From where I sit, whenever he chooses to speak about the recent wage negotiations or the current state of hospitals/staffing, he further alienates and severely pisses off the nursing workforce.
The trend in the annual number of work stoppages from the beginning of the fifth Nat govt through to 2020 puzzles me. Does anyone have some plausible reasons why workers were apparently being relatively content from 2008 – 2017?
Gee, perhaps they knew the pro-employer government of that period would ignore or ban industrial pressure while suppressing pay and conditions? Pent-up until a more reasonable government came into power..
The inter gang / Police negotiations were started under Poto Williams some weeks ago. Stop living in the Superman/Batman bullshit dynamic where a caped crusader fixes shit in an instant.
"There's 889 gangsters not in prison but with ankle bracelets, more than twice as many as when Labour took office," he said, adding it was not fair that they commit crimes and stay home."
One wonders if Labour is a cohesive government, or if it's compartmentalised?
Did Immigration think to ask Education about their ability to teach a influx of immigrant children given our education system is already riven with problems?
If you want to know why the hapless Tories will be the government next year, look no further.
Quote:
”There’s currently 1000 job vacancies across the education sector and Newshub can reveal the shortage could soon get even worse.”
I'm really beginning to wonder about your comprehension, Ad. I'm serious. You are either wilfully ignoring the core of my post…or you are not understanding?
''One wonders if Labour is a cohesive government, or if it's compartmentalised? Did Immigration think to ask Education about their ability to teach a influx of immigrant children given our education system is already riven with problems?''
My comment had little to do with staff shortages. That was a peripheral issue. My comment was about ''communication.''
Communication is generally the most import factor within given situations. The only reason you and I are posting on this blog is because someone wanted a decentralised communication network in case of war.
Your quote was about staff shortages. Your link was about staff shortages.
The word "communication" was missing in any part of your post.
So one might expect comment about staff shortages.
If you really want to see how Immigration allocate their skills criteria from Departmental and other feedback, it's published regularly. Go look it up.
Roberto David Castillo, the former president of Honduran power company Desarrollos Energeticos (DESA), was sentenced to 22 years and six months after being found guilty last year for being a co-collaborator in Caceres' murder.
Caceres, a teacher who won the prestigious Goldman Prize in 2015 for her environmental activism, had spoken out about the death threats against her and her family before she was killed.
The sentencing comes days after police in Brazil arrested more suspects involved in the murders of indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips.
Just to clarify, you think that Hipkins has nothing to apologize for, when he's been found telling lies – or, at the very least, information which was subsequently (and very quickly) proved to be untrue?
I have to say, I do expect (though am often disappointed) a higher level of accuracy from those elected to represent us.
That "higher level of accuracy" still has to be based on the information supplied by the head honcho of the Public Service agency in question. If it eventually transpires the information given – and then passed on to the Minister – is not correct then yes… the minister has to carry the can. My recollection is that the information was not quickly found to be untrue. Inquiries of that nature are usually quite long-winded.
I can understand how distressed the woman at the centre of the bungle must have been, but there were better ways to have the problem sorted than rushing headlong to the media with her story. She must have known it would be used for political purposes and indeed it was. It turned out she was already in line for a new place in the queue – which also fitted in with her preferred time to return – so as far as I can see nothing in practical terms was gained.
That and rushing to Afghanistan to give the Taliban a thorough whitewashing despite the multitude of other options her New Zealand passport provided her.
The ways in which the machinery of government supplies that 'higher level of accuracy' to ministers always seem invisible to busy fault-finders. Sometimes it's worth lifting a corner of the rug to see if something has quietly been brushed under it, who knows why…
It’s understood Hipkins’ public apology was a request of Bellis’ lawyers. After Hipkins admitted fault privately to Bellis in March, her lawyers sought an apology instead of pursuing a legal settlement for defamation and a privacy breach.
On Wednesday morning, Hipkins issued a statement saying he had apologised to Bellis in a March 15 letter for “the errors in my comments, and the inclusion of personal information in the statement and for the subsequent distress it caused her”.
“I have subsequently been made aware that these comments were not accurate,” he said.
Bellis immediately challenged both the breach of privacy and the specific inaccurate information. I do not believe that it takes a great deal of time to double-check the embassy and or ministry logs, and confirm whether or not a request, offer of a place, or a conversation occurred. It's not rocket science.
Try looking at your own commenting history, here, Anne
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-28-04-2022/#comment-1885075
“Ms Charlotte Bellis, who I understand was party to this court case, lost all credibility in my eyes when she mischievously attempted to malign the Covid minister, Chris Hipkins by claiming he had smeared her and violated her privacy in one of his press statements. It was a blatant lie and all too obvious to anyone who took the trouble to read the statement in question. Imo, anyone who goes to such lengths at a time of a raging pandemic is never to be trusted at any time.”
This is the minister who has now publicly apologised for A) not telling the truth about Bellis and B) invading her privacy.
You weren't alone – but were one of the loudest voices.
Yes. I guessed you would delve back into the files and dig up something I said. Preferably the most damaging one you could find – at least on the surface. 🙂
I resile from nothing! In the press statement referred to he did not say anything that resembled anything like a "smear". What does appear to have happened is: he reiterated a response he had received from someone in the ministry which he later learnt was incorrect. She took it at the time as a smear so he did the right thing and apologised back in March.
Yes, Populuxe @ 5.4.2.2 has reminded me of her questionable conduct in response to her predicament. It was widely commented on but my response was only in respect of the press statement.
Oh, I could find a lot more damaging that that… it was just the most recent of a long line of anti-Bellis commentary from you — echoing and amplifying the 'de jour' statements from the Labour politicians and/or commentariat.
This is not an error from the Ministry. The advice was released to the Minister under the 'no surprises' policy specifically "marked not for public release"
There is no excuse for Hipkins. He stuffed up massively in releasing this information. And, if he apologised for this is March, why were you still defending him for violating her privacy in April?
Now to the 'smear' business. Hipkins made incorrect (untrue) statements about Bellis being offered consular assistance, etc.
"Hipkins' incorrect comments included that Bellis had been offered consular assistance which she had not taken up – comments that were turned against Bellis and her partner and used to abuse them online."
Those statements were smears. And were used by commentators (yourself among them) to denigrate Bellis and her situation.
I don't know what your definition of a smear is – but it pretty clearly fits the definition that the rest of NZ uses (not to mention the Courts, which is clearly the only reason that Hipkins has released this public statement)
It's good to know that reality (even admission of error from your Labour heroes) has no power to change your entrenched belief.
Please. I think the lion's share of the criticism was directed at her peculiar choice to head to Afghanistan as a strongarm tactic. There's political misstatement and then there's providing a propaganda opportunity for one of the more unsavory regimes on the planet.
Some junior bureaucrat told his/her superior a 'mistruth' to cover a mistake. The superior told his/her superior what the junior had said. The superior's superior told his/her superior and so it went up the chain to the head superior who told the Minister. The Minister – who had no reason to suspect it wasn't correct – released the information to the media.
Lucky it wasn't a National Minister in charge because he/she would be the one apologising for the 'mistruth eh?
This story on ABC 2 Feb 22 It takes 5 months for Hipkins to be made away and react ? Hipkins had his information questioned by Bellis immediately at the time. Would for someone with an eye to detail not go back on his information to verify when questioned ?? But for some conscious mis information is acceptable🤫
No one believes your imagined chain of events. MFAT gave the info to the Minister under the 'no surprises' rule – with a specific note saying it was not for public comment
"COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins released personal details of journalist Charlotte Bellis' MIQ case despite receiving Government advice saying it was "not for public comment"."
You know, you can be a Labour supporter without blindly defending them against all possible negative coverage. In fact, you gain more credibility by admitting when your heroes have feet of clay, and celebrating the good, while regretting the bad.
Some junior bureaucrat told his/her superior a 'mistruth' to cover a mistake. The superior told his/her superior what the junior had said. The superior's superior told his/her superior and so it went up the chain to the head superior who told the Minister…
My comment was tongue-in-cheek. In other words the imagined chain ofevents was not meant to be anything else. I have not yet found a 'tongue in cheek' emoji, but assumed most would recognise the intent. 🙄
"Emotional junior staffer"? Good grief. Wasn't it a Nat who introduced that silly meme? Your interpretations are as vulnerable to inaccuracy as the rest of us.
Btw, It did stop short at Hipkins. The minister always carries the can… including mistakes from within their ministry. I said so @ 5.3.1.1. It happens now and then. Tough luck for the minister don't you think?
Yes, it was, a National statement. I was pointing out that it's no better when a Labour commenter makes that implication (blame it on a junior staffer) – which is exactly what you did.
Some junior bureaucrat told his/her superior a 'mistruth' to cover a mistake
If you can't see the parallel, then I suggest a bit of introspection.
And, no the point, which you seem incapable of grasping, is that it did not stop with Hipkins. He shared information from the briefing with the media, trying to spin what was rapidly turning into a PR disaster.
He should have made no comment whatsoever, to the media, based on the briefing he was given. Zip. Nada. None.
It was privileged information, which he was specifically told, was not for public release.
Instead, he shot from the lip, both smearing Bellis (with what turned out to be untrue information from the Ministry briefing), AND breaching her privacy (for which he is solely responsible).
Do I blindly defend the National party under all circumstances? No.
So, not a National commentator.
Unlike Anne, who has never (AFAICS) made or supported an even mildly critical comment about a Labour politician or the Party. Tribal Labour to the core.
As I've said before, I'm a centrist voter.
Though, clearly to those of you of the far-left persuasion, that looks like a "National voter" – to those who are actually tribal National, I'm a lefty flake.
If you want to level accusations at another commenter of being a ‘concern troll’ you’ll have to explain in no uncertain terms what you mean by that, i.e., what is your definition and yardstick, because there are a few variants about, and how does it apply to the other commenter. If Mods agree with you they may take action. If not, they may ask you to drop your case.
Looking at your history here I note that you’ve made the same accusation before and also about the same commenter. Please don’t do it again unless you can make it stick (see above).
Unlike Anne, who has never (AFAICS) made or supported an even mildly critical comment about a Labour politician or the Party. Tribal Labour to the core.
Anne is on record criticisng Labour plenty of times. I did so only a few days ago. You haven't been around this site for very long. Perhaps you should have the humility to recognise you don't know everything.
Anne also doesn't mind having a bit of a laugh at herself which was evident in my 'tongue in cheek' comment you have been making such a grand fuss about. The way it was worded should have given the game away, but of course the prima-donna knows best.
Okay, okay I apologise, But you've been asking for it.
the Nats are masters of the political dark arts – you'd have to be blind not to see it.
At least Boag managed an apology. It's particularly disappointing that no National party MP (past or present) has ever publically repudiated the political obscenity that was Dirty Politics. Maybe Luxon can jog the Nats out of their preferred pattern of behaviour, but I have such doubts.
That is a lot to unpack, especially if you had a rather peculiar master at your British boarding school to prepare you for leadership of those legions of anal raping mulattoes.
More to point, more evidence if you need it of the coarseness of fascism. The violence of the language is instantly recognisable to anyone familiar with the utterances of fervent Nazis.
In 1980 I looked in a French phone-book in Lyon, and it seemed to me that half the names listed were non-French, , so maybe this is less surprising than you would think.
GP who had to see 60 patients in one day in tear. Can someone tell Captain Little that the shiny new NZ Health will make f…all difference and that our health system is on the brink, not because we don’t have the right health structure and we need to change around the bureaucrats, actually we need health professionals. You no Drs and nurses……
Sorry to hear you have burn out Muttonbird (or are you really Andrew Little? Ie someone who is burnt out and failing to realize what a health system actually is) Are you contemplating a move to Australia to get better pay and work conditions. Cause I can guarantee many nurses, Drs, radiologists etc will be..
This Drs burn out is to do with seeing 60 patients a day. Do you imagine that is a safe number for a GP to see in a day?
Been to ED lately? I have, it was like a war zone and I wasn’t in Middlemore.
Are you aware that there is a large number of GPS who are due to retire and we don’t have enough to replace them.
Australia is one of the most racist countries in the world. I will never move there.
I find it odd that some people, led by The Herald, are actively campaigning for our nurses to head across the ditch. NZME has become a recruitment arm for the Australian government. I wonder if they are being paid as such.
I think the people actively campaigning for our nurses to head to Australia are health recruitment companies in a Australia. The Herald is meerely reporting what our Drs and nurses are experiencing.
You seem to be minimizing or denying the situation our health systerm is in (Ie the real health system the Dr and nurses who do the work). Feel free to keep going with that and join Andrew Little on the deck of the Titanic rearranging the deck chairs.
And just hope like hell you don't get sick and need medical care.
I have never said that the Health System doesn't need managers. Nor have I every heard it said that there is a shortage of health system managers. If there is they are keeping quiet about it.
I think the re-structure is a waste of time and money. The DHBs did o.k. during the health crisis.
Can someone tell Captain Little that the shiny new NZ Health will make f…all difference and that our health system is on the brink, not because we don’t have the right health structure and we need to change around the bureaucrats, actually we need health professionals. You [know,] Drs and nurses……
Our son in QLD has needed surgery for gallstones for 4 years He keeps getting pushed off the list His Dr is in despair. So their problems mirror ours 3 Covid years and costs sky rocketting, but of course It is Andrew Little not covid …silly us. sarc
Andrew Little is our Minister of Health and so he is responsible for the Heath System. I believe he is wasting time and money with the re-structure. The most urgent thing he needs to attends to is staffing.
David. Clark before him chose to waste time and money on on the Commission of Inquiry into Mental Health. Its simple really increase staffing who are
skilled in evidence based mental health treatments
Just because it's diversely multicultural and its government does a bit of lip service to its indigenous peoples once in a while does not make it not an incrediblyracist place, especially outside of the big cities.
Not defending Australia, but to claim that it's one of the most racist countries in the world is drawing the longbow quite a bit: try being Korean in Japan, Uyghur in China, Chechen in Russia, or someone with 'dark' coloured skin in swathes of the US.
Some of the racists I met in Australia were the worst I've come across. Casually cruel and they think it's hilarious. Casually violent and they think they have a right.
Of course there are staffing and resource issues but then, when wasn't staffing and resourcing an issue in health. In my recent experience the ED was functioning, the in-patient care I received was exemplary and out-patient appointments were on time. Gee, in my burg you can even enroll with a PHO as a new patient.
But if it makes you feel better, do catastrophise away.
Good luck with finding a new GP in mine. Hell, my GP has difficulty finding locums.
The health system is under extreme stress, and not just from covid. Nurses to primary healthcare to building maintenance to specialists. Some areas have it worse than others, but basically we pay too low and are too understaffed to make "lifestyle" a substitute for pay.
And the ones we train here, we saddle with massive debt as a handy "fuck off please". Then we wonder why people turn up to ED rather than going to a GP (whom they either can't afford or already owe hundreds of dollars).
Labour aren't solely, even mostly, to blame, but that's the cesspit they have inherited. and it'll take longer than a few years to sort out.
Yup. My sister is an IC nurse manager who could name her price in UK/AU and a mate who's recently chucked in a full-time job at a surgical unit reckons he’s making ends meet with two shifts at a private hospital.
Lots of medicos bring their kids here to attend Collegiate, though.
We get what we pay for. While our captains of industry, major banks, and their shareholders, multinationals, reap the benefits of others' labour, our "parlous" state will continue.
So nurses, doctors, teachers are all shouting that they are underpaid and not coping with their workloads. (We are in the middle of a pandemic aren't we). As if, in the short term, more money is going to make one bit of difference to their workloads.
Perhaps it needs a nation that has the will to revolutionise the tax system – so it can build more hospitals, recruit more professional staff, reduce patient/student ratios and raise Joe Blow's living standards.
Just imagine if a massive natural disaster was to hit NZ, knocking out all essential services. The media pundits (if they could be heard) would still be reporting that there is a shortage of doctors, nurses, teachers and looking to blame the system.
No more money won't make a difference to their workloads logie97. It needs to be a two pronged approach. Much Better pay to stop people leaving and more staff.
Who else do we blame for the catastrophic state of our health workforce (including the mental health workforce) but the Govt of 5 and a half years and the Minister?
Frnkly they have been reckless with health money (and I am not talking about the Covid response here).
A Commission of Enquiry into Mental Health. Waste of time and meney. Just employ more trained professionals in the community and at secondary care level.
Cancer Agency. IMO not good use of money. We know what to do about cancer already i.e. how to treat it and what helps prevent it.
Restructure of DHB in NZ Health Authority a shameless waste of money which will do little to solve the problems in the health system: hint have adequate staffing levels. new medical school; pay health professionals better as there will be a better chance of retaining them in a competitive international market.
Oh yeah and try to explain why Ms Mahutas husband was given $29,000 for suicide prevention, when he has no background in mental health?
Just the last 5 years. Do me a favour. Doctors, nurses, teachers, firemen, police et al have been crying paucity of salaries for decades. There is only so much of a public purse to spread around, while the monied in our society salt it all away overseas. Actually, could be nailed down to the relaxation of exchange controls in 1984.
logie97 – you seem to forget that since those reforms of 1980s etc, certain elements of society have become grossly overpaid by previous, fairer standards.
And health, education etc workers are NOT among those over-privileged elements.
I agree entirely – I have not forgotten the scourge of Douglas and the neo-liberals at all. (Read Richardson and ACT)
As a former teacher I used to get frustrated at the constant focus of NZEI, in its negotiations with the ministry, on more pay. There was always a quid pro quo – teachers had to yield something. Negotiations were always confrontational because MOE, the state, argued limited money available. And the workloads just got bigger.
Instant pay rises would do nothing for workloads and stress, because the nature of employers attitudes would be "You've got the money now work harder!" You could pay all state service employees double their monies and it would not change the immediate work load or stresses.
And don't get started on the B/S paperwork that the various ministries have set up as job requirements. Key performance indicators/portfolios of work/ performance management??? They would have appeared to have contributed nothing to better outcomes in the professions. (Another product of the neo-libs I believe!!!)
What is required is for the employer (state) to accept during negotiations, that there is a problem with workload and there is a ministry commitment to halve the problem in the next few years. By all means increase the salary considerably, understand the issue, and commit to doubling the work force however that can be done.
Unfortunately, state pay rises are all about linking to cost of living.
More taxes and a nations will to accept the problem would seem to be the only way through this.
I agree entirely: I was in secondary teaching, and active in PPTA.
My disappointment was that too many teachers always voted for more money, demanding that as our best aim.
But when unions were weakened, we could barely fight for anything. Most teachers were unwilling to do anything more than a one-day strike or a bit of token rolling strikes action. The govt threw their hands up in utter horror for the public, casting us as anti-social villains, and the media complied..
We won decent settlements only when govt realised that Boards of Trustees were likely to rebel and come out on our side.
The problem is that our neo-liberal-driven govts care only about enlarging profits for their masters, and care very little for health and education workers.
Society? What on earth is that? Worthy of weasel words only.
How do you know I don't know how health systems work. FYI I have worked in the health system on two occassions
I think I gave a pretty thorough list of where I think Labour has wasted health money.
Mental health commission of enquiry, Cancer authority, shiney new NZHealth. Oh and money for suicide prevention for Ms Mahutas husband who no one seems to know what if was for.
Sacha you are correct I haven't worked in strategy for the health system.
I have worked in a head office for another Govt Dept.
I don't pretend to know about strategy and health. I am glad there is a strategy division, because the strategy needs to be around increasing the health workforce.
But honestly if you want to tell me what you know about strategy and the Ministry of Health, I am really open to hearing. Geniunely curious
Anker. Not sure how you can draw a conclusion that I am denying any serious workforce shortages in health or any of the state sector professions.
I do not believe it is a recent issue however – it has been going on for years. Bargaining has never had a bottom line of telling the ruling parties – "No deal until commitment is in place for workplace staffing to be at least doubled".
I remember teachers being promised 1:20 ratios but by slight of hand governments and school boards of trustees (through their principals) were able to load the senior classes to that the ratios in the junior area were 1:20.
The last National government even (mis)quoted Prof. Hattie as saying that small class numbers are not material in educational outcomes and therefore not a priority.
And believe it or not the membership just rolled over once again. And of course the younger teachers have since gone on their right of passage O.E whilst the experienced maturer teachers have bailed out.
I cannot speak to health workers but I am sure that there has been a consistent cry for increased workforce. They have at times negotiated a better pay deal but there have been tradeoffs and whatever those pay deals were, they were clearly not enough to immediately increase recruitment numbers. It seems also that nursing compliance is a factor for their leaving the profession.
logie: Absolutely correct about the last National Govt and that traitrous Hattie person.
Remember, they weakened the Health Workers' unions by splitting them up into different regions with local contracts at different times, making it pretty well illegal for one union to strike in support of another, unless they were negotiating at the same time?
Our current situation where any teachers or nurses with any brains would not immediately move overseas is a direct consequence of previous govts trying to cut costs but not tax immense income going to a minority.
They think NZ's beauties will keep us here?
No, they are also busily destroyng NZ's beauties. No more swimmable rivers, etc etc.
ATLANTA, Dec 10 (Reuters) – Weeks after the 2020 election, a Chicago publicist for hip-hop artist Kanye West traveled to the suburban home of Ruby Freeman, a frightened Georgia election worker who was facing death threats after being falsely accused by former President Donald Trump of manipulating votes. The publicist knocked on the door and offered to help.
The visitor, Trevian Kutti, gave her name but didn’t say she worked for West, a longtime billionaire friend of Trump. She said she was sent by a “high-profile individual,” whom she didn’t identify, to give Freeman an urgent message: confess to Trump’s voter-fraud allegations, or people would come to her home in 48 hours, and she’d go to jail.
Hmmmmmmmmmmm – The Government says it cannot rule out the return of lockdowns
and more hmmmmmmmmm Omicron sub-variants ‘evolving to target the lungs and overcome immunity’
"…According to preliminary data from Kei Sato at the University of Tokyo and colleagues, BA.4, BA.5 and BA.2.12.1 may have evolved to refavour infection of lung cells, rather than upper respiratory tract tissue – making them more similar to earlier variants, such as Alpha or Delta…"
Highly coincidental at the least, I’d be picking quite closely related.
Probably not that smart to be heading overseas and wanting to be able to come home at will for a while. Expect to see a real tightening of medical clauses with travel insurance shortly
The few publicly complaining health workers , docs and nurses, are doing their cause no favours at all in describing the 'hellish, insane, terrible terrible" working conditions in hospitals etc. FFS shut up, any young person considering becoming a health worker is going "Fuck that for a joke, I'm off to be a barista or HR person or any of those other myriad useless do nothing jobs". FYI a lot more health workers per 100,000 people than there were in any previous decade and its because health becomes so much more complicated and labour intensive every decade and we have run out of that percentage of the population that actually gives a fuck about caring for their fellow humans. sort that out and the staffing problem is halfway cured.
It is immoral and indefensible to strip poorer countries of their best and brightest to wipe our sorry entitled arses.
I did the sums a few months ago Belladonna, but its complicated and takes more time than I have at the moment, but remember a whole lot of health categories and interventions never existed until recently and they need trained health professionals to use them properly. Who ever heard of anything flasher than a old fuzzy ex-ray machine now we have ultra sound, thermal imaging etc etc, not to mention the huge expansion of physiotherapy and other practices, and so many diseases that can now be cured or mitigated considerably. The best info was the number of nurses in the early 50s compared to now and my best recall is about 15% more nurses per 100,000 today than earlier decades and that came from the official NZ Yearbooks
Ok. So you're talking about more the 1950s or 1970s, than the 2010s. I can certainly see that.
However, I don't think that our health professional workforce has anything like kept pace with our population increase over the last 20 years – or even the last 10.
Adrian: You say, "It is immoral and indefensible to strip poorer countries of their best and brightest to wipe our sorry entitled arses."
But that is exactly what richer countries like Australia are doing to us.
We have to fight the system of profiteering.
I well remember the advocates of Rogernomics repetitively saying: "Profit isn't a dirty word, you know."
Then the profit-gougers flourished, and healthy societies have been declining and languishing ever since. International stats on wealth gaps show this, along with health stats.
So, as you say, how do we sort out the problem that only a minority of today's society actually give a fuck about caring for our fellow human beings?
(I think that we should be teaching about the evils of profit-gouging in our schools, because most students, I would think, currently mistake ‘entrepreneurism’ for profit-gouging.)
Comments deleted, as you requested, because of a 'technical glitch', but please note that Mods don't usually delete comments and this was an exception.
I would have thought that just because Australia does it to us is hardly justification for us to do it to countries that definitley need their medical staff more than we do.
Yes, people go where they can mostly gain the best pay, but there are a few quirks in the system with nurses for instance coming here from countries of huge income diversity, the ones who come here from India and other such countries for instance are generally from wealthy families, the poor can not afford education and cannot get the opportunity to advance themselves. A large number of offshore nurses who do come here go on to work in rest homes not hospitals as the language requirements are pretty high to work in a hospital in NZ and understandably so as no doubt you would realise why. I was being flippant about the giving a fuck about caregiving but health already absorbs a large percentage of our workforce and not everybody wants to work in it like not that many people want to do other demanding jobs. I know I couldn't do it, I, 60 years ago thought I might be a surgeon because they relieve suffering and help others but the thought of cutting someone up even to help them is beyond me. I would bet that the complainers raging against the lack of health staff have hardly ever encouraged their own offspring to join the health force.
This is very disturbing. It appears that NZ is not a sovereign nation and that its justice system has sold out to the US. Is Kim Dotcom our Julian Assange?
I can understand the 'guilty and get it over with' plea. As unsatisfactory as this is in principle I am not going to blame these guys for taking the pragmatic way out of what must have been a drawn-out, stressful matter.
Just in case anyone wonders – having an unresolved legal matter like this hanging over you for years is bloody awful. Corrosive and stressful to an extent anyone who hasn't been through it probably does not fully appreciate.
As for the the US angle, yes it is another Assange all over again. I spent the best part of a decade here defending him (and Dotcom to a lesser extent) against all-comers. There were only a handful of us willing to stand in his corner for a very long time. Our last hope really is that Albanese will step up and make a direct plea to Biden.
Across the entire world justice systems are prone to this kind of capture, and when they make mistakes are very, very bad at correcting them. Everyone in the system covers arse like mad, and justice gets ditched. A very real problem that deserves way more than one small comment.
This comment (above, no. 15) was an accidental one, by my pressing a wrong button as I was logging out. It is not yet 8.00pm (see my posting time) but for some reason I have no edit or delete option, even though my 10 mins are not up.
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Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
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The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
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Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 26 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Andrew Little seems to have the 'reverse Midas' touch.
Health minister says flu, staff absences cause of new hospital pressures | Stuff.co.nz
How so?
From where I sit, whenever he chooses to speak about the recent wage negotiations or the current state of hospitals/staffing, he further alienates and severely pisses off the nursing workforce.
The trend in the annual number of work stoppages from the beginning of the fifth Nat govt through to 2020 puzzles me. Does anyone have some plausible reasons why workers were apparently being relatively content from 2008 – 2017?
https://www.employment.govt.nz/starting-employment/unions-and-bargaining/work-stoppages/
Gee, perhaps they knew the pro-employer government of that period would ignore or ban industrial pressure while suppressing pay and conditions? Pent-up until a more reasonable government came into power..
Thanks Sacha – yep, ‘Little’ chance of a fair shake for workers under the Nats.
The 2017 spike is pent-up demand from the remaining unions making sure Labour paid them back for their unstinting support.
Which was rewarded.
Whereas National as ever didn't give a fuck and the nurses and doctors and teachers just left overseas or retired.
I thought someone was holding the Minister responsible for the flu season.
Hipkins is on to it and hopefully something will now get done.
New Police Minister hints at gang crackdown, doesn't know if truce has been called between Auckland gangs (msn.com)
Labour need more ministers like Hipkins.
The inter gang / Police negotiations were started under Poto Williams some weeks ago. Stop living in the Superman/Batman bullshit dynamic where a caped crusader fixes shit in an instant.
/
Perhaps the Act party has given Hipkins a few ideas of what to do?
ACT wanted gangs, Police and community leaders broker a truce?? Well, strike me down with a feather!!
Tie Seymour to a pole in the middle of town like a goat, see if the bait works.
Like a goat?
If it's a curry
Nah, sorry, can’t do; I donate to the SPCA.
"There's 889 gangsters not in prison but with ankle bracelets, more than twice as many as when Labour took office," he said, adding it was not fair that they commit crimes and stay home."
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/06/21/gang-violence-police-operation-to-roll-out-nationwide/
Good to see they have embraced the new 'working from home'.
One wonders if Labour is a cohesive government, or if it's compartmentalised?
Did Immigration think to ask Education about their ability to teach a influx of immigrant children given our education system is already riven with problems?
If you want to know why the hapless Tories will be the government next year, look no further.
Quote:
”There’s currently 1000 job vacancies across the education sector and Newshub can reveal the shortage could soon get even worse.”
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/06/exclusive-teacher-shortage-could-get-worse-due-to-immigration-influx.html
Staff shortages are everywhere, across industry in New Zealand, whether you are in the public or private sectors.
We remain hovering around 3% headline unemployed and far less than that for anyone with a degree.
So no, it's not specific to this government.
I'm really beginning to wonder about your comprehension, Ad. I'm serious. You are either wilfully ignoring the core of my post…or you are not understanding?
''One wonders if Labour is a cohesive government, or if it's compartmentalised? Did Immigration think to ask Education about their ability to teach a influx of immigrant children given our education system is already riven with problems?''
My comment had little to do with staff shortages. That was a peripheral issue. My comment was about ''communication.''
Communication is generally the most import factor within given situations. The only reason you and I are posting on this blog is because someone wanted a decentralised communication network in case of war.
Look in the mirror Blade.
Your quote was about staff shortages. Your link was about staff shortages.
The word "communication" was missing in any part of your post.
So one might expect comment about staff shortages.
If you really want to see how Immigration allocate their skills criteria from Departmental and other feedback, it's published regularly. Go look it up.
What is your understanding of how long it takes for a change of elected Ministers to affect government agencies communicating well day-to-day?
Well, that depends on when the scheme ( or lack of was implemented). Before or after a change of ministers. The reality is it doesn't matter.
It is a general question for you to answer.
These people…incredibly Brave ! A terrible and long list … dying to protect their…and OUR Earth. From scum and their greed
Labour apologises for getting something wrong!!!!!
"I have subsequently been made aware that these comments were not accurate."
'These comments were not accurate': Hipkins apologises over stoush with pregnant Kiwi journalist (msn.com)
Perhaps it's time for Jacinda to apologise to the KFC worker she shamed publicly.
Following Luxon's fine example where he apologised, gushingly and profusely, to those New Zealanders he called, "bottom-feeders"?
Look over there! They do it too!
They do too! Thanks for the heads-up, Jimmy – if we don't keep our eyes on them, they'll get away with blue murder!
You laid the whataboutery bait and Robert took it.
Handy blog name.
Sorry, I tried but couldn't find the story there. It appears to have been buried under a mountain of click ads.
Shame on you for spaming ad links across the site.
Here is the RNZ link to the story.
Try clicking on the link I provided. It worked for me.
He has nothing to apologise for. When you weaponise the media you get what you ask for.
Just to clarify, you think that Hipkins has nothing to apologize for, when he's been found telling lies – or, at the very least, information which was subsequently (and very quickly) proved to be untrue?
I have to say, I do expect (though am often disappointed) a higher level of accuracy from those elected to represent us.
That "higher level of accuracy" still has to be based on the information supplied by the head honcho of the Public Service agency in question. If it eventually transpires the information given – and then passed on to the Minister – is not correct then yes… the minister has to carry the can. My recollection is that the information was not quickly found to be untrue. Inquiries of that nature are usually quite long-winded.
I can understand how distressed the woman at the centre of the bungle must have been, but there were better ways to have the problem sorted than rushing headlong to the media with her story. She must have known it would be used for political purposes and indeed it was. It turned out she was already in line for a new place in the queue – which also fitted in with her preferred time to return – so as far as I can see nothing in practical terms was gained.
That and rushing to Afghanistan to give the Taliban a thorough whitewashing despite the multitude of other options her New Zealand passport provided her.
The ways in which the machinery of government supplies that 'higher level of accuracy' to ministers always seem invisible to busy fault-finders. Sometimes it's worth lifting a corner of the rug to see if something has quietly been brushed under it, who knows why…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/129043872/journalist-charlotte-bellis-accepts-minister-chris-hipkins-apology-for-incorrect-claims
As commented below – Hipkins deliberately breached Bellis' privacy – despite the advice from MFAT being labelled not for public release.
There is no excuse for him over that part.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/03/chris-hipkins-released-charlotte-bellis-personal-details-despite-official-advice-not-to.html
Bellis immediately challenged both the breach of privacy and the specific inaccurate information. I do not believe that it takes a great deal of time to double-check the embassy and or ministry logs, and confirm whether or not a request, offer of a place, or a conversation occurred. It's not rocket science.
So if in your opinion he has nothing to apologise for, why is he apologising? He obviously thinks he does.
Perhaps also an apology from all of the TS commentators who uncritically accepted Hipkins 'word' and trashed Bellis on this forum
Lol.
Inaccurate comment Belladonna.
She was strongly criticised by most for the way she went about it!
Try looking at your own commenting history, here, Anne
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-28-04-2022/#comment-1885075
“Ms Charlotte Bellis, who I understand was party to this court case, lost all credibility in my eyes when she mischievously attempted to malign the Covid minister, Chris Hipkins by claiming he had smeared her and violated her privacy in one of his press statements. It was a blatant lie and all too obvious to anyone who took the trouble to read the statement in question. Imo, anyone who goes to such lengths at a time of a raging pandemic is never to be trusted at any time.”
This is the minister who has now publicly apologised for A) not telling the truth about Bellis and B) invading her privacy.
You weren't alone – but were one of the loudest voices.
Hipkins has admitted he was wrong. Will you?
Yes. I guessed you would delve back into the files and dig up something I said. Preferably the most damaging one you could find – at least on the surface. 🙂
I resile from nothing! In the press statement referred to he did not say anything that resembled anything like a "smear". What does appear to have happened is: he reiterated a response he had received from someone in the ministry which he later learnt was incorrect. She took it at the time as a smear so he did the right thing and apologised back in March.
Yes, Populuxe @ 5.4.2.2 has reminded me of her questionable conduct in response to her predicament. It was widely commented on but my response was only in respect of the press statement.
Oh, I could find a lot more damaging that that… it was just the most recent of a long line of anti-Bellis commentary from you — echoing and amplifying the 'de jour' statements from the Labour politicians and/or commentariat.
This is not an error from the Ministry. The advice was released to the Minister under the 'no surprises' policy specifically "marked not for public release"
There is no excuse for Hipkins. He stuffed up massively in releasing this information. And, if he apologised for this is March, why were you still defending him for violating her privacy in April?
Now to the 'smear' business. Hipkins made incorrect (untrue) statements about Bellis being offered consular assistance, etc.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-omicron-chris-hipkins-formally-apologises-over-charlotte-bellis-emergency-miq-saga/DX35AVZARU5RPUFTFUKDCNMK5A/
Those statements were smears. And were used by commentators (yourself among them) to denigrate Bellis and her situation.
I don't know what your definition of a smear is – but it pretty clearly fits the definition that the rest of NZ uses (not to mention the Courts, which is clearly the only reason that Hipkins has released this public statement)
It's good to know that reality (even admission of error from your Labour heroes) has no power to change your entrenched belief.
Please. I think the lion's share of the criticism was directed at her peculiar choice to head to Afghanistan as a strongarm tactic. There's political misstatement and then there's providing a propaganda opportunity for one of the more unsavory regimes on the planet.
That's not my recollection.
I suggest you look at Weka's excellent post "Women's human rights and the vulnerability of pregnant women" on TS (sorry not sure how to link directly)
And read the comments.
Here you are – And special mention for Weka in the moderation of the post.
https://thestandard.org.nz/womens-human-rights-and-the-vulnerability-of-pregnant-women/
Reply to Jimmy @5, Theres something wrong in that statement , substitute "journalist " for " self deluded attention seeker ". There, fixed it for you.
Some junior bureaucrat told his/her superior a 'mistruth' to cover a mistake. The superior told his/her superior what the junior had said. The superior's superior told his/her superior and so it went up the chain to the head superior who told the Minister. The Minister – who had no reason to suspect it wasn't correct – released the information to the media.
Lucky it wasn't a National Minister in charge because he/she would be the one apologising for the 'mistruth eh?
This story on ABC 2 Feb 22 It takes 5 months for Hipkins to be made away and react ? Hipkins had his information questioned by Bellis immediately at the time. Would for someone with an eye to detail not go back on his information to verify when questioned ?? But for some conscious mis information is acceptable🤫
“the minister had no reason” … are you for real
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/463080/hipkins-unapologetic-over-charlotte-bellis-disclosures
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y4fKbso_oeI
No one believes your imagined chain of events. MFAT gave the info to the Minister under the 'no surprises' rule – with a specific note saying it was not for public comment
"COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins released personal details of journalist Charlotte Bellis' MIQ case despite receiving Government advice saying it was "not for public comment"."
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/03/chris-hipkins-released-charlotte-bellis-personal-details-despite-official-advice-not-to.html
You know, you can be a Labour supporter without blindly defending them against all possible negative coverage. In fact, you gain more credibility by admitting when your heroes have feet of clay, and celebrating the good, while regretting the bad.
My comment was tongue-in-cheek. In other words the imagined chain of events was not meant to be anything else. I have not yet found a 'tongue in cheek' emoji, but assumed most would recognise the intent. 🙄
Well, it looks a lot more like an attempt to blame an 'emotional junior staffer'
It doesn't look any better when a left-wing commenter does it.
And, in any case, the chain of error (if it existed) should have stopped short at Hipkins.
"Emotional junior staffer"? Good grief. Wasn't it a Nat who introduced that silly meme? Your interpretations are as vulnerable to inaccuracy as the rest of us.
Btw, It did stop short at Hipkins. The minister always carries the can… including mistakes from within their ministry. I said so @ 5.3.1.1. It happens now and then. Tough luck for the minister don't you think?
Yes, it was, a National statement. I was pointing out that it's no better when a Labour commenter makes that implication (blame it on a junior staffer) – which is exactly what you did.
If you can't see the parallel, then I suggest a bit of introspection.
And, no the point, which you seem incapable of grasping, is that it did not stop with Hipkins. He shared information from the briefing with the media, trying to spin what was rapidly turning into a PR disaster.
He should have made no comment whatsoever, to the media, based on the briefing he was given. Zip. Nada. None.
It was privileged information, which he was specifically told, was not for public release.
Instead, he shot from the lip, both smearing Bellis (with what turned out to be untrue information from the Ministry briefing), AND breaching her privacy (for which he is solely responsible).
Nothing 'tough luck' about that.
What's a "Labour commenter"?
If it’s what I think it is, that makes you a “National commenter”.
Glad we have that cleared up.
Do I blindly defend the National party under all circumstances? No.
So, not a National commentator.
Unlike Anne, who has never (AFAICS) made or supported an even mildly critical comment about a Labour politician or the Party. Tribal Labour to the core.
As I've said before, I'm a centrist voter.
Though, clearly to those of you of the far-left persuasion, that looks like a "National voter" – to those who are actually tribal National, I'm a lefty flake.
Righto.
You took the time to label someone from your frame of reference using entirely your reckons.
I did the same and you squealed, "but I'm a centrist!"
Belladonna, as I've commented before, is a 'concern troll.'
I’ve yet to see her commenting on any right wing blog!
This Mod doesn’t see it the same way.
If you want to level accusations at another commenter of being a ‘concern troll’ you’ll have to explain in no uncertain terms what you mean by that, i.e., what is your definition and yardstick, because there are a few variants about, and how does it apply to the other commenter. If Mods agree with you they may take action. If not, they may ask you to drop your case.
Looking at your history here I note that you’ve made the same accusation before and also about the same commenter. Please don’t do it again unless you can make it stick (see above).
Anne is on record criticisng Labour plenty of times. I did so only a few days ago. You haven't been around this site for very long. Perhaps you should have the humility to recognise you don't know everything.
Anne also doesn't mind having a bit of a laugh at herself which was evident in my 'tongue in cheek' comment you have been making such a grand fuss about. The way it was worded should have given the game away, but of course the prima-donna knows best.
Okay, okay I apologise, But you've been asking for it.
Provided evidence.
Yet to see you do the same…..
Typical…..
Anne has repeatedly made the point that she is a Labour supporter on TS.
Grow up.
Bully girls always like the last word so the stage is all yours. 🙂
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/covid-19/437598/covid-19-hipkins-backs-ardern-after-case-l-says-she-wasn-t-told-to-isolate
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/document/HansS_20210309_051240000/2-question-no-2-prime-minister
With their bene bashing ways, and self-serving hit jobs on inconvenient public servants:
the Nats are masters of the political dark arts – you'd have to be blind not to see it.
At least Boag managed an apology. It's particularly disappointing that no National party MP (past or present) has ever publically repudiated the political obscenity that was Dirty Politics. Maybe Luxon can jog the Nats out of their preferred pattern of behaviour, but I have such doubts.
Charming stuff from Poots' brain.
https://twitter.com/CathyYoung63/status/1538586562698563584
Well, the "anal-raping mulattoes "know who to start with!
That is a lot to unpack, especially if you had a rather peculiar master at your British boarding school to prepare you for leadership of those legions of anal raping mulattoes.
More to point, more evidence if you need it of the coarseness of fascism. The violence of the language is instantly recognisable to anyone familiar with the utterances of fervent Nazis.
Or fundamentalist Orthodox Christians…like Putin?
I tend to distrust all fundamentalists, even here in NZ!
I'm in. Where do I sign up?
Mourn the painful death of irony.
https://twitter.com/kromark/status/1539271743482777601?t=CZX9hHc–D2ULqF3-lzPSw&s=19
Painful.
https://twitter.com/kamilkazani/status/1504585747931623449
In 1980 I looked in a French phone-book in Lyon, and it seemed to me that half the names listed were non-French, , so maybe this is less surprising than you would think.
Meh. I've got burnout too. No-one sheds a tear for me.
It's post-pandemic pain, and it will pass.
Is your burnout from too much time spent on The Standard website? Try having 60 meetings in a day or seeing 60 clients or patients.
At least I work, Jimmy.
That's good to know you are contributing to society. I work also.
Oh come on, don't you know that inflation, health sector stress and every other woe is unique to this country?
Been to ED lately? I have, it was like a war zone and I wasn’t in Middlemore.
Are you aware that there is a large number of GPS who are due to retire and we don’t have enough to replace them.
Australia is one of the most racist countries in the world. I will never move there.
I find it odd that some people, led by The Herald, are actively campaigning for our nurses to head across the ditch. NZME has become a recruitment arm for the Australian government. I wonder if they are being paid as such.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/the-front-page-lure-of-australia-could-worsen-nzs-nursing-crisis/HLFQSZTU5B7K45BSYH6P3H2L3A/
I think the people actively campaigning for our nurses to head to Australia are health recruitment companies in a Australia. The Herald is meerely reporting what our Drs and nurses are experiencing.
You seem to be minimizing or denying the situation our health systerm is in (Ie the real health system the Dr and nurses who do the work). Feel free to keep going with that and join Andrew Little on the deck of the Titanic rearranging the deck chairs.
And just hope like hell you don't get sick and need medical care.
We need more nurses especially, but health systems do not work without managers. It's a convenient fiction that the Nats capitalise on.
I have never said that the Health System doesn't need managers. Nor have I every heard it said that there is a shortage of health system managers. If there is they are keeping quiet about it.
I think the re-structure is a waste of time and money. The DHBs did o.k. during the health crisis.
Compared with what? No idea where you get the idea that DHBs 'did ok'. System held together only by the goodwill of its people.
Ah, I was reading your #7 above:
Our son in QLD has needed surgery for gallstones for 4 years He keeps getting pushed off the list His Dr is in despair. So their problems mirror ours 3 Covid years and costs sky rocketting, but of course It is Andrew Little not covid …silly us. sarc
Andrew Little is our Minister of Health and so he is responsible for the Heath System. I believe he is wasting time and money with the re-structure. The most urgent thing he needs to attends to is staffing.
David. Clark before him chose to waste time and money on on the Commission of Inquiry into Mental Health. Its simple really increase staffing who are
skilled in evidence based mental health treatments
Ian Powell pointing out in 2017 to David Clark the most pressinng need was the workforce
https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/opinion/distracted-health-leadership-means-leadership-neglect
Re Queensland, yes everywhere thire is a health workforce shortage. Watch NZ's get worse if there isn't urgent atttention paid to it.
"Australia is one of the most racist countries in the world. I will never move there".
Have you ever been there, and I mean for a bit more than a fleeting moment?
Just because it's diversely multicultural and its government does a bit of lip service to its indigenous peoples once in a while does not make it not an incredibly racist place, especially outside of the big cities.
Not defending Australia, but to claim that it's one of the most racist countries in the world is drawing the longbow quite a bit: try being Korean in Japan, Uyghur in China, Chechen in Russia, or someone with 'dark' coloured skin in swathes of the US.
Some of the racists I met in Australia were the worst I've come across. Casually cruel and they think it's hilarious. Casually violent and they think they have a right.
Try being an indigenous Australian…
It isn't just Middlemore, our local ED, a 23 bed unit, had more than 70 patients at 7am…
It's ok. The minister hasn't seen any evidence.
gsays @ 8.2 of course the minister hasn't!
Yup. Four times in the past 16 months, three admissions, two to CC, with minimal delays.
The problem in my burg is people timing their arrival at the ED after the onsite walk-up GP clinic has closed.
Joe 90 are you denying that there is a serious workforce shortage in the health sector and preditions are that it will get worse?
I said my considerable interactions with health services in the last wee while have been timely and thorough.
What did you want me to say?
You are free to say whatever you want.
Its up to you whether you answer my question about the crisis in the health work force
Of course there are staffing and resource issues but then, when wasn't staffing and resourcing an issue in health. In my recent experience the ED was functioning, the in-patient care I received was exemplary and out-patient appointments were on time. Gee, in my burg you can even enroll with a PHO as a new patient.
But if it makes you feel better, do catastrophise away.
Good luck with finding a new GP in mine. Hell, my GP has difficulty finding locums.
The health system is under extreme stress, and not just from covid. Nurses to primary healthcare to building maintenance to specialists. Some areas have it worse than others, but basically we pay too low and are too understaffed to make "lifestyle" a substitute for pay.
And the ones we train here, we saddle with massive debt as a handy "fuck off please". Then we wonder why people turn up to ED rather than going to a GP (whom they either can't afford or already owe hundreds of dollars).
Labour aren't solely, even mostly, to blame, but that's the cesspit they have inherited. and it'll take longer than a few years to sort out.
Especially GPs. We seem to be losing a lot of mid-career GPs, rural GPs are declining in number, and burnout is increasing significantly. Some of that will be due to covid (survey regulary done, but that version conducted sept 2020), but not all.
Yup. My sister is an IC nurse manager who could name her price in UK/AU and a mate who's recently chucked in a full-time job at a surgical unit reckons he’s making ends meet with two shifts at a private hospital.
Lots of medicos bring their kids here to attend Collegiate, though.
We get what we pay for. While our captains of industry, major banks, and their shareholders, multinationals, reap the benefits of others' labour, our "parlous" state will continue.
So nurses, doctors, teachers are all shouting that they are underpaid and not coping with their workloads. (We are in the middle of a pandemic aren't we). As if, in the short term, more money is going to make one bit of difference to their workloads.
Perhaps it needs a nation that has the will to revolutionise the tax system – so it can build more hospitals, recruit more professional staff, reduce patient/student ratios and raise Joe Blow's living standards.
Just imagine if a massive natural disaster was to hit NZ, knocking out all essential services. The media pundits (if they could be heard) would still be reporting that there is a shortage of doctors, nurses, teachers and looking to blame the system.
No more money won't make a difference to their workloads logie97. It needs to be a two pronged approach. Much Better pay to stop people leaving and more staff.
Who else do we blame for the catastrophic state of our health workforce (including the mental health workforce) but the Govt of 5 and a half years and the Minister?
Frnkly they have been reckless with health money (and I am not talking about the Covid response here).
A Commission of Enquiry into Mental Health. Waste of time and meney. Just employ more trained professionals in the community and at secondary care level.
Cancer Agency. IMO not good use of money. We know what to do about cancer already i.e. how to treat it and what helps prevent it.
Restructure of DHB in NZ Health Authority a shameless waste of money which will do little to solve the problems in the health system: hint have adequate staffing levels. new medical school; pay health professionals better as there will be a better chance of retaining them in a competitive international market.
Oh yeah and try to explain why Ms Mahutas husband was given $29,000 for suicide prevention, when he has no background in mental health?
Just the last 5 years. Do me a favour. Doctors, nurses, teachers, firemen, police et al have been crying paucity of salaries for decades. There is only so much of a public purse to spread around, while the monied in our society salt it all away overseas. Actually, could be nailed down to the relaxation of exchange controls in 1984.
logie97 – you seem to forget that since those reforms of 1980s etc, certain elements of society have become grossly overpaid by previous, fairer standards.
And health, education etc workers are NOT among those over-privileged elements.
I agree entirely – I have not forgotten the scourge of Douglas and the neo-liberals at all. (Read Richardson and ACT)
As a former teacher I used to get frustrated at the constant focus of NZEI, in its negotiations with the ministry, on more pay. There was always a quid pro quo – teachers had to yield something. Negotiations were always confrontational because MOE, the state, argued limited money available. And the workloads just got bigger.
Instant pay rises would do nothing for workloads and stress, because the nature of employers attitudes would be "You've got the money now work harder!" You could pay all state service employees double their monies and it would not change the immediate work load or stresses.
And don't get started on the B/S paperwork that the various ministries have set up as job requirements. Key performance indicators/portfolios of work/ performance management??? They would have appeared to have contributed nothing to better outcomes in the professions. (Another product of the neo-libs I believe!!!)
What is required is for the employer (state) to accept during negotiations, that there is a problem with workload and there is a ministry commitment to halve the problem in the next few years. By all means increase the salary considerably, understand the issue, and commit to doubling the work force however that can be done.
Unfortunately, state pay rises are all about linking to cost of living.
More taxes and a nations will to accept the problem would seem to be the only way through this.
I agree entirely: I was in secondary teaching, and active in PPTA.
My disappointment was that too many teachers always voted for more money, demanding that as our best aim.
But when unions were weakened, we could barely fight for anything. Most teachers were unwilling to do anything more than a one-day strike or a bit of token rolling strikes action. The govt threw their hands up in utter horror for the public, casting us as anti-social villains, and the media complied..
We won decent settlements only when govt realised that Boards of Trustees were likely to rebel and come out on our side.
The problem is that our neo-liberal-driven govts care only about enlarging profits for their masters, and care very little for health and education workers.
Society? What on earth is that? Worthy of weasel words only.
Compared with what? Easy to say when you do not understand how health systems work.
How do you know I don't know how health systems work. FYI I have worked in the health system on two occassions
I think I gave a pretty thorough list of where I think Labour has wasted health money.
Mental health commission of enquiry, Cancer authority, shiney new NZHealth. Oh and money for suicide prevention for Ms Mahutas husband who no one seems to know what if was for.
You have worked in national health policy or strategy rather than frontline services?
I'm not hearing any sign of it.
Sacha you are correct I haven't worked in strategy for the health system.
I have worked in a head office for another Govt Dept.
I don't pretend to know about strategy and health. I am glad there is a strategy division, because the strategy needs to be around increasing the health workforce.
But honestly if you want to tell me what you know about strategy and the Ministry of Health, I am really open to hearing. Geniunely curious
Logie you denying that there is a serious workforce shortage in the health sector and preditions are that it will get worse?
By the way I am not saying there weren’t problems in the health workforce before 5 years ago. I am saying Labour has had over five years to fix them.
Anker. Not sure how you can draw a conclusion that I am denying any serious workforce shortages in health or any of the state sector professions.
I do not believe it is a recent issue however – it has been going on for years. Bargaining has never had a bottom line of telling the ruling parties – "No deal until commitment is in place for workplace staffing to be at least doubled".
I remember teachers being promised 1:20 ratios but by slight of hand governments and school boards of trustees (through their principals) were able to load the senior classes to that the ratios in the junior area were 1:20.
The last National government even (mis)quoted Prof. Hattie as saying that small class numbers are not material in educational outcomes and therefore not a priority.
And believe it or not the membership just rolled over once again. And of course the younger teachers have since gone on their right of passage O.E whilst the experienced maturer teachers have bailed out.
I cannot speak to health workers but I am sure that there has been a consistent cry for increased workforce. They have at times negotiated a better pay deal but there have been tradeoffs and whatever those pay deals were, they were clearly not enough to immediately increase recruitment numbers. It seems also that nursing compliance is a factor for their leaving the profession.
logie: Absolutely correct about the last National Govt and that traitrous Hattie person.
Remember, they weakened the Health Workers' unions by splitting them up into different regions with local contracts at different times, making it pretty well illegal for one union to strike in support of another, unless they were negotiating at the same time?
Our current situation where any teachers or nurses with any brains would not immediately move overseas is a direct consequence of previous govts trying to cut costs but not tax immense income going to a minority.
They think NZ's beauties will keep us here?
No, they are also busily destroyng NZ's beauties. No more swimmable rivers, etc etc.
RMT's Mick Lynch, enjoy:
https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1539343975236116480
Note to Kay Burley. Only one person in your interview was flustered, and it wasn’t Mick Lynch.
These people were terrorised by the President of the United States and his lackeys.
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1539329328529518593
https://twitter.com/PoliticusSarah/status/1539340507029164034
ATLANTA, Dec 10 (Reuters) – Weeks after the 2020 election, a Chicago publicist for hip-hop artist Kanye West traveled to the suburban home of Ruby Freeman, a frightened Georgia election worker who was facing death threats after being falsely accused by former President Donald Trump of manipulating votes. The publicist knocked on the door and offered to help.
The visitor, Trevian Kutti, gave her name but didn’t say she worked for West, a longtime billionaire friend of Trump. She said she was sent by a “high-profile individual,” whom she didn’t identify, to give Freeman an urgent message: confess to Trump’s voter-fraud allegations, or people would come to her home in 48 hours, and she’d go to jail.
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/kanye-west-publicist-pressed-georgia-election-worker-confess-bogus-fraud-charges-2021-12-10/
Hmmmmmmmmmmm – The Government says it cannot rule out the return of lockdowns
and more hmmmmmmmmm Omicron sub-variants ‘evolving to target the lungs and overcome immunity’
"…According to preliminary data from Kei Sato at the University of Tokyo and colleagues, BA.4, BA.5 and BA.2.12.1 may have evolved to refavour infection of lung cells, rather than upper respiratory tract tissue – making them more similar to earlier variants, such as Alpha or Delta…"
Are these two things linked?
Highly coincidental at the least, I’d be picking quite closely related.
Probably not that smart to be heading overseas and wanting to be able to come home at will for a while. Expect to see a real tightening of medical clauses with travel insurance shortly
Related.
https://twitter.com/BioinfoTools/status/1539410690045509632
The few publicly complaining health workers , docs and nurses, are doing their cause no favours at all in describing the 'hellish, insane, terrible terrible" working conditions in hospitals etc. FFS shut up, any young person considering becoming a health worker is going "Fuck that for a joke, I'm off to be a barista or HR person or any of those other myriad useless do nothing jobs". FYI a lot more health workers per 100,000 people than there were in any previous decade and its because health becomes so much more complicated and labour intensive every decade and we have run out of that percentage of the population that actually gives a fuck about caring for their fellow humans. sort that out and the staffing problem is halfway cured.
It is immoral and indefensible to strip poorer countries of their best and brightest to wipe our sorry entitled arses.
Do you have a link to support your statement
" FYI a lot more health workers per 100,000 people than there were in any previous decade "
It would surprise me if it's true – but I'm always open to being surprised!
I did the sums a few months ago Belladonna, but its complicated and takes more time than I have at the moment, but remember a whole lot of health categories and interventions never existed until recently and they need trained health professionals to use them properly. Who ever heard of anything flasher than a old fuzzy ex-ray machine now we have ultra sound, thermal imaging etc etc, not to mention the huge expansion of physiotherapy and other practices, and so many diseases that can now be cured or mitigated considerably. The best info was the number of nurses in the early 50s compared to now and my best recall is about 15% more nurses per 100,000 today than earlier decades and that came from the official NZ Yearbooks
Ok. So you're talking about more the 1950s or 1970s, than the 2010s. I can certainly see that.
However, I don't think that our health professional workforce has anything like kept pace with our population increase over the last 20 years – or even the last 10.
Adrian: You say, "It is immoral and indefensible to strip poorer countries of their best and brightest to wipe our sorry entitled arses."
But that is exactly what richer countries like Australia are doing to us.
We have to fight the system of profiteering.
I well remember the advocates of Rogernomics repetitively saying: "Profit isn't a dirty word, you know."
Then the profit-gougers flourished, and healthy societies have been declining and languishing ever since. International stats on wealth gaps show this, along with health stats.
So, as you say, how do we sort out the problem that only a minority of today's society actually give a fuck about caring for our fellow human beings?
(I think that we should be teaching about the evils of profit-gouging in our schools, because most students, I would think, currently mistake ‘entrepreneurism’ for profit-gouging.)
Comments deleted, as you requested, because of a 'technical glitch', but please note that Mods don't usually delete comments and this was an exception.
Merci
Bit of a cock-up on the button-pushing front..
I would have thought that just because Australia does it to us is hardly justification for us to do it to countries that definitley need their medical staff more than we do.
Yes, people go where they can mostly gain the best pay, but there are a few quirks in the system with nurses for instance coming here from countries of huge income diversity, the ones who come here from India and other such countries for instance are generally from wealthy families, the poor can not afford education and cannot get the opportunity to advance themselves. A large number of offshore nurses who do come here go on to work in rest homes not hospitals as the language requirements are pretty high to work in a hospital in NZ and understandably so as no doubt you would realise why. I was being flippant about the giving a fuck about caregiving but health already absorbs a large percentage of our workforce and not everybody wants to work in it like not that many people want to do other demanding jobs. I know I couldn't do it, I, 60 years ago thought I might be a surgeon because they relieve suffering and help others but the thought of cutting someone up even to help them is beyond me. I would bet that the complainers raging against the lack of health staff have hardly ever encouraged their own offspring to join the health force.
This is very disturbing. It appears that NZ is not a sovereign nation and that its justice system has sold out to the US. Is Kim Dotcom our Julian Assange?
I can understand the 'guilty and get it over with' plea. As unsatisfactory as this is in principle I am not going to blame these guys for taking the pragmatic way out of what must have been a drawn-out, stressful matter.
Just in case anyone wonders – having an unresolved legal matter like this hanging over you for years is bloody awful. Corrosive and stressful to an extent anyone who hasn't been through it probably does not fully appreciate.
As for the the US angle, yes it is another Assange all over again. I spent the best part of a decade here defending him (and Dotcom to a lesser extent) against all-comers. There were only a handful of us willing to stand in his corner for a very long time. Our last hope really is that Albanese will step up and make a direct plea to Biden.
Across the entire world justice systems are prone to this kind of capture, and when they make mistakes are very, very bad at correcting them. Everyone in the system covers arse like mad, and justice gets ditched. A very real problem that deserves way more than one small comment.
This comment (above, no. 15) was an accidental one, by my pressing a wrong button as I was logging out. It is not yet 8.00pm (see my posting time) but for some reason I have no edit or delete option, even though my 10 mins are not up.
Can a mod help by deleting both 15 and 15.1?