Stuff’s slavery investigation concludes that “no slave-tainted fish are ending up in New Zealand”, and also that “it’s almost certain that we have eaten fish caught by crew under conditions of forced labour.”
Always look for the label. If it says “Fabrique en Nouvelle Zelande” there might be a problem. How much are corporate reassurances worth? More importantly, how can they be verified?
My son has a friend who fishes for 3 months at a time at sea near the Auckland Islands , with a crew of around 55 people … he says its a hard life but the captain and crew are a close knit family and they get looked after well ,… and when you compare the two… and whats been going on in the Stuff article,… it just shows that it doesn’t have to be that way at all.
Further proof globalisation and neoliberalism is literally killing people and species as it’s ruthlessly exploits the finite resources of capitalism his planet.
Add that to bananas from slave plantations in the Philippines and electronics from slave mines in the Congo.
The article presents a neoliberal solution- consumers can change things.
Much better would be government actions to rid the oceans of these death factories.
That would be a good use for our navy.
Yes it would , the Navy has a long tradition of hunting down these sort of high sea pirates , and that’s what they are – pirates. Criminals. The trick then is to bring them before the courts on human rights abuses with so many of these govt’s shielding them. And to do that we need the assistance of the ICC- International Criminal Court, if indeed, they manage these sorts of offences.
The other problem is lack of jurisdiction in certain waters, and the sheer size of the area , which enables these criminals to indulge these behaviors,… when we consider that the ocean is a massive water filled desert,… we get an idea of its expanse.
It would need several cases to be made an example of using an international policing force , a power of legal workers behind that , – in short , – some sort of international agreement with teeth, – and therein lies the problem; so many big business interests… which takes us back to the Stuff answer… widespread public education to bring international political solutions.
Wows, OAB, cheers for the link, really pleased the fishing industry is being brought to light, again, so much goes on out there.
WK, this bit…. “The other problem is lack of jurisdiction in certain waters, and the sheer size of the area” absolutely bang on.
It’s important to understand that MOST officers are treated well in the fishing industry, this ensures their flexibility.
What goes on at sea stays at sea, open your mouth and someone may shut it for you, loose lips sink ships etc. Good on Stuff for gaining some insight.
Get the job done, stress runs high out there, fish are money.
In many instances, officers (cook to captain) are paid a salary plus a % of the catch, as a result, the crew are worked hard if the fish are running, no sleep for you, shall we bring up the P epidemic, time is money and all that.
Those in the factory or on deck are often graded to earn their percentage, so if any officers have it in for you, that will impact your grade.
Factory/deck crew from other countries are treated like shite, depending on the ‘culture’ of the vessel. It’s easy as to pick up more offshore factory and deck crews, easy as.
And if you spend 3mths at sea, there’s not much you can do or say about it and there is def nowhere to run.
The RNZN/ MOD have asked for a 3rd OPV that is design to operate in the Southern Ocean in the last DWP as the current two OPV’s are barely Fit for Purpose for Southern Ocean duties (fit for only the Summer run down Sth, but I believe it can’t take a Seasprite down Sth as it pushes the ships ice belt below the waterline). But from the sounds of it the 3rd OPV is on hold until they work out what’s going to replace the P3’s so they can line up right Combat Mission Systems etc so that OPV, Fixed and Rotary Wing assets can have and provide update SA to each other plus future proof the system when the UAV’s entry service sooner or later down the track.
Once that is sorted out I think you would the NZDF spending a lot more time down Sth all yr round instead of usual runs down during the summer periods. With having everybody on the same sheet of music unlike it atm will allow NZDF to effectively enforce the Southern Fishies. If the ODT is right about this one and it’s something that I have been suggesting as well.Then our wishes for a permanent presence in the Southern Ocean might come true.
Then there will be whining from the Fishing Industry as they well able to enforce the quota, Labour and Maritime Laws etc more effectively than at the present time.
The government ought to be looking at whether NZ crews can buy a house. Because if working a couple of months away on rotating shifts won’t let you do that, only a fool would do it. And that’s how the industry falls into the hands of the charter and slave fishing companies.
Here’s a classic example of a slave ship by an Aussie company (by that i mean it used to be Aussie based), their PR via the net would make people think otherwise lololz.
What this particular company does is grow their abalone on a factory ship outside of Aussie waters, that particular ship is a freaking disgrace, workers are treated like dirt, it’s hell on earth for them. The grown abalone is then collected by a small vessel and new spawn are dropped off along with ships stores. No reason for the factory vessels crew to go anywhere near land, keep them onboard as long as possible.
Edit… found an article about their ‘true colours’, was a fair while back, but I doubt they’ve changed.
Suspicions have increased because the ship’s owners have refused to publicly say how much its sailors are being paid, and it is believed that some of the Chinese crew are earning as little as US$300 a month.”
These practices have been going on for too long, may stuff continue to inform kiwis about it.
Because companies will always deny it, check out Polly, bold faced lies from her…
“Polly Kwok Wing-wah, a Hong Kong-based director of the firm, said: ‘The attack has taken the form of false submissions to local media, lies, and untrue allegations to union-biased government ministers and intimidation of company employees.'” LIAR !!!
Pac N save must be using some cheaper fish supplier than other supermarkets are as we have bought three times some red cod with fish bones in them. The cost per kilo is much cheaper than other supermarkets at only $16 a kilo, where other supermarkets are charging over $23 a kilo.
Beware as I got two large fish bones struck between my gums and teeth that caused a gum injury.
We see Jacinda ignoring the elephant in the room again today and was on the media mainly seeming to be worried about something other than mycoplama bovis as the main theme of this day!!!!!!!
We need a moritorium on cow movements until we do this now or we risk a widespread catastrope of this disease now.
Subject; Mycoplasma bovis can be spread on trucks among shared containment areas unless every truck is sterilised see below.
Everyone is asking how did mycoplasma bovis spread across the North Island from the south Island?
It can travel on trucks John, and we cannot allow moving of stock now until it is made safe otherwise we are all going to spread the disease before long now.
This is according to this article from the website.
The new threat of disease to our entire cattle stock is a case of point as we have now allowed the unchecked transport of cows all around NZ on trucks and the Mycoplasma_bovis dsease which may destroy our second largest export earner and biggest company.
Prevention[edit]
There are many ways by which cattle can be prevented from catching Mycoplasma bovis and other pathogenic bacteria.[7]
Transport of animals[edit]
When transporting the animals from one farm to another, It would be appropriate if the transport vehicle could be cleaned with disinfectants before and after use. For better care, environmental swabbing should be taken place and samples sent to a microbiology lab if any harmful bacteria will be detected, further actions should be taken place.[8]
Visitors[edit]
Only authorized people should be allow to visit a farm. Visitors shall arrive with clean clothing and footwear and disinfectant on arrival and departure can be used to stop getting the introduction of bacteria’s. For example, a water mat with disinfectant can be used in the entrance of the farm, water bath, company can provide sanitized clothes for people.
Weekly inspection and maintenance[edit]
In the end of the week, cleaning of all the areas and equipment reduces the chances of animals getting sick. Also, it is important to clean the feedlot container and keep the feed dry. Doubling the boundary fence with a 6-inch gap prevents the animals contacting neighbouring animals.
Well if loosing our largest export earner and farming bussinesses along with their company to overseas (Fonterra) this should now be a full blown five alarm amergency.
I am astounded that anything else is as important as keeping the direct focus on the major loss we are about to encounter if we sit there and ‘dilly dally’ while saying figuratively “rome burns”.
It is all about what’s most important as last governments lost the plot so will we if we dilly dally.
Well if loosing our largest export earner and farming bussinesses along with their company to overseas (Fonterra) this should now be a full blown five alarm amergency.
You do know why there’s cautionary tails about sticking all your eggs one basket right?
I don’t understand the dithering about on this issue. For a country that fines people hundreds of dollars for bringing a piece fruit into an airport it’s bizarre.
Short term pain. Ban all cattle movement for six months, slaughter any infected animals, massive cleaning operation of all associated infrastructure and name all infected farms.
Just make sure if any are driven to the wall they’re not sold offshore. Glomming the mortgaged dairy farms was a major cause of the SCF abuse of state power.
A press release from the nz embassy in Japan.- Translated by Google.
The Prime Minister of New Zealand, the prime minister of the New Zealand, instructed Vice Prime Minister to give birth to the second child in June, and the prime minister of’s will be on maternity leave on may 14th. The Vice Prime Minister published a letter showing his duties as prime minister.
I think we need to have provision set up to go at a moment’s notice with give a little ready for each time some NZr is discriminated into oblivion by the Australian government. Ours is helpless with confronting these intransigent, callous, spiteful non-friendly foreign politicians.
It may well be the case that there is no other country in the world that pays direct transfers for the social welfare of their citizens in another country, but honestly this government does need to go there.
The alternative is that these street waifs are going to be arrested, put into Australian jails, in which they are fully criminalised, after which they will be deported back to New Zealand as criminals.
Yes Ad it makes sense from an objective, economic sense. And there is also the moral imperative. They are being punished by the Australian government for being New Zealanders. It has become clear from recent happenings that sanctions are applied to us that they don’t apply to any other country’s citizens. This was actually stated in the interview with the NZ woman with a convalescent husband on Radionz this morning. http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018645943/australian-pension-rules-leaving-nz-family-poor
A NZ family living in Perth are struggling to make ends meet after a father broke his leg and cannot gain access to any benefits.
Johno Walsh broke his leg playing in the park with his children at the end of April.
Because his injury occurred outside of his work as a diesel engineer he was ineligible for sick pay or work cover. Now he and his wife Debbie, originally from Hawke’s Bay, found out their income protection insurance won’t pay out until the end of June. They have four children.
So Ms Walsh went to the social welfare office, Centrelink, to see about getting access to their seven years of superannuation paid while living in Australia….
New Zealanders on the Special Category Visa are not eligible for federal benefits. No one can withdraw super for hardship unless they had been on a benefit for six months.
Centrelink staff [were] asked how it was possible permanent residents from other countries were able to qualify for benefits and New Zealanders with seven years in Australia could not…
They and their New Zealand friends both had no idea that their income protection nor superannuation would buffer them.
We’re trying to play it cool cos we don’t want our kids to know, because I don’t think they need to worry about where their next meal is coming from.
“That’s the life of a New Zealand citizen in Australia.”
They have income protection insurance but didn’t shape the policy to cover this, and in a modern society expect that they can get help in times of need and emergency. But not us in Australia. They are following the neoliberal line even more rigidly than our RW governments have done.
I think that we have shown them up in Oz, irritated them, not followed an order etc, and they have decided that they don’t owe us respect, or anything. They have got themselves into a liege lord situation over us by owning our banks, and competing successfully for any business that still manages to run here, and have nothing to lose by acting out of character, that is, in a principled manner.
A moral imperative is a strongly-felt principle that compels that person to act. It is a kind of categorical imperative, as defined by Immanuel Kant. Kant took the imperative to be a dictate of pure reason, in its practical aspect. Not following the moral law was seen to be self-defeating and thus contrary to reason.
Moral imperative – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_imperative
Australian Government Department of Human Services.
This is spelled out so you don’t get confused and end up in the Animal Services Department.
I am wondering whether there will soon be a parallel entity called the A.G. Dept of Robot, Android and AI Services. It will be funded out of the budget for Human Services which will need less funding as much of the work will be carried out by the A.I.R. Service crawlers!
I see that Winston has had another policy altered to favour his benefactors in the Fishing Industry. Years of work down the drain because the fishing industry has called in a debt from Tsar Winston. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/104082934/government-dfrops-plan-to-restrict-deep-sea-trawling-protect-orange-roughy
Have a look at the photo of Ardern and Peters in this story.
Puppeteer Winston feeding Ardern with the lines she must utter. Then his final words.
“Just do what I tell you Jacinda.” is his order.
You really should learn to read properly.
It was wild Katipo who raised this as an apparently serious comment.
After all Ms Ardern tells us that Winston is going to be Acting PM.
That means she will still be PM and Winnie will only be filling in for her.
Wild Katipo tells us that he is going to actually be Prime Minister. You can only have one at a time so he will have to replace Ardern, won’t he?
Why don’t you ask Wild Katipo where he gets his information from?
You know how folks will react to you posting that link, wrapped up in your usual invective…and success! Because they’re all piling onto you rather than reading the actual article…which demands our attention.
So…now you’ve all taken alwyn’s bait…go and read the article…
I’m afraid they don’t want to read the story Rosemary. If they did they would have to accept the fact that this Government is simply made up of politicians whose main interest is just like every other politician.
They want the power and the perks of office. They aren’t paragons of virtue.
My real complaint about them is not that they are in power. It is that they simply aren’t competent and didn’t spend their time in Opposition preparing to be a Government with a set of well thought out policies.
I mean look at Twyford and Kiwibuild. Have you ever seen anyone in quite such a muddle?
National were tired and really needed replacing. No Government should last more than three terms, at least in my opinion. Unfortunately we have had a group who are incompetent taking over. The only one who actually knows what he is doing is Tsar Winston and he is running things for his mates, like those who run the Fishing Industry and people like Sir Patrick Hogan and the horseracing fraternity.
So, we have a discussion going on about David ‘Footloose’ Seymour trying to raise a rabble in Remmers against a potential invasion of mentally ill folk…and I contributed this link to an article about Seymour’s reaction to the professional opinions of a panel of palliative care experts to the euthanasia select committee.
“Act leader David Seymour, who introduced the bill to Parliament in June last year has hit back, accusing the experts of fearmongering.
He insisted the vulnerable would be protected.
“Our own Attorney-General has written that my bill has sufficient safeguards and is consistent with the New Zealand Bill of Rights. So these guys, frankly, need to go jump in a lake, start debating on the evidence and stop speculating to create fear, uncertainty and doubt.””
“ACT leader David Seymour said he was deeply disappointed that Ms Tesoriero was “spreading misinformation” as intellectually disabled people did not qualify under the bill.
“It’s very ironic that the Disabilities Commissioner of all people would be saying that a person who’s perfectly capable of making a decision … should have fewer rights and choices than other people.””
Tesoreiro had quite rightly pointed out that in NZ people with disabilities “could not freely exercise their choice in New Zealand.
“We live in a world where people focus on fixing us, not on removing the barriers that make us disabled.
“In the absence of adequate services, we run the risk that choice under this bill becomes a Clayton’s choice for disabled people.””
Seymour was supported by none other than Greg ‘give all the cops guns all the time’ O’Connor, who because he has a son with an intellectual disability claims to have looked at the Bill and has not seen any problems.
“A “Clayton’s choice” is a choice that exists in name only and isn’t genuine.
But Mr O’Connor said many disabled people were perfectly able to give well-informed consent.
“You have to be careful – because it’s almost like you’re saying, ‘Leave disabled people over here, because they’re not capable of the same … mental capability””
I know M O’ Connor still uses MP training wheels, but he really needs to be more nuance aware.
What the Disabilities Commissioner is saying Greg, is that while far too many disabled New Zealanders struggle to get the supports they need and have to battle all the way to the United Nations to have they basic rights as humans recognised, it is really inafuckingppropriate to be defending the rights of disabled people to choose euthanasia while dismissing the concerns of a disabled person who represents the rights of all disabled New Zealanders.
Not without making a clear and unequivocal statement on behalf on the government that the rights of all disabled New Zealanders will be respected.
Go have a lie down Gosman. I used far too many words, and there are subtleties that may be difficult to sense for those outside of the disability community.
I just suggest Rosemary that some disabled persons might wish to have the right to choose euthanasia in the present or at some future specified time.
I note that the antis regard their opinions as sacred, and the final authority. This assumes that other people have no agency in their own lives; that they don’t have the intellect, that they must do what society and those around them decide for them. It is strange that others want to own others body and soul.
“….that some disabled persons might wish to have the right to choose euthanasia in the present or at some future specified time. ”
And no one is saying otherwise.
BUT…and this is a very big BUT…there must be no question at all that the disabled person who chooses euthanasia is doing so because the lack of proper support is making their life unbearable.
And at the present point in time this cannot be guaranteed.
Most of the people living with disability in New Zealand have no entitlement to funded supports from the Ministry of Health whatsoever.
And seeking supports from the Ministry of Health has actually made people wish that they were dead.
“I note that the antis regard their opinions as sacred, and the final authority.”
Funny that, I’ve noted the exact same tone from the pros…did you actually read Seymour’s responses to the Commissioner and the palliative care professionals that I referenced in my comment?
Telling the palliative care professionals that they “need to go jump in a lake,”…..
An interesting article to read for those interested? With a 11pg document in English from Sweden on what to do if Sweden is attack from a hostile country.
I was reading a Janes Defence report a mths ago saying Russia Submarine activity in the Baltic Sea is almost back to Cold War levels and a huge increase around the Northern Approaches to Norway, Iceland and UK gap, but not to the same levels as during Cold War although there has been the odd surge or a increase rate of effort too Cold War levels during Russian Navy Summer Manoeuvres or NATO Ex’s.
Everyone is now having to relearn the art of ASW and tracking Subs etc as everything was either cut, mothballed or quietly drop as a peace dividend or the same to find cost savings to fund the “War on Terror” in the Gan and forgetting the need to have the “The Utility of Force” because the silly pollie’s didn’t want rise taxes to fund the “War on Terror” as British Armed Forces have found out thanks to that muppet Blair.
Yes I had seen that article as well, an interesting design and common sense prevail that it was unlikely to work. But they design this wee beauty of Submarine for use in and around the Baltic Sea until the Aussies got hold of it and completely bugged it up.
The design was so good that yanks got hold of a Swedish one on lease complete with it crew to train it scope dopes on how to find a diesel electric sub. When the aussies finally got their subs work properly and gave the yanks a right royal thrashing on RIMPAC Ex’s. As they got inside a Carrier Battle Group Anti Submarine Screen, then tailing the Carrier for couple days taking pictures of it before surfacing beside the Carrier after proclaiming to every Tom, Dick and Harry that no one can penetrate it a Anti Sub screen.
Both Sweden and Finland both cut back it Defence expenditure after the end of the Cold War to a point where they mothballed bases, equipment and move to suspend the National Service requirements of National’s Defence Force including the Civil Defence Forces. The Nordic countries have their own battle group with NATO for UN operations or for NATO’s Out of Area Operations aka The Gan. Which according to a couple of Swedish girl’s who work the bar at near bush block said they and many others are not impressed the close tries that Sweden has developed with NATO since the end of the Cold War. But on the other hand they could under stand the UN operations like Bosnia but not Gan as it comprises its Neutrality and if we run down our Defence Forces then we only have ourselves to blame. They also said Russia is a major concern to them as they see Russia wanting to rebuild its former Tsar Empire across the Baltic Nations and a threat to Nordic Values, Lifestyle and Freedoms.
It’s was only about 5 or so yrs ago (maybe longer not sure) that the last Swedish Troops left Gotland Defences and turn the lights off. Here they now standing its up Defences on Gotland and as my friends were saying it’s little bit concerning that is is happening.
My first book Ticket to Paradise: A Journey to Find the Australian Colony in Paraguay Among Nazis, Mennonites and Japanese Beekeepers
about my search for the remnants of the Australian utopian colony in Paraguay was published by ABC Books in 2012.
I am a writing and journalism academic. My background is as a travel and features journalist for publications in Australia and overseas. I have written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Toronto Star, The Sydney Morning Herald and Rough Guides among many others. My current academic research focuses on exploring the plurality of the travel writing form.
I am fluent in Spanish and my latest book After Dark: A Nocturnal Exploration of… Read more
China is happy that it is turning sand dunes into productive growing areas.
We could be going ahead with something special for NZ since we are such a beautiful country and we love it. I’m sure we could be forging ahead with organics. I think that the Falklands has done this. Robert G would have good ideas. Let’s do it !
the auckland sandflys are just like the ones in vags the get shitty because I can smell them and cheat and block all my devices from getting this site ———- ka kite ano
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As polling day in the American presidential election draws closer, things are looking bad for Donald Trump. The polls show that he is tracking well behind his Democrat rival. Most people assume that the President will be striving might and main to avoid what looks increasingly likely to be a ...
Our health professionals do an amazing job. Image credit: Wikipedia – Cardiac surgery. Finally, I have got back to these rankings. A long period in hospital and computer problems meant the June 2020 rankings were abandoned. Now, with a new personal defibrillator implanted in my chest and a new hard ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, July 26 through Sat, Aug 1, 2020Editor's ChoiceThe four types of climate denier, and why you should ignore them allThe shill, the grifter, the egomaniac and the ideological ...
Over the last few days, reports have emerged of people travelling from New Zealand and testing positive for Covid-19 upon arrival at their destination. First in South Korea and now in Australia. What might these positive tests mean?They’re false-positives As Toby Morris and I have explained before, there are ...
Former National Minister - Wayne MappYou could tell that the Hit and Run book by investigative journalists Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson was right on the money by the way former National Party Minister of Defence, Wayne Mapp, reacted to its now largely vindicated claims.Even though the recent inquiry into ...
So, the Hit and Run inquiry has reported back, and found some appalling shit at NZDF and NZSIS. And while they quibble a few of the details - the name of a dead child - they basicly uphold Hager and Stephenson's version of events. The SAS went to those villages. ...
We are failing to think though the interdependencies in an economy. We miss economist Bryan Philpott (1921-2000). I miss him personally – we used to have such great discussions – but this column is about how the nation misses his economic experience and wisdom. We tend to ...
Michelle Boag - LeakerThe Heron report (PDF) was released yesterday, and it was a bit disappointing to say the least. It correctly found that former National Party president Michelle Boag and National Party MP Hamish Walker were politically motivated in leaking peoples private medical information, but didn’t look further into ...
Adam Smith, Massey UniversityA recent global assessment of shark populations at 371 coral reefs in 58 countries found no sharks at almost 20% of reefs and alarmingly low numbers at many others. The study, which involved over 100 scientists under the Global FinPrint project, gave New Zealand a good ...
On different trajectories and from different ends of the political spectrum, last night’s One News/Colmar Brunton poll has the Green Party and ACT converging around the five percent mark. And, as odd as it may sound, they head into the election campaign with a lot in common.Putting the Greens and ...
Janet Stephenson, University of OtagoA proposed multibillion-dollar project to build a pumped hydro storage plant could make New Zealand’s electricity grid 100% renewable, but expensive new infrastructure may not be the best way to achieve this. New Zealand’s electricity generation is already around 80% renewable, with just over half ...
Truth In Advertising: Labour, it would seem, is the party that knows nothing about running the economy right up until the moment that it does. HOW DID LABOUR acquire its reputation for being a poor economic manager? As with most things political and historical, it’s a long story.In the beginning, the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Government rulemakers looking to decide how much money to spend to avoid adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere need a good estimate of what a warming climate will cost in social damages, for example through more extreme weather events. That point makes ...
Fact Check: New Zealand’s own relationship with China might, however, be salvageable if our own Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was willing to equip its minister, Winston Peters, with a few facts. Legislating for the protection of national security – the very action our Foreign Minister is decrying – ...
I hope we can all agree that charging only certain returning expats for isolation costs is the right call. Instead of a blanket fee, which may have resulted in a small number of Kiwis deciding not to return home because of financial reasons, the Government has chosen to implement a ...
Back at the beginning of this government, the Greens made a foolish decision to support the Electoral Integrity Act - demanded by Winston Peters to keep his own backbench in line as part of his coalition deal with Labour - as an act of good faith within the coalition. It ...
SATURDAY AUGUST 1Artefact (Prime, 7.30pm). The series presented by Dame Anne Salmond screened on Māori Television, but is totally worth revisiting if you saw it the first time. Dame Anne tells the stories of taonga that highlight the history of Aotearoa. Further reading: this 2013 interview with Dame Anne by the lovely ...
Have unions and the Government sold workers short with their attempt at fixing the so-called “Hobbit Law”? Unionist Ian Powell argues that the union movement has been outmanoeuvered, and the Government has agreed to a new piece of anti-worker legislation that retains the principles of the previous National Government’s hated ...
Most of the claims made by anti-fluoride propagandists are simply wrong. Image source:Fluoridation and the ‘sciency’ facts of critics Anti-fluoride propagandists continually cite studies from areas of endemic fluorosis in their arguments against ...
An article in the EETimes suggests that advances in autonomous vehicles are not moving as quickly as expected because those working on them have confused complicated problems with complex ones. Engineering can only take you so far in complex worlds. Complicated systems tend to have fairly predictable inputs, processes and outputs. Complex systems (like ...
Last week, after Judith Collins announced that National would be cruel and vicious to kiwis caught overseas by the pandemic, and rob them at the border if they returned home, Labour looked like it was falling all over itself to cry "me too". But now, it looks like kindness has ...
If entry into New Zealand from abroad is safe, it should be allowed. People arriving from places that are Covid-free, or no more risky than New Zealand, and who get here on flights that do not intersect with risky places, should return to normal travel arrangements. Currently, the Cook ...
Liz SlootenScientists from the University of Otago, working with colleagues from around the world, have found that New Zealand right whales are doing much better than right whales in other parts of the world. The research was published as the feature article in the journal Marine Ecology Progress ...
Back in 2019, the government asked for a comprehensive, independent review of the Resource Management Act and associated legislation. That review has now reported back and recommended a complete repeal and re-enactment. Despite the headlines, this is not a "scrapping" - we're still going to have a resource management law, ...
By Associate Professor Mik Black, Department of Biochemistry, University of OtagoThe increased availability of complex biological data sets means that analysis and computation are becoming critically important skills for New Zealand’s future scientists. Because of this, we need to be doing everything we can to help our students develop ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzIs humanity doomed? If in 2030 we have not reduced ...
Britain's spy agencies are supposedly overseen by various watchdogs, including the investigatory powers tribunal. But it turns out that MI6 at least has contempt for those watchdogs, and attempted to interfere with the operations of the tribunal by concealing evidence from its judges: MI6 has been accused of “inappropriate interference” ...
Daphna Whitmore So far this year over 7.4 million people have died from preventable communicable diseases. There were 4.3 million children who died under the age of five. Nearly one million people have died of HIV/AIDS in the past six months. A similar number of people have died from malaria ...
Four weeks ago I wrote about the last time a sizable asteroid hit our planet – the ‘Tunguska Event’ of 1908, when an object about 50 metres across exploded above the Siberian taiga – but smaller cosmic rocks shoot close by Earth fairly frequently. In the past 42 hours ...
Last month, China imposed a new "national security law" on Hong Kong. The law imposes a penalty of life imprisonment for secession, subversion, and "colluding with foreign forces" - which basicly means peacefully advocating for democracy or independence. It has been used to crush peaceful protests and interpreted by the ...
Powerful Connection: Neoliberalism is the antithesis of everything that has traditionally been associated with the feminine aspects of human nature. Kindness and compassion, nurturance and inclusiveness: such qualities have no place in the neoliberal order. When Jacinda proclaimed her determination to practice the “politics of kindness”, she was, wittingly or ...
The bad news: Jacinda Ardern still wants to bill exiled kiwis for returning home. The good news: it would require a law change, which the Greens won't back, so she'll need to go grovelling to National. The other good news: she's running out of time to do it. This ...
. . For the mainstream media, today (22 July) was even a better day than yesterday. More Sex. More Politics. More Sex AND Politics. Yesterday, the msm dealt with Andrew Falloon. The obscure backbench MP had been found to have sent pornographic images to at least four women. The woman’s ...
If you want to understand what is happening in this year’s election campaign, it’s worth looking to the past for guidance. Colin James delves into recent contests and finds some interesting parallels. July 28 is 53 days before the 2020 election. Just 53 days before the 2017 election ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters Wildfires burned much less acreage in the U.S. than average during the first half of the year, but with hot and dry conditions expected over much of the nation in the coming months, fire activity is likely to ramp up. ...
Today a full bench of the High Court is hearing Andrew Borrowdale's challenge to the legality of the COVID-19 lockdown. That lockdown ended two months ago, so the point seems moot - but it was never about ending it. Instead, as Andrew Geddis points out, its about a key principle ...
Kia orana and kia ora koutou katoa. It is a privilege to be able to speak in this adjournment debate and to mark and acknowledge the fact that we are now two years and 10 months into the conclusion of a parliamentary term that has been extraordinary in so many ...
On 1 August, we marked the anniversary of Jacinda Ardern becoming the Leader of the Labour Party. On that day in 2017, Leader Andrew Little nominated Jacinda Ardern to succeed him and lead the party to victory.Now, three years on, we look back at some of the key moments ...
With the June 2020 quarter showing underemployment increasing, the Green Party is calling for a Guaranteed Minimum Income and an increase to the abatement threshold to ensure everyone has a dignified income. ...
We went hard and we went early in our health response to COVID-19, and we did everything we could to cushion the economic impact too. In fact, we can fill every letter of the alphabet with the steps we took to fight COVID-19 and ensure we were in a position ...
Investing in our people, backing businesses, and upgrading infrastructure and housing throughout the country - it's been another week of progress for New Zealanders as we deliver our plan to recover and rebuild. ...
July was another busy month, packed with key investments aimed at progressing our economic recovery as we rebuild New Zealand. We extended support for businesses, helped create jobs through local infrastructure projects, and kept working to clean up our waterways so Kiwis can access safe clean water. Check out the ...
The Green Party is calling for the Defence Force Chiefs in place between 2010-2017 to front up and explain how dishonesty, process and policy failures within the Defence Force led to ‘a series of incorrect statements in briefings to ministers and public releases’ regarding alleged breaches of international torture prevention ...
Thanks to our strong health response, New Zealand’s economy is more open than many other countries. But as COVID continues to surge around the world, the economic consequences of the virus will continue to be a challenge, which is why we have a detailed plan to help New Zealand bounce ...
Thanks to our strong health response, New Zealand’s economy is more open than many other countries. But as COVID continues to surge around the world, the economic consequences of the virus will continue to be a challenge, which is why we have a detailed plan to help New Zealand bounce ...
The Green Party are ensuring that New Zealanders who were overseas when COVID-19 hit will not be charged for the cost of isolation or quarantine if they return home to live. ...
It's been another week of creating jobs, supporting local businesses, and investing in infrastructure up and down the country - all of which are helping to keep our economy moving post-COVID-19. ...
Law changes to end tenure review and provide for better management of Crown pastoral lands in the South Island high country were considered by Parliament today with the first reading of the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill says Minister for Land Information, Eugenie Sage. ...
The Green Party have secured legislative amendments in a bill expected to pass third reading this week, to ensure better rules for school teachers and staff, so they can de-escalate children with diverse needs and cognitive differences, such as autism, rather than using unnecessary and often traumatising force. ...
New Zealand needs to be more aggressive in pursuing economic opportunities and resist the short-term thinking affecting some of its major industry, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says.Mr Peters told Wellington Chamber of Commerce members this morning that the planned closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter will have ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has ridiculed the National Party "circus", with the politician saying it was in "chaos" after the resignation of another MP.Rangitata MP Andrew Falloon announced on Monday he would retire from politics after he allegedly sent inappropriate pornographic images to a young woman. Following a ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters today outlined what he saw as the requirements to re-open New Zealand's borders for tourists and travellers. If New Zealand was dealing solely with an Australian state such as Tasmania, we wouldn't need a vaccine, said Mr Peters, but these moves were complicated by the ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters appears to have prompted last-minute alterations to proposed legislation for commercial landlords and their tenants. Mr Peters told reporters on Wednesday said that he was making sure the proposed bill was in step with what the parties had actually agreed to. He said he ...
Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprise and New Zealand First List MP Shane Jones attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new NZ Post "super depot" in Wellington. The state-owned postal service, which got $280 million from the Coalition Government last month, is expanding its operations to handle surging parcel volumes. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First CHECK AGAINST DELIVERYIntroduction Good afternoon. Welcome to you all here today and party supporters watching from around the country. We appreciate your hard work keeping New Zealand First strong; thank you for keeping the faith. Sixty-three days out from Election Day, ...
The diversity of conservation boards around Aotearoa is increasing with 47 appointments to 14 of the 15 conservation boards across New Zealand announced today by the Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage. ...
The Green Party is honoured to be remembering former co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons today at a public memorial service in the heart of Wellington at the Cathedral of St. Paul’s. Following her passing in March, this celebration of her life brings together her friends, family and colleagues to honour her life ...
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage has announced a $2.5 million boost for South Westland to help a regional alliance of local businesses and government agencies provide nature based jobs. ...
Getting low-emission trucks on the road is a step closer with investment in infrastructure to support hydrogen vehicles, the Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods has announced. The Infrastructure Reference Group has provisionally approved $20 million for New Plymouth company Hiringa Energy to establish a nationwide network of hydrogen-fuelling stations. ...
A new trades training centre to upskill the local workforce will be built in the South Waikato town of Tokoroa through funding from the Government’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, Education Minister Chris Hipkins and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. The Government will contribute $10.84 million from ...
The Government has agreed to repeal part of the Oranga Tamariki Act subsequent children provisions, Minister for Children Tracey Martin announced today. “There are times when children need to go into care for their safety – the safety and care of children must always be paramount,” Minister Martin said. “But ...
A $1.5 million boost to grow primary mental health and addiction services for Pacific peoples in Auckland, Hamilton and Canterbury will lead to better outcomes for Pacific communities, Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa says. Pasifika Futures has received funding to expand services through The Fono, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest by ...
Twenty-two projects to boost the sustainability and climate resilience of New Zealand’s food and fibres sector have been announced today by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. The $18m funding will deliver practical knowledge to help farmers and growers use their land more sustainably, meet environmental targets, remain prosperous, and better understand ...
Employment Minister Willie Jackson welcomes an initiative that assists employers to get mature workers into New Zealand small businesses. The disadvantages that older people face in the workplace was highlighted in the whole of Government Employment Strategy. In order to address this, a Mature Workers Toolkit has been developed and ...
New Zealand and Australia reaffirmed today the need for the closest possible collaboration as they tackle a global environment shaped by COVID-19, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said. “In these challenging times, our close collaboration with Australia is more vital than ever,” said Mr Peters. Mr Peters and his Australian ...
The recovery and forensic examination of the loader driven by survivor Russell Smith means the underground team are now moving into an area of the Pike River Mine that has not been seen since the explosion, Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little said. “The fifth and last robot ...
The Government has confirmed a community-wide trial of CovidCard technology as it explores options for COVID-19 contact tracing. “Effective contact tracing is a vital part of the COVID-19 response,” Minister of Health Chris Hipkins said. “While manual processes remain the critical component for contact tracing, we know digital solutions can ...
The government is proposing changes to aquaculture legislation to improve the process for allocating and transferring aquaculture assets to iwi. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash has introduced the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Amendment Bill to Parliament. It proposes a limited new discretionary power for Te Ohu Kaimoana Trustee Limited (ToKM). ...
The Minister of Justice has today introduced the Family Court (Supporting Children in Court) Legislation Bill – the next step in the ongoing programme of work to fix the failed 2014 Family Court reforms led by then Justice Minister Judith Collins. The Bill arises from the report of the Independent ...
A new Department of Conservation (DOC) action plan tackles the impacts of climate change on New Zealand’s biodiversity and DOC managed infrastructure including tracks, huts and cultural heritage. Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage says extreme weather events around the country have really brought home our vulnerability to changing weather patterns. ...
A heavily scaled back international Antarctic season will commence this week, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods have confirmed. “Antarctica is the only continent that is COVID-19 free,” Mr Peters said. “Throughout the global pandemic, essential operations and long-term science have continued at ...
The Government is providing up to $30 million to help fund the NZ Campus of Innovation and Sport in Upper Hutt - an investment that will create 244 jobs. “The sports hub is designed to be a world-leading shared service for a range of sports, offering the level of facilities ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced today transport projects currently in construction will continue at pace due to extra Government support for transport projects to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. To keep the $16.9 billion 2018-21 National Land Transport Programme going the Government has allocated funding from the COVID Response and ...
$50 million for further rural broadband digital connectivity has been allocated from the $3 billion infrastructure fund in the COVID Response and Recovery Fund has been announced by Shane Jones, Minister for Infrastructure and Kris Faafoi, Minister for Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media. The investment will go to boosting broadband ...
The Minister for Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media has congratulated the Ultra-fast Broadband (UFB) programme on its major milestone of connecting more than 1 million New Zealand households and businesses to UFB. “This milestone has been 10 years in the making and demonstrates the popularity of the UFB network. “Uptake ...
Landmark legislation passed today puts New Zealand on track to saving thousands of lives and having a smokefree generation sooner rather than later, Associate Health Minister, Jenny Salesa says. The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill regulates vaping products and heated tobacco devices. “There has long been concern ...
A discriminatory law that has been a symbol of frustration for many people needing and providing care and support, has been scrapped by the Government. “Part 4A of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill (No 2) was introduced under urgency in 2013 by a National Government,” Associate ...
Kiwi motorists are set to reap the benefits of a more competitive fuel market following the passing of the Fuel Industry Bill tonight, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods says. “This Act is where the rubber meets the road in terms of our response to the recommendations made in the ...
The Government has delivered on its promise to New Zealanders to modernise tenancy laws with the passing of the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill 2020 today, says Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing), Kris Faafoi. “The Residential Tenancies Act 1986 was out-dated and the reforms in the RTA modernise our ...
New rules to protect and restore New Zealand’s freshwater passed into law today. Environment Minister David Parker and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor welcomed the gazetting of the new national direction on freshwater management. “These regulations deliver on the Government’s commitment to stop further degradation, show material improvements within five years and ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced the appointment of Jeremy Clarke-Watson as New Zealand’s new Consul-General in Los Angeles. “New Zealand and the United States share a close and dynamic partnership, based on a long history of shared values and democratic traditions,” Mr Peters said. “Mr Clarke-Watson is a ...
Victims of family violence can end a tenancy with two days’ notice Landlords can terminate tenancies with 14 days’ notice if tenants assault them Timeframe brought forward for limiting rent increases to once every 12 months Extension of time Tenancy Tribunal can hear cases via phone/video conference Reform of New ...
Two employment schemes – one new and one expanded – going live today will help tens of thousands of people continue training on the job and support thousands more into work, the Government has announced. Apprenticeship Boost, a subsidy of up to $12,000 per annum for first year apprentices and ...
The Government is funding a significant infrastructure package at Omokoroa which will create 150 new jobs and help transform the Western Bay of Plenty peninsula, Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Phil Twyford says the Government is investing $14 million towards the $28 million roading and water package. This ...
The Bill allowing the Government to recover some costs for managed isolation and quarantine passed its third reading today, with charges coming into force as soon as regulations are finalised. Putting regulations into force is the next step. “The COVID-19 Public Health Response Amendment Bill and its supporting regulations will ...
Today’s unemployment data shows the Government’s plan to protect jobs and cushion the blow for businesses and households against the economic impact of COVID-19 was the right decision, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. Stats NZ said today that New Zealand’s unemployment rate in the June quarter – which includes the ...
A new role of New Zealand Reading Ambassador for children and young people is being established, Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern and Minister for Internal Affairs and for Children, Tracey Martin announced today. The Reading Ambassador, announced at a Celebration of Reading event at ...
Community Law Centres will receive a funding boost to meet the increased need for free legal services due to COVID-19, Justice Minister Andrew Little said. The $3.5m funding is for the next three financial years and is additional to the almost $8 million for Community Law Centres announced in Budget ...
New Zealand has joined Canada and Chile in a new trade initiative aimed at increasing women’s participation in global trade. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker, together with Canada’s Minister for Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade Mary Ng, Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrés Allamand, and Chile’s Vice ...
Building owners around New Zealand have benefited from the latest round of Heritage EQUIP funding with grants totalling $2,230,166. “The Heritage EQUIP grants for seismic strengthening assist private building owners to get the professional advice they need to go ahead with their projects or support them to carry out the ...
• New paediatric facilities, including a Special Baby Care Unit • Up to 50 extra inpatient beds • New lab facilities Northland babies and their whānau will soon have access to improved hospital care when they need it with Health Minister Chris Hipkins today confirming new paediatric facilities and more ...
People walking and cycling between Featherston and Greytown, or along Wellington’s Eastern Bays will soon have a safe shared path, as part of a $220 million shovel-ready cycleways package announced by Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter. “During lockdown we saw many more families and kids out on their bikes, ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today extended New Zealand’s condolences following the death of Vanuatu’s High Commissioner to New Zealand, Johnson Naviti, who passed away yesterday afternoon in Wellington. “Our thoughts are with the High Commissioner’s family and colleagues during this difficult time. This is a terrible loss both to ...
The Government has today set out the regional allocations of the $761 million Three Waters stimulus and reform funding for councils announced by Prime Minister Hon Jacinda Ardern this month. "I want to thank Councils around the country for engaging with the Central Local Government Steering Group who have been ...
Students with high and complex learning needs, as well as their teachers and parents, will benefit from a substantial increase to Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding, Associate Education Minister Martin announced today. “Nearly $160 million will go towards helping these students by lifting their base support over the next four ...
Funding for innovative projects to connect Kiwis with affordable, safe and wholesome food, reduce food waste, and help our food producers recover from COVID-19 has been announced today by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. “COVID-19 has seen an increasing number of families facing unprecedented financial pressure. Foodbanks and community food service ...
Eight shovel-ready projects within Kāinga Ora large-scale developments, and the Unitec residential development in Auckland have been given the go-ahead, Minister for Housing Dr Megan Woods announced today. Megan Woods says these significant infrastructure upgrades will ensure that the provision of homes in Auckland can continue apace. “The funding announced ...
The Government is funding a new separated walking and cycleway path along Napier’s Chambers and Ellison streets to provide safer access for local students and residents across Marine Parade and State Highway 51, Transport Minister Phil Twyford and Police Minister Stuart Nash announced today. Funding of $2.7 million has been ...
This week’s 75th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with 250,000 killed and many more suffering terrible effects on their health, is a sombre reminder of the appalling destruction of nuclear weapons and should spur international efforts ...
Analysis - Can we postpone this year's election? We've ended up with a campaign focused on scandal, personality and leadership, with a policy void that's worse than usual. ...
We seek the indulgence of readers of a delicate disposition to bear with us for a moment as we dip into what some call crude soldiery and examine some important aspects revealed in the Arnold-Palmer report into Operation Burnham. We know this concerned the NZ Special Air Service in actions ...
At an event at the controversial Cloud Ocean bottling plant in Christchurch today, The Opportunities Party said governance of water could not be any worse than how it is now. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Odette Best, Professor, Nursing, University of Southern Queensland Recently announced Closing the Gap targets aim to improve the health and well-being of Indigenous people. But if that’s to happen, we need to provide health advice suitable for First Nations Australians. That includes ...
The Ombudsman's report to Parliament on the children's ministry's taking of babies is scathing of its misuse of the law and treatment of families caught in its routine use of 'uplifts'. Tim Murphy reports. The latest damning inquiry into Oranga Tamariki finds that in 100 percent of cases investigated by the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liz Giuffre, Senior Lecturer in Communication, University of Technology Sydney Review: Paul Kelly: The Man, the Music and Life in Between (Hatchette) Stuart Coupe’s new biography of Paul Kelly takes many known elements of Kelly’s story and rouses them again. Paul Kelly: ...
This was the last week of Parliament before the election and departing politicians had the opportunity to offer final thoughts in their valedictory speech. The stark contrast between the careers and speeches of two Labour ex-Ministers, Hon Ruth Dyson ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Money as an Unfortunate Metaphor for CostKeith Rankin. Especially but not only in election years, when any new policy is proposed by a major party, a ubiquitous refrain follows: “what will it cost?”; “where will the money come from?”. The context is that cost ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Can we postpone this year’s election? Quite frankly, the political parties don’t seem ready for it, and aren’t about to offer voters the necessary policy choices for the unprecedented times we’re in. We’ve ended up with a campaign focused ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Gibbons, Professor, Australian National University Most people probably associate the Australian Alps with skiing and snow. Others might think of the Man from Snowy River legend or the engineering feats of the Snowy Hydro-Electric Scheme. But few people know the region’s ...
The Serious Fraud Office has welcomed a court decision confirming the confidentiality of material that was inadvertently disclosed by the agency to the defendants in the National Party donations case. The material was disclosed recently during the course ...
The Cancer Society is pleased to see the new vaping legislation passed with general cross-party support as it will help protect people from the harms of e-cigarettes and nicotine addiction while also supporting those who use vaping to quit smoking. ...
Imperial Brands says it is excited that a new law will allow it to sell vapes but is disappointed that the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill has made vapes harder to get than cigarettes. Imperial Brands spokesperson Kirsten ...
A loader driven by former miner Russell Smith at the time of the Pike River Mine explosion has now been recovered from 1581m up the 2.3km drift access tunnel. The recovery of the loader went smoothly and to plan. Pike River families were able to ...
The removal of a 20 tonne loader that has blocked the Pike River drift since the day the mine exploded marks the start of the forensic recovery of a crime scene that has been locked away for ten years. Russell Smith was driving the loader when the ...
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Mitchell Pham, founder of Augen Software Group.If the last century was the American ...
At this year's general election, the public will also be asked to cast a referendum vote on the End of Life Choice Act 2019. Here is an explainer on the Act, who is eligible and how we got here. ...
Ngāti Tūwharetoa has just become the first iwi to be approved under the Resource Management Act to take over certain council duties. Here’s why that matters.In 1991, the Resource Management Act (RMA) allowed councils to transfer any of their functions to local iwi. Now, almost 30 years after that act ...
The Public Service Association strongly opposes allowing privately-run quarantine facilities to open for international travelers, and the union says it would put all New Zealanders in danger. PSA members work in the government agencies spearheading ...
Catherine Woulfe reviews Upstream on the Mataura, a memoir by Gore flyfisherman Dougal Rillstone chronicling his journey along the Southland river.Dougal Rillstone is some guy you’ve never heard of, who grew up in Gore and is in love with a river. He also loves to fish for trout. He’s in ...
Oranga Tamariki-Ministry for Children has been using its powers to remove newborn pēpi from their parents under a without notice Court order more by routine than exception, says Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier. Mr Boshier today released He Take ...
A hairdressers casual approach to conversation allows for a story to be told in an authentic fashion. This approach allows Political Cutz to create unique discussions with the intent of communicating important subjects. We have been producing pop up ...
Oranga Tamariki-Ministry for Children has been using its powers to remove newborn pēpi from their parents under a without notice Court order more by routine than exception, says Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier. Mr Boshier today released He Take ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Gray, Associate professor, Jumbunna Insitute for Indigenous Education and Research, University of Technology Sydney The Conversation is running a series of explainers on key figures in Australian political history, looking at the way they changed the nature of debate, its impact ...
This Town is being billed as 2020’s feel good Kiwi comedy movie, but Amanda Thompson finds it a gentle romcom with a heart of surprisingly confronting darkness.Movies about rural New Zealand are going to be funny, either intentionally or unintentionally. It’s a funny place and we’re funny people, and New ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Aroney, Professor of Constitutional Law, The University of Queensland There is a theory that despite all the commotion, religious freedom faces no significant threat in Western democracies like Australia. Therefore, the argument goes, we do not need a federal Religious Discrimination ...
The Government has announced it will test run the CovidCard contact tracing system in Rotorua, Marc Daalder reports The plan to give every New Zealander a Bluetooth-enabled CovidCard for contact tracing is one step closer to fruition. On Thursday, Health Minister Chris Hipkins and Government Digital Services Minister Kris Faafoi ...
The joint campaign to push the Government to commit to safer staffing levels in aged care continues around the country with two North Island actions. E tū members and delegates will be holding two photo opportunities in Gisborne on Thursday to ...
6 August 2020: We have written to the chief executives of public organisations with 30 June balance dates about the extended reporting time frames for 2020. Kia ora koutou katoa As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the amount of work that will be ...
On the Rag meets two women advocating for the legalisation of cannabis to hear why they’re voting yes in this year’s referendum.The prevailing image of weed users in the media might be Seth Rogen and men who look like Seth Rogen ripping epic bong hits in front of a Bob ...
The Motor Trade Association says the Government has failed independent service station operators and missed the opportunity to create to truly competitive fuel market. “Sadly for New Zealand motorists, the Bill passed last night is not going to make ...
Evening Report Live: This week in A View from Afar with Paul G. Buchanan and Selwyn Manning, we examine the Beirut explosion and what is going on behind the headlines. We also debate how leaders around the world are using authoritarianism as a mask to cover their weak handling of ...
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Stuff’s slavery investigation concludes that “no slave-tainted fish are ending up in New Zealand”, and also that “it’s almost certain that we have eaten fish caught by crew under conditions of forced labour.”
Always look for the label. If it says “Fabrique en Nouvelle Zelande” there might be a problem. How much are corporate reassurances worth? More importantly, how can they be verified?
^^^
Just read that too,… it was appalling.
My son has a friend who fishes for 3 months at a time at sea near the Auckland Islands , with a crew of around 55 people … he says its a hard life but the captain and crew are a close knit family and they get looked after well ,… and when you compare the two… and whats been going on in the Stuff article,… it just shows that it doesn’t have to be that way at all.
Thank you for sharing.
Awful.
Further proof globalisation and neoliberalism is literally killing people and species as it’s ruthlessly exploits the finite resources of capitalism his planet.
Add that to bananas from slave plantations in the Philippines and electronics from slave mines in the Congo.
The article presents a neoliberal solution- consumers can change things.
Much better would be government actions to rid the oceans of these death factories.
That would be a good use for our navy.
– That would be a good use for our navy –
Yes it would , the Navy has a long tradition of hunting down these sort of high sea pirates , and that’s what they are – pirates. Criminals. The trick then is to bring them before the courts on human rights abuses with so many of these govt’s shielding them. And to do that we need the assistance of the ICC- International Criminal Court, if indeed, they manage these sorts of offences.
The other problem is lack of jurisdiction in certain waters, and the sheer size of the area , which enables these criminals to indulge these behaviors,… when we consider that the ocean is a massive water filled desert,… we get an idea of its expanse.
It would need several cases to be made an example of using an international policing force , a power of legal workers behind that , – in short , – some sort of international agreement with teeth, – and therein lies the problem; so many big business interests… which takes us back to the Stuff answer… widespread public education to bring international political solutions.
It should be done. Murder is going on out there.
Wows, OAB, cheers for the link, really pleased the fishing industry is being brought to light, again, so much goes on out there.
WK, this bit…. “The other problem is lack of jurisdiction in certain waters, and the sheer size of the area” absolutely bang on.
It’s important to understand that MOST officers are treated well in the fishing industry, this ensures their flexibility.
What goes on at sea stays at sea, open your mouth and someone may shut it for you, loose lips sink ships etc. Good on Stuff for gaining some insight.
Get the job done, stress runs high out there, fish are money.
In many instances, officers (cook to captain) are paid a salary plus a % of the catch, as a result, the crew are worked hard if the fish are running, no sleep for you, shall we bring up the P epidemic, time is money and all that.
Those in the factory or on deck are often graded to earn their percentage, so if any officers have it in for you, that will impact your grade.
Factory/deck crew from other countries are treated like shite, depending on the ‘culture’ of the vessel. It’s easy as to pick up more offshore factory and deck crews, easy as.
And if you spend 3mths at sea, there’s not much you can do or say about it and there is def nowhere to run.
An electronics mine. I’d love to see that in action. Do you get working equipment of just components?
The RNZN/ MOD have asked for a 3rd OPV that is design to operate in the Southern Ocean in the last DWP as the current two OPV’s are barely Fit for Purpose for Southern Ocean duties (fit for only the Summer run down Sth, but I believe it can’t take a Seasprite down Sth as it pushes the ships ice belt below the waterline). But from the sounds of it the 3rd OPV is on hold until they work out what’s going to replace the P3’s so they can line up right Combat Mission Systems etc so that OPV, Fixed and Rotary Wing assets can have and provide update SA to each other plus future proof the system when the UAV’s entry service sooner or later down the track.
Once that is sorted out I think you would the NZDF spending a lot more time down Sth all yr round instead of usual runs down during the summer periods. With having everybody on the same sheet of music unlike it atm will allow NZDF to effectively enforce the Southern Fishies. If the ODT is right about this one and it’s something that I have been suggesting as well.Then our wishes for a permanent presence in the Southern Ocean might come true.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/dunedin-navy-base-rumour
Then there will be whining from the Fishing Industry as they well able to enforce the quota, Labour and Maritime Laws etc more effectively than at the present time.
The government ought to be looking at whether NZ crews can buy a house. Because if working a couple of months away on rotating shifts won’t let you do that, only a fool would do it. And that’s how the industry falls into the hands of the charter and slave fishing companies.
Here’s a classic example of a slave ship by an Aussie company (by that i mean it used to be Aussie based), their PR via the net would make people think otherwise lololz.
“To satisfy the surging Asian appetite for its abalone, the company said it will base its abalone grow-out ship, the MV Destiny Queen, in Asian waters.”
What this particular company does is grow their abalone on a factory ship outside of Aussie waters, that particular ship is a freaking disgrace, workers are treated like dirt, it’s hell on earth for them. The grown abalone is then collected by a small vessel and new spawn are dropped off along with ships stores. No reason for the factory vessels crew to go anywhere near land, keep them onboard as long as possible.
Edit… found an article about their ‘true colours’, was a fair while back, but I doubt they’ve changed.
“The 120-metre, 65-tonne ship has been under close scrutiny by Australian unions, who are furious that all but four of the vessel’s Australian crew were dismissed last September and replaced with much cheaper Chinese sailors and Ukrainian officers and engineers.
Suspicions have increased because the ship’s owners have refused to publicly say how much its sailors are being paid, and it is believed that some of the Chinese crew are earning as little as US$300 a month.”
These practices have been going on for too long, may stuff continue to inform kiwis about it.
Because companies will always deny it, check out Polly, bold faced lies from her…
“Polly Kwok Wing-wah, a Hong Kong-based director of the firm, said: ‘The attack has taken the form of false submissions to local media, lies, and untrue allegations to union-biased government ministers and intimidation of company employees.'” LIAR !!!
Pac N save must be using some cheaper fish supplier than other supermarkets are as we have bought three times some red cod with fish bones in them. The cost per kilo is much cheaper than other supermarkets at only $16 a kilo, where other supermarkets are charging over $23 a kilo.
Beware as I got two large fish bones struck between my gums and teeth that caused a gum injury.
Is it ostrich day today????
We see Jacinda ignoring the elephant in the room again today and was on the media mainly seeming to be worried about something other than mycoplama bovis as the main theme of this day!!!!!!!
We need a moritorium on cow movements until we do this now or we risk a widespread catastrope of this disease now.
Subject; Mycoplasma bovis can be spread on trucks among shared containment areas unless every truck is sterilised see below.
Everyone is asking how did mycoplasma bovis spread across the North Island from the south Island?
It can travel on trucks John, and we cannot allow moving of stock now until it is made safe otherwise we are all going to spread the disease before long now.
This is according to this article from the website.
The new threat of disease to our entire cattle stock is a case of point as we have now allowed the unchecked transport of cows all around NZ on trucks and the Mycoplasma_bovis dsease which may destroy our second largest export earner and biggest company.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycoplasma_bovis
Prevention[edit]
There are many ways by which cattle can be prevented from catching Mycoplasma bovis and other pathogenic bacteria.[7]
Transport of animals[edit]
When transporting the animals from one farm to another, It would be appropriate if the transport vehicle could be cleaned with disinfectants before and after use. For better care, environmental swabbing should be taken place and samples sent to a microbiology lab if any harmful bacteria will be detected, further actions should be taken place.[8]
Visitors[edit]
Only authorized people should be allow to visit a farm. Visitors shall arrive with clean clothing and footwear and disinfectant on arrival and departure can be used to stop getting the introduction of bacteria’s. For example, a water mat with disinfectant can be used in the entrance of the farm, water bath, company can provide sanitized clothes for people.
Weekly inspection and maintenance[edit]
In the end of the week, cleaning of all the areas and equipment reduces the chances of animals getting sick. Also, it is important to clean the feedlot container and keep the feed dry. Doubling the boundary fence with a 6-inch gap prevents the animals contacting neighbouring animals.
People can concern themselves with more than one thing at a time!!!!!!!!! Especially Prime Ministers!!!!!!!!
Well if loosing our largest export earner and farming bussinesses along with their company to overseas (Fonterra) this should now be a full blown five alarm amergency.
I am astounded that anything else is as important as keeping the direct focus on the major loss we are about to encounter if we sit there and ‘dilly dally’ while saying figuratively “rome burns”.
It is all about what’s most important as last governments lost the plot so will we if we dilly dally.
You do know why there’s cautionary tails about sticking all your eggs one basket right?
I don’t understand the dithering about on this issue. For a country that fines people hundreds of dollars for bringing a piece fruit into an airport it’s bizarre.
Short term pain. Ban all cattle movement for six months, slaughter any infected animals, massive cleaning operation of all associated infrastructure and name all infected farms.
We can point fingers and blame each other later.
Hooch, 100%
Yes we agree.
We now need an imeadiate ‘moritorium’ on this spreading of movements of diseased cattle now or we are done.
Stop trucking cattle now.
and charge them for the clean up.
Just make sure if any are driven to the wall they’re not sold offshore. Glomming the mortgaged dairy farms was a major cause of the SCF abuse of state power.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12054158
I agree, its Judith time! Yes!
What is Peters up to now.
Peters is pregnant?
A press release from the nz embassy in Japan.- Translated by Google.
Hahaha excellent
Well he has been instructed
He had better get on with it
A.
https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2018/05/study_finds_journalists_drink_too_much_and_are_bad_at_managing_emotions.html
Submitted without comment 🙂
I think we need to have provision set up to go at a moment’s notice with give a little ready for each time some NZr is discriminated into oblivion by the Australian government. Ours is helpless with confronting these intransigent, callous, spiteful non-friendly foreign politicians.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2018/05/advocates-for-homeless-kiwis-in-australia-pen-letter-asking-pm-jacinda-ardern-for-help.html
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/video/homeless-kiwis-in-australia-pen-letter-asking-pm-to-help/vp-AAxzu7j
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018645943/australian-pension-rules-leaving-nz-family-poor
It may well be the case that there is no other country in the world that pays direct transfers for the social welfare of their citizens in another country, but honestly this government does need to go there.
The alternative is that these street waifs are going to be arrested, put into Australian jails, in which they are fully criminalised, after which they will be deported back to New Zealand as criminals.
Which would of course be even worse.
Yes Ad it makes sense from an objective, economic sense. And there is also the moral imperative. They are being punished by the Australian government for being New Zealanders. It has become clear from recent happenings that sanctions are applied to us that they don’t apply to any other country’s citizens. This was actually stated in the interview with the NZ woman with a convalescent husband on Radionz this morning.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018645943/australian-pension-rules-leaving-nz-family-poor
A NZ family living in Perth are struggling to make ends meet after a father broke his leg and cannot gain access to any benefits.
Johno Walsh broke his leg playing in the park with his children at the end of April.
Because his injury occurred outside of his work as a diesel engineer he was ineligible for sick pay or work cover. Now he and his wife Debbie, originally from Hawke’s Bay, found out their income protection insurance won’t pay out until the end of June. They have four children.
So Ms Walsh went to the social welfare office, Centrelink, to see about getting access to their seven years of superannuation paid while living in Australia….
New Zealanders on the Special Category Visa are not eligible for federal benefits. No one can withdraw super for hardship unless they had been on a benefit for six months.
Centrelink staff [were] asked how it was possible permanent residents from other countries were able to qualify for benefits and New Zealanders with seven years in Australia could not…
They and their New Zealand friends both had no idea that their income protection nor superannuation would buffer them.
We’re trying to play it cool cos we don’t want our kids to know, because I don’t think they need to worry about where their next meal is coming from.
“That’s the life of a New Zealand citizen in Australia.”
They have income protection insurance but didn’t shape the policy to cover this, and in a modern society expect that they can get help in times of need and emergency. But not us in Australia. They are following the neoliberal line even more rigidly than our RW governments have done.
I think that we have shown them up in Oz, irritated them, not followed an order etc, and they have decided that they don’t owe us respect, or anything. They have got themselves into a liege lord situation over us by owning our banks, and competing successfully for any business that still manages to run here, and have nothing to lose by acting out of character, that is, in a principled manner.
Needs / must.
This should be a priority.
Rates of payment here:
https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/enablers/payment-rates-youth-allowance/30496
The link above takes you to the –
Australian Government Department of Human Services.
This is spelled out so you don’t get confused and end up in the Animal Services Department.
I am wondering whether there will soon be a parallel entity called the A.G. Dept of Robot, Android and AI Services. It will be funded out of the budget for Human Services which will need less funding as much of the work will be carried out by the A.I.R. Service crawlers!
I see that Winston has had another policy altered to favour his benefactors in the Fishing Industry. Years of work down the drain because the fishing industry has called in a debt from Tsar Winston.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/104082934/government-dfrops-plan-to-restrict-deep-sea-trawling-protect-orange-roughy
Have a look at the photo of Ardern and Peters in this story.
Puppeteer Winston feeding Ardern with the lines she must utter. Then his final words.
“Just do what I tell you Jacinda.” is his order.
Since you are so concerned you’ll have to vote green next time so nzf has less sway in the next lab/green/and gov
You sour little creep Alwyn, always badmouthing someone trying to do good in running the country besides your losing team.
I really would suggest that you stop reading my comments.
It is obviously not good for your digestion, or for the preservation of your delusions.
Mr Delusional returns. A quote from Alwyn’s rant earlier today:
“I wonder if Ms Ardern realises that she is not just allowing him the role of Acting Prime Minister as she has said. He is going to depose her”
Don’t take anything Alwyn says as being a rational comment. He lives in fantasy land.
You really should learn to read properly.
It was wild Katipo who raised this as an apparently serious comment.
After all Ms Ardern tells us that Winston is going to be Acting PM.
That means she will still be PM and Winnie will only be filling in for her.
Wild Katipo tells us that he is going to actually be Prime Minister. You can only have one at a time so he will have to replace Ardern, won’t he?
Why don’t you ask Wild Katipo where he gets his information from?
And then calm down.
alwyn…playing Machiavelli are you?
You know how folks will react to you posting that link, wrapped up in your usual invective…and success! Because they’re all piling onto you rather than reading the actual article…which demands our attention.
So…now you’ve all taken alwyn’s bait…go and read the article…
There’s something not right about this.
I’m afraid they don’t want to read the story Rosemary. If they did they would have to accept the fact that this Government is simply made up of politicians whose main interest is just like every other politician.
They want the power and the perks of office. They aren’t paragons of virtue.
My real complaint about them is not that they are in power. It is that they simply aren’t competent and didn’t spend their time in Opposition preparing to be a Government with a set of well thought out policies.
I mean look at Twyford and Kiwibuild. Have you ever seen anyone in quite such a muddle?
National were tired and really needed replacing. No Government should last more than three terms, at least in my opinion. Unfortunately we have had a group who are incompetent taking over. The only one who actually knows what he is doing is Tsar Winston and he is running things for his mates, like those who run the Fishing Industry and people like Sir Patrick Hogan and the horseracing fraternity.
So, we have a discussion going on about David ‘Footloose’ Seymour trying to raise a rabble in Remmers against a potential invasion of mentally ill folk…and I contributed this link to an article about Seymour’s reaction to the professional opinions of a panel of palliative care experts to the euthanasia select committee.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/356086/euthanasia-bill-dangerous-palliative-care-workers
“Act leader David Seymour, who introduced the bill to Parliament in June last year has hit back, accusing the experts of fearmongering.
He insisted the vulnerable would be protected.
“Our own Attorney-General has written that my bill has sufficient safeguards and is consistent with the New Zealand Bill of Rights. So these guys, frankly, need to go jump in a lake, start debating on the evidence and stop speculating to create fear, uncertainty and doubt.””
Seymour continues his less than respectful response to those expressing concern about his pet project with an attack on the Disabilities Commissioner…https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/357924/euthanasia-bill-a-clayton-s-choice-for-disabled-people
“ACT leader David Seymour said he was deeply disappointed that Ms Tesoriero was “spreading misinformation” as intellectually disabled people did not qualify under the bill.
“It’s very ironic that the Disabilities Commissioner of all people would be saying that a person who’s perfectly capable of making a decision … should have fewer rights and choices than other people.””
Tesoreiro had quite rightly pointed out that in NZ people with disabilities “could not freely exercise their choice in New Zealand.
“We live in a world where people focus on fixing us, not on removing the barriers that make us disabled.
“In the absence of adequate services, we run the risk that choice under this bill becomes a Clayton’s choice for disabled people.””
Seymour was supported by none other than Greg ‘give all the cops guns all the time’ O’Connor, who because he has a son with an intellectual disability claims to have looked at the Bill and has not seen any problems.
“A “Clayton’s choice” is a choice that exists in name only and isn’t genuine.
But Mr O’Connor said many disabled people were perfectly able to give well-informed consent.
“You have to be careful – because it’s almost like you’re saying, ‘Leave disabled people over here, because they’re not capable of the same … mental capability””
I know M O’ Connor still uses MP training wheels, but he really needs to be more nuance aware.
What the Disabilities Commissioner is saying Greg, is that while far too many disabled New Zealanders struggle to get the supports they need and have to battle all the way to the United Nations to have they basic rights as humans recognised, it is really inafuckingppropriate to be defending the rights of disabled people to choose euthanasia while dismissing the concerns of a disabled person who represents the rights of all disabled New Zealanders.
Not without making a clear and unequivocal statement on behalf on the government that the rights of all disabled New Zealanders will be respected.
Eh????
The current bill won’t be able to be used by disabled people unless they are of sound mind, can convince a GP.
Go have a lie down Gosman. I used far too many words, and there are subtleties that may be difficult to sense for those outside of the disability community.
I just suggest Rosemary that some disabled persons might wish to have the right to choose euthanasia in the present or at some future specified time.
I note that the antis regard their opinions as sacred, and the final authority. This assumes that other people have no agency in their own lives; that they don’t have the intellect, that they must do what society and those around them decide for them. It is strange that others want to own others body and soul.
“….that some disabled persons might wish to have the right to choose euthanasia in the present or at some future specified time. ”
And no one is saying otherwise.
BUT…and this is a very big BUT…there must be no question at all that the disabled person who chooses euthanasia is doing so because the lack of proper support is making their life unbearable.
And at the present point in time this cannot be guaranteed.
Most of the people living with disability in New Zealand have no entitlement to funded supports from the Ministry of Health whatsoever.
And seeking supports from the Ministry of Health has actually made people wish that they were dead.
“I note that the antis regard their opinions as sacred, and the final authority.”
Funny that, I’ve noted the exact same tone from the pros…did you actually read Seymour’s responses to the Commissioner and the palliative care professionals that I referenced in my comment?
Telling the palliative care professionals that they “need to go jump in a lake,”…..
An interesting article to read for those interested? With a 11pg document in English from Sweden on what to do if Sweden is attack from a hostile country.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-22/sweden-issues-leaflet-on-how-to-prepare-for-war/9785934
Saw that.
A great read in translation.
Sweden has their own strong reasons to fear Russia, and it is driving them into NATO membership.
Also some concerns about coastal submarines, if I recall correctly.
I was reading a Janes Defence report a mths ago saying Russia Submarine activity in the Baltic Sea is almost back to Cold War levels and a huge increase around the Northern Approaches to Norway, Iceland and UK gap, but not to the same levels as during Cold War although there has been the odd surge or a increase rate of effort too Cold War levels during Russian Navy Summer Manoeuvres or NATO Ex’s.
Everyone is now having to relearn the art of ASW and tracking Subs etc as everything was either cut, mothballed or quietly drop as a peace dividend or the same to find cost savings to fund the “War on Terror” in the Gan and forgetting the need to have the “The Utility of Force” because the silly pollie’s didn’t want rise taxes to fund the “War on Terror” as British Armed Forces have found out thanks to that muppet Blair.
Oh, I knew I’d read something else a while back:
the Swedish nuclear sub design of old.
Deary me.
Yes I had seen that article as well, an interesting design and common sense prevail that it was unlikely to work. But they design this wee beauty of Submarine for use in and around the Baltic Sea until the Aussies got hold of it and completely bugged it up.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A4sterg%C3%B6tland-class_submarine
The design was so good that yanks got hold of a Swedish one on lease complete with it crew to train it scope dopes on how to find a diesel electric sub. When the aussies finally got their subs work properly and gave the yanks a right royal thrashing on RIMPAC Ex’s. As they got inside a Carrier Battle Group Anti Submarine Screen, then tailing the Carrier for couple days taking pictures of it before surfacing beside the Carrier after proclaiming to every Tom, Dick and Harry that no one can penetrate it a Anti Sub screen.
Lol those would be the ones being replaced by the ones pauline hansen thought could only stay under water for a few hours?
Both Sweden and Finland both cut back it Defence expenditure after the end of the Cold War to a point where they mothballed bases, equipment and move to suspend the National Service requirements of National’s Defence Force including the Civil Defence Forces. The Nordic countries have their own battle group with NATO for UN operations or for NATO’s Out of Area Operations aka The Gan. Which according to a couple of Swedish girl’s who work the bar at near bush block said they and many others are not impressed the close tries that Sweden has developed with NATO since the end of the Cold War. But on the other hand they could under stand the UN operations like Bosnia but not Gan as it comprises its Neutrality and if we run down our Defence Forces then we only have ourselves to blame. They also said Russia is a major concern to them as they see Russia wanting to rebuild its former Tsar Empire across the Baltic Nations and a threat to Nordic Values, Lifestyle and Freedoms.
It’s was only about 5 or so yrs ago (maybe longer not sure) that the last Swedish Troops left Gotland Defences and turn the lights off. Here they now standing its up Defences on Gotland and as my friends were saying it’s little bit concerning that is is happening.
11 pages…
There is number 11, once again
..
This sounds like an interesting read.
https://people.unisa.edu.au/Ben.Stubbs
My first book Ticket to Paradise: A Journey to Find the Australian Colony in Paraguay Among Nazis, Mennonites and Japanese Beekeepers
about my search for the remnants of the Australian utopian colony in Paraguay was published by ABC Books in 2012.
I am a writing and journalism academic. My background is as a travel and features journalist for publications in Australia and overseas. I have written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Toronto Star, The Sydney Morning Herald and Rough Guides among many others. My current academic research focuses on exploring the plurality of the travel writing form.
I am fluent in Spanish and my latest book After Dark: A Nocturnal Exploration of… Read more
Heart warming and hopeful for the future of our environment.
Together we can make the vital difference and achieve amity and mutuality.
China is happy that it is turning sand dunes into productive growing areas.
We could be going ahead with something special for NZ since we are such a beautiful country and we love it. I’m sure we could be forging ahead with organics. I think that the Falklands has done this. Robert G would have good ideas. Let’s do it !
The dismal Economist deigns to lecture the stone-slingers of Palestine
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2018/05/21/smug-economist-but-the-cover-is-priceless-lecturing-david-as-he-confronts-goliath-that-there-is-a-better-way-than-a-slingshot-it-cant-but-amuse-these-tone-deaf-arses/
the auckland sandflys are just like the ones in vags the get shitty because I can smell them and cheat and block all my devices from getting this site ———- ka kite ano