Open mike 22/04/2021
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6:00 am, April 22nd, 2021 - 35 comments
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- Another English war crime
Fifty years ago, the British army murdered ten people in the Ballymurphy massacre in Northern Ireland. In what has become a common tactic for the British establishment, they immediately tried to cover up their crime by smearing the victims as IRA members. Now, a UK coroner has ruled the killings ...8 mins ago - Members Day: Second readingsToday is a members day, and it looks like it will be wall-to-wall second readings left over from last term. First up is Anahila Kanongata’a-Suisuiki's District Court (Protection of Judgment Debtors with Disabilities) Amendment Bill, followed by Louise Upston's Rights for Victims of Insane Offenders Bill. Both of these have ...4 hours ago
- The future finally arrivesOver the past few years I've been watching the price of solar energy fall, to the point where it now outcompetes fossil fuels, and wondering when it is finally going to take off in New Zealand and give us the clean, green future we need to survive. And now it ...4 hours ago
- Falling Between Two Treaties: A Reply To Dr Emily Beausoleil.
5 hours ago - NZ Politics Daily: 12 May 2021
Public sector pay freeze Claire Trevett (Herald): PM steps in, the melting of the pay freeze begins (paywalled) Jordan Bond (RNZ): Public sector pay freeze: Nurses warming to strike action plan – union Henry Cooke (Stuff): Thawing freeze: Jacinda Ardern says Government is open to introducing step-based pay for more public servants Duncan Greive (Spinoff): Is there a noble method to ...9 hours ago - Graham Adams: Will He Puapua propel Winston Peters back into politics?The NZ First leader once described the UN Declaration as the “road to Zimbabwe”. Graham Adams asks how long he will sit on the sidelines as the debate over Maori sovereignty rages. The controversial report He Puapua has been seized upon by National and Act as evidence of a covert ...19 hours ago
- The same question again and againThe Independent Police Conduct authority has found police were unjustified in using an attack dog against a fleeing child: Police were not justified in using a police dog to bite a young offender following a pursuit, according to an Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) report. The 14-year-old was bitten ...1 day ago
- Samoa tries to gag its peopleSamoa's dodgy dissolution will be challenged in court this Thursday, which should provide some certainty over whether they are having an election next week. Meanwhile samoa's caretaker government is reportedly planning to ban Facebook for the election. Their reason? “The disrespectful, repulsive and obscene language towards our leaders; not ...1 day ago
- Labour’s divide and rule pay freeze
by Don Franks Last week, on the anniversary of Karl Marx’s birthday,Public Service Minister Chris Hipkins had good and bad news for workers. His good news – twenty-five per cent of public servants can expect pay rises. His bad news – for the next three years, public servants earning more than $60,000 will only get rises under ...1 day ago - NZ Politics Daily: 11 May 2021Public sector pay freeze Justin Giovannetti (Spinoff): Ardern and Robertson say public sector wage freeze is ‘misreporting’. But is it? Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Grant Robertson schedules union crisis meetings after failing to communicate public pay freeze properly Chris Trotter (Interest): Playing by a new set of rules RNZ: Government urged to rethink public sector pay freeze decision Henry Cooke (Stuff): Government in ...1 day ago
- Overshooting 2C risks rapid and unstoppable sea level rise from Antarctica
This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by: Dr Robert M. DeConto, professor of geosciences and co-director of the School of Earth and Sustainability at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, lead author on IPCC’s special report on the ocean and cryosphere in a changing climate, and a recipient of the Tinker-Muse Prize for Science and ...2 days ago - On the Parnassus Plays and Shakespeare Authorship
Yesterday, I read the Parnassus Plays (1598-1602): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parnassus_plays These are three late Elizabethan university plays, put on by Cambridge students, for Cambridge students. They’re primarily known because of their extensive references to contemporary English writers, including William Shakespeare. And, certainly, we’ll get to that – there are interesting implications ...2 days ago - Climate Change: “Least cost” means “do nothing”The National Party is trying to sabotage the struggle against climate change again, with a bill in the member's ballot to force the Climate Change Commission to allow our domestic targets and international commitments to be met with "offshore mitigation". What does "offshore mitigation" mean? From past experience, it means ...2 days ago
- Incoherent 2Last week, the government froze public service pay for three years in a return to the economy-strangling austerity politics of the National era. But today, suddenly they're rolling in money: There’ll be more spending and lower debt levels in the 2021 Budget than expected, the Finance Minister, Grant Robertson ...2 days ago
- The Scots deserve their referendumScotland went to the polls on Friday in national elections, and delivered another thumping victory for the Scottish National Party. Once again, it fell just short of an absolute majority, but has an easy majority with the Scottish Greens. Both parties campaigned explicitly for Scottish independence, and in a democratic ...2 days ago
- Playing By A New Set Of RulesMeet The New Rules, Not Like The Old Rules: The old book was written on the assumption that political principles are important, and that, accordingly, political consistency from political parties must also be important. At its core, the old rule book accepted that the game it was regulating was the ...2 days ago
- Reducing tobacco retail availability: counterarguments to industry claims
Lindsay Robertson, Janet Hoek, Richard Edwards, George Thomson, Louise Marsh (*Author details) The NZ Government’s Discussion Document outlines an Action Plan for the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 goal and proposes substantially reducing the number of retailers selling tobacco. In this blog, we examine arguments that interest groups have advanced to ...2 days ago - National’s latest default Go-To Distraction
. . As National Party’s current Leader, Judith Collins, channeled former National Party Leader, Don Brash by playing the Race Card, I was reminded of a blogpost I wrote in March 2017; …//… Faced with increasingly negative indicators from high immigration, English was forced to explain why we were seeing ...2 days ago - NZ Politics Daily: 10 May 2021Public sector pay freeze Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Political Roundup: The Public sector worker backlash against Labour Andrea Vance (Stuff): Why Jacinda Ardern needs to make a John Key-style u-turn on pay sector freeze Alexia Russell (RNZ): Pay freezing out your traditional voter base Liam Dann (Herald): Muldoon or Richardson? Robertson cops it from all sides (paywalled) Claire Trevett (Herald): Labour ...2 days ago
- Hiding He Puapua From Winston May Cost Labour Dearly.2 days ago
- 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #19Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, May 2, 2021 through Sat, May 8, 2021 In no particular order the following articles lead to the most interactions during the last seven days: Shifting Distribution of Land Temperature Anomalies, 1951-2020, Dare we hope? ...3 days ago
- A plan so cunning you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel
This week the Labour government, in its infinite wisdom, decided we’d all had enough of them spending billions of dollars helping out large multi-nationals pay their wage bill during Covid, they decided on a completely new course of action. This week Labour announced an austerity plan. And what a plan ...3 days ago - Mother’s Day
(Content note: infertility, mental health, motherhood) My first post about our ~parenting journey~ is here. Mother’s Day has never been the most problematic artificially-hyped-to-sell-stuff-parental-celebration holiday for me. I grew up ~without a father~ (he bailed; his loss) so it was always the unthinking way we/marketing departments assume that everyone has ...3 days ago - Types of futures reportsThe web comic xkcd created a great (satirical) overview of the types of scientific papers. That got me thinking about the types of futures reports I commonly see. There are very good reports out there. You just need to read with a critical eye. Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash ...4 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – The Public sector worker backlash against LabourIs Labour supposed to be the party of labour or of capital? It’s often hard to tell these days, and many in the labour movement and the political left are feeling betrayed this week by the Government’s announcement of a pay freeze for public sector workers. The Government has essentially ...4 days ago
- Fast times and a fast mouth with Boy Racer MP, David Seymour?
You’ve got to give the man credit: he quite honestly built his own car, a Lotus replica, and clearly had personal skills and a driving interest here – ha – that served him well even at a young age, which no doubt were enhanced further when he went on ...5 days ago - Why Are We Moving to Auckland?
Might the drift to the north be resisted?The regional population projections of Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) have only the Auckland and Waikato regions growing faster than the national average through to 2048. The other fourteen grow slower than average. The next three are Bay of Plenty, Canterbury and Northland, so ...5 days ago - The Free Speech Union NZ branch
by Daphna Whitmore Across the English speaking world free speech is threatened. Wokeness and cancel culture, which emerged from the universities in the past decade, has spread. Its ideology is postmodernism, an obscure and impenetrable outlook. Now the university graduates have taken their piousness into government departments and NGOs where ...5 days ago - IncoherentOn Wednesday, the government froze public service pay for three years in a vicious attack on the very workers who have kept the country alive during the pandemic for the last year. Meanwhile, today they've re-announced their new system of "Fair pay Agreements", allowing unions to negotiate basic terms and ...5 days ago
- Branko Marcetic: Labour’s public sector pay freeze isn’t just a betrayal of frontline workers ...All around the world, governments, economists, and even neoliberal bastions like the World Bank are urging a change in the direction of economic policy away from the mistakes of a decade ago – all except here in New Zealand, where the government appears determined to repeat them. Branko Marcetic examines ...5 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 7 May 2021Public sector pay freeze Stuff: Editorial – Pay freeze stretches public sector loyalty Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Pay freeze shows Government can’t manage the books Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Pay freeze controversy enters second day, with Greens and National pressing Labour Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Do people really earn more in the public sector? David Farrar: Robertson and Hipkins become honorary members of ...5 days ago
- Josh Van Veen: The Muller TrapA speech by Todd Muller at the Te Puna Rugby Club last June told voters everything they need to know about the New Zealand National Party. It was, arguably, the most coherent statement on political philosophy by a National leader in the MMP era. Interwoven with the usual platitudes ...5 days ago
- With Friends Like These …He's On Our Side? When Australia’s very own Minister of Defence, Peter Dutton, is telling anyone who will listen that "a war over Taiwan cannot be discounted" and that Australia was "already under attack" from Chinese cyber-warriors, it is probably time to think again about who New Zealand's "friends" and ...5 days ago
- Developing Separately – Or Together?'He iwi tahi tātou'? Should Maori poverty be addressed as a manifestation of the economic and social injustices inherent in free-market capitalism; or, is it the inevitable consequence of colonial oppression, white privilege and institutional racism? If it’s the former, then Maori and Pakeha can tackle the problem together. If ...6 days ago
- “A Rare Misstep from Simeon Brown”: Once more playing the Useful Idiot of the National Party?
Overall, MP Simeon Brown is someone to poke fun at with his asinine takes, clearly. He can, like Collins, just not help himself to save himself. But never let yourself get seriously worked up and actually worn out over it. He’s simply not worth it, sad as it ...6 days ago - Selling a buffalo for a brain scan: India’s COVID-19 crisis reveals deep fractures in its health s...Kaaren Mathias, University of Canterbury As India’s COVID-19 crisis continues, the percentage of the population testing positive for the virus has grown from 4.2% to 18.4% in the past 30 days. With more than 300,000 new cases reported each day, hospitals and crematoria face collapse. Global media have been awash ...6 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 6 May 2021Parliament’s Speaker Trevor Mallard Henry Cooke (Stuff): National v Mallard: That atrocious late-night debate is the reason people hate politicians Barry Soper (Herald): Trevor Mallard’s outburst this week questions whether he understands what a serious sexual assault is Claire Trevett (Herald): The unedifying spectacle of the Speaker v National in Parliament (paywalled) Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Mallard using his power to attack ...6 days ago
- Reducing tobacco retail availability: how could this be achieved and what evidence supports the NZ G...Lindsay Robertson, Janet Hoek, Richard Edwards, Frederieke Petrović-van der Deen, George Thomson, Louise Marsh (*Author details) The NZ Government has published a Discussion Document outlining an Action Plan for the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 goal. This blog is one of a series examining key aspects of the plan to help inform ...6 days ago
- Ardern says China differences ‘becoming harder to ignore’; promises to work harder on ignoring t...
Ardern has been crystal clear that New Zealand “must step up” its efforts if it is to successfully dodge questions about genocide in China. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told the Auckland Business Chamber on Monday that differences between New Zealand and China on human rights were “becoming more difficult” to ...7 days ago - covid-19 infection and how the spike protein is involved in doing harmJust this morning a journalist sent me a link to a press release about a new paper looking at how SARS-Cov-2 affects the vascular system, & asked to comment on it for a article. If you’d like to read the actual paper you can find it here, but be ...7 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #18, 2021Bringing more certainty to uncertainty communications For the armchair dilettante observer of scientific progress a solid literature review is something akin to going to Disneyland. It's almost too much stimulation. When a review covers a salient, hot topic, so much the better. This week we're pleased to feature a vast review ...1 week ago
- Is ‘Spot’ a good dog? Why we’re right to worry about unleashing robot quadrupedsJeremy Moses, University of Canterbury and Geoffrey Ford, University of Canterbury When it comes to dancing, pulling a sled, climbing stairs or doing tricks, “Spot” is definitely a good dog. It can navigate the built environment and perform a range of tasks, clearly demonstrating its flexibility as a software ...1 week ago
- Punishing our saviours againLast year public servants saved our lives, working overtime in the middle of a pandemic to stand up a response which kept out Covid and kept kiwis alive and employed. The government rewarded them with a pay freeze. And now they're extending that for another three years: Public servants ...1 week ago
- Hard News: A picture of official callousness and detachment
Last night, the New Zealand Herald posted a story from its political reporter Derek Cheng which bundles together a number of current issues around medicinal cannabis. The most alarming is that of Katy Thomas and her epileptic son Eddy, which has recently been taken up by Green MP Chloe Swarbrick. Their ...1 week ago - Samoa’s dodgy dissolutionSamoa's tied elections took a turn for the worse last night, with the O le Ao o le Malo purporting to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections in what looks awfully like a self-coup. The "justification" for this was the uncertainty created by the hung parliament - a situation the ...1 week ago
- 12,000 unemployed under LabourThe quarterly labour market statistics have been released, and once again outperformed expectations, with unemployment dropping to 4.7%. So there are now 135,000 unemployed, 12,000 more than when Labour took office. Its not all good news though: the underutilisation rate is up, suggesting that more jobs are part-time. Still, compared ...1 week ago
- Labour refuses to condemn genocide in XinjiangBut they will condemn "possible severe human rights abuses". What a pack of snivelling, grovelling chickenshits. Refusing to call the crime what it is for fear of offending the criminal. But maybe this is Labour's "kindness"? Fuck the poor. Fuck the kids. Fuck immigrants. But be kind to génocidaires. But ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 5 May 2021He Puapua document and the National Party Henry Cooke (Stuff): Whose race card is this anyway? Judith Collins and David Seymour both appear to have found the same wedge issue Graham Adams (Stuff): Ardern on a hot tin roof over He Puapua plan to share power with Māori Claire Trevett (Herald): Judith Collins’ has grabbed the agenda on ...1 week ago
- Collins warns Government is planning separatist New Zealand with special car parks and gender segreg...The Government is accusing National of scaremongering over a proposal to establish separate Māori governance in New Zealand, pointing to its long history of ignoring recommendations. National Party interim leader Judith Collins has deepened her attacks on the Government’s proposed Māori Health Authority this week, alleging that Prime Minister Jacinda ...1 week ago
- #PLURV – the German #FLICC – getting popular in GermanyLongtime readers of what we are up to at Skeptical Science will be well aware of the FLICC taxonomy first suggested by Mark Hoofnagle in 2007, written about in Diethelm & McKnee (2009) and since then greatly enlarged by John Cook: A much simpler FLICC-taxonomy first started out to be utilized ...1 week ago
- https://sciblogs.co.nz/?p=276367Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nz I’ve heard the gravity changes when Antarctica melts will lower ...1 week ago
- The Greens worry about morality, Labour worries about tradeThe Greens have done what was expected of them, and agreed to back ACT's motion on genocide in Xinjiang tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Labour Party is worrying about trade: Trade Minister Damien O'Connor has warned a parliamentary debate on whether Beijing is committing genocide in Xinjiang would damage trade with ...1 week ago
- Why we remember more by reading – especially print – than from audio or videoNaomi S. Baron, American University During the pandemic, many college professors abandoned assignments from printed textbooks and turned instead to digital texts or multimedia coursework. As a professor of linguistics, I have been studying how electronic communication compares to traditional print when it comes to learning. Is comprehension the ...1 week ago
- Shaken and Stirred: The Left Reacts To Judith Collins’ Race-Based Politicking.Extremely Moderate: That was the “problem” with Judith Collins’ address to the National Party’s Northern Regional Conference on 1 May 2021: its totally unexpected moderation. This was no bilious outpouring of racial hate – quite the reverse. With a degree of political subtlety and tactical agility that did both Collins and her ...1 week ago
- Labour adopts NZ First’s racismNew Zealand First were a nasty pack of racists. One of the ideas they pushed was that immigrants - which in NZ First-ese means "non-white people", not those lovely people from the UK or South Africa - are coming here to steal the pensions of "hardworking" (white) New Zealanders by ...1 week ago
- Redefining Democracy.The Dead Hand Of Privilege: To be white, male, heterosexual, well-educated, and – of course – wealthy, is to enjoy a high degree of “privilege” in a culture where such distinctions are generally esteemed. Formal democratic equality, it is asserted, actually serves to mask this privilege and, by doing so, ...1 week ago
- The police’s “emissions-free fleet” strategyLast year, just as the government was announcing plans for a carbon-neutral public service, the police announced they were buying new petrol-powered patrol cars. But they weren't ignoring the government's requirements, with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster quoted as saying "we are committed to reducing our carbon emissions and have outlined ...1 week ago
- Could the COVID vaccines affect your period? We don’t know yet — but there’s no cause for conc...Michelle Wise, University of Auckland Over recent weeks, news reports have indicated some women are experiencing irregularities in their menstrual cycles after receiving a COVID vaccine. This has included periods arriving early and being heavier than usual, or being absent or late, among other changes. At this stage, there’s no ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 4 May 2021China and New Zealand Bryce Edwards (The Guardian): Ardern’s speech was not an attack on China, or even a shift away from Beijing Justin Giovannetti (Spinoff): Nanaia Mahuta’s China dilemma and the future of New Zealand diplomacy Geoffrey Miller (Democracy Project): Something for everyone in Ardern’s speech on China Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Political, economic China perspectives collide at summit Michael Neilson ...1 week ago
- Report: All new cars and trucks in U.S. could be electric by 2035This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Thinking ahead to what (and whether?) you may be driving – may have parked in your garage or driveway or parking lot – a few years from now? Like, for instance, in 2035? Only with “robust” public policy initiatives as yet not on ...1 week ago
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- Climate Change: Cut methane nowFarmers are our biggest source of climate pollution, being responsible for 48% of our emissions. Three quarters of their emissions come from methane, caused by burping cows and rotting cowshit. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, but short-lived; its impact on global temperature over 20 years is 84 times higher ...1 week ago
- Hard News: The drumbeat for reform gets louderIt should have come as no surprise after the narrow referendum defeat last year of a bill to legalise and regulate cannabis that its loudest and best-funded opponents should have wandered off to find a new culture war. The people behind SAM-NZ, Family First and Say Nope to Dope have ...1 week ago
- Press Release 27 April 2021 – Congratulations to Minister Little and the Government on the Health ...
Peter Malcolm for Income Equality Aotearoa New Zealand Inc. – Closing the Gap The recently announced changes to the way health is administered in New Zealand are long overdue. We do not need 20 separate health authorities in New Zealand as the responses to the pandemic has illustrated. The current ...1 week ago - Government of kindness?Remember John Campbell's "Feed the kids" campaign? Free school lunches are one of the most effective education policy interventions we can make, boosting attendance and improving learning outcomes. Currently the government funds them for the 25% of children living in the poorest areas of New Zealand. But poor kids whose ...1 week ago
- Speaker: test post with picsFollowing the storming of the US capitol building in January, Twitter cracked down on accounts that were using the site to promote false narratives about the US election, in particular accounts associated with the Qanon conspiracy theory. The mass removal of accounts included a number of New Zealanders. Many of ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 3 May 2021National Party: “Separatism” and He Puapua Matthew Hooton (Herald): Judith Collins’ speech raises important issues for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern(paywalled) Graham Adams (Democracy Project): Ardern in the gun over He Puapua Luke Malpass (Stuff): Judith Collins issues race relations warning, says Labour planning ‘two systems by stealth’ Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Echoes of the past in Judith Collins’ speech Lara Greaves and Ella ...1 week ago
- Graham Adams: Ardern in the gun over He PuapuaA covert 20-year plan to establish Maori sovereignty is political dynamite. Graham Adams argues it represents a real threat to the Prime Minister’s reputation as open and transparent. Judith Collins made no effort to hide the cat-with-the-cream expression on her face when she answered journalists’ questions after a National ...1 week ago
- Improving NZ Government Communication about COVID-19: Five Suggestions Including a Proposal for Depo...Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Jennifer Summers, Dr Leah Grout, Dr Amanda Kvalsvig The high quality communication by the NZ Government for much of the COVID-19 pandemic has been remarked on. But given that the pandemic situation is very far from over, in this blog we consider five areas in which ...1 week ago
- Crackpot Theory: Ar-Pharazôn’s Sexuality (or the lack thereof)
Some time ago, I presented my completely unprovable hypothesis that Rhaegar, from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, had Asperger’s Syndrome. It’s a crackpot theory, of course – one that involves taking certain elements of the text, and running with them in accordance with wilder imagination. ...1 week ago - 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #18Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Apr 25, 2021 through Sat, May 1, 2021 In no particular order the following articles lead to the most interactions during the last seven days: Points of no return, What Skepticism Reveals About Science, The ...1 week ago
- A Night in the Witherlands: Published
Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Issue #48 (May-July 2021) is now out:http://www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com/?p=3442 And my 6.400-word sword and sorcery piece, A Night in the Witherlands, is out with it:http://www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com/?p=3400 As noted previously, this one is a follow-up to A Breath Through Silver:http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue849/breath_silver1.html Please check out the Bibliography page for my other ...1 week ago - A year ago todayA year ago today, my partner and I “properly” began the journey to become parents. We’d been on the path for a very long time: first trying, and trying, and trying, and failing, then trying to get help, and facing some pretty gross obstacles to that; and finally being in ...1 week ago
- Judith Collins goes whistle shoppingHaving taken an enforced break for a number of weeks with ideas drying up faster than a Canterbury river, MyThinks has had a sudden burst of prefrontal brain activity and brings you a random number of thinks related to recent political happenings. Enjoy. National Leader Judith Collins is walking through ...1 week ago
- Central Bank Independence?
I have never understood why the independence of the central bank (in our case, the Reserve Bank) is thought to be so important and beneficial. The practice – and doctrine – were pioneered in New Zealand, and hark back to the era of Rogernomics, monetarism and the priority given to ...1 week ago
- Happy Mother’s Day, Aotearoa!
Today, we’re celebrating mothers, grandmothers and all the mother figures in our lives – and wishing them a wonderful day with whānau and friends – and, ideally, not so many obligations. ...3 days ago - Green Party launch petition calling for Labour to reverse public sector wage suppression on our nurs...
The Green Party have launched a petition calling on Labour to reverse its decision to suppress the wages of our nurses, teachers, and DOC workers earning between $60,000 and $100,000. ...5 days ago - A full-on six months: Our record since the 2020 electionNew Zealanders voted for stability and security at the last election. In the six months since, we’ve worked hard to keep Kiwis safe from COVID-19, while accelerating our economic recovery and tackling long-term challenges like housing affordability, child poverty, and climate change – and we’ve made good progress. ...6 days ago
- Greens welcome US support for People’s VaccineThe Green Party strongly supports today’s commitment by the United States joining the call to waive the morally indefensible pharmaceutical patents on the COVID-19 vaccine in order to make it accessible to Developing World communities. ...6 days ago
- Public sector pay restrictions are unacceptableThe Government’s decision to restrict the wages of many essential public sector workers for another two years does a disservice to those who have kept our communities safe during COVID-19, the Green Party said today. ...7 days ago
- The Green Party is putting reasonable renting rules on the agendaThe Green Party is launching its Reasonable Rents campaign to start a national conversation about the high cost of rents for the more than 1.4 million Kiwis who live in a rental home. ...1 week ago
- Keeping Kiwis snug this winterWe believe everyone deserves a warm, dry place to call home. One way we’re making this a reality is through our Winter Energy Payment, which helps around a million people with their heating bills through the colder months and ensures whānau stay healthy with less stress. ...2 weeks ago
- Our tamariki Maōri should not suffer any more: GreensThe Green Party welcomes the Waitangi Tribunal report that recognises mulitple breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by the Crown. ...2 weeks ago
- Eight times Labour proved it has workers' backsOur name says a lot about our priorities, but so does our history. We’ve consistently fought for workers’ rights – from when our Party first formed in 1916, to now, when we’ve placed workers’ rights and health at the centre of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for amnesty programme in open letter to immigration ministerThe Green Party is calling on the Government to create a broad amnesty programme for people who overstay their visa, and for temporary visa holders to be granted residency in an open letter to the Minister for Immigration. ...2 weeks ago
- Local government review must centre Te Tiriti o Waitangi and empower young peopleThe future of local government must empower the young people who will live with the decisions made today, by enabling them to vote, and strengthen our national commitment to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Green Party said today. ...3 weeks ago
- The Greens welcome whānau centred initiatives for PrisonsToday the Government announced a new whānau-centred Māori pathways programme in the Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison. ...3 weeks ago
- Apartments give new life to former Trade Training hostel
A building that once shaped the Māori trade training industry will now revitalise the local community of Ōtautahi and provide much needed housing for whānau Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson announced today. The old Māori Trade Training hostel, Te Koti Te Rato, at Rehua Marae in Christchurch has been ...3 hours ago - Major step to pay parity for early learning teachersCertificated teachers on the lowest pay in early education and care services will take another leap towards pay parity with their equivalents in kindergartens, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said in a pre-Budget announcement today. “Pay parity for education and care teachers is a manifesto commitment for Labour and is reflected ...3 hours ago
- New Zealand Wind Energy ConferenceTēnā koutou katoa Tēnā koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te Rā No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tatou katoa Thank you Grenville for the introduction and thanks to the organisers, the New Zealand Wind Energy Association, for inviting me to speak this morning. I’m delighted that you ...5 hours ago
- Speech to New Zealand Drug Foundation 2021 Parliamentary Drug Policy SymposiumSpeech to Through the Maze: On the road to health New Zealand Drug Foundation 2021 Parliamentary Drug Policy Symposium Mōrena koutou katoa, Tēnei te mihi ki a koutou, Kua tae mai nei me ngā kete matauranga hauora, E whai hononga ai tatau katoa, Ka nui te mihi! Thank you for the opportunity ...7 hours ago
- Govt to deliver lower card fees to businessCommerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark has today announced the Government’s next steps to reduce merchant service fees, that banks charge businesses when customers use a credit or debit card to pay, which is estimated to save New Zealand businesses approximately $74 million each year. “Pre COVID, EFTPOS has ...7 hours ago
- Government support boosts Arts and Culture sectorGovernment support for the cultural sector to help it recover from the impact of COVID-19 has resulted in more cultural sector jobs predicted through to 2026, and the sector performing better than forecast. The latest forecast by economic consultancy ‘Infometrics’ reflects the impact of Government investment in keeping people in ...1 day ago
- Govt takes further action against gang crimeThe Government will make it illegal for high risk people to own firearms by introducing Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPOs) that will strengthen action already taken to combat the influence of gangs and organised crime to help keep New Zealanders and their families safe, Police Minister Poto Williams and Justice Minister ...1 day ago
- Thousands of MIQ spaces allocated to secure economic recoveryFive hundred spaces per fortnight will be allocated in managed isolation facilities over the next 10 months, many for skilled and critical workers to support our economic recovery, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor say. “The Trans-Tasman bubble has freed up more rooms, allowing us to ...2 days ago
- New Zealand Sign Language Week a chance to recognise national taongaThis week (10 – 16 May 2021) is New Zealand Sign Language Week (NZSL), a nationwide celebration of NZSL as an official language of New Zealand. “We’re recognised as a world leader for our commitment to maintaining and furthering the use of our sign language,” says Minister for Disability Issues ...2 days ago
- Economic resilience provides more options in Budget 2021Securing the recovery and investing in the wellbeing of New Zealanders is the focus of Budget 2021, Grant Robertson told his audience at a pre-budget speech in Auckland this morning. "The economy has proven resilient in response to COVID-19, due to people having confidence in the Government’s health response to ...2 days ago
- Pre-Budget speech to BNZ-Deloitte Auckland Breakfast EventThank you for the invitation to speak to you today, and to share with you some of the Government’s thinking leading into this year’s budget. This will be my fourth time delivering the annual Budget for the Government, though the events of the past year have thrown out that calculation. ...2 days ago
- Rotuman Language week affirms language as the key to Pacific wellbeingThe first Pacific Language Week this year makes it clear that language is the key to the wellbeing for all Pacific people said Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio. “This round of language weeks begin with Rotuman. As I have always said language is one of the pillars of ...3 days ago
- Budget delivers improved cervical and breast cancer screeningBudget 2021 funds a more effective cervical screening test to help reduce cervical cancer rates A new breast screening system that can proactively identify and enrol eligible women to reach 271,000 more people who aren’t currently in the programme. Budget 2021 delivers a better cervical screening test and a major ...3 days ago
- NZ-France to co-chair Christchurch Call Leaders’ SummitNew Zealand and France will jointly convene the Christchurch Call Community for a leaders’ summit, to take stock of progress and develop a new shared priority work plan. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and President Emmanuel Macron will co-chair the leaders’ meeting on the 2nd anniversary of the Call, on 14 ...3 days ago
- New South Wales travel pause to be lifted tomorrowCOVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says the current travel pause with New South Wales will lift tomorrow – subject to no further significant developments in NSW. “New Zealand health officials met today to conduct a further assessment of the public health risk from the recently identified COVID-19 community cases in Sydney. It has been determined that the risk to public ...4 days ago
- March 15 Collective Impact Board appointedThe voices of those affected by the March 15 mosque attacks will be heard more effectively with the establishment of a new collective impact board, Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan announced today. Seven members of the Christchurch Muslim community have been appointed to the newly established Board, ...4 days ago
- More young Kiwis supported with mental health and addiction servicesNearly quarter of a million more young New Zealanders will have access to mental health and addiction support in their communities as the Government’s youth mental health programme gathers pace. New contracts to expand youth-specific services across the Northland, Waitematā and Auckland District Health Board areas have been confirmed, providing ...5 days ago
- New hospital facilities mean fewer trips to Auckland for NorthlandersNorthlanders will no longer automatically have to go to Auckland for lifesaving heart procedures like angiograms, angioplasty and the insertion of pacemakers, thanks to new operating theatres and a cardiac catheter laboratory opened at Whangārei Hospital by Health Minister Andrew Little today. The two projects – along with a new ...5 days ago
- Fair Pay Agreements to improve pay and conditions for essential workersThe Government is delivering on its pre-election commitment to implement Fair Pay Agreements which will improve wages and conditions, as well as help support our economic recovery, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood announced today. Fair Pay Agreements will set minimum standards for all employees and employers in an ...5 days ago
- Establishment of the new Māori Health Authority takes first big stepSir Mason Durie will lead a Steering Group to provide advice to the Transition Unit on governance arrangements and initial appointments to an interim board to oversee the establishment of the Māori Health Authority. This Group will ensure that Māori shape a vital element of our future health system, Minister ...5 days ago
- Cycle trails move up a gear in CentralWork on new and upgraded cycle trails in Queenstown, Arrowtown and Central Otago is moving up a gear as two significant projects pass further milestones today. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has announced new funding for the Queenstown Trails Project, and will also formally open the Lake Dunstan Trail at Bannockburn ...5 days ago
- Government gives households extra help to reduce their power billsNine community energy education initiatives to help struggling New Zealanders with their power bills are being given government funding through the new Support for Energy Education in Communities (SEEC) Programme. “Last year we committed nearly $8 million over four years to establish the SEEC Programme. This funding will help ...5 days ago
- Picton ferry terminal upgrade consent fast-trackedThe planned upgrade of the Waitohi Picton Ferry terminal has been approved under the fast-track consenting process. Environment Minister David Parker today welcomed the decision by the expert consenting panel to approve the Waitohi Picton Ferry Precinct Redevelopment Project. The project will provide a significant upgrade to the ferry facilities ...6 days ago
- Quarantine Free Travel with New South Wales pausedCOVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has announced his intention to pause Quarantine Free Travel from New South Wales to New Zealand while the source of infection of the two cases announced in Sydney in the last two days is investigated. Whole genome sequencing has linked the case yesterday to a recent ...6 days ago
- Covid-19 immigration powers to be extendedThe passing of a bill to extend temporary COVID-19 immigration powers means continued flexibility to support migrants, manage the border, and help industries facing labour shortages, Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said. “Over the past year, we’ve made rapid decisions to extend visas, vary visa conditions and waive some application requirements ...6 days ago
- “Supporting a Trade-Led Economic Recovery”Trade Policy Road Show SpeechManukau, Auckland Kia ora koutou – nau mai, haere mai ki Manukau, ki Tāmaki. Good morning everyone, and thank you for this opportunity to discuss with you current global challenges, opportunities and the Government’s strategy in support of a trade-led recovery from the economic ...6 days ago
- Building consent numbers at an all-time highA record 41,028 new homes have been consented in the year ended March 2021 March 2021 consent numbers the highest since the 1940s Record number of new homes consented in Auckland The number of new homes consented is at an all-time high, showing a strong and increasing pipeline of demand ...6 days ago
- Whānau-centred support for parents and tamarikiUp to 60 whānau in Counties Manukau will be supported through the first three years of their parenthood by a new whānau-centred model of care, said Associate Health Minister, Hon Aupito William Sio. “Providing this support to young parents is something we have to get right. It’s a priority both ...6 days ago
- NZ backs moves to improve global access to COVID vaccinesNew Zealand welcomes and strongly supports the announcement made by the United States Trade Representative to work for a waiver of IP protections on COVID-19 vaccines at the WTO, Trade Minister Damien O’Connor said. “New Zealand supports equitable access to COVID vaccines for all. No one is safe from the ...6 days ago
- Tourism communities: support, recovery and re-set planTIHEI MAURI ORA Tuia te whakapono Tuia te tumanako Tuia te aroha Tuia te hunga ora Ki te hunga ora Tihei Mauri ora Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. Thank you, Hilary and thank you, Chris, and everyone at TIA for this ...6 days ago
- Support, recovery and re-set plan for tourism communitiesFive South Island tourist communities targeted for specialist support Pressure on Māori tourism operators and Conservation facilities recognised Domestic and international-facing tourism agencies put on more secure footing Long-term plan to re-set tourism with a focus on sustainability, industry standards and regional economic diversification A plan to ensure the immediate ...6 days ago
- Speech on NZ Rail PlanCheck against delivery E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karanga maha o te wa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Ki ngā mana whenua o Taranaki Whānui anō nei aku mihi ki a koutou. Nōku te hōnore kia haere mai ki te whakanuia tēnei huihuinga whakahirahira. Nō ...6 days ago
- Government hits massive milestone in Violence Prevention & EliminationMinister for Family and Sexual Violence Marama Davidson announced a major milestone at a hui in South Auckland today, with the launch of the national engagement process on the prevention and elimination of family and sexual violence. “There is no room for violence in our lives – there is no ...6 days ago
- Fee waiver extended for conservation tourism businessesTourism businesses operating on public conservation land will have another six months of fees waived to help them adjust to the downturn in international visitors in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Acting Minister of Conservation Dr Ayesha Verrall has announced. "We acknowledge it has been a difficult year for ...6 days ago
- ‘Lua Wave’ to future-proof Pasifika Festivals in AotearoaPasifika festival organisers will receive additional support to adapt to the COVID-19 environment thanks to the Government’s newly launched ‘Lua Wave’ component of the Pasifika Festivals Initiative, Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “This initiative has not only been to support festival organisers to recover from ...6 days ago
- Crown accounts show confidence in Govt economic planThe Government’s financial accounts continue to reflect the resilience of the economy and confidence in the Government’s economic recovery plan. The Crown accounts for the nine months to the end of March 2021 show both OBEGAL and the operating balance remain better than forecast in the Half Year Economic and ...6 days ago
- Energy Trusts of NZ Autumn ConferenceIt’s a pleasure to be here today. Thank you Karen [Sherry] for the introduction and thanks to the Energy Trusts Executive for inviting me to speak at tonight’s event. It is an exciting time to come to speak to trustees of distribution companies. For many decades the electricity industry was ...6 days ago
- New partnership to grow Māori success in STEMA new partnership with the Pūhoro STEM Academy will support thousands more rangatahi Māori to participate and succeed in the fields of science, technology, and innovation, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Since 2016, Pūhoro has worked with Māori students to build their capability and create pathways to employment ...6 days ago
- Rail builds platform for economic recoveryTransport Minister Michael Wood and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Dr David Clark today released the Government’s long term vision for a sustainable rail network that supports our economic recovery. New Zealand Rail Plan lays out how the Government is building a resilient, reliable and safe network, as well as the indicative ...6 days ago
- NZ and UK agree to lift the pace of free trade talksNew Zealand and the United Kingdom have agreed to rapidly lift the tempo of talks, as the two countries enter a new phase in free trade negotiations, Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. “UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss, and I spoke today about ...7 days ago
- Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi ejected from Parliament
Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi has been kicked out of the House for doing a haka in protest of questions by the Opposition about race-based policy. ...17 mins ago - Financing New Zealand’s Infrastructure And Improved Social Outcomes
To grow the economy and improve social outcomes, New Zealand needs sustained and ongoing investment in and improvements to its infrastructure. Last year’s budget did not allocate sufficient funding to address the infrastructure deficit which is ...25 mins ago - Te Rito Maioha Welcomes Pre-Budget Announcement On Pay ParityTe Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand welcomes today’s pre-Budget announcement which will see some ECE teachers | kaiako take a step closer to pay parity with their kindergarten colleagues. Today’s announcement from Education Minister Chris Hipkins ...1 hour ago
- There’s a global avalanche of used clothing, and NZ needs to do more to save it from landfill
The government has announced aggressive targets for tackling plastics, but has remained largely silent on the issue of waste textiles, writes Bernadette Casey, part of the team behind a product stewardship scheme for the textiles industry.As an industry, clothing and textiles are up there with agriculture and oil and gas ...2 hours ago - 100,000-strong petition calls for overhaul of PharmacA petition with more than 100,000 signatures calling for the overhaul of Pharmac is being presented to Parliament today. ...2 hours ago
- NZNO Insists On Good Faith Bargaining In Light Of Pay RestraintThe New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) says it’s ironic that, on the eve of the International Day of the Nurse, it had to attend a meeting with Government to defend its members’ right to be treated in good faith while negotiating their multi-employer ...2 hours ago
- Aussie Budget is worth reading, if you want a steer to where Robertson will take us next week
New Zealanders who want a preview of Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s budget next week need only take a quick read of the latest Australian budget presented in Canberra last night. The Liberal-National coalition is promising a huge spend-up, with the Federal Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, being immediately accused of delivering a ...2 hours ago - Govt slaps caps on some bank charges – now let’s see if it curbs increases in the prices of powe...
The government has intervened to reduce one set of business costs – imposed by the banks – that typically are passed on to consumers. It is putting a lid on the bank charges imposed on businesses when customers use credit or debit cards to pay. But it is bothered by rising ...3 hours ago - How much can I spend on my home renovation? A personal finance expert explains
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Mowle, Lecturer in Finance, University of Canberra Home renovation has long been something of a national sport for many Australians, but community demand for home fix-ups has reached fever pitch since the pandemic. If you’re lucky enough to own a house ...3 hours ago - Urgent Improvements Needed To Legislation Affecting Apartment OwnersThe New Zealand Law Society | Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa has told a parliamentary select committee there is widespread consensus that changes are needed to the Unit Titles legislative regime and that the most urgent changes should progress without ...3 hours ago
- Indonesia condemns Israeli attack on Al Aqsa mosque – call for strong NZ standAsia Pacific Report newsdesk Indonesian President Joko Widodo has condemned the Israeli police violence against Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the holy city of Jerusalem, reports Anadolu News. Widodo emphasised that the expulsion of Palestinian civilians from their homes and the use of force against them at the Al ...3 hours ago
- Call for calm as 12 new community covid cases reported in FijiAsia Pacific Report newsdesk Fijians have been advised to remain calm as “ample notice” will be given should a situation in Fiji warrant a total lockdown of Viti Levu, reports The Fiji Times. Health Secretary Dr James Fong issued this assurance last night as he announced 12 new covid-19 cases. ...3 hours ago
- Fatal Solomon Is blast highlights key threat in country littered with bombsBy Dominic Godfrey, RNZ Pacific journalist A deadly explosion in the Solomon Islands capital has caused fear and confusion about the ongoing threat posed by hidden munitions left over from World War II. A central Honiara residential area was rocked on Sunday by the detonation of a buried howitzer shell ...3 hours ago
- Marilyn Garson: Nakba is an event in the present tense – in Jerusalem and in GazaCOMMENTARY: By Marilyn Garson I woke up to the news and fear cut into me for my family in Israel. Where are they right now? I felt one moment of the fear that Palestinians live with. No false equivalence: nothing about this is equal. In video, Israeli police are heavily ...3 hours ago
- Free Victor Yeimo now, says exiled Papuan leader Benny WendaAsia Pacific Report newsdesk An exiled West Papuan leader has demanded the immediate release of arrested campaigner Victor Yeimo, saying that his detention was a “sign to the world” that the Indonesian government was using its terrorist designation as a smokescreen to further repress Papuans. Indonesian police arrested Yeimo, one ...3 hours ago
- ‘We were really terrified,’ says Dunedin supermarket stabbing witnessRNZ News A man who was at the Countdown supermarket in New Zealand’s South Island city of Dunedin when four people were stabbed has described the incident as terrifying. The attack happened at the Cumberland Street supermarket just before 2.30pm yesterday. Police said three of the people injured in the ...3 hours ago
- How more inclusive language could improve Aotearoa for everyoneProduced in partnership with Massey University, our podcast series Conversations that Count – Ngā Kōrero Whai Take returns today with the first episode of its second season. We asked guest and Massey academic Julia de Bres to introduce this first kōrero.Follow Conversations that Count – Ngā Kōrero Whai Take on ...3 hours ago
- ASB Supports Move To Regulate Merchant Service FeesASB welcomes the Government’s announcement today that it will introduce a bill later this year to reduce and regulate merchant service fees in New Zealand. ASB’s Executive General Manager Business Banking Tim Deane says the changes are timely ...4 hours ago
- Minister’s Restriction Of Financial Institutions In Budget Lock-up Demonstrates Attitude To Inform...The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is slamming the decision by the Minister of Finance’s office to restrict fiscally conservative and financial institutions' attendance at this year’s Budget lock up to a single representative each. The Taxpayers’ Union ...4 hours ago
- Creamerie’s Perlina Lau and Ally Xue want more than ‘a few lines in an accent’Two of the stars of the new series Creamerie remember the first time they saw Asian representation on New Zealand TV, their earliest acting experiences and more in the latest episode of FIRST.When it comes to iconic New Zealand TV moments, Michelle Ang singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ on ...4 hours ago
- NZEI Te Riu Roa Welcomes Pay Parity ProgressNZEI Te Riu Roa are welcoming a pre-Budget announcement today that commits a further $170m toward increasing pay in the sector. Currently, ECE teachers earn as much as $17,000 per year less than their kindergarten peers with the same qualifications ...4 hours ago
- Tough choices for Fonterra’s farmer-shareholders – and getting them right is important for NZ’...The proposed reform of dairy giant Fonterra’s capital structure has rapidly become a critical issue, not just for the cooperative’s 10,000 farmer-shareholders, but also for the country’s economic wellbeing. The decisions to be made have been thrown into sharper focus by the crash in the fortunes, as evaluated by investors, ...5 hours ago
- Address The Nursing Workforce Gap – NZMA...5 hours ago
- Government to cap bank interchange fees for businesses in new lawThe government is introducing regulations to reduce the fees banks charge businesses when customers use credit or debit cards. ...5 hours ago
- 'Budget for the Battlers': ACT Party reveals its alternative budgetThe ACT party has laid out its alternative vision ahead of next week's Budget, proposing to slash spending by $11.2 billion to both reduce debt and cut taxes. ...5 hours ago
- Clearer Guidance Needed For Abortion Clinic ‘safe Areas’The New Zealand Law Society | Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa has told a parliamentary select committee that the definition of "prohibited behaviour" in proposed ‘safe areas’ for abortion facilities is inconsistent with the New Zealand Bill ...5 hours ago
- Lower Job Security Linked To Lower Life SatisfactionPeople who feel their employment is insecure are more likely than other employed people to rate their overall life satisfaction poorly, Stats NZ said today. New survey data from the March 2021 quarter shows that 26 percent of employed people who thought ...6 hours ago
- ScoMo’s conservatives are relaxed taking on debt to pay for what matters. Why is NZ so tight?While Labour frets about debt of 32% of GDP and a ‘tight budget’, Australia’s conservative government has embraced major deficit spending on poor, infrastructure and aged care, and is relaxed about 50% debt, writes Bernard Hickey. This story was originally published in Bernard Hickey’s email newsletter The Kākā and is republished with ...6 hours ago
- Cuts, spending, debt: what you need to know about the budget at a glanceSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Hansen, Deputy Editor and Chief of Staff, The Conversation After twenty years of rhetoric from both sides of politics focusing on getting back to surplus, this year’s budget continues pandemic spending in the hope of getting the economy back on track ...6 hours ago
- The bumper Toby Morris & Siouxsie Wiles Covid-19 box setAll the illustrations and animations in one place.The visual explainers created by Toby Morris and Siouxsie Wiles and published by The Spinoff have been shared in their hundreds of millions since the pandemic struck. For ease of reference we’ve put them all together in one post, which we’ll regularly update.You ...6 hours ago
- Stand Behind Us On International Nurses Day, Says NZNOOn the International Day of the Nurse (12 May) the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) is asking the people of Aotearoa New Zealand to get behind nurses and all health workers in their struggle for fair pay and safe staffing. NZNO Acting Professional ...7 hours ago
- Pike River Families Main Fan Site Recovery Plan – May 2021Dear Prime Minister, Ministers, NZ Police, Pike River Recovery Agency, Police Experts and others. Please find attached the Pike River Families Main Fan Site Recovery Plan, completed May 2021. The Royal Commission of Inquiry pointed towards the underground ...7 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – May 12 2021Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Click here to subscribe to Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup and New Zealand Politics Daily. Today’s content Public sector pay freeze Claire Trevett (Herald): PM steps in, the melting of the pay ...7 hours ago
- Police unconscious bias inquiry not necessary, says National Party's Judith CollinsNational Party leader Judith Collins says police's inquiry into unconscious bias is not necessary because she doesn't believe there is any systemic racism. ...7 hours ago
- Comic of the Month: Robbery at 365 Remuera Road by Ant SangFor our second installment of The Spinoff’s Comic of the Month we’re taking a trip back to 1943 for a piece of family history with Ant Sang.Ant Sang has been drawing and publishing comics since his mid-90s punk mini-comic series Filth. Since then he’s completed three long form graphic novels: ...7 hours ago
- Local Authorities Urged ‘Not To Wait’ For Education On Māori WardsFollowing the passage of the Local Electoral (Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act on March 1st, a growing number of local authorities are opting to establish Māori wards for the 2022 local authority elections. Late last week the Manawatu ...8 hours ago
- Unsafe Home Transformed Thanks To Community GoodIt's a house on the street like any other. One that has had the ultimate makeover inside and out. <img src="https://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/2105/23b02eeec4674807f1eb.jpeg" width="720" height="467"> Bathroom before and after But ...8 hours ago
- Live updates, May 12: ‘I’ve never seen systemic racism in the police’ – Judith CollinsWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for May 12, bringing you the latest news updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz8.05am: Claims of police bias ‘denigrates’ work of officers – CollinsJudith Collins does not believe that there is systemic racism in the police.The National Party leader has responded ...8 hours ago
- Core strength: why is it important and how do you maintain it?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Lavender, Senior Lecturer, School of Science, Psychology and Sport, Federation University Australia Many people have become more sedentary in recent times with lockdowns and working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re moving less, this may have impacted your ...8 hours ago
- The carbon footprint of Airbnb is likely bigger than you thinkSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mingming Cheng, Senior Lecturer, School of Management and Marketing, Curtin University In its 13 years of existence, Airbnb has grown from a minnow to a whale in holiday accommodation. Today, it offers more than 5.6 million active listings across 220 countries and ...8 hours ago
- Inspired by organic cells, with some marvellous art on show, the Gold Coast’s new HOTA Gallery is ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chari Larsson, Lecturer of art history, Griffith University The new $60.5 million HOTA Gallery opened its doors on the weekend, updating ageing infrastructure and marking an exciting chapter for the Gold Coast. HOTA, or Home of the Arts, has been developed as ...8 hours ago
- ‘People are really struggling’: Fijians fear ‘chaos’ as second outbreak growsThe death of a 53-year-old Fijian man last week in Lautoka was the country’s first coronavirus fatality since the virus re-emerged in April. Fiji’s second Covid wave broke out after two Fijian nationals returned from India and came into contact with a soldier at a managed quarantine facility. There are ...8 hours ago
- The Bulletin: Unions win concessions on public servant payGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Unions win concessions on public servant pay, new and horrific allegations made at Royal Commission, and auditor-general urges wage subsidy breach prosecutions.Well, I think now we can all agree that it is no longer a pay freeze. The government has effectively ...9 hours ago
- As the government is learning, a ‘wage freeze’ can come with unintended consequencesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Meriluoto, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Canterbury You would be hard pressed to find an economist who would argue against the merits of fiscal responsibility and controlling government debt. This is why it was so hard to believe the government’s ...9 hours ago
- MSD told to crack down on businesses that claimed wage subsidy unnecessarily
Further scrutiny required for businesses that may have wrongly claimed wage subsidy, says Auditor-General. Nita Blake-Persen reports. The Auditor-General wants the Ministry of Social Development to step up its efforts to claim back cash from businesses that wrongly received wage subsidies. The $13.3 billion wage subsidy scheme was designed to keep ...10 hours ago - ACT’s Budget For The Battlers“The ACT Party has today released our alternative budget, a budget for middle New Zealand, the Kiwis who work hard but are being squeezed from every direction,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “Rents are increasing rapidly following decades ...10 hours ago
- Why the future of women's sailing is looking Rosie
Rosie Chapman is succeeding in her mission to get more Kiwi girls sailing, she tells Suzanne McFadden, in the first of a series on female coaches and leaders making a difference in high performance sport. It’s fitting that one of Rosie Chapman’s first boats was a dinghy called Trial and Error. ...10 hours ago - Infrastructure proposal to draw new lines on NZ map
Commission suggests NZ revisit the bounds of local councils' responsibilities, in a major public consultation about the future of the country's public networks and services. ...10 hours ago - The people vote Ralph
Steve Braunias on tonight's national book awards The people have spoken. Yesterday's announcement of a book prize at ReadingRoom, offering the chance to win all 16 books shortlisted for tonight's Ockham New Zealand national book awards, asked readers to name the books they want to win. More than 100 entries flew ...11 hours ago - NZ Super Fund holds shares worth $100m in companies linked to MyanmarThe New Zealand Super Fund has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into a company that has supplied combat aircraft to the Myanmar military. ...11 hours ago
- Newsroom's daily sudoku, Wednesday 12 May
...11 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Wednesday 12 May
...11 hours ago - Voiding Covid vaccine patents won't protect communities
The economic benefits of making vaccines widely and quickly available worldwide are indisputable - but simply relaxing intellectual property protections on vaccines won't be enough to achieve that, writes Eric Crampton. Vaccine access campaigners get one very big and very important thing very right. If only the richer part of ...11 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 12 May
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...11 hours ago - In praise of unembellished, unornamented and unostentatious English
Plain English is hard to define but we recognise its absence when we see gobbledygook. James Elliott looks at what the Plain English Awards are all about. It’s challenging to write in plain English. It’s even more challenging to write about writing in plain English. Have I confused you already? ...11 hours ago - Don't turn a blind eye to what's happening in Colombia
Colombian nationals teaching in Auckland call for attention to the human rights violations, disappearances, sexual abuse and killings of civilians at the hands of the military forces in their home country Violence and repression against anti-government protestors by Colombian police squads have left at least 47 people dead since the unrest ...11 hours ago - A is for altcoin: A beginner’s guide to crypto slangIt’s hard enough to understand the ‘blockchain’ without all the jargon thrown in. But with interest in cryptocurrency exploding, it’s time to get educated so you can stop being such a noob. All right degens, listen up. Wanna ape into some shitcoins but don’t know the lingo? We’re here to ...11 hours ago
- Is there a noble method to the political madness of the pay freeze?Viewed in isolation the public sector pay move is politically indefensible. Duncan Greive wonders if it’s all part of a much bigger plan.“A breach of good faith”, “a kick in the gut” and “more proof that Cabinet hates public servants”, just some of the understandably quite heated reactions to last ...11 hours ago
- Covid-19: Tech trials flounder at border
Trials of new technology that could help New Zealand fight Covid-19 have faltered in recent weeks, Marc Daalder reports The Ministry of Health has failed to run effective trials of new Covid-19 testing technology at the border, critics say. On Sunday, National Party Covid-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop revealed that a ...11 hours ago - Government's fight for 'absolutely no gain'
Occasionally politicians get handed an easy opportunity to correct a mistake. When they don’t, it’s usually stubbornness or stupidity that has got in the way. ...11 hours ago - Official warning: Boris Johnson doesn't get NZ climate targets
In briefings to James Shaw, NZ diplomats raised concerns that the UK doesn't understand our emission reduction targets or climate policies. ...11 hours ago - UK diplomat: 'Trade is never just about trade'
Britain's High Commissioner Laura Clarke on 'lifting the tempo' of FTA talks and whether NZ is keeping pace on China ...11 hours ago - Pay parity for early learning workers is just the start
As Govt announces a pay equity deal for early childhood teachers, a call for the urgent implementation of rest of the Government's early learning action plan ...11 hours ago - Cashing in on time and passion
Need an extra bit of cash? Here's a look at whether side hustles are worth it Your job isn’t that wonderful. It doesn’t earn enough to get you where you want to go. So you think outside the square … start selling your stuff … and now you have ...11 hours ago - Jess Berentson-Shaw: What we can do for vaccine-hesitant people
There is anxiety that one in five Kiwis have reservations about getting vaccinated. Jess Berentson-Shaw has some ideas on how to support those with mixed feelings but still get vaccinated. ...11 hours ago - Cuts, spends, debt: what you need to know about the budget at a glanceSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Hansen, Deputy Editor and Chief of Staff, The Conversation After twenty years of rhetoric from both sides of politics focusing on getting back to surplus, this year’s budget continues pandemic spending in the hope of getting the economy back on track ...15 hours ago
- Less hard hats, more soft hearts: budget pivots to women and careSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Wood, Chief executive officer, Grattan Institute Last year’s post-budget photo ops were all heavy machinery and hard hats. But this year we can expect soft-focus shots with children and the elderly. The big story of the budget is not just that ...15 hours ago
- Cuts, spends, debt: everything you need to know about the budget at a glanceSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Hansen, Deputy Editor and Chief of Staff, The Conversation After twenty years of rhetoric from both sides of politics focusing on getting back to surplus, this year’s budget continues pandemic spending in the hope of getting the economy back on track ...18 hours ago
- Less hard hats, more soft hearts: Budget pivots to women and the care sectorSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Wood, Chief executive officer, Grattan Institute Last year’s post-bBudget photo ops were all heavy machinery and hard hats. But this year we can expect soft-focus shots with children and the elderly. The big story of the Budget is not just that ...18 hours ago
- View from The Hill: Frydenberg finds the money treeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Josh Frydenberg’s third budget aims to give Australia a post-pandemic soft landing, using revenue windfalls for spending and tax cuts rather than for slashing the deficit. Its philosophy is very much gain, not pain, for ...18 hours ago
- Budget 2021: the floppy-V-shaped recoverySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW I don’t often feel sorry for politicians. But having to manage a process that produces forecasts about the next four years of an economy still clawing its way out of a pandemic, and then having to ...18 hours ago
- Frydenberg spends the budget bounty to drive unemployment down to new lowsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Never before has a budget spent so much to supercharge the economy after the worst of a recession has already passed. The economy bounced back from last year’s COVID recession ...19 hours ago
- Budget splashes cash, with $17.7 billion for aged care and a pitch to womenSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Morrison government has brought down a big-spending, expansionary budget that forecasts Australia’s unemployment rate will fall to 4.75% in two years time. But Australia’s international borders won’t be properly open for at least a ...19 hours ago
- Parliament caps off Budget 2019 as 2021 version nearsThe House - The last of Budget 2019, bills from non-ministers and a special debate on immigration and border policies are taking place at Parliament this week. ...21 hours ago
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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