At the end of last year -1919 – Tourism was rolling in massive money. Indeed the word Billion$ was being bandied around. It was deemed New Zealand's biggest Asset !
Just two short months later – year 2020 – there was not a penny to be found in the Tourism biscuit tin.
All I want to know is where did that massive money go in 1919 ?
And why is the Tourism coterie trying to Crush a decent man – Kelvin Davis ?
Is he too honest for New Zealand's so called biggest Asset ? Will he dig too deep into the 1919 jar ? dragging
Lisa Owen silently along full of her abuse.
Did you see Michelle Boag? "Mark, you'd be good!" As a Nat MP, perhaps. I wouldn't go further than that. Being grounded is good, being partisan isn't. Success as a politician comes when you can communicate with most folks easily.
Toby Manhire made a similar observation to mine (last night): "The most astonishing of all the numbers in last night’s poll wasn’t expressly party-political at all. Echoing the result of Stickybeak surveys for The Spinoff, an extraordinary 91.6% said they believe the government made the right call in putting New Zealand into lockdown for four weeks. That number is the centre of gravity for the rest of the Newshub poll". https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/19-05-2020/simon-bridges-leadership-hangs-by-a-thread-after-mind-blowing-poll/
That 90% holding up for so many weeks is a sustained political quake. The other poll results were consequences of that huge body of public opinion. That's what the Nats & Mark Richardson are up against. Not Labour.
Declaration of interest: I cite this for the entertainment value. I worked with Kate often enough long ago to develop an easy rapport (never discussed politics).
Arguable. Herald verbiage is to be expected. Someone who thinks National is at historic lows is ignoring the English wipeout due to Bolger/Shipley loathing, 2002.
I'd go for Greens within margin of error of govt – but only due to Jacinda's thinking (collaboration, any other Labour leader too stupid with the possible exception of Parker).
Fair enough, given his surprise transcendence into big-picture thinking three years back – and good collaboration with NZF/Greens in referendum design.
Next Hawkesby will be saying we all have another mental health diagnosis. She needs to be pulled up on using the term Stockholm syndrome.
She needed to express her own anxiety, the National Party are in the shit and how she feels about having to stomach a Labour Government for another 3 years. I did read the link as painful as it was.
Professor Garner is just one of thousands discovering how tiring COVID-19 can be.
Scientists are still uncovering the deadly secrets of the virus and the long-term impact for those who recover from the disease is yet to be fully understood.
In serious cases there are concerns about major organ damage.
The World Health Organisation states those with less severe cases of COVID-19 should recover within two weeks, and serious cases could take up to six weeks.
But even patients with what are considered mild bouts of the virus, are experiencing fatigue and breathlessness well beyond the suggested recovery period.
On a much brighter note NZ had another all zero day with only 45 active cases left. As a country we should take exceptional pride in getting this far collectively. If we can do this, we can face the challenges ahead.
After the Dunedin chocolate factory went wonkers, they didn't give up and looked for viable alternatives. Hail OCHO. Coping with Covid-19 and giving it whatever it takes.
The two Whittaker brothers in Porirua ate their lunch.
I commissioned an imported moulding machine for them back in the 90's and it was a lot of fun working for Andrew and Brian. Two quite different characters who have worked to each other's strengths to take a small multi-generational family business to a true kiwi success story.
Actually in that small area around the back of Porirua there were quite a few strong kiwi manufacturing stories. Tough little survivors of the neo-liberal onslaught.
Which skin conditions are treated with hydroxychloroquine?
Skin disorders caused or aggravated by the sun (photosensitive skin disorders)
What are the possible side effects of hydroxychloroquine?
Side effects are uncommon; however, a few people may develop one of the following: rash, indigestion, diarrhoea, headache, blurred vision, cramps or muscle weakness, darkening of the skin, or bleaching of the hair. [my italics]
Kemrin Begrie – the perpetual truculent adolescent – now on the Epidemic Response Committee calling for asset sales to pay for the larger government deficit due to COVID-19. The amount of cover the deficit will give some future National government to re-implement the neolib playbook is frightening. In truth as Mark Blyth says, we shouldn't 'sweat the deficit' – but the false comparison to household budgets still has hold of the public mind. Grant Robertson will need to be very smart in his defusing of this danger.
Cellphone location data suggests that demonstrators at anti-lockdown protests – some of which have been connected with Covid-19 cases – are often traveling hundreds of miles to events, returning to all parts of their states, and even crossing into neighboring ones.
The data, provided to the Guardian by the progressive campaign group the Committee to Protect Medicare, raises the prospect that the protests will play a role in spreading the coronavirus epidemic to areas which have, so far, experienced relatively few infections.
I don't know about other people, but I find this scary. I could be looking in the wrong places, but it seems like progressive Americans just don't know what to do about what is happening in the US.
It comes down to the Senate and House this November, moreso even than potus. Dolt45 enables nazi-adjacents (and their adjacant-adjacent fools like this jerk probably is), but McConnel enables dolt45.
Without another 2018-style wave, it'll get much worse.
Not sure on senate. In 2018 dems lost 2 and repubs gained 2, but that was the class 1 stream which was 2/3 dem. The third of senate up for election this year is class 2, which is 2/3 repub and no independents. So this one will be a real test of repub popularity. If dems gain 3 and repubs lose 3, dems un the Senate and dolt45 is lame.
The dems got the House last time and I suspect they'll do even better there this time.
The House is looking fairly good to stay in Dem control.
I'm fighting a battle to not get my hopes up of the Senate flipping to Dem control, but it's getting harder. At this stage I don't think it's even 50/50 yet, but the trendline is going in a good direction. Here's a reasonable bunch of state-by-state thumbnails:
There is some hope that there will be a shift to the Dems come Nov – its 50:50 at the moment. but some repugs could lose, Susan Collins in Maine, for instance is looking vulnerable
Then again Doug Jones in Alabama who was voted in over the repugnant Moore may not survive. He has toed a pretty conservative line to appease the voters, but it will depend on the votes of women again there, if he is to succeed again.
But as Andre says – I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much.
One interesting article I came across today on fivethirtyeight looks at the shift in voting preference of older people across the country. In 2016 they swung mostly behind Trump. But the polls are showing that that is no longer the case and there is a definite swing towards Biden and down the ticket as well which bodes well if it can be sustained. Trumps petulance and ineptitude over this recent crises hasn't helped his chances with this demographic either.
Progressive Americans are way too busy sitting on their purity ponies bagging the Democratic party. Meanwhile, repugs are more than happy to assist the tRump crime family consolidate power, ditch any semblance of a cooperative society and transform 'Murica into their version of a laissez-faire republic.
President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign announced Monday a new “investigative” website that prioritizes “truth over facts.” The site, in fact, is called TheTruthOverFacts.com.
Actually you are in premod, not the ban list. My note there says troll watch. I'll let you out, but you do seem to be popping up on my radar a bit. Sometimes you bring good debate to the table, other times it just looks like poking at the lefties /shrug.
Asked a 'gotcha' question in the presser – "Use one word to describe Jacinda Ardern," obviously designed to elicit 'political bias,' he paused a moment, then answered, "Can I use two! Prime Minister."
First it reveals the right's preparedness to make stuff up in order to justify their "cure is worse than the disease" message. More importantly, it suggests that a sense of common purpose, collective responsibility, mutual aid and kindness is good for mental health. Much better than being an isolated individual locked in mortal economic competition with everyone else. The danger of course – is that as we go back to that alienating sh*tshow called 'the economy', especially in a deep recession, it will all get worse again.
will be very interesting if someone does some research on this. I'm not going to be surprised if there are more suicides in places like the US. Ardern's leadership around framing and messaging has served us well in helping build the sense of we're all in this together despite the stress.
Í'm pleased to hear it went down and as I recall I thought/hoped on these pages a couple of months ago that that would be the case as the same trend happened in the Second World War and in other times of threat. Sometimes things are just a bit bigger than your own problems.
I also thought that NZs population would go up slightly if we got the lockdown done effectively, less road deaths , work fatalities, murders and other all-round stupidities would leave more Kiwis alive at the end than at the start.
What I didn't factor in was 250,000 ( was it? ) coming home in a hurry. Welcome back.
our missing health minister appears about 1:30 into this, just as well this will get no coverage, and does the Hon. D.Clark read what he said FFS look after the disadvantaged
perhaps after the recent polling success we could extend the strength of our triumvirate within the Labour Party and that they could seek out some achievers and not allow some desk warmers to bask in the success of our PM
China has slammed claims it backed down and Australia had a victory over the probe into COVID-19 as a “joke”.
In the latest diplomatic war of words between the two nations, the Chinese embassy has lashed out at claims it has backed down over the investigation under international pressure.
“The draft resolution on COVID-19 to be adopted by the World Health Assembly (WHA) is totally different from Australia’s proposal of an independent review,” a spokesman said.
Again the CCP blatantly acting to piss as many nations off as possible. And also openly admitting that the investigation they have committed to is totally different from Australia’s proposal of an independent review.
Those who choose to believe the WHO recently became a puppet of China have no reason to accept the WHO's future report on Covid-19 – they intend to dismiss findings at odds with their own worldview even before the scope of the investigation is agreed.
So Australia sticks it's neck out and demands an independent investigation (which is the position I've been advocating for). Over 100 countries sign on.
Xi Xinping then gets an unprecedented invite from Tedros, widely perceived to be a CCP puppet, to speak to a major WHO conference where China unilaterally preempts an investigation on it's own terms.
“Historians love chapter breaks,” said Robert Kaplan, an American foreign-policy expert and former member of the U.S. Defense Policy Board, who this month briefed officials at 10 Downing Street on the potential second-order effects of the coronavirus crisis. “COVID-19 will come to be seen as a chapter break.”
Yes I am very much afraid so. When people here hope that post-COVID life will be different I'm deeply concerned they will be right, but in ways none of us would wish for.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 18, 2020– Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNA), a clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines to create a new generation of transformative medicines for patients, today announced that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of $1.25 billion in shares of common stock. In addition, Moderna expects to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional $187.5 million in shares of common stock in connection with the public offering. All shares of common stock will be offered by Moderna.
Dang! Newshub asked voters for one word to describe Jacinda and simon, they then formed those words into word clouds. The bigger the font the more often the word was said.
What a great idea, using word clouds in polls to show the public's perception, awesome.
The top ten words to describe Jacinda included 'amazing', 'good', 'compassionate', 'leader', 'great', 'strong', 'empathetic', 'capable', 'excellent' and 'awesome'.
and simon….. 'Idiot' topped the chart, followed by 'don't know', 'average', 'good', 'annoying', 'weak', 'useless', 'unsure' and 'disappointing'.
Hot Toddy! Actually, as someone who always had an extremely hostile attitude to Bolger, I thought he came across well. Balanced, sensible, seems to have mellowed with age. Wouldn't surprise me if his advice turns out to be more influential than Key's.
I listened to his interview on the 9th floor, and he has really had a few changes of mind since he was PM, would probably fit in the centre left of current NZ economic orthodoxy, but is obviously tribal National.
"In the past the MoW took the positive planning approach to making New Zealand. In partnership with elected representatives they identified projects that would advance the development of the country. The MoW had their own economists who could evaluate and determine how nation-building projects might fit into wider considerations, such as, the economic cycle. The Ministry was at odds with a neo-liberal Treasury, as it could hold its own in economic debates. Given this fight for political-economic attention it is not surprising the MoW was dis-established."
There is some positive news the worlds carbon footprint shrinks
That's is cool the virus contact tracking AP.
Buying New Zealand made that the way.
That's a great way to raise funds for water shortage solution for South Africa auctioning a famous painters painting.
Ruby will have a good future as a reporter.
I say that Our government has the $20 billion backstop money set aside because we don't know the true impact of long the virus effects will last you can't take it back once its spent.
The problem with having wealth business people leading a country is they are to self centered to have a great economy you need to take everyone up there economic ladders not just the wealthy.
Germans went to the polls today, in what looks to be their most important election since 1945. The good news is that they seem to have kept the fascists out, with the Putin/Trump/Musk-backed Alternative für Deutschland coming second and effectively excluded from power. Instead, it looks like a Christian Democrat ...
I relaxed myself into the dentist chair first thing this morning. I was back for a quick second filling that couldn’t be done on the last visit because it had to go alongside the one he’d just done.I like the dentist, Geoff, very much. You may recall me mentioning the ...
The Way We Were - And Hoped To Remain: The iconic photograph of Prime Minister Norman Kirk holding the hand of a little Māori boy at Waitangi on 6 February 1973 held out the promise of a future founded upon the uncomplicated and uncontested acceptance of racial equality.WAITANGI DAY commentary ...
Over the weekend, David Seymour announced the government’s plans to “overhaul” the Overseas Investment Act.The Act looks after overseas investments in sensitive assets in New Zealand. Its main purpose is balancing foreign money in our sensitive assets/lands/fisheries/forestries with the risks associated with that.This includes considering New Zealand’s national and economic ...
Last month, David Seymour’s press release on school lunches said:“The [school lunch] programme was reformed to deliver the same outcomes while costing taxpayers less. This was achieved by embracing commercial expertise, using government buying power, and generating supply chain efficiencies…”And while that all sounded fair, the end result is - ...
Here are some thoughts about the hysteria surrounding a Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) flotilla conducting freedom of navigation exercises in the Tasman Sea, including live fire drills. 1) The flotilla has been tracked for over a week by New Zealand and Australian forces. The tracking began when the ...
Insurance premia are already sky high, especially in Wellington and other places deemed high risk, and now another cost of living shock is set to be delivered by a Government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things that stood out to me in our political ...
On Friday, Chris Bishop, the Minister of Housing, Transport, Infrastructure and RMA Reform, gave an absolutely fantastic speech to the Committee for Auckland. As a starter, he really sums up well why we need better cities with this line. I make no apologies for being an urbanist. Well-functioning urban environments ...
You can be amazingYou can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drugYou can be the outcastOr be the backlash of somebody's lack of loveOr you can start speaking upNothing's gonna hurt you the way that words doWhen they settle 'neath your skinKept on the inside and no sunlightSometimes, ...
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton, wagged a metaphorical finger at the National Party on Saturday, and RMA Minister Chris Bishop wagged straight back. A former National Party Environment Minister, Upton was a keynote speaker at the party’s Blue Greens Forum in Methven. His speech went right to ...
A listing of 33 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 16, 2025 thru Sat, February 22, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Several years ago, as an intellectual exercise, I had the fun of ranking the worst Emperors of the Western Roman Empire (https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2020/09/04/the-five-worst-western-roman-emperors/). I even followed it up with a look at Honorius historiography. But there was still a missing piece of the puzzle. I was limiting myself to Emperors from ...
Prof Jane Kelsey examines what the ACT party and the NZ Initiative are up to as they seek to impose on the country their hardline, right wing, neoliberal ideology. A progressive government elected in 2026 would have a huge job putting Humpty Dumpty together again and rebuilding a state that ...
Kia Ora,I was reading about the history New Zealand Timekeeping and I think I may have identified a factual error on this page from 2006:Page 1. Time past - Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand[The rest of the Te Ara article is included for substack readers]In Europe other markers ...
None of the official measures of child poverty improved in the year to June, 2024. Photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories short, the top six things that stood out to me in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty in the week to Sunday, February 23 were:Stats NZreported on Thursday ...
1/ Join community / common cause organisations Find organisations you resonate with. Join them and/or donate. In the fight against the state, it’s critical we pool together in all cases. If you don’t have the financial resources, sign up for information & updates. Knowledge is power. These groups, and the ...
Long story short: Aotearoa-NZ now has to make some difficult and probably expensive decisions about how we work and trade with China and the United States, our two largest trading partners. That’s because Donald Trump just overturned 80 years of certainty about how the US deals with and protects the ...
People killin', people dyin'Children hurt, and you hear them cryin'Can you practice what you preach?And would you turn the other cheek?Father, father, father, help usSend some guidance from above'Cause people got me, got me questioningWhere is the love?Songwriters: will.i.am, Justin Timberlake, Taboo, apl.de.ap, Printz Board, Michael Fratantuno, George Pajon, Jr.Where ...
A Bully in a China Shop?It is a mystery what Donald Trump learned when he did his BA in economics at the University of Pennsylvania in the mid-1960s. The Ivy League college has a good economics reputation, but even had Trump been a top student – unlikely or he would ...
The conflict we can see echoing across the world is being imported directly into New Zealand by outside powers and monetary influences that we don't want in our politics. It makes our politics messy and confusing, but untangling the puppet strings can help make sense of how we got here.This ...
Questions1. The poem that offers the immortal words The boy stood on the burning deck is about what?a. Eskimo Nell’s younger brotherb. The Reichstag firec. One of Napoleon’s shipsd. Christopher Luxon’s first year as Prime Minister2. What happens to the boy in the poem?a. Goes on an absolute bender in ...
I decided not to bother listening to the Reserve Bank’s appearance at FEC yesterday morning. After all, the OCR decision had been much as expected and foreshadowed, the forecast tracks etc hadn’t changed much, and – with all due respect to some new FEC members – how searching was any ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedQuote of the day:Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published“Our primary duty, I believe, is to maintain our water, our lakes, our rivers in a form in nature that supports life, ecosystems, communities, and, indeed, it ...
NZ’s peaceful and historic Hikoi for Maori rights and bottom, London police arrest environmental protestorsPeaceful protesters around the world are being jailed for years for nothing more than turning up or planning a protestAusralian climate change protesters To continue to receive posts like this, consider becoming a free or paid ...
And mama said mmmmh, mmmmhWhy don't the newscasters cryWhen they read about people who dieAt least they could be decent enoughTo put just a tear in their eyesAnd mama saidIt's just make-believeYou can't believe everything you seeSo baby, close your eyes to the lullabiesOn the news tonightSongwriters: Jack Hody Johnson.The ...
Hi,With the United States of America currently going down in a giant ball of flames like the Hindenburg disaster, it seemed like a good idea to get on a blimp. That line is basically meaningless, but it sounded good in my head so I went with it as an opener. ...
(My apologies. The version sent earlier this morning had the audio of last week’s podcast attached. It was good, but not that good. I have now updated with this week’s podcast. This is my error and please accept my apologies.)The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including:, Helen Clark and on the week in geopolitics, including Donald Trump’s wrecking of the post-WW II politicial landscape; and, ...
Open access notables Long-lasting intense cut-off lows to become more frequent in the Northern Hemisphere, Mishra et al., Communications Earth & Environment:Cut-off Lows are slow-moving mid-latitude storms that are detached from the main westerly flow and are often harbingers of heavy and persistent rainfall. The assessment of Cut-off Lows ...
On Tuesday, the "Independent" Police Conduct Authority issued an extraordinary report, proposing a complete rewrite of protest law to enable the police to restrict public protests and ban them at a whim. While packaged with several complaints in an appendix, the focus of the "thematic review" was clearly the provision ...
Data released today by Statistics New Zealand showed the urgent problem facing Aotearoa New Zealand in tackling child poverty, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “Child poverty is estimated by Stats NZ on three measures – before housing costs, after housing costs, and material poverty. All three central ...
It is almost never an (unconditionally) good thing if an official policy interest rate (in our case the OCR) is being adjusted in large bites, whether that is (for example) 175 basis points of cuts in the last six months or 375 basis points of increases in just twelve months ...
Here are your morning catch ups in health, workplace, environment and politics.And then later, amust read critical piece from No Right Turn on the government’s attempt to expand police powers follows. ENVIRONMENTNew Zealand's glaciers have shrunk by 29% since 2000: The grim news - published in scientific journal Nature ...
And when we first came hereWe were cold, and we were clearWith no colours in our skinUntil we let the spectrum inSay my nameAnd every colour illuminatesWe are shiningAnd we will never be afraid againSongwriters: Florence Leontine Mary Welch / Paul Epworth.“What did Gerry say?”To be honest, with multiple people ...
Long story short, I spoke to Core Logic Head of Research Nick Goodall & Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) CEO Jen Baird for a 15 minute mini-Hoon last night after the Reserve Bank of New Zealandannounced it had cut the Official Cash Rate 50 bps to 3.75% ...
There is a widening fear in Wellington that the Cook Islands – China deal is in danger of becoming a foreign policy crisis. Foreign Minister Winston Peters yesterday delivered a blunt assessment of the situation saying that New Zealand wanted to reset and restate the formal parameters of the relationship ...
Good to see that this year, the New Zealand film societies are celebrating what would have been Sam Peckinpah’s 100th birthday with what they are calling “Peckinpah’s West” – a tribute consisting of screenings of The Wild Bunch and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. That’s where the good part ...
Tomorrow afternoon, if things go really really badly, I may find myself down to one eye. People who used to sneer at me on Twitter will no doubt say So what's changed? Nothing, that's what, you one-eyed lefty.I don’t mean to be dramatic, it’s just a routine bit of cataract ...
A few weeks ago an invitation dropped into my email inbox to attend a joint Treasury/Motu seminar on recent, rather major, changes that had apparently been made to the discount rates used by The Treasury to evaluate proposals from government agencies. It was all news to me, but when ...
All your life is Time magazineI read it tooWhat does it mean?PressureI'm sure you'll have some cosmic rationaleBut here you are with your faithAnd your Peter Pan adviceYou have no scars on your faceAnd you cannot handle pressureSongwriter: Billy Joel.Christopher Luxon is under pressure from all sides. The reviews are ...
After seeing yet-more-months of political debate and policy decisions to ‘go for growth’ by pulling the same old cheap migration and cheap tourism levers without nearly-enough infrastructure, or any attempt to address the same old lack of globally conventional tax incentives for investment, I thought it would be worth issuing ...
The plans for the buildings that will replace the downtown carpark have been publicly notified giving us the first detailed glance at what is proposed for one of the biggest and best development sites in the city centre. The council agreed to sell the site to Precinct Properties for $122 ...
With the Reserve Bank expected today to return the Official Cash Rate to where it was in mid-2022 comes a measure of how much of a psychological impact the rate has. Federated Farmers has published its latest six-monthly farm confidence survey, which shows that profit expectations have fallen and risen ...
Kiwis Disallowed From Waiting Lists Based on Arbitrary MeasuresWellington hospital are now rejecting patients from specialist waiting lists due to BMI (body mass index).This article from Rachel Thomas for The Post says it all (emphasis mine):A group of Porirua GPs are sounding alarm bells after patients with body mass indexes ...
The Prime Minister says he's really comfortable with us not knowing the reoffending rate for his boot camp programme.They asked him for it at yesterday’s press conference, and he said, nah, not telling, have to respect people's privacy.Okay I'll bite. Let's say they release this information to us:The rate of ...
Warning 1: There is a Nazi theme at the end of this article related to the disabled community. Warning 2: This article could be boring!One day, last year, I excitedly opened up a Substack post that was about how to fight back, and the answer at the end was disappointing ...
This may be rhetorical but here goes: did any of you invest in the $Libra memecoin endorsed and backed by Argentine president and darling of the global Right Javier Milei (who admitted to being paid a fee for his promotion of the token)? You know, the one that soared above ...
Last week various of the great and good of New Zealand economics and public policy trooped off to Hamilton (of all places) for the annual Waikato Economics Forum, one of the successful marketing drives of university’s Vice-Chancellor. My interest was in the speeches delivered by the Minister of Finance and ...
The Prime Minister says the Government would be open to sending peacekeepers to Ukraine if a ceasefire was reached. The government has announced a $30 million spend on tourism infrastructure and biodiversity projects, including $11m spent to improve popular visitor sites and further $19m towards biodiversity efforts. A New Zealand-born ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler “But what about when the sun doesn't shine?!” Ah yes, the energy debate’s equivalent of “The Earth is flat!” Every time someone mentions solar or wind power, some self-proclaimed energy expert emerges from the woodwork to drop this supposedly devastating truth bomb: ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission.In this article I look into data on how well the rail network serve New Zealanders, and how many people might be able to travel by train… if we ran more than a ...
Hi,Before we get into Hayden Donnell’s new column about how yes, Donald Trump is definitely the Antichrist, I wanted to touch on something feral that happened in New Zealand last week.Members of Destiny Church pushed and punched their way into an Auckland library, apparently angry it was part of Pride ...
Despite delays, logjams and overcrowding in our emergency departments, funding constraints are limiting the numbers of nurses and doctors being trained. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, February 18 are:A NZ Herald investigation ...
Now that the US has ripped up the Atlantic alliance, Europe is more vulnerable now than at any time since the mid-1930s. Apparently, Europe and Ukraine itself will not have a seat at the table in the talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin that will ...
Olivia and Noah and Hana are going to the library!It is fun to go to the library. It has books and songs and mat time and people who smile at you and say, Hello Olivia, what have you been doing this morning?The library is more fun than the mall. At ...
New World Orders: The challenge facing Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins is how to keep their small and vulnerable nation safe and stable in a world whose economic and political climate the forty-seventh American president is changing so profoundly.IT IS, SURELY, the ultimate Millennial revenge fantasy. Calling senior Baby-Boomer and Gen-X ...
“This might surprise you, Laurie, but I reckon Trump’s putting on a bloody impressive performance.”“GOODNESS ME, HANNAH, just look at all those Valentine’s Day cards!”“Occupational hazard, Laurie, the more beer I serve, the more my customers declare their undying love!”“Crikey! I had no idea business was so good.” Laurie squinted ...
In 2005, Labour repealed the long-standing principle of birthright citizenship in Aotearoa. Why? As with everything else Labour does, it all came down to austerity: "foreign mothers" were supposedly "coming to this country to give birth", and this was "put[ting] pressure on hospitals". Then-Immigration Minister George Hawkins explicitly gave this ...
And I just hope that you can forgive usBut everything must goAnd if you need an explanation, nationThen everything must goSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Today, I’d like to talk about a couple of things that happened over the weekend:Brian Tamaki’s Library Invasion and ...
New reporting highlights how Brooke van Velden refuses to meet with the CTU but is happy to meet with fringe Australian-based unions. Van Velden is pursuing reckless changes to undermine the personal grievance system against the advice of her own officials. Engineering New Zealand are saying that hundreds of engineers ...
The NZCTU strongly supports the Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill. This Bill represents a positive step towards addressing serious issues around unlawful disparities in pay by protecting workers’ rights to discuss their pay and conditions. This Bill also provides welcome support for helping tackle the prevalent gender and ...
Years of hard work finally paid off last week as the country’s biggest and most important transport project, the City Rail Link reached a major milestone with the first test train making its way slowly though the tunnels for the first time. This is a fantastic achievement and it is ...
Engineers are pleading for the Government to free up funds to restart stalled projects. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, February 17 are:Engineering New Zealand CEO Richard Templer said yesterday hundreds of ...
It’s one of New Zealand’s great sustaining myths: the spirit of ANZAC, our mates across the ditch, the spirit of Earl’s Court, Antipodeans united against the world. It is also a myth; it is not reality. That much was clear from a series of speakers, including a former Australian Prime ...
Many people have been unsatisfied for years that things have not improved for them, some as individuals, many more however because their families are clearly putting in more work, for less money – and certainly far less purchase on society. This general discontent has grown exponentially since the GFC. ...
A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 9, 2025 thru Sat, February 15, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report shows worsening food poverty and housing shortages mean more than 400,000 people now need welfare support, the highest level since the 1990s. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and ...
The Golden Age There has been long-standing recognition that New Zealand First has an unrivalled reputation for delivering for our older New Zealanders. This remains true, and is reflected in our coalition agreement. While we know there is much that we can and will do in this space, it is ...
Labour Te Atatū MP Phil Twyford has written to the charities regulator asking that Destiny Church charities be struck off in the wake of last weekend’s violence by Destiny followers in his electorate. ...
Bills by Labour MPs to remove rules around sale of alcohol on public holidays, and for Crown entities to adopt Māori names have been drawn from the Members’ Bill Ballot. ...
The Government is falling even further behind its promised target of 500 new police officers, now with 72 fewer police officers than when National took office. ...
This morning’s Stats NZ child poverty statistics should act as a wake-up call for the government: with no movement in child poverty rates since June 2023, it’s time to make the wellbeing of our tamariki a political priority. ...
Green Party Co-Leader Marama Davidson’s Consumer Guarantees Right to Repair Amendment Bill has passed its first reading in Parliament this evening. ...
“The ACT Party can’t be bothered putting an MP on one of the Justice subcommittees hearing submissions on their own Treaty Principles Bill,” Labour Justice Spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
As the world marks three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced additional sanctions on Russian entities and support for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction. “Russia’s illegal invasion has brought three years of devastation to Ukraine’s people, environment, and infrastructure,” Mr Peters says. “These additional sanctions target 52 ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced the Government’s plan to reform the Overseas Investment Act and make it easier for New Zealand businesses to receive new investment, grow and pay higher wages. “New Zealand is one of the hardest countries in the developed world for overseas people to ...
Associate Health Minister Hon Casey Costello is traveling to Australia for meetings with the aged care sector in Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney next week. “Australia is our closest partner, so as we consider the changes necessary to make our system more effective and sustainable it makes sense to learn from ...
The Government is boosting investment in the QEII National Trust to reinforce the protection of Aotearoa New Zealand's biodiversity on private land, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says. The Government today announced an additional $4.5 million for conservation body QEII National Trust over three years. QEII Trust works with farmers and ...
The closure of the Ava Bridge walkway will be delayed so Hutt City Council have more time to develop options for a new footbridge, says Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Mayor of Lower Hutt, Campbell Barry. “The Hutt River paths are one of the Hutt’s most beloved features. Hutt locals ...
Good afternoon. Can I acknowledge Ngāti Whātua for their warm welcome, Simpson Grierson for hosting us here today, and of course the Committee for Auckland for putting on today’s event. I suspect some of you are sitting there wondering what a boy from the Hutt would know about Auckland, our ...
The Government will invest funding to remove the level crossings in Takanini and Glen Innes and replace them with grade-separated crossings, to maximise the City Rail Link’s ability to speed up journey times by rail and road and boost Auckland’s productivity, Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Auckland Minister Simeon Brown ...
The Government has made key decisions on a Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) framework to enable businesses to benefit from storing carbon underground, which will support New Zealand’s businesses to continue operating while reducing net carbon emissions, Energy and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Economic growth is a ...
Minister for Regulation David Seymour says that outdated and burdensome regulations surrounding industrial hemp (iHemp) production are set to be reviewed by the Ministry for Regulation. Industrial hemp is currently classified as a Class C controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act, despite containing minimal THC and posing little ...
The Ministerial Advisory Group on transnational and serious organised crime was appointed by Cabinet on Monday and met for the first time today, Associate Police Minister Casey Costello announced. “The group will provide independent advice to ensure we have a better cross-government response to fighting the increasing threat posed to ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will travel to Viet Nam next week, visiting both Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City, accompanied by a delegation of senior New Zealand business leaders. “Viet Nam is a rising star of Southeast Asia with one of the fastest growing economies in the region. This ...
The coalition Government has passed legislation to support overseas investment in the Build-to-Rent housing sector, Associate Minister of Finance Chris Bishop says. “The Overseas Investment (Facilitating Build-to-Rent Developments) Amendment Bill has completed its third reading in Parliament, fulfilling another step in the Government’s plan to support an increase in New ...
The new Police marketing campaign starting today, recreating the ‘He Ain’t Heavy’ ad from the 1990s, has been welcomed by Associate Police Minister Casey Costello. “This isn’t just a great way to get the attention of more potential recruits, it’s a reminder to everyone about what policing is and the ...
No significant change to child poverty rates under successive governments reinforces that lifting children out of material hardship will be an ongoing challenge, Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston says. Figures released by Stats NZ today show no change in child poverty rates for the year ended June 2024, reflecting ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is pleased to announce the most common family names given to newborns in 2024. “For the seventh consecutive year, Singh is the most common registered family name, with over 680 babies given this name. Kaur follows closely in second place with 630 babies, while ...
A new $3 million fund from the International Conservation and Tourism Visitor Levy will be used to attract more international visitors to regional destinations this autumn and winter, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston says. “The Government has a clear priority to unleash economic growth and getting our visitor numbers ...
Good Evening Let us begin by acknowledging Professor David Capie and the PIPSA team for convening this important conference over the next few days. Whenever the Pacific Islands region comes together, we have a precious opportunity to share perspectives and learn from each other. That is especially true in our ...
The Reserve Bank’s positive outlook indicates the economy is growing and people can look forward to more jobs and opportunities, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Bank today reduced the Official Cash Rate by 50 basis points. It said it expected further reductions this year and employment to pick up ...
Agriculture Minister, Todd McClay and Minister for Māori Development, Tama Potaka today congratulated the finalists for this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy, celebrating excellence in Māori sheep and beef farming. The two finalists for 2025 are Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust and Tawapata South Māori Incorporation Onenui Station. "The Ahuwhenua Trophy is a prestigious ...
The Government is continuing to respond to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care by establishing a fund to honour those who died in care and are buried in unmarked graves, and strengthen survivor-led initiatives that support those in need. “The $2 million dual purpose fund will be ...
A busy intersection on SH5 will be made safer with the construction of a new roundabout at the intersection of SH28/Harwoods Road, as we deliver on our commitment to help improve road safety through building safer infrastructure, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Safety is one of the Government’s strategic priorities ...
The Government is turbo charging growth to return confidence to the primary sector through common sense policies that are driving productivity and farm-gate returns, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “The latest Federated Farmers Farm Confidence Survey highlights strong momentum across the sector and the Government’s firm commitment to back ...
Improving people’s experience with the Justice system is at the heart of a package of Bills which passed its first reading today Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says. “The 63 changes in these Bills will deliver real impacts for everyday New Zealanders. The changes will improve court timeliness and efficiency, ...
Returning the Ō-Rākau battle site to tūpuna ownership will help to recognise the past and safeguard their stories for the benefit of future generations, Minister for Māori Crown Relations Tama Potaka says. The Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passed its third reading at ...
A new university programme will help prepare PhD students for world-class careers in science by building stronger connections between research and industry, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “Our Government is laser focused on growing New Zealand’s economy and to do that, we must realise the potential ...
Health Minister Simeon Brown has today announced funding of more than $14 million to replace the main water supply and ring mains in the main building of Auckland City Hospital. “Addressing the domestic hot water system at the country’s largest hospital, which opened in 2003, is vitally important to ensure ...
The Government is investing $30 million from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy to fund more than a dozen projects to boost biodiversity and the tourist economy, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says. “Tourism is a key economic driver, and nature is our biggest draw card for international tourists,” says ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters will travel to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, China, Mongolia, and the Republic of Korea later this week. “New Zealand enjoys long-standing and valued relationships with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, both highly influential actors in their region. The visit will focus on building ...
Minister for Rail Winston Peters has announced director appointments for Ferry Holdings Limited – the schedule 4a company charged with negotiating ferry procurement contracts for two new inter-island ferries. Mr Peters says Ferry Holdings Limited will be responsible for negotiating long-term port agreements on either side of the Cook Strait ...
Ophthalmology patients in Kaitaia are benefiting from being able to access the complete cataract care pathway closer to home, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. “Ensuring New Zealanders have access to timely, quality healthcare is a priority for the Government. “Since 30 September 2024, Kaitaia Hospital has been providing cataract care ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Romy Lauche, Deputy Director (Research), National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine, Southern Cross University Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Ramadan is one of the most significant months of the Islamic lunar calendar. It marks the time when the Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed (peace ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judith Bishop, Tracey Banivanua Mar Fellow, La Trobe University 3d_kot/Shutterstock Badly behaved artificial intelligence (AI) systems have a long history in science fiction. Way back in 1961, in the famous Astro Boy comics by Osamu Tezuka, a clone of a popular ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Fitzpatrick, Professor in International History, Flinders University Friedrich Merz’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has captured the highest proportion of votes in Germany’s election on Sunday. The celebrations could be short-lived, though, as the task of forming a government now looms. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Jeffries, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, Western Sydney University moomin201/Shutterstock Seven people have now died from melioidosis in flood-ravaged north Queensland this year. Dozens of cases have been reported in the state in recent weeks, which experts have described as ...
Analysis: National MP Andrew Bayly has got off lightly being allowed to resign as a minister - escaping the harsher sentence of being sacked by the Prime Minister. ...
Senior National MP Andrew Bayly has quit his ministerial roles after what he says was an "animated discussion" that went "too far" and ended with him putting a hand on a staffer. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Donald Rothwell, Professor of International Law, Australian National University In recent days, the Chinese Navy conducted two live-fire military exercises in waters near Australia and New Zealand, sparking concern in both countries. The Albanese government lodged a diplomatic protest with Beijing. China ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Rossetto, Adjunct, Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Resources, University of Adelaide Financial challenges at the Whyalla steelworks in South Australia have reignited debate about the nation’s steel industry and its future. Australians should have access to quality steel at competitive prices. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julie Andrews, Professor and Academic Director (Indigenous Research), La Trobe University Gregory Lorenzutti/Malthouse Theatre A Nighttime Travesty is a bold new piece of theatre that depicts many illusions and truth interspersed with history. What would happen if the world was to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gavin Charles Young, Departmental Visitor, Materials Physics, Research School of Physics, Australian National University 3D printouts of the _Palaeospondylus australis_ holotype, enlarged x20. Carole Burrow Queensland is renowned for its fossils of Australia’s largest back-boned animals – dinosaurs, of course, like ...
Senior National MP Andrew Bayly has quit his ministerial roles after what he says was an "animated discussion" that went "too far" and ended with him putting a hand on a staffer. ...
Andrew Bayly’s resignation after a staffer altercation is another bleak reminder of the most basic workplace standards, writes Madeleine Chapman. How are we back here again? Despite the global movements around workplace harassment, bullying and common decency, parliament seems to be the last place to get the memo that if ...
“It is clear the Minister's decision to cut Marsden funding for humanities and social sciences, along with requiring 50 percent of grants to demonstrate economic benefit, is a win for taxpayers." ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Morris, Professor, Institute for Public Policy and Governance, University of Technology Sydney For people relying on rental properties to keep a roof over their heads, there are few things more scary than the possibility of being evicted from their home. The ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls’ first two days in New Caledonia have been marred by several clashes with local pro-France, anti-independence movements, who feared he would side with their pro-independence opponents. However, he remained confident that all stakeholders would eventually ...
The senior National MP has quit his ministerial roles after what he says was an "animated discussion" that went "too far" and ended with him putting a hand on a staffer. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justin Keogh, Associate Dean of Research, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University photoyh/Shutterstock Most children have now returned from their summer holidays and are perhaps considering what sports to play this year. For some, this means sampling ...
The senior National MP has quit his ministerial roles after what he says was an "animated discussion" that went "too far" and ended with him putting a hand on a staffer. ...
Andrew Bayly has resigned his ministerial portfolios after placing his hand on a staff member during an “animated discussion”.In a written statement released on Monday morning, Bayly said concerns had been raised with him over an incident last week “in which my behaviour towards a staff member was overbearing”.“As many ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Resolve poll for Nine newspapers, conducted February 18–23 from a sample of 1,506, gave the Coalition a 55–45 lead by ...
International aid serves a number of purposes beyond helping the world’s poor and vulnerable, and Trump’s decision will have implications for every one of us. The decision by American president Donald Trump to disestablish the USAID – the world’s largest international aid organisation, with an annual budget of over US$40 ...
The senior National MP has quit his ministerial roles after what we says was an "animated discussion" that ended with him putting a hand on a staffer. ...
Selling state-owned assets to Māori isn’t the way to create economic wealth for Māori, argues Tayla Forward.When Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick first pursued a line of questioning on whether the government would sell publicly owned assets into private ownership, the prime minister called her approach “conspiratorial”. David Seymour ...
Māori children are 46 times more likely to be hospitalised with rheumatic fever than Pākehā children. Mana Kidz, a network of dedicated nurses, is working to change that.The first few weeks back at school are considered one of the “busy seasons” for the Mana Kidz team. Pirihira Puata, a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ashlynne McGhee, Digital Storytelling Editor Scam Factories is a special multimedia and podcast series by The Conversation that explores the inner workings of Southeast Asia’s brutal scam compounds. The Conversation’s digital storytelling and podcast teams collaborated with three researchers: Ivan Franceschini, ...
The most prestigious kapa haka event in Aotearoa returns tomorrow. Here’s everything you need to know.Te Matatini has undergone immense evolution since its inception 53 years ago. From its origins as the New Zealand Polynesian Festival in 1972 in Rotorua, to its rebranding as Te Matatini – “the many ...
The defence minister says the presence of Chinese warships carrying out live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea is "unusual", but nothing Kiwis need to be worried about. ...
The new sanctions target entities involved in Russia's military-industrial complex, its energy sector, North Korean support of Russia, and forced relocation of Ukrainian children. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deanne Fisher, Associate Professor of Astronomy, Swinburne University of Technology NASA’s SPHEREx observatory undergoes integration and testing at BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado, in April 2024.NASA/JPL-Caltech/BAE Systems NASA will soon launch a new telescope which it says will create the “most ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Breadon, Program Director, Health and Aged Care, Grattan Institute Yuri A/Shutterstock Child vaccination is one of the most cost-effective health interventions. It accounts for 40% of the global reduction in infant deaths since 1974 and has led to big health ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Boden-Hawes, PhD Candidate in oceanography, The University of Western Australia Violeta Brosig/Blue Media Exmouth Widespread coral bleaching at Ningaloo Reef off Western Australia’s coast has deeply alarmed scientists and conservationists. Photos captured by divers, published by The Guardian last ...
Where have all the Flowers gone ?
At the end of last year -1919 – Tourism was rolling in massive money. Indeed the word Billion$ was being bandied around. It was deemed New Zealand's biggest Asset !
Just two short months later – year 2020 – there was not a penny to be found in the Tourism biscuit tin.
All I want to know is where did that massive money go in 1919 ?
And why is the Tourism coterie trying to Crush a decent man – Kelvin Davis ?
Is he too honest for New Zealand's so called biggest Asset ? Will he dig too deep into the 1919 jar ? dragging
Lisa Owen silently along full of her abuse.
2019 surely
mark richardson is having a melt down about the poll, hehehehehe.
Did you see Michelle Boag? "Mark, you'd be good!" As a Nat MP, perhaps. I wouldn't go further than that. Being grounded is good, being partisan isn't. Success as a politician comes when you can communicate with most folks easily.
Toby Manhire made a similar observation to mine (last night): "The most astonishing of all the numbers in last night’s poll wasn’t expressly party-political at all. Echoing the result of Stickybeak surveys for The Spinoff, an extraordinary 91.6% said they believe the government made the right call in putting New Zealand into lockdown for four weeks. That number is the centre of gravity for the rest of the Newshub poll". https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/19-05-2020/simon-bridges-leadership-hangs-by-a-thread-after-mind-blowing-poll/
That 90% holding up for so many weeks is a sustained political quake. The other poll results were consequences of that huge body of public opinion. That's what the Nats & Mark Richardson are up against. Not Labour.
Boag's losing whatever is left of her mind.
(08:30)
https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018746951
Who said that satire and parody are dead? Boag does it so well and without even a hint of irony.
That wild-eyed stare had me captivated. And as for that… shirt. Wtf was she thinking?
It’s called performance art, to captivate the audience.
Yes, by crikey she is in a world of her own.
Kate Hawkesby: "we all have Stockholm syndrome. We have fallen in love with our captor." https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12332935
Declaration of interest: I cite this for the entertainment value. I worked with Kate often enough long ago to develop an easy rapport (never discussed politics).
NZ Herald and verbs:
"National dropped to 30.6 per cent, the Green Party sunk to 5.5 per cent and NZ First slumped to 2.7 per cent."
Can you spot the party which is in government, the one which is a margin of error from government and the one which is at historic lows?
Arguable. Herald verbiage is to be expected. Someone who thinks National is at historic lows is ignoring the English wipeout due to Bolger/Shipley loathing, 2002.
I'd go for Greens within margin of error of govt – but only due to Jacinda's thinking (collaboration, any other Labour leader too stupid with the possible exception of Parker).
And Andrew Little.
Fair enough, given his surprise transcendence into big-picture thinking three years back – and good collaboration with NZF/Greens in referendum design.
I reckon it goes back further than three years.
No Dennis this is not something to be airily waved away.
It should have been "National plummeted to 30.6, the Greens were steady on 5.5 while NZF look to be struggling to get 5 per cent".
The Herald should report the facts.
Dennis Frank in combination with Michelle Boags massive f/up of not realizing the list vote counts
I'm picking she knows abit about Stockholm syndrome being tangled up with a road like hosking ,but shes got this one wrong.
Next Hawkesby will be saying we all have another mental health diagnosis. She needs to be pulled up on using the term Stockholm syndrome.
She needed to express her own anxiety, the National Party are in the shit and how she feels about having to stomach a Labour Government for another 3 years. I did read the link as painful as it was.
Is she unable to escape the neocon Horeskin Den? What an horrible predickament.
Hawkesby is a victim of the Stockholm syndrome her and Hosking saying looking at how Sweden is dealing with covid is not damaging their economy.
Pretty clear that neither looked at the actual economic data and predictions by the financial authorities in sweden
https://www.ft.com/content/93105160-dcb4-4721-9e58-a7b262cd4b6e
Also from Hosking- Boris and Trump are popular. Not keeping up with current polls then. He cites a lot of numbers, but none for those two.
Quite a few stories like this keep popping up:
On a much brighter note NZ had another all zero day with only 45 active cases left. As a country we should take exceptional pride in getting this far collectively. If we can do this, we can face the challenges ahead.
After the Dunedin chocolate factory went wonkers, they didn't give up and looked for viable alternatives. Hail OCHO. Coping with Covid-19 and giving it whatever it takes.
https://ocho.co.nz/pages/chocolatetour (Tours are off luv just now, but on-line biz is going full tilt.)
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/new-chocolate-factory-opens-in-dunedin-one-year-after-cadbury-closes-its-doors
Huh to all foreign owners playing us like dice in a bored game. https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/112529623/cadburys-owner-mondelez-sees-nz-business-shrink-29-per-cent
The two Whittaker brothers in Porirua ate their lunch.
I commissioned an imported moulding machine for them back in the 90's and it was a lot of fun working for Andrew and Brian. Two quite different characters who have worked to each other's strengths to take a small multi-generational family business to a true kiwi success story.
Actually in that small area around the back of Porirua there were quite a few strong kiwi manufacturing stories. Tough little survivors of the neo-liberal onslaught.
I'm sure Cadbury's still has it's place in Pak n Save, but Whittakers is trouncing Cadbury's most elsewhere. Good to see your part in it.
Just a nibble
~sigh~
he must have a lot of stock to sell
The adverse events profile for hydroxychloroquine includes this gem:
"feeling, seeing, or hearing things that are not there"
Hmm- maybe it's all starting to make sense?
He's hoping it is homeopathic.
Which skin conditions are treated with hydroxychloroquine?
What are the possible side effects of hydroxychloroquine?
Side effects are uncommon; however, a few people may develop one of the following: rash, indigestion, diarrhoea, headache, blurred vision, cramps or muscle weakness, darkening of the skin, or bleaching of the hair. [my italics]
http://www.skinsupport.org.uk/conditions-details/hydroxychloroquine
I heard from a reliable source that the side effects can be obliterated by applying a mixture of pumpkin and carrot juice to the face 3 times daily.
What have you got to lose?
Not letting the facts getting in the way of his truth.
Kemrin Begrie – the perpetual truculent adolescent – now on the Epidemic Response Committee calling for asset sales to pay for the larger government deficit due to COVID-19. The amount of cover the deficit will give some future National government to re-implement the neolib playbook is frightening. In truth as Mark Blyth says, we shouldn't 'sweat the deficit' – but the false comparison to household budgets still has hold of the public mind. Grant Robertson will need to be very smart in his defusing of this danger.
Asset sales are a huge vote loser. He should campaign for National
I'm sure you recall them campaigning on selling their asses and winning an election on said promise.
Power company shares anyone?
A helping hand and history will repeat.
Cellphone location data suggests that demonstrators at anti-lockdown protests – some of which have been connected with Covid-19 cases – are often traveling hundreds of miles to events, returning to all parts of their states, and even crossing into neighboring ones.
The data, provided to the Guardian by the progressive campaign group the Committee to Protect Medicare, raises the prospect that the protests will play a role in spreading the coronavirus epidemic to areas which have, so far, experienced relatively few infections.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/18/lockdown-protests-spread-coronavirus-cellphone-data
/
https://twitter.com/AngryBlackLady/status/1262468391463350272
https://kymkemp.com/2020/05/16/at-the-courthouse-friday-a-group-protested-against-stay-at-home-orders/
I don't know about other people, but I find this scary. I could be looking in the wrong places, but it seems like progressive Americans just don't know what to do about what is happening in the US.
Scary and depressing.
It comes down to the Senate and House this November, moreso even than potus. Dolt45 enables nazi-adjacents (and their adjacant-adjacent fools like this jerk probably is), but McConnel enables dolt45.
Without another 2018-style wave, it'll get much worse.
is it likely the Democrats will win in the House and/or Senate?
Not sure on senate. In 2018 dems lost 2 and repubs gained 2, but that was the class 1 stream which was 2/3 dem. The third of senate up for election this year is class 2, which is 2/3 repub and no independents. So this one will be a real test of repub popularity. If dems gain 3 and repubs lose 3, dems un the Senate and dolt45 is lame.
The dems got the House last time and I suspect they'll do even better there this time.
The House is looking fairly good to stay in Dem control.
I'm fighting a battle to not get my hopes up of the Senate flipping to Dem control, but it's getting harder. At this stage I don't think it's even 50/50 yet, but the trendline is going in a good direction. Here's a reasonable bunch of state-by-state thumbnails:
https://news.lee.net/news/national/ranking-the-top-10-senate-seats-most-likely-to-flip-in-2020/collection_fc1dd1c0-8a41-11ea-bdcd-3b80be912d70.html#1
There is some hope that there will be a shift to the Dems come Nov – its 50:50 at the moment. but some repugs could lose, Susan Collins in Maine, for instance is looking vulnerable
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/senate/me/maine_senate_collins_vs_gideon-6928.html
as is Martha McSally in Arizona.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/senate/az/arizona_senate_mcsally_vs_kelly-6801.html
Then again Doug Jones in Alabama who was voted in over the repugnant Moore may not survive. He has toed a pretty conservative line to appease the voters, but it will depend on the votes of women again there, if he is to succeed again.
But as Andre says – I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much.
One interesting article I came across today on fivethirtyeight looks at the shift in voting preference of older people across the country. In 2016 they swung mostly behind Trump. But the polls are showing that that is no longer the case and there is a definite swing towards Biden and down the ticket as well which bodes well if it can be sustained. Trumps petulance and ineptitude over this recent crises hasn't helped his chances with this demographic either.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/are-older-voters-turning-away-from-trump/
Progressive Americans are way too busy sitting on their purity ponies bagging the Democratic party. Meanwhile, repugs are more than happy to assist the tRump crime family consolidate power, ditch any semblance of a cooperative society and transform 'Murica into their version of a laissez-faire republic.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1262491686963490816
tRump's war on facts has a new name.
President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign announced Monday a new “investigative” website that prioritizes “truth over facts.” The site, in fact, is called TheTruthOverFacts.com.
https://www.thewrap.com/trump-biden-truth-over-facts-website/
Is there a reason my comments are not appearing? Have I been put on a ban for some reason?
[No the machine put you into auto moderation for some reason. Now letting you through – MS]
Quality filter.
Actually you are in premod, not the ban list. My note there says troll watch. I'll let you out, but you do seem to be popping up on my radar a bit. Sometimes you bring good debate to the table, other times it just looks like poking at the lefties /shrug.
Snap!
Because a Moderator had put you in Pre-Moderation and on troll-watch.
You are still in Pre-Moderation until that Moderator decides you’re behaving yourself.
The algorithm knows you well Gossy.
I heard today that there will be another poll released at the end of the week via TVNZ. Has anyone else heard the same please?
TV1 Colmar Brunton poll this Thursday, according to Lisa Owen from RNZ.
Thanks Fireblade, looking forward to it, two more sleeps
My goodness, Ashley Bloomfield is good!
Asked a 'gotcha' question in the presser – "Use one word to describe Jacinda Ardern," obviously designed to elicit 'political bias,' he paused a moment, then answered, "Can I use two! Prime Minister."
Nice.
Was that a Tovaructation, or is it catching?
I was listening at the time and that was my guess for the answer – he did not disappoint.
So despite the scaremongering, hopes, and even wagers by some tories, Level 4 did not see an increase in suicides – actually the reverse is true.
The coming depression/recession will be tough, but we can do without the political scaremongering.
may or may not be statistically significant. Good to know there wasn't an obvious spike during lock down though.
That's the main thing. There were a couple of folks I was worried about
The alarmists will no doubt be asked to justify their nonsense now.
This is important for a couple of reasons – suicide rate went down slightly under L4 lockdown rather than up.
First it reveals the right's preparedness to make stuff up in order to justify their "cure is worse than the disease" message. More importantly, it suggests that a sense of common purpose, collective responsibility, mutual aid and kindness is good for mental health. Much better than being an isolated individual locked in mortal economic competition with everyone else. The danger of course – is that as we go back to that alienating sh*tshow called 'the economy', especially in a deep recession, it will all get worse again.
Edit: Snap to McFlock above at 14.
will be very interesting if someone does some research on this. I'm not going to be surprised if there are more suicides in places like the US. Ardern's leadership around framing and messaging has served us well in helping build the sense of we're all in this together despite the stress.
Life expectancy in the US went up during the Great Depression! Something to do with purpose, diet and a disease prevention discovery.
And I wouldnt mind betting increased solidarity and an "all-in-it-together" mentality
Inequities tend to promote self esteem issues and bad mental health outcomes
My mother had lots of stories of how people helped each other during those depression years, even when they had very little themselves
Í'm pleased to hear it went down and as I recall I thought/hoped on these pages a couple of months ago that that would be the case as the same trend happened in the Second World War and in other times of threat. Sometimes things are just a bit bigger than your own problems.
I also thought that NZs population would go up slightly if we got the lockdown done effectively, less road deaths , work fatalities, murders and other all-round stupidities would leave more Kiwis alive at the end than at the start.
What I didn't factor in was 250,000 ( was it? ) coming home in a hurry. Welcome back.
I wouldn't be surprised if there's a wee population bump in nine months, either. L4 was boring…
our missing health minister appears about 1:30 into this, just as well this will get no coverage, and does the Hon. D.Clark read what he said FFS look after the disadvantaged
perhaps after the recent polling success we could extend the strength of our triumvirate within the Labour Party and that they could seek out some achievers and not allow some desk warmers to bask in the success of our PM
https://m.facebook.com/WHO/videos/565543234382636/?v=565543234382636
He's toast in September: won't even get in Cabinet again.
The new batch in 2017 were very strong, they will make a great cabinet (touch wood) in October.
Big boys playing big boy games.
Again the CCP blatantly acting to piss as many nations off as possible. And also openly admitting that the investigation they have committed to is totally different from Australia’s proposal of an independent review.
The fix is in.
Those who choose to believe the WHO recently became a puppet of China have no reason to accept the WHO's future report on Covid-19 – they intend to dismiss findings at odds with their own worldview even before the scope of the investigation is agreed.
So Australia sticks it's neck out and demands an independent investigation (which is the position I've been advocating for). Over 100 countries sign on.
Xi Xinping then gets an unprecedented invite from Tedros, widely perceived to be a CCP puppet, to speak to a major WHO conference where China unilaterally preempts an investigation on it's own terms.
And at the same moment doubles down on a trade retaliation by announcing an 80% tariff on Australian barley. (Which everyone agrees has zero substance and was not even being discussed until a week or so back). Then China pretends it really isn't a retaliation when it obviously is.
And then smugly states the investigation will not be independent, and only done when China thinks the time is right.
FFS what part of bad faith, manipulative bullshit don't you get?
Didn't mean to anger you – IMO your reply validates my comment.
I believe theories about Covid-19 being constructed in China are batshit – could be wrong, could be right.
Nah. This is a proper conspiracy theory.
The poms are in on it too, but they've linked 5G into it as well.
https://fullfact.org/online/5g-coronavirus-20-note/
He invited chumpers too roddles.
And the best is yet to come.
“Historians love chapter breaks,” said Robert Kaplan, an American foreign-policy expert and former member of the U.S. Defense Policy Board, who this month briefed officials at 10 Downing Street on the potential second-order effects of the coronavirus crisis. “COVID-19 will come to be seen as a chapter break.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2020/05/coronavirus-pandemic-second-wave-geopolitics-instability/611668/
Yes I am very much afraid so. When people here hope that post-COVID life will be different I'm deeply concerned they will be right, but in ways none of us would wish for.
At least that author is getting to some of the right questions.
Probably.
https://twitter.com/antihobbes/status/1262541231394963456
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 18, 2020– Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNA), a clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines to create a new generation of transformative medicines for patients, today announced that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of $1.25 billion in shares of common stock. In addition, Moderna expects to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional $187.5 million in shares of common stock in connection with the public offering. All shares of common stock will be offered by Moderna.
https://investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/moderna-announces-proposed-public-offering-shares-common-stock-0/
Things that make you go hmmm …
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/coronavirus-vaccine-czar-divest-holdings-amid-conflict-concerns/story?id=70753267
Hawkesby thinks we all have Stockholm Syndrome.
Honestly, how patronising can a person be? She probably tanked National and Bridges' another 2-3% with this idiot column.
Good times.
Dang! Newshub asked voters for one word to describe Jacinda and simon, they then formed those words into word clouds. The bigger the font the more often the word was said.
What a great idea, using word clouds in polls to show the public's perception, awesome.
Will post a link when it comes up
Here's the link
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/05/national-mps-doing-the-numbers-on-simon-bridges-as-newshub-poll-shows-what-kiwis-think-of-him.html
The top ten words to describe Jacinda included 'amazing', 'good', 'compassionate', 'leader', 'great', 'strong', 'empathetic', 'capable', 'excellent' and 'awesome'.
and simon….. 'Idiot' topped the chart, followed by 'don't know', 'average', 'good', 'annoying', 'weak', 'useless', 'unsure' and 'disappointing'.
I like how "dickhead" seemed to be in the top ten but O'Brien only highlighted and said 9 for Bridges
True !
Air NZ being difficult with refunds – according to Checkpoint.
Luxon's legacy!
Ouch..
https://twitter.com/annafifield/status/1262463294696157184
She’s the Washington Post’s Asia correspondent too. What passes for journalism at the Herald must be a terrible shock for her.
Jim Bolger backs Todd Muller for next National Party leader.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/former-pm-jim-bolger-backs-todd-muller-next-national-leader
Hot Toddy! Actually, as someone who always had an extremely hostile attitude to Bolger, I thought he came across well. Balanced, sensible, seems to have mellowed with age. Wouldn't surprise me if his advice turns out to be more influential than Key's.
I listened to his interview on the 9th floor, and he has really had a few changes of mind since he was PM, would probably fit in the centre left of current NZ economic orthodoxy, but is obviously tribal National.
Are the wheels falling off ERC?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300016164/kelvin-davis-cancels-on-epidemic-response-committee-after-treasury-noshow
No mana thanks to its chair.
"In the past the MoW took the positive planning approach to making New Zealand. In partnership with elected representatives they identified projects that would advance the development of the country. The MoW had their own economists who could evaluate and determine how nation-building projects might fit into wider considerations, such as, the economic cycle. The Ministry was at odds with a neo-liberal Treasury, as it could hold its own in economic debates. Given this fight for political-economic attention it is not surprising the MoW was dis-established."
https://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/105080/brendon-harre-sees-ministry-works-template-how-we-should-develop-our-national
Many government departments had their own economists prior to lab4. Then Treasury said there was an inefficient duplication of roles.
Then Treasury became pretty much the sole source of government economic advice. A monopoly, one might say…
Kia Ora The Am Show.
There is some positive news the worlds carbon footprint shrinks
That's is cool the virus contact tracking AP.
Buying New Zealand made that the way.
That's a great way to raise funds for water shortage solution for South Africa auctioning a famous painters painting.
Ruby will have a good future as a reporter.
I say that Our government has the $20 billion backstop money set aside because we don't know the true impact of long the virus effects will last you can't take it back once its spent.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub.
Yes the price of Kai hit the roof during isolation.
Telcompowder has aspestos in That's not on.
I don't think that person should be fined for savings the baby whale caught in that shark net.?????.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
All Iwi should invest in Whare for their Tangata it will good for the tangata and the Iwi may be sheared ownership models.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora The Am Show.
Looks like a nice day in London Lloyd.
Its good to respect our elderly people.
The problem with having wealth business people leading a country is they are to self centered to have a great economy you need to take everyone up there economic ladders not just the wealthy.
Ka kite Ano.