Open mike 22/04/2021
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- First TAB New Zealand Board appointments announcedThe members of the first TAB NZ Board come with experience in racing and sport administration, business and governance, the betting industry, broadcasting and gambling harm minimisation. “This Board will progress from the excellent work done by the interim board, put in place in August 2020,” Grant Robertson said. “The ...1 week ago
- Northland Maori Pathways initiative introducedThe Government has today launched Māori Pathways at Northland Region Corrections Facility, a ground-breaking series of initiatives designed in partnership with Māori to reduce re-offending and improve outcomes for whānau. A key part of the Hōkai Rangi strategy, Māori Pathways looks to achieve long-term change and involves a number of ...1 week ago
- Extended Essential Skills visas being rolled outTwo year Essential Skills visa to provide certainty to at least 18,000 visa holders Streamlined application process to benefit at least 57,000 visa holders The Government is increasing the duration of some Essential Skills visas and streamlining the application process to provide more certainty to employers and visa holders while ...1 week ago
- Pause to Quarantine Free Travel from Victoria to New ZealandQuarantine Free Travel from Victoria to New Zealand will be paused from 1.59am (NZT) Friday, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. The decision follows updated public health advice from New Zealand officials and a growing number of cases and locations of interest. The pause will run for at least ...2 weeks ago
- Hydrogen arrangement signed with SingaporeThe signing of an Arrangement of Cooperation on low-carbon hydrogen with Singapore heralds the start of greater collaboration between it and New Zealand as both countries transition towards low carbon economies, says Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods. The cooperation arrangement between New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment ...2 weeks ago
- Hydrogen agreement signed with SingaporeThe signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation on low-carbon hydrogen with Singapore signals the start of greater collaboration between the two countries as they transition towards low carbon economies, says Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods. The cooperation agreement between New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and ...2 weeks ago
- Speech to LGNZ ConferenceKia ora koutou katoa and thank-you for the invitation to speak to you all today. I would like to acknowledge Local Government New Zealand President Stuart Crosby, and Chief Executive, Susan Freeman-Greene, Te Maruata Chair, Bonita Bigham, and our host, Mayor John Leggett. I also acknowledge all the elected members ...2 weeks ago
- Government to provide support for water reforms, jobs and growthThe Government today announced a $2.5 billion package to support local government transition through the reforms to New Zealand’s drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services. The package will also stimulate local economies while creating jobs and unlocking infrastructure for housing. “New Zealand’s water systems are facing a significant crisis and ...2 weeks ago
- Government Initiatives Contribute to Fall in Benefit NumbersMinister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni has welcomed the release of the June quarter Benefit Statistics which show a continuing fall in the number of people receiving a Main Benefit. “This Government’s plan to increase work focused support for Jobseekers is paying off,” Carmel Sepuloni said. “All up Benefit numbers ...2 weeks ago
- Tourism support package continues rolloutMental wellbeing support is being rolled out to five South Island communities most affected by the absence of international tourists. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash today announced details of how tourism operators and communities can access the help announced in May as part of the government’s $200 million Tourism Communities: Support, ...2 weeks ago
- NZ-PNG Sign Statement of PartnershipNew Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape signed the first ever New Zealand - Papua New Guinea Statement of Partnership today. “This new Statement of Partnership reflects the importance we place on the close economic, cultural and people-to-people links our two countries have ...2 weeks ago
- Further advice being sought on new cases in VictoriaFurther advice is being sought from public health officials following seven new positive cases of COVID-19 in Victoria today, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. “There are also a growing number of locations of interest that are of concern, including a sports stadium on Saturday and several pubs,” Chris Hipkins ...2 weeks ago
- Christchurch Learning Community Hubs supporting ethnic familiesAs part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to working with the victims and those affected by the March 15 terror attacks, today Associate Minister of Education Hon Jan Tinetti released the report ‘Voices from the Ōtautahi’ on the Christchurch Learning Community Hubs. “It’s so important we continue to support the ...2 weeks ago
- Hundreds more hands funded to work for natureSupporting biodiversity protection through community-led projects and on private property will create at least 500 more jobs under the Mahi mō te Taiao/Jobs for Nature programme, Minister of Conservation Kiritapu Allan announced today. “The work we are funding includes everything from pest control and restoration planting to plant propagation, skill ...2 weeks ago
- Saliva testing expansion for frontline border workersAll frontline border workers who are required to be regularly tested for COVID-19 will soon be able to choose regular saliva testing as a full replacement for nasopharyngeal testing, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. Saliva testing will be expanded as an option for all those on a regular ...2 weeks ago
- Government consults on freshwater farm planThe Government is inviting farmers and growers to provide their practical ideas to help develop high-quality and workable freshwater farm plans, in line with its freshwater goals said Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Environment Minister David Parker. The ministers today released the consultation documents for freshwater farm plans and stock exclusion low slope maps. Comment is being sought on a new, more ...2 weeks ago
- Increased support for midwivesNew measures to help bolster the midwifery workforce as they care for the next generation of New Zealanders, have been announced today by Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall. “New Zealand’s midwives are committed to the wellbeing of women and whānau, but they’re facing significant challenges. The DHB midwifery ...2 weeks ago
- Prime Minister's Speech to NZIIA Annual ConferenceLadies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, ata mārie, tēnā koutou katoa. It’s a great pleasure to attend an event on such an important topic as New Zealand’s future in the Indo-Pacific region. Thank you to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs for bringing this hui together. I am encouraged to ...2 weeks ago
- How an NZSL performance interpreter tells the whole story
Platform Interpreting NZ interprets performances for Aotearoa’s Deaf community. Its founder, Kelly Hodgins, tells Sam Brooks about the unique challenges and rewards that come with her work.It was the second night of comedian Tim Minchin’s recent solo tour, but he wasn’t the only star onstage. For the entire two hours ...47 mins ago - Jacinda Ardern commits to getting NZers back from Australia within deadline
New Zealanders in Australia wanting to get home are being reassured they will be able to do so within the seven-day window and avoid managed isolation. ...1 hour ago - Live updates, July 26: PM confident all stranded NZers in Australia will make it home this weekWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for July 26, bringing you the latest news updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz8.05am: PM confident all stranded NZers in Australia will make it home this weekThe prime minister has made a commitment to New Zealanders in Australia who are trying ...2 hours ago
- ‘Anorexia coach’: sexual predators online are targeting teens wanting to lose weight. Platforms ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suku Sukunesan, Senior Lecturer in Information Systems, Swinburne University of Technology Author provided There’s no shortage of people online looking to exploit and manipulate the vulnerable among us. One such group is anorexia coaches, or “anacoaches”. They are typically middle-aged, ...2 hours ago - ‘Girls please stay in the kitchen’ — as skateboarding debuts at the Olympics, beware of the lu...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brigid McCarthy, Lecturer in Journalism, La Trobe University Keith Birmingham/AP/AAP Skateboarding will make its Olympic debut this year at the Tokyo Games. The women’s and men’s competitions will both involve park and street events. In each, athletes perform optional ...2 hours ago
- Uniform discontent: how women athletes are taking control of their sporting outfitsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachael Jefferson-Buchanan, Lecturer in human movement studies (health and PE), Creative Arts, Charles Sturt University Georgios Kefalas/EPA/AAP Women’s dress codes in sport are determined by “traditions” that are both outdated and gendered. Their outfits have long tried to reconcile notions ...2 hours ago
- Australia must get serious about airborne infection transmission. Here’s what we need to doSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lidia Morawska, Professor, Science and Engineering Faculty; Director, International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health (WHO CC for Air Quality and Health); Director – Australia, Australia – China Centre for Air Quality Science and Management (ACC-AQSM), Queensland University of Technology ...2 hours ago
- Thinking of choosing a health or PE subject in years 11 and 12? Here’s what you need to knowSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Dean (Research), Charles Sturt University Shutterstock This article is part of a series providing school students with evidence-based advice for choosing subjects in their senior years. From kindergarten to year 10, all Australian students follow the national ...2 hours ago
- The Bulletin: International recognition for PM Fiame Mata’afaGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: International recognition for PM Fiame Mata’afa, travel bubble with Australia closed amid escalating outbreak, and Auckland councillor Efeso Collins reveals bomb threat.In the eyes of the international community, Sāmoa has a new government. It’s a strange way of stating the importance ...2 hours ago
- US markets at record high as Delta fears fade
Business & Investing: NZ market lags US rebound but hopes for season of companies reporting financial half year results ...4 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 26 July
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...4 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Monday 26 July
...4 hours ago - One cent a litre to insure against no fuel for essential services
Closure of the Marsden Point refinery would expose the country to the risk of a breakdown of essential services ...5 hours ago - New Zealand’s history of violence against Pacific peoples laid bareOver the past week the royal commission of inquiry into abuse in care has been holding a series of public hearings focused on the experiences of Pacific peoples. Justin Latif reports from the Māngere hearing. Inside the beautiful Fale O Sāmoa on Māngere’s Bader Drive, people mingle under muted amber lights, ...5 hours ago
- Exclusive poll: Do we have faith in NZ’s contact tracing system?Broad confidence in contact tracing remains stable, reveals a new representative survey by Stickybeak for The Spinoff. But the numbers on app usage are a worry.The worldwide spread of the super-contagious delta strain of Covid-19 has put fresh pressure on contact tracing systems. New South Wales, for example, prided itself ...5 hours ago
- The fascinating history of public vaccine campaignsThe life-saving innovation of immunisation has faced suspicion and distrust ever since it was first devised, more than 200 years ago.In 1798, Edward Jenner published his discovery that smallpox in humans can be prevented by exposing their bodies to the similar but less harmful cowpox. Jenner’s 1798 revelation of what ...5 hours ago
- Companies offer up incentives as labour market capacity tightens
Hiring bonuses, special leave and flexibility are becoming the norm amid a tight labour market. ...5 hours ago - How to avoid a repeat of Samoa's election crisis
What changes are needed to avoid similar constitutional uncertainty in future? ...5 hours ago - Forestry: 'Our people are still dying'
Dozens of workers have been killed in the forestry supply chain in the past seven years. A two-day inquest in Gisborne last week focused on the avoidable death of just one. Richard Brooking has waited five years for the opportunity to stand in a court room and speak for his ...5 hours ago - Looking towards Africa
We've been told New Zealand needs to take some of those trade eggs out of China's basket - and Africa is looking wide open after nations signed a continent-wide pact. But there are difficulties. The latest tensions between New Zealand and China have renewed the push to find more trading ...5 hours ago - Surfer's legacy lives on in Kiwi Olympic show jumper
Show jumper Uma O’Neill has been called on at the 11th hour to compete for NZ at the Tokyo Olympics. The girl from Hawaii, whose grandfather was a surfing legend, explains to Suzanne McFadden how she ended up riding for the Kiwis. Uma O’Neill’s grandfather must have known something ...5 hours ago - NZ's enduring affection for a cancelled author
Steve Braunias on the inclusion of a cancelled author in the latest Whitcoulls Top 100 The 2021 Whitcoulls Top 100, as below, exists to remind us that the people, as ever, want trash, escape, myth, allegory, riddles, and all manner of bullshit, preferably in a series (The Seven Sisters, The ...5 hours ago - New Zealand's enduring affection for a shocking liarSteve Braunias on the inclusion of a cancelled author in the latest Whitcoulls Top 100 The 2021 Whitcoulls Top 100, as below, exists to remind us that the people, as ever, want trash, escape, myth, allegory, riddles, and all manner of bullshit, preferably in a series (The Seven Sisters, The ...5 hours ago
- Rethinking ‘race’ in Aotearoa New Zealand
A new column from Dame Anne Salmond challenges the legalistic, one side up against the other approach to race relations and the Treaty of Waitangi of the past 40 years. Racist thinking runs deep. As Jess Berentson-Shaw observed in ‘Why Anti-Racism needs Nerds,’ an article about streaming in schools, “Racism gets coded ...5 hours ago - Panmure 'thrown under the busway'
Roadworks have ground Panmure to a halt - and members of the community want to know when they can expect respite The bus link between Central and East Auckland has been put off for another two years - and members of one community say construction work on the project has ...5 hours ago - Māori political talent exits Parliament
A powerhouse of government advisors is teaming up to start a new consultancy firm ...5 hours ago - Morrison government orders Pfizer ‘boosters’, while hoping new ATAGI advice will warm people to ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra While still struggling with a current shortage of Pfizer, the Morrison government announced it has secured 85 million doses of that vaccine for future “booster” shots. This will be made up of 60 million doses ...12 hours ago
- The Tokyo Lowdown: Day 2
Day two was generally a cracker for our Kiwi sportswomen at the Olympics, especially on the water and the artificial turf in Tokyo. LockerRoom's daily update on our women athletes continues. Performances of the day Living on the outside of the Olympic Village, Holly Pearson was pulled into the Black ...12 hours ago - ‘God, not my girls’: Auckland councillor receives bomb threat following TV show criticismFa’anana Efeso Collins says he has been reflecting on his future in politics after death threats were made against him and his family in response to comments about Police Ten 7. Justin Latif reports. “God, not my girls” is the thought that immediately ran through Fa’anana Efeso Collins’ mind as he ...22 hours ago
- Gay law reform: a tactics masterclassThe House: Thirty five years later, Fran Wilde and Trevor Mallard discuss the campaign, strategy and tactics involved in the 1985-86 campaign to legalise gay sex. ...1 day ago
- An ode for … Lorde
New Zealand's semi-detached poet laureate composes an ode for Solar Ella One Lorde to rule them A weird and uncanny mood falls upon the land of the long white nitrate plume. On both sides of the Great Wall of the Polls, premonition hangs, heavy as a ...1 day ago - Our IVF storyWhen Jana Te Nahu Owen and her wife began their fertility journey, they never imagined that it was the start of a three-year battle to conceive. Today is World IVF day. It’s also 15 months since our beautiful pēpi was born. I remember it well, like a surreal dream inside ...1 day ago
- How the whiff of cow shit led me to travel the land of Milk and MoneyA six-part documentary series investigating New Zealand’s dairy industry, Milk and Money, launches on TVNZ OnDemand today. Journalist and host of the series Baz Macdonald explains why he made it.About a year ago I was sitting on the coast of Riverton, a tiny seashore village in Southland, and all I ...1 day ago
- The Sunday Essay: Mariposa, the Mexican feminist street dogWhile north of the border Trump speaks of bad hombres and building walls, Julie Hill befriends a dog named Butterfly. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New ZealandOriginal illustrations by Amane & Me.Once, this town was called the Place of Dogs, and by night, dogs are ...1 day ago
- Not declaring the Great Barrier Reef as ‘in danger’ only postpones the inevitableSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jon C. Day, PSM, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University Shutterstock After much anticipation, the World Heritage Committee on Friday decided against listing the Great Barrier Reef as “in danger”. The ...1 day ago
- Very genki, slightly kitsch, occasionally compelling: the Olympic opening ceremony put humanity in c...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Mercer, Associate Professor of Theatre Arts, Curtin University The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images The rising of the Japanese flag and the singing of the national anthem is the first moment of stillness. Devoid of external commentary, before a ...1 day ago
- The birth of a movement that divided NZ – and changed us foreverAs New Zealand marks 40 years since the Springbok tour that changed everything, we republish this essay by Trevor Richards, founding chairperson of Hart – Halt All Racist Tours.Originally published in 2019, on the 50th anniversary of the anti-apartheid group’s formation.It has been said that if you can remember the ...2 days ago
- Not all workers will benefit from new sick leave entitlements – and only some projects are favoure...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood is braying about new labour legislation “bringing benefits to both businesses and employees” and “delivering on a key manifesto commitment to help Kiwis and workplaces stay healthy”. Actually, employers are doing the delivering. If they don’t deliver, it is fair to suppose, they ...2 days ago - Radicalism mixed with openness: how Desmond Tutu used his gifts to help end ApartheidSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew McGowan, Dean and President of Berkeley Divinity School, Yale University AAP/EPA/Nic Bothma This piece is part of a new series in collaboration with the ABC’s Saturday Extra program. Each week, the show will have a “who am I” quiz ...2 days ago
- Podcast: Hate speech debate gets mired in politicsFocus on Politics - "Our communities suffered greatly and politicising it is actually demeaning". Minorities are growing frustrated at the direction hate speech debate has gone, Anneke Smith reports. ...2 days ago
- Forget Tokyo. For me, the real opening ceremony was in the TVNZ studioHow did TVNZ’s Olympic team warm us up for last night’s big event? Tara Ward tunes in. I am an athlete in my prime, and sleep is for losers. The Tokyo Olympics 2020 launched yesterday, and although the opening ceremony began deep into the New Zealand night, I was ready. I’d ...2 days ago
- Controlled digital lending – is it ‘piracy’?
Copyright lawyer Michael Wolfe argues that the future of our libraries does not hinge on the outcome of an American court case The National Library is sending books removed from its collections to the Internet Archive, a charitable library in the United States, to see them digitised and preserved in ways ...2 days ago - Changing South: World peace easier than fixing damaged house
Kate Dewes fought for peace on the global stage, but trying to get her earthquake-damaged home in Christchurch repaired “nearly finished me” Kate Dewes is a peace negotiator of global standing. A long-time activist for disarmament, she successfully lobbied for New Zealand’s Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act, ...2 days ago - Short story: The Day in Bed, by James Courage
A classic short story from 1959 by the great North Canterbury writer James Courage In the middle of the morning, an hour after the doctor's car had left the farm-house, the man lying in bed heard his wife's voice calling to him half-way up the stairs: "Jonathan, will you have ...2 days ago - Freedom For All
New Conservative stands for Human Rights, freedom for all, our freedom, and freedom as stated in the NZ Bill of Rights Act. Our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, is working hard to silence the words we speak through so-called ‘hate speech’ laws so we ...2 days ago - Ted Lasso is the heartfelt comedy the world needs right nowA new season of the charming US-UK comedy arrived on Apple TV+ last night, and Ted fans could not be more excited. But why does everyone love Ted Lasso so much? Ted Lasso wants us to believe. He also wants us to be as wise as a goldfish, but mostly, ...2 days ago
- Your queer Chinese-New Zealand teenage fantasy: How we wrote Yang/Young/杨Yang/Young//杨 is a brand-new Gen-Z coming-of-age story with a Kiwi-Asian twist, part of Auckland Theatre Company’s Here & Now Festival. Co-writer Sherry Zhang reflects on writing her first play. I never thought I’d write a play. In a scene that puts High School Musical’s Troy Bolton to shame, I chose the ...2 days ago
- ‘Don’t tell me how to run the ball’: Louisa Wall on forging her own path in politicsShe’s more visible than many cabinet ministers, but Louisa Wall languishes on the Labour backbench. Justin Giovannetti catches up with the outspoken MP and asks: why is she not getting the promotions?It’s hard to imagine someone better placed to be at the heart of a progressive centre-left government than an ...2 days ago
- Pfizer doses to be spaced out in NSW crisis, but state fails to get change in vaccination programSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra AAP/Mick Tsikas Pfizer doses in NSW will be spaced out to enable more first jabs to be administered quickly, as the Berejiklian government on Friday declared the Sydney COVID crisis a “state of ...2 days ago
- The Tokyo Lowdown: Day Zero
In your daily guide recapping the fortunes of Kiwi sportswomen at the Tokyo Olympics, our rowers had an up and down Day Zero. Performance of the day Emma Twigg took the first strokes on her row to Olympic redemption. Fourth in London, fourth in Rio, Twigg came out of retirement to ...3 days ago - Samoa’s highest court declares FAST government legal – impasse endsBy Lanuola Tusani Tupufia-Ah Tong in Apia Samoa’s Court of Appeal ruled today that the Faatuatua ile Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party was the country’s new government bringing three months of political stalemate to a close. The court, the highest in the country, found that a swearing-in ceremony conducted ...3 days ago
- Reporting Greenpeace to police shows KPK has become authoritarian, says watchdogBy Irfan Kamil in Jakarta Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) has condemned the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) under the leadership of Firli Bahuri as an “authoritarian and anti-criticism” institution over the Greenpeace laser protest. ICW researcher Kurnia Ramadhana said this after the KPK had reported Greenpeace Indonesia to the South Jakarta ...3 days ago
- Nine takeaways from the Mā’ohi Nui Lives Matter solidarity rally in NZBy Ena Manuireva and Tony Fala About 35 people joined an Auckland rally last Sunday in solidarity with a Mā’ohi Nui Lives Matter demonstration by thousands of Tahitians happening in Pape’ete, the capital. In solidarity and in sync with the Pape’ete event, the Mai te Paura Atōmī i te ti’amara’a: ...3 days ago
- Fiji medics save newborn babies – mothers among 21 new covid deathsBy Timoci Vula in Suva Two Fijian pregnant women are among the 21 covid-19 deaths reported within a seven-day period from July 14. Their babies, however, were saved via a caesarean operation by the obstetric team. Health Secretary Dr James Fong revealed this in his covid-19 live update last evening ...3 days ago
- ‘Pacific Islander’ an insulting umbrella term, researcher tells Royal CommissionBy Andrew McRae, RNZ News reporter The umbrella term Pacific Islander or Polynesian has been criticised as degrading and insensitive. Researcher Dr Seini Taufa, who is a New Zealand-born Tongan, said the names were not indigenous terms and were insulting. Dr Taufa is research lead for Moana Research and Senior ...3 days ago
- VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on the PM’s apology and Brisbane 2032Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Paddy Nixon discuss the week in politics. This week Michelle and Paddy discuss the proposed changes to the vaccine rollout ...3 days ago
- Keen to sign up for space tourism? Here are 6 things to consider (besides the price tag)Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Freeland, Professorial Fellow, Bond University / Emeritus Professor of International Law, Western Sydney University, Western Sydney University Blue Origin/AP It’s been a momentous month for space-faring billionaires. On July 11, British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson’s Unity “rocket-plane” flew him ...3 days ago
- You may have heard the ‘moon wobble’ will intensify coastal floods. Well, here’s what that mea...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Gibbs, Principal Engineer: Reef Restoration, Australian Institute of Marine Science Shutterstock Extreme floods this month have been crippling cities worldwide. This week in China’s Henan province, a year’s worth of rain fell in just three days. Last week, catastrophic ...3 days ago
- Clever cockatoos in southern Sydney have learned to open kerb-side bins — and it has global signif...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Martin, Adjunct lecturer, University of Sydney Barbara Klump, Author provided In a small, isolated village in southern Sydney, the local sulphur-crested cockatoos are particularly clever. Once a week, when the neighbours roll their wheelie bins to the kerb, cockies ...3 days ago
- How caring for children can help Aboriginal Elders during lockdownSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Collings, Research Fellow, University of Sydney Quotes in this research are from participants who cannot be named due to research ethics requirements. Pandemic-induced lockdowns have provided stories of both hardship and resilience. This extends to families in the community caring for ...3 days ago
- NZ takes prudent approach in closing bubble
The decision to pause trans-Tasman travel is appropriately risk-averse in light of the devastation that the Delta strain could wreak in New Zealand, writes Marc Daalder Analysis: Imagine if our Level 4 lockdown in April 2020 hadn't worked. Imagine if, despite the stringent measures and people mostly following them, the ...3 days ago - Forget the medals, the real game of the Olympics is soft power — and the opening ceremony is keySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caitlin Vincent, Lecturer in Creative Industries, The University of Melbourne The Olympic Games are often hailed as a neutral celebration of athletic achievement. “The Olympic Games are not about politics,” wrote the International Olympic Committee president, Thomas Bach, in the Guardian last ...3 days ago
- Eradicating smallpox: the global vaccination push that brought the world ‘arm-to-arm’Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Bennett, Professor in School of History and Classics, University of Tasmania Edward Jenner vaccinating his son, held by Mrs Jenner; a maid rolls up her sleeve, a man stands outside holding a cow. Coloured engraving by C. Manigaud after ...3 days ago
- Good one, ASA, for saying this gas ad misleads. Shame on you for failing to call it irresponsibleWhen you’re faced with advertising telling people we can help solve climate change by burning fossil fuels, it shouldn’t be difficult to condemn it in the strongest possible terms, argues lawyer Steven Price.In about 2050, when the climate has gone further to hell in a handbasket, there are going to ...3 days ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending July 23The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 In Our Own Backyard by Anne Kayes (Bateman, $22)This YA novel ties together Covid-19, Black Lives Matter ...3 days ago
- The Friday Poem: End Papers, by Mitch MarksA poem by Melbourne-based writer and publisher Mitch Marks.End papersWhen I write my novel, which all of you are in I’ll write it in the morning while my wounds are wide Tonguing them to bring the sting to the skin’s surface I’ll string it around my wrists and throat Tight ...3 days ago
- To watch or not to watch? The Tokyo Games raises difficult questions for fansSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Karg, Associate Professor, Swinburne University of Technology Sue Ogrocki/AP/AAP When the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games officially begin on Friday night, they will do so with the host city under a state of emergency due to COVID-19. For the ...3 days ago
- Enshrine Local Government Into ConstructionMajor changes are in the wind with the Labour government is giving itself unprecedented powers over local government. This is worrying and why KCDC Councillor Bernie Randall and Deputy Chair of the Paraparaumu/Raumati Community Board Guy Burns are calling ...3 days ago
- To watch or not watch? The Tokyo Games raises difficult questions for fansSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Karg, Associate Professor, Swinburne University of Technology Sue Ogrocki/AP/AAP When the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games officially begin on Friday night, they will do so with the host city under a state of emergency due to COVID-19. For the ...3 days ago
- A tragic’s guide to watching the OlympicsTop tips for getting the most from the Games, from your couch.One of my earliest memories is of watching Cathy Freeman win the 400m final at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. I was six years old and there was a girl in my class who looked exactly like Freeman and was ...3 days ago
- New Rules Introduced To Protect Sea-run Salmon FisheryTo help save New Zealand’s wild Chinook salmon species, a ground-breaking change to freshwater fishing regulations will introduce a season bag for sea-run salmon in the 2021/22 fishing season, in place of a daily catch limit. "The wild sea-run ...3 days ago
- How a Covid-19 policy put the final nail in the coffin of first-home buyers’ dreamsThe Reserve Bank’s monetary policy may have saved our economy from the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, but at what cost?This story was originally published in Bernard Hickey’s email newsletter The Kākā and is republished with permission.As the saying attributed to an apocryphal commander in the Vietnam War goes, “it became necessary ...3 days ago
- Labour Inspectorate Concludes Inquiry Into GloriavaleThe Labour Inspectorate has found that the members of the Gloriavale Christian community cannot currently be considered employees under New Zealand legislation. This means the Inspectorate has no jurisdiction and will not undertake further investigation ...3 days ago
- It’s just the thing for reducing our leftovers and slops – a trough which has provided almost $1...The Government has announced funding aimed at reducing food waste, which – according to the United Nations Environment Programme’s 2021 Food Waste Index – is well on the way to becoming a billion-tonne problem around the globe. In this country, we have a Love Food Hate Waste campaign run by Councils ...3 days ago
- Number of rejections for emergency housing tripled in 2020About 3000 requests for emergency housing were rejected by the government last year, nearly triple the number the year before. ...3 days ago
Given we've been assured that "rents have tended to mirror wage growth" just wondering if anyone here has seen a 6 percent wage increase recently?
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2104/S00327/rents-show-biggest-annual-increase-in-over-two-years.htm
she got it sorted.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/renting/124823927/sharing-a-wellington-hostel-bedroom-with-7-others-is-a-better-option-than-flatting-says-58yearold
This person should not be let out of jail early.
Previous to this he stomped on someone's neck. So its not a one off incident. When he gets angry, he gets the prison guard to lock him in his cell…..what happens when he is released and gets angry?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/124890747/man-who-fatally-headbutted-victim-over-parking-space-to-serve-less-than-half-his-sentence-in-prison
Only one and a half years in jail for killing someone looking after a disabled person over a parking space.
According to the headlines Mike Hosking reckons we're heading for a brain drain to Australia. Means he's staying I guess
well there are others then Mike Hosking who reckon the same. Builder and Nurses first, anyone else who may have a chance at a job (for those not working from home and construction) and an affordable house.
Why not? Indeed why not?
It's a nice place to visit…
How old are you?
Like Gillard, old enough to know better – I'm re-tired.
that explains a lot.
Glad I could help
– though it is a nice place to visit.
People have always left Hokitika for Christchurch or Hokianga for Whangarei or Whangarei for Auckland or Auckland for London.
This week and next week what would you do to keep people heading off to the streets paved with gold?
What should other countries do to stop their people leaving their homelands to come here to do the low paid work our economy apparently needs which we can't furnish orders for?
pay them as much as we do here, cause that is why they are here. Our low paid jobs are still better then theirs, in the same sense as OZ low paid jobs are still better paid then ours here, and their houses are cheaper.
And economic migrant is an economic migrant, no matter if you call them Ex-pat or Immigrant.
Sabine, how long is it since you were in Australia? Many homes have
1. water charges
2. Bodycorp charges
3. Rates charges
4. Surcharges for storm and flood damage.
They have surging house prices, high unemployment, and good luck getting a work visa, plus needing sufficient funds for your stay, a permanent address, an ABN and an Australian bank account. Not quite as easy as you are saying.
A number of ex-Kiwis are coming here as they see help being offered. This Government did not create Rotorua's drug or gang problem. In Australia, the Centre Link pages offer all sorts, until you get to the bit that says "Except for New Zealanders" They get one time help once only, and do not qualify for anything else except medicare. Go figure.
Not much different to Auckland then, we also have the bonus that alot of our apartment buildings and townhouses are steaming piles of turd… that includes the new ones… see Stonefields… scaffold and wrap up on new by the quarry in 3 Kings only 3 years old… tearing the guts out of new 'executive' apartments in Grafton and keeping the reasons very very quiet with non disclosure agreements.
But to be fair I think Aus has its fair share of problems in that regard…
So, in Vanuatu and Fiji and wherever they should have minimum wages which are equivalent to ours? And us? We should find out what builders and nurses are paid in Australia and make those the minimum here?
this was your question, my answer is here
a. increase the wages of our low paid work that no one here wants to do cause they would not earn enough money to pay rent in a n 8 bedroom dorm of a Hostel to something that would afford the median 600 odd dollar now charged for 2 – 3 bedrooms without outgoings and food.
b. remove any unemployment benefits and other benefits and force people here to do these jobs that they don't want to do because low pay.
c. accept the fact that we will import low wage workers as NZ has done since ages ago – be they the early chinese communities, the european migrants, refugees etc, and call that cheap labour these guys and i once upon a time had to do to earn their 'right to breathe the good air of NZ' (yes, i was told that) – the 'Kiwi Experience'.
d. drop our min wage to that of vanuatu to remove any incentives for the guys from vanuatu to come here, or increase their to what we have so that they don’t have an incentive to come here.
Or else, find some Kiwis that are happy to work in understaffed old folks homes, that clean our hospitals and old folk homes, that pick our food, that do all sorts of jobs that we don't want to do. But you don't get to complain about someone applying to come here for a better live, when all of Pakeha NZ basically is build on Migration.
.
So there won't be any unemployment benefits and other benefits for anyone in Kaitaia. People would be 'forced' to go to Central Otago of Hawkes Bay to pick fruit. The wages would be so high they will want to do it.
At the same time we drop our minimum wage so that workers from Vanuatu won't want to come here.
Your answer, if I understand it right, is bewildering.
why? you have asked a question as to what can be done.
I gave you a few samples of things that already had been proposed.
As for the benefit being cut or cancelled, well we are almost there. Our benefit levels are so low that you are essentially below the poverty line if you are on one, and they are set that way so that the dear unemployed and poor don't forget the 'value of work'. Comments courtesy of dear Carmel Sepuloni, she who follows as closely in the steps of Paula Benefit as she can without upsetting any labour doodas.
Never mind what job, never mind if you are trained for it, or even just good at it, value of work……..either that or cheap migrants. Who cares. Not anyone here in NZ.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/more-people-getting-work
https://communitylaw.org.nz/community-law-manual/chapter-23-dealing-with-work-and-income/benefit-rates-how-much-youll-get-and-how-much-you-can-earn/how-earning-money-will-affect-your-benefit-abatement/
yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda
rinse repeat.
I suspect there will be quite a few Covid refugees who returned home from Europe and the US go to Australia. They believe they are too big for New Zealand. They hate it here and rather than fix the perceived faults they'd rather chip away from places like Brisbane.
Why do you think that people are 'too big' for NZ, when all they want mostly is a steady income, a house, and maybe a bit more sun?
Personally OZ is not for me, but then i live in Rotorua now, and i know quite a few people who are planning to leave. And why not? Seriously why not? No jobs. And i mean that. No houses – not for rent not to buy. Gangs fucking everywhere and no cops in sight, no social workers in sight, no government in sight. Panhandling, Drug dealing, open prostitution. Why not leave to OZ, after all where would you move to in NZ to escape this? Auckland? Wellington? lol. See above the article of a women living in an 8 bedroom dorm in a Hostel while being a student in Wellington. Why not move.
Maybe its not that those that leave think they are to big for NZ, maybe NZ has no use for them, maybe NZ government has written of whole towns/regions as 'too hard to do anything there', and maybe NZ really does not care for those that have not made it big enough to actually live and eat and be warm in NZ on a standard wage without having to beg Winz for a subsidy.
Lol He would go well there, He and Jones!!
Surprise, surprise – Australia continually treating us like a piece of shit stuck on their shoe has consequences for both countries.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/300283352/foreign-minister-nanaia-mahutas-remarks-on-china-blindside-australian-officials
I want to bring this group to the attention of TS. It's a Brash/Newman fan club with accent on fake patriotism and shutting down those pesky darkies.
Kiwi Frontline.
No link. Not gonna make it easy for idiots. Journos, I present you this haven for haters. Now do what you do do well.
oooo, "frontline", they're ever so butch.
Frontline is a good flea treatment for cats.
and Dogs lol.
Not sure I'd trust this mob with my pets.
They’re feral.
The establishment of a new Public Health Agency gives me real hope. One of the key things I will be looking for is how much sway with the new agency the alcohol lobby will have.
Alcohol is a real scourge on all levels of our society. We really do need to start to regulate it’s sale much like we have done, and continue to do, with tobacco.
Stopping the sale of all alcohol in supermarkets. Regulate the number of liquor stores in any given area on a per head of population basis. These would be two great places to start.
The sugar lobby as well!!
Well that didn't take long did it. So much for any labour market resets – talk about ignoring people who vote for you Labour. And relying on continuing immigration despite the headaches that it has given us in every other area.
Back to importing cheap labour to compete with the local unemployed and our own young people coming onto the employment market. So much for any tourism reset. And given that no tourists doesn't seem to have done much over al, economic harm.
Plus we look like we are again going to be letting in the families of temporary workers with 12 months left on the visa. Are we again holding out false hope – that temporary visas can be made permanent easily – and at the expense of our own workforce.
All this in the face of the the study into the fruit industry and local studies that show local labour displaced low productivity and under utilisation – women and maori in oarticular being affected.
from Monday 19 April, applicants from the 14 uncapped countries who are currently in Australia will be able to apply for a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa. INZ is promising to process applications within the standard timeframes.
The countries concerned are the UK, USA, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
“This is great news for tourism and hospitality businesses struggling to find additional staff, especially temporary and part-time roles. There may be up to 45,000 young travellers in Australia although we don’t know how many would be from the 14 eligible countries,” Mr Roberts says.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2104/S00231/tourism-employers-welcome-back-working-holidaymakers.htm
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2104/S00125/border-exceptions-will-see-more-families-reunited.htm
https://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/300278980/the-underemployed-marlborough-has-too-many-parttimers-who-want-more-work
Misinformation,the malady of our times.
A Koch-sucker under every rock.
Putting Private Wealth before Public Health risks both.
The catalogue of Right Wing administrations, Trump, Bolsanaro, Modi, that have prioritised the economy over fighting the pandemic have ended up damaging both.
Hopefully Andrew Little’s reforms will reinforce and harden our health system, ready to ramp up against any outbreak, (an outbreak that some have said will be inevitable with the more open borders).
Let’s hope Little’s reforms are not too late, that the Health Minister can muster the massive health resources our nation will need against an outbreak.
Sounds like the braying of our National opposition MPs. Thank goodness they were not in power when the pandemic struck.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/21/system-has-collapsed-india-descent-into-covid-hell?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3p9h4if_OgJdoHuj60wgbE5HmpheEXRk1ZWbZ1b9xI566z3G5ypJpYFZo#Echobox=1619005174