Another hut gone The Makokoere Hut in the Waioeka headwaters has been burnt down. This is not part of the TuT/ Poto Williams 50 hut destruction plan in the former National Park. A separate arson. Access and safety has now impacted the two huts on each side. These magnificent small backcountry huts are approx a 3/4 days walk from each other so huts either side are no longer safely accessible. Conservationists and hunters are saddened.
Yep, a decent enough hut, to stop, have a rest, eat some food, and continue. Worked for decades. But totally understandable that it is no longer fit for purpose. Lets burn all that shit down. One hut a time.
Clear some trees, concrete some roads and build some mansions fit for the current time with air conditioning, duckfeather duvets and five star cuisine and a several hundered dollar ticket per night. Are you rich enough?
"Patients are so vulnerable to Covid and these anti-vaxxers have been sneaking in and putting lots of children suffering from heart conditions at risk. At no time has security ever been needed like this," the mother said.
"A really safe space for sick and dying children has been grossly invaded. It’s our one place of refuge from a terminal illness."
She said families needed to be masked and tested on the ward and individuals refusing to comply with the requirements – "especially with their unmasked anti-vaxxer mates sneaking in" – were increasing the risk to other patients.
Not related to antivaxxers but this item is yet another example of our ability to lead normal lives without fear being negatively affected by mad conspiracy theorists and extreme political agitators:
It's time a much harder line is taken to counter all of them regardless of their individual fixations. Currently we are letting these crackpots – be they anti-vaxxers or some other extreme fantasists – get away with their anti-social activities with little more than a wet bus ticket.
Time in jail contemplating their futures is a highly desirable alternative.
Look on the bright side. The hate towards the PM will mostly ( not all) transfer to David Seymour and to a lesser extent, Luxon, after the next election. However, the protests and threats will be way more severe because mainstream groups will be protesting their loss of funding and importance under a Nat/Act coalition. That of course presupposes National and ACT can come to a political arrangement. That isn't a given yet.
Good observation. I've a couple of long time friends who have disappeared down the hole and it's a powerlessness in the face of a rapidly changing world and backlash at the neo-con, globalist world. Whoever is PM next Christmas will be getting just as much grief from the same people. Luxon is no more their thing than Arden, and probably viewed with more suspicion.
I'm inclined to think "useful idiots" might be a tad more accurate as a description. Someone else's agenda is at play and it's on the move and making inroads. If we get Luxon's coronation next year, it will be the 'normie' expression of the same underlying sentiments.
But jail time will just lend credibility to their delusions of persecution.
I think you have had your authoritarian jollies for now. Much of the extremism you are bitching about is a direct reaction to state overreach this past two years.
Keeping people safe during a deadly pandemic is "State overreach"?
If you support as the ones threatening the safety of sick children, by flouting masking and separation rules in hospitals, you are as much of a fucking idiot as they are.
Fit-tested N95s are clearly the best but it is not a binary proposition.
More so than you might imagine. How many times have you taken a respiratory mask fit test? Because I can advise it is remarkably easy to fail.
I am happy to accept that a mask of any kind will stop large droplets that someone might sneeze or cough, but the highly aerosolised viral particles that persist in the air for many hours – are another question again.
The weak point of any mask is the concave gap between the bridge of the nose and the top of the cheeks. All masks intended to be used in hazardous environments, will have a firm shape that fits this space and a strap scheme that applies sufficient force to keep the gap closed reliably. The usual blue and white paper mask most people use, or cheap N95's with a flimsy bit of elastic for a strap simply do not achieve this.
If you wear glasses and find that when you first put a mask on they fog up, this is because the bulk of the air you are inhaling and exhaling is taking the path of least resistance through this gap. And this means the mask is doing little to protect you or anyone else from the very fine, highly suspended viral particles that are the dominant hazard.
But you are criticising those who believe their efforts are effective and want to help their fellow man avoid harm. You call that, "virtue signalling". That's offensive.
You may be able to "prove them wrong" in their belief, but your attempts to prove them "virtue signallers" is misguided and harmful.
Last year I was working at a site which produced lithium hydroxide and at the back end of the plant where it is packaged there is a very fine, invisible to the eye, dust in the air.
Lithium hydroxide is caustic (just like sodium hydroxide) and will definitely cause harm to your airways and lungs if inhaled. The smallest particle sizes are of the similar order to a typical virus.
You can be absolutely certain we took mast fit testing, and proper wearing of our high quality PPE very seriously. The usual kind of mask people wear for COVID protection was simply not an option – a sackable offence if you should be stupid enough to try getting away with using one.
So while I accept the term 'virtue signaling' might be a blunt way of putting it, if you are serious about wanting to reduce virus load, then you need to be serious about the mask. Most people are not.
"Most people" are acting with integrity and to the best of their ability. Based on the best information available to them and their feelings of altruism and their willingness to help others, they are masking-up.
Accusing them of "virtue signalling" is despicable, imo.
One circumstance where a bit of deterrent jail time for the idiots may be appropriate.
Jailed for what exactly?
The hospital appears to be doing its job – if people won't follow masking/testing rules they're not allowed in. People are being arseholes, but I didn't see anything in the article that suggesting criminality.
Some appear to have been infected since covid by "Libertarian philosphy" where "individual freedom" is sacrosanct, no matter what the harm it does to everyone else.
In fact your "freedom should end" where my nose begins".
We interfere with the urge to indulge in the "individual freedom" to punch someone, when another will get hurt.
Anyone who thinks recent actions to reduce the harm caused by covid, which were supported by over 90% at the time was "State overreach" has lost the plot.
"Sue Grey , Liz Gunn, all the other anti vaxxers with their "concern" incl going on alex jones "info wars " FFS !"
Anti-vax followers are a diverse and varied bunch. But the leaders of the movement (and other conspiracy movements) often seem to be narcissist-types, IMHO. They don’t care about anyone else.
"But the leaders of the movement (and other conspiracy movements) often seem to be narcissist-types…"
My thoughts too. Anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of a full blown narcissist, no matter the circumstance, will recognise that is precisely what they are. Add a bit of sociopathy to the mix and you've got a huge amount of damage to individuals and… society as a whole.
Hi Barfly, have you had your MSD issues sorted? Regarding temperatures and behaviour, 42 deg in London!! I thought wow!! What will we get this summer? Sea temperatures are alarming right now. So another stress factor.
“In this video, 4 New Zealand scientists talk about how the water cycle is part of Earth’s system. They point out that Earth’s system consists of 4 subsystems – the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere – which all interact with each other.”
Note the Dates….Published 3 August 2009, Updated 1 October 2012
Did some of those Kids….become engaged with this ? Oh for the Teachers that would connect with them. IMO they probably dont do it just for the pay…but worth every amount.
”The replies are so lucid, well-researched and decently referenced that some academics are calling the bot the death knell for conventional forms of educational assessment. How worried should professors and lecturers be?”
Russia's Special Military Operation, 'SMO' is following the arc of that other infamous undeclared'WAR'.
As the Vietnam War dragged on with no resolution, it became increasingly difficult for the American public and especially broadcast commentators to discern what the US was actually trying to achieve with the war. The same in Russia.
Kremlin TV Stars Combust as Russians Admit War Is Aimless
Yes the comparison with Vietnam is worth making. It can only be understood within the context of the Cold War – which was a decades long, highly intense confrontation with Stalinist Russia and Maoist China, both brutal, totalitarian marxist proto-empires. That was the underlying motivation.
Vietnam itself was a mistake and long recognised as such. Moreover as the futility and stupidity of that mistake became evident to people all across the western world, the will to continue the war, to commit to the escalation necessary to win – evaporated.
The difference worth noting however is that in the West the people were able to protest the war without incurring massive personal cost, such as decade long prison sentences or worse. In Russia right this is not possible; all organised opposition is imprisoned (such as Navalney) or has gone into exile.
Again my point is not that the West is incapable of making terrible mistakes – no human polity is immune from this. It is that open liberal democracy that respects at least the principle of individual rights and the concept of citizenship, and thus contains the means to self-correct those mistakes.
By contrast consider the era of the gulags – a horror that the authoritarian Soviets had no choice but to continue to double down on until the death of the tyrant shook loose the system and brought it to an end. (Well at least until recently when Putin thought it a fine thing to rehabilitate Stalin and the cruel ethos of the prison state.)
By Biden's own admission a resumption of the cold war is underway, and it will take fifty to sixty years to play out. The Ukrainian conflict apparently is just the opening salvo.
I can't provide a link, but see "China – the change agent" on michael-hudson.com
Currently reading "Blood Lands" by Timothy Snyder – about Europe between Hitler and Stalin.
The deliberately engineered famine in the Ukraine, 1931-33 which killed at least 3.3 million people, should make all Ukrainians detest Russians forever!
The reported story is a rare case of (mild) dissent aired in public. There is no right to protest or free speech in Russia, and no permitted independent media, so public dissent might not have the same effect as it did in the USA over the Vietnam war, unfortunately.
Wow!! What entitled behaviour. Scratch the surface and their behaviour is almost scary in relation to rule of law!! Too many Nats think they are a breed apart. Woodhouse Kuriger et al. Wasn't she the woman who "helped" a young Southland MP Todd Barclay?
It begs a question about Xmas holidays this year. Will it be quiet because people have tightened their belts, or will crime spiral completely out of control because crims take advantage of stretched police resources and an over taxed retail sector?
There is no evidence crime is out of control, nor that criminals are taking advantage of a "stretched" police resources.
The only part of the retail sector that is overtaxed is tobacco, as with other government interventions (such as the RB QE) it distorts the market in harmful ways, and this can and does result in greed. The problem with polite middle class society it likes incentives when they do well out of it, but no much when it gives others "ideas" about how to afford the latest phone/big screen TV.
''There is no evidence crime is out of control, nor that criminals are taking advantage of a "stretched" police resources.''
Let's see what happened today:
1- Law abiding citizen has two finger chopped off in a robbery.
2- A probable gang-banger shot dead in a church car park.
3- I have seen hardcore violence at my local supermarket all year. The latest 3 days ago when two security guards tackled a meat thief who had the audacity to say " I'm only trying to feed my whanau – let me go!
I lost count of crimes committed during my month away from this blog.
Are you going by official stats?
''The only part of the retail sector that is overtaxed is tobacco.''
You must live in a great part of the country. In my area many shops are advertising for workers. Shop after shop after shop.
Crime stats are not based on perceptions based on media reports.
While Coster hit back at the politicisation of policing, telling reporters outside that he wanted a more sober and fact-based analysis of crime and justice
That said there is a real upsurge with crime at the "corner dairy" (seeking the overtaxed tobacco) or supermarket level (not all retail) with theft of food – that indicates pressure on budgets.
''Crime stats are not based on perceptions based on media reports.''
That's correct. Stats are also not based on unreported crimes. Stats are also categorised. That means an overall trend of increased violence and nastiness may not show in overall figures. Domestic Violence is an example. Some triggers for the worst type of violence just numbs the mind:
The hapless Police Commissioner was stating how ram raids have reduced. That may be true, but what about youth crime in general? Crime that won't be reported?
The second link gives you the official stats on youth crime, they were trending down (2017 to 2021) but have risen this year. The 15-19 category back at the late 2020 level, and the under 14 now a little higher.
Yep. The local liquor store that has been hit 7 times. My local Countdown. I witnessed a robbery the other night at Countdown. Spoke with the manager there. They no longer call the police. That was at least the third one that week and it was only Wednesday!
You have to get out and talk to people on the coalface.
$20,000 of tobacco being held at the start of weekends … in former times it was a cash till grab (and transfer to safe and or mid-day banking reduced risk).
The retailing of the product is a crime magnet, so who has the smarts to solve this?
I say sell smokes in other ways.
1. automated kiosk (refilled during the day the same way that cash is moved for banks).
2. subscription supply from a warehouse (delivered each week by a courier).
If you were concerned about such crime as your post implied
I think with more and more of these types of incidents occurring … Hopefully more innocent people aren't killed or maimed when doing their jobs
you would have sought discussion about this issue and a way to prevent them. This case demonstrated that defensive systems – such as fog cannons, are not enough to prevent all threat.
The cause is the high value of the (overtaxed) item in the shop. There are only two options reduce the tax and supply by ration card to those who sign up or maintain the tax and supply in safer ways to those who consume.
While Coster hit back at the politicisation of policing, telling reporters outside that he wanted a more sober and fact-based analysis of crime and justice
Coster said social media was encouraging young children to commit crimes – but also fuelling unrealistic fear in the community about crime in general.
The pandemic had led to more crime in cities and towns, he said, as they became less populated and more people spent time at home. Overall, that had been balanced due to less suburban thefts.
But he said police were deeply concerned by “a shape spike” in very young children committing crimes since the pandemic had started.
Coster noted these children, many aged under 14, were not old enough to be criminally culpable for the shoplifting and public intimidation which they were committing.
“Our job is done, in cases with under 14-year-olds, once we have referred them [to other agencies],” he said.
Deputy Police Commissioner Wally Haumaha appeared to agree with some of Mitchell’s concerns around police being expected to pick up extra roles, more suited to welfare agencies
After the select committee review, Haumaha told Stuff he agreed with the sentiment that police could only do so much. He said that iwi, community and social agencies outside of government needed to be resourced to better help young people.
“Our responsibility as police is to work with other agencies and iwi,” he said.
“The problem at the moment is you're seeing with ram raids and youth offending, is these kids have been truanting and out of school. It's a huge social problem. And everybody is grappling with it.”
Nothing at the moment. But he and Mitchell better have a plan after National win the next election otherwise National will be one hit wonders. The message voters send Labour at election time will also apply to National. Law abiding citizens from what I have seen, heard and read, have had a gutsful.
Read the story again. The deceased is exactly the kind of person you think should be in jail, with knee-jerk "lock 'em up and throw away the key". He committed serious crimes.
But if you do believe in the chance of redemption and welcome the support he was getting, have a word with your chums who dismiss that as "kumbaya" and "mush".
Do you?
From the link: “He had sought to turn his life around and had tragically just finished attending an empowerment gathering for people who sought to leave lives of crime.”
Did you read the article? Daniel Eliu was a convicted violent criminal offender and a lifetime gang member.
Before he was gunned down he had apparently attended a Grace Foundation rehabilitation program run by the father of National Party aligned David Letele, himself a former gang member.
Amazing how some gang run rehabilitation programs are slated by right wing nut jobs and others are not…
This is how it ends, a bio diversity disaster, or a mysterious apocalypse that causes the spread of misinformation and violence, or a hearing on Capitol Hill?
The congressional inquiry into last year's Capitol riot will reportedly recommend three criminal charges against former President Donald Trump.
The select committee is scheduled to hold its final meeting on Monday when any charging recommendations would be unveiled.
As well as insurrection, according to various outlets, the panel will suggest Mr Trump be charged with obstructing an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
The nine panellists are expected to approve the final eight-chapter report, drawing on interviews with more than 1,000 witnesses, and submit it to the Department of Justice (DoJ).
The full report will be made public on Wednesday, said chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who is helming the select committee.
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These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Photo by Jari Hytönen on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Next week the government will again next try to get its legislation through to deal with non-citizens who won’t cooperate with efforts to deport them. The bill, which the opposition and crossbench refused to rush ...
A long-term project that will set out an alternative vision for Aotearoa that looks beyond the narrow confines of the policy straight jacket adopted by successive governments. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bree Hurst, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Law, QUT, Queensland University of Technology TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock A much-awaited report into Coles and Woolworths has found what many customers have long believed – Australia’s big supermarkets engage in price gouging. What started ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Ghezelbash, Associate Professor and Deputy Director, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney The Albanese government wanted to avoid an inquiry into its migration amendment bill. The report, handed down yesterday by a senate committee that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joo-Cheong Tham, Professor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Lobbying is at the heart of government. Who has access to and influence over key government officials shapes the decisions governments make – and how they make them. The ability to influence ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Myfany Turpin, Associate Professor, Ethnomusicology, Linguistics and Ethnobiology, University of Sydney The act representing Australia at this year’s Eurovision contest has sadly not qualified for the grand final. Yet for Zaachariaha Fielding and Michael Ross, the duo that makes up Electric Fields, ...
In announcing changes to the school lunches programme, David Seymour said kids would no longer be served ‘woke’ foods. To clear up any confusion, The Spinoff has compiled a guide to the wokeness levels of some common food items. Apple = NOT WOKE Avocado = WOKE Avocado, smashed = EVEN ...
The Minister Responsible for GCSB and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security have been notified of this review, and have been provided a finalised Terms of Reference. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Minglu Chen, Senior Lecturer, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney Robert Way/Shutterstock As the past few years have illustrated so clearly, the Australia-China relationship is complicated. As such, it is crucial for Australians to develop a more nuanced understanding of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mariana Campbell, Research Lecturer, Conservation, Charles Darwin University Marilyn Connell Australian freshwater turtles are facing an alarming trend. Almost half of these species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) is one of Australia’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debbie Passey, Digital Health Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Josephine Barbaro, Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow, Psychologist, La Trobe University Unsplash We’ve come a long way in terms of understanding that everyone thinks, interacts and experiences the world differently. In the past, autistic people, people with attention deficit hyperactive disorder ...
PNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea’s deputy opposition leader James Nomane has accused the government of “reckless economic management” that has forced devaluation to manage loan repayments in foreign currency and placate the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Prime Minister James Marape “must stop lying to the people of Papua New Guinea”, ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Jane Arthur, author of Brown Bird, and former bookseller at Good Books.The book I wish I’d writtenI have been working on not comparing myself to others. On accepting that what I can ...
The final decision on the Wellington District Plan makes it official: High-density housing is legal across most of Wellington. Housing minister Chris Bishop has announced his decision on the Wellington District Plan, approving a series of amendments to radically upzone most of Wellington, allowing tens of thousands of new townhouses ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
With funding set to be scrapped for the Hamilton-Auckland commuter train, Te Huia enthusiast Georgie Dansey argues for it to be thrown a lifeline. It’s 5.45am and the chain of my crappy old bike falls off slugging up the one hill in Hamilton. I contemplate yeeting the bike into the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto A shift to hybrid and remote work continues to affect worker presence in Toronto’s downtown.(Shutterstock) Downtown Toronto, the core of Canada’s largest city, continues to reel from the lingering ...
Responding to an Auditor-General's report slamming failures in the administration of the 2023 General Election, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: ...
Productivity apps now make up a big chunk of the software market. But do they work? And why do they all have AI integrations?Despite being firmly on the record as a physical planner fan, I sometimes dream of something better than my pretty diary and its scrawled, ugly, interior ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says the Beehive need to lead by example, following reports of more than $50,000 spent upgrading video conferencing equipment and furniture in the Prime Minister’s office. Taxpayers’ Union Campaign Manager, Connor Molloy, ...
An objective list of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand, as judged by the Spinoff Editorial Board. It’s power list season, baby, and we want in on the action. Sure, there’s the rich list and the powerful “c-suite” list and the young people with power (hmmm) but here, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. First Nations people in Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University Netflix Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account of sexual abuse, harassment and stalking. Gadd’s story has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the growing concern around the world in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. What’s all this? When Covid-19 arrived on our shores in early 2020, some argued we were too slow, or crucially, ill-prepared for a pandemic. So ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary.Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
After replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...
I knew Taika Waititi quite well when he was a kid. His mother lived in a tall narrow house in Aro St, and my youngest sister had a similar house two doors along. They were both single mums, they each had a son aged seven. Taika and my nephew Stepan ...
Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
Opinion: Nicholas Khoo looks at two key points in the high-stakes foreign policy pact debate – and asks if NZ can engage with as little drama as possible. The post Where to next for the Aukus ruckus? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Opinion: ‘Reference-class forecasting’ is at the heart of improving pricing a project and identifying the expected timeframe but it doesn’t appear to be in use here The post ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projects appeared first on Newsroom. ...
What do a sombrero in Argentina and cognitive driving tests have in common? Don’t worry, we’re not setting up a bad joke. Hinengaro Clinic dementia clinician Gregory Winkelman has the answer on today’s episode of The Detail. “We ask a patient’s spouse or son or daughter: If you went to ...
Wellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Asia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...
Asia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda J. Graham, Professor and Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Ryan Tauss/ Unsplash, CC BY Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal. In a dissenting report to the senate inquiry into the legislation, the Coalition says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
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Another hut gone The Makokoere Hut in the Waioeka headwaters has been burnt down. This is not part of the TuT/ Poto Williams 50 hut destruction plan in the former National Park. A separate arson. Access and safety has now impacted the two huts on each side. These magnificent small backcountry huts are approx a 3/4 days walk from each other so huts either side are no longer safely accessible. Conservationists and hunters are saddened.
An image of it.
https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/10359/makakoere-hut-te-urewera
Yep, a decent enough hut, to stop, have a rest, eat some food, and continue. Worked for decades. But totally understandable that it is no longer fit for purpose. Lets burn all that shit down. One hut a time.
Clear some trees, concrete some roads and build some mansions fit for the current time with air conditioning, duckfeather duvets and five star cuisine and a several hundered dollar ticket per night. Are you rich enough?
Tis the 17th???
Someone is in a hurry for Christmas.
Well, as we are talking about Christmas, all I wish for is a government that talks socialism like Mick Lynch.
Not the neoliberal managers we presently have.
Someone nearly gave me a panic attack.
It'll be coal for me
Don’t think so you have been good .
Couldn't fathom out what coal had to do with it. Duh…
Anne, A present under the tree/ in the stocking if you are good, or a piece of coal if you are bad. lol .
First I've heard of that one.
I remember the extra large orange in the toe of the stocking. Always felt a bit cheated – less room in the stocking for toys n' things.
People did that after war time shortages. For me it was a bottle of Fanta… the only time I had soft drink.
Oops, now corrected.
AND they say time travel is NOT possible.
Time is an illusion but a useful one because it helps us keep track of … who we are.
Yeah but what about AGE.
That is not an illusion (bugger)
"Patients are so vulnerable to Covid and these anti-vaxxers have been sneaking in and putting lots of children suffering from heart conditions at risk. At no time has security ever been needed like this," the mother said.
"A really safe space for sick and dying children has been grossly invaded. It’s our one place of refuge from a terminal illness."
She said families needed to be masked and tested on the ward and individuals refusing to comply with the requirements – "especially with their unmasked anti-vaxxer mates sneaking in" – were increasing the risk to other patients.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/starship-hospital-staff-really-stressed-security-ramps-baby-w
"Alex Jones is comparing the doctors at Starship Hospital to Josef Mengele and saying they're doing Nazi-style medical experiments on the baby."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/the-detail/story/2018871196/how-the-case-of-baby-w-made-global-headlines
Sue Grey , Liz Gunn, all the other anti vaxxers with their "concern" incl going on alex jones "info wars " FFS !
….have they any concern for those actually affected by their actions? IMO..None.
One circumstance where a bit of deterrent jail time for the idiots may be appropriate.
IMO ….Selfish jerks..and "Lawyer Sue" might be getting too close to the conspiracy flame
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/480645/lawyer-sue-grey-released-from-custody-after-being-accused-of-contempt-of-court
I should be banned for this but I would consider the John Cleese solution to discipline issues (only in jest)
KJT @ 3.1
Absolutely.
Not related to antivaxxers but this item is yet another example of our ability to lead normal lives without fear being negatively affected by mad conspiracy theorists and extreme political agitators:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/16/new-zealand-set-to-cancel-jacinda-arderns-waitangi-day-bbq-amid-security-concerns
It's time a much harder line is taken to counter all of them regardless of their individual fixations. Currently we are letting these crackpots – be they anti-vaxxers or some other extreme fantasists – get away with their anti-social activities with little more than a wet bus ticket.
Time in jail contemplating their futures is a highly desirable alternative.
Look on the bright side. The hate towards the PM will mostly ( not all) transfer to David Seymour and to a lesser extent, Luxon, after the next election. However, the protests and threats will be way more severe because mainstream groups will be protesting their loss of funding and importance under a Nat/Act coalition. That of course presupposes National and ACT can come to a political arrangement. That isn't a given yet.
Good observation. I've a couple of long time friends who have disappeared down the hole and it's a powerlessness in the face of a rapidly changing world and backlash at the neo-con, globalist world. Whoever is PM next Christmas will be getting just as much grief from the same people. Luxon is no more their thing than Arden, and probably viewed with more suspicion.
Very interesting times ahead, Graeme.
I'm inclined to think "useful idiots" might be a tad more accurate as a description. Someone else's agenda is at play and it's on the move and making inroads. If we get Luxon's coronation next year, it will be the 'normie' expression of the same underlying sentiments.
But jail time will just lend credibility to their delusions of persecution.
In times of political crisis/public insecurity resist the temptation to
1. jail people
2. suppress protest
3. label alternative opinion conspiracy theory (a term invented by the spooks to marginalise truth tellers – and some of it is just that)
4. pretend to be professionals able to prognosis others as narcissists and sociopaths.
Don't become Orwellian.
It is not "alternative opinion".
It is a bunch of deluded idiots putting other people at risk.
They can spout their nonsence in a protest as much as they want. When it is putting already sick kids at extra risk, however!!
I think you have had your authoritarian jollies for now. Much of the extremism you are bitching about is a direct reaction to state overreach this past two years.
Time to pack it in. Otherwise what SPC said.
Keeping people safe during a deadly pandemic is "State overreach"?
If you support as the ones threatening the safety of sick children, by flouting masking and separation rules in hospitals, you are as much of a fucking idiot as they are.
You can see how seriously hospitals are taking masking during a "deadly pandemic" by watching the baby uplift scene.
Yes – here in Brisbane mask wearing even in medical settings is hit and miss now.
If you are wearing a properly fitted and tested mask with no air leaks then well and good. Otherwise they are just virtue signaling.
"If you are wearing a properly fitted and tested mask with no air leaks then well and good. Otherwise they are just virtue signaling."
What???
How about,
If you are wearing a properly fitted and tested mask with no air leaks then well and good. Otherwise they are just trying their best to help everyone else!!
You think people who believe their mask-wearing is protecting their neighbours, relatives and friends, are virtue signalling???
I'm appalled by that claim.
Any mask reduces the viral load you are exposed to. Fit-tested N95s are clearly the best but it is not a binary proposition.
But…virtue signalling!!
The perfect counter to … reason!!
More so than you might imagine. How many times have you taken a respiratory mask fit test? Because I can advise it is remarkably easy to fail.
I am happy to accept that a mask of any kind will stop large droplets that someone might sneeze or cough, but the highly aerosolised viral particles that persist in the air for many hours – are another question again.
The weak point of any mask is the concave gap between the bridge of the nose and the top of the cheeks. All masks intended to be used in hazardous environments, will have a firm shape that fits this space and a strap scheme that applies sufficient force to keep the gap closed reliably. The usual blue and white paper mask most people use, or cheap N95's with a flimsy bit of elastic for a strap simply do not achieve this.
If you wear glasses and find that when you first put a mask on they fog up, this is because the bulk of the air you are inhaling and exhaling is taking the path of least resistance through this gap. And this means the mask is doing little to protect you or anyone else from the very fine, highly suspended viral particles that are the dominant hazard.
Any industrial hygienist will tell you this.
But you are criticising those who believe their efforts are effective and want to help their fellow man avoid harm. You call that, "virtue signalling". That's offensive.
You may be able to "prove them wrong" in their belief, but your attempts to prove them "virtue signallers" is misguided and harmful.
Last year I was working at a site which produced lithium hydroxide and at the back end of the plant where it is packaged there is a very fine, invisible to the eye, dust in the air.
Lithium hydroxide is caustic (just like sodium hydroxide) and will definitely cause harm to your airways and lungs if inhaled. The smallest particle sizes are of the similar order to a typical virus.
You can be absolutely certain we took mast fit testing, and proper wearing of our high quality PPE very seriously. The usual kind of mask people wear for COVID protection was simply not an option – a sackable offence if you should be stupid enough to try getting away with using one.
So while I accept the term 'virtue signaling' might be a blunt way of putting it, if you are serious about wanting to reduce virus load, then you need to be serious about the mask. Most people are not.
"Most people" are acting with integrity and to the best of their ability. Based on the best information available to them and their feelings of altruism and their willingness to help others, they are masking-up.
Accusing them of "virtue signalling" is despicable, imo.
So what would call an action that is intended to look like it is doing something useful – but in reality is not?
Happy to go with your suggestion.
Mask wearing is not about looks.
"So what would call an action that is intended to
look like it is doing something usefulkeep others safe – but inrealityRedLogix' opinion, is not?Happy to go with your suggestion."
Sincerity, altruism, genuine concern for more vulnerable people,
The harm from Covid is also not a binary proposition. Challenging for more linear minds, I know.
Jailed for what exactly?
The hospital appears to be doing its job – if people won't follow masking/testing rules they're not allowed in. People are being arseholes, but I didn't see anything in the article that suggesting criminality.
Endangering others, like they are, is criminal.
No different from speeding through a residential street full of kids playing, at 100k.
Or, ram raiding a dairy with people inside.
Some appear to have been infected since covid by "Libertarian philosphy" where "individual freedom" is sacrosanct, no matter what the harm it does to everyone else.
In fact your "freedom should end" where my nose begins".
We interfere with the urge to indulge in the "individual freedom" to punch someone, when another will get hurt.
Anyone who thinks recent actions to reduce the harm caused by covid, which were supported by over 90% at the time was "State overreach" has lost the plot.
"Sue Grey , Liz Gunn, all the other anti vaxxers with their "concern" incl going on alex jones "info wars " FFS !"
Anti-vax followers are a diverse and varied bunch. But the leaders of the movement (and other conspiracy movements) often seem to be narcissist-types, IMHO. They don’t care about anyone else.
"But the leaders of the movement (and other conspiracy movements) often seem to be narcissist-types…"
My thoughts too. Anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of a full blown narcissist, no matter the circumstance, will recognise that is precisely what they are. Add a bit of sociopathy to the mix and you've got a huge amount of damage to individuals and… society as a whole.
Absolutely. No matter how they pretend…Its ALL about them.
Climate change dangers – a new one
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/16/almost-8000-us-shootings-attributed-to-unseasonable-heat-study
Hi Barfly, have you had your MSD issues sorted? Regarding temperatures and behaviour, 42 deg in London!! I thought wow!! What will we get this summer? Sea temperatures are alarming right now. So another stress factor.
Thanx Patricia – yes MSD is all done and satisfactorily no more anxiety on that score
Great news.
“In this video, 4 New Zealand scientists talk about how the water cycle is part of Earth’s system. They point out that Earth’s system consists of 4 subsystems – the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere – which all interact with each other.”
https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1256-what-is-the-earth-system
Includes a small…but important video
Note the Dates….Published 3 August 2009, Updated 1 October 2012
Did some of those Kids….become engaged with this ? Oh for the Teachers that would connect with them. IMO they probably dont do it just for the pay…but worth every amount.
Also in link…
https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/citizen_science
Ive been involved with some…so Interesting. I am but a layman…but I do like to know ….and how in small way to help..Our Earth.
.https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-29-09-2022/#comment-1912912
6.2
Some of you are teachers/lecturers , I’m sure.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04397-7
Could make essay marking even harder.
”The replies are so lucid, well-researched and decently referenced that some academics are calling the bot the death knell for conventional forms of educational assessment. How worried should professors and lecturers be?”
Some commenters on TS may consider using it 😉
Could improve their logic
Examiners should be setting and marking "problem solving" exams, not asking for regurgitation of rote learning!
It is lazy exam questions that allows bots, or purchased set answers, to be usable.
Russia's Special Military Operation, 'SMO' is following the arc of that other infamous undeclared 'WAR'.
As the Vietnam War dragged on with no resolution, it became increasingly difficult for the American public and especially broadcast commentators to discern what the US was actually trying to achieve with the war. The same in Russia.
Yes the comparison with Vietnam is worth making. It can only be understood within the context of the Cold War – which was a decades long, highly intense confrontation with Stalinist Russia and Maoist China, both brutal, totalitarian marxist proto-empires. That was the underlying motivation.
Vietnam itself was a mistake and long recognised as such. Moreover as the futility and stupidity of that mistake became evident to people all across the western world, the will to continue the war, to commit to the escalation necessary to win – evaporated.
The difference worth noting however is that in the West the people were able to protest the war without incurring massive personal cost, such as decade long prison sentences or worse. In Russia right this is not possible; all organised opposition is imprisoned (such as Navalney) or has gone into exile.
Again my point is not that the West is incapable of making terrible mistakes – no human polity is immune from this. It is that open liberal democracy that respects at least the principle of individual rights and the concept of citizenship, and thus contains the means to self-correct those mistakes.
By contrast consider the era of the gulags – a horror that the authoritarian Soviets had no choice but to continue to double down on until the death of the tyrant shook loose the system and brought it to an end. (Well at least until recently when Putin thought it a fine thing to rehabilitate Stalin and the cruel ethos of the prison state.)
By Biden's own admission a resumption of the cold war is underway, and it will take fifty to sixty years to play out. The Ukrainian conflict apparently is just the opening salvo.
I can't provide a link, but see "China – the change agent" on michael-hudson.com
Biden is a fair measure smarter than LBJ.
Currently reading "Blood Lands" by Timothy Snyder – about Europe between Hitler and Stalin.
The deliberately engineered famine in the Ukraine, 1931-33 which killed at least 3.3 million people, should make all Ukrainians detest Russians forever!
And I'm only up to about p100 of 408!!
Julia Davis is awesome.
The reported story is a rare case of (mild) dissent aired in public. There is no right to protest or free speech in Russia, and no permitted independent media, so public dissent might not have the same effect as it did in the USA over the Vietnam war, unfortunately.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018871626/principal-experimentalist-explains-nuclear-fusion-breakthrough
As the link says Kim Hill interviews one of the sciencetists who made the break through re nuclear-fusion. I found it informative.
National MP Barbara Kuriger is toast, but what will Luxon do about it? Will he butter it, burn it, burry it, or biff it?
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/mps-emails-show-pattern-of-personal-attacks-on-ministry
Wow!! What entitled behaviour. Scratch the surface and their behaviour is almost scary in relation to rule of law!! Too many Nats think they are a breed apart. Woodhouse Kuriger et al. Wasn't she the woman who "helped" a young Southland MP Todd Barclay?
It begs the question why this wasn’t picked up by the National Party long before the MPI whistle blower blew the whistle in Luxon’s ear.
Ummmm because national doesn't mind you being an entitled bully it's only a problem if ypu get caught.
Elmo's a Poots humper.
https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1603675700313325569
https://twitter.com/noclador/status/1603773315906240514
Tesla’s third largest private shareholder.
https://twitter.com/KoguanLeo/status/1603022448416407553
I think with more and more of these types of incidents occurring, law and order might become a greater issue at next year's election than the economy.
Hopefully more innocent people aren't killed or maimed when doing their jobs, while we continue to wait for Labour to move out of the denial phase.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300767728/machetewielding-robber-chops-off-dairy-workers-fingers-in-vicious-attack
Do you play on Lichess? I wouldn't mind testing your skills.
It begs a question about Xmas holidays this year. Will it be quiet because people have tightened their belts, or will crime spiral completely out of control because crims take advantage of stretched police resources and an over taxed retail sector?
There is no evidence crime is out of control, nor that criminals are taking advantage of a "stretched" police resources.
The only part of the retail sector that is overtaxed is tobacco, as with other government interventions (such as the RB QE) it distorts the market in harmful ways, and this can and does result in greed. The problem with polite middle class society it likes incentives when they do well out of it, but no much when it gives others "ideas" about how to afford the latest phone/big screen TV.
''There is no evidence crime is out of control, nor that criminals are taking advantage of a "stretched" police resources.''
Let's see what happened today:
1- Law abiding citizen has two finger chopped off in a robbery.
2- A probable gang-banger shot dead in a church car park.
3- I have seen hardcore violence at my local supermarket all year. The latest 3 days ago when two security guards tackled a meat thief who had the audacity to say " I'm only trying to feed my whanau – let me go!
I lost count of crimes committed during my month away from this blog.
Are you going by official stats?
''The only part of the retail sector that is overtaxed is tobacco.''
You must live in a great part of the country. In my area many shops are advertising for workers. Shop after shop after shop.
Crime stats are not based on perceptions based on media reports.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/130778313/underfire-police-bosses-tell-mps-they-can-only-do-so-much-about-youth-crime
Yeah. It's only up at the under 14 level – where there is a factor of truancy and acting out for social media show.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/the-whole-truth/300735972/the-whole-truth-what-the-youth-crime-statistics-actually-say
That said there is a real upsurge with crime at the "corner dairy" (seeking the overtaxed tobacco) or supermarket level (not all retail) with theft of food – that indicates pressure on budgets.
''Crime stats are not based on perceptions based on media reports.''
That's correct. Stats are also not based on unreported crimes. Stats are also categorised. That means an overall trend of increased violence and nastiness may not show in overall figures. Domestic Violence is an example. Some triggers for the worst type of violence just numbs the mind:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/130646344/gang-member-tried-to-kill-woman-in-her-home-after-being-denied-cigarette
The hapless Police Commissioner was stating how ram raids have reduced. That may be true, but what about youth crime in general? Crime that won't be reported?
The second link gives you the official stats on youth crime, they were trending down (2017 to 2021) but have risen this year. The 15-19 category back at the late 2020 level, and the under 14 now a little higher.
That is evidence, but not proof.
"There is no evidence crime is out of control"
You obviously do not read or watch the news. Where are you living? Mars?
So reality is based on the news coverage you consume?
Heard of red pill and red pill – Fox and liberal MSM?
Heard of taking off your rose tinted glasses and actually admitting not all is well in paradise.
Evidence is not proof.
Perhaps you should work in a dairy for a few weeks. If you lost a couple of fingers would that be enough proof for you?
What would that prove?
That crime is out of control?
Would losing my wallet to a pick-pocket prove the same thing?
Evidence is not proof.
There is an awful lot of evidence lately.
More than ever before?
Enough to support the claim that crime is "out of control"?
Yep. More than before. It's definitely more than a spike. Many no longer reported.
"Many no longer being reported"
Got proof of that?
Yep. The local liquor store that has been hit 7 times. My local Countdown. I witnessed a robbery the other night at Countdown. Spoke with the manager there. They no longer call the police. That was at least the third one that week and it was only Wednesday!
You have to get out and talk to people on the coalface.
$20,000 of tobacco being held at the start of weekends … in former times it was a cash till grab (and transfer to safe and or mid-day banking reduced risk).
The retailing of the product is a crime magnet, so who has the smarts to solve this?
I say sell smokes in other ways.
1. automated kiosk (refilled during the day the same way that cash is moved for banks).
2. subscription supply from a warehouse (delivered each week by a courier).
A bloke with a kid on the way loses some of his fingers, but yeah, you go make your point
If you were concerned about such crime as your post implied
you would have sought discussion about this issue and a way to prevent them. This case demonstrated that defensive systems – such as fog cannons, are not enough to prevent all threat.
The cause is the high value of the (overtaxed) item in the shop. There are only two options reduce the tax and supply by ration card to those who sign up or maintain the tax and supply in safer ways to those who consume.
NZ in a years time:
Watch | Facebook
‘He Shot My Arm Off!’: Liquor Store Owner Stops Armed Robbery by Firing Back at Suspects – YouTube
Liquor stores for the tillcash? That just shows how sad the US society is.
The statistics do not show higher youth crime.
They do show more incidents involving those under 14.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/the-whole-truth/300735972/the-whole-truth-what-the-youth-crime-statistics-actually-say
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/130778313/underfire-police-bosses-tell-mps-they-can-only-do-so-much-about-youth-crime
No humanity, or concern for the victim, was indicated in the making of your post.
Merry Xmas.
Chess Player on The Standard.
You argued that law and order might become a greater issue at next year's election than the economy. And Labour was in a denial phase.
I quoted experts on crime. I might quote another expert, LPrent, if you lack the debate skills this might not be the site for you.
A baptism of fire for new Hamilton West MP, Tama Potaka. What is he going to do to arrest this massive increase in crime on his watch?
Nothing at the moment. But he and Mitchell better have a plan after National win the next election otherwise National will be one hit wonders. The message voters send Labour at election time will also apply to National. Law abiding citizens from what I have seen, heard and read, have had a gutsful.
"he and Mitchell "
He & Mitchell?
We're pinning our hopes on those two??
Heaven help us all!
This is such a tragedy.
The usual gang apologists like Russell Brown, Kiri Allan and Jarod Gilbert will do what they always do, but I feel for the family of the guy murdered.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300767748/auckland-church-shooting-victim-was-46yearold-daniel-eliu
And other people don't?
Read the story again. The deceased is exactly the kind of person you think should be in jail, with knee-jerk "lock 'em up and throw away the key". He committed serious crimes.
But if you do believe in the chance of redemption and welcome the support he was getting, have a word with your chums who dismiss that as "kumbaya" and "mush".
Do you?
From the link: “He had sought to turn his life around and had tragically just finished attending an empowerment gathering for people who sought to leave lives of crime.”
Mush, right?
Did you read the article? Daniel Eliu was a convicted violent criminal offender and a lifetime gang member.
Before he was gunned down he had apparently attended a Grace Foundation rehabilitation program run by the father of National Party aligned David Letele, himself a former gang member.
Amazing how some gang run rehabilitation programs are slated by right wing nut jobs and others are not…
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/emergency-services-respond-to-incident-at-a-church-in-south-auckland/J44CXBJIWRHHTFGRGVW57WCNB4/
Chess Player I feel for the murdered guys previous victims. And yes his family too.
Take a bow, tankies.
/
https://twitter.com/maria_avdv/status/1603386593208844296
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-body-armor-chidlren-russia/32091558.html
This is how it ends, a bio diversity disaster, or a mysterious apocalypse that causes the spread of misinformation and violence, or a hearing on Capitol Hill?
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64009203