Well, firstly, I try not who have sex with anyone who might make a complaint to police about it afterwards. So this involves me knowing them for a bit, making sure we're on the same page with what we want from the interaction, making sure they're not drunk/vulnerable/unconscious, that sort of thing.
Secondly, ongoing active consent is fun, not a legal excuse.
Thirdly, if someone wants to perjure themselves in order to invent a rape charge, the app isn't going to change anything in that regard. Every defensive tactic will just be attempted to be bypassed, just like rapists try to bypass every defensive tactic against rape.
The fact is that it always comes down to the specific circumstances of each situation. It's like asking how to defend oneself from a physical assault.
But it's not something you need to worry about immediately, which an assault is: act now or get thumped. You don't just have time to get an expert opinion, you can hire an expert to defend you: get a lawyer.
When the cops interview you, STFU. In an adversarial system, they are not your friend and anything you give them will only be used against you. Court is when you get to state your case.
But it's far more common to use that approach to introduce doubt about the fact that the consent was refused, rather than persuading beyond reasonable doubt that the consent (which had in reality been given) did not actually happen.
But the current situation in NZ is definitely weighted to being more problematic in one way (letting rapists pretend consent existed in order to avoid a guilty verdict or to avoid charges even being pressed) than the other (false complaints of rape resulting in an unjust rape conviction).
Fair enough, yet each one of those is essentially a form of contract, accompanied by a legal document. If I'm reading the above thread correctly – this has been explicitly rejected as 'mad'.
Not sure where this leaves us. Trials that hinge on 'he said, she said' are very unsatisfactory for all concerned. Yet when I read the entire article above
Fuller said his suggestion could gain popularity in time.
“To be honest with you, the app idea could be the worst idea I have in 2021, but the reality is in five years, perhaps it won’t be,” he said. “If you think about dating 10 years ago, this concept of single people swiping left and right was a term that we didn’t even know.”
The advice from McF above is perfectly fine if we could assume good faith, sound mind and good intentions – but people are not always like that.
Consent is an informal contract too. You don’t get to sign these contracts if you’re not sane of mind (or half-pissed or drugged), haven’t received or at least been offered professional advice, have not been properly informed (informed consent), and only in the presence of reliable witnesses who are also sane of mind and sober …
Oh, the signed piece of paper is kept in a safe place where it cannot be tempered with because it may be needed later, e.g. in Court …
Judith Collins tweets this morning "Our petition is working" which obviously refers to the petition she started a few days ago demanding that the "bubble" with Australia be opened immediately. I guess when you are polling as lowly as she is (and falling) you search for any crumb of comfort. The Government has been working continuously to find ways of safely opening the borders to Australians and Pacific Islanders. It would appear that the end of April could be a possibility but not certain. Sorry Judith, this would hardly signify "immediately".
I've noticed the nats have developed the ability to start demanding things that the government is going to do in the near future anyway? Then claim they had a win .
When your as fucking useless as they are(the nats that is) you gots to claim any little thing you can .
Asked what he would tell Mr Biden in response to his remarks, Mr Putin said: "I would tell him: 'Be well.' I wish him health, and I say that without any irony or joking."
Recalling his youth, Mr Putin said that he and his friends would respond to insults with the taunt: "The names you call are what you are yourself" — a Russian version of the childhood riposte, "I'm rubber, you're glue; what you say bounces off me and sticks to you."
"It's not just a rhymed childish joke; it has a deep psychological meaning: We see our own qualities in another person, we think he's like us and judge him accordingly," he added.
Thanks Francesca for trying to explain the point of what Putin said for some people not able to handle psychological subtleties. I think the Russians are winning this chess game. Next move Biden you nutmeister?
Calling all disabled people + those who love them. Time is running out to get your story in to hikoi4disabled@gmail. Stories will be read outside Parliment from 10:30am onwards on Tuesday 23rd March.
The purpose of this is to raise awareness of how systems such as welfare, health, housing, education are failing disabled people + highlight the lack of consultation which is still an issue.
Had the late Sir Owen's entire plan unfolded the scheme would have been extended to cover non injury/accident impairments. That would have been a step too far for ACC scheme and today we continue to have the obscene situation where a person disabled through absolutely no fault of their own has few rights and almost no entitlements compared to an ACC client (who in many cases knowingly took risks which led to their impairment).
Children born with spina bifida have no entitlement for MOH funding for supports, while the person paralysed as a result of a drunken car crash can claim entitlement to all manner of supports.
Today..the only real change for those not enjoying the entitlements of ACC is that now…and only after Te Virus struck…spouses and partners of someone with very high care needs (such as my partner with a C4/5 spinal injury) can be paid for the care we provide.
Just as well the extra $$$ are coming in from my wages, because we are now having to self- fund much more in the way of vital supplies and equipment.
Under the Ministry of Health…there is absolutely no entitlement whatsoever to receive Ministry funded supports/treatment. If they choose not to fund…there is little to no comeback.
The bastards keep disabled and their families in a constant state of insecurity.
Yes ACC could and should have been a great deal more ambitious than it has turned out.
We have an acquaintance here with significant head and upper body disabilities whose exact word to us were "NDIS has changed my life beyond all recognition". Another good friend who works professionally in this space describes it as a 'game changer'.
Again nothing is perfect, there will always be critics, but take another look at that link and consider if NZ couldn't do something like that. Or these kind of specialist housing options.
Everyone should feel included in our society and have access to opportunities. The Government has a responsibility to ensure disabled people can access their full and equal rights.
They can do this by setting up an independent regulatory body that is led and run by disabled people. This will enable a society where disabled people can be fully included to be able to fully participate.
There are many barriers disabled people face are because society is built inaccessibly. For too long disabled have been ignored and denied equitable access and it is long overdue to bring them in from the cold. If the Government was able to prioritise a Racing Ministry, why a regulatory body to oversee the rights and needs of disabled, led and run by disabled?
Please support our petition to help us gain full, non-disabling access to society. Remember disability is the only identity that does not discriminate.
Just as an aside – the first two units we built were done to a Universal Access standard, but when we tried to get HNZ interested at the time we just hit a brick wall.
Non-disabled tenants love them all the same, but it's one thing I've always been a bit disappointed about.
Needless to say we didn't go down the same path with the rest.
Good to read you actually built units to a Universal Access standard, and I just don't understand why all new builds (providing the site is suitable) are not thus constructed.
We've dealt with two builders over the past twenty regarding accessible build/renovation. An absolute bottomline, non negotiable condition is that all entrances are absolutely no-bump dead level. Sliding doors tracks do not have to sit proud of the floor…and twenty years ago we were able to sink those units into the slab. Just a few months ago we had to get quite stroppy with local joinery manufacturer in order to get the latest totally level entry profiles for our cottage renovation. Fellow was quite persistent that such a thing did not exist and was quite put out when I presented him with the opposition's pamphlet. Had he not been the builder's pet joinery supplier we would have told him to sling his hook. He simply had no desire to even think about meeting these access needs.
Even he was impressed with the results when the ranchslider units he had grudgingly made for us fitted perfectly and were fit for purpose. Hoping we helped raise his consciousness.
Tradies are like that; they tend to be good at what they know, and are often initially resistant to new things. Often for good reason, most new ideas turn out to be bad ones that cost them money.
Still if you can handhold them through the process like you did, it can work out just fine.
The idea of a National Disability Insurance Scheme was first raised at the Australia 2020 Summit in 2008. The following year, the Australian Government announced that the Productivity Commission would hold a public inquiry into a long term disability care and support scheme. The Commission handed down its report in 2011 which found that the disability system was underfunded, unfair, fragmented and inefficient and gave people with disability, their families and carers little choice and no certainty of access to appropriate supports (see Productivity Commission Report ).
In particular the principles are stated as:
The NDIS is a social insurance scheme, not a welfare system. The NDIS is based on the following four insurance principles:
the total annual funding base required by the NDIS is determined by an actuarial estimate of the reasonable and necessary support needs of the target population. The NDIS continually compares these estimates of utilisation and costs with actual experience and outcomes;
the NDIS takes a lifetime approach (i.e. seeks to minimise support costs over a participant's lifetime) by investing in people early to build their capacity to help them pursue their goals and aspirations resulting in greater outcomes later in life;
the NDIS will invest in research and encourage innovation; and
the NDIS has the ability to act at the systemic level, as well as fund individual support needs. This is especially important for people with disability who are not participants
Glad to see Marama Davidson has called out Nicola Willis on her recent remarks.
She took advantage of the murder of an English woman by a London cop and commented how she, too is afraid to walk around Central Wellington at night blah, blah blah.
What has the tragedy in London got to do with an entitled woman who would never need to walk any streets at nights, and then tries to blame her 'plight' on inner city emergency housing as if they're murderers and thieves:
Have to say I disagree Anne. Wellington use to feel really safe. Hospo industry was commenting recently how this has change. Same with at Te Aro park.
The inner city housing she may have been referring to was on the news one night and houses mostly people who are on probation. Wellington has also had problems with a gang called the nomads of late. Likely 501s play a roll.
I was glad Willis said something……………and I am absolutely no fan of Willis.
What is racist about what Nicola Willis said? She didn't mention any race did she? I think Marama needs to think before she speaks. Other than re-claiming the "C" word what has she achieved? Even the reporter asked if she had actually done any work in the last 5 months.
Not agreeing with you at all. Actually I think Marama Davison was opportunistic and tried the race card to get points from her supporters (whoever they are). This is a bully tactic. And all the while, just having meetings will not make a dent in the issue of homelessness. To have a reporter standing there with no answer to an important question of public interest, turning the back to them in arrogance is despicable. Perhaps we need to remind Mrs. Davidson who is paying her wages. Her position is not a right but a privilege. She was not voted in but appointed. Last time I looked, NZ was calling itself a democracy.
Where in the article does Willis say anything about race?
Pure dog whistle, cancel culture by Marama Davidson. She is hiding the fact that she has done absolutely sweet FA in here role and is been shown up as bloody useless.
She's using an incident in another country to ferment the racist tendencies of the law n' order brigade in NZ for political gain. Course she doesn't mention the word Maori, Pacific Islander, but the people she is talking to know what she is saying.
I would not walk along any inner city road at night on my own. Its common sense and goes without saying. So why did she say it?
By all means work to change things so that people can go walking at night and be safe, but tainting a whole race of people which is what she was snidely doing is not the way to go about it.
I would not walk along any inner city road at night on my own. Its common sense and goes without saying.
So. A person who walks along an inner city road at night on there own lacks common sense?
Hmmm. Victim blaming, much?
Davidson's reaction smacks of defensiveness. She damn well knows she's part of an administration that has done sweet FA to mitigate homelessness and the multitude of ills that accompany profound hopelessness.
Course she doesn't mention the word Maori, Pacific Islander, but the people she is talking to know what she is saying.
Interesting. We know Maori and Pasifika are over -represented in the homelessness stats and we all know that emergency housing seems to attract the negative attention of gangs who prey on vulnerable people. MSN has had numerous articles about this issue from Paihia to Auckland to Rotorua. Pointing out facts is not racist.
Davidson has again gone off at the mouth end without thinking first. She'd be better off putting her energies into fixing some of this shit.
Dog whistle: a subtly aimed political message which is intended for, and can only be understood by, a particular demographic group.
It seems you have things the wrong way around with your comment Pataua4life. Nicola Willis's comment appears to have been the dog whistle and Marama Davidson responded, presumably on the basis of demographic knowledge. Feel free to check out the facilities, establish the ethnicities of the people in the inner city emergency housing, then come back to provide evidence to prove Marama Davidson was wrong with her response.
aom……not a dog whistle but a real whistle in Wellington right now. I used to happily walk around Wellington Street in the city at night. Now,, not so much.
Glad if you now have a whistle to keep you safe in the city at night. Now all we have to worry about is you deafening some poor person who walks innocently past when you panic and blow it in their ear.
The primary purpose of housing the homeless is to improve the well-being of the homeless – it's not to make people like Willis feel safe. So she may simply be guilty of a sense of entitlement that places herself at the center of every calculation – scarcely a crime, but rather disqualifying in an aspiring politician.
Alternatively or additionally, she may be mischief-making. Trying to scare middle-class Wellingtonians into thinking the streets aren't safe and that they will be attacked by (it doesn't need spelling out) brown people. This would just be solid National Party 'laura norder' campaigning – a successful tactic with a long history. So nothing unexpected there.
Also – it's distinctly possible that homeless is making central Wellington objectively less safe. It's a bit on the nose for Willis, who belongs to a party that saw housing inequality and homelessness rise under their watch and now opposes any attempt to control the investor-driven demand side, to require an urgent solution. Arsonists don't get to call out the firemen – not even when the supposed firemen turn out to also be arsonists (as seems to be what is occurring)
Davidson's response is understandable because of this slather of entitlement, mischief-making and hypocrisy that surrounds what Willis is saying. But it's not helpful – because it takes the whole discussion into the swamp of unwinnable culture wars. Best to get on with trying to fix or reduce the core problem.
The primary reason for people to seek shelter is to be safe from the elements, have a safe place to sleep and live and raise our families in them.
The primary reason for a government to provide shelter/housing/food/social welfare etc for its citizen is to prevent social unrest.
So yes, it should be the primary reason for all of us to want others to be housed, well fed, well cared for so that we a;; can stay a peaceful nation that allows for all of us to be save and not scared of a mugging, assault, sexual assault or death.
And frankly we are doing a shitty job at housing us and preventing the resulting social unrest that comes with homelessness, hunger, poverty, and nothing to do all day long. And longterm that is going to be a problem for all of us, not just some women who works in Wellington and who does not feel safe anymore on her way home at night.
Davidson's response is understandable because of this slather of entitlement, mischief-making and hypocrisy that surrounds what Willis is saying. But it's not helpful – because it takes the whole discussion into the swamp of unwinnable culture wars. Best to get on with trying to fix or reduce the core problem.
Thank you AB, but fear it is a little too intelligent and insightful for the likes of P4l, David and Jimmy to comprehend.
Wow people…..A MP is talking about a real issue, i.e. not feeling safe walking in the CBD. The police report an increase in crime there (recent murder outside Te Papa) and hospo industry comment that they have never seen the levels in violence in the CBD like now. As a Wellington dweller I concur with this.
Talk about invalidation guys
Didn't appreciate your sarcasm, Aom, about me whistling at some innocent person. I was the victim of a nasty assault in a public place many years ago.
As I have said I don't have any time for Willis, but actually she is entitled to, I am entitled to and all women walking the streets in the CBD are entitled to feel safe……..otherwise what are we saying here? Too bad middle class women feel unsafe? Shame on all of you
As I have said I don't have any time for Willis, but actually she is entitled to, I am entitled to and all women walking the streets in the CBD are entitled to feel safe……..otherwise what are we saying here? Too bad middle class women feel unsafe? Shame on all of you
so good it had to be repeated. Thank you for pointing out that feeling safe has nothing to do with class, standing, race…………. Thanks.
Anker, if you read what I've actually said – including the initial comment which started this conversation – neither I or those who have effectively supported my claim are talking about the right of women to be safe in the streets. It goes without saying we all should be able to do so without fear.
We are talking about Willis using the occasion of a high profile murder case on the other side of the world to "dog whistle" for political gain.
AB puts it succinctly when he says:
The primary purpose of housing the homeless is to improve the well-being of the homeless – it's not to make people like Willis feel safe. So she may simply be guilty of a sense of entitlement that places herself at the center of every calculation – scarcely a crime, but rather disqualifying in an aspiring politician.
Alternatively or additionally, she may be mischief-making. Trying to scare middle-class Wellingtonians into thinking the streets aren't safe and that they will be attacked by (it doesn't need spelling out) brown people. This would just be solid National Party 'laura norder' campaigning – a successful tactic with a long history. So nothing unexpected there.
Personally I go with the latter but even if it was the former, it is bad form coming from an "aspiring to ultimate leadership" politician.
Marama Davidson was well within her rights to make the distinction and call Nicola Willis out.
Willis might have used the high profile case of the tragic murder in the UK. But actually many journos e.g. Rosemary McLeod and Verity Johnstone (I think that's her name) have written about that high profile case this week because sadly the situation where women feel unsafe is global. Can't think of anywhere in the world where women wouldn't share this fear.
Willis teamed that case up with violence in the CBD that seemed o.k. to me because there has been an increase in violence in Wellington, not just in the CBD but in a suburb not too far away from where I live in Wellington which is being attributed to a gang.
When I think of violence I always thing of men. And this is no difference.
I don't have much tolerance for violence whoever the perpertrator is. I appreciate the local MP raising it. It is her job to raise local issues and to challenge the Minister who I think has a portfolio around violence towards women……..
Marama is such an overworked MP as shown on the parliamentary website and perhaps a bit stressed, guess we have to cut her a bit of slack in her tweets shooting from the hip.
Compost has a good green sound about it so I don't think of waste from mining etc when I hear it mentioned. In Taranaki maybe I should. I think this is called 'greenwashing'.
It is seeking to renew consents to discharge to land, water and air, which lapsed about two years ago. It is still permitted to accept various waste at Uruti – including oil and gas drilling cuttings and drilling fluids – to either compost or use in worm farming.
"This has caused what's referred to in Remediation NZ's application as a 'legacy' issue, as they have been unable to sell this product off-site due to its association with drilling activities. "It also means that it has not produced any saleable compost from the site in the last 10 years, other than the vermicast."
Sarah Roberts from the environmental lobby group Taranaki Energy Watch was thankful the site stopped accepting oil and gas waste in December… "Conservatively 40,000 cubic metres of drilling materials came in, but for four or five years the council said there was very little record taking and so really the whole process of our submission is trying to find out what happened to it and what's going to happen to it?…
"I guess if you really looked at that drilling waste pile – more than 20,000 tonne – I guess you'd start to think this potentially looks more like a landfill than it does a composting facility.
Rare events, even so, but it does show how random buildings aren't entriely suited to quarantine facilities. There's the traffic/surface contacts, but also the quarantine rooms should really be negative-pressure environments instead of positive (i.e. draughts under doors, but the air is sucked out then filtered before release, rather than blown directly in and then sucked out of the hallway).
I know a government hotel system might be too much to ask in this era, but subsidising some hotels provided they meet MIQ adaptation standards could be an idea. This won't be the last time we have a global issue. Even if the country isn't fully cut off, having some quarantine beds for the next sars/ebola scare could be useful.
Agree with you on this one totally. Hotels located in urban areas are considerably less than ideal for the purpose. Quarantine stations used to be quite spartan affairs located well outside city or town boundaries.
Considering the on-going findings about Covid 19 and its possibility for return as later serious disease, the transmission of it should be a high concern to control. One idea that should be looked at is the closing of the lid of the toilet before flushing; the rush of water sprays up and there must be a small mix of droplets from the bowl. If there is some escape then it will hit at knee level not rise to the nose. It should be adopted as another limiting activity.
Well, it should be a concern for facility designers and operators. Not so much for anyone else (except, wear your masks).
The reason these instances don't have confirmed transmission avenues (it's a good hypothesis, maybe better than surface contact, but it's still not quite a slam dunk) is because their transmission avenue (no skin-skin contact or direct aerosol exposure) is relatively rare. It's big enough to be regularly attributable when we have hundreds or thousands of cases, but a few dozen cases at any one time? This form of transmission is not exactly a daily or weekly occurrence in NZ, and it's not frequent enough to keep an outbreak going by itself.
The main transmission avenues are sustained exposure in poorly venitlated and densely populated environments. Planes, bars, nightclubs, theatres, tour coachs, cruise ships, supermarkets, churches, schools.
The occasional case outside those areas is something to try to identify and eliminate, but not to the extent that normal folks lose sleep over it.
University of Canterbury education researcher David Pomeroy, who has done previous research on implicit racial bias in streaming of maths, was alarmed by the findings.
"I wanted to understand why students from different backgrounds – different ethnic, socioeconomic and gender backgrounds – seem to approach school subjects in such different ways and why we end up on such different paths depending on those backgrounds.
I wonder if he has been asking all the questions he needs to? Many of the young people might say they wanted to do what their friends and family do. In other words they choose to stay in a cohort that moves on together and does not wish to go on to more education other than a course aimed at immediate employment.
If parents don't see the advantages of further education, then that would mean less reason to consider it by the youngster. And the parents may feel they are being practical, that extra expense studying won't be met with a job in their area. Maybe study would take them away from their home area, and their family, and/or their friends and also the job, so they would break the family solidarity and mutual support.
I think that a package that a family signs up to, which would include a responsible employer in the district offering an apprenticeship to a young person who succeeded at a basic, starter course at 'tech and would then have proved their ability to learn and follow directions, and would be able to handle future block courses, would start more youngsters on the higher skills road.
And perhaps an adult course could be offered in computer use, reading and technical jargon, or cooking and health and exercise, for the parent would bring them into a learning circle, and more likely to think favourably of further training. The ideal would be to have a group of mothers and fathers from the area attending such courses, picked up by a small bus and dropped off home before school came out at no cost to them. Then whole families, even streets, could get into a different line of thinking; the tide would lift all boats sort of thing.
that extra expense studying won't be met with a job in their area
That's certainly been my experience – and I did read a paper on drivers of NZ suicide a while back, that pointed to chronic underemployment. I'm sure Stats are oblivious however. Stepping out of one's assigned class in a saturated job market not only won't get you a job, you'll get labeled a troublemaker.
What about the mothers. Where are our caring and responsible standards fro families especially mothers in NZ?? We are just a bunch of fudgers and liars I think. I'm so disappointed with this country and its attitudes that have deteriorated badly. Mothers particularly need more care so how about mother Jacinda?
Willis might have used the high profile case of the tragic murder in the UK. But actually many journos e.g. Rosemary McLeod and Verity Johnstone (I think that's her name) have written about that high profile case this week because sadly the situation where women feel unsafe is global. Can't think of anywhere in the world where women wouldn't share this fear.
Willis teamed that case up with violence in the CBD that seemed o.k. to me because there has been an increase in violence in Wellington, not just in the CBD but in a suburb not too far away from where I live in Wellington which is being attributed to a gang.
When I think of violence I always thing of men. And this is no difference.
I don't have much tolerance for violence whoever the perpetrator is. I appreciate the local MP raising it. It is her job to raise local issues and to challenge the Minister who I think has a portfolio around violence towards women……..
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Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
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 in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Asia Pacific Report A West Papuan resistance leader has condemned the United Nations role in allowing Indonesia to “integrate” the Melanesian Pacific region in what is claimed to be an “egregious act of inhumanity” on 1 May 1963. In an open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Organisasi Papua Merdeka-OPM ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A key part of the Albanese government’s political strategy is to fill the news cycle with its presence and messaging. Ministers are deployed to the maximum, even when they’ve little to say. This week ...
Recent extreme weather events showed the importance of a well-functioning insurance system, says Commerce and Consumer Affairs minister Andrew Bayly. ...
By Jo Moir, RNZ News political editor, and Craig McCulloch, deputy political editor New Zealand’s Labour Party is demanding Winston Peters be stood down as Foreign Minister for opening up the government to legal action over his “totally unacceptable” attack on a prominent AUKUS critic. In an interview on RNZ’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Brakenridge, Postdoctoral research fellow at Swinburne University, Centre for Urban Transitions, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute The Conversation, Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock People have a pretty intuitive sense of what is healthy – standing is better than sitting, exercise is great for overall ...
The Wellington-based Reserve Force soldier is now almost three years into his New Zealand Army career with 5th/7th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. ...
"The Government needs to release the review immediately as this reckless approach to change risks disjointed decision making and creates more distress and uncertainty for staff," Fitzsimons said. ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor Jeremiah Manele has been elected Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, polling 31 votes to 18 over rival candidate and former opposition leader Mathew Wale with one abstention. The final result of the election by secret ballot was announced by the Governor-General, Sir David Vunagi, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Priestley Habru, PhD candidate, public diplomacy, University of Adelaide Former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele has been elected the next prime minister of Solomon Islands, defeating the opposition leader, Matthew Wale, in a vote in parliament. The result is a mixed bag for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shaun Eaves, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Jamey Stutz, CC BY-SA How often do mountains collapse, volcanoes erupt or ice sheets melt? For Earth scientists, these are important questions as we try ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Flood, Professor of Sociology, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock Most young adult men in Australia reject traditional ideas of masculinity that endorse aggression, stoicism and homophobia. Nonetheless, the ongoing influence of those ideas continues to harm men and the people ...
The NZQA proposal released to staff today would involve a net loss of 35 roles. There are 66 roles being disestablished with 13 of those currently vacant, and 31 new roles proposed, said Fleur Fitzsimons Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga ...
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What could possibly go wrong?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/300256453/australian-police-boss-suggests-app-to-prove-sexual-consent
unbelievably mad idea. Consent is not a contract.
Also how many abusers have access to/control over their victims phones?
yep.
Genuine question – how do you think people should go about establishing consent in a manner that will stand up in a Court?
Well, firstly, I try not who have sex with anyone who might make a complaint to police about it afterwards. So this involves me knowing them for a bit, making sure we're on the same page with what we want from the interaction, making sure they're not drunk/vulnerable/unconscious, that sort of thing.
Secondly, ongoing active consent is fun, not a legal excuse.
Thirdly, if someone wants to perjure themselves in order to invent a rape charge, the app isn't going to change anything in that regard. Every defensive tactic will just be attempted to be bypassed, just like rapists try to bypass every defensive tactic against rape.
Great advice to give to a 16yr old. But honestly I don't think it answers the question.
Well, it's an odd question.
The fact is that it always comes down to the specific circumstances of each situation. It's like asking how to defend oneself from a physical assault.
But it's not something you need to worry about immediately, which an assault is: act now or get thumped. You don't just have time to get an expert opinion, you can hire an expert to defend you: get a lawyer.
When the cops interview you, STFU. In an adversarial system, they are not your friend and anything you give them will only be used against you. Court is when you get to state your case.
But it's far more common to use that approach to introduce doubt about the fact that the consent was refused, rather than persuading beyond reasonable doubt that the consent (which had in reality been given) did not actually happen.
Yup … all kinds of problematic every way you look at it.
But the current situation in NZ is definitely weighted to being more problematic in one way (letting rapists pretend consent existed in order to avoid a guilty verdict or to avoid charges even being pressed) than the other (false complaints of rape resulting in an unjust rape conviction).
In the same way they get married, write a will, or apply for euthanasia. I think having sex is a more than appropriate fit with these.
Fair enough, yet each one of those is essentially a form of contract, accompanied by a legal document. If I'm reading the above thread correctly – this has been explicitly rejected as 'mad'.
Not sure where this leaves us. Trials that hinge on 'he said, she said' are very unsatisfactory for all concerned. Yet when I read the entire article above
The advice from McF above is perfectly fine if we could assume good faith, sound mind and good intentions – but people are not always like that.
Consent is an informal contract too. You don’t get to sign these contracts if you’re not sane of mind (or half-pissed or drugged), haven’t received or at least been offered professional advice, have not been properly informed (informed consent), and only in the presence of reliable witnesses who are also sane of mind and sober …
Oh, the signed piece of paper is kept in a safe place where it cannot be tempered with because it may be needed later, e.g. in Court …
You asked, I answered.
So… Cherry 2000 with apps instead of lawyers. Dude is repeating 35 year old tropes that were stupid at the time.
But congrats to him for making a 1980s hollywood vision of the future marginally less inaccurate.
Judith Collins tweets this morning "Our petition is working" which obviously refers to the petition she started a few days ago demanding that the "bubble" with Australia be opened immediately. I guess when you are polling as lowly as she is (and falling) you search for any crumb of comfort. The Government has been working continuously to find ways of safely opening the borders to Australians and Pacific Islanders. It would appear that the end of April could be a possibility but not certain. Sorry Judith, this would hardly signify "immediately".
I've noticed the nats have developed the ability to start demanding things that the government is going to do in the near future anyway? Then claim they had a win .
When your as fucking useless as they are(the nats that is) you gots to claim any little thing you can .
Biden in a deft move of deeply considered international diplomacy suggests "Putin has no Soul" and is a "Killer"…
Putin responds by suggesting that Biden is projecting his inner self..
Both Correct!
Soon the anti-war activists will be saying 'bring back Trump!".
Well. Biden's first act was, bombing Syria.
@ Chris, So are you a pro-war activist, or are you just on the fence when it comes to war?
So Putin openly admits that he is a killer.
Except that's not what Putin actually said
Recalling his youth, Mr Putin said that he and his friends would respond to insults with the taunt: "The names you call are what you are yourself" — a Russian version of the childhood riposte, "I'm rubber, you're glue; what you say bounces off me and sticks to you."
"It's not just a rhymed childish joke; it has a deep psychological meaning: We see our own qualities in another person, we think he's like us and judge him accordingly," he added.
Typical to accept the western interpretation as the actual source
Thanks Francesca for trying to explain the point of what Putin said for some people not able to handle psychological subtleties. I think the Russians are winning this chess game. Next move Biden you nutmeister?
The beginning of wisdom is calling things by their right names. Confucius
Calling all disabled people + those who love them. Time is running out to get your story in to hikoi4disabled@gmail. Stories will be read outside Parliment from 10:30am onwards on Tuesday 23rd March.
The purpose of this is to raise awareness of how systems such as welfare, health, housing, education are failing disabled people + highlight the lack of consultation which is still an issue.
This is one area where Australia seems well ahead of NZ.
While I'm sure like anything else it has it's critics, the Aussie NDIS scheme simply has no equivalent in NZ.
…the Aussie NDIS scheme simply has no equivalent in NZ.
It does have an equivalent here in NZ…and I recall the NDIS system was modeled on the same.
We call it the Accident Compensation Corporation.
Had the late Sir Owen's entire plan unfolded the scheme would have been extended to cover non injury/accident impairments. That would have been a step too far for ACC scheme and today we continue to have the obscene situation where a person disabled through absolutely no fault of their own has few rights and almost no entitlements compared to an ACC client (who in many cases knowingly took risks which led to their impairment).
Children born with spina bifida have no entitlement for MOH funding for supports, while the person paralysed as a result of a drunken car crash can claim entitlement to all manner of supports.
This 2013 paper, released after a joint ACC/Ministry of Health Spinal Cord impairment strategy compares ACC supports (and conditions for receiving them) with the paltry crumbs from MOH for the same disability.( Page 83 onwards for those bothered to read it.)
Today..the only real change for those not enjoying the entitlements of ACC is that now…and only after Te Virus struck…spouses and partners of someone with very high care needs (such as my partner with a C4/5 spinal injury) can be paid for the care we provide.
Just as well the extra $$$ are coming in from my wages, because we are now having to self- fund much more in the way of vital supplies and equipment.
Under the Ministry of Health…there is absolutely no entitlement whatsoever to receive Ministry funded supports/treatment. If they choose not to fund…there is little to no comeback.
The bastards keep disabled and their families in a constant state of insecurity.
Yes ACC could and should have been a great deal more ambitious than it has turned out.
We have an acquaintance here with significant head and upper body disabilities whose exact word to us were "NDIS has changed my life beyond all recognition". Another good friend who works professionally in this space describes it as a 'game changer'.
Again nothing is perfect, there will always be critics, but take another look at that link and consider if NZ couldn't do something like that. Or these kind of specialist housing options.
If you have a link to a press release I can put it up as a post. Or if someone has written about this and is happy for me to cross post to TS.
Hi Kay, thanks for reminiding us about this.
Here's the Action Station page which gives some more detail about the hikoi and the overall aims…
https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/disabled-people-deserve-their-full-equitable-rights-1?source=facebook-share-button&time=1615161007&utm_source=facebook&share=e9987f8b-c702-4663-9ed0-e6291e340573&fbclid=IwAR3hRt1-_3AKdoM0Gbb1H6oIRvbt6cxBchuhZkDhWrnhVQisUp15xz9v46I
Why is this important?
Everyone should feel included in our society and have access to opportunities. The Government has a responsibility to ensure disabled people can access their full and equal rights.
They can do this by setting up an independent regulatory body that is led and run by disabled people. This will enable a society where disabled people can be fully included to be able to fully participate.
There are many barriers disabled people face are because society is built inaccessibly. For too long disabled have been ignored and denied equitable access and it is long overdue to bring them in from the cold. If the Government was able to prioritise a Racing Ministry, why a regulatory body to oversee the rights and needs of disabled, led and run by disabled?
Please support our petition to help us gain full, non-disabling access to society. Remember disability is the only identity that does not discriminate.
Just as an aside – the first two units we built were done to a Universal Access standard, but when we tried to get HNZ interested at the time we just hit a brick wall.
Non-disabled tenants love them all the same, but it's one thing I've always been a bit disappointed about.
Needless to say we didn't go down the same path with the rest.
Good to read you actually built units to a Universal Access standard, and I just don't understand why all new builds (providing the site is suitable) are not thus constructed.
We've dealt with two builders over the past twenty regarding accessible build/renovation. An absolute bottomline, non negotiable condition is that all entrances are absolutely no-bump dead level. Sliding doors tracks do not have to sit proud of the floor…and twenty years ago we were able to sink those units into the slab. Just a few months ago we had to get quite stroppy with local joinery manufacturer in order to get the latest totally level entry profiles for our cottage renovation. Fellow was quite persistent that such a thing did not exist and was quite put out when I presented him with the opposition's pamphlet. Had he not been the builder's pet joinery supplier we would have told him to sling his hook. He simply had no desire to even think about meeting these access needs.
Even he was impressed with the results when the ranchslider units he had grudgingly made for us fitted perfectly and were fit for purpose. Hoping we helped raise his consciousness.
Now check this out.
Tradies are like that; they tend to be good at what they know, and are often initially resistant to new things. Often for good reason, most new ideas turn out to be bad ones that cost them money.
Still if you can handhold them through the process like you did, it can work out just fine.
Thanks! I forgot about the petition.
Sorry to keep banging on about the Australian NDIS but I strongly suggest NZ activists in this space take a closer look at it where it came from and the principles that motivate it:
In particular the principles are stated as:
The NDIS is a social insurance scheme, not a welfare system. The NDIS is based on the following four insurance principles:
Glad to see Marama Davidson has called out Nicola Willis on her recent remarks.
She took advantage of the murder of an English woman by a London cop and commented how she, too is afraid to walk around Central Wellington at night blah, blah blah.
What has the tragedy in London got to do with an entitled woman who would never need to walk any streets at nights, and then tries to blame her 'plight' on inner city emergency housing as if they're murderers and thieves:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/nationals-nicola-willis-and-greens-co-leader-marama-davidson-clash-over-racist-accusation/5T7FZ3JHMIBFEQJCERIUVYZIQQ/
Painting a picture of inner city criminal mayhem by the homeless in particular.
Yep. Its racism and classism. of the worst kind.
Have to say I disagree Anne. Wellington use to feel really safe. Hospo industry was commenting recently how this has change. Same with at Te Aro park.
The inner city housing she may have been referring to was on the news one night and houses mostly people who are on probation. Wellington has also had problems with a gang called the nomads of late. Likely 501s play a roll.
I was glad Willis said something……………and I am absolutely no fan of Willis.
I think the deflected was from Davison
What is racist about what Nicola Willis said? She didn't mention any race did she? I think Marama needs to think before she speaks. Other than re-claiming the "C" word what has she achieved? Even the reporter asked if she had actually done any work in the last 5 months.
Not agreeing with you at all. Actually I think Marama Davison was opportunistic and tried the race card to get points from her supporters (whoever they are). This is a bully tactic. And all the while, just having meetings will not make a dent in the issue of homelessness. To have a reporter standing there with no answer to an important question of public interest, turning the back to them in arrogance is despicable. Perhaps we need to remind Mrs. Davidson who is paying her wages. Her position is not a right but a privilege. She was not voted in but appointed. Last time I looked, NZ was calling itself a democracy.
Where in the article does Willis say anything about race?
Pure dog whistle, cancel culture by Marama Davidson. She is hiding the fact that she has done absolutely sweet FA in here role and is been shown up as bloody useless.
Agree. Deflect, deflect, deflect.
Willis is the one who is dog whistling.
She's using an incident in another country to ferment the racist tendencies of the law n' order brigade in NZ for political gain. Course she doesn't mention the word Maori, Pacific Islander, but the people she is talking to know what she is saying.
I would not walk along any inner city road at night on my own. Its common sense and goes without saying. So why did she say it?
By all means work to change things so that people can go walking at night and be safe, but tainting a whole race of people which is what she was snidely doing is not the way to go about it.
I would not walk along any inner city road at night on my own. Its common sense and goes without saying.
So. A person who walks along an inner city road at night on there own lacks common sense?
Hmmm. Victim blaming, much?
Davidson's reaction smacks of defensiveness. She damn well knows she's part of an administration that has done sweet FA to mitigate homelessness and the multitude of ills that accompany profound hopelessness.
Course she doesn't mention the word Maori, Pacific Islander, but the people she is talking to know what she is saying.
Interesting. We know Maori and Pasifika are over -represented in the homelessness stats and we all know that emergency housing seems to attract the negative attention of gangs who prey on vulnerable people. MSN has had numerous articles about this issue from Paihia to Auckland to Rotorua. Pointing out facts is not racist.
Davidson has again gone off at the mouth end without thinking first. She'd be better off putting her energies into fixing some of this shit.
Anne, I think you just try to justify the indefensible.
And I think you're not reading comments properly or you don't grasp the nuances Willis is using to create political mischief.
Dog whistle: a subtly aimed political message which is intended for, and can only be understood by, a particular demographic group.
It seems you have things the wrong way around with your comment Pataua4life. Nicola Willis's comment appears to have been the dog whistle and Marama Davidson responded, presumably on the basis of demographic knowledge. Feel free to check out the facilities, establish the ethnicities of the people in the inner city emergency housing, then come back to provide evidence to prove Marama Davidson was wrong with her response.
aom……not a dog whistle but a real whistle in Wellington right now. I used to happily walk around Wellington Street in the city at night. Now,, not so much.
Glad if you now have a whistle to keep you safe in the city at night. Now all we have to worry about is you deafening some poor person who walks innocently past when you panic and blow it in their ear.
@ aom
The primary purpose of housing the homeless is to improve the well-being of the homeless – it's not to make people like Willis feel safe. So she may simply be guilty of a sense of entitlement that places herself at the center of every calculation – scarcely a crime, but rather disqualifying in an aspiring politician.
Alternatively or additionally, she may be mischief-making. Trying to scare middle-class Wellingtonians into thinking the streets aren't safe and that they will be attacked by (it doesn't need spelling out) brown people. This would just be solid National Party 'laura norder' campaigning – a successful tactic with a long history. So nothing unexpected there.
Also – it's distinctly possible that homeless is making central Wellington objectively less safe. It's a bit on the nose for Willis, who belongs to a party that saw housing inequality and homelessness rise under their watch and now opposes any attempt to control the investor-driven demand side, to require an urgent solution. Arsonists don't get to call out the firemen – not even when the supposed firemen turn out to also be arsonists (as seems to be what is occurring)
Davidson's response is understandable because of this slather of entitlement, mischief-making and hypocrisy that surrounds what Willis is saying. But it's not helpful – because it takes the whole discussion into the swamp of unwinnable culture wars. Best to get on with trying to fix or reduce the core problem.
The primary reason for people to seek shelter is to be safe from the elements, have a safe place to sleep and live and raise our families in them.
The primary reason for a government to provide shelter/housing/food/social welfare etc for its citizen is to prevent social unrest.
So yes, it should be the primary reason for all of us to want others to be housed, well fed, well cared for so that we a;; can stay a peaceful nation that allows for all of us to be save and not scared of a mugging, assault, sexual assault or death.
And frankly we are doing a shitty job at housing us and preventing the resulting social unrest that comes with homelessness, hunger, poverty, and nothing to do all day long. And longterm that is going to be a problem for all of us, not just some women who works in Wellington and who does not feel safe anymore on her way home at night.
Thank you AB, but fear it is a little too intelligent and insightful for the likes of P4l, David and Jimmy to comprehend.
Wow people…..A MP is talking about a real issue, i.e. not feeling safe walking in the CBD. The police report an increase in crime there (recent murder outside Te Papa) and hospo industry comment that they have never seen the levels in violence in the CBD like now. As a Wellington dweller I concur with this.
Talk about invalidation guys
Didn't appreciate your sarcasm, Aom, about me whistling at some innocent person. I was the victim of a nasty assault in a public place many years ago.
so good it had to be repeated. Thank you for pointing out that feeling safe has nothing to do with class, standing, race…………. Thanks.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/the-story-i-couldnt-write-why-sarah-everards-death-shook-women-to-their-core/DPX5K7AMQLSZNG56NGNAX42J6M/
Thanks so much Sabine. An article about women feeling unsafe and it does refer to the woman who was murdered in the UK.
Anker, if you read what I've actually said – including the initial comment which started this conversation – neither I or those who have effectively supported my claim are talking about the right of women to be safe in the streets. It goes without saying we all should be able to do so without fear.
We are talking about Willis using the occasion of a high profile murder case on the other side of the world to "dog whistle" for political gain.
AB puts it succinctly when he says:
Personally I go with the latter but even if it was the former, it is bad form coming from an "aspiring to ultimate leadership" politician.
Marama Davidson was well within her rights to make the distinction and call Nicola Willis out.
Willis might have used the high profile case of the tragic murder in the UK. But actually many journos e.g. Rosemary McLeod and Verity Johnstone (I think that's her name) have written about that high profile case this week because sadly the situation where women feel unsafe is global. Can't think of anywhere in the world where women wouldn't share this fear.
Willis teamed that case up with violence in the CBD that seemed o.k. to me because there has been an increase in violence in Wellington, not just in the CBD but in a suburb not too far away from where I live in Wellington which is being attributed to a gang.
When I think of violence I always thing of men. And this is no difference.
I don't have much tolerance for violence whoever the perpertrator is. I appreciate the local MP raising it. It is her job to raise local issues and to challenge the Minister who I think has a portfolio around violence towards women……..
Marama is such an overworked MP as shown on the parliamentary website and perhaps a bit stressed, guess we have to cut her a bit of slack in her tweets shooting from the hip.
lol your angle a few hours didn't work, so now you're concerned. Deary me.
Huh???
Marama could never be accused of being the hardest working MP in Parliament!
You’re definitely not wrong there.
Compost has a good green sound about it so I don't think of waste from mining etc when I hear it mentioned. In Taranaki maybe I should. I think this is called 'greenwashing'.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/438713/compost-firm-stockpiles-20-000-tonnes-of-contaminated-waste
Remediation NZ is part of the Revital Group that produces compost and vermiculture products – many of them Biogro-certified.
It is seeking to renew consents to discharge to land, water and air, which lapsed about two years ago.
It is still permitted to accept various waste at Uruti – including oil and gas drilling cuttings and drilling fluids – to either compost or use in worm farming.
"This has caused what's referred to in Remediation NZ's application as a 'legacy' issue, as they have been unable to sell this product off-site due to its association with drilling activities.
"It also means that it has not produced any saleable compost from the site in the last 10 years, other than the vermicast."
Sarah Roberts from the environmental lobby group Taranaki Energy Watch was thankful the site stopped accepting oil and gas waste in December…
"Conservatively 40,000 cubic metres of drilling materials came in, but for four or five years the council said there was very little record taking and so really the whole process of our submission is trying to find out what happened to it and what's going to happen to it?…
"I guess if you really looked at that drilling waste pile – more than 20,000 tonne – I guess you'd start to think this potentially looks more like a landfill than it does a composting facility.
Interesting – the button/rubbish bin transmissions in MIQ might actually have been rare micro-aerosol transmission.
Rare events, even so, but it does show how random buildings aren't entriely suited to quarantine facilities. There's the traffic/surface contacts, but also the quarantine rooms should really be negative-pressure environments instead of positive (i.e. draughts under doors, but the air is sucked out then filtered before release, rather than blown directly in and then sucked out of the hallway).
I know a government hotel system might be too much to ask in this era, but subsidising some hotels provided they meet MIQ adaptation standards could be an idea. This won't be the last time we have a global issue. Even if the country isn't fully cut off, having some quarantine beds for the next sars/ebola scare could be useful.
Agree with you on this one totally. Hotels located in urban areas are considerably less than ideal for the purpose. Quarantine stations used to be quite spartan affairs located well outside city or town boundaries.
Northern Territories repurposed an unused mine camp with great success.
It's worked very well for them.
Considering the on-going findings about Covid 19 and its possibility for return as later serious disease, the transmission of it should be a high concern to control. One idea that should be looked at is the closing of the lid of the toilet before flushing; the rush of water sprays up and there must be a small mix of droplets from the bowl. If there is some escape then it will hit at knee level not rise to the nose. It should be adopted as another limiting activity.
Mar.11/21 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communication/responder-stories/revealing-many-faces-covid19.html
Jul.9/20 https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/diagnostics/scientists-warn-of-potential-wave-of-covid-linked-brain-damage/76871205
Well, it should be a concern for facility designers and operators. Not so much for anyone else (except, wear your masks).
The reason these instances don't have confirmed transmission avenues (it's a good hypothesis, maybe better than surface contact, but it's still not quite a slam dunk) is because their transmission avenue (no skin-skin contact or direct aerosol exposure) is relatively rare. It's big enough to be regularly attributable when we have hundreds or thousands of cases, but a few dozen cases at any one time? This form of transmission is not exactly a daily or weekly occurrence in NZ, and it's not frequent enough to keep an outbreak going by itself.
The main transmission avenues are sustained exposure in poorly venitlated and densely populated environments. Planes, bars, nightclubs, theatres, tour coachs, cruise ships, supermarkets, churches, schools.
The occasional case outside those areas is something to try to identify and eliminate, but not to the extent that normal folks lose sleep over it.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/438727/teens-dreams-limited-by-gender-racial-stereotypes-study
University of Canterbury education researcher David Pomeroy, who has done previous research on implicit racial bias in streaming of maths, was alarmed by the findings.
"I wanted to understand why students from different backgrounds – different ethnic, socioeconomic and gender backgrounds – seem to approach school subjects in such different ways and why we end up on such different paths depending on those backgrounds.
I wonder if he has been asking all the questions he needs to? Many of the young people might say they wanted to do what their friends and family do. In other words they choose to stay in a cohort that moves on together and does not wish to go on to more education other than a course aimed at immediate employment.
If parents don't see the advantages of further education, then that would mean less reason to consider it by the youngster. And the parents may feel they are being practical, that extra expense studying won't be met with a job in their area. Maybe study would take them away from their home area, and their family, and/or their friends and also the job, so they would break the family solidarity and mutual support.
I think that a package that a family signs up to, which would include a responsible employer in the district offering an apprenticeship to a young person who succeeded at a basic, starter course at 'tech and would then have proved their ability to learn and follow directions, and would be able to handle future block courses, would start more youngsters on the higher skills road.
And perhaps an adult course could be offered in computer use, reading and technical jargon, or cooking and health and exercise, for the parent would bring them into a learning circle, and more likely to think favourably of further training. The ideal would be to have a group of mothers and fathers from the area attending such courses, picked up by a small bus and dropped off home before school came out at no cost to them. Then whole families, even streets, could get into a different line of thinking; the tide would lift all boats sort of thing.
that extra expense studying won't be met with a job in their area
That's certainly been my experience – and I did read a paper on drivers of NZ suicide a while back, that pointed to chronic underemployment. I'm sure Stats are oblivious however. Stepping out of one's assigned class in a saturated job market not only won't get you a job, you'll get labeled a troublemaker.
What about the mothers. Where are our caring and responsible standards fro families especially mothers in NZ?? We are just a bunch of fudgers and liars I think. I'm so disappointed with this country and its attitudes that have deteriorated badly. Mothers particularly need more care so how about mother Jacinda?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/438737/better-postnatal-care-petition-closes-with-55-000-signatures
Willis might have used the high profile case of the tragic murder in the UK. But actually many journos e.g. Rosemary McLeod and Verity Johnstone (I think that's her name) have written about that high profile case this week because sadly the situation where women feel unsafe is global. Can't think of anywhere in the world where women wouldn't share this fear.
Willis teamed that case up with violence in the CBD that seemed o.k. to me because there has been an increase in violence in Wellington, not just in the CBD but in a suburb not too far away from where I live in Wellington which is being attributed to a gang.
When I think of violence I always thing of men. And this is no difference.
I don't have much tolerance for violence whoever the perpetrator is. I appreciate the local MP raising it. It is her job to raise local issues and to challenge the Minister who I think has a portfolio around violence towards women……..
If I have misunderstood you I apologise