Open Mike 21/03/2017
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6:00 am, March 21st, 2017 - 16 comments
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- A failure of enforcement
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- Government action reduces child poverty22,400 fewer children experiencing material hardship 45,400 fewer children in low income households on after-housing costs measure After-housing costs target achieved a year ahead of schedule Government action has seen child poverty reduce against all nine official measures compared to the baseline year, Prime Minister and Minister for Child Poverty ...2 days ago
- Entries open for the 2021 Prime Minister’s Education Excellence AwardsIt’s time to recognise the outstanding work early learning services, kōhanga reo, schools and kura do to support children and young people to succeed, Minister of Education Chris Hipkins says. The 2021 Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards are now open through until April 16. “The past year has reminded us ...2 days ago
- Jobs for Nature benefits three projectsThree new Jobs for Nature projects will help nature thrive in the Bay of Plenty and keep local people in work says Conservation Minister Kiri Allan. “Up to 30 people will be employed in the projects, which are aimed at boosting local conservation efforts, enhancing some of the region’s most ...2 days ago
- Improvements to the Holidays Act on the wayThe Government has accepted all of the Holidays Act Taskforce’s recommended changes, which will provide certainty to employers and help employees receive their leave entitlements, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood announced today. Michael Wood said the Government established the Holidays Act Taskforce to help address challenges with the ...2 days ago
- NZ’s credit rating lifted as economy recoversThe Government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and faster than expected economic recovery has been acknowledged in today’s credit rating upgrade. Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) today raised New Zealand’s local currency credit rating to AAA with a stable outlook. This follows Fitch reaffirming its AA+ rating last ...3 days ago
- Speech to National Remembrance Service on the 10th anniversary of the Christchurch earthquakeTena koutou e nga Maata Waka Ngai Tuahuriri, Ngai Tahu whanui, Tena koutou. Nau mai whakatau mai ki tenei ra maumahara i te Ru Whenua Apiti hono tatai hono, Te hunga mate ki te hunga mate Apiti hono tatai hono, Te hunga ora ki te hunga ora Tena koutou, Tena ...3 days ago
- Government reaffirms urgent commitment to ban harmful conversion practicesThe Minister of Justice has reaffirmed the Government’s urgent commitment, as stated in its 2020 Election Manifesto, to ban conversion practices in New Zealand by this time next year. “The Government has work underway to develop policy which will bring legislation to Parliament by the middle of this year and ...3 days ago
- New creative service aims to benefit 1,000 peoples’ careersMinister for Arts, Culture and Heritage and Social Development Hon Carmel Sepuloni today launched a new Creative Careers Service, which is expected to support up to 1,000 creatives, across three regions over the next two years. The new service builds on the most successful aspects of the former Pathways to ...4 days ago
- Honey exporters busy meeting surging demandOverseas consumers eager for natural products in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic have helped boost honey export revenue by 20 percent to $425 million in the year to June 30, 2020, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says. “The results from the latest Ministry for Primary Industries’ 2020 Apiculture Monitoring ...6 days ago
- Government delivers more wellbeing support for young peopleThanks to more than $10-million in new services from the Government, more rangatahi will be able to access mental health and addiction support in their community. Minister of Health Andrew Little made the announcement today while visiting Odyssey House Christchurch and acknowledged that significant events like the devastating earthquakes ten ...6 days ago
- Government eases visa restrictions for visitors in New ZealandTwo month automatic visitor visa extension for most visitor visa holders Temporary waiver of time spent in New Zealand rule for visitor stays Visitor visa holders will be able to stay in New Zealand a little longer as the Government eases restrictions for those still here, the Minister of Immigration ...6 days ago
- Push for sustainable tourism gathers paceThe Tourism and Conservation Ministers say today’s report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) adds to calls to overhaul the tourism model that existed prior to COVID19. “The PCE tourism report joins a chorus of analysis which has established that previous settings, which prioritised volume over value, are ...7 days ago
- Government extends dietary supplements regulationsThe Government is providing certainty for the dietary supplements industry as we work to overhaul the rules governing the products, Minister for Food Safety Dr Ayesha Verrall said. Dietary supplements are health and wellness products taken orally to supplement a traditional diet. Some examples include vitamin and mineral supplements, echinacea, ...7 days ago
- New Zealand to join the Council of Europe Convention on CybercrimeThe Government is joining the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime (the Budapest Convention), Justice Minister Kris Faafoi and Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications Dr David Clark announced today. The decision progresses a recommendation by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch terror attack to accede to ...1 week ago
- Appointment round in 2021 for Queen's CounselAttorney-General David Parker announced today that an appointment round for Queen’s Counsel will take place in 2021. Appointments of Queen’s Counsel are made by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Attorney-General and with the concurrence of the Chief Justice. The Governor-General retains the discretion to appoint Queen’s Counsel in ...1 week ago
- Government support for businesses kicks inThe new Resurgence Support Payment passed by Parliament this week will be available to eligible businesses now that Auckland will be in Alert Level 2 until Monday. “Our careful management of the Government accounts means we have money aside for situations like this. We stand ready to share the burden ...1 week ago
- Final preparations to ensure Phase 1 of the vaccination rollout is ready to goA dry run of the end-to-end process shows New Zealand’s COVID-19 vaccination programme is ready to roll from Saturday, when the first border workers will receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. “The trial run took place in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch yesterday afternoon, ahead of the ...1 week ago
- Free Period products to be available in all schools and kuraFrom June this year, all primary, intermediate, secondary school and kura students will have access to free period products, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti announced today. The announcement follows a successful Access to Period Products pilot programme, which has been running since Term 3 last ...1 week ago
- Government accounts remain in good shapeThe latest update shows the Government’s books are again in better shape than forecast, meaning New Zealand is still in a strong position to respond to any COVID-19 resurgence. The Crown Accounts for the six months to the end of December were better than forecast in the Half-year Economic and ...1 week ago
- New DOC strategy champions responsible enjoyment of the outdoorsThe Department of Conservation’s (DOC) new Heritage and Visitor Strategy is fully focused on protecting and enhancing the value of New Zealand’s natural, cultural and historic heritage, while also promoting a sustainable environmental experience, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “It has been a quarter of a century since DOC first developed ...1 week ago
- New Zealand to conclude its deployment to Afghanistan in 2021Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Defence Minister Peeni Henare have announced that New Zealand will conclude its deployment of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) to Afghanistan by May 2021. “After 20 years of a NZDF presence in Afghanistan, it is now time to conclude ...1 week ago
- Supporting Māori to Succeed in Trade – International Inter-Tribal Trade and Investment Organi...Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. This is a special time in our country. A little over a week ago, it was the anniversary of the signature by Māori and the British Crown of Te Tiriti O Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi), a founding document in ...1 week ago
- Prime Minister’s statement on the arrest of former dual citizen in TurkeyThe Government is in contact with relevant authorities in Turkey following the arrest of a former Australian and New Zealand dual citizen there, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “Contingency planning for the potential return of any New Zealander who may have been in the conflict zone has been underway for ...1 week ago
- Household incomes rise but more work neededFigures released today by Stats NZ show there was strong growth in median household incomes in 2020, before surveying was halted due to COVID-19. Stats NZ found the median annual household income rose 6.9 percent to $75,024 in the year to June 2020 compared with a year earlier. The survey ...1 week ago
- Business support under COVID resurgence confirmedLegislation will be introduced under urgency today to set up a new Resurgence Support Payment for businesses affected by any resurgence of COVID-19. “Since the scheme was announced in December we have decided to make a change to the payment – reducing the time over which a revenue drop is ...1 week ago
- New Zealand welcomes appointment of new WTO Director GeneralTrade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor congratulated Nigeria’s Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on her ground-breaking selection as the next Director General of the World Trade Organization last night. Dr Okonjo-Iweala will be the first female and first African Director General of the organisation. She has a strong background in international ...1 week ago
- Government delivers on promise to working low-income familiesFrom 1 April 2021, people getting a benefit will be able to earn more through work before their benefit payments are affected, Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni has announced. “Overall, around 82,900 low-income people and families will be better off by $18 a week on average,” says Carmel ...1 week ago
- First batch of COVID-19 vaccine arrives in NZThe first batch of COVID-19 vaccine arrived in New Zealand this morning, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed. The shipment of around 60,000 doses arrived as airfreight at Auckland International Airport at 9.34am today. “The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine’s arrival allows us to start New Zealand’s largest-ever immunisation programme,” Jacinda Ardern said. ...1 week ago
- Prime Minister’s statement on alert level changesGood evening Cabinet has met this evening to make decisions on our response to the three cases reported earlier within a household in Auckland. Shortly I will ask Dr Bloomfield to set out some further information we now have relating to these cases. New Zealanders have enjoyed more freedoms for ...2 weeks ago
- First ever nationwide funding of mental health services for Rainbow youngFor the first time, the Government will provide targeted nationwide funding to services that provide mental health support to Rainbow young people Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced. The announcement fulfils an election commitment to allocate $4 million specifically targeted to Rainbow mental wellbeing initiatives aimed at young people. There ...2 weeks ago
- Billion dollar milestone for regional economiesA significant milestone in support to the regions has been passed with more than one billion dollars pumped into economic development projects to back local jobs and businesses. Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash says the Provincial Development Unit (PDU) has now invested $1.26 billion in regional projects since ...2 weeks ago
- Restoration of the Waipoua riverbank offers job opportunitiesJobs for Nature funding will provide much-needed work for Northland locals, and contribute to the ongoing restoration of the Waipoua River awa, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “Led by Te Roroa Environs, the $760,000 Taiaororoa o Waipoua project will create meaningful nature-based employment and training opportunities for nine people from ...2 weeks ago
- Houses by the dozen – Woods rebuffs sneers about game-changing policies while Robertson brings RBN...
Our Beehive Bulletin … It’s all go – well, sort of – on the housing front. The Nats yesterday were scoring brownie points by scoffing at the state’s spending on a professional promotional video, including drone footage, celebrating a housing scheme that has helped only 12 families. But Housing Minister ...14 mins ago - The Offspin: World Test Championship here we come
The Spinoff’s cricket podcast is back! Join Simon Day and Alex Braae on the road to Lord’s with special guest, White Fern Frankie Mackay.With the Blackcaps headed for the final of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship at Lord’s in June, Simon Day and Alex Braae have successfully appealed to ...28 mins ago - One year on from Covid case #1: Five lessons for 2021 and beyondUniversity of Otago public health experts Michael Baker, Amanda Kvalsvig and Nick Wilson ponder what we’ve learned about the pandemic over the past 12 months, and how we can improve our response in the future.Exactly one year ago tomorrow (February 26) the first confirmed case of Covid-19 arrived in Aotearoa ...48 mins ago
- Attaching a beeping device to people with Autism isn’t treatment. It’s tortureA crowdfunding campaign for a ‘tool’ that attaches to the back of the neck is abhorrent to people with lived neurodivergent experience, writes ADHD and Autism advocate Rory McCarthy.Just over a fortnight ago, I discovered a device on Kickstarter that was being marketed as a treatment for children and adults ...58 mins ago
- A year on from the arrival of COVID-19 in NZ: 5 lessons for 2021 and beyond
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Baker, Professor of Public Health, University of Otago Exactly one year ago tomorrow (February 26) the first confirmed case of COVID-19 arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand. Identified only as “a person in their 60s recently returned from Iran”, the case marked ...1 hour ago - For teens, getting access to speech pathology services depends on where you liveSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nichola Shelton, PhD candidate, University of Sydney Tens of thousands of Australian teenagers live with a communication disability, meaning they struggle with speaking, listening, reading, writing, and/or social skills. Communication disability can include It can start in early childhood and much of ...1 hour ago
- Gang crackdown: Simon Bridges, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster face off at select committee
Senior National Party MP Simon Bridges has continued his attack on Police Commissioner Andrew Coster in a fiery Justice Select Committee this morning. ...1 hour ago - Tenant at Auckland open home later tests positive for Covid-19Health officials have contacted attendees of a Papatoetoe home viewing for a property in which a tenant later tested positive for Covid-19. Alex Braae reports. An open home took place at a Papatoetoe address on Saturday while a tenant who had been deemed a “causal-plus contact” was present. The tenant later ...2 hours ago
- How Angela Walker’s Olympic dream became a realityNew Zealand rhythmic gymnast Angela Walker’s sporting career ended with her winning a gold medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. It was the culmination of a dream that started 14 years earlier.I remember the day I set my heart on going to the Olympics. I was a little kid watching ...3 hours ago
- Biden’s negotiating skills will be tested as he aims to have posts filled and programmes approvedNow the honeymoon is over, it’s down to hard work for American President Joe Biden and his new administration. Only a handful of his Cabinet nominees have been approved in Congress and he faces the prospect that up to three candidates may fail to pass muster. This will test his ...3 hours ago
- Union Calls On Air New Zealand To Rebuild Better
E tū is calling on the country’s national carrier to ensure it rebuilds better than before, after the half-year announcement of a profit loss of $185 million, before other significant items and taxation. E tū Head of Aviation, Savage, says the announcement ...4 hours ago - Why Is David Parker Commissioning Voodoo Economics From Treasury?Treasury’s research on the ‘economic income’ of high-wealth individuals is voodoo economics, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union . Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “David Parker has commissioned research from Treasury estimating ...5 hours ago
- Reserve Bank must consider impact on housing of its policy decisions, Robertson saysThe Reserve Bank is now required to consider the impact on housing when making monetary and financial policy decisions, Finance Minister Grant Robertson has announced. ...5 hours ago
- My body is not the problem – my school’s obsession with ‘modesty’ isNevada Wolfgramm, a year 13 student at Mount Aspiring College in Wānaka, has been repeatedly censured by the school for breaching its dress code, told by teachers that what she’s wearing is distracting boys and male teachers. Here, she explains why it must stop. The first time I was “dress coded” ...5 hours ago
- RBNZ Supports Focus On HousingThe Reserve Bank – Te Pūtea Matua welcomes the direction it has received today from the Minister of Finance. The Bank is tasked with considering how it can contribute to the Government’s housing policy objectives, consistent with its financial stability ...5 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – February 25 2021Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Today’s content Housing Richard Harman: Government has little to say about housing crisis Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Govt set to bring out big tools to manage housing pressure Miriam Bell (Stuff): Housing affordability at ...6 hours ago
- Govt funding for Air NZ is among the big issues around future of our tourism industry
As reports pile up on the success of vaccines against Covid 19, is it time for New Zealand to think of how it will return to normal? The vaccines will not simply eradicate the virus, so governments will need to start thinking about how to live with it. The London ...6 hours ago - Dunne Speaks: An Unpopular View?...6 hours ago
- Remembering Weta, New Zealand’s greatest lost rock bandBefore his passing in 2020, Weta frontman Aaron Tokona initiated the vinyl reissue of the band’s sole album Geographica. Released last week, it’s a poignant reminder that the band were on the cusp of cracking Australia 20 years ago. Rock bands in Australia reside at one of two poles, according ...6 hours ago
- A token sale: Christie’s to auction its first blockchain-backed digital-only artworkSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denise Thwaites, Assistant Professor in Digital Arts and Humanities , University of Canberra Since May 2007, US-based digital artist Mike Winkelmann (who goes by the name Beeple) has posted a new artwork online every day. He posted the 5,000th one in January, ...7 hours ago
- ‘Destruction by a thousand cuts’: the relentless threat mining poses to the Pilbara cultural lan...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Holcombe, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Just as the parliamentary inquiry into Rio Tinto’s destruction of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters was reconvening in Canberra, another culturally significant site was damaged at one of BHP’s iron ore mines in ...7 hours ago
- Paid on par with cleaners: the broader issue affecting the quality of aged careSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Farr-Wharton, Associate Professor in Management, Edith Cowan University The aged care royal commission is due to hand down its final report on February 26, and it will be tabled in parliament in the days after that. The long-term sustainability of the ...7 hours ago
- The Texas deep freeze left the state in crisis. Here are 3 lessons for AustraliaSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Nelson, Associate Professor of Economics, Griffith University The US state of Texas has this month experienced some of its coldest weather on record. Houston recorded a temperature of -10.6℃, which is around 20℃ below average. And Dallas-Fort Worth recorded its lowest-ever ...7 hours ago
- School banking programs target ‘vulnerable consumers’. But research shows kids are smarter than ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shasha Wang, Lecturer, Queensland University of Technology The ACT Legislative Assembly recently passed a motion to ban banking programs, like Commonwealth Bank’s Dollarmites, from schools later this year. The move comes a few months after Victoria announced it would also ban such ...7 hours ago
- I teach architecture and have been in quarantine a lot lately. Here are ways design can protect us a...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mengbi Li, Lecturer in Built Environment (Architecture), First Year College and Research Fellow, ISILC, Victoria University The coronavirus has been escaping with distressing frequency from quarantine hotels, threatening serious outbreaks. To make things worse, multiple variants of the virus, possibly more infectious ...7 hours ago
- Facebook versus News: Advertising is the real problemSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland The fight between Facebook and the Morrison government is over almost before it began. Having drastically overplayed its hand by banning a vast range of content, Facebook has been forced to settle ...7 hours ago
- Guide to the classics: Darwin’s The Descent of Man 150 years on — sex, race and our ‘lowly’ ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Hesketh, ARC Future Fellow and Association Professor, The University of Queensland When Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution was first published in On the Origin of Species in 1859, the book was conspicuously silent about how his theory applied to humans. ...7 hours ago
- Live updates, February 25: Māori wards bill passes, National instantly promises to overturnWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for February 25. All the latest news from New Zealand, updated throughout the day. Reach me at stewart@thespinoff.co.nzOur Members make The Spinoff happen. Every dollar contributed directly funds our editorial team – click here to learn more about how you can support us from ...7 hours ago
- The Bulletin: Corrections minister picks fight with activist groupsGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Corrections minister picks fight with activist groups, Foster calls in independent Wellington Council governance review, and OCR kept unchanged.For a lead story today, a confrontation that has been brewing for a while, with several flashpoints along the way. Corrections minister Kelvin ...8 hours ago
- Returning Kiwis taking houses – Reserve Bank
Expats driven home by the pandemic are contributing to both housing and broader demand pressures, the Monetary Policy Committee says ...8 hours ago - Reserve Bank remit now covers housing costs
The Reserve Bank will now have to take into account the impact on housing affordability when making monetary and financial policy decisions The Government has widened the central bank's remit, with immediate effect, requiring it to take into account government policy relating to "more sustainable house prices", while still working ...8 hours ago - Te Pāti Māori Celebrate Māori Wards Bill, Vow To Continue Fight For Māori Rights In Local Govern...Te Pāti Māori is celebrating the third reading of the Local Electoral (Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill and vowing to continue the fight for guaranteed tangata whenua representation in local government. “The passage ...9 hours ago
- No taper here: Reserve Bank unmoved
Business & Investing: The Reserve Bank's careful juggling act, Plus Spark and Meridian's results are lower ...9 hours ago - Green Party Accept Petition Calling For Equal Distribution Of COVID-19 Vaccine GloballyGreen Party spokesperson on Human Rights and Foreign Affairs Golriz Ghahraman will today accept a petition from Oxfam calling on a fair and equitable global distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine. “If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that in order ...9 hours ago
- How much ACC has paid in quake claims
ACC predicted quake-related claims would hit $200 million but payments to date are nowhere near that. David Williams reports Mark Maynard returned to full-time work just before last year’s Covid-19 lockdown – for a single day. “I got to 4 o’clock,” the Christchurch carpet salesman quips. “I thought, shit, I’m ...9 hours ago - An epic poem for Lawrence Ferlinghetti, 101
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the last of the Beats, died this week. To mark the occasion we republlish Nelson poet Cliff Fell's epic tribute to Ferlinghetti , published at ReadingRoom last year to mark his 101st birthday. 101 Bows to Lawrence Ferlinghetti on the Occasion of His 101st Birthday Like one who ...9 hours ago - Disgust at China's state-sponsored 'Uyghurface'
Wellington's mayor is the latest NZ politician to be used as a propaganda tool in China's campaign against Uyghur Muslims. ...10 hours ago - Mea Motu climbing ranks to world title shot
A Kiwi pro boxer inspired by her kids to 'keep going', now has her eyes set on a world title fight. Ashley Stanley reports Mea Motu may be blitzing through her boxing opponents now but it was only last year the featherweight needed some nudging into the professional arena. The mother-of-five ...10 hours ago - Controversial internet filtering law may be overhauled
Analysis: Labour was the only party to support the first reading of a law to enable internet filtering, but the minister in charge of the bill says it could be overhauled before a final vote, Marc Daalder reports The minister responsible for a controversial bill which would empower the Government to ...10 hours ago - A drunk, a misogynist, a haunted genius
Fiona Kidman remembers the great , and greatly damaged, Denis Glover I have only to close my eyes for a moment when I hear the name Denis Glover, and hear that unmistakeable concrete mixer voice, laced with English vowels, to be back in his presence. It is a vanity ...10 hours ago - NZ challenged to buck trend on climate conservatism
The chair of the UK's Climate Change Committee says NZ has a unique opportunity to lead the world on reducing emissions. ...10 hours ago - Where next for the Pacific Islands Forum?
The pan-Pacific organisation's problems go beyond a leadership spat. ...10 hours ago - National Party's missed opportunity
When Judith Collins asked her MPs not to get distracted this year, her colleague and former leader Simon Bridges missed the memo, writes political editor Jo Moir Stay focused and don’t get distracted. That was the instruction from Judith Collins when the National Party met for its annual caucus retreat ...10 hours ago - Reasons to be (not too) cheerful
News of the vaccine rollout is great, but even if it goes more smoothly than our recent mass vaccination attempts, Covid still has pain in store for us. ...10 hours ago - SKY and NZME: Life by a thousand cuts
MediaRoom: Media firms report positive results from the first year of the pandemic, but can cost-cuts counter the economic and tech currents buffeting the industry? New Zealand's two big listed media companies have cost-cut their way to improved profits - with both Sky TV and NZME using the Covid-19 economic downturn ...10 hours ago - Who is Lucinda Baulch, the Australian who refused a Covid test?Having refused to take a Covid-19 test over the duration of her 28-day stay, Australian woman Lucinda Baulch was released on Tuesday from managed isolation in Wellington. Contrary to some initially credulous reporting, her claim that she only wanted ‘informed consent’ on the PCR test was far from the full ...10 hours ago
- Our maternity sector is at crisis point Days away from giving birth after a high-risk pregnancy, Kiki Van Newtown has experienced first-hand the dire state of our maternal health services. She’s calling on the government to take urgent action.It’s late on the maternity ward at Wellington Hospital, and I’m curled onto a couch at the end of ...10 hours ago
- Trouble in the Pacific
The Pacific Islands Forum is facing unprecedented disruption at a time when it's arguably needed the most, to present a united front on issues such as Covid and climate change. Five northern Pacific islands, from the grouping we call Micronesia, are heading out the doors of the Pacific Islands Forum ...10 hours ago - Concern grows over PMC after shock office ‘closure’ and no director14 hours ago
- LIVE VIDEO: Buchanan + Manning on private enterprise and the conflict marketA View from Afar: Paul G. Buchanan and Selwyn Manning will conduct a deep dive into the largely covert role of private enterprise in the intelligence, conflict, and war markets. Most recently, New Zealanders discovered that its national airline had been in business with the Saudi Arabia military which ...17 hours ago
- West Papua needs urgent Red Cross intervention over crisis, says WendaAsia Pacific Report The Indonesian state is causing a renewed humanitarian crisis in West Papua. Three young West Papuan men have been murdered by the Indonesian military in Intan Jaya Regency, and hundreds of residents have now fled the area in fear. Indonesia must urgently allow the International Committee of ...18 hours ago
- Facebook and Google deals may leave small publishers out in the coldAsia Pacific Report The federal government must act urgently to support small Australian news outlets that could be shut out of commercial deals with Facebook and Google under its News Media Bargaining Code, says the union for Australia’s journalists. The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) said in a statement ...18 hours ago
- Māori wards amendment bill passes final reading in ParliamentThe public can no longer veto a councils' decision to introduce Māori wards. ...18 hours ago
- Recap: There’s something fishy going on with The Bachelorette NZBachelor superfans Jane Yee and Tara Ward recap the highs and lows of week four of The Bachelorette NZ.Hear more from Team Jack on this week’s episode of The Real Pod. Get it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you normally listen to podcasts.Tara Ward: Jane, I wanted to make a ...19 hours ago
- Government seeks other options for Whakatāne Mill after closure proposedOfficials are scrambling to see if they can do anything for the mill, where more than 200 jobs are at risk. ...19 hours ago
- When vaccinating 26 million Australians, expect a mistake or two. But we can minimise the risk of re...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nigel William Crawford, Associate Professor, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute It emerged today that two aged-care residents in Brisbane were given an incorrect dose of the Pfizer vaccine — more than the amount recommended. The 88-year-old man and 94-year-old woman were receiving their ...19 hours ago
- Wellington councillors taken aback over independent reviewWellington mayor Andy Foster appears to have ambushed at least some of his colleagues with his announcement of an independent review into council governance. ...20 hours ago
- Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Covid-19: Where are the New Cases now?21 hours ago
- Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March applied for emergency MIQ spot twiceRicardo Menéndez March's first request was under the critical worker category, while the second was under national security grounds. ...21 hours ago
- Podcast host, DJ …. how the much lampooned Paris Hilton has rewritten the celebrity scriptSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Corey Martin, PhD Candidate, Swinburne University of Technology Paris Hilton — model, reality TV star, actor, pop singer and DJ — gained worldwide notoriety in 2003 because of a leaked sex tape. Over the years she has been viciously parodied and lampooned, ...22 hours ago
- The hungry, hungry parliament: The bill that ate WednesdayThe House: Parliament usually sits on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This week it's doing Tuesday twice, then skipping to Thursday. ...22 hours ago
- Progressive Home Ownership Scheme houses just 12 families in seven monthsHousing Minister Megan Woods said she was proud of the scheme. The National Party labelled it an embarrassment. ...23 hours ago
- Simon Bridges storms out of Parliament in spat with Speaker Trevor MallardSenior National Party MP Simon Bridges has stormed out of Parliament while declaring Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard a twat. ...23 hours ago
- Misrepresentation Of Israel’s Covid 19 Vaccination ProgrammeIt is unacceptable to have Israel’s vaccination programme constantly misrepresented in the New Zealand media. Israel is regularly being paraded as the world leader in vaccination rates but this hides an ugly, racist truth. Israel is refusing to vaccinate ...24 hours ago
- Consultation On The Overseas Investment Regime Fee Structure Opens TodayLand Information New Zealand (LINZ) is consulting on funding options to cover the cost of the overseas investment regime. The Overseas Investment Office (OIO), which is part of LINZ, is the regulator of overseas investment into New Zealand. The costs ...24 hours ago
- The fine art of naming your indie publishing houseThe following is a real Facebook Messenger conversation between Samuel Walsh and Dominic Hoey, founders and publishers of Dead Bird Books. Books editor Catherine Woulfe writes: This convo is extracted with permission from the eclectic, fascinating new book Dwelling in the Margins: Art Publishing in Aotearoa, edited by Katie Kerr and ...24 hours ago
- Reserve Bank holds official cash rate at 0.25 percent
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission. The Reserve Bank has held the official cash rate (OCR) at a record low 0.25 percent, as expected, and repeated it will press on with stimulatory monetary policies to support the economy from the pandemic. It acknowledged the ...1 day ago - New Zealand’s COVID-19 stimulus is a ‘lost opportunity’ to move towards a low-emissions econom...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hall, Senior Researcher in Politics, Auckland University of Technology In every crisis there is opportunity. Even during New Zealand’s strictest COVID-19 lockdown last year, many people felt the pandemic offered a chance to tackle other global crises, especially climate change. The ...1 day ago
- This week’s changes are a win for Facebook, Google and the government — but what was lost along ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Nicholls, Associate professor in regulation and governance, UNSW After almost a year of heated discussion about the News Media Bargaining Code, there will shortly be a new law of the land – one that’s unlikely to be applied to the platforms ...1 day ago
- Government launches $950 million fund to help Brent get haircutYesterday housing minister Megan Woods trumpeted a grand total of 12 families helped into homes by the new Progressive Home Ownership Scheme. As Danyl Mclauchlan exclusively reveals, that’s not the government’s only hyper-focused new support plan.Promising “a government that delivers for all New Zealanders”, housing, energy and resource minister Dr ...1 day ago
- This week’s changes are a win for Facebook, Google and the government — but here’s what was lo...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Nicholls, Associate professor in regulation and governance, UNSW After almost a year of heated discussion about the News Media Bargaining Code, there will shortly be a new law of the land – one that’s unlikely to be applied to the platforms ...1 day ago
- Corrections Minister Must Focus On Issues At HandAmnesty International Executive Director Meg de Ronde: The Minister needs to focus on the issues at hand: the portfolio he is responsible for, Corrections, has committed grave human rights violations and broken New Zealand and international law. And this ...1 day ago
- Introducing our new podcast series Remember When…Join us as we delight and despair in the fads and phenomena that helped shape us across the generations.Remember when we used dial-up internet and texts cost 20 cents each? When we learned to drive in a manual and listened to Channel Z? Or when Wellington Dub took over the ...1 day ago
- $18 million settlement for Moriori will help eliminate a myth – but another $18 million is intende...Our Beehive Bulletin … Each of two fresh announcements from the Beehive involves payments of $18 million. One lot is being poured into a trough to offer grants up to $150,000 a year “for creative spaces to make arts more accessible”. The other is the sum involved in the Moriori ...1 day ago
- Policing by consent is not ‘woke’ — it is fundamental to a democratic societySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bethan Greener, Associate Professor of Politics, Massey University National Party justice spokesperson Simon Bridges has accused New Zealand Police Commissioner Andrew Coster of being a “wokester” whose commitment to “policing by consent” is out of step with the law. The claims were ...1 day ago
Lovely long form interview here comparing Trump and Putin, from two journalists I admire:
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/03/masha-gessen-the-full-transcript-214927
Must be a mistake?
“The Newshub Reid-Research poll has English on 25 per cent as preferred Prime Minister – well below the 37 per cent Key was on when he left office.”
Probably a mis-print. Should read 35%. Maybe!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11822343
That has to be concerning for National and their already worried followers.
Double dipper is no smile and wave and perhaps voters remember Bill trying to rip of the taxpayer by claiming an accommodation allowance when he shouldn’t have, or maybe they remember him paying out the SCF shareholders in the dead of the night with taxpayer money. Perhaps they simply don’t trust him after changing his mind on so many issues.
Whatever the reason that is a huge drop in approval. Expect Bill to make even more blunders as the pressure mounts.
No 45%. not 25%
The story on RNZ: Social housing project on the market after just a year
Australian community housing providers are eyeing up one of New Zealand’s largest social housing projects, which is on the market just a year after it was set up.
Article on Stuff: Fletcher Buildings expects earnings could be up to $150m less than forecast
Interesting comments from “Will” and others…
Getting into debt is bad news for shareholders, but hiring sub-cons with debt to pay, should alarm shareholders. Givenany are paying off huge mortgages, either as buyers, or renting to them, the question has to be posed, whats keeping housing values rising. Coz they keep telling us ot aint foeriegn buyers.
Two things, liquidity, and immigration.
No one has commented that our largest and “best” construction coy cannot make money on a few large high profile construction projects. With the downward adjustment of profit by $100-$150m implies that these contracts were under priced in their tender by 10-15%, so we could expect that any future large construction projects will be tendered well above todays rates. Looks like our next govt will face large increases in any major new infrastructure builds.
This under tender is supported by the cases that many apartment developments have been cancelled due to rising costs and banks reluctance to fund such projects.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11770947
There is a link to this on the blog roll but I’m putting here again because it is an accurate record of the situation in our communities today. Systems are working against people so they can’t obtain help and instead of stopping a downward spiral it accelerates their demise.
https://blog.greens.org.nz/2017/03/21/glue-holds-society-together-starts-failing/
I have had enough of “fake news”. How about “fake President”?
Bryce Edwards’ latest political round up which focuses on Nicky Hager’s latest book. A good read why we wait out the final two hours:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11822543
Plus an amusing Spin-Off prediction piece about what the subject matter might be.
My prediction: Police malpractices and the state of surveillance in NZ.
Some claim it could be about media malpractices and goodness… it could be right.
I think this is terrible
http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/national/court-rules-no-maori-immersion-school-child
Or we could go through another 8 years of a used car salesman who was completely useless and now looks as if he’s tied up in the Afghanistan SAS killings which HE as PM authorized then shut up about…
No wonder Mr ‘ GET SOME GUTS’ has now pissed off from being the PM and is hooking himself up with a Japanese billionaire philanthropist in order to further the spin.
But keep on with your narrative- pretty soon nobody’s going to fall for it any longer…
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John Key resigns :
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According to Winston Peters , – it has to do with ‘ administration and accountability issues’ , which will be coming out in the following ‘ weeks and months ‘.
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With this mentioned in The Standard…
Key’s 4th term – something doesn’t add up
Written By: NATWATCH – Date published: 6:49 am, December 6th, 2016 – 144 comments
Categories: john key, kremlinology – Tags: 4th term, rumour, rumours, The Daily Blog
‘Bradbury is running rumours with talk of a “damning book”. If it is true (as unlikely as that seems) then despite Key’s resignation there will be further damage to National.’
[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.]
You know that Key isnt standing this election right?
Anyway – you’re well off topic – so cya.
My letter to Bryan “Doormat” Crump after his latest failure
RNZ National, Tuesday 21 March 2017, 8:12 p.m.
Another disgraceful joke of an interview by Bryan Crump this evening. A “military historian” called Damien Fenton spoke for 25 minutes about the Palestine-Sinai campaign in the Great War. He forgot, however, to mention something rather important. I sent the following letter to the sleepy host immediately the interview finished…
Why no mention of the Surafend massacre by Damien Fenton?
Dear Bryan,
Your military historian Damien Fenton for some reason neglected to mention the cowardly and brutal massacre perpetrated by the Anzac Mounted Rifles, who in December 1918 rounded up more than one hundred boys and men in the Palestinian village of Surafend, then methodically clubbed them to death…..
http://alh-research.tripod.com/Light_Horse/index.blog?topic_id=1115959
That Damien Fenton chose to ignore this shameful episode, and that you did not see fit to bring it up, is especially ironic in light of ths afternoon’s revelation of another massacre of civilians in Afghanistan.
Yours in concern at the standard of research and scholarship at RNZ,
Morrissey Breen
Northcote Point
Yes. NZ Police Harangued his daughter! While he was Out…. And Talked with Westpac
[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.]