”Comment: Whenever Māori try to assert any rights to water it’s treated by politicians as scandalous or a complete non-starter. There usually follows vague accusations of apartheid and special rights being granted to a minority. This reeks of hypocrisy because a racial minority has already grabbed property rights over water and they’ve been doing so for the past three decades. That minority is Pākehā farmers. ”
The ruling caste of older white men needs to be mitigated.
"But study after study after study has shown that the increased stocking rates and higher volumes of fertiliser, with higher water take by dairy farmers, has contributed to higher nitrate levels in the water that is left"
In a week it will be the one year memorial of the brutal, but perhaps not random, murder of Poli on Tatakamotonga beach:
Polikalepo Kefu, or Poli, was well recognised for his tireless devotion to a wide range of human rights causes.
The Red Cross described him as a shining star in the Pacific, and globally, who will be remembered and cherished for his dedication to equality for all…
The New Zealand Green Party Pacific spokesperson Teanau Tuiono said Poli was a kind and gentle soul.
"We worked together during the COP21 Paris Climate Treaty process, so that's where we met and I bumped into Poli at a couple of other meetings as well," said Tuiono.
"Poli's work was focusing on supporting LGBTQ+ communities, our trans whanau."
Poli helped negotiators understand that marginal communities, particularly in the Pacific, were more harshly struck by the impacts of the climate crisis, said Tuiono.
Transgenderism has traditionally found expression across Oceanic States (I use this term rather than Pacific Islands after reading Tongan essayist and poet Epeli Hau’ofa who suggests the former label reinforces colonial attitudes). Some of the terms I have found include:
…If there is this substantial and varied historical recognition, identifiable across this vast region, where is the division coming from?
Sadly, it seems, from the West.
In Tonga specifically the threat is two-fold: outmoded neocolonial-influenced (but unenforced, according to Amnesty International) laws on sodomy and transvestitism that can see leiti whipped and imprisoned for 10 years, and perhaps more insidiously, a recent rise in an evangelical form of Christianity from the United States.
The normalization of violence against trans Tongans is evident in this account beginning at the 28 minute mark on the Leitis in Waiting documentary film that the VeniVidiViti piece references. A trailer freely available on YouTube has snippets from around 1minute 20seconds, but it's only two and a half minutes in full and gives other examples of the evangelical gender essentialists in action, so well worth the watch:
Mataele (President of the Tonga Leitis Association before Kefu) “One of my eldest brothers was always hard on me to get me to speak like a man, walk like a man – you know talk like a man and all that. But I couldn't really do it.
“We got to the point that you put a rope on my neck, and throw the rope out of the sight of the hands, and pull it. To try and get me to speak in a man's voice, you know. And it went a bit too far that it almost choked me, you know. And I think I'm – that scar has always been with me.”
The court was told {Inoke Silongo F.}Tonga admitted to police he had killed Polikalepo Kefu, 47, after they went to buy a bottle of spirits, Matangi Tonga reported.
Kefu instead drove to the beach where he allegedly made sexual advances towards {ISF} Tonga, a claim the judge said were “impossible to accept” after he considered the scale of the attack and Kefu’s injuries.
“The defendant became angry and in a prolonged attack he twice attempted to strangle Poli, for about 12 minutes, before slamming him on the road, then strangled him for about 5 more minutes, before bashing him with a rock more than 30 times,” the paper said.
“The defendant then rested for a couple of minutes before dragging Poli’s body to the water line, hoping it would be washed out to sea. He admitted that he intended to beat Poli to death”.
{ISF}Tonga was a meth addict, brought up in a broken family and had been sniffing benzene, the court heard.
None of the evidence brought up in court was enough for {ISF} Tonga to get the toughest punishment allowed under Tonga law: the death penalty which is hanging by the neck.
It is a odd exercise in compassion to be glad that a killer escaped the death penalty that they were all too ready to lay on another without even a trial first. More for the benefit (or at least diminished detriment) of Tongan society than the person themselves. And anyway; Poli wouldn't have wanted it himself, the TLA being more about dialogue and advocacy than vengeance. The Gay Panic Defense attempt has the stench of USAn evangelicalism all over it though.
"A trailer freely available on YouTube has snippets from around 1minute 20seconds, but it's only two and a half minutes in full and gives other examples of the evangelical gender essentialists in action, so well worth the watch:"
I have watched the trailer, but not the documentary but will do if you post a link on here sometime in the future.
One point I will note about your comment, is that "gender essentialists" seems to be a derogatory term for those who retain an understanding of the effect of material body reality. In that way, I would fit that description, but would question the derogatory nature of it. "Evangelical" – given the Tongan context and the large part religion plays in the culture, may be an unnecessary descriptor, unless your point was that adherence to a strict religious doctrine harms those who don't follow expected expressions of male behaviour.
While I maintain the importance of the recognition of biology sex in society, and legislation, I also (and always have) supported the right of everyone to personal expression. Men may fit the stereotype of what these 'Evangelicals' consider manly – and there nothing instrinsically wrong with that, but they should also be able to break those stereotypes with full society acceptance. In the trailer, it is men in a very traditionalist religious culture who are unable to adjust their beliefs that are causing harm.
Make sure that you are clear in recognising that aspect of this particular documentary.
As regards the pageant, many women object to the objectification of the body in beauty pageants, and have often written or legally protested outside of venues over decades. This trailer shows a father getting on stage to shame a contestant. Not something I've been aware of happening in all the decades of protests at women's pageants. Once again, a result perhaps of the culture, and that individual's idea not only of acceptable masculinity but also of ego and misplaced pride. Familial abuse writ large and public.
On a side note, I was thinking of the promotion and acceptance of drag kids – like "Desmond is Amazing", (given that I believe that drag is an adult entertainment trope, that exaggerates and caricatures aspects associated with women in a demeaning way) with the justified (to my mind) criticism of child beauty pageants. Both objectify and sexualise children with the excuse of entertainment and self-expression.
In the trailer, 1:54 "We're known as chefs, decorators, do the dirty areas, clean up the house, help the mothers…".
What is the point being made here? If it is that they ask for more roles in society, then fair play to them, everyone should be able to participate fully, but this may be a societal and religious doctrine problem rather than an imported prejudice from the west. Alternatively, it could be read as they are considered of the same worth as those that usually do those tasks – women – and don't want to be relegated to that lowly status. The full documentary would probably expand.
The approach that men or women have to meet stereotypical expectations of personal expression is a problem.
The denial of the distinct and separate reality of living in biological sexed bodies creates another problem.
Don't conflate the two, because it is intellectually dishonest.
Adding the accusation of homophobia into this already conflated perspective, is also problematic.
Let me be clear, I do not condone the use of violence, threats, intimidation in any form.
Be clear with both your assessment of the situation, and your identification of the issues, and your suggestions for solutions, and I – like many other GC women – will engage in good faith.
But I will push back against vague implications that any who speak on this topic are violent, transphobic people who are responsible for murders committed by individuals in traditionalist societies who have little in common with me.
Buy the DVD, or find someplace that streams it online. I don't know anywhere you can watch it entirely for free. Poli is in it, but the focus is far more on Mataele.
While I do regard Gender Criticals as being essentially Gender Essentialists, was this ever Not About You!
It's more that your comment lacks clarity, and has vague suggestions, so is hard to follow, to see what your point is, or what is the information you wish to share.
The dramatisation of the comment is exampled by emotive language and sentences like: "!!Trigger Warnings from this point on!!".
"The normalization of violence against trans Tongans"…"but it's only two and a half minutes in full and gives other examples of the evangelical gender essentialists in action, so well worth the watch"
Implies that the act of violence you prefaced with, is an example of evangelical gender essentialists in action. Equating "gender essentialists" with that murder.
There is no evidence that you have provided that believing in the material reality of biological sex gave impetus to that murder.
"While I do regard Gender Criticals as being essentially Gender Essentialists, was this ever Not About You!"
Very sad that Poli was murdered as he sounds like a great guy who was well liked and must respected for his work.
I am a little confused about the point of your story though. It sounds like Poli was gay? Not Trans? His murder happened when a young guy from. a broken home, who was a meth addict and had been sniffing Benzene, violently attacked Poli. The murdered alleges that Poli made advances to him, which the judge did not believe. Whether or not it was the case, the situation never justifies a sustained attack that lead to murder., but it sounds to me like the murderer lost the plot due to substance abuse.
I understand your mixed feelings that the young man didn't get the death penalty. It sounds like this was because it was a first offence, his background and his family paying reparations. But shocking the injuries he inflicted on Poli.
My understanding is that the murder rate for trans gender people in NZ is lower than ci people. The last Trans person to be murdered was in 2010 in Upper Hutt. The victim was beated to death afterr a drug deal when wrong. Murder is shocking
How on earth could the judge determine advances were not made?
Perhaps the murderer lost the plot due to constant abuse by the victim.
"Very sad that Poli was murdered as he sounds like a great guy who was well liked and must respected for his work." This can be applied to many sexual abuses.
Perhaps the murderer lost the plot due to constant abuse by the victim.
I don't know anything; could be completely wrong, I appal violence in all its forms, including state sanctioned murder.
So much ew, from your comment! You freely state you don't know anything, yet leap to the conclusion that Poli was a serial abuser (because they were LGBTQ+ advocate?).
The judge dismissed that unsubstantiated notion because this was Poli! If there is one person in Tonga who could have had their pick of consensual lovers it was him. Angry meth-heads aren't as attractive as they think they are. Even if the voices in his head convinced the murderer that they were being hit on, this was a grotesquely disproportionate response!
The gossip is that ISFT was at a party of a cousin of Poli's and was going to drive to get more booze, while already being intoxicated. Poli happening to be around, sober, and; being the socially conscious sort he was, offered to drive him there instead (more out of regard for road safety than any affection for ISFT who was reportedly every kind of asshole about it).
What happened after that is impossible to say for certain, but ISFT seemed to be a frequent watcher of Evangelical TV (when they could focus their eyes enough), with all the homophobia that brings. Poli would have to have a self destructive urge that was never observed by anyone previously to want to stick his dick in that amount of crazy!
"What happened after that is impossible to say for certain, but ISFT seemed to be a frequent watcher of Evangelical TV (when they could focus their eyes enough), with all the homophobia that brings. "
And a heavy drug user by all accounts, with high drug intoxication at the time of the murder.
How did you get from this account the information to add: "Gender Essentialists" – which is, as you say, your reframing of "Gender Critical" to Evangelists, instead of more accurately stating: "Drug-Abusing Evangelist"?
You’ve made “Gender Essentialists” the noun, and evangelical only an adjective. A surmise not supported by the information you have provided.
Were your other questions not genuine then Molly? Well at least that saves me the bother of addressing them when I could be spending time with whānau.
L for Lesbian
G for Gay
B for Bi
T for Trans
Q for Queer
+ for all the others omitted from this initialism, because it is already too long. Say; Intersex; NonBinary; Culturally embedded names that are difficult to render exactly into English eg; Leitis & Takatāpui.
I used to argue for Q+ as being briefer. And (already being a broad term) not giving primacy to the LGB&T people of this loosely aligned cluster of communities (some of) which act in solidarity with each other. But the thrice damned Qanon cult put an end to that notion.
(All my questions are genuine in that I ask in the hopes I get a well reasoned response, but that does not often occur. So, I use that phrase to indicate to others that I would like a genuine answer.
Which you gave, thank you. I’ll work on the wording.
Perhaps “If you are willing, will you give a genuine answer to this question?” but that sounds clunky. Genuine question – do you have a suggestion?)
What does Queer mean that isn't covered by L, G and B?
Why do you think a support movement for L, G and B would add to its acronym a term that has such negative connotations historically for them to represent a group that they are not part of?
Still no definition of Queer BTW.
As for the +, surely most of your examples fit under the ever expanding T. Isn't it a form of cultural segregation to make the T applicable to a particular culture and put all the others in a +?
Intersex is another example of appropriation that has real world impacts.
Might be briefer but a bit nonsensical in terms of providing support and assistance. Everyone has different challenges and needs.
LGB people are same-sex or both sex-attracted. It is their sexual orientation that categorises them.
TQ+ may or may not include LGB people, but are a a completely different category system. The changing focus of many original LGB organisations have actually eliminated LGB concerns or recognition from their work and activism. Many modern organisations don't even use the words same-sex attraction anymore. A very prominent one in the UK, has even likened same-sex attraction to sexual racism. So, to be honest the present LGBQT+ movement – for all intents and purposes just T activism, no matter how many letters and numbers are included. Latest iteration being 2SLGBTQ+.
Conflating all is like setting up a sporting organisation for rugby players, yachties, recreational knitters and calling it "Sportys".
Do you really think that the Mormons (not necessarily literal Church of LDS, more a common catch all term for Americanised Evangelists and their followers in te Moana Nui) care whether someone is gay or trans before judging them according to their own doctrine? Public whipping and 10years in prison is still the punishment (too rarely meted out for their preferences) for either crime. It was enough that Poli advocated for Leitis, it is irrelevant whether they were also; a trans man, eNBy, or had intimate relationships with Leitis, as well.
You quite evidently don't understand my mixed feelings, because I don't have them. I am unequivocally glad that the death penalty was not enacted. However some in the #justice forpoli circles are less sure of that, and I guess I have been accustomed to arguing against them in the past year to the extent that I do so preemptively nowadays.
It is actually quite hard to know the trans murder rate in Aotearoa. For one thing, until recently, most trans people have been misgendered on official documents and in court rooms. Often their families burn (or more rarely) bury them under names they have not used in years in spite of any wishes they may have expressed while yet living. I have been to too many memorials this past decade!
Take Zena Campbell for example – was she murdered in 2018? Not according to the courts, despite being strangled by her partner in an argument beforehand. But being a trans drug user with mental health issues the case didn't even reach trial.
Lots of trans people in NZ just disappear, but most weren't public figures so I am not going to mention any names here. Are they dead, overseas, starting over in another town – who can say? The police sure aren't (or haven't historically been) very interested in finding out.
But that is all ignoring all the far more common deaths by suicide. If your life is a constant stream of; abuse, abandonment, assault, and homelessness, then many make the arguably rational choice to end the misery. It is not for me, but I find it hard to condemn those who "take the easy way out".
Though they have taken their own lives, trans suicides have to my mind been murdered by a society that (even if it professes to not actually want them dead – because that might make them look bad, if nothing else) would really prefer that they didn't exist.
Fragility of mental health of people in the transgender community needs to be addressed. I believe it should be by professionals in the mental health and therapy professions that can explore the many different and diverse reasons an individual has for not being well.
An assumption that is is external society, is as harmful an assumption that it is not. Especially on an individual level, where many other factors come into play. Quality exploratory therapy would help here. Unfortunately, our Mental Health services are below par for all NZers in terms of access, and quality. Our high suicide rates are indicative of this failing.
Our high suicide rates are indicative of this failing.
According to the above article,
The Royal College of GPs says about a third of doctors' visits are now related to mental health, while the number of calls to police for mental health problems, attempted suicides and suicides has risen – to an average of more than 200 recorded nationally every day in the past three months.
That needs to be said again…an average of more than 200 attempted suicides every day for the past three months. What the actual fuck?
How's the Wellbeing thing going Jacinda?
I have scanned a couple of the Herald articles in this series and have not read if any of these terribly sad and distressed people are trans, and if so it is because society that (even if it professes to not actually want them dead – because that might make them look bad, if nothing else) would really prefer that they didn't exist…that drove them to absolute despair.
Temp ORary might see this failure to focus on the mental distress of trans people as yet another example of society's rejection of that particular community's needs.
I'd like Temp ORary to to step back a little from trans issues and acknowledge there are a shitload of truly miserable people out here in the world and a suicidal person's gender fucking identity is most likely not the root cause of their despair.
Thanks Temp. I wasn't able to open your 2 minute clip,so I was commenting on the link's about Poli's case you sent. If people in Tonga are being imprissoned for being Trans or gay, then that is 100% wrong and good for Poli for advocating about it. I hope they continue his work. Sad.
Zena Campbell was not the victim of murder, or so the judge thought having view the autopsy results. Her boyfriends case was dismissed.
Another reason why the Dept of Stats should be very careful about how it gathers it's imformation. We need good data around homicide and suicide. To date we don't have. The only research in NZ I trust is the Dunedin Multi disciplinary study. But I don't think they have released any info on this.
There have also been indications that the study referred to used the CTS (Conflict Tactics Scales). The Wikipedia page states that:
“CTS is one of the most widely criticized domestic violence measurement instruments due to its exclusion of context variables and motivational factors in understanding acts of violence. The National Institute of Justice cautions that the CTS may not be appropriate for IPV research “because it does not measure control, coercion, or the motives for conflict tactics.”
Temp Zena's boyfriend was arrested by the police and charged with her murder. The case got thrown out because of the findings of the autopsy as copied from the link I posted elsewhere on this thread.
Asphyxial signs were normally present after such a form of strangulation if it was prolonged enough to cause death, and Campbell did not show those signs, she said in her report.
Spark's post-mortem findings showed Campbell had methadone, oxazepam, Ritalin, alcohol and cannabis in her blood.
But you are free to disagree with the autopsy and the Judges decision to through this out of court.
This man needs to be extradited,otherwise it just signals NZ is a safe haven for people that do not want to defend themselves where alleged crimes are committed.
More like yet another example of our supreme court confirming our status as redneck backwater. Can you imagine the PC doing what our bunch of clowns at the SC have done? We're an international laughing stock.
I see there was a story on Stuff yesterday about a new bridge in the Manawatu. It was finished, ahead of schedule, early this year. However no one is allowed to use it because there is an agreement with the local Iwi to have a blessing, and an opening, in June. Meanwhile any vehicle that is larger than a small van has to take a long diversion that adds about 45 minutes to their trip.
Why can't we just let people use the bridge and have the official opening later. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that something sensible like that has been done. Then we could celebrate the fact that a piece of infrastructure was, miracle of miracles, finished ahead of the planned time.
Nope. You still don't appear to have read it. Some quotes from the story.
"Manawatū councillors have said the Rangitīkei council is responsible for the bridge remaining unused because it entered an agreement with local iwi that an opening ceremony would be held in June, and no traffic could pass until then."
"But Rangitīkei mayor Andy Watson said the Manawatū council managed the contract and had advised it was working to a June opening date."
""The June date was always part of the agreement that they entered into with Rangitīkei District Council with regard to iwi."
Whether it was Manawatu or Rangitikei or both Councils who are responsible appears to be in dispute but nobody is blaming NZTA.
I wonder if there is any central government agency which could possibly settle the dispute about who is the lead iwi negotiator out of the Manawatu and Rangitikei councils. Probably will have an NZ in the name, its a bridge so probably a Transport in there now if only we had that last letter.
Its a conundrum, NZT_.
Now of course if this agreement could be found it would have to be one of the parties to this agreement. Oh well, too bad nobody could possibly find such a document. I guess it will just have to wait for the agreed date.
I'm really wary of taking this story as the full picture.
For example, here in Auckland we had local board members blaming the delay of a community facility on the lack of local iwi approval for the park. This was said without any qualification, and received the usual grumbling and muttering in the attendees.
I spoke to the local iwi representatives, a couple of weeks later. At that time, they had received no request from council or any of their representatives about the aforementioned park.
While the local board member was accurate in stating that approval had not been given – he was also deliberately omitting that fact that approval had not yet been sought.
Council agreed with iwi that pou would be erected before the bridge opened.
There's a few questions that arise from that article:
When they decided to speed up the construction, did they inform Ngāti Hauiti, given that the construction of a pou, often relies on a limited pool of artisans and has a limit to how fast it can be delivered? If they did, what discussion happened then, and what was the result?
How long ago did the Manawatū council contact Ngāti Hauiti to see about opening the bridge for traffic and their intention not to meet the agreement they had with them?
Rangitikei council seems to think that they will have a resolution within a couple of weeks. Is their relationship with local iwi better than Manawatu?
There's a few more, including allowing Ngāti Hauiti to have time to arrange huis, and discuss the change. We wouldn't approach a councillor on a new development and expect a decision before it has been discussed at council meetings, why expect a statement from Ngāti Hauiti unless we know that huis have been held, and a decision made.
Iwi are often consulted when it suits and accommodated when their perspective fits into the proposal without too much bother. It is when agreements are publicly brushed aside in such a way that you see how much power they actually hold.
Good on Putin. He has followed the advice that Republican Senator George Aiken once gave to Lyndon Johnson about the Vietnam War. Just say that you have won!
“Declare the United States the winner and begin de-escalation.”—Senator George Aiken (R-VT) offering advice to President Lyndon Johnson on October 19, 1966 on how to handle the politics of reducing the U.S. commitment in Vietnam.
I see the Putin is, very sensibly in my view, doing exactly that with respect to Mariupol.
I wish Lyndon had tried it though. It would have saved me a lot of time getting involved in protests, and more importantly a hell of a lot of lives of the people involved on both sides of the war.
Putin (and Zelensky) clearly need to be given the Nobel Peace prize. That's the shortest way out as on awarding the Nobel Peace prize to Henry Kissinger (and Le Duc Tho) for a ceasefire in 1973 the Vietnam war ended in 1975.
I wonder which of them would play the Le Duc Tho role and decline the award?
Be a great idea though if it would persuade Putin to pull out of Ukraine wouldn't it? Surely we can find a New Zealand MP to nominate them. Or perhaps we could talk Lloyd Geering into doing it. He's apparently eligible to do so and at 104 ought to be the oldest nominator.
Here's a young Russian POW in Ukraine talking about how he got there. There's proof of who he is in his own you tube channel (linked in the link).
An enormous clusterfuck, that's all the attempt on Kiev was. There's no 4D chess going on, no special move going to surface. No mastermind, no master strategy. Putin's a fucking idiot and so is his fan club.
What happens when the truth starts to dawn on these Russian people. Will they apologise for their stupidity or hang on to their brainwashed beliefs? The latter I suspect. They are no different to our own stupid people who disappear down rabbit -holes and refuse to accept reality.
I mourn just as much for those young Russian soldiers as I do the Ukrainians who are being needlessly killed to satisfy the desires of a bunch of power hungry psychopaths in the Kremlin.
Trucks rolling up on and loading up from appliance stores.
Had never even fired his weapon.
Training consisted of a long walk with body armor on.
Rounding up citizens and putting them in basements.
Looting personal apartments.
Poorly supplied (implies Ru thought it would simply take Kiev and resupply there).
No idea where he was, or why, or what he was doing.
Tank gets hit. Lays off to the side in shock listening to commanders screams till they stopped.
Asks for help. Is surprised he is not murdered, tortured, or his balls roast on a tanks grill. Gets fed, gets to phone mother. Was (unwitting, and seemingly witless) part of Bucha massacre.
Tamati Coffey introduced The Rotorua District Council Representative Arrangements Bill. Restructuring RDC into non-proportional Maori wards (resulting in more Maori councillors than is proportionate to the general population).
National and Act have made hay, of course. However, there have been very significant left politicians and ex-politicians who have come out strongly against it (in the submissions process). And a public storm has been ignited (tens of thousands of submissions, I understand)
And, now David Parker, with his Attorney General's hat on – has said it's discriminatory under the Bill of Rights.
Regardless of the pros and cons – Labour really needed to have resolved this in-house, before the legislation was introduced. [Yes, I know that's what select committees are for – but for politically sensitive bills – they need to be run by the lawyers first….]
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Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Photo by Jari Hytönen on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Next week the government will again next try to get its legislation through to deal with non-citizens who won’t cooperate with efforts to deport them. The bill, which the opposition and crossbench refused to rush ...
A long-term project that will set out an alternative vision for Aotearoa that looks beyond the narrow confines of the policy straight jacket adopted by successive governments. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bree Hurst, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Law, QUT, Queensland University of Technology TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock A much-awaited report into Coles and Woolworths has found what many customers have long believed – Australia’s big supermarkets engage in price gouging. What started ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Ghezelbash, Associate Professor and Deputy Director, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney The Albanese government wanted to avoid an inquiry into its migration amendment bill. The report, handed down yesterday by a senate committee that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joo-Cheong Tham, Professor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Lobbying is at the heart of government. Who has access to and influence over key government officials shapes the decisions governments make – and how they make them. The ability to influence ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Myfany Turpin, Associate Professor, Ethnomusicology, Linguistics and Ethnobiology, University of Sydney The act representing Australia at this year’s Eurovision contest has sadly not qualified for the grand final. Yet for Zaachariaha Fielding and Michael Ross, the duo that makes up Electric Fields, ...
In announcing changes to the school lunches programme, David Seymour said kids would no longer be served ‘woke’ foods. To clear up any confusion, The Spinoff has compiled a guide to the wokeness levels of some common food items. Apple = NOT WOKE Avocado = WOKE Avocado, smashed = EVEN ...
The Minister Responsible for GCSB and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security have been notified of this review, and have been provided a finalised Terms of Reference. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Minglu Chen, Senior Lecturer, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney Robert Way/Shutterstock As the past few years have illustrated so clearly, the Australia-China relationship is complicated. As such, it is crucial for Australians to develop a more nuanced understanding of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mariana Campbell, Research Lecturer, Conservation, Charles Darwin University Marilyn Connell Australian freshwater turtles are facing an alarming trend. Almost half of these species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) is one of Australia’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debbie Passey, Digital Health Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Josephine Barbaro, Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow, Psychologist, La Trobe University Unsplash We’ve come a long way in terms of understanding that everyone thinks, interacts and experiences the world differently. In the past, autistic people, people with attention deficit hyperactive disorder ...
PNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea’s deputy opposition leader James Nomane has accused the government of “reckless economic management” that has forced devaluation to manage loan repayments in foreign currency and placate the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Prime Minister James Marape “must stop lying to the people of Papua New Guinea”, ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Jane Arthur, author of Brown Bird, and former bookseller at Good Books.The book I wish I’d writtenI have been working on not comparing myself to others. On accepting that what I can ...
The final decision on the Wellington District Plan makes it official: High-density housing is legal across most of Wellington. Housing minister Chris Bishop has announced his decision on the Wellington District Plan, approving a series of amendments to radically upzone most of Wellington, allowing tens of thousands of new townhouses ...
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Another case for Three Waters reform.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/act-argues-for-continued-minority-rule?utm_source=Friends+of+the+Newsroom&utm_campaign=3651342188-Daily+Briefing+22.04.2022&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_71de5c4b35-3651342188-47886425
”Comment: Whenever Māori try to assert any rights to water it’s treated by politicians as scandalous or a complete non-starter. There usually follows vague accusations of apartheid and special rights being granted to a minority. This reeks of hypocrisy because a racial minority has already grabbed property rights over water and they’ve been doing so for the past three decades. That minority is Pākehā farmers. ”
The ruling caste of older white men needs to be mitigated.
Question….how does 3 Waters impact irrigation takes?
Answer….. it doesn't. Nor does it have any impact on rivers either.
Thats my reading of it….and yet dairy is cited.
Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
"Nor does it have any impact on rivers either."
Did you read the article?
"But study after study after study has shown that the increased stocking rates and higher volumes of fertiliser, with higher water take by dairy farmers, has contributed to higher nitrate levels in the water that is left"
Yes, but Three Waters only applies to reticulated supply, waste water and storm water. It's influence beyond population centres is minimal.
In a week it will be the one year memorial of the brutal, but perhaps not random, murder of Poli on Tatakamotonga beach:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/441799/killing-of-humanitarian-in-tonga-shocks-wider-community
https://venividiviti.wordpress.com/2020/05/28/waiting-in-vain-changing-attitudes-to-transgender-women-in-tonga/
!!Trigger Warnings from this point on!!
The normalization of violence against trans Tongans is evident in this account beginning at the 28 minute mark on the Leitis in Waiting documentary film that the VeniVidiViti piece references. A trailer freely available on YouTube has snippets from around 1minute 20seconds, but it's only two and a half minutes in full and gives other examples of the evangelical gender essentialists in action, so well worth the watch:
Mataele (President of the Tonga Leitis Association before Kefu) “One of my eldest brothers was always hard on me to get me to speak like a man, walk like a man – you know talk like a man and all that. But I couldn't really do it.
“We got to the point that you put a rope on my neck, and throw the rope out of the sight of the hands, and pull it. To try and get me to speak in a man's voice, you know. And it went a bit too far that it almost choked me, you know. And I think I'm – that scar has always been with me.”
https://www.kanivatonga.nz/2021/10/polikalepo-kefus-killer-avoids-death-penalty/
It is a odd exercise in compassion to be glad that a killer escaped the death penalty that they were all too ready to lay on another without even a trial first. More for the benefit (or at least diminished detriment) of Tongan society than the person themselves. And anyway; Poli wouldn't have wanted it himself, the TLA being more about dialogue and advocacy than vengeance. The Gay Panic Defense attempt has the stench of USAn evangelicalism all over it though.
"A trailer freely available on YouTube has snippets from around 1minute 20seconds, but it's only two and a half minutes in full and gives other examples of the evangelical gender essentialists in action, so well worth the watch:"
I have watched the trailer, but not the documentary but will do if you post a link on here sometime in the future.
One point I will note about your comment, is that "gender essentialists" seems to be a derogatory term for those who retain an understanding of the effect of material body reality. In that way, I would fit that description, but would question the derogatory nature of it. "Evangelical" – given the Tongan context and the large part religion plays in the culture, may be an unnecessary descriptor, unless your point was that adherence to a strict religious doctrine harms those who don't follow expected expressions of male behaviour.
While I maintain the importance of the recognition of biology sex in society, and legislation, I also (and always have) supported the right of everyone to personal expression. Men may fit the stereotype of what these 'Evangelicals' consider manly – and there nothing instrinsically wrong with that, but they should also be able to break those stereotypes with full society acceptance. In the trailer, it is men in a very traditionalist religious culture who are unable to adjust their beliefs that are causing harm.
Make sure that you are clear in recognising that aspect of this particular documentary.
As regards the pageant, many women object to the objectification of the body in beauty pageants, and have often written or legally protested outside of venues over decades. This trailer shows a father getting on stage to shame a contestant. Not something I've been aware of happening in all the decades of protests at women's pageants. Once again, a result perhaps of the culture, and that individual's idea not only of acceptable masculinity but also of ego and misplaced pride. Familial abuse writ large and public.
On a side note, I was thinking of the promotion and acceptance of drag kids – like "Desmond is Amazing", (given that I believe that drag is an adult entertainment trope, that exaggerates and caricatures aspects associated with women in a demeaning way) with the justified (to my mind) criticism of child beauty pageants. Both objectify and sexualise children with the excuse of entertainment and self-expression.
In the trailer, 1:54 "We're known as chefs, decorators, do the dirty areas, clean up the house, help the mothers…".
What is the point being made here? If it is that they ask for more roles in society, then fair play to them, everyone should be able to participate fully, but this may be a societal and religious doctrine problem rather than an imported prejudice from the west. Alternatively, it could be read as they are considered of the same worth as those that usually do those tasks – women – and don't want to be relegated to that lowly status. The full documentary would probably expand.
The approach that men or women have to meet stereotypical expectations of personal expression is a problem.
The denial of the distinct and separate reality of living in biological sexed bodies creates another problem.
Don't conflate the two, because it is intellectually dishonest.
Adding the accusation of homophobia into this already conflated perspective, is also problematic.
Let me be clear, I do not condone the use of violence, threats, intimidation in any form.
Be clear with both your assessment of the situation, and your identification of the issues, and your suggestions for solutions, and I – like many other GC women – will engage in good faith.
But I will push back against vague implications that any who speak on this topic are violent, transphobic people who are responsible for murders committed by individuals in traditionalist societies who have little in common with me.
Molly
Buy the DVD, or find someplace that streams it online. I don't know anywhere you can watch it entirely for free. Poli is in it, but the focus is far more on Mataele.
While I do regard Gender Criticals as being essentially Gender Essentialists, was this ever Not About You!
It's more that your comment lacks clarity, and has vague suggestions, so is hard to follow, to see what your point is, or what is the information you wish to share.
The dramatisation of the comment is exampled by emotive language and sentences like: "!!Trigger Warnings from this point on!!".
"The normalization of violence against trans Tongans"…"but it's only two and a half minutes in full and gives other examples of the evangelical gender essentialists in action, so well worth the watch"
Implies that the act of violence you prefaced with, is an example of evangelical gender essentialists in action. Equating "gender essentialists" with that murder.
There is no evidence that you have provided that believing in the material reality of biological sex gave impetus to that murder.
"While I do regard Gender Criticals as being essentially Gender Essentialists, was this ever Not About You!"
Which was my point.
Very sad that Poli was murdered as he sounds like a great guy who was well liked and must respected for his work.
I am a little confused about the point of your story though. It sounds like Poli was gay? Not Trans? His murder happened when a young guy from. a broken home, who was a meth addict and had been sniffing Benzene, violently attacked Poli. The murdered alleges that Poli made advances to him, which the judge did not believe. Whether or not it was the case, the situation never justifies a sustained attack that lead to murder., but it sounds to me like the murderer lost the plot due to substance abuse.
I understand your mixed feelings that the young man didn't get the death penalty. It sounds like this was because it was a first offence, his background and his family paying reparations. But shocking the injuries he inflicted on Poli.
My understanding is that the murder rate for trans gender people in NZ is lower than ci people. The last Trans person to be murdered was in 2010 in Upper Hutt. The victim was beated to death afterr a drug deal when wrong. Murder is shocking
I don't wish violence on anyone.
How on earth could the judge determine advances were not made?
Perhaps the murderer lost the plot due to constant abuse by the victim.
"Very sad that Poli was murdered as he sounds like a great guy who was well liked and must respected for his work." This can be applied to many sexual abuses.
Perhaps the murderer lost the plot due to constant abuse by the victim.
I don't know anything; could be completely wrong, I appal violence in all its forms, including state sanctioned murder.
The dude spent over a quarter of an hour beating someone to death.
Brigid
So much ew, from your comment! You freely state you don't know anything, yet leap to the conclusion that Poli was a serial abuser (because they were LGBTQ+ advocate?).
The judge dismissed that unsubstantiated notion because this was Poli! If there is one person in Tonga who could have had their pick of consensual lovers it was him. Angry meth-heads aren't as attractive as they think they are. Even if the voices in his head convinced the murderer that they were being hit on, this was a grotesquely disproportionate response!
The gossip is that ISFT was at a party of a cousin of Poli's and was going to drive to get more booze, while already being intoxicated. Poli happening to be around, sober, and; being the socially conscious sort he was, offered to drive him there instead (more out of regard for road safety than any affection for ISFT who was reportedly every kind of asshole about it).
What happened after that is impossible to say for certain, but ISFT seemed to be a frequent watcher of Evangelical TV (when they could focus their eyes enough), with all the homophobia that brings. Poli would have to have a self destructive urge that was never observed by anyone previously to want to stick his dick in that amount of crazy!
"What happened after that is impossible to say for certain, but ISFT seemed to be a frequent watcher of Evangelical TV (when they could focus their eyes enough), with all the homophobia that brings. "
And a heavy drug user by all accounts, with high drug intoxication at the time of the murder.
How did you get from this account the information to add: "Gender Essentialists" – which is, as you say, your reframing of "Gender Critical" to Evangelists, instead of more accurately stating: "Drug-Abusing Evangelist"?
You’ve made “Gender Essentialists” the noun, and evangelical only an adjective. A surmise not supported by the information you have provided.
Genuine question, as have so far been unable to get a coherent answer, what does the Q and + stand for?
Were your other questions not genuine then Molly? Well at least that saves me the bother of addressing them when I could be spending time with whānau.
L for Lesbian
G for Gay
B for Bi
T for Trans
Q for Queer
+ for all the others omitted from this initialism, because it is already too long. Say; Intersex; NonBinary; Culturally embedded names that are difficult to render exactly into English eg; Leitis & Takatāpui.
I used to argue for Q+ as being briefer. And (already being a broad term) not giving primacy to the LGB&T people of this loosely aligned cluster of communities (some of) which act in solidarity with each other. But the thrice damned Qanon cult put an end to that notion.
(All my questions are genuine in that I ask in the hopes I get a well reasoned response, but that does not often occur. So, I use that phrase to indicate to others that I would like a genuine answer.
Which you gave, thank you. I’ll work on the wording.
Perhaps “If you are willing, will you give a genuine answer to this question?” but that sounds clunky. Genuine question – do you have a suggestion?)
What does Queer mean that isn't covered by L, G and B?
Why do you think a support movement for L, G and B would add to its acronym a term that has such negative connotations historically for them to represent a group that they are not part of?
Still no definition of Queer BTW.
As for the +, surely most of your examples fit under the ever expanding T. Isn't it a form of cultural segregation to make the T applicable to a particular culture and put all the others in a +?
Intersex is another example of appropriation that has real world impacts.
https://differently-normal.com/2021/10/25/the-invention-of-intersex/
"I used to argue for Q+ as being briefer. "
Might be briefer but a bit nonsensical in terms of providing support and assistance. Everyone has different challenges and needs.
LGB people are same-sex or both sex-attracted. It is their sexual orientation that categorises them.
TQ+ may or may not include LGB people, but are a a completely different category system. The changing focus of many original LGB organisations have actually eliminated LGB concerns or recognition from their work and activism. Many modern organisations don't even use the words same-sex attraction anymore. A very prominent one in the UK, has even likened same-sex attraction to sexual racism. So, to be honest the present LGBQT+ movement – for all intents and purposes just T activism, no matter how many letters and numbers are included. Latest iteration being 2SLGBTQ+.
Conflating all is like setting up a sporting organisation for rugby players, yachties, recreational knitters and calling it "Sportys".
Anker
Do you really think that the Mormons (not necessarily literal Church of LDS, more a common catch all term for Americanised Evangelists and their followers in te Moana Nui) care whether someone is gay or trans before judging them according to their own doctrine? Public whipping and 10years in prison is still the punishment (too rarely meted out for their preferences) for either crime. It was enough that Poli advocated for Leitis, it is irrelevant whether they were also; a trans man, eNBy, or had intimate relationships with Leitis, as well.
You quite evidently don't understand my mixed feelings, because I don't have them. I am unequivocally glad that the death penalty was not enacted. However some in the #justice forpoli circles are less sure of that, and I guess I have been accustomed to arguing against them in the past year to the extent that I do so preemptively nowadays.
It is actually quite hard to know the trans murder rate in Aotearoa. For one thing, until recently, most trans people have been misgendered on official documents and in court rooms. Often their families burn (or more rarely) bury them under names they have not used in years in spite of any wishes they may have expressed while yet living. I have been to too many memorials this past decade!
Take Zena Campbell for example – was she murdered in 2018? Not according to the courts, despite being strangled by her partner in an argument beforehand. But being a trans drug user with mental health issues the case didn't even reach trial.
Lots of trans people in NZ just disappear, but most weren't public figures so I am not going to mention any names here. Are they dead, overseas, starting over in another town – who can say? The police sure aren't (or haven't historically been) very interested in finding out.
But that is all ignoring all the far more common deaths by suicide. If your life is a constant stream of; abuse, abandonment, assault, and homelessness, then many make the arguably rational choice to end the misery. It is not for me, but I find it hard to condemn those who "take the easy way out".
Though they have taken their own lives, trans suicides have to my mind been murdered by a society that (even if it professes to not actually want them dead – because that might make them look bad, if nothing else) would really prefer that they didn't exist.
Fragility of mental health of people in the transgender community needs to be addressed. I believe it should be by professionals in the mental health and therapy professions that can explore the many different and diverse reasons an individual has for not being well.
An assumption that is is external society, is as harmful an assumption that it is not. Especially on an individual level, where many other factors come into play. Quality exploratory therapy would help here. Unfortunately, our Mental Health services are below par for all NZers in terms of access, and quality. Our high suicide rates are indicative of this failing.
Unfortunately, our Mental Health services are below par for all NZers in terms of access, and quality.
And the Herald, bless them, are on a mission to bring this to the fore…as if we needed to be told there was a crisis.
Our high suicide rates are indicative of this failing.
According to the above article,
The Royal College of GPs says about a third of doctors' visits are now related to mental health, while the number of calls to police for mental health problems, attempted suicides and suicides has risen – to an average of more than 200 recorded nationally every day in the past three months.
That needs to be said again…an average of more than 200 attempted suicides every day for the past three months. What the actual fuck?
How's the Wellbeing thing going Jacinda?
I have scanned a couple of the Herald articles in this series and have not read if any of these terribly sad and distressed people are trans, and if so it is because society that (even if it professes to not actually want them dead – because that might make them look bad, if nothing else) would really prefer that they didn't exist…that drove them to absolute despair.
Temp ORary might see this failure to focus on the mental distress of trans people as yet another example of society's rejection of that particular community's needs.
I'd like Temp ORary to to step back a little from trans issues and acknowledge there are a shitload of truly miserable people out here in the world and a suicidal person's gender fucking identity is most likely not the root cause of their despair.
Keep up the good work. 😉
Hey Rosemary. You too.
Thanks Temp. I wasn't able to open your 2 minute clip,so I was commenting on the link's about Poli's case you sent. If people in Tonga are being imprissoned for being Trans or gay, then that is 100% wrong and good for Poli for advocating about it. I hope they continue his work. Sad.
Zena Campbell was not the victim of murder, or so the judge thought having view the autopsy results. Her boyfriends case was dismissed.
Another reason why the Dept of Stats should be very careful about how it gathers it's imformation. We need good data around homicide and suicide. To date we don't have. The only research in NZ I trust is the Dunedin Multi disciplinary study. But I don't think they have released any info on this.
https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/crime/murder-charge-against-paddy-woods-dismissed/
The Dundedin multi-disiplinary study has some critiques worth looking at. Particularly on how they recorded their violence statistics.
Link to study findings – US Department of Justice pdf:
https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/170018.pdf
Link to what I consider some valid criticisms:
https://fair.org/extra/not-all-domestic-violence-studies-are-created-equal/
Particularly in regards to the use of CTS. I'm repasting part of a comment I made on this in 2018:
Thanks Molly. Appreciate you posting
Temp Zena's boyfriend was arrested by the police and charged with her murder. The case got thrown out because of the findings of the autopsy as copied from the link I posted elsewhere on this thread.
Asphyxial signs were normally present after such a form of strangulation if it was prolonged enough to cause death, and Campbell did not show those signs, she said in her report.
Spark's post-mortem findings showed Campbell had methadone, oxazepam, Ritalin, alcohol and cannabis in her blood.
But you are free to disagree with the autopsy and the Judges decision to through this out of court.
A dangerous precedent alright!
This man needs to be extradited,otherwise it just signals NZ is a safe haven for people that do not want to defend themselves where alleged crimes are committed.
'Dangerous precedent': Kris Faafoi faces pressure from European, Australian politicians to stop extradition | Stuff.co.nz
Australia HUH
So they are going to stop 501s
Yeah right.
More like yet another example of our supreme court confirming our status as redneck backwater. Can you imagine the PC doing what our bunch of clowns at the SC have done? We're an international laughing stock.
I see there was a story on Stuff yesterday about a new bridge in the Manawatu. It was finished, ahead of schedule, early this year. However no one is allowed to use it because there is an agreement with the local Iwi to have a blessing, and an opening, in June. Meanwhile any vehicle that is larger than a small van has to take a long diversion that adds about 45 minutes to their trip.
Why can't we just let people use the bridge and have the official opening later. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that something sensible like that has been done. Then we could celebrate the fact that a piece of infrastructure was, miracle of miracles, finished ahead of the planned time.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/rnz/300570304/frustration-building-over-11m-new-bridge-sitting-idle
Your saying NZTA should break their agreement?
It isn't NZTA. Try reading the story.
Sorry, my bad.
Your saying Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency should break their agreement?
Nope. You still don't appear to have read it. Some quotes from the story.
"Manawatū councillors have said the Rangitīkei council is responsible for the bridge remaining unused because it entered an agreement with local iwi that an opening ceremony would be held in June, and no traffic could pass until then."
"But Rangitīkei mayor Andy Watson said the Manawatū council managed the contract and had advised it was working to a June opening date."
""The June date was always part of the agreement that they entered into with Rangitīkei District Council with regard to iwi."
Whether it was Manawatu or Rangitikei or both Councils who are responsible appears to be in dispute but nobody is blaming NZTA.
I wonder if there is any central government agency which could possibly settle the dispute about who is the lead iwi negotiator out of the Manawatu and Rangitikei councils. Probably will have an NZ in the name, its a bridge so probably a Transport in there now if only we had that last letter.
Its a conundrum, NZT_.
Now of course if this agreement could be found it would have to be one of the parties to this agreement. Oh well, too bad nobody could possibly find such a document. I guess it will just have to wait for the agreed date.
I'm really wary of taking this story as the full picture.
For example, here in Auckland we had local board members blaming the delay of a community facility on the lack of local iwi approval for the park. This was said without any qualification, and received the usual grumbling and muttering in the attendees.
I spoke to the local iwi representatives, a couple of weeks later. At that time, they had received no request from council or any of their representatives about the aforementioned park.
While the local board member was accurate in stating that approval had not been given – he was also deliberately omitting that fact that approval had not yet been sought.
Council agreed with iwi that pou would be erected before the bridge opened.
There's a few questions that arise from that article:
There's a few more, including allowing Ngāti Hauiti to have time to arrange huis, and discuss the change. We wouldn't approach a councillor on a new development and expect a decision before it has been discussed at council meetings, why expect a statement from Ngāti Hauiti unless we know that huis have been held, and a decision made.
Iwi are often consulted when it suits and accommodated when their perspective fits into the proposal without too much bother. It is when agreements are publicly brushed aside in such a way that you see how much power they actually hold.
Lets just settle this, shall we? Those who pay have first say. The end.
Sorry, what is getting settled?
Good on Putin. He has followed the advice that Republican Senator George Aiken once gave to Lyndon Johnson about the Vietnam War. Just say that you have won!
“Declare the United States the winner and begin de-escalation.”—Senator George Aiken (R-VT) offering advice to President Lyndon Johnson on October 19, 1966 on how to handle the politics of reducing the U.S. commitment in Vietnam.
I see the Putin is, very sensibly in my view, doing exactly that with respect to Mariupol.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/300570823/putin-claims-victory-in-battle-for-mariupol-wont-storm-steel-plant
Just a pity that Lyndon hadn't done the same thing. The war in Vietnam could have been about 9 years shorter.
Mission Accomplished
I'd forgotten that one by George W.
I wish Lyndon had tried it though. It would have saved me a lot of time getting involved in protests, and more importantly a hell of a lot of lives of the people involved on both sides of the war.
Putin (and Zelensky) clearly need to be given the Nobel Peace prize. That's the shortest way out as on awarding the Nobel Peace prize to Henry Kissinger (and Le Duc Tho) for a ceasefire in 1973 the Vietnam war ended in 1975.
I wonder which of them would play the Le Duc Tho role and decline the award?
Be a great idea though if it would persuade Putin to pull out of Ukraine wouldn't it? Surely we can find a New Zealand MP to nominate them. Or perhaps we could talk Lloyd Geering into doing it. He's apparently eligible to do so and at 104 ought to be the oldest nominator.
Here's a young Russian POW in Ukraine talking about how he got there. There's proof of who he is in his own you tube channel (linked in the link).
An enormous clusterfuck, that's all the attempt on Kiev was. There's no 4D chess going on, no special move going to surface. No mastermind, no master strategy. Putin's a fucking idiot and so is his fan club.
Certainly a costly CF.
https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1517054413944328193
What happens when the truth starts to dawn on these Russian people. Will they apologise for their stupidity or hang on to their brainwashed beliefs? The latter I suspect. They are no different to our own stupid people who disappear down rabbit -holes and refuse to accept reality.
I mourn just as much for those young Russian soldiers as I do the Ukrainians who are being needlessly killed to satisfy the desires of a bunch of power hungry psychopaths in the Kremlin.
And the power hungry psychopaths in the whitehouse dont you think
/
Who would believe these fantasys any more than we would believe russia's 'estimates ??
Thanks DB. All so sad for everyone, even the Mom.
Trucks rolling up on and loading up from appliance stores.
Had never even fired his weapon.
Training consisted of a long walk with body armor on.
Rounding up citizens and putting them in basements.
Looting personal apartments.
Poorly supplied (implies Ru thought it would simply take Kiev and resupply there).
No idea where he was, or why, or what he was doing.
Tank gets hit. Lays off to the side in shock listening to commanders screams till they stopped.
Asks for help. Is surprised he is not murdered, tortured, or his balls roast on a tanks grill. Gets fed, gets to phone mother. Was (unwitting, and seemingly witless) part of Bucha massacre.
Mother a blathering indoctrinated idiot.
They should get his DNA, he's also holding back.
I'm glad I wrote some of the content out before youtube blocked it.
Some legality around POW's? Social media, it's the algorithms dunnit, not us!
He also witnessed a commander saying he’d taught a wounded Ukrainian ‘to fly’ (tossed him out an eight story window).
In case we’re feeling sentimental for Pootie pie.
Does Poots have a fifth column problem?
https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1517316741214314500
Also five Russian enlistment offices have been set on fire (so far).
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/04/22/5-russian-enlistment-offices-hit-by-arson-attacks-reports-a77454
Have to say this looks like a massive own goal by the Government.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/04/attorney-general-david-parker-deems-rotorua-council-s-proposed-m-ori-ward-restructure-discriminatory.html
Tamati Coffey introduced The Rotorua District Council Representative Arrangements Bill. Restructuring RDC into non-proportional Maori wards (resulting in more Maori councillors than is proportionate to the general population).
National and Act have made hay, of course. However, there have been very significant left politicians and ex-politicians who have come out strongly against it (in the submissions process). And a public storm has been ignited (tens of thousands of submissions, I understand)
And, now David Parker, with his Attorney General's hat on – has said it's discriminatory under the Bill of Rights.
Regardless of the pros and cons – Labour really needed to have resolved this in-house, before the legislation was introduced. [Yes, I know that's what select committees are for – but for politically sensitive bills – they need to be run by the lawyers first….]
Finally, after 200+ years of colonisation, we hear these words. Long may it continue.
Given it's been effectively depth-charged by Parker – it's not likely to continue at all.
Today is Earth Day.
https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2022/
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/300569445/earth-day-what-you-can-do-to-help-the-environment
Would be great if everyone, treated every day, as Earth Day.
I do.