cabinet ministers, but Louisa Wall languishes on the Labour backbench. Justin Giovannetti catches up with the outspoken MP and asks: why is she not getting the promotions?It’s hard to imagine someone better placed to be at the heart of a progressive centre-left government than an ...8 hours ago
- Pfizer doses to be spaced out in NSW crisis, but state fails to get change in vaccination programSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra AAP/Mick Tsikas Pfizer doses in NSW will be spaced out to enable more first jabs to be administered quickly, as the Berejiklian government on Friday declared the Sydney COVID crisis a “state of ...15 hours ago
- The Tokyo Lowdown: Day Zero
In your daily guide recapping the fortunes of Kiwi sportswomen at the Tokyo Olympics, our rowers had an up and down Day Zero. Performance of the day Emma Twigg took the first strokes on her row to Olympic redemption. Fourth in London, fourth in Rio, Twigg came out of retirement to ...17 hours ago - Samoa’s highest court declares FAST government legal – impasse endsBy Lanuola Tusani Tupufia-Ah Tong in Apia Samoa’s Court of Appeal ruled today that the Faatuatua ile Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party was the country’s new government bringing three months of political stalemate to a close. The court, the highest in the country, found that a swearing-in ceremony conducted ...19 hours ago
- Reporting Greenpeace to police shows KPK has become authoritarian, says watchdogBy Irfan Kamil in Jakarta Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) has condemned the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) under the leadership of Firli Bahuri as an “authoritarian and anti-criticism” institution over the Greenpeace laser protest. ICW researcher Kurnia Ramadhana said this after the KPK had reported Greenpeace Indonesia to the South Jakarta ...19 hours ago
- Nine takeaways from the Mā’ohi Nui Lives Matter solidarity rally in NZBy Ena Manuireva and Tony Fala About 35 people joined an Auckland rally last Sunday in solidarity with a Mā’ohi Nui Lives Matter demonstration by thousands of Tahitians happening in Pape’ete, the capital. In solidarity and in sync with the Pape’ete event, the Mai te Paura Atōmī i te ti’amara’a: ...19 hours ago
- Fiji medics save newborn babies – mothers among 21 new covid deathsBy Timoci Vula in Suva Two Fijian pregnant women are among the 21 covid-19 deaths reported within a seven-day period from July 14. Their babies, however, were saved via a caesarean operation by the obstetric team. Health Secretary Dr James Fong revealed this in his covid-19 live update last evening ...19 hours ago
- ‘Pacific Islander’ an insulting umbrella term, researcher tells Royal CommissionBy Andrew McRae, RNZ News reporter The umbrella term Pacific Islander or Polynesian has been criticised as degrading and insensitive. Researcher Dr Seini Taufa, who is a New Zealand-born Tongan, said the names were not indigenous terms and were insulting. Dr Taufa is research lead for Moana Research and Senior ...19 hours ago
- VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on the PM’s apology and Brisbane 2032Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Paddy Nixon discuss the week in politics. This week Michelle and Paddy discuss the proposed changes to the vaccine rollout ...19 hours ago
- Keen to sign up for space tourism? Here are 6 things to consider (besides the price tag)Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Freeland, Professorial Fellow, Bond University / Emeritus Professor of International Law, Western Sydney University, Western Sydney University Blue Origin/AP It’s been a momentous month for space-faring billionaires. On July 11, British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson’s Unity “rocket-plane” flew him ...20 hours ago
- You may have heard the ‘moon wobble’ will intensify coastal floods. Well, here’s what that mea...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Gibbs, Principal Engineer: Reef Restoration, Australian Institute of Marine Science Shutterstock Extreme floods this month have been crippling cities worldwide. This week in China’s Henan province, a year’s worth of rain fell in just three days. Last week, catastrophic ...20 hours ago
- Clever cockatoos in southern Sydney have learned to open kerb-side bins — and it has global signif...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Martin, Adjunct lecturer, University of Sydney Barbara Klump, Author provided In a small, isolated village in southern Sydney, the local sulphur-crested cockatoos are particularly clever. Once a week, when the neighbours roll their wheelie bins to the kerb, cockies ...20 hours ago
- How caring for children can help Aboriginal Elders during lockdownSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Collings, Research Fellow, University of Sydney Quotes in this research are from participants who cannot be named due to research ethics requirements. Pandemic-induced lockdowns have provided stories of both hardship and resilience. This extends to families in the community caring for ...20 hours ago
- NZ takes prudent approach in closing bubble
The decision to pause trans-Tasman travel is appropriately risk-averse in light of the devastation that the Delta strain could wreak in New Zealand, writes Marc Daalder Analysis: Imagine if our Level 4 lockdown in April 2020 hadn't worked. Imagine if, despite the stringent measures and people mostly following them, the ...21 hours ago - Forget the medals, the real game of the Olympics is soft power — and the opening ceremony is keySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caitlin Vincent, Lecturer in Creative Industries, The University of Melbourne The Olympic Games are often hailed as a neutral celebration of athletic achievement. “The Olympic Games are not about politics,” wrote the International Olympic Committee president, Thomas Bach, in the Guardian last ...22 hours ago
- Eradicating smallpox: the global vaccination push that brought the world ‘arm-to-arm’Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Bennett, Professor in School of History and Classics, University of Tasmania Edward Jenner vaccinating his son, held by Mrs Jenner; a maid rolls up her sleeve, a man stands outside holding a cow. Coloured engraving by C. Manigaud after ...22 hours ago
- Good one, ASA, for saying this gas ad misleads. Shame on you for failing to call it irresponsibleWhen you’re faced with advertising telling people we can help solve climate change by burning fossil fuels, it shouldn’t be difficult to condemn it in the strongest possible terms, argues lawyer Steven Price.In about 2050, when the climate has gone further to hell in a handbasket, there are going to ...22 hours ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending July 23The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 In Our Own Backyard by Anne Kayes (Bateman, $22)This YA novel ties together Covid-19, Black Lives Matter ...23 hours ago
- The Friday Poem: End Papers, by Mitch MarksA poem by Melbourne-based writer and publisher Mitch Marks.End papersWhen I write my novel, which all of you are in I’ll write it in the morning while my wounds are wide Tonguing them to bring the sting to the skin’s surface I’ll string it around my wrists and throat Tight ...23 hours ago
- To watch or not to watch? The Tokyo Games raises difficult questions for fansSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Karg, Associate Professor, Swinburne University of Technology Sue Ogrocki/AP/AAP When the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games officially begin on Friday night, they will do so with the host city under a state of emergency due to COVID-19. For the ...24 hours ago
- Enshrine Local Government Into ConstructionMajor changes are in the wind with the Labour government is giving itself unprecedented powers over local government. This is worrying and why KCDC Councillor Bernie Randall and Deputy Chair of the Paraparaumu/Raumati Community Board Guy Burns are calling ...1 day ago
- To watch or not watch? The Tokyo Games raises difficult questions for fansSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Karg, Associate Professor, Swinburne University of Technology Sue Ogrocki/AP/AAP When the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games officially begin on Friday night, they will do so with the host city under a state of emergency due to COVID-19. For the ...1 day ago
- A tragic’s guide to watching the OlympicsTop tips for getting the most from the Games, from your couch.One of my earliest memories is of watching Cathy Freeman win the 400m final at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. I was six years old and there was a girl in my class who looked exactly like Freeman and was ...1 day ago
- New Rules Introduced To Protect Sea-run Salmon FisheryTo help save New Zealand’s wild Chinook salmon species, a ground-breaking change to freshwater fishing regulations will introduce a season bag for sea-run salmon in the 2021/22 fishing season, in place of a daily catch limit. "The wild sea-run ...1 day ago
- How a Covid-19 policy put the final nail in the coffin of first-home buyers’ dreamsThe Reserve Bank’s monetary policy may have saved our economy from the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, but at what cost?This story was originally published in Bernard Hickey’s email newsletter The Kākā and is republished with permission.As the saying attributed to an apocryphal commander in the Vietnam War goes, “it became necessary ...1 day ago
- Labour Inspectorate Concludes Inquiry Into GloriavaleThe Labour Inspectorate has found that the members of the Gloriavale Christian community cannot currently be considered employees under New Zealand legislation. This means the Inspectorate has no jurisdiction and will not undertake further investigation ...1 day ago
- It’s just the thing for reducing our leftovers and slops – a trough which has provided almost $1...
The Government has announced funding aimed at reducing food waste, which – according to the United Nations Environment Programme’s 2021 Food Waste Index – is well on the way to becoming a billion-tonne problem around the globe. In this country, we have a Love Food Hate Waste campaign run by Councils ...1 day ago - Number of rejections for emergency housing tripled in 2020About 3000 requests for emergency housing were rejected by the government last year, nearly triple the number the year before. ...1 day ago
- The online GP service helping Kiwis get healthcare from their homesA collaboration between ProCare and Southern Cross Health Insurance is helping remove barriers to healthcare for those who find it hard to access. For some, attending a GP appointment in person can be a major logistical burden. It can mean time away from work, time navigating traffic or travelling long distances ...1 day ago
- Fossil tooth fractures and microscopic detail of enamel offer new clues about human diet and evoluti...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Towle, Postdoctoral fellow, University of Otago Author provided, Author provided Teeth can tell us a lot about the evolution of prehistoric humans, and our latest study of one of our species’ close relatives may finally resolve a long-standing mystery. ...1 day ago
- New Zealand's relationship with China 'maturing' – Foreign MinisterThe New Zealand government says the relationship with its biggest trade partner China is maturing, however, issues and concerns will be called out. ...1 day ago
- Most Hated Group Opposes Hate Speech RulesDirect Action Everywhere New Zealand are part of the animal rights movement that has been gaining traction in New Zealand. As a result, we are hated. In fact research has shown vegans are among the most hated groups on the planet. Nevertheless, we ...1 day ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: The Seriousness of the rural revoltAnalysis by Bryce Edwards. Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s nearly a week since the “Howl of a Protest” took place throughout the country, and we’re still talking about the rural revolt. What are the farmers’ concerns? Are they legitimate? Has the rural-urban divide has become too deep, and will ...1 day ago
- Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Covid19: East Europe in the European Union, Excess Deaths in Context1 day ago
- Panuku Admits Social Housing Quota Is IllegalAuckland Council Property Development arm Panuku has conceded that thousands of Māori and Pacific Island elders, single parents and beneficiaries have been forced on to Government Housing Waiting List by their flawed and unlawful social housing ...1 day ago
- Post-viral cacophony: The cough that won’t quitThe flu’s back, baby, and we’re more on edge about it than ever before. Here’s why you might sound like you’ve got Covid-19, even when you don’t.It started with one guy, three weeks ago, sucking down Lemsip and declaring he had a “post-viral cough”. Now the air is filled with ...1 day ago
- Silence over hate speech laws has allowed misinformation in, minorities sayMinority groups say the government has confused the debate around its proposed hate speech laws and allowed discord to spread. ...1 day ago
- Safer Sick Leave StartsWorking people are celebrating paid sick leave increasing from 5 to 10 days effective from Saturday 24 July 2021. CTU President Richard Wagstaff is encouraging working people to ensure they are getting their entitlement. "Working people successfully ...1 day ago
- More Sick Leave A Win For Working PeoplePSA members welcome the increase in sick leave entitlement to 10 days, that comes into effect tomorrow. PSA national secretary, Kerry Davies says, "The doubling of statutory sick leave entitlement from five days to 10 will make a huge difference ...1 day ago
- The science of underwater swimming: how staying submerged gives Olympians the winning edgeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Blazevich, Professor of Biomechanics, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock To win swimming gold in Tokyo, swimmers not only have to generate incredible power with their arms and legs to propel themselves through the water; they also have to overcome the ...1 day ago
- As the Tokyo Games begin, the stakes could not be higher for Japan — and the Olympics themselvesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jack Anderson, Professor of Sports Law, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Martin Meissner/AP History shows there nothing in sport quite like an Olympics. Equally, there is nothing in Olympic history quite like what is happening now in Tokyo ...1 day ago
- Most expensive, greatest gender parity, most sports: Tokyo Olympics by the numbersSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wes Mountain, Multimedia Editor The Tokyo Olympics officially open on July 23 – one year later than originally planned and in an Olympic stadium that will be empty of spectators thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. While Tokyo is not the first Olympics ...1 day ago
- The Olympic movement claims political neutrality. In reality, that ideal is often selectively applie...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney More than 200 nations are represented at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. As ever, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) asserts the games are a means of unifying humanity through elite sport. At ...1 day ago
- Is Delta defeating us? Here’s why the variant makes contact tracing so much harderSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By C Raina MacIntyre, Professor of Global Biosecurity, NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, Head, Biosecurity Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW Joel Carrett/AAP The Greater Sydney lockdown began on June 26 and almost a month later, New South Wales is recording around 100 new ...1 day ago
- Clever cockatoos in southern Sydney have learned to open curb-side bins — and it has global signif...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Martin, Adjunct lecturer, University of Sydney Barbara Klump, Author provided In a small, isolated village in southern Sydney, the local sulphur-crested cockatoos are particularly clever. Once a week, when the neighbours roll their wheelie bins to the curb, cockies ...1 day ago
- Unis are killing the critical study of religion, and it will only make campuses more religiousSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Hartney, Lecturer of Religion, University of Sydney Adam Calaitzis/Shutterstock Global developments in tertiary education suggest the critical scientific study of religion is endangered. One of the departments slated for extinguishment amid the pandemic-related upheavals was my own at the ...1 day ago
- The Brisbane Olympics are a leap into an unknowable futureSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Rowe, Emeritus Professor of Cultural Research, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University Toru Hanai/AP There’ll be two types of Australian high jump in Tokyo this month. The first, most likely scripted, was Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s front ...1 day ago
- We’re losing the vaccination race because of bungling, not bad luckSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW Eric Surprenant/Shutterstock As one big international competition begins, another one is nearing its end. At least we hope so. I am, of course, talking about the Tokyo Olympic Games and the international roll-out ...1 day ago
- ‘What country have you walked?’ Why all Australians should walk an Indigenous heritage trailSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Muecke, Professor of Writing, Flinders University Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains images and names of deceased people. The Goolarabooloo community in Broome has been running the Lurujarri Heritage Trail for over 30 years. In July ...1 day ago
- Chris Hipkins needs a reality check on kids with special learning needsThe education minister’s claim that all learners are supported in state schools is so clearly untrue that it makes me despair, argues Jai Breitnauer.In late 2017, I interviewed incoming education minister Chris Hipkins about NZ’s human rights abuses against SEN (special educational needs) children in schools for an article in ...1 day ago
- Live updates, July 23: New 0800 number lets you book your group three vaccine nowWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for July 23, bringing you the latest news updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz8.00am: New 0800 number launched to speed up group three vaccine bookingsA new 0800 number has just launched, allowing people in “group three” who have not received the ...1 day ago
- The Bulletin: Christchurch stadium design downsized amid cost blowoutGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Christchurch stadium design downsized amid cost blowout, FMA gives damning insurance industry assessment, and mental health pilot programme fails to get near targets.A new design will be needed for the proposed stadium in Christchurch, after cost-overruns caused the original design ...1 day ago
- Marae standoff: A sense of hope
Family Court processes are again in the spotlight after a baby was ordered by the court to be removed from his mother and whānau and placed with a relative. Karakia took place at a marae before the mother and whānau of a nine-month-old baby left for a Hastings court room to attend a ...1 day ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 23 July
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...1 day ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Friday 23 July
...1 day ago - MediaRoom: Tide goes out on RNZ
MediaRoom: The latest radio industry ratings would have caused grimaces at RNZ - which has watched its National programme slip to fourth most listened-to station in the land after sitting at number one just a year ago. RNZ is down again in the radio ...1 day ago - Exclusive poll: two-thirds think NZ on right track for ‘opening up’ after CovidPlus: views on the elimination strategy and the economy, from a new representative survey by Stickybeak for The Spinoff.Recent weeks have seen increased debate around New Zealand’s track to “opening up” after Covid-19. Scott Morrison of Australia laid out a “transition pathway”. Boris Johnson declared “freedom day” in England. A ...1 day ago
- All the Summer Olympics opening ceremonies, rankedAhead of tonight’s opening ceremony marking the kickoff of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Sam Brooks took to YouTube in a bid to rank all the opening ceremonies from Olympics past.As a fan of not only theatre but also massive expenditures of time and resources, I love an Olympics opening ceremony. ...1 day ago
- Bernard Hickey: Get ready for the big push to the finishing line on vaccinationIf we’re to avoid the failures of other countries, Aotearoa will need to raise its vaccination rate far above the plateaus the US and UK seem to be stuck on. Bernard Hickey looks at how ‘nudge theory’ could help us get to 90%.Follow When the Facts Change on Apple Podcasts, ...1 day ago
- Concerns about NZ overseas aid processes
The country's chief auditor raises concern about "inappropriate and potentially unfair" practices. ...1 day ago - How a powerful US lobby group helps big oil to block climate action
This story originally appeared in The Guardian and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story The American Petroleum Institute receives millions from oil companies – and works behinds the scenes to stall or weaken legislation. Chris McGreal ...1 day ago - Olympians head of queue for MIQ
Despite thousands of people waiting for a room in MIQ to no avail so they can see their families and get on with their lives, the Olympic team are set to take up almost 500 spaces this August For most New Zealanders right now, choosing to leave the country means ...1 day ago - The Tokyo Lowdown: An Olympic preview
After five years' wait, they're finally here: the Tokyo 2020 (+1) Olympics. Prepare yourself for new sports, empty stands, expressions of solidarity, Covid cases, typhoons and a heatwave, and medal surprises. The 101 women of the New Zealand Olympic team are poised to explode out of the blocks on the world’s ...1 day ago - Leaked report to Immigration NZ reveals deportation system flaws
Hundreds of residents awaiting deportation decisions are living in the country for years in some case due to processing delays by Immigration NZ. ...1 day ago - Farmers should direct anger closer to home
Lindsay Wood argues that farmers - armed with passion and some valid points - should be looking to do their own climate strategy rather than having it done to them. ...1 day ago - Cat MacLennan: Law says time's up for rodeos
What happens at rodeos is unlawful, and it's long past time that the Government and the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee showed some concern for the law by acting urgently to enforce it, writes Cat MacLennan Animal welfare regulators should stop trying to defend the indefensible and start applying the law. In ...1 day ago
Three years after helping to get rid of this upstart African democratic leader, the United States was instrumental in putting away Nelson Mandela for 28 years. The horror of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Chile, Grenada, Panama, Iraq (to name just a selection) were still to come….
Ahaha
Parler is in bed with communists!? The scarlets …
Natural allies..
Communists??
Your cold war kneejerks are kicking in
Alas, my sense of humour is poorly understood by some; woe is me …
But it provokes such telling kneejerks …
I only ever comment here in good faith, it has to be told …
gotta link for that..?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_faith
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19-01-2021/#comment-1775172
There is NO EVIDENCE that the russkis are chumming up with prump's fascist buddies, NONE.
Nope, this is not happening in NZ, it can’t be, surely …
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/uk-and-ireland/123969965/covid19-why-the-keyboard-warriors-can-seem-as-bad-as-soaring-infections
Fuckface von Clownstick is going to have the bigliest bestest most tremendous Presidential Library ever! Nobody's ever seen anything like it. People are telling him, grown big burly men with tears in their eyes are saying it will make America the Greatest it's ever been!
https://www.salon.com/2021/01/18/trump-faces-massive-ridicule-over-reported-plans-for-2-billion-presidential-library_partner/
https://twitter.com/hashtag/TrumpLibrary?src=hashtag_click
A shrine for hard right and hard left alike. Should install a fenced octagon.
Charge pay-per-view and that $2bill will be there in no time.
As a bonus, just check everyone that turns up and in no time they'll have a who's who of the kookosphere.
Good place to store the transcripts of any criminal trials he faces.
No, no, no! Trump meant a Liebrary.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veracity_of_statements_by_Donald_Trump
Let's see, $2billion divided by over 30,000 lies during his term, that works out to about $66 grand each. Bargain!
Stop the Steal is worth US$1 billion on its own, I reckon.
3d tour of the existing presidential twitter library. Chicago installation of the library created by the Daily Show crowd.
There's a bigly, beautiful trump library. The best library, ever. And Mexico paid for it.
https://djtrumplibrary.com/
That is one impressive website!
And here it is!
Great to see up to 2000 seasonal workers flying in this week, with a $22.10 minimum, ready for harvest peak. All with 14 day quarantine.
Looking forward to more shortages pressuring wages.
And 6000 more residents have joined the unemployed since Xmas,
As they will have little to harvest in the SI due to the inclement weather,I would suggest they are to be located in the high unemployment hinterlands of the NI.
Currently Bay of Plenty Kiwifruit will be in high demand (already has been), then there's all the grape nets from Otago to Northland, then there's all kinds of harvests through to Autumn, then there's pruning of all tree crops into winter.
There's no shortage of stuff to do out there.
Yes – a triumph for insincerity. This is the low-wage unskilled economy that the Rogergnomes actually wanted. A brighter future for the parasitic classes, and no future for the workers at all. And with Covid risk thrown in as a mystery bonus! Yippee!
I think we are just about where Roger douglas designed us to be.
workers sleeping in their cars..etc etc…on and on it goes..
nz has well and truly moved from a country famed for its' egalitarian values..(with/from a big L labour party..
and has become a nation of haves and have-nots..
reaching peak-neoliberalism..
with the haves..and their government..the small l labour party..seemingly not giving a flying fuck about this..
hard to see how fings will change..
Roger douglas was effective in his neoliberal revolution..
Because Ken Douglas and others failed to do their duty and resist it like the Australian unions did.
yep..!
What utter tripe & bollocks!
the comfortable labour cognoscenti here..such as yourself…may not be aware of this..
but it is happening out there..
and 3+ decades of the reaganomics he installed has brought us to to this..
what is incorrect about that..?
I see you’re into stupid bumper stickers with your “comfortable labour cognoscenti”. Here’s a quiz for you: two of the words don’t apply to me at all and the third word is debateable. Knock yourself out!
When/where/how did Douglas design workers sleeping in their cars? If he really did design this, intentionally, willingly, and knowingly, you must provide one of those linky-thingies that you’re so good with.
When someone claims the mantle of expertise, as the Rogergnomes did, they license the presumption that the outcome is exactly what they actually intended.
A presumption is just that and it’s a crap one too, in this case. PU has been asked and told to lift his game here, and I don’t know how many times. It seems his time will be up soon. That’s not a presumption, but a prediction with a fairly high probability of being correct.
So someone ran tRumps 1776 Report through a plagiarism-detector. And…..
On the bright side, Australia may be about to lose a Test series at home.
Mark Reason gives his, ah, opinions as to why the Australians deserve to lose.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/123990111/mark-reason-australias-cricket-loses-honour-in-shameful-short-bowling-assault-on-india
Simon Wilde, Sunday Times cricket correspondent, in today's Press opinion piece, 'Aussies must be told to stop', also criticises their long term behaviour.
I enjoyed their defeat by a courageous, battered and superior team- ethically, sportingly, and in morale superior.
Bowled them out and then scored more runs in the fourth innings than any team to win in this 'Gabbatorial' contest.
There are many good articles on this topic but it needs to be repeated on a regular basis, it seems, to act as a constant reminder.
https://theconversation.com/theres-no-such-thing-as-alternative-facts-5-ways-to-spot-misinformation-and-stop-sharing-it-online-152894
I have heard a certain amount of fwitery in recent days from National MP's and their mouth pieces about the governments plan for a covid vaccination rollout. I have read a few letters in the NZ Herald commenting on such. A couple of hours on google would easily educate such people on a few facts.
The likes in England, the US, India, Indonesia, Argentina and Israel are rolling out their vaccination programs amidst lock downs, waves of covid sweeping through their populations and health systems stretched to the limits. NZ meanwhile is over 100 days since our last covid lockdown.
The are presently 8 vaccines approved for use in various countries or authorised for emergency use in various countries, emergency use meaning they are not yet full tested and approved, but show signs promising enough to permit emergency usage.
Pfizer/Biontech and Moderna from the US, AstraZenica the UK, Sputnik from Russia, Bharat Biotech India, Sinovac and Sinopharm and Cansino all from China. The Cansino vaccine is only being used for the Chinese military that I know. Sinopharm has 2 vaccine variants, unsure which one is in use. A 9th candidiate, EpiVacCorona has been approved in Russia but is not used outside the country.
Speculation and doubt exist about the efficacy of several of the vaccines, notably AstraZenica and Sinovac with different test trials yielding different rates of effectiveness. Some questions also exist about a lack of data for the Sputnik, Bharat and Sinopharm vaccines.
Pfizer has recently announced a slow down in delivery of vaccines as it reconfigures it's manufacturing plant(s). Israel, which is leading the world in vaccination rates, is reported to have paid a premium to Pfizer to be at the front of the queue.
Some obvious questions for the likes of National MPs and their community mouth pieces – which vaccines would they like NZ to immediately purchase? What price do they want to pay? What plan do they have to accelerate NZ to the front of the vaccine purshasing queue?
I would be surprised if they had any coherent answer. In fact any answer beyond some general moans, hyperbole and alarmist statements.
Hey Georgecom …
All sound perfectly sensible (sounding) research of the topic … that is; a response to Covid-19 vaccination OK?
But! hang on, in a NZ political! sense you are missing the point.
Which is …
Chippie … along with Ardern and others (not! Robbo incidently) are bald faced liars. The issue is Chippies halo has slipped. He is a liar plain and simple.
"Chris Hipkins is following the pattern of behaviour set by his colleagues. If a sensible suggestion is made by an Opposition party he rejects it out of hand. If an early timetable for vaccinations is mooted Mr Hipkins embarks on an evasive and misleading explanation with all the hallmarks of a dodging of the issue. His halo has slipped at a time when plain speaking is demanded for serious matters of public health.
Footnote: Just saying: As a rare visitor to The Standard, I find the blog very useful for seeing both sides of the issues raised. Kiwiblog gets more of my time but it's hard right nutters sometimes bomb the topics.
Link to the lies.
not sure where you are trying to take the matter Larry, I will simply restate my points as per above.
Which vaccines does the National Party, and it's supporters who mouth the same platitudes, suggest NZ purchase. As things stand we have our names down for Pfizer, Astra Zeneca, Jansen and Novavax. As you will know from doing some basic google searches, Pfizer are in demand all round the world and presently slowing down delivery of promised vaccines, the exact effectiveness of Astra Zeneca is still under review, in fact recently some Aussie scientists have called for a delay in using that vaccine, Jansen and Novavax are still in Phase 3 trials and not yet approved. The only other 'western vaccine' from Moderna has until recently only been used in North America and is just starting to find it's way into Europe.
How much does the National Party think we should pay? Do they want us to pay over the odds to try and get some vaccine now? Do they expect we should do a deal like Israel recently did with Pfizer. They need to come clean on what they would do.
Finally, what is their exact plan to promote NZ to the front of the queue. Making glib statements in the media isn't a plan. They should outline what they would do. In absence of such you have to conclude that they have no idea whatsoever.
and I did think to myself that we have not heard from Shane Reti on the issue? Just Collins that I can remember. Being a health matter he seems the logical person. Reti would probably have a much greater understanding of the present vaccine situation than Collins.
I did muse whether this might be the ongoing case of National MP's letting Collins make dumb comments and dig her own grave, Reti keeping his powder dry for a tilt at the leadership. Just idle speculation.