In a previous US election post, you suggested voter fraud in Super Tuesday results. You relied on TDMS research for evidence. Turns out TDMS was being "misleading at best and corrosive at worst."
Importantly, it used exit poll numbers from 8 p.m. on the day of the primary, according to the table. Those numbers were updated two hours later, though, according to CNN, the outlet cited in the table.
What does "updated" mean? My understanding is that as published results come in, the exit poll numbers are shifted or altered to better accord with the published count. You see the problem there, right?
If votes have been flipped, then the exit poll numbers will be shifted, and guess what?… "Nothing to See Here". That's why the initial exit poll numbers are used.
Besides, you'd reasonably expect inaccurate exit polls to shift this way and that way in relation to the published count, yes? But when they only shift on favour of "establishment" candidates and against "non- establishment" candidates in state after state, well….
And you also might want to reflect on the leanings of Facebook's "fact checking" orgs. and not just uncritically accept what they say.
edit. Almost forgot. The same methodology was used for the 2016 primaries, and as mentioned in my original post, the Republican Primaries were almost all within the margins of error while Democratic ones (with polling taken at the same time for each party’s primary) were out of whack in favour of Clinton.
"Updated" in this context means that Edison Research adjust their exit polling data to account for sample bias in the exit poll.
Even with the best practices, there is no way an exit poll can guarantee that its raw sample of exit interviews is genuinely representative of people voting over the course of a day in a particular precinct.
To put it in the broadest possible terms, they're sort of working backwards in comparison to a traditional poll – instead of applying an assumed turnout model to a raw poll sample, they're applying a poll model to a raw turnout sample.
No. They already know the various bias in the exit poll, and any "updating" of the exit poll after polling booths have closed is in reaction to numbers coming from the published count ie, shifting exit poll numbers to better correlate with the numbers coming from the count.
In relation to the Massachusetts results, as explained on the TDMS site (my emphasis) – As this first published exit poll was subsequently adjusted towards conformity with the final computerized vote count, the currently published exit poll [on CNN] differs from the results above.
I've no idea why the international gold standard used for suggesting something may be awry in an election is suddenly to be thrown aside when the election results in question are Democratic Primary ones, but hey…
They already know the various bias in the exit poll,
That's just a plain old dumb statement. An exit poll is a sample and, by definition, you cannot know the bias in the sample until the actual results of the fucking election are in front of you. If you cannot understand how that leads to adjustment as real results start to roll in… that's entirely on you, kid.
I've no idea why the international gold standard used for suggesting something may be awry in an election is suddenly to be thrown aside
Quit making shit up. Exit polling is not "the gold standard" for monitoring potential election fraud in the slightest. You're being ridiculous.
Your first paragraph (if true) would mean that exit polls could not and would not be used for the detection of possible election fraud.
But, as written in the actual post on all of this, exit polling is precisely what is used to detect possible fraud.
Now, you can wave your arms around the place all that you like on that front, and you can even assert I'm making stuff up and that I'm ridiculous…but it won't alter the fact of the matter.
I want to stress I’m not trying to start a rumour, but just curious, or as they say on twitter – asking for a friend.
With many commentators suggesting this coronavirus crisis could last six months or longer and causing immense damage to our society and (I feel like I want to use a smaller font) the economy, what is the constitutional situation around voting in the middle of a pandemic?
Are there any rules around delaying an election, or cancelling one altogether?
On a lighter note, last night in bed my wife and I indulged in a little intimate elbow bumping.
To be frank, I don’t think it’ll ever replace ‘the real thing,’ but at my age, the real thing is becoming a distant memory, so intimate elbow bumping will have to do!
It amused us, which is as much as the real thing ever did, I suppose.
Then there's the guy who wanted to reduce the amount of close contacts he had, so he changed all his social media profiles to match his Tinder profile 🙂
She should get the VP slot. Of all the candidates for the nomination, even Sanders, Gubbard is the one most capable of pulling votes from Trump. Though her anti-war stances would turn off the neo-cons in the DNC.
I would also have Lisa Nandy as UKLP leader, but it looks like that ain’t happening.
Hmm. Would have quite liked to have seen her as Sanders' VP. I don't think there's any chance she'll be Joe Biden's VP pick – he'll be choosing whoever Clyburn recommends he choose.
Governments are building hospitals in weeks, rapidly training medical aides, mobilising resources and opening the cheque books to prop up economies. It is impressive to see the nation state in action in the interests of their people, especially after decades of being told it is an out of date concept.
"Governments are building hospitals in weeks, rapidly training medical aides,".
Is this true of our Government? The most energetic thing I have seen from our Health Minister, and one of his Associate Ministers, was to see them on TV watching someone get a flu jab.
I would far rather have seen them trying to speed up the supply of ventilators or ICU beds in our hospitals.
[second comment from this mod. There’s very little leeway here for comments that look like they intend to undermine the govt in such a serious crisis. Genuine critique of policy and actions that prompts constructive debate is good. This kind of smeary trolling has a pretty limited lifespan. If you haven’t seen it already I suggest you also read my comment to you from yesterday – weka]
The persona dramatis: Middle aged white guy, clearly a self-employed tradie of some sort. The core of John Key's base.
He said to the lady working behind the counter: "Even as a National supporter I have got to admit she (I assume he means the PM) is handling it reasonably well" followed by "Simon Bridges doesn't seem to understand that the essence of being a New Zealander is getting on with doing the job and not complaining all the time." BTW i am not necessarily agreeing with that last statement… But it shows widespread satisfaction with tje handling of the crisis by the government.
I think so too, most people I know and hear from are not even thinking politics, just getting on with their own lives and keeping themselves and their families safe.
I'm sure I don't. The public will be, at least for a while, totally enamoured with her approach. She does that part of politics superbly. Actual implementation of policy doesn't turn out as well, as KiwiBuild demonstrated.
Personally I expect there to be a snap election. Announce lots of plans for handling the virus and then declare that full support for the Government must be seen to be assured and call a snap election. My pick would be for 30 May or 6 June. I think they would probably get back with Labour and NZF though I don't think the Green Party will survive. Ms Ardern has completely overshadowed them.
On the other hand hanging on until September won't cut it. People will have had enough long before six more months are up and the virus hasn't gone away and deaths are occurring. It won't be deserved but the Government will cop the flack for the restrictions still going on.
That is what I can see as being the way for Labour to get another term. Shame it will mean that Winstone will still be there though.
And yes, I have seen the mod comments and understand where you are coming from.
Trying to be clever as usual, alwyn? I don't think you are aware of the environmental concerns of the base of Green Party support. You never demonstrate such concern yourself, and may be a covert denialist?
Whatever happens, and however bad the Greens are made to look by righties, I think there is an enlightened 5+% of our electorate who will always vote Green, simply because all other parties are far worse for the long term.
You think there is 5+% who will always vote Green. I don't. That is really the only difference between us.
No doubt we will see when the election comes around who is right. In the meantime I'm sure you won't let it upset you if their Poll numbers were to droop.
You will, I presume, also accept the will of the people if the bulk of the Green vote is vacuumed up by the Labour Party?
Of course, but will you even remember that you asked me, if it turns out that you are writing rubbish? And I think you meant 'drop' rather than 'droop'.
I'm wondering about politicians whose approaches the public may not have been notably enamoured with. If they didn't do that part of politics superbly and were so incompetent they left their successor needing to come up with policies such as KiwiBuild, albeit them not 'turning out well', what does that say about them?
Did they have sycophantic followers forcibly telling us how brilliant they were ?
Of course they did. Don't you remember people contributing to blogs who considered, in turn, that Helen Clark, Goff, Shearer, Cunliffe and Little were the greatest thing since sliced bread?
Shearer was actually pretty good. If they hadn't rolled him and kept so many no-hopers around, we would have had a competent option to the incumbents in the 2017 election. I would certainly have welcomed it.
But he was the only one if you look at Clark from about 2004 onwards. Before that she was pretty capable. Then she got the same disease that Muldoon and Bolger caught in their third terms.
Rubbish, alwyn. Shearer had no idea, and murdered himself with that ridiculous photo of himself holding up a big, dead fish. Without ever sounding convincing before or after.
Cunliffe would have had a chance if he had not misunderestimated the simplistic nature of the not-to-bright Kiwi male, and had his apology for being a male misrepresented by the NZ media.
Little still lacks charisma – maybe his only failing.
And personally, I never warmed to Helen Clark. But she did achieve the sliced bread thing.
I can remember some people who thought Shearer wasn't abysmal (me included), and some people who loved Cunliffe (while I wasn't overly impressed), and some people who liked Little (ISTR I did), but I don't recall any particular commenter here who loved each one "in turn".
I'll admit I would be very hard pressed to actually identify a single person who did take their opinions quite so far.
I do know some Labour Party members though who did think that way. The one the Party currently had as the leader was the only possible candidate for the greatest politician in the country.
It was the party members who were boring, not the party leaders.
I can't think of more than a handful of people I have met who became MPs who were boring. That would be among at least a hundred, and possibly 200 people. People who make into the MPs ranks are usually interesting to talk to and appear to be genuinely interested in whoever it is they are talking to. They have to be like that or I am sure they would go mad.
Well, even if that story is true, there's a fair chance that they were aware that any conversation with you would be quickly retransmitted as "I do know some Labour Party members who really dislike the current leader and much prefer [X]".
I find that comment offensive. I do not, ever, divulge the contents of personal conversations with people who aren't in the business professionally. I feel quite entitled to make derogatory remarks about people, MPs usually, who are claiming the right to set the rules for how I am allowed to behave. I don't claim the same right about people who don't want to decide what I am allowed to do.
You will never find any such comment by me anywhere.
Incidentally I am not, and never have been, a member of a Political Party. I don't trust any professional Politician. I respect the competent ones, and certainly don't respect the idiots but I don't trust any of them.
Just that you'd gleefully report the lack of confidence in a Labour leader in the same way you just reported that they had confidence in every leader Labour had.
[take the weekend off. As amusing as it is to see McFlock calmly countering your trolling here, I think you’ve now shifted from troll to flame-lite and I don’t want to have to keep track of it – weka]
Wonder how long it will be until people realise this is going to go on for a while and there will be adequate food and it settles down. Then how much longer after that til it goes real quiet as people realise maybe they'd better start eating their massive stockpiles before it goes bad.
I don't understand why supermarkets aren't setting aside specific hours for old and other vulnerable people to shop btw.
And as for the monied middle classes wiping shelves clean in states of panic, meaning that "week to week" grocery shoppers can't get the shit they regularly buy – well, I hope the fuckers choke.
I think I heard on RNZ National in the early hours of the morning that there had also be a major run of sales of freezers – but not about to try to find a link for this.
Some will be much more concerned about this innovative change in direction by a Martinborough gin distillery – what are they going to put with their 300 glasses of tonic water a day* to ward off COVID-19?
* Oh wait – who was it here talking about this in the last few days? LOL
"Nobody needs fucking hand sanitiser" and "Why are people so goddamned stupid"
I agree that soap and water – and proper washing and drying – is a better way to clean hands but there are situations where hand sanitiser is a convenient – dare I say it a necessary – substitute for some people, including medicos such as ambulance staff etc.
As I know from personal experience, people sometimes find themselves in situations where they have to carry out necessary medical procedures but there are no available hand washing facilities or these are not clean enough to use.
In such situations hand sanitiser is a godsend for people such as those with diabetes who need to inject insulin regularly or urgently; or those with glaucoma who have to apply eye drops throughout the course of the day, as your hands have to be extremely clean for these types of procedures.
Personally I have found people with diabetes and/or glaucoma, for example, no more or less "goddamned stupid" that those who see things in such black and white terms as your comment suggests.
Thanks. FYI or lprent's, it just did it again with my reply to Rosemary McD at 6.2.1.1.3.1 which again popped up twice – one with the ability to edit and one with no ability. Deleted the one with the ability to edit after checking all OK.
Will see what happens with this one …
All OK – only one this time.
One option we were looking at for a venue was aloe moisturiser as the "softener", so like 1/3 moisturiser 2/3 alcohol.
Ended up not bothering because it's not a recipe put about by moh or public health officers here, as far as we know. Could get confused between weight and volume and all that jazz.
Yes, veutoviper…lots and lots of soap and water handwashing here…to the point where the skin is beginning to peel.
BUT the precious couple of bottles of hand sanitizer I keep for just those medical type situations are worth their weight at the moment.
If you've ever seen the rigmarole the medics go through catheterising some bloke…then imagine doing that procedure while parked on the side of the road in your housebus…
BTW, hand sanitizer theoretically has a shelf life limit…I stabbed my hand the other day, and after allowing the deep wound to bleed one of the Offspring dug up a very old bottle from his car. Stung like absolute buggery…so my guess is it's still good. Wound has healed well.
Horses for courses, and hold fire with the censure eh?
Agree re the stinging etc! But would certainly not use meths pre injecting or near eyes … And it does not come in small sizes like hand sanitiser for popping in a pocket or bag.
I recently did a search through the house, and in bags etc and came up with a surprising number of part used hand sanitizer bottles of various sizes and ages which for the most part seem OK. Local supermaket owner is awaiting new stocks and is going to keep some off the shelves for customers like myself who she knows have an ongoing use/need for it.
Re shelf time limits, like a lot of things whether these are important or extendable really depends on the type of product, its stability and how/where it has been stored. According to my brother chemist, (snap!) hand sanitiser should be OK provided it has been kept in a cool dark place. If left somewhere hot like in a hot car, it often just evaporates. As well as a bigger first aid kit, I have a small "coolie bin" type soft bag (intended for taking lunch to work/school in hot climates) in my car with sanitiser, gloves etc in it which helps overcome evaporation, melting etc problems.
Re catherising, was trained in such things when mother was dying. I then went on to work as a trained medic volunteer at the local hospice c 10 hours a week for about decade, on top of very demanding jobs in the State Services as one of "them (insert word of choice!) bureaucrats".
Back to the run on Freezers… If things go really bad, I suspect that electricity supply could fail as well. So next run should be on petrol/diesel-run power generators, since fuel prices have dropped.
(Of course, with no power you will be lucky to be able to buy petrol or diesel, because petrol pumps are no longer fitted with hand-pump levers. This should soon result in a run on petrol/diesel..)
Right… so to prevent infection via the eyes (a major source of infection, since even people wearing masks will unconsciously end up touching their eyes) will people infer that Meth Spirits eyedrops are a good idea?
Silly thought, but are there any helpful eyedrops available? I doubt it.
All very well if you access to soap and water … for example if you work away from a building such as in the trade I work in or have just left a public area such as people's homes, public transport, the supermarket, the petrol station etc. Hand sanitiser is very useful.
Granted, hand sanitiser is very useful in this case.
The point I was aiming to make was that every man and his dog does not need a bottle of hand sanitiser. Most can use soap and water to wash their hands.
The fact that the world seems to have been scoured of every available bottle suggests that people believe that only hand sanitiser will clean their hands. Therefore my assertion that a good few of them are stupid, stands.
Nobody was talking about 300 glasses a day of tonic water, it was G&Ts. The difference matters. And if the gin runs out, I am not substituting in hand sanitiser.
I don't know why they don't just continue to make gin. Giving everyone the choice to either drink it or disinfect what ever part of their body they like.
Yeah – baked beans three times a week to avoid that sinking feeling of having wasted money.
The disappearance of my clients gave me a chance to go fishing yesterday – got enough for two meals and still well inside the actual catch limit (keep it sustainable folks). My tiny dinghy with a 5HP motor uses much less than a litre of fuel on an expedition – and it has functioning oars if needed. People in gin-palaces sweep past me with amusement and derision on their faces.
I also took the advice of the admirable greenies on here and got veggie seeds – things that will grow as it gets colder: rocket, broad beans, bok choi, radishes etc. I am nowhere near delusional enough to believe that self-sufficiency is possible for someone as incompetent as me. But if it wasn't for the fear of us running out of money or dying – things wouldn't be too bad.
There was a full page ad in today's Nelson Mail shared between a bunch of supermarkets requesting people to restrain themselves when shopping and not to buy up large. A good deed.
In brief they say: Shop like you normally would… some extra but not for weeks ahead.
Shop in our stores – they are safe. We have thorough cleaning but have increased measures.
Look out for each other – In times of uncertainty a little kindness goes a long way. Please be kind to fellow shoppers and to our store, supply chain and call centre teams who are working around the clock…They're our heroes.
PaknSave – New World – 4 Square – Raeward fresh – Countdown – Fresh Choice – Supervalue
So that is Woolworths NZ (extra info – NZ$6.2 billion fyt June 2018 18,500 employees fully-owned subsidiary of Australian and part of Woolworths Limited Group, which employs more than 190,000 team members globally.)
Foodstuffs (NZ) Ltd is jointly owned by two New Zealand grocery and liquor retailers' cooperatives, Foodstuffs North Island Limited and Foodstuffs South Island Limited.[1] Together, the two cooperatives collectively control an estimated 53% of the New Zealand grocery market. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foodstuffs
It started with toilet rolls – emptied the supermarkets. Then tinned foods – emptied the supermarkets. Then bread – emptied the supermarkets. All of these are now available again. The latest is washing powder. All gone in my local anyway.
What will be the next item to disappear from the shelves?
Btw, I happened upon a way to clear the supermarket aisle you occupy from fellow competitors. Sneeze. Preferably two of them and make sure they're loud. I can guarantee from personal experience (yesterday – hayfever) within 10 seconds you will have the aisle to yourself.
The important point is that while sneezing might not be a symptom of COVID-19 infection the fact is that all people occasionally sneeze. So, a carrier of COVID-19 can and most likely will spread virus particles when sneezing.
Don't go to the supermarket. Shop at your local corner shop, mini mart or Four Square. All the stuff the rampaging hordes have pillaged from Countdown and Pak 'n' Save is still in good supply at my local mini mart. Sure, it's a little more expensive but it's all there. And they could probably do with the business.
Watching the braying herds cram stacks of loo roll into their trolleys makes me chuckle. You know when your parents said to you, "If Jamie jumped off a cliff, would you jump off a cliff too?" Turns out that, yes, the human race would fling themselves into oblivion if they saw everyone else doing it. Lemmings, honestly.
Public Service Announcement: Toilet paper is not going to save you from the Apocalypse.
This neither the time nor place to launch personal attacks on other commenters here. If you have nothing nice to say, please say nothing. People who feel they need to ‘moderate’ here and can’t leave it to the real Moderators usually find themselves being moderated.
Brigid – people are not stupid, as you arrogantly infer. There are many times when people are out and about and soap and water are not nearby. So better sanitiser, than nothing.
How much did Labour have put aside in 2008 – zip… under your logic they fall into the ‘fuck them – they fall’ camp.
[lprent: If you want to just lie, then I suggest you go back to kiwiblog. If you want to comment here and want to assert a fact then you need to support it with something credible. I’m really not interested in tolerating fuckwit trolls myth spinning (ie blatantly lying). You also need to stay at least roughly on the topic. This is your only warning because you are pretty well known to me due to past trolling. ]
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Grifters gonna grift. And Burr is generally regarded as one of the more ethical and principled Repug senators. Wonder what the rest are up to while hoping they don't get busted?
Yes this was one of the main platforms of her running for office – to really take corruption out of Govt. For casual readers here is a synopsis of what Liz Warren had in mind, and evidence of what she has worked for in the past to reduce this sort of grifting at the publics expense. (from the link Andre provides above)
Both the plan her campaign released in the fall of 2019 and a bill she introduced in the Senate in 2018 would outright ban not just members of Congress, but federal judges, White House staff, senior congressional staff and Cabinet members from owning or trading individual stocks while they're in office. Instead, they would have to put their investments elsewhere, where they simply couldn't profit from having inside information that could affect individual companies or the overall market.
Our Reserve Bank could go one step further and purchase newly issued government bonds directly, rather than existing bonds from banks, to provide the government with a source of debt-free, zero-interest money at no cost to taxpayers to fund a basic income as part of the economic rescue package.
Using that method, taxpayers will not have to pick up the long term tab for billions in interest payments and the repayment of the debt which under standard QE simply provides bigger profits for the overseas shareholders of banks and other financial institutions.
Hand sanitiser is hard to get. I filled a spare empty window-spray bottle with liquid soap and water, and have it sitting in my car along with paper towels.
Dead easy, a few squirts and you can wash your hands easily and dry them off. Don't let shortages of the alcohol based products deprive you of other ways of getting your hands clean if you are not at home. Cheaper too, just as effective, and recycling plastic into other uses. Ticks all the boxes.
I filled up an old household cleaning spray bottle with a few squirts of dishwashing liquid and the rest water. Sprayed down some high contact surfaces and hope that should work to kill the virus. I looked at spraying a dilute bleach solution, but it's strong stuff and I don't want to ruin any benchtops, stainless steel etc. I also thought about using disinfectant instead, but the stuff we have is 1% benzalkonium chloride, and there seems to be mixed views on that ingredient's effectiveness.
An alcohol based disinfectant is the best anti microbial. Non alcohol disinfectants (or hand sanitiser), which contain benzalkkonium chloride, are less effective.
Not wishing to elbow anybody with regard to the extent and duration of this 2019 corona virus but it could still be lurking with vigor well in to 2021 or it may get a lot worse (like the Spanish flu of around 1918-1920 did). But at least for the moment, some still see a bit of humor in it and are showing esprit de corps, but if this drags on it will be devastating for a heavily dependent tourism economy such as NZ.
Also, asking constitutional questions regarding executive (emergency) powers and suspension of general elections is a most valid deliberation. I would think that this type of emergency should not get in the way of standard democratic process come September unless it gets a lot worse and various political factions as parties or MP's are at loggerheads in relation to any further critical and affirmative actions needing to be taken.
[Why are you using a different user name and e-mail address? Please explain – Incognito]
We carry a few dish cloths saturated in vinegar and detergent. Easy to use and launder. Pop into another bag after use to wash and refill. I keep a few pebbles in my pocket to press buttons with n toss away.
Pebbles should NOT be tossed onto the floor around checkout points.. Where is the most ecologically favourable place to toss then into?
(And remember, these are now probably infectious pebbles, and need a 14-day stand-down period..)
70 + years old are advised to stay home the younger tangata will need to help our Kau Matua with the kau Matua having to stay home they are our Taonga.
Good on the tangata jogging for logging
I walk my dog and keep away from people its so easy to read there body language.
Our scientists warned us about the effects of a virus like this and just like global warming the people in charge chose to ignore it for the love of money and power.
The taxpayers union is just a national party attack dog.????.
We need to be calm kind and careful. It is good that our government is looking at ways to help our homeless people.
Its good that the authorities have worked with local Iwi so they can check people going into their rohi to protect their Kaumatua from the effects of the virus.
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Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee 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 One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
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Hey Bill
In a previous US election post, you suggested voter fraud in Super Tuesday results. You relied on TDMS research for evidence. Turns out TDMS was being "misleading at best and corrosive at worst."
https://www.factcheck.org/2020/03/no-huge-red-flag-that-fraud-occurred-in-mass-primary/
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Hey Phil. Here's the bit that matters.
Importantly, it used exit poll numbers from 8 p.m. on the day of the primary, according to the table. Those numbers were updated two hours later, though, according to CNN, the outlet cited in the table.
What does "updated" mean? My understanding is that as published results come in, the exit poll numbers are shifted or altered to better accord with the published count. You see the problem there, right?
If votes have been flipped, then the exit poll numbers will be shifted, and guess what?… "Nothing to See Here". That's why the initial exit poll numbers are used.
Besides, you'd reasonably expect inaccurate exit polls to shift this way and that way in relation to the published count, yes? But when they only shift on favour of "establishment" candidates and against "non- establishment" candidates in state after state, well….
And you also might want to reflect on the leanings of Facebook's "fact checking" orgs. and not just uncritically accept what they say.
edit. Almost forgot. The same methodology was used for the 2016 primaries, and as mentioned in my original post, the Republican Primaries were almost all within the margins of error while Democratic ones (with polling taken at the same time for each party’s primary) were out of whack in favour of Clinton.
"Updated" in this context means that Edison Research adjust their exit polling data to account for sample bias in the exit poll.
Even with the best practices, there is no way an exit poll can guarantee that its raw sample of exit interviews is genuinely representative of people voting over the course of a day in a particular precinct.
To put it in the broadest possible terms, they're sort of working backwards in comparison to a traditional poll – instead of applying an assumed turnout model to a raw poll sample, they're applying a poll model to a raw turnout sample.
No. They already know the various bias in the exit poll, and any "updating" of the exit poll after polling booths have closed is in reaction to numbers coming from the published count ie, shifting exit poll numbers to better correlate with the numbers coming from the count.
In relation to the Massachusetts results, as explained on the TDMS site (my emphasis) – As this first published exit poll was subsequently adjusted towards conformity with the final computerized vote count, the currently published exit poll [on CNN] differs from the results above.
I've no idea why the international gold standard used for suggesting something may be awry in an election is suddenly to be thrown aside when the election results in question are Democratic Primary ones, but hey…
They already know the various bias in the exit poll,
That's just a plain old dumb statement. An exit poll is a sample and, by definition, you cannot know the bias in the sample until the actual results of the fucking election are in front of you. If you cannot understand how that leads to adjustment as real results start to roll in… that's entirely on you, kid.
I've no idea why the international gold standard used for suggesting something may be awry in an election is suddenly to be thrown aside
Quit making shit up. Exit polling is not "the gold standard" for monitoring potential election fraud in the slightest. You're being ridiculous.
Your first paragraph (if true) would mean that exit polls could not and would not be used for the detection of possible election fraud.
But, as written in the actual post on all of this, exit polling is precisely what is used to detect possible fraud.
Now, you can wave your arms around the place all that you like on that front, and you can even assert I'm making stuff up and that I'm ridiculous…but it won't alter the fact of the matter.
I want to stress I’m not trying to start a rumour, but just curious, or as they say on twitter – asking for a friend.
With many commentators suggesting this coronavirus crisis could last six months or longer and causing immense damage to our society and (I feel like I want to use a smaller font) the economy, what is the constitutional situation around voting in the middle of a pandemic?
Are there any rules around delaying an election, or cancelling one altogether?
On a lighter note, last night in bed my wife and I indulged in a little intimate elbow bumping.
To be frank, I don’t think it’ll ever replace ‘the real thing,’ but at my age, the real thing is becoming a distant memory, so intimate elbow bumping will have to do!
It amused us, which is as much as the real thing ever did, I suppose.
Election timetable … on Public Address there's a useful guide by Graeme Edgeler:
https://publicaddress.net/legalbeagle/pandemic-preparedness-and-the-new-zealand/
It's a good question (and I think it's almost certain we will still be dealing with this in September).
Nice to see some humour 🙂
Then there's the guy who wanted to reduce the amount of close contacts he had, so he changed all his social media profiles to match his Tinder profile 🙂
Gabbard is dropping out and endorsing Biden.
https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1240650484546859008
"Important Announcement" – sure.
As important as Vernon Tava announcing his preferred coalition partners.
Or she's angling for VP.
She should get the VP slot. Of all the candidates for the nomination, even Sanders, Gubbard is the one most capable of pulling votes from Trump. Though her anti-war stances would turn off the neo-cons in the DNC.
I would also have Lisa Nandy as UKLP leader, but it looks like that ain’t happening.
She's also around 2:1 underwater in favourability among Democrats that care enough about her to form an opinion.
Let alone what what moderate independents and moderate persuadable Republicans might think.
https://www86.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/favorability/us/tulsi_gabbard_favorableunfavorable-6799.html
Dems already have California in the bag; she doesn't bring enough.
At most, she might pull a few David Duke and Alex Jones fanbois.
Hmm. Would have quite liked to have seen her as Sanders' VP. I don't think there's any chance she'll be Joe Biden's VP pick – he'll be choosing whoever Clyburn recommends he choose.
Stacey Abrams.
Oooh, brutal slam. On Vernon.
Some news.
https://twitter.com/RVAwonk/status/1240421018826682369
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615379/antibody-test-how-widespread-coronavirus-covid-19-really-is/?
Governments are building hospitals in weeks, rapidly training medical aides, mobilising resources and opening the cheque books to prop up economies. It is impressive to see the nation state in action in the interests of their people, especially after decades of being told it is an out of date concept.
"Governments are building hospitals in weeks, rapidly training medical aides,".
Is this true of our Government? The most energetic thing I have seen from our Health Minister, and one of his Associate Ministers, was to see them on TV watching someone get a flu jab.
I would far rather have seen them trying to speed up the supply of ventilators or ICU beds in our hospitals.
[second comment from this mod. There’s very little leeway here for comments that look like they intend to undermine the govt in such a serious crisis. Genuine critique of policy and actions that prompts constructive debate is good. This kind of smeary trolling has a pretty limited lifespan. If you haven’t seen it already I suggest you also read my comment to you from yesterday – weka]
I doubt you reflect the mood of the nation.
I just overheard in my local cafe getting coffee:
The persona dramatis: Middle aged white guy, clearly a self-employed tradie of some sort. The core of John Key's base.
He said to the lady working behind the counter: "Even as a National supporter I have got to admit she (I assume he means the PM) is handling it reasonably well" followed by "Simon Bridges doesn't seem to understand that the essence of being a New Zealander is getting on with doing the job and not complaining all the time." BTW i am not necessarily agreeing with that last statement… But it shows widespread satisfaction with tje handling of the crisis by the government.
Simon, Jacinda is eating your lunch big time.
I think so too, most people I know and hear from are not even thinking politics, just getting on with their own lives and keeping themselves and their families safe.
"I doubt you reflect the mood of the nation.".
I'm sure I don't. The public will be, at least for a while, totally enamoured with her approach. She does that part of politics superbly. Actual implementation of policy doesn't turn out as well, as KiwiBuild demonstrated.
Personally I expect there to be a snap election. Announce lots of plans for handling the virus and then declare that full support for the Government must be seen to be assured and call a snap election. My pick would be for 30 May or 6 June. I think they would probably get back with Labour and NZF though I don't think the Green Party will survive. Ms Ardern has completely overshadowed them.
On the other hand hanging on until September won't cut it. People will have had enough long before six more months are up and the virus hasn't gone away and deaths are occurring. It won't be deserved but the Government will cop the flack for the restrictions still going on.
That is what I can see as being the way for Labour to get another term. Shame it will mean that Winstone will still be there though.
And yes, I have seen the mod comments and understand where you are coming from.
Trying to be clever as usual, alwyn? I don't think you are aware of the environmental concerns of the base of Green Party support. You never demonstrate such concern yourself, and may be a covert denialist?
Whatever happens, and however bad the Greens are made to look by righties, I think there is an enlightened 5+% of our electorate who will always vote Green, simply because all other parties are far worse for the long term.
You think there is 5+% who will always vote Green. I don't. That is really the only difference between us.
No doubt we will see when the election comes around who is right. In the meantime I'm sure you won't let it upset you if their Poll numbers were to droop.
You will, I presume, also accept the will of the people if the bulk of the Green vote is vacuumed up by the Labour Party?
Of course, but will you even remember that you asked me, if it turns out that you are writing rubbish? And I think you meant 'drop' rather than 'droop'.
You are a careful reader. I really did mean droop actually.
The current lot of MPs strike me as so dreadfully wet that "droop" seemed totally appropriate.
As far as being wrong goes I will admit that I may be wrong. I don't think describing the views as being "rubbish" is quite valid though.
Time will tell for both of us. (If the virus does not take us out…)
"
(If the virus does not take us out…)"
Ouch! Did you really need to remind me of my advancing years?
I'm wondering about politicians whose approaches the public may not have been notably enamoured with. If they didn't do that part of politics superbly and were so incompetent they left their successor needing to come up with policies such as KiwiBuild, albeit them not 'turning out well', what does that say about them?
Did they have sycophantic followers forcibly telling us how brilliant they were ?
"Did they have sycophantic followers".
Of course they did. Don't you remember people contributing to blogs who considered, in turn, that Helen Clark, Goff, Shearer, Cunliffe and Little were the greatest thing since sliced bread?
Shearer was actually pretty good. If they hadn't rolled him and kept so many no-hopers around, we would have had a competent option to the incumbents in the 2017 election. I would certainly have welcomed it.
But he was the only one if you look at Clark from about 2004 onwards. Before that she was pretty capable. Then she got the same disease that Muldoon and Bolger caught in their third terms.
Rubbish, alwyn. Shearer had no idea, and murdered himself with that ridiculous photo of himself holding up a big, dead fish. Without ever sounding convincing before or after.
Cunliffe would have had a chance if he had not misunderestimated the simplistic nature of the not-to-bright Kiwi male, and had his apology for being a male misrepresented by the NZ media.
Little still lacks charisma – maybe his only failing.
And personally, I never warmed to Helen Clark. But she did achieve the sliced bread thing.
I can remember some people who thought Shearer wasn't abysmal (me included), and some people who loved Cunliffe (while I wasn't overly impressed), and some people who liked Little (ISTR I did), but I don't recall any particular commenter here who loved each one "in turn".
"who loved each one "in turn"".
I'll admit I would be very hard pressed to actually identify a single person who did take their opinions quite so far.
I do know some Labour Party members though who did think that way. The one the Party currently had as the leader was the only possible candidate for the greatest politician in the country.
Dead boring they mostly were to talk to though.
And did you enjoy rewarding conversations with any of National's leaders?
It was the party members who were boring, not the party leaders.
I can't think of more than a handful of people I have met who became MPs who were boring. That would be among at least a hundred, and possibly 200 people. People who make into the MPs ranks are usually interesting to talk to and appear to be genuinely interested in whoever it is they are talking to. They have to be like that or I am sure they would go mad.
Well, even if that story is true, there's a fair chance that they were aware that any conversation with you would be quickly retransmitted as "I do know some Labour Party members who really dislike the current leader and much prefer [X]".
I find that comment offensive. I do not, ever, divulge the contents of personal conversations with people who aren't in the business professionally. I feel quite entitled to make derogatory remarks about people, MPs usually, who are claiming the right to set the rules for how I am allowed to behave. I don't claim the same right about people who don't want to decide what I am allowed to do.
You will never find any such comment by me anywhere.
Incidentally I am not, and never have been, a member of a Political Party. I don't trust any professional Politician. I respect the competent ones, and certainly don't respect the idiots but I don't trust any of them.
They are all in it for themselves.
I didn't mean you'd actually name the members.
Just that you'd gleefully report the lack of confidence in a Labour leader in the same way you just reported that they had confidence in every leader Labour had.
Oh dear. You really are in a unhappy mood, aren't you?
Now why on earth do you suggest I would do that? I haven't and I won't do any such thing.
Perhaps I should use Yodaish Star Wars Remarks to describe you? How about 'The bile is bitter in that one'?
Alternatively I could use variants on the, probably apocryphal, statement of Lise Meitner. "I think you are confusing me with Professor Hahn".
In your case I think you are confusing me with Cinny.
https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-18-03-2020/#comment-1692574
https://thestandard.org.nz/burning-bridges/#comment-1692769
[take the weekend off. As amusing as it is to see McFlock calmly countering your trolling here, I think you’ve now shifted from troll to flame-lite and I don’t want to have to keep track of it – weka]
mod note.
tRump being the racist dick he so thoroughly is…
When he is supposed to be leading America though a pandemic, he is making hand edits to speeches to scapegoat China.
I see things are still nutso at supermarkets.
Wonder how long it will be until people realise this is going to go on for a while and there will be adequate food and it settles down. Then how much longer after that til it goes real quiet as people realise maybe they'd better start eating their massive stockpiles before it goes bad.
Toilet roll sandwiches?
I don't understand why supermarkets aren't setting aside specific hours for old and other vulnerable people to shop btw.
And as for the monied middle classes wiping shelves clean in states of panic, meaning that "week to week" grocery shoppers can't get the shit they regularly buy – well, I hope the fuckers choke.
I think I heard on RNZ National in the early hours of the morning that there had also be a major run of sales of freezers – but not about to try to find a link for this.
Some will be much more concerned about this innovative change in direction by a Martinborough gin distillery – what are they going to put with their 300 glasses of tonic water a day* to ward off COVID-19?
* Oh wait – who was it here talking about this in the last few days? LOL
– https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018739355/covid-19-gin-distillery-trialling-making-hand-sanitiser
Nobody needs fucking hand sanitizer. Soap and water is a better way to clean hands.
Why are people so goddamned stupid.
"Nobody needs fucking hand sanitiser" and "Why are people so goddamned stupid"
I agree that soap and water – and proper washing and drying – is a better way to clean hands but there are situations where hand sanitiser is a convenient – dare I say it a necessary – substitute for some people, including medicos such as ambulance staff etc.
As I know from personal experience, people sometimes find themselves in situations where they have to carry out necessary medical procedures but there are no available hand washing facilities or these are not clean enough to use.
In such situations hand sanitiser is a godsend for people such as those with diabetes who need to inject insulin regularly or urgently; or those with glaucoma who have to apply eye drops throughout the course of the day, as your hands have to be extremely clean for these types of procedures.
Personally I have found people with diabetes and/or glaucoma, for example, no more or less "goddamned stupid" that those who see things in such black and white terms as your comment suggests.
Ooops – don't know how that double posting happened and its too late for me to delete one!
Sorted 🙂
Thanks. FYI or lprent's, it just did it again with my reply to Rosemary McD at 6.2.1.1.3.1 which again popped up twice – one with the ability to edit and one with no ability. Deleted the one with the ability to edit after checking all OK.
Will see what happens with this one …
All OK – only one this time.
Then why not just use meths? After all hand sanitiser is mostly alchohol. Do people not know this? I suspect not.
I see there's plenty still in Mitrebe 10.
Meths would be fine…according my my chemist Offspring, but you might want to soften it with a bit of something or other…
One option we were looking at for a venue was aloe moisturiser as the "softener", so like 1/3 moisturiser 2/3 alcohol.
Ended up not bothering because it's not a recipe put about by moh or public health officers here, as far as we know. Could get confused between weight and volume and all that jazz.
Yes, veutoviper…lots and lots of soap and water handwashing here…to the point where the skin is beginning to peel.
BUT the precious couple of bottles of hand sanitizer I keep for just those medical type situations are worth their weight at the moment.
If you've ever seen the rigmarole the medics go through catheterising some bloke…then imagine doing that procedure while parked on the side of the road in your housebus…
BTW, hand sanitizer theoretically has a shelf life limit…I stabbed my hand the other day, and after allowing the deep wound to bleed one of the Offspring dug up a very old bottle from his car. Stung like absolute buggery…so my guess is it's still good. Wound has healed well.
Horses for courses, and hold fire with the censure eh?
Agree re the stinging etc! But would certainly not use meths pre injecting or near eyes … And it does not come in small sizes like hand sanitiser for popping in a pocket or bag.
I recently did a search through the house, and in bags etc and came up with a surprising number of part used hand sanitizer bottles of various sizes and ages which for the most part seem OK. Local supermaket owner is awaiting new stocks and is going to keep some off the shelves for customers like myself who she knows have an ongoing use/need for it.
Re shelf time limits, like a lot of things whether these are important or extendable really depends on the type of product, its stability and how/where it has been stored. According to my brother chemist, (snap!) hand sanitiser should be OK provided it has been kept in a cool dark place. If left somewhere hot like in a hot car, it often just evaporates. As well as a bigger first aid kit, I have a small "coolie bin" type soft bag (intended for taking lunch to work/school in hot climates) in my car with sanitiser, gloves etc in it which helps overcome evaporation, melting etc problems.
Re catherising, was trained in such things when mother was dying. I then went on to work as a trained medic volunteer at the local hospice c 10 hours a week for about decade, on top of very demanding jobs in the State Services as one of "them (insert word of choice!) bureaucrats".
Back to the run on Freezers… If things go really bad, I suspect that electricity supply could fail as well. So next run should be on petrol/diesel-run power generators, since fuel prices have dropped.
(Of course, with no power you will be lucky to be able to buy petrol or diesel, because petrol pumps are no longer fitted with hand-pump levers. This should soon result in a run on petrol/diesel..)
How far will these silly hoarders go?
" it does not come in small sizes like hand sanitiser"
I'm sure if you think hard you'd come up with a solution for that.
If you want to disinfect a site on the skin prior to injecting use alcohol. Or Iodine.
Methylated Spirits is denatured alchohol i.e. ethanol. It's every bit as good a disinfectant as the alcohol wipes used by health professionals.
I can't think of an instant where using alcohol to disinfect hands prior to applying eye drops would cause any problem.
You aren't expected to disinfect the eye after all. Are you?
Right… so to prevent infection via the eyes (a major source of infection, since even people wearing masks will unconsciously end up touching their eyes) will people infer that Meth Spirits eyedrops are a good idea?
Silly thought, but are there any helpful eyedrops available? I doubt it.
"will people infer that Meth Spirits eyedrops are a good idea?"
No
All very well if you access to soap and water … for example if you work away from a building such as in the trade I work in or have just left a public area such as people's homes, public transport, the supermarket, the petrol station etc. Hand sanitiser is very useful.
Granted, hand sanitiser is very useful in this case.
The point I was aiming to make was that every man and his dog does not need a bottle of hand sanitiser. Most can use soap and water to wash their hands.
The fact that the world seems to have been scoured of every available bottle suggests that people believe that only hand sanitiser will clean their hands. Therefore my assertion that a good few of them are stupid, stands.
Hence my question about Meths eyedrops. I would love to make up NCEA Level 1 English multi-choice questions about all this.
At home and work that's generally true, but good in the car as a back up since not all public toilets have soap in my experience.
Nobody was talking about 300 glasses a day of tonic water, it was G&Ts. The difference matters. And if the gin runs out, I am not substituting in hand sanitiser.
Well the fish are biting well today! I certainly agree that hand sanitiser is no match for good gin with your tonic water, LOL
I don't know why they don't just continue to make gin. Giving everyone the choice to either drink it or disinfect what ever part of their body they like.
Bloody good accelerant too. Hand sanitiser isn't.
Yeah – baked beans three times a week to avoid that sinking feeling of having wasted money.
The disappearance of my clients gave me a chance to go fishing yesterday – got enough for two meals and still well inside the actual catch limit (keep it sustainable folks). My tiny dinghy with a 5HP motor uses much less than a litre of fuel on an expedition – and it has functioning oars if needed. People in gin-palaces sweep past me with amusement and derision on their faces.
I also took the advice of the admirable greenies on here and got veggie seeds – things that will grow as it gets colder: rocket, broad beans, bok choi, radishes etc. I am nowhere near delusional enough to believe that self-sufficiency is possible for someone as incompetent as me. But if it wasn't for the fear of us running out of money or dying – things wouldn't be too bad.
Seeds, huh? So this is your fault?
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/never-seen-anything-like-it-before-garden-centres-selling-out-of-seedlings-as-supermarket-shelves-stand-empty/ar-BB11nUhm?li=BBqdg4K
Probably – though I was quite restrained!
There was a full page ad in today's Nelson Mail shared between a bunch of supermarkets requesting people to restrain themselves when shopping and not to buy up large. A good deed.
In brief they say: Shop like you normally would… some extra but not for weeks ahead.
Shop in our stores – they are safe. We have thorough cleaning but have increased measures.
Look out for each other – In times of uncertainty a little kindness goes a long way. Please be kind to fellow shoppers and to our store, supply chain and call centre teams who are working around the clock…They're our heroes.
PaknSave – New World – 4 Square – Raeward fresh – Countdown – Fresh Choice – Supervalue
So that is Woolworths NZ (extra info – NZ$6.2 billion fyt June 2018 18,500 employees fully-owned subsidiary of Australian and part of Woolworths Limited Group, which employs more than 190,000 team members globally.)
Foodstuffs (NZ) Ltd is jointly owned by two New Zealand grocery and liquor retailers' cooperatives, Foodstuffs North Island Limited and Foodstuffs South Island Limited.[1] Together, the two cooperatives collectively control an estimated 53% of the New Zealand grocery market. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foodstuffs
Andre @ 6.
It started with toilet rolls – emptied the supermarkets. Then tinned foods – emptied the supermarkets. Then bread – emptied the supermarkets. All of these are now available again. The latest is washing powder. All gone in my local anyway.
What will be the next item to disappear from the shelves?
Btw, I happened upon a way to clear the supermarket aisle you occupy from fellow competitors. Sneeze. Preferably two of them and make sure they're loud. I can guarantee from personal experience (yesterday – hayfever) within 10 seconds you will have the aisle to yourself.
"sneeze.."
Excellent idea.
Especially into your elbow while elbow-bumping. Multi-tasking!
Nice fake-out. Especially since sneezing isn't a common symptom of COVID-19. It's coughing that's the worry.
https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-identifying-the-symptoms
Now don't go muddying the issue with facts.
The important point is that while sneezing might not be a symptom of COVID-19 infection the fact is that all people occasionally sneeze. So, a carrier of COVID-19 can and most likely will spread virus particles when sneezing.
Don't go to the supermarket. Shop at your local corner shop, mini mart or Four Square. All the stuff the rampaging hordes have pillaged from Countdown and Pak 'n' Save is still in good supply at my local mini mart. Sure, it's a little more expensive but it's all there. And they could probably do with the business.
Watching the braying herds cram stacks of loo roll into their trolleys makes me chuckle. You know when your parents said to you, "If Jamie jumped off a cliff, would you jump off a cliff too?" Turns out that, yes, the human race would fling themselves into oblivion if they saw everyone else doing it. Lemmings, honestly.
Public Service Announcement: Toilet paper is not going to save you from the Apocalypse.
Come on, Wensetc – it could well be your local corner shop operators who did most of the hoarding…
The trucks that show up every day to deliver stock say otherwise.
Kiwis in Oz who lose jobs and if stuck without income come back here (we do not have any spare housing and especially not for those won a benefit)
So either Oz steps up, or we pay them the dole while they are in Oz while in Oz (and and Oz gives them their AS).
Good point SPC – Look after those poor kiwis stuck in the lucky country.
To: Alwyn
You endlessly try and belittle the real people of New Zealand.
Why?
Is it because the National Party demands that you lust over the struggling poor and
demand they receive the worst possible Life and Livelyhood ? You dine like Pigs with the Landords ! Don't you Alwyn.
"Don't you Alwyn."
Well NO actually. I'm afraid that your comment here is simply delusional. Do these hot flushes happen to you frequently? Try a cold shower.
You'll have stocked up on bogroll then.
NO, simple solution Sell off your shares to pay you tax obligation.
This neither the time nor place to launch personal attacks on other commenters here. If you have nothing nice to say, please say nothing. People who feel they need to ‘moderate’ here and can’t leave it to the real Moderators usually find themselves being moderated.
Brigid – people are not stupid, as you arrogantly infer. There are many times when people are out and about and soap and water are not nearby. So better sanitiser, than nothing.
How much did Labour have put aside in 2008 – zip… under your logic they fall into the ‘fuck them – they fall’ camp.
[lprent: If you want to just lie, then I suggest you go back to kiwiblog. If you want to comment here and want to assert a fact then you need to support it with something credible. I’m really not interested in tolerating fuckwit trolls myth spinning (ie blatantly lying). You also need to stay at least roughly on the topic. This is your only warning because you are pretty well known to me due to past trolling. ]
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
We won, you lost, eat that !~
[lprent: And that isn’t helpful either. Continue in that vein and I’m liable to lose you off the site. ]
Grifters gonna grift. And Burr is generally regarded as one of the more ethical and principled Repug senators. Wonder what the rest are up to while hoping they don't get busted?
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/senator-richard-burr-coronavirus-stock_n_5e73e80dc5b6f5b7c5412d6c
Oh Look! Another one.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/sen-kelly-loeffler-dumped-millions-in-stock-after-coronavirus-briefing?source=twitter&via=desktop
And another..
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/03/republican-jim-inhofe-dumped-up-to-450000-in-stock-the-fourth-gop-senator-implicated-in-scandal-report/
And another
https://twitter.com/TheRickyDavila/status/1240837180018192385
And then there were five…
So far the list is Richard Burr (R-NC), Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/488593-four-senators-sold-stocks-before-coronavirus-threat-crashed-market
Of course, Liz has a plan for that.
https://www.salon.com/2020/03/20/republicans-are-actually-supervillains-they-profited-while-abandoning-us-to-coronavirus/
Yes this was one of the main platforms of her running for office – to really take corruption out of Govt. For casual readers here is a synopsis of what Liz Warren had in mind, and evidence of what she has worked for in the past to reduce this sort of grifting at the publics expense. (from the link Andre provides above)
Interesting rah rah Social Credit? Has your time come?
Bernard Hickey Recommends Using Social Credit Economic Policy
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/03/20/bernard-hickey-recommends-using-social-credit-economic-policy/
Our Reserve Bank could go one step further and purchase newly issued government bonds directly, rather than existing bonds from banks, to provide the government with a source of debt-free, zero-interest money at no cost to taxpayers to fund a basic income as part of the economic rescue package.
Using that method, taxpayers will not have to pick up the long term tab for billions in interest payments and the repayment of the debt which under standard QE simply provides bigger profits for the overseas shareholders of banks and other financial institutions.
Well it won't be inflationary.
And its the right way to finance government led activity when the capitalist system cannot cope/function/fails.
Indeed!
It's the right way to finance any government led activity at any time. Why increase banks' profits when there's no need.
Hand sanitiser is hard to get. I filled a spare empty window-spray bottle with liquid soap and water, and have it sitting in my car along with paper towels.
Dead easy, a few squirts and you can wash your hands easily and dry them off. Don't let shortages of the alcohol based products deprive you of other ways of getting your hands clean if you are not at home. Cheaper too, just as effective, and recycling plastic into other uses. Ticks all the boxes.
I filled up an old household cleaning spray bottle with a few squirts of dishwashing liquid and the rest water. Sprayed down some high contact surfaces and hope that should work to kill the virus. I looked at spraying a dilute bleach solution, but it's strong stuff and I don't want to ruin any benchtops, stainless steel etc. I also thought about using disinfectant instead, but the stuff we have is 1% benzalkonium chloride, and there seems to be mixed views on that ingredient's effectiveness.
As I understood, disinfectants kill bacteria but not viruses, so why bother?
An alcohol based disinfectant is the best anti microbial. Non alcohol disinfectants (or hand sanitiser), which contain benzalkkonium chloride, are less effective.
Have Googled, and now agree that alcohol-based is effective. Hope that internally applied alcohol is also effective!
Not wishing to elbow anybody with regard to the extent and duration of this 2019 corona virus but it could still be lurking with vigor well in to 2021 or it may get a lot worse (like the Spanish flu of around 1918-1920 did). But at least for the moment, some still see a bit of humor in it and are showing esprit de corps, but if this drags on it will be devastating for a heavily dependent tourism economy such as NZ.
Also, asking constitutional questions regarding executive (emergency) powers and suspension of general elections is a most valid deliberation. I would think that this type of emergency should not get in the way of standard democratic process come September unless it gets a lot worse and various political factions as parties or MP's are at loggerheads in relation to any further critical and affirmative actions needing to be taken.
[Why are you using a different user name and e-mail address? Please explain – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 4:25 PM.
We carry a few dish cloths saturated in vinegar and detergent. Easy to use and launder. Pop into another bag after use to wash and refill. I keep a few pebbles in my pocket to press buttons with n toss away.
"I keep a few pebbles in my pocket to press buttons with n toss away."
Now were talking'!
Pebbles should NOT be tossed onto the floor around checkout points.. Where is the most ecologically favourable place to toss then into?
(And remember, these are now probably infectious pebbles, and need a 14-day stand-down period..)
☺
Kia Ora Newshub.
Yes we have to stay positive but be careful.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
70 + years old are advised to stay home the younger tangata will need to help our Kau Matua with the kau Matua having to stay home they are our Taonga.
Good on the tangata jogging for logging
Ka kite Ano
https://youtu.be/qQfetkoGrpU
Kia Ora Newshub.
The students army are doing great mahi looking after people in self isolation.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
That's is good our government giving 56 million to help Tangata Whenua cope with the virus problem facing us.
That's is good that the community helpline gave Te Tane the information he needed.
Yes be calm.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora The Am Show.
The positive things its raining our farmers needed rain and in Te Tai tokerau they need rain to.
The Papatuanuku carbon footprint is falling fast thats great for our future and our environment.
Time for A universal wage to build up Aotearoas internal economy.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub.
Yes life as we know it is changing rapidly.
That was a cool view of Tawhirimate Ingrid.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
I we are going into level 4 restrictions to protect Te tangata from the virus. We must look after our love one's and give Aohai and be kind.
It is quite hard for rual tangata to see a doctor these days especially if you don't own a Waka.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora The Am Show.
I walk my dog and keep away from people its so easy to read there body language.
Our scientists warned us about the effects of a virus like this and just like global warming the people in charge chose to ignore it for the love of money and power.
The taxpayers union is just a national party attack dog.????.
Ka kite Ano
Since when does the Rotorua Council turn the water off with out giving noticing to the public.??????.
Kia Ora Newshub.
That's good that nanny and care givers are going to be cleared to keep looking after tamariki.
The rain can cause a lot of damage to whare that are not weather proofed.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
That is a good question what happens to our homeless people during the levels 4 lock down.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora The Am Show.
Condolences to Albert's whanau those Asterix and Obelix books were one of my favourite when I was a young.
I will be helping educate our mokopuna and obey the lock down rules.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub.
No hunting and fishing.
The wild Kai Moana will get a bit of pressure taken off them with the 4 week shut down in Aotearoa.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
We need to be calm kind and careful. It is good that our government is looking at ways to help our homeless people.
Its good that the authorities have worked with local Iwi so they can check people going into their rohi to protect their Kaumatua from the effects of the virus.
Ka kite Ano.