Once all the seperated families have been reunited, will Trans- Tasman travel return to pre-pandemic business as usual levels?
Or will the public be left with a $1.5 billion stranded asset?
<
blockquote>
Alethea Warrington, campaigner at climate action charity Possible, when speaking to Reuters. “This polling shows that after a year of quick and easy virtual meetings, travellers aren’t planning to go back to business as usual.”
The UK’s aviation sector has been decimated by the pandemic, with Heathrow – the UK’s largest airport – seeing its passenger numbers slide by 72.2 per cent in 2020 from the year before.
International Air Transport Association analysts have forecasted that despite the Covid-19 vaccines and testing procedures rolling out worldwide, the recovery of demand for air travel may not reach pre-crisis levels until 2024.
While this estimate would imply that the aviation sector just needs to hold on for a few years until it can return to growth, the attitudes presented in the latest survey suggests a full recovery could take longer.
The weakest link is that the flight crew can still work on low risk routes and then work on the trans – Tasman bubble. I would have just had a trans – Tasman flight crew.
To have green flights but not green flight crews is asking for it.
Why do you keep doing this? Give us a reason, based on your personal analysis of the content, why we should click on this and read and listen to this podcast if not for any other reason because you believe for some reason that some guy is somehow wonderful and the sun shines out of his arse?
Oh yes, wonderful indeed. The man who delivered us George Bush the Lesser, better known as Shrub. Without Mr Nader, convergence moonbats would have had to work so much harder to find things to feed their eternal grievance complexes. Or not.
The man who delivered us George Bush the Lesser, better known as Shrub.
Nader was on the Supreme Court, was he? Or was he dressed up as Democratic Party strategic mastermind Warren Christopher, who decided not to be unsporting and insist on a full recount of the Florida votes?
I'd like to give a little shoutout to Sabine this morning. Sabine has been so dogged in her highlighting of the social housing and poverty issues in Rotorua.
I swear I complain so little about the media, but even RNZ this morning had two reporters from their Wellington office declaring at length how excited they were to be at the airport waiting to get on their Australian flights this morning …
… and yet it was just one guy who owned a bar in Rotorua on RNZ this morning who was able to talk about the Mongrel Mob colours proudly displayed in Rotorua shop windows, drug deals done in daylight, children running around at night, and a general fear for the future of Rotorua due to the huge levels of poor people stuck in low-end motels due to shortages of public housing.
It was like RNZ was sticking up gleefuly for the middle class who could afford to fly, while it relegated time spent on the degradation of the poor and working class in Rotorua.
There are plenty like Sonja Davies who took Labour to task in years gone by for similar issues, so keep it up Sabine.
There is a strong connection between emergency housing and the health care of those in emergency housing. Both are a crisis. This can also be said for others who can hardly afford the rent or find it hard to access or afford health care.
The issue is everywhere not just in Rotorua and an everywhere solution needs to be a priority.
Agree Sabine does good work on poverty and housing….but when I suggested that the Greens had the solution with their Wealth Tax that would raise 7.9 billion dollars annually specifically to tackle poverty she told me it wasn't about political parties….sorry Sabine that is exactly what it is about….who we vote for counts
We've got a Labour-dominated government for three terms at least, and there's no way around the Greens being a small and shrinking field of influence within that. Unlikely to change even in 2026. Both major parties will actively stop a Wealth Tax. The best chance of influence is from within Labour.
Ad-I disagree. With (entirely feasible) numbers like this at the next election:
Lab 44 Greens 9 MP 2 Nats 35 ACT 8 Others 2
the Greens would have a great deal of influence. I notice the Greens are polling 8% in the UK at the moment in the latest poll which is historically very high.
They got about the same last year and have fuck-all influence in this government.
And even if they improved slightly, they would not get their Wealth Tax up there with tall boots, spandex, a brisk following wind, a long pole and a cape.
We had three years of a coalition that got us very little in terms a solution to our homeless and poverty issue, heck it is an issue that is growing out of proportions every day.
We have a pandemic that still does not scare polititians into doing the right thing by those that need public assistance
When the Greens pay attention to who runs as a potential candidate and when they maybe start putting in a bit of work into the rural areas then maybe they become part of the solution, atm they are not. Not here in Rotorua anyways.
Last, this is not an issue of Rotorua, or Auckland, i advocate for those that live where i live, as charity always begins at home. But in reality, Rotorua is any other town, the only difference are the homeless that get send here by Winz. They sadly get stuck, we no option of housing or jobs, and yes Virginia the Government is really not here to help.
The woman who tweeted this has locked her account for a bit so cut and pasting.
I don’t think it’s possible to overestimate how angry women are about this, but certainly some people seem to be missing the fact. NZ govt is moving on gender self ID this year, so it’s useful to follow what is happening in the UK.
'Police Scotland said that if a rape or attempted rape was perpetrated by a “male who self-identifies as a woman . . . the male who self-identifies as a woman would be expected to be recorded as a female on relevant police systems.'
'Campaigners claim that the position could lead to a “distortion” in society’s understanding of crime and the measures needed to tackle it. They also say the policy is at odds with what Humza Yousaf, the justice secretary, has said should be legal proof that a suspect is female.'
'The issue..follows concern over moves by public bodies to “erase” biological sex data from official records…Dr Kath Murray, of the policy analysts Murray Blackburn Mackenzie, said that a person’s sex at birth was hugely relevant information in the case of rape.'
This is the bit which is said to be a contradiction: 'In answer to a written query from Johann Lamont MSP, [Humza Yousaf] said a person born male would need a full gender recognition certificate for that person to be statistically recorded as having committed rape.', in a ->
..letter apparently seen by the Times.
Finally 'the Scottish government declined to comment, saying that “this is a matter for Police Scotland”.'
Gender self identification is an issue that Judith Collins should start speaking against. A friend and I were discussing this last week and we decided after all of our years of voting on the left we were now unable so, due to both Labour and the Greens supporting gender self identification. I wonder how Jacinda will feel when Neve finds out she has to compete with boys who say they are girls on the sports field at school and it is because her mother was trying to be "nice" to transgenders. Sex and gender are not interchangeable. Now I await the backlash.
Because the issue is quite concerning legally and in that case criminally.
Gender identification seem to be a "trendy" issue these days and it is not ever mentioned that a child/young person has already enough to work through with their hormone level change and the psychological component. This is not just on that rare occasion where a person identifies to the opposite gender and seeks a solution to this undoubtedly very difficult situation. It is something that will not necessarily discussed in schools and parents are sometimes unable to deal with those issues that are being portrait as an all compassing societal theme but are not. But it impact right into their home life.
Criminally speaking, this needs redefinition. Rape has been identified with a specific gender, but without going into details, injuries can be caused in all sorts of manner as we have seen in those cases in India.
Culturally it means that many people see this as an affront, insensitive to their believe system and a gross intrusion on their identification within a group affiliation.
Many seem to think this can be legislated but all it does is creating clusters and separation in communities.
So, no I don't agree with just denying a voice and walk away in the believe that anyone being in disagreement is a troll. I think it needs a bit more thought.
At no time did or do I agree with having our PMs daughter involved in any discussion. But this is a separate issue and no it will not involve you with a troll as you mentioned.
The gender ID however is quite a serious one and should be discussed in the open instead of giving the impression that it is a given that we now identify with 16 of them. It is completely unacceptable to have this kind of social engineering imposed as if this is the norm.
edit
Janice you raise clear questions in trying to cut through this melee' of sex identification which puzzles me. I think it is being raised as a result of our society's norms being upended by various political and financial ploys as those actors advance their own psychopathological obsessions with achieving a false self, based on consumption and constant self-adulation.
This relentless pursuit feeds off but also back into society and its culture, and has the effect of diminishing the self-image of the rest of us. Then the choice seems either follow the same self-interested pattern, or cast around for a different, seemingly better self-image to shelter behind.
Under English law (and I presume Scottish law also), a female cannot be charged with rape, only with sexual assault ('penetration' being a requisite in England for the charge of rape).
By self identifying as a female, presumably the alleged perpetrator will limit the maximum sentence they will be liable to.
Also note that in the UK if a male rapist self IDs as a woman (ie tells the justice system they are, doesn’t have to have transitioned), then the woman who was raped can be compelled in court to refer to the rapist as she. This is rape culture, institutionally abusive and retraumatising. That this is sanctioned by some on the left is unconscionable and needs addressing as to why.
The self-identification bill coming up was pushed by Genter from last term and is seriously dividing multiple activist groups in both women and LGBT groups in Auckland.
The bill and its impact needs a post by itself. Bags not.
Self-identification as anything seems inadequate for legal purposes – though I think we can fairly safely tolerate, accept or indulge it (depending on our disposition) in normal social interactions.
If I self-identify as a hippopotamus, a creature unable to form 'intent' of any sort, do I then get away with killing someone? Some form of expert corroboration (insofar as anybody is actually an expert on his) seems to be desirable in legal settings.
No – just someone more knowledgeable than ourselves (quite a large pool). And the legal system frequently resorts to expert testimony because it has no alternative that creates a similarly convincing feeling of objectivity.
If I self-identify as a hippopotamus, a creature unable to form 'intent' of any sort, do I then get away with killing someone? Some form of expert corroboration (insofar as anybody is actually an expert on his) seems to be desirable in legal settings.
Dangerous animals that kill people tend to be put down. Not sure a lethal injection or a bullet is "getting away" with anything.
Heh. Travelling through Africa, we heard a lot about how dangerous hippopotamus were. We also heard a lot about how lions, crocodiles, hyenas etc would get hunted down and killed if they attacked a human. But I never heard of hippos getting dealt to after attacking humans, even though hippo attacks are apparently much more common than other animal attacks.
Behold the hippopotamus!
We laugh at how he looks to us,
And yet in moments dank and grim,
I wonder how we look to him.
Peace, peace, thou hippopotamus!
We really look all right to us,
As you no doubt delight the eye
Of other hippopotami.
Flanders and Swann waxed lyrical about hippos. And it indicates that as a self-identification it may earn a big round of applause and make quite a splash.
Weka, Yes but the self identification as a female undermines that very clear law. I can already see the QC's rubbing their hands in anticipation.
Jimmy, in South Africa numerous women have been charged with rape. They drugged men, kidnapped them and forced them to have sex whilst in a drugged state ('involuntary erection'). It was part of some crazy superstition nonsense a few years ago.
Really ?. Havent there been cases of women being charged with sexual offences against men to the point of sexual union? I vaguely remember something from a few years ago, and what is anal penetration with an instrument charged as, if not rape?
The technical meaning of “rape” in New Zealand law
Crimes Act 1961, ss 128, 128B
In New Zealand law, the word “rape” is restricted to cases of a male penetrating a female’s vagina with his penis. However, under the law this is just one of two types of the crime of “sexual violation”. The other type – “unlawful sexual connection” – covers all the other types of sexual assault described above, and it has the same maximum penalty (20 years’ jail) as cases of “rape” of a female by a male.
Crimes Act 1961, s 135 (definitions of “genitalia” and “sexual connection”) and ss 128, 128B
Being a rather pretty boy in my day I got hit on by creeps a lot, including many women. It was horrible for me, too.
This is a mess aye. While I support the trans community – thinking something does not make it so. Me thinking I'm a woman does not remove my penis, nor the potential for penetration.
I think in the case of rape they need to keep it biological.
Thinking some more on it, I think biological is the wrong approach in that people also use inanimate objects in abusive situations. The use of the word 'penetration' in the law is a reasonable start – if it means by any object, and where consent is lacking. Determining that rape must involve a penis is plainly wrong in many circumstances.
The sex of an offender should not be a consideration in law except where that law attempts to redress specific gender imbalance.
Yeah it's a mess. Need better minds than mine to make sense of it.
Yeah it's a mess. Need better minds than mine to make sense of it.
Same here. Part of the problem is the antiquated 1961 Crimes Act. 60 f – ing years old and MPs are trying to fit new legislation into legislation which is already detrimental to those who make a complaint or have an historical complaint.
It's not actually a mess. It's already covered in legislation: rape is by males on females, other kinds of sexual assault are dealt with as unlawful sexual connection.
As McFlock points out, the Crimes Act has been amended to remove some gendered language, but it's still clear what the meaning of rape is (males raping females),
128 Sexual violation defined
(1)
Sexual violation is the act of a person who—
(a)
rapes another person; or
(b)
has unlawful sexual connection with another person.
(2)
Person A rapes person B if person A has sexual connection with person B, effected by the penetration of person B’s genitalia by person A’s penis,—
(a)
without person B’s consent to the connection; and
(b)
without believing on reasonable grounds that person B consents to the connection.
(3)
Person A has unlawful sexual connection with person B if person A has sexual connection with person B—
(a)
without person B’s consent to the connection; and
(b)
without believing on reasonable grounds that person B consents to the connection.
That's in law. In public debate, rape has a wider meaning.
With regard to my original comment, the issue is whether gender identification takes precedent over sex based rights, and this is exactly why feminists are saying there is conflict of rights. This is going to be an issue this year as the government pushes to legislate gender self ID and parts of the left push to suppress debate.
Part of the amendment included the definition of penis:
penis includes a surgically constructed or reconstructed organ analogous to a naturally occurring penis (whether the person concerned is male, female, or of indeterminate sex)
Rape is a crime committed with a penis. The Crimes Act doesn't make any statement about the sex or gender of the person with the penis.
Whether the the use of "male" and "female" in the community law link is based on a definition in an unreferenced piece of legislation, or simply reflects community law's own understanding of the entire trans debate, I do not know.
The relevant law does not seem to define people with penises as "male", nor does it restrict "genitalia capable of being penetrated" to only people for whom those organs were naturally-occurring.
sorry, haven't been keeping up. Appreciate those two comments, it makes sense they've done this and good to get up to speed myself. From a feminist perspective this leaves it as a cultural and political issue, are women going to still be able to name sexed/gendered violence, and what are the forces trying to change that and why.
Rape is a crime commited by males, and the legal definition should remain that.
Agreed – no need to change the legal definition of rape in NZ. The legal hierarchy of sexual violations varies between countries, but in NZ the maximum penalty for rape and other types of sexual violation is the same; 20 yrs (see Weka @5.2.1.3.2)
Note, however, that:
…many jurisdictions, such as Canada and several US and Australian states, have abandoned the term "rape" in favor of other terms such as "sexual assault", "sexual intercourse without consent", or "criminal sexual conduct". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_regarding_rape
'Sexual assault culture' doesn't have quite the same ring to it as 'rape culture'.
I recognise it as a personal failing, and yet feel uneasy about the ramifications of blurring the lines between biological sex identity and gender identity. If these two identities are incongruent to the extent of causing distress (gender dysphoria), then the idea that suppressing (the reality of one's) biological sex is the optimal solution is problematic. If only societies could celebrate diversity to the extent that medical interventions were not the preferred route to contentment – think faʻafafine on steroids (we all have 'em), and in all 'directions'.
I see a lot of sense in the research and views of Cordelia Fine:
And also in the research and views of Simon Baron-Cohen e.g.
Men, Women, and Ghosts in Science Classifying individuals in general terms, he [Simon Baron-Cohen] concludes that among men, about 60% have a male brain, 20% have a balanced brain, and 20% have a female brain. Women show the inverse figures, with some 60% having a female brain. Many facts argue that these differences have their roots in biology and genetics.
And most important of all, could we try to select for the one characteristic we need most, scientific originality? Originality and creativity are all too rare, and I know of no evidence that these traits are more frequent in one sex.
There is some discordance between these valuable views. When it comes to gender reassignment, perhaps my unease stems from the idea that society is running before it can walk, or that pre-pubescent children are making decisions about their own gender reassignment. But, for now, if society can't change, then affording individuals agency for personal change is a step in the right direction, imho.
The revitalisation of the wool industry is a great idea. I just want some decent woolies to wear for winter, y'know. Instead the stores are loaded with synthetic or synthetic/natural gloves hats and scarves, and they're not nearly so warm, or durable. And they create plastic rubbish.
Everything is plastic we need to reverse it as fast as we can.
Yeah wool doesn't burn well at all. I think that's because it smells so bad it puts itself out.
…Last year the Chief of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) General Angus Campbell recommended the meritorious unit citation be revoked for the Special Operations Task Group, in the wake of the Inspector-General of the ADF's Inquiry report into war crimes.
The group served in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013, and included around 3000 personnel. General Campbell announced the move while handing down the explosive report which found Australian special forces murdered at least 39 prisoners and civilians during the Afghanistan war.
The decision was met with significant criticism within defence and veterans circles, as well as the government.
You don't take your rellies words for gospel. At the start of Covid19 my b-in-law who is a practical bloke and not one to get fussed, said why worry it is just another flu. I said yes but – it seems a lot more infectious, and if too many get sick at the same time the hospitals will be overwhelmed and the medical system might break down. I felt the need for caution on that point and it seems now it was a realistic understanding of something that has gone on to pose more and more problems for the recovered. Why can't people think for themselves? Sit down together and go through what they know, and what the stats are, and look at what other countries are trying, and how that is going.
Just ringing up and doing an emotional doesn't show an adult approach to a problem. And most of the anti-vaxxers I've seen are adults.
A worried Maori man is concerned at the fast-moving flim-flam filling people's minds.
A recent post from a cousin falsely claims China is refusing to inoculate any of its citizens for safety reasons. It encourages people to cure themselves of the virus through 'heat therapy', by inhaling steam from a boiled kettle, gargling hot water and drinking cups of hot tea four times each a day. On the fifth day, it says, 'you are Corona negative'.
Rarere laughs – he can't help himself sometimes. But the truth is he's afraid. He knows of two kaumātua who are also sharing misinformation online, and he's deeply worried they won't take the vaccine. He says the thought of them contracting the virus, and suffering, is inconceivable.
Bit hard to see the brexit link here as 9 European clubs are doing the same and the UK clubs european participation was hardly effected by brexit anyway.
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One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
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 ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
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. ...
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. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When ASIO boss Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, he stressed the rising danger posed by espionage and foreign interference. “In 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed ...
The Tribunal had called on Minister for Children Karen Chhour to provide evidence at an urgent inquiry into the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Midjourney image by T.J. Thomson As more than half of Australian office workers report using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for work, we’re starting to see this technology affect every ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Nicole Sharwood, Injury epidemiologist | Expert Witness, UNSW Sydney Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock Injuries are the leading cause of disability and death among Australian children and adolescents. At least a quarter of all emergency department presentations during childhood are injury-related. Injuries can ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University Shutterstock/Ground PictureMany Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Salman Shooshtarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Salman Shooshtarian Asbestos has been found in mulch used for playgrounds, schools, parks and gardens across Sydney and Melbourne. Local communities naturally fear for the health of their ...
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The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
The Trans-Tasman bubble opens today.
Once all the seperated families have been reunited, will Trans- Tasman travel return to pre-pandemic business as usual levels?
Or will the public be left with a $1.5 billion stranded asset?
<
blockquote>
Alethea Warrington, campaigner at climate action charity Possible, when speaking to Reuters. “This polling shows that after a year of quick and easy virtual meetings, travellers aren’t planning to go back to business as usual.”
The UK’s aviation sector has been decimated by the pandemic, with Heathrow – the UK’s largest airport – seeing its passenger numbers slide by 72.2 per cent in 2020 from the year before.
International Air Transport Association analysts have forecasted that despite the Covid-19 vaccines and testing procedures rolling out worldwide, the recovery of demand for air travel may not reach pre-crisis levels until 2024.
While this estimate would imply that the aviation sector just needs to hold on for a few years until it can return to growth, the attitudes presented in the latest survey suggests a full recovery could take longer.
https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2021/04/business-flyers-could-stick-to-video-calls-even-after-covid-19-pandemic-survey-suggests/
The weakest link is that the flight crew can still work on low risk routes and then work on the trans – Tasman bubble. I would have just had a trans – Tasman flight crew.
To have green flights but not green flight crews is asking for it.
The wonderful Ralph Nader
Treasure him while he is still with us.
https://ralphnaderradiohour.com/the-war-crimes-of-george-w-bush/
Why do you keep doing this? Give us a reason, based on your personal analysis of the content, why we should click on this and read and listen to this podcast if not for any other reason because you believe for some reason that some guy is somehow wonderful and the sun shines out of his arse?
Oh yes, wonderful indeed. The man who delivered us George Bush the Lesser, better known as Shrub. Without Mr Nader, convergence moonbats would have had to work so much harder to find things to feed their eternal grievance complexes. Or not.
The man who delivered us George Bush the Lesser, better known as Shrub.
Nader was on the Supreme Court, was he? Or was he dressed up as Democratic Party strategic mastermind Warren Christopher, who decided not to be unsporting and insist on a full recount of the Florida votes?
Without Mr Nader, convergence moonbats….
???? Wasn't it the Russians?
I'd like to give a little shoutout to Sabine this morning. Sabine has been so dogged in her highlighting of the social housing and poverty issues in Rotorua.
I swear I complain so little about the media, but even RNZ this morning had two reporters from their Wellington office declaring at length how excited they were to be at the airport waiting to get on their Australian flights this morning …
… and yet it was just one guy who owned a bar in Rotorua on RNZ this morning who was able to talk about the Mongrel Mob colours proudly displayed in Rotorua shop windows, drug deals done in daylight, children running around at night, and a general fear for the future of Rotorua due to the huge levels of poor people stuck in low-end motels due to shortages of public housing.
It was like RNZ was sticking up gleefuly for the middle class who could afford to fly, while it relegated time spent on the degradation of the poor and working class in Rotorua.
There are plenty like Sonja Davies who took Labour to task in years gone by for similar issues, so keep it up Sabine.
Agree on both counts
There is a strong connection between emergency housing and the health care of those in emergency housing. Both are a crisis. This can also be said for others who can hardly afford the rent or find it hard to access or afford health care.
The issue is everywhere not just in Rotorua and an everywhere solution needs to be a priority.
Agree Sabine does good work on poverty and housing….but when I suggested that the Greens had the solution with their Wealth Tax that would raise 7.9 billion dollars annually specifically to tackle poverty she told me it wasn't about political parties….sorry Sabine that is exactly what it is about….who we vote for counts
We've got a Labour-dominated government for three terms at least, and there's no way around the Greens being a small and shrinking field of influence within that. Unlikely to change even in 2026. Both major parties will actively stop a Wealth Tax. The best chance of influence is from within Labour.
Ad-I disagree. With (entirely feasible) numbers like this at the next election:
Lab 44 Greens 9 MP 2 Nats 35 ACT 8 Others 2
the Greens would have a great deal of influence. I notice the Greens are polling 8% in the UK at the moment in the latest poll which is historically very high.
They got about the same last year and have fuck-all influence in this government.
And even if they improved slightly, they would not get their Wealth Tax up there with tall boots, spandex, a brisk following wind, a long pole and a cape.
Ad….you seem not understand how MMP works, or you are pretending this.
Seems to be working fine for Labour.
yeah, and the poor are poor and the homeless are homeless.
it is not working fine for anyone but labour and a very few in the middle and upper middle class.
Everyone else is scared of babys in gang colors.
We had three years of a coalition that got us very little in terms a solution to our homeless and poverty issue, heck it is an issue that is growing out of proportions every day.
We have a pandemic that still does not scare polititians into doing the right thing by those that need public assistance
When the Greens pay attention to who runs as a potential candidate and when they maybe start putting in a bit of work into the rural areas then maybe they become part of the solution, atm they are not. Not here in Rotorua anyways.
Last, this is not an issue of Rotorua, or Auckland, i advocate for those that live where i live, as charity always begins at home. But in reality, Rotorua is any other town, the only difference are the homeless that get send here by Winz. They sadly get stuck, we no option of housing or jobs, and yes Virginia the Government is really not here to help.
thanks Ad.
The woman who tweeted this has locked her account for a bit so cut and pasting.
I don’t think it’s possible to overestimate how angry women are about this, but certainly some people seem to be missing the fact. NZ govt is moving on gender self ID this year, so it’s useful to follow what is happening in the UK.
https://twitter.com/threadreaderapp/status/1383368177627791371?s=21
Gender self identification is an issue that Judith Collins should start speaking against. A friend and I were discussing this last week and we decided after all of our years of voting on the left we were now unable so, due to both Labour and the Greens supporting gender self identification. I wonder how Jacinda will feel when Neve finds out she has to compete with boys who say they are girls on the sports field at school and it is because her mother was trying to be "nice" to transgenders. Sex and gender are not interchangeable. Now I await the backlash.
I don't believe a single word of what you just said.
Backlash? You're just a stupid troll. Yawn.
I don't believe a single word of what you just said.
Backlash? You're just a stupid troll. Yawn.
I would have thought you better than that WTB.
How about expanding on the ad homs…?
Why, this is clearly a Troll. Not worth the effort at all.
Because the issue is quite concerning legally and in that case criminally.
Gender identification seem to be a "trendy" issue these days and it is not ever mentioned that a child/young person has already enough to work through with their hormone level change and the psychological component. This is not just on that rare occasion where a person identifies to the opposite gender and seeks a solution to this undoubtedly very difficult situation. It is something that will not necessarily discussed in schools and parents are sometimes unable to deal with those issues that are being portrait as an all compassing societal theme but are not. But it impact right into their home life.
Criminally speaking, this needs redefinition. Rape has been identified with a specific gender, but without going into details, injuries can be caused in all sorts of manner as we have seen in those cases in India.
Culturally it means that many people see this as an affront, insensitive to their believe system and a gross intrusion on their identification within a group affiliation.
Many seem to think this can be legislated but all it does is creating clusters and separation in communities.
So, no I don't agree with just denying a voice and walk away in the believe that anyone being in disagreement is a troll. I think it needs a bit more thought.
I agree with some of what you're saying but none of giving any credence to the post I slammed. Look at it:
Judith should speak out
How will Jacinda feel
when Neve has to compete with boys…
While you might fall for this, I do not. It's clearly dishonest in intent. Recall:
"And we decided after all our years of voting on the left we were now unable to do so."
Gimme a f'n break. Who even talks like that.
Meanwhile, troll has you engaged with me. Job done.
Discussing the issues – no, a sad pathetic fucking troll.
WTB
At no time did or do I agree with having our PMs daughter involved in any discussion. But this is a separate issue and no it will not involve you with a troll as you mentioned.
The gender ID however is quite a serious one and should be discussed in the open instead of giving the impression that it is a given that we now identify with 16 of them. It is completely unacceptable to have this kind of social engineering imposed as if this is the norm.
[removed spurious letters “WTB” from user name]
edit
Janice you raise clear questions in trying to cut through this melee' of sex identification which puzzles me. I think it is being raised as a result of our society's norms being upended by various political and financial ploys as those actors advance their own psychopathological obsessions with achieving a false self, based on consumption and constant self-adulation.
This relentless pursuit feeds off but also back into society and its culture, and has the effect of diminishing the self-image of the rest of us. Then the choice seems either follow the same self-interested pattern, or cast around for a different, seemingly better self-image to shelter behind.
Under English law (and I presume Scottish law also), a female cannot be charged with rape, only with sexual assault ('penetration' being a requisite in England for the charge of rape).
By self identifying as a female, presumably the alleged perpetrator will limit the maximum sentence they will be liable to.
Also note that in the UK if a male rapist self IDs as a woman (ie tells the justice system they are, doesn’t have to have transitioned), then the woman who was raped can be compelled in court to refer to the rapist as she. This is rape culture, institutionally abusive and retraumatising. That this is sanctioned by some on the left is unconscionable and needs addressing as to why.
The self-identification bill coming up was pushed by Genter from last term and is seriously dividing multiple activist groups in both women and LGBT groups in Auckland.
The bill and its impact needs a post by itself. Bags not.
Yep, it’s a shit show. I’ll have to do a post eventually but not looking forward the backlash I’ll get for it.
Feel free to drop any relevant links in front of me (re the Bill, timeframes, analysis).
Self-identification as anything seems inadequate for legal purposes – though I think we can fairly safely tolerate, accept or indulge it (depending on our disposition) in normal social interactions.
If I self-identify as a hippopotamus, a creature unable to form 'intent' of any sort, do I then get away with killing someone? Some form of expert corroboration (insofar as anybody is actually an expert on his) seems to be desirable in legal settings.
Ah – we need an Expert:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg
No – just someone more knowledgeable than ourselves (quite a large pool). And the legal system frequently resorts to expert testimony because it has no alternative that creates a similarly convincing feeling of objectivity.
The skit is an expression of how I feel when reading threads on this topic. Also just close enough to workaday reality to induce melancholia.
DMK I laughed like a drain right to the end.
This is literally my job.
Dangerous animals that kill people tend to be put down. Not sure a lethal injection or a bullet is "getting away" with anything.
Heh. Travelling through Africa, we heard a lot about how dangerous hippopotamus were. We also heard a lot about how lions, crocodiles, hyenas etc would get hunted down and killed if they attacked a human. But I never heard of hippos getting dealt to after attacking humans, even though hippo attacks are apparently much more common than other animal attacks.
to be fair, shooting a hippo will probably just piss it off, unless you have a handheld artillery piece.
Here is the answer in prose form:
THE HIPPOPOTAMUS
I shoot the Hippopotamus
with bullets made of platinum,
Because if I use leaden ones
his hide is sure to flatten 'em.
Hilaire Belloc
.
Behold the hippopotamus!
We laugh at how he looks to us,
And yet in moments dank and grim,
I wonder how we look to him.
Peace, peace, thou hippopotamus!
We really look all right to us,
As you no doubt delight the eye
Of other hippopotami.
– Ogden Nash
Flanders and Swann waxed lyrical about hippos. And it indicates that as a self-identification it may earn a big round of applause and make quite a splash.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjnOj9O16_I
Under the 1961 Crimes Act NZ. Rape involves a penis and a vagina. Our Crimes Act needs to be updated when it comes to gender identity.
Why? Rape is a crime commited by males, and the legal definition should remain that.
Hasn't there been some rapes committed by women?
sexual assault by women is covered by other legislation afaik.
Weka, Yes but the self identification as a female undermines that very clear law. I can already see the QC's rubbing their hands in anticipation.
Jimmy, in South Africa numerous women have been charged with rape. They drugged men, kidnapped them and forced them to have sex whilst in a drugged state ('involuntary erection'). It was part of some crazy superstition nonsense a few years ago.
Really ?. Havent there been cases of women being charged with sexual offences against men to the point of sexual union? I vaguely remember something from a few years ago, and what is anal penetration with an instrument charged as, if not rape?
it's covered by a different law I think.
https://communitylaw.org.nz/community-law-manual/chapter-8-gender-and-sexuality/sexual-orientation-and-your-rights/rape-sexual-assault-and-family-domestic-violence/
Being a rather pretty boy in my day I got hit on by creeps a lot, including many women. It was horrible for me, too.
This is a mess aye. While I support the trans community – thinking something does not make it so. Me thinking I'm a woman does not remove my penis, nor the potential for penetration.
I think in the case of rape they need to keep it biological.
This is a mess aye.
There is a lot to consider when it comes to rape and self identification.
What is the situation when a person becomes pregnant due to being raped and the pregnancy is not terminated?
I think in the case of rape they need to keep it biological.
By biological do you also mean a sperm and an ova?
Thinking some more on it, I think biological is the wrong approach in that people also use inanimate objects in abusive situations. The use of the word 'penetration' in the law is a reasonable start – if it means by any object, and where consent is lacking. Determining that rape must involve a penis is plainly wrong in many circumstances.
The sex of an offender should not be a consideration in law except where that law attempts to redress specific gender imbalance.
Yeah it's a mess. Need better minds than mine to make sense of it.
Yeah it's a mess. Need better minds than mine to make sense of it.
Same here. Part of the problem is the antiquated 1961 Crimes Act. 60 f – ing years old and MPs are trying to fit new legislation into legislation which is already detrimental to those who make a complaint or have an historical complaint.
It's not actually a mess. It's already covered in legislation: rape is by males on females, other kinds of sexual assault are dealt with as unlawful sexual connection.
As McFlock points out, the Crimes Act has been amended to remove some gendered language, but it's still clear what the meaning of rape is (males raping females),
https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1961/0043/latest/whole.html?search=ts_act%40bill%40regulation%40deemedreg_Crimes+Act+1961_resel_25_a&p=1%2f#DLM327382
That's in law. In public debate, rape has a wider meaning.
With regard to my original comment, the issue is whether gender identification takes precedent over sex based rights, and this is exactly why feminists are saying there is conflict of rights. This is going to be an issue this year as the government pushes to legislate gender self ID and parts of the left push to suppress debate.
The amendment towards gender-neutral language was in 2005.
Part of the amendment included the definition of penis:
The current law is clear about what rape is, I was not referring this to be a mess.
With regard to your original comment there is a conflict of rights which requires classification.
"By biological do you also mean a sperm and an ova?"
In this case, in NZ law, rape is defined biologically by genitalia.
That page might need updating.
Rape is a crime committed with a penis. The Crimes Act doesn't make any statement about the sex or gender of the person with the penis.
Whether the the use of "male" and "female" in the community law link is based on a definition in an unreferenced piece of legislation, or simply reflects community law's own understanding of the entire trans debate, I do not know.
they haven't changed the definition of rape though. It's still by males (people with a penis) against females (genitalia capable of being penetrated).
No date on the CL piece, would be interested to know if/when the legislation was amended.
The relevant law does not seem to define people with penises as "male", nor does it restrict "genitalia capable of being penetrated" to only people for whom those organs were naturally-occurring.
sorry, haven't been keeping up. Appreciate those two comments, it makes sense they've done this and good to get up to speed myself. From a feminist perspective this leaves it as a cultural and political issue, are women going to still be able to name sexed/gendered violence, and what are the forces trying to change that and why.
So I am clear a woman does not have a penis when it comes to rape.
Were the rapist to identify as a woman and have a penis what then?
Agreed – no need to change the legal definition of rape in NZ. The legal hierarchy of sexual violations varies between countries, but in NZ the maximum penalty for rape and other types of sexual violation is the same; 20 yrs (see Weka @5.2.1.3.2)
Note, however, that:
'Sexual assault culture' doesn't have quite the same ring to it as 'rape culture'.
I recognise it as a personal failing, and yet feel uneasy about the ramifications of blurring the lines between biological sex identity and gender identity. If these two identities are incongruent to the extent of causing distress (gender dysphoria), then the idea that suppressing (the reality of one's) biological sex is the optimal solution is problematic. If only societies could celebrate diversity to the extent that medical interventions were not the preferred route to contentment – think faʻafafine on steroids (we all have 'em), and in all 'directions'.
I see a lot of sense in the research and views of Cordelia Fine:
And also in the research and views of Simon Baron-Cohen e.g.
There is some discordance between these valuable views. When it comes to gender reassignment, perhaps my unease stems from the idea that society is running before it can walk, or that pre-pubescent children are making decisions about their own gender reassignment. But, for now, if society can't change, then affording individuals agency for personal change is a step in the right direction, imho.
Really good food for thought Drowsy – thanks.
Good news for diversification of farming dollars, and industry in NZ we hope. Help NZ – use wool carpeting – warm, hard wearing and fire-resistant.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/country/440778/sustainable-wool-research-programme-backed-by-government
Research: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/004051757504500503 – wool and particularly flame-resistant wool perform significantly better than the other man-made fibers investigated
Godfrey Hirst manufacturer report – https://www.godfreyhirst.com/au/hycraft/sites/default/files/wool_for_interior_textiles.pdf
* had the lowest propensity for flame spread (as measured by the critical radiant fluxCRF), and,
* produced much lower levels of smoke.
BRANZ report from 2007 – I haven't read it but good that they have got a report done and there may be something else since then.
https://d39d3mj7qio96p.cloudfront.net/media/documents/SR181_Fire_properties_of_floor_coverings_-_new_fire_test_methods_and_acceptabl.pdf
The revitalisation of the wool industry is a great idea. I just want some decent woolies to wear for winter, y'know. Instead the stores are loaded with synthetic or synthetic/natural gloves hats and scarves, and they're not nearly so warm, or durable. And they create plastic rubbish.
Everything is plastic we need to reverse it as fast as we can.
Yeah wool doesn't burn well at all. I think that's because it smells so bad it puts itself out.
WTB Great to see your comments FTTT. Yes keep your woolly hat on so warm and keep your brain bright and fast-moving and write lots.
Deathshead Dutton in Australia. In backward-land he might be top of the pops.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/440789/australian-defence-minister-overturns-decision-to-strip-veterans-of-military-decorations
…Last year the Chief of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) General Angus Campbell recommended the meritorious unit citation be revoked for the Special Operations Task Group, in the wake of the Inspector-General of the ADF's Inquiry report into war crimes.
The group served in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013, and included around 3000 personnel.
General Campbell announced the move while handing down the explosive report which found Australian special forces murdered at least 39 prisoners and civilians during the Afghanistan war.
The decision was met with significant criticism within defence and veterans circles, as well as the government.
This is a laugh.
https://www.facebook.com/InsidersABC/videos/2988196971467141
BG
You don't take your rellies words for gospel. At the start of Covid19 my b-in-law who is a practical bloke and not one to get fussed, said why worry it is just another flu. I said yes but – it seems a lot more infectious, and if too many get sick at the same time the hospitals will be overwhelmed and the medical system might break down. I felt the need for caution on that point and it seems now it was a realistic understanding of something that has gone on to pose more and more problems for the recovered. Why can't people think for themselves? Sit down together and go through what they know, and what the stats are, and look at what other countries are trying, and how that is going.
Just ringing up and doing an emotional doesn't show an adult approach to a problem. And most of the anti-vaxxers I've seen are adults.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/440761/why-should-maori-trust-the-covid-19-vaccine
A worried Maori man is concerned at the fast-moving flim-flam filling people's minds.
A recent post from a cousin falsely claims China is refusing to inoculate any of its citizens for safety reasons. It encourages people to cure themselves of the virus through 'heat therapy', by inhaling steam from a boiled kettle, gargling hot water and drinking cups of hot tea four times each a day. On the fifth day, it says, 'you are Corona negative'.
Rarere laughs – he can't help himself sometimes. But the truth is he's afraid. He knows of two kaumātua who are also sharing misinformation online, and he's deeply worried they won't take the vaccine. He says the thought of them contracting the virus, and suffering, is inconceivable.
Ahhh the joys of patriotic England in a Brexit world: the best of them join the EU and stuff the English altogether:
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/56795811
Good job to the fool proletariat who voted for separation.
I can't believe they left Burnley out of the mix.
Bit hard to see the brexit link here as 9 European clubs are doing the same and the UK clubs european participation was hardly effected by brexit anyway.