I like the look of the new Labour leadership team. I don't think it will do them any harm. Whether it will win the election for them is another matter. I think the biggest problem is that it looks like we are heading into tough economic times which is not good for any incumbent government.
It looks like Hipkins is intending to move back to the centre, and appears to be dropping some of the woke stuff, which is probably a good strategy to win back some of the centre vote. This is probably good for the Greens as well because Labour voters unhappy with that shift will likely move further left to the Greens.
It looks like some of the contentious stuff will be dropped prior to the election. The strategy of dropping unpopular, contentious policy prior to the election is probably necessary. However, the problem is that National will probably argue that the unpopular stuff has just been postponed, not dropped. And the best way to stop the unpopular stuff rearing its ugly head again will be to vote National in.
Interesting times. As I said, I think the change is net positive for Labour. Whether it will be enough to win is another matter.
I saw it commented on the news that he used the word "New Zealand" exclusively in his interview rather than "Aotearoa" for what it is worth. I think the thought was it indicated he was going to step away from some of the co-governance stuff that has been a bone of contention for many for instance.
I actually heard our prime minister on Newstalk ZB this morning on the Mike Hosking show (although Hosking is still away). Now that hasn't happened for a while.
He communicates and comes across well, and can answer the questions.
Perhaps if he decides to can the TVNZ / RNZ merger, and stops 3/5 waters there is a very real chance of a Labour led government after October 2023.
Rest assured, on behalf of his masters Mi Cockskin will be gunning for PM Hipkins!
More centrism from Labour is the last thing the working class of this country need, but the argument about winning back certain voters is clear enough. Plus it will give Greens and Te Pāti Māori some good negotiating strength if there is an opportunity for a Labour led Govt.
So many things predispose me not to like Chris Hipkins, but he and Ardern have formed the ski jump right over the top of National's weekend, so good start.
Looking forward to the Cabinet reshuffle and work programme reprioritisation.
I want to see the new Prime Minister put a lot more pressure on Robertson to show he really is part of the election win plan through Budget, not just Budget Business As Usual.
Yes I'd like your definition of woke. It is used and abused so much that plain speaking and less jargon would be useful.
Actually my preference would be that you don't use the word 'woke'.
I am finding it has more and more of a 'rightie' flavour and people are using it as a cipher so they don't have to admit to sexist, anti democratic or racist views
I believe "woke" or "identity politics" is the idea perpetuated by upper middle class to rich liberals that gender, sexuality, race is more important than class and poverty.
Woke politics in my experience is corporate friendly activism that places the individual above the community. My gender, my sexuality, my identity. Me me me.
Woke activists care less about policies and more about "representation" and "diversity" of the people saying the policies.
Woke activists often reject the idea of class and often truly believe a millionaire of colour lives a less privileged life than a white person on dole.
When confronted by the fact that there are more poor white people in NZ than poor people of colour and that we should create universal programs to lift everyone out of poverty woke activists resort to name calling, denialism, what aboutisms and suggest "targeted programs".
Woke in my honest opinion is neo-neoliberalism, sounds nice but ultimately it's corporate friendly, individualism using left wing talking points to alienate groups from uniting based on class and shared circumstances and fighting amongst each other based off race, gender and sexuality.
There are elements of it that are surely noble, but there are elements of it such as putting people in boxes and ignoring class issues that as a gay mixed race person who grew up poor I find disgraceful.
The left wants everyone to have a great life and succeed regardless of what ethnicity, gender or sexuality you are where as the woke want you to succeed because of your race gender or sexuality.
When you're focusing on you and your identity and how different you are every day you're not focusing on other people.
Class is and still is the best unifying factor the left has going for it. The 90% vs the 1% and it's 9% enablers.
Corey, I totally agree with what you have written.
I have long been of the view that 'woke' is a rightist construct just as 'PC' was a rightist/male construct.
I will have a deeper & slower read and may comment further though most times with your posts my conclusion is 'I wish I could have written something just as good.'
The left wants everyone to have a great life and succeed regardless of what ethnicity, gender or sexuality you are where as the woke want you to succeed because of your race gender or sexuality.
This is powerful and lines up with the link that MB had about leftists being more empathetic
Well said, so basically as Bryce Edwards has said "Less Grey Lynn- more Kelston". That, and pleeeease stop burning the DoC huts. Just last week a woman with a badly injured leg was found by rescuers.. sheltering in a DoC Urewera hut.
I think a problem for Labour is that they could lose some of the idiot vote, judging by the stupid woman I saw making a comment on the news last night.
She said that she was probably going to go back to voting National now Jacinda was gone. So, the whole reason for her voting decision appeared to be a personality she liked regardless of the policy mix of the party she was voting for.
I think a problem for Labour is that they could lose some of the idiot vote, judging by the stupid woman I saw making a comment on the news last night.
What a mixed comment. Does passive aggressive cover it ? Im really wondering how to respond : (
I really have little time for people whose sole decision is voting is on the basis of one person they like, regardless of what the policies of that party are. The reason I see them as stupid is because they appear to be led totally by their feels rather than their brain.
I'd say it was more that he coat-tailed on the Covid response. It was not some irrational 'love Jacinda' thing.
Labour has, sadly, a number of others that came in in similar fashion, who may not have proven their value to the public at large.
Some of the more divisive policies fall somewhat short of either a respectable level of public support, or a clear overriding public interest justification. These should have been identified in the drafting stage, not as they come into force.
OK – I'll back away from the 'entirely' – and agree that the Covid response was also a big factor (although, difficult to separate Ardern from the Covid-response leadership)
But all of the analysis supports the view that personal support for Ardern was a very significant factor in 2020
"The popularity of Jacinda Ardern – and the lack of popularity of Judith Collins – is also highly likely to have contributed to Labour’s success. Of our NZES respondents, 65% said they most wanted Ardern to be prime minister on election day, compared to only 17% supporting Collins (no one else received over 2% support). "
Personally I always vote for the party and the electorate candidate separately. The party vote is what gives you the government. The electorate vote just gives you an MP. Nice when you have a electorate MP that is worth voting for.
But when the local candidate doesn't fit, then I vote for someone else. When it was FPP, I'd hold my nose. But MMP means that I have a choice.
David Shearer for instance. I voted for someone else during the candidate selection as a Mt Albert member mostly because his views felt like they were from a by-gone era. Liked him as a person. He felt like he would have worked better as a politician in the 1990s.
The by-election was interesting. I wasn’t able to vote because Newton was in Auckland Central. But the campaign…. That was like going back a decade in the techniques being used. That was understandable for a by-election. But the 2011 election was the same, less of a MMP campaign in the electorate and more of a FPP campaign to get out the the party faithful. A local MMP election needs to target swing voters and concentrates on party vote.
Some time in 2012, I'd come to the conclusion that I wasn't happy with hims ideas. They'd represent some conservative like Josie Pagani far more than me or the people of Mt Albert. It was also why I didn't vote for Richard Prebble when he was still with Labour and I was voting in Auckland Central. That was when I started working across the border in Mt Albert.
I pretty well dropped out of the Mt Albert LEC in 2012. A vote by walking. It wasn't the sole reason. I'd been running out of time anyway from projects at work and other things I was doing – like this site.
I voted for Labour in 2014. Ironically I was actually in the Mt Albert election in 2014 for the first time for a decade. I seem to remember that I didn't vote for David Shearer. I just couldn't do it at the polling booth. So old school and so damn wasteful because he kept running FPP campaigns. Not to mention ill-considered conservative policies that looked for niche electorate votes and didn't represent Labour members across the whole country.
It was exactly the reason that other old school campaigners (Jim Anderton and the Biege wonder come to mind) won regularly won silo electorates but lost party votes because they simply weren't chasing the important vote. NZF managed to recover from the same trap
In the aftermath of the 2014 election I wrote "Labour obviously never worked out MMP" because I was really getting pissed off. It will be a pain if the electorate candidates do a 2014 election strategy this year.
I'm still a member in Mt Albert and I'm still in the bounds of the Mt Alert electorate (just – one building to the east is Auckland Central). Hopefully we'll get a decent selection of candidates to pick from. Hopefully we will pick a candidate I can vote for.
Probably the last time voting at the end of this year in Mt Albert. I still don't have time to do much active campaigning this election, and we'll probably move elsewhere (in Auckland?) by next election.
Interesting comments, thanks. I live a few minutes stroll from what was David's electorate office on New North Road and met him on a number of occasions around his electorate work. I really liked David as a person, but I came to the view that he was in the wrong political party, and that, unlike Helen Clark, politics didn't sit comfortably on his shoulders. I was genuinely surprised when he put his name forward to contest the Labour leadership, and I was even more surprised when he won! From memory, I gave him my electorate vote in 2011 and 2014, even though I didn't party vote Labour.
David Shearer is a very fine man. He has a lot of skills, but the skills involved with negotiating aid corridors with dictators and warlords are not suited to todays 30 second soundbites.
He had potential as a good Electorate MP, but that was it.
I agree that I try to look with a critical eye at the local candidate – and vote for the person separately from the party vote.
It's made a bit more difficult when parties put up some fairly shallow, or single-issue focused candidates (my experience with both National and Labour candidates in my electorate in 2020). And, the reality is that, even the most outstanding candidate from Greens (pace Auckland Central) and ACT (pace Epsom) – doesn't have a chance in a standard electorate – so your vote would be wasted.
I commented elsewhere, that so far Labour have been unwilling to support (formally or informally) a Green candidate with a better shot at winning an electorate, than the Labour one. It was in the context of Auckland Central – and the possible effect on Swarbrick if Helen White takes over Mt Albert.
Logically, a 'cup of tea' scenario (as National/ACT have done in Epsom) to ensure that Swarbrick wins comfortably – would be a better result for the Left – but we've yet to see it eventuate.
I only really consider policy, but have come to realise this is probably just a wrong way. Most people its primarily personality.
Obviously policies can change and will. I mean the last thing any RW voters should think is that NACT will carry out most of the stupid they are proposing, and thats the very limited set of stuff they have policy on.
It seems more sensible to judge personalities and the kinds of policy preferences they lead to, because events can totally change the policy landscape during a term.
Unfortunately I struggle with this judgement. I actually thought Bill English would be a safe sensible, and therefore appealing PM at one time. Probably you could help with this, just want to see a few details from people involved in the wealth of business experience in the National party. What kind of managers have they been, what kinds of deals did they do, was everyone involved better off?
The judging on personality (or at least the elements of personality that the media let you see) – can result in the Peter Dunne scenario, and the 'worm' of 2002. [NB: I'm older than I thought, I remember it clearly!]
Unfortunately, many people simply vote on looks or personality. Remember, half the voting population is below average intelligence and often have no ideas of what policies they are voting for.
No your wrong, half of the population is of average intelligence, 25% above 25% below, have a look at a bell curve, use your average intelligence to google one.
If this is correct why is the Comms mantra to tailor press releases to an average age of 11. Presumably with average 11 year knowledge.
Are you saying that people may be intelligent in terms of Bell Curve distribution but their comprehension is no better than an 11 year old. if so I would agree.
I have long had the belief that the Labour Govt has thought that the electorate as a whole was wiser and more intelligent than they really are, so they pitch comprehension at a higher level. The strange views/misunderstandings about 3/5 Waters and Co Governance on here, where I have long believed we are all have good comprehension, is testament that.
Interestingly the 70 to 74 cohort has the highest average IQ at 119, but that is more to do with wealth = health and the earlier demise of the unhealthy.
a fair bit of bullshit on twitter about how the signs are just a joke, no-one really wants to behead or eat feminists. Feminists pointed out that men already do behead women and other extremely violent shit. At the least it's incredibly tone deaf in a country that has a high rate of murder of women.
And placard abuse is not that different to online abuse. It increases tolerance for harassment, and sometimes leads to increased violence. Which is ironic from the movement that claims that feminists being critical of gender identity are responsible for violence against trans people (rather than the men that do the actual violence).
But of course they will argue that it's just the 'terfs' they are targeting, which is another version of dehumanising the women who's beliefs you don't approve of.
For those that think the signs are a joke or no big deal, here's the context: a sustained movement of death, rape and other threats aimed at women's rights campaigners or any woman who speaks up online. Women get these threats in public spaces (online and IRL), and their DMs, emails etc. This is what liberals who deny women's right to our own spaces and culture are sanctioning. And then they wonder why we don't want any men, trans identified or otherwise, in our spaces.
Is there a poster on TS that understands German politics?
I’m looking for a decent reason why Scholz hasn’t allowed Leopard 2 tanks to be shipped to Ukraine. Form a logistical pow that should be a no-brainier.
It is all a bit confusing, and seems to change by the minute. But the latest I have heard is that Germany won't stand in the way of other countries supplying Leopards. Though, that is probably forced because those other countries are threatening to supply them with or without German permission.
And, Poland will be training Ukrainians on using the Leopards, so it is a bit of a done deal.
And, Germany has tended to get there in the end with other weapon systems. So, lets just say they are late adopters.
They have said they will supply tanks if the US does it first. So, that might mean the US supplying a token number of Abrams tanks. Though, that is not the ideal tank for Ukraine for a number of reasons.
Part of the reluctance of Germany sending their tanks is probably something to do with the image of German tanks close to the border of Russia, given WW2 history where German tanks were a prominent part of the German invasion of Russia.
German politics is still haunted by the second world war. They've spent eighty year systematically repudiating heroic leadership of the kind they embraced under Hitler and instead raising technocratic rationalism to a complete ideology of government. So now they have an ossified technocratic leadership frozen in place by the nature of MMP, a system designed to restrain radicalism but after sixty years of this system Germany has been left in the grip of a near terminal political inertia. The epitome of this was the "Merkle doctrine" of engagement with Russia, the idea being that if only Germany cleaved closer to Russia economically it could mitigate and dissipate any threat from the east. The problem of course is that relationship degenerated into something akin to Germany having a political version of battered woman syndrome vis-a-vis Russia.
On top of that you've got a weird coalition of the far left (Die Linke) and the far right (AfD opposed to supporting the Ukraine, the former due to a pacifism that amounts to defeatism combined with a reflexive opposition the military-industrial complex and the latter because they are fascists making common cause with Russia against democracy.
So the broad centrist consensus in Germany is one of a slothful political system that prizes "rational consensus" above all else, takes a long time to make any decision let alone a complete change of direction, a pathological desire to avoid another war in the east (the idea of German tanks again fighting on the steppes of Russia is an anathema to centrist German politicians), and a decades long cultural rejection of the idea of the legitimacy of national identity (i.e. another reaction to the extemism of the Nazi narrative of the German identity as the master race) which looks at horror at Ukrainians dying to defend the idea of an separate Ukrainian identity and sovereignty all means that Germany is currently paralyzed. Turning the ship of the German body politic around is going to take a long long time.
Turning the ship of the German body politic around is going to take a long long time.
'If ever' if you read Sabine's post.
Having lived and studied in Germany I found that there is a carefulness about discussions on arming, armies, weapons, wars. I found, though, that there is a keenness to follow up its membership with the UN in supplying aid and peace-keeping forces. Fellow NZers who have worked beside them in this have valued the experience. Nato works too, with others to protect themselves and others.
So I am not sure that words such as the last para of Sanctuary's post, with its hint of annoyance, really hits the mark and reality about dealing with these tanks. The German people are not a bunch of children taking an inordinately time to hand over a toy that another child wants to play with.
one of a slothful political system that prizes "rational consensus" above all else, takes a long time to make any decision let alone a complete change of direction, a pathological desire to avoid another war in the east (the idea of German tanks again fighting on the steppes of Russia is an anathema to centrist German politicians), and a decades long cultural rejection of the idea of the legitimacy of national identity (i.e. another reaction to the extemism of the Nazi narrative of the German identity as the master race) which looks at horror at Ukrainians dying to defend the idea of an separate Ukrainian identity and sovereignty all means that Germany is currently paralyzed.
Thank you Sabine for your post.
To the German people take as long as you want about these tanks.
Two issues that people not from Germany have a hard time understanding sometimes.
A. the Germans lost a million man in Russia. One Army. The 6th Army. Those that came back took ten years to come back. the last Russian prisoner of war returned in 1955.
To this day we do not speak of the Wehrmacht and their offerings to the gods of war and selfish greed.
They have fought russia and lost and they have not forgotten. Both of my grandfathers send to war in their early 20s did not come back. In fact non of the male relatives came back. I was raised in a household of old women and young men/girls.
B. The east Germans lived with the Russians and are not quite as gung ho then some arm chair soldiers in far away lands to fight them eithers. They know the Russians. Angela Merkel knew the Russians, she speaks fluently Russian enough to get a 1.0 highest grade when she sat her Abitur.
Then that issue of pesky 'crt' or 'denazification" as it was for us Germans. We went through the 'all Germans are horrible people who killed millions and we can never allow that to do again'.
That too leaves marks and might change a way of thinking. Again, not something that i expect people to understand that have not been at that end of education. But then ' all white people are racists' is coming close to it.
Germany got their peace contract from the allies in 1990. Until then Germany was split in 4 parts, myself i grew up in the US American Zone of Germany. You had East Germany which was the Russian Zone of Germany, The French and the English shard the rest.
Until that day Germany was not allowed to have a military in the sense of having a 'free military' that other countries might have. So the Army was restrcited in how many men it could have, ditto for the Airforce, and Navy. This was of course to prevent Germany from being a military power.
When the Bundeswehr was established in 1955, its founding principles were based on developing a completely new military force for the defence of West Germany. In this respect the Bundeswehr did not consider itself to be a successor to either the Reichswehr (1921–1935) of the Weimar Republic or Hitler'sWehrmacht (1935–1946). Neither does it adhere to the traditions of any former German military organization.[dubious – discuss] Its official ethos is based on three major themes:[12]
Every single German (and Austrian) has gone through De-nazification via School. This process was quite different in the years directly after the war vs the years that i spend in school in the 70s. The focus of my education was on Responsibility and collective guilt and on how to 'Never Again' commit the same sins. In the process of that quite a few pacifists were created.
Pacifism in Germany is a thing. Never again is a thing. Not being allowed to have an army and to wage war also had an impact on the people that are the parents of current youth and young people. Trickle Trickle Trickle.
All of these reasons might be coming into play when telling Germans that one wants to sell/deliver weapons to another country to wage war. This is just a bit of back story, and people need to understand that the Germany Army is literally 30 years old. What was the Bundeswehr before the Re-unification was nothing more then a few pieces of meat the Allies would have thrown at the Russians whilst they retreated to the UK. That was known. Germany was considered a buffer zone by the allies.
Germany has provided weapons, under the Auspices of Nato, and you could argue it should do so again this time around.
However……there might still be restrictions on what exactly the Germans can and can not do with regards to armaments to third parties, and this might to do more with European rules/regulations then Germany itself.
Anyways, Germans generally don't like to participate in war for reasons. the German government still is quite beholden to their old overlords the allies much to the distress of Germans. (There is quite a few people who would shut down Ramstein and the various US Spy stations any day of the week, me inc).
This is a big article here that has a good run down on what / why and how.
also Germany just ditched their Minister of Defense and appointed a different person. That might also have something to do with it.
Update from January 20, 4:10 p.m .: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made it clear on the sidelines of the Ukraine conference at the US air base in Ramstein that he expected further developments in the debate about the possible delivery of German Leopard 2 tanks. On the question of whether Germany is harming European unity because it has not yet delivered any Leopard 2 tanks, Stoltenberg said: "The consultations will continue."
Since the beginning of the war, the type of support has been constantly evolving. The Norwegian also emphasized that Germany was one of the allies that supported Ukraine the most. "Artillery, ammunition, air defense systems and now also Marder-type infantry fighting vehicles: Germany is really a leader in supporting Ukraine in many, many areas," he emphasized.
Update from January 20, 2:25 p.m .: The new Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) has checked the inventory of Leopard main battle tanks for a possible delivery to Ukraine. Pistorius said on Friday at the US Ramstein Air Force base in Rhineland-Palatinate that he had given his ministry the corresponding order "this morning", which included various types of tanks for the armed forces and in industry. He also announced that the federal government would make a decision about the leopard in coordination with the partners "as soon as possible".
The UK wants to give Ukraine 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks. Poland wants to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine, and Finland is also in favor. However, since the Leopard tanks were developed in Germany, the delivery hinges on the permission of the German government for the transfer of German-made armaments to third parties.
Got a couple of books on the History of the German Military & in particular the General Chief of Staff.
Is that had the 3 Great Reformers of the German/ Prussian Military got their way ie make the Military accountable to Parliament & not the Head of State ie the German Crown.
Then it's very likely that Germany's & probably for that matter European History would be very different today.
Something I would really like to get a left-wing perspective on as it is something that concerns me quite a bit.
A number of months back there was the publicised letter from a group of academics expressing concern about what they said was Maori knowledge being elevated to the same level as science in science education.
Jerry Coyne blogs a letter from a NZ science teacher about the new science curriculum. Take the time to read the full post, but here is some of what will be taught in science:
The concept of mauri, that inanimate objects have a life force
I would be very concerned if this is actually the case. I strongly value quality education, and the teaching of science. But I would be very concerned if teaching of science was to be diluted by unscientific stuff dressed up as science.
I can see value in the teaching of science history in teaching about Maori navigation methods for instance. And I can see value in say anthropology in teaching about Maori legends. And I can see value in Maori knowledge say about the properties of NZ plants that could lead perhaps to new medical treatments for instance.
But, if Maori historical knowledge, including legends etc as stated in the kiwiblog post, is given the same status in a science curriculum as modern science, I would be greatly concerned, as I would see that as a dilution rather than a benefit. And if science is given some sort of "imperialistic" status as "Western Science" I would be greatly concerned. To me science is science. It doesn't matter who does it or where it comes from.
But, perhaps those making these types of complaints have got the wrong end of the stick. So, I would be interested to hear from those here who have some insight into what the true situation is.
I'd be a bit concerned if anything posted on kiwiblog shows up in the science curriculum. That is the question right? Should any ideology be infering what is and isn't true.
Government in NZ is so ignorant of science that they even passed a law to say that men can claim to be women and change their birth certificate to 'prove' it and be able to invade women only spaces. So don't be surprised what they put into the education system.
They have put the same sort of crap into the Education system. Have a look at the Relationship and Sexuality Education syllabus. It is chock full of gender ideology. Science hardly gets a look in.
Anker or Molly (I think) one or both have taken an interest in this and both had some careful posts late last year before 3 Waters took over. I did not agree with all of them. Weka too on regen ag and how it is turning agricultural science based on fertiliser plus, plus to a science based on observation and moderation.
Others of us commented then too.
I personally have a problem with Westerners defining what they believe is science unless it is caveated/divided
Western views
Maori views or first peoples views
I also have a problem with people saying 'unless this work fits within this ( read western) paradigm it is not science'
In NZ the separation of thought has meant that Maori Rongoa is left out. We as NZ people are poorer for it. As first people they had their own methods remedies of treating illness, growing plants, navigation, knowledge of climate & weather patterns. That it relies on oral tradition or patterns of doing after experimenting does not mean it is valueless because it has not started with an hypothesis, testing, written recording and conclusion
Maori also got from Hawaiki to NZ and so far as I know they did not have magic carpets. So they had to have a form of celestial navigation or another type of navigation and skilled people who could read them. (there are a number of Maori navigation pieces in large scale on the lawn behind Parliament.)
I am really wary of the Kiwiblog type approach which I sense is western, western western……oh and did I mention western.
For me there is no right wing science or left wing science.
There is just science and the query is what should it contain. I believe that western world actually does not contain everyhting that fits us for living. Following on from that I belive that the western world does not contain the only source of wisdom based on observation and experimentation.
MB linked to material on how LW & RW see and react to people/situations/problems in the world around them. This might be useful to tease out how people make sense of their world in the work you are doing
Thanks for the interesting discussion. It would be good to continue this discussion going forward. It would be interesting to see a post put up about it actually.
For me there is just science. Not Western science and Maori science.
If something falls within the definition of science then it is science, where ever it is from.
The key aspect of science is research that has the capacity to produce accurate, reliable, and repeatable results, that also have a predictive capacity that leads to future discovery.
That doesn't mean that knowledge that falls outside the scope of science doesn't have value.
I think the navigation of early Maori is certainly falls within the scope of science. As do other Maori knowledge that would have allowed them to plan their lives. For instance, knowledge of seasons, and food production based on these etc.
However, a lot of that is really now science history rather than current science. For example, we now have satellite GPS that allows much more reliable navigation.
I agree there is value in Maori knowledge of NZ plants etc for medical treatments. But to develop these would require “western” science as those methods (double blind studies etc) are needed to provide statistical evidence of usefulness and to exclude placebo effects. So, the road still leads to western science.
I think there is certainly a lot of value in studying Maori culture, and valuable lessons to be learned. But, if it doesn't fall within the scope of science, it should probably be studied as an art.
I think a better thing to do in our education system would be to study the work of prominent Maori scientists. This would definitely fall within the scope of science and provide incentive for Maori students to achieve at a similar level.
I have posted a bit on this tsmithfield. Shanreagh is correct as Molly has too.
She initially had some anedotal evidence of a group of teachers setting the school geology curriculum (science) and the Maori advisor offering up for the lesson plan students being adviced to stand in the water and see what the feel (this is not a direct quote, but from memory).
I have followed the debate around the Listener 7. Seven immenant NZ academics, including Professor Robert Nola who is an internation expert in the Philosophy of Science. I would say Professor Nola is well qualified to define what science is. The Listener 7 said Maturanga Maori fell well short of meeting the definition of science (they were very respectful at the same time about MM, but just said it couldn't be considered science). MM of course has many aspects that can't be considered science.
Professor Garth Cooper was one of the listener 7 and is of Maori heritage. He has done outstanding work in the field of teaching Maori medical students, research and discovery in diabetes and developing programmes for Maori re diabetes.
“A distinctly curious feature of the backlash against the seven professors’ letter published in The Listener titled “In Defence of Science” is that none of its most prominent critics have actually defended mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge) as being scientific.”
For more on the Listener 7 read the above link. Graham Adams has covered this extensively.
From a health point of view, what I have read about Rongao Maori (Maori healing ) I find problematic. A particular article I read inwith interviews with Rongao healers that talked about the importance of plants whakapapa. I say I believe this is problematic, because Maori health stats are so poor.
What's the connection between poor Māori health stats and rongoa Māori?
Research wise there is unlikely to be a connection.
I think it is possible that people who seek out Rongao Maori may do this instead of visiting a Dr. I don't have any evidence for this. But if it is true, then it could lead to postponed diagnosis.
I think it is important that all people have a good science education so they understand the benefits of Western medicine. This is surely what would have been preferable for the anti vaxer types?
There is however good evidence to show that Pāhekā dominated systems treat Māori in ways that inhibit good engagement, and that when Māori services are provided (separate or integrated) Māori have better outcomes and are more likely to engage.
Irihapeti Ramsden's work a really good place to look for understanding on this. Here's a good starter. Note how she's talking about making changes for all cultures https://ngataonga.org.nz/set/item/569
Many Māori have experiential reasons to not trust mainstream medicine. Because of how they've been treated, or mistreated.
The best outcomes come from culturally appropriate services, and integrated care ie make rongoa Māori available alongside GP and specialist care. We won't get that by positioning Western Science as the be all and end all. This is one of the reasons why I think the position of segregating Māori culture is a fail.
btw, rongoa has a science base as well, to the extent that some of the plants have been studied. It's a particular Western view to see it as lesser or ineffective.
I am not at all surprized Kawakawa leaves have been proven through science to have healing properties. St Johns Wort is a herb that the Germans did much research on and it was found to have an anti depressant effect. It is not to be taken with other anti depressants though as many herbal medicines are not to be taken with allopathic medicine.
It is sad that Maori find it hard to access healthcare because of mistrust due to their experiences. Richie Poulton from the Dunedin Longitudinal study put out a statement during the pandemic about the anti vaxers. They analyed data from the study participants that showed those who were anti vax were more likely to have experienced adverse life events in childhood and had anti authority tendancies.
I will read Ramsdem's article.
Having worked in the health sector in the 1990s we managed to engage well with Maori and their whanau.
If Maori are using Rongoa Maori in their healing of course the origins of the plant matter. I am picking that many Maori may be uncomfortable with hybridised* plants, or plants where the seed has been treated a la Monsanto.
I had an experience with flax at our family beach property. My next door neighbour was an art tutor at a local wananga. He said our flax was a special kind, that was not used for fine weaving but was used in other ways, it had a different preparation required before use.
So imagine if Maori had not known this whakapapa/origin of this flax, others would be using it, wasting time preparing for fine weaving and then not getting the result that was wanted.
NB The spelling is Rongoa Anker, please correct you auto correct…it makes my eyes hurt spelled the other way.
* I know that those engaged in serious native reveg programmes do not use hybrids. They eco source or grow on from unhybridised plants in the area.
It is exactly because health stats are so poor that those practising Rongoa Maori need to have the best, authentic plants available to them. Their patients deserve the best and those practising Rongoa Maori what their remedies work. Only if they are made from the best ingredients can they have the best results.
This is why in western medicine some prescriptions have expiry dates, this is because the older they are usually the less effective they are. The less effective they are, such as in antibiotics, the more chance of breeding antibiotic resistant diseases.
I went to the links, read through the NZ Science Curriculum on line and could not find "it will be taught in science that science is a Western knowledge system."
What I did find: tsmithfield on The Standard quotes Jerry Coyne who quotes getting a letter from a person who quotes a teacher who went to a regional session about the government curriculum for integrating modern science.
The meeting was a professional development day to discuss the NCEA science curriculum. At the meeting a unit plan from the host school was presented. This was quoted as evidence of the potential for the curriculum to be distorted.
On here that has been turned into "here is some of what will be taught in science: That science is a Western knowledge system."
Fair enough for people to qualms and concerns about the science curriculum but it is ironic in a discussion about science and presumably accuracy, to see how this is presented.
Does anyone have any predictions for the Cabinet reshuffle? (Apart from those portfolios/roles Hipkins has already handed over to Nash, Tinetti and Robertson.) Obviously PMs tend to hold few portfolios other than intelligence services, but what about Sepuloni? Might she pass on MSD, which she’s held for 5 years, or is that too much of a priority area? It seems likely Roberston will remain MOF? Who might we expect to get promoted and/or handed key portfolios?
I think the reshuffle is expected shortly after Hipkins is sworn in on Wednesday. My pick is either late Wed, or Thurs.
Those who have indicated they are leaving politics at the time of the election (14 Oct.) are likely to lose their portfolios and we will see the arrival of fresh faces in the Cabinet. Dr Deborah Russell, MP for New Lynn is likely to be one of them. She is a taxation expert.
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
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With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
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New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
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Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
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Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
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The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
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The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
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I like the look of the new Labour leadership team. I don't think it will do them any harm. Whether it will win the election for them is another matter. I think the biggest problem is that it looks like we are heading into tough economic times which is not good for any incumbent government.
It looks like Hipkins is intending to move back to the centre, and appears to be dropping some of the woke stuff, which is probably a good strategy to win back some of the centre vote. This is probably good for the Greens as well because Labour voters unhappy with that shift will likely move further left to the Greens.
It looks like some of the contentious stuff will be dropped prior to the election. The strategy of dropping unpopular, contentious policy prior to the election is probably necessary. However, the problem is that National will probably argue that the unpopular stuff has just been postponed, not dropped. And the best way to stop the unpopular stuff rearing its ugly head again will be to vote National in.
Interesting times. As I said, I think the change is net positive for Labour. Whether it will be enough to win is another matter.
Care to elaborate ?
I saw it commented on the news that he used the word "New Zealand" exclusively in his interview rather than "Aotearoa" for what it is worth. I think the thought was it indicated he was going to step away from some of the co-governance stuff that has been a bone of contention for many for instance.
maybe it was the real politik of not wanting the start of his leadership to be swamped on SM by racists going on about Aotearoa.
Shhh, tsmithfield is about to tell us what words need to come out of Chris Hipkins mouth to capture his vote.
That is a weak point about Aotearoa New Zealand.
Some people use it, some don't and hopefully we are not getting into entrail divining mode.
Why anyone would think this means anything about co governance is beyond me.
I actually heard our prime minister on Newstalk ZB this morning on the Mike Hosking show (although Hosking is still away). Now that hasn't happened for a while.
He communicates and comes across well, and can answer the questions.
Perhaps if he decides to can the TVNZ / RNZ merger, and stops 3/5 waters there is a very real chance of a Labour led government after October 2023.
Rest assured, on behalf of his masters Mi Cockskin will be gunning for PM Hipkins!
More centrism from Labour is the last thing the working class of this country need, but the argument about winning back certain voters is clear enough. Plus it will give Greens and Te Pāti Māori some good negotiating strength if there is an opportunity for a Labour led Govt.
So many things predispose me not to like Chris Hipkins, but he and Ardern have formed the ski jump right over the top of National's weekend, so good start.
Looking forward to the Cabinet reshuffle and work programme reprioritisation.
I want to see the new Prime Minister put a lot more pressure on Robertson to show he really is part of the election win plan through Budget, not just Budget Business As Usual.
Yes I'd like your definition of woke. It is used and abused so much that plain speaking and less jargon would be useful.
Actually my preference would be that you don't use the word 'woke'.
I am finding it has more and more of a 'rightie' flavour and people are using it as a cipher so they don't have to admit to sexist, anti democratic or racist views
I believe "woke" or "identity politics" is the idea perpetuated by upper middle class to rich liberals that gender, sexuality, race is more important than class and poverty.
Woke politics in my experience is corporate friendly activism that places the individual above the community. My gender, my sexuality, my identity. Me me me.
Woke activists care less about policies and more about "representation" and "diversity" of the people saying the policies.
Woke activists often reject the idea of class and often truly believe a millionaire of colour lives a less privileged life than a white person on dole.
When confronted by the fact that there are more poor white people in NZ than poor people of colour and that we should create universal programs to lift everyone out of poverty woke activists resort to name calling, denialism, what aboutisms and suggest "targeted programs".
Woke in my honest opinion is neo-neoliberalism, sounds nice but ultimately it's corporate friendly, individualism using left wing talking points to alienate groups from uniting based on class and shared circumstances and fighting amongst each other based off race, gender and sexuality.
There are elements of it that are surely noble, but there are elements of it such as putting people in boxes and ignoring class issues that as a gay mixed race person who grew up poor I find disgraceful.
The left wants everyone to have a great life and succeed regardless of what ethnicity, gender or sexuality you are where as the woke want you to succeed because of your race gender or sexuality.
When you're focusing on you and your identity and how different you are every day you're not focusing on other people.
Class is and still is the best unifying factor the left has going for it. The 90% vs the 1% and it's 9% enablers.
Corey, I totally agree with what you have written.
I have long been of the view that 'woke' is a rightist construct just as 'PC' was a rightist/male construct.
I will have a deeper & slower read and may comment further though most times with your posts my conclusion is 'I wish I could have written something just as good.'
This is powerful and lines up with the link that MB had about leftists being more empathetic
Muttonbird14
20 January 2023 at 10:28 am
Well said, so basically as Bryce Edwards has said "Less Grey Lynn- more Kelston". That, and pleeeease stop burning the DoC huts. Just last week a woman with a badly injured leg was found by rescuers.. sheltering in a DoC Urewera hut.
Bravo! That is the best explanation of wokeness I have ever read in my life. Thank you, I'm going to copy and paste for future reference.
I think a problem for Labour is that they could lose some of the idiot vote, judging by the stupid woman I saw making a comment on the news last night.
She said that she was probably going to go back to voting National now Jacinda was gone. So, the whole reason for her voting decision appeared to be a personality she liked regardless of the policy mix of the party she was voting for.
What a mixed comment. Does passive aggressive cover it ? Im really wondering how to respond : (
Do you feel… she was maybe woke?
LOL. Nah, just stupid.
I really have little time for people whose sole decision is voting is on the basis of one person they like, regardless of what the policies of that party are. The reason I see them as stupid is because they appear to be led totally by their feels rather than their brain.
You know they say that character is destiny.
If you heard Key talk about housing before he became PM, you could be forgiven for thinking his policy was going to make things better.
Personality is not an unreasonable way to judge political aspirants – it was not policy as such that made Dr Sharma undesirable, for instance.
Hmm. Sharma was elected in 2020 – entirely on Ardern's popularity (approx 6K+ additional votes from his previous result).
How did that work out for Labour? Or for the electorate of Hamilton West, for that matter?
Paying attention to the actual candidate, rather than the leader, is probably a fairly intelligent thing to do.
entirely on Ardern's popularity
I'd say it was more that he coat-tailed on the Covid response. It was not some irrational 'love Jacinda' thing.
Labour has, sadly, a number of others that came in in similar fashion, who may not have proven their value to the public at large.
Some of the more divisive policies fall somewhat short of either a respectable level of public support, or a clear overriding public interest justification. These should have been identified in the drafting stage, not as they come into force.
OK – I'll back away from the 'entirely' – and agree that the Covid response was also a big factor (although, difficult to separate Ardern from the Covid-response leadership)
But all of the analysis supports the view that personal support for Ardern was a very significant factor in 2020
"The popularity of Jacinda Ardern – and the lack of popularity of Judith Collins – is also highly likely to have contributed to Labour’s success. Of our NZES respondents, 65% said they most wanted Ardern to be prime minister on election day, compared to only 17% supporting Collins (no one else received over 2% support). "
https://theconversation.com/anniversary-of-a-landslide-new-research-reveals-what-really-swung-new-zealands-2020-covid-election-169351
Personally I always vote for the party and the electorate candidate separately. The party vote is what gives you the government. The electorate vote just gives you an MP. Nice when you have a electorate MP that is worth voting for.
But when the local candidate doesn't fit, then I vote for someone else. When it was FPP, I'd hold my nose. But MMP means that I have a choice.
David Shearer for instance. I voted for someone else during the candidate selection as a Mt Albert member mostly because his views felt like they were from a by-gone era. Liked him as a person. He felt like he would have worked better as a politician in the 1990s.
The by-election was interesting. I wasn’t able to vote because Newton was in Auckland Central. But the campaign…. That was like going back a decade in the techniques being used. That was understandable for a by-election. But the 2011 election was the same, less of a MMP campaign in the electorate and more of a FPP campaign to get out the the party faithful. A local MMP election needs to target swing voters and concentrates on party vote.
Some time in 2012, I'd come to the conclusion that I wasn't happy with hims ideas. They'd represent some conservative like Josie Pagani far more than me or the people of Mt Albert. It was also why I didn't vote for Richard Prebble when he was still with Labour and I was voting in Auckland Central. That was when I started working across the border in Mt Albert.
I pretty well dropped out of the Mt Albert LEC in 2012. A vote by walking. It wasn't the sole reason. I'd been running out of time anyway from projects at work and other things I was doing – like this site.
I voted for Labour in 2014. Ironically I was actually in the Mt Albert election in 2014 for the first time for a decade. I seem to remember that I didn't vote for David Shearer. I just couldn't do it at the polling booth. So old school and so damn wasteful because he kept running FPP campaigns. Not to mention ill-considered conservative policies that looked for niche electorate votes and didn't represent Labour members across the whole country.
It was exactly the reason that other old school campaigners (Jim Anderton and the Biege wonder come to mind) won regularly won silo electorates but lost party votes because they simply weren't chasing the important vote. NZF managed to recover from the same trap
In the aftermath of the 2014 election I wrote "Labour obviously never worked out MMP" because I was really getting pissed off. It will be a pain if the electorate candidates do a 2014 election strategy this year.
I'm still a member in Mt Albert and I'm still in the bounds of the Mt Alert electorate (just – one building to the east is Auckland Central). Hopefully we'll get a decent selection of candidates to pick from. Hopefully we will pick a candidate I can vote for.
Probably the last time voting at the end of this year in Mt Albert. I still don't have time to do much active campaigning this election, and we'll probably move elsewhere (in Auckland?) by next election.
Interesting comments, thanks. I live a few minutes stroll from what was David's electorate office on New North Road and met him on a number of occasions around his electorate work. I really liked David as a person, but I came to the view that he was in the wrong political party, and that, unlike Helen Clark, politics didn't sit comfortably on his shoulders. I was genuinely surprised when he put his name forward to contest the Labour leadership, and I was even more surprised when he won! From memory, I gave him my electorate vote in 2011 and 2014, even though I didn't party vote Labour.
David Shearer is a very fine man. He has a lot of skills, but the skills involved with negotiating aid corridors with dictators and warlords are not suited to todays 30 second soundbites.
He had potential as a good Electorate MP, but that was it.
I agree that I try to look with a critical eye at the local candidate – and vote for the person separately from the party vote.
It's made a bit more difficult when parties put up some fairly shallow, or single-issue focused candidates (my experience with both National and Labour candidates in my electorate in 2020). And, the reality is that, even the most outstanding candidate from Greens (pace Auckland Central) and ACT (pace Epsom) – doesn't have a chance in a standard electorate – so your vote would be wasted.
I commented elsewhere, that so far Labour have been unwilling to support (formally or informally) a Green candidate with a better shot at winning an electorate, than the Labour one. It was in the context of Auckland Central – and the possible effect on Swarbrick if Helen White takes over Mt Albert.
Logically, a 'cup of tea' scenario (as National/ACT have done in Epsom) to ensure that Swarbrick wins comfortably – would be a better result for the Left – but we've yet to see it eventuate.
I only really consider policy, but have come to realise this is probably just a wrong way. Most people its primarily personality.
Obviously policies can change and will. I mean the last thing any RW voters should think is that NACT will carry out most of the stupid they are proposing, and thats the very limited set of stuff they have policy on.
It seems more sensible to judge personalities and the kinds of policy preferences they lead to, because events can totally change the policy landscape during a term.
Unfortunately I struggle with this judgement. I actually thought Bill English would be a safe sensible, and therefore appealing PM at one time. Probably you could help with this, just want to see a few details from people involved in the wealth of business experience in the National party. What kind of managers have they been, what kinds of deals did they do, was everyone involved better off?
The judging on personality (or at least the elements of personality that the media let you see) – can result in the Peter Dunne scenario, and the 'worm' of 2002. [NB: I'm older than I thought, I remember it clearly!]
Someone who seems 'nice' and 'sensible' ….
You've just summed up 9 years of the Key government.
Unfortunately, many people simply vote on looks or personality. Remember, half the voting population is below average intelligence and often have no ideas of what policies they are voting for.
So, are you saying that the idiot vote is really big?![sad sad](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/sad_smile.png?x42494)
You know it is!
No your wrong, half of the population is of average intelligence, 25% above 25% below, have a look at a bell curve, use your average intelligence to google one.
Not from the mid point. 34% are below but within the first deviation, and 16% are lower.
https://www.iqmindware.com/blog/the-bell-curve-cognitive-elites/
Average IQ is considered to be between 90 and 109.
If this is correct why is the Comms mantra to tailor press releases to an average age of 11. Presumably with average 11 year knowledge.
Are you saying that people may be intelligent in terms of Bell Curve distribution but their comprehension is no better than an 11 year old. if so I would agree.
I have long had the belief that the Labour Govt has thought that the electorate as a whole was wiser and more intelligent than they really are, so they pitch comprehension at a higher level. The strange views/misunderstandings about 3/5 Waters and Co Governance on here, where I have long believed we are all have good comprehension, is testament that.
Interestingly the 70 to 74 cohort has the highest average IQ at 119, but that is more to do with wealth = health and the earlier demise of the unhealthy.
Great example of their care for women! Scottish women parliamentarians at an anti woman rally.
[image resized – Incognito]
Many thanks.
a fair bit of bullshit on twitter about how the signs are just a joke, no-one really wants to behead or eat feminists. Feminists pointed out that men already do behead women and other extremely violent shit. At the least it's incredibly tone deaf in a country that has a high rate of murder of women.
And placard abuse is not that different to online abuse. It increases tolerance for harassment, and sometimes leads to increased violence. Which is ironic from the movement that claims that feminists being critical of gender identity are responsible for violence against trans people (rather than the men that do the actual violence).
But of course they will argue that it's just the 'terfs' they are targeting, which is another version of dehumanising the women who's beliefs you don't approve of.
For those that think the signs are a joke or no big deal, here's the context: a sustained movement of death, rape and other threats aimed at women's rights campaigners or any woman who speaks up online. Women get these threats in public spaces (online and IRL), and their DMs, emails etc. This is what liberals who deny women's right to our own spaces and culture are sanctioning. And then they wonder why we don't want any men, trans identified or otherwise, in our spaces.
https://terfisaslur.com/
I've written about the messaging from (usually) trans women/trans identified males, which can often be summarised as 'suck my dick, cunts'.
New misogyny, same as the old.
.https://thestandard.org.nz/new-misogyny-same-as-the-old-misogyny/
Is there a poster on TS that understands German politics?
I’m looking for a decent reason why Scholz hasn’t allowed Leopard 2 tanks to be shipped to Ukraine. Form a logistical pow that should be a no-brainier.
It is all a bit confusing, and seems to change by the minute. But the latest I have heard is that Germany won't stand in the way of other countries supplying Leopards. Though, that is probably forced because those other countries are threatening to supply them with or without German permission.
And, Poland will be training Ukrainians on using the Leopards, so it is a bit of a done deal.
And, Germany has tended to get there in the end with other weapon systems. So, lets just say they are late adopters.
They have said they will supply tanks if the US does it first. So, that might mean the US supplying a token number of Abrams tanks. Though, that is not the ideal tank for Ukraine for a number of reasons.
Part of the reluctance of Germany sending their tanks is probably something to do with the image of German tanks close to the border of Russia, given WW2 history where German tanks were a prominent part of the German invasion of Russia.
Under reported – Germany is ditching the overhang.
German politics is still haunted by the second world war. They've spent eighty year systematically repudiating heroic leadership of the kind they embraced under Hitler and instead raising technocratic rationalism to a complete ideology of government. So now they have an ossified technocratic leadership frozen in place by the nature of MMP, a system designed to restrain radicalism but after sixty years of this system Germany has been left in the grip of a near terminal political inertia. The epitome of this was the "Merkle doctrine" of engagement with Russia, the idea being that if only Germany cleaved closer to Russia economically it could mitigate and dissipate any threat from the east. The problem of course is that relationship degenerated into something akin to Germany having a political version of battered woman syndrome vis-a-vis Russia.
On top of that you've got a weird coalition of the far left (Die Linke) and the far right (AfD opposed to supporting the Ukraine, the former due to a pacifism that amounts to defeatism combined with a reflexive opposition the military-industrial complex and the latter because they are fascists making common cause with Russia against democracy.
So the broad centrist consensus in Germany is one of a slothful political system that prizes "rational consensus" above all else, takes a long time to make any decision let alone a complete change of direction, a pathological desire to avoid another war in the east (the idea of German tanks again fighting on the steppes of Russia is an anathema to centrist German politicians), and a decades long cultural rejection of the idea of the legitimacy of national identity (i.e. another reaction to the extemism of the Nazi narrative of the German identity as the master race) which looks at horror at Ukrainians dying to defend the idea of an separate Ukrainian identity and sovereignty all means that Germany is currently paralyzed. Turning the ship of the German body politic around is going to take a long long time.
'If ever' if you read Sabine's post.
Having lived and studied in Germany I found that there is a carefulness about discussions on arming, armies, weapons, wars. I found, though, that there is a keenness to follow up its membership with the UN in supplying aid and peace-keeping forces. Fellow NZers who have worked beside them in this have valued the experience. Nato works too, with others to protect themselves and others.
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_210076.htm
So I am not sure that words such as the last para of Sanctuary's post, with its hint of annoyance, really hits the mark and reality about dealing with these tanks. The German people are not a bunch of children taking an inordinately time to hand over a toy that another child wants to play with.
Thank you Sabine for your post.
To the German people take as long as you want about these tanks.
Two issues that people not from Germany have a hard time understanding sometimes.
A. the Germans lost a million man in Russia. One Army. The 6th Army. Those that came back took ten years to come back. the last Russian prisoner of war returned in 1955.
To this day we do not speak of the Wehrmacht and their offerings to the gods of war and selfish greed.
They have fought russia and lost and they have not forgotten. Both of my grandfathers send to war in their early 20s did not come back. In fact non of the male relatives came back. I was raised in a household of old women and young men/girls.
B. The east Germans lived with the Russians and are not quite as gung ho then some arm chair soldiers in far away lands to fight them eithers. They know the Russians. Angela Merkel knew the Russians, she speaks fluently Russian enough to get a 1.0 highest grade when she sat her Abitur.
Then that issue of pesky 'crt' or 'denazification" as it was for us Germans. We went through the 'all Germans are horrible people who killed millions and we can never allow that to do again'.
That too leaves marks and might change a way of thinking. Again, not something that i expect people to understand that have not been at that end of education. But then ' all white people are racists' is coming close to it.
Where do you want to start?
start at the beginning.
Germany got their peace contract from the allies in 1990. Until then Germany was split in 4 parts, myself i grew up in the US American Zone of Germany. You had East Germany which was the Russian Zone of Germany, The French and the English shard the rest.
Until that day Germany was not allowed to have a military in the sense of having a 'free military' that other countries might have. So the Army was restrcited in how many men it could have, ditto for the Airforce, and Navy. This was of course to prevent Germany from being a military power.
Every single German (and Austrian) has gone through De-nazification via School. This process was quite different in the years directly after the war vs the years that i spend in school in the 70s. The focus of my education was on Responsibility and collective guilt and on how to 'Never Again' commit the same sins. In the process of that quite a few pacifists were created.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denazification
Pacifism in Germany is a thing. Never again is a thing. Not being allowed to have an army and to wage war also had an impact on the people that are the parents of current youth and young people. Trickle Trickle Trickle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacifism_in_Germany
Hence why Schroeder won and election by not going to war with the US in Iraq.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany%E2%80%93Iraq_relations
All of these reasons might be coming into play when telling Germans that one wants to sell/deliver weapons to another country to wage war. This is just a bit of back story, and people need to understand that the Germany Army is literally 30 years old. What was the Bundeswehr before the Re-unification was nothing more then a few pieces of meat the Allies would have thrown at the Russians whilst they retreated to the UK. That was known. Germany was considered a buffer zone by the allies.
Germany has provided weapons, under the Auspices of Nato, and you could argue it should do so again this time around.
However……there might still be restrictions on what exactly the Germans can and can not do with regards to armaments to third parties, and this might to do more with European rules/regulations then Germany itself.
https://www.dw.com/en/boris-pistorius-to-become-germanys-new-defense-minister-reports/a-64418604
Anyways, Germans generally don't like to participate in war for reasons. the German government still is quite beholden to their old overlords the allies much to the distress of Germans. (There is quite a few people who would shut down Ramstein and the various US Spy stations any day of the week, me inc).
This is a big article here that has a good run down on what / why and how.
also Germany just ditched their Minister of Defense and appointed a different person. That might also have something to do with it.
https://www.fr.de/politik/ukraine-krieg-news-aktuell-ramstein-treffen-pistorius-verteidigungsminister-us-austin-polen-russland-putin-mkr-92037196.html
Thank-you Sabine, I am a littler wiser than what I was when I woke up this morning.
Thanks Sabine
That is a valuable rundown on the context of a German military
Got a couple of books on the History of the German Military & in particular the General Chief of Staff.
Is that had the 3 Great Reformers of the German/ Prussian Military got their way ie make the Military accountable to Parliament & not the Head of State ie the German Crown.
Then it's very likely that Germany's & probably for that matter European History would be very different today.
Thanks TS and posters.
”A sadder and a wiser man
He rose the morrow morn.”
Something I would really like to get a left-wing perspective on as it is something that concerns me quite a bit.
A number of months back there was the publicised letter from a group of academics expressing concern about what they said was Maori knowledge being elevated to the same level as science in science education.
There have been a number of posts on the likes of Kiwiblog, and a post there today on this subject.
From the post:
I would be very concerned if this is actually the case. I strongly value quality education, and the teaching of science. But I would be very concerned if teaching of science was to be diluted by unscientific stuff dressed up as science.
I can see value in the teaching of science history in teaching about Maori navigation methods for instance. And I can see value in say anthropology in teaching about Maori legends. And I can see value in Maori knowledge say about the properties of NZ plants that could lead perhaps to new medical treatments for instance.
But, if Maori historical knowledge, including legends etc as stated in the kiwiblog post, is given the same status in a science curriculum as modern science, I would be greatly concerned, as I would see that as a dilution rather than a benefit. And if science is given some sort of "imperialistic" status as "Western Science" I would be greatly concerned. To me science is science. It doesn't matter who does it or where it comes from.
But, perhaps those making these types of complaints have got the wrong end of the stick. So, I would be interested to hear from those here who have some insight into what the true situation is.
I'd be a bit concerned if anything posted on kiwiblog shows up in the science curriculum. That is the question right? Should any ideology be infering what is and isn't true.
If it were just kiwiblog I would agree. But it started with an open letter from a group of concerned academics.
And even Richard Dawkins has weighed in.
Government in NZ is so ignorant of science that they even passed a law to say that men can claim to be women and change their birth certificate to 'prove' it and be able to invade women only spaces. So don't be surprised what they put into the education system.
They have put the same sort of crap into the Education system. Have a look at the Relationship and Sexuality Education syllabus. It is chock full of gender ideology. Science hardly gets a look in.
Anker or Molly (I think) one or both have taken an interest in this and both had some careful posts late last year before 3 Waters took over. I did not agree with all of them. Weka too on regen ag and how it is turning agricultural science based on fertiliser plus, plus to a science based on observation and moderation.
Others of us commented then too.
I personally have a problem with Westerners defining what they believe is science unless it is caveated/divided
I also have a problem with people saying 'unless this work fits within this ( read western) paradigm it is not science'
In NZ the separation of thought has meant that Maori Rongoa is left out. We as NZ people are poorer for it. As first people they had their own methods remedies of treating illness, growing plants, navigation, knowledge of climate & weather patterns. That it relies on oral tradition or patterns of doing after experimenting does not mean it is valueless because it has not started with an hypothesis, testing, written recording and conclusion
Maori also got from Hawaiki to NZ and so far as I know they did not have magic carpets. So they had to have a form of celestial navigation or another type of navigation and skilled people who could read them. (there are a number of Maori navigation pieces in large scale on the lawn behind Parliament.)
I am really wary of the Kiwiblog type approach which I sense is western, western western……oh and did I mention western.
For me there is no right wing science or left wing science.
There is just science and the query is what should it contain. I believe that western world actually does not contain everyhting that fits us for living. Following on from that I belive that the western world does not contain the only source of wisdom based on observation and experimentation.
MB linked to material on how LW & RW see and react to people/situations/problems in the world around them. This might be useful to tease out how people make sense of their world in the work you are doing
Muttonbird14
20 January 2023 at 10:28 am
Thanks for the interesting discussion. It would be good to continue this discussion going forward. It would be interesting to see a post put up about it actually.
For me there is just science. Not Western science and Maori science.
If something falls within the definition of science then it is science, where ever it is from.
The key aspect of science is research that has the capacity to produce accurate, reliable, and repeatable results, that also have a predictive capacity that leads to future discovery.
That doesn't mean that knowledge that falls outside the scope of science doesn't have value.
I think the navigation of early Maori is certainly falls within the scope of science. As do other Maori knowledge that would have allowed them to plan their lives. For instance, knowledge of seasons, and food production based on these etc.
However, a lot of that is really now science history rather than current science. For example, we now have satellite GPS that allows much more reliable navigation.
I agree there is value in Maori knowledge of NZ plants etc for medical treatments. But to develop these would require “western” science as those methods (double blind studies etc) are needed to provide statistical evidence of usefulness and to exclude placebo effects. So, the road still leads to western science.
I think there is certainly a lot of value in studying Maori culture, and valuable lessons to be learned. But, if it doesn't fall within the scope of science, it should probably be studied as an art.
I think a better thing to do in our education system would be to study the work of prominent Maori scientists. This would definitely fall within the scope of science and provide incentive for Maori students to achieve at a similar level.
I have posted a bit on this tsmithfield. Shanreagh is correct as Molly has too.
She initially had some anedotal evidence of a group of teachers setting the school geology curriculum (science) and the Maori advisor offering up for the lesson plan students being adviced to stand in the water and see what the feel (this is not a direct quote, but from memory).
I have followed the debate around the Listener 7. Seven immenant NZ academics, including Professor Robert Nola who is an internation expert in the Philosophy of Science. I would say Professor Nola is well qualified to define what science is. The Listener 7 said Maturanga Maori fell well short of meeting the definition of science (they were very respectful at the same time about MM, but just said it couldn't be considered science). MM of course has many aspects that can't be considered science.
Professor Garth Cooper was one of the listener 7 and is of Maori heritage. He has done outstanding work in the field of teaching Maori medical students, research and discovery in diabetes and developing programmes for Maori re diabetes.
From a health point of view, what I have read about Rongao Maori (Maori healing ) I find problematic. A particular article I read inwith interviews with Rongao healers that talked about the importance of plants whakapapa. I say I believe this is problematic, because Maori health stats are so poor.
https://utopiayouarestandinginit.com/2021/08/03/the-attacks-on-seven-eminent-professors-over-a-listener-letter-in-which-they-championed-science-have-missed-their-target/
“A distinctly curious feature of the backlash against the seven professors’ letter published in The Listener titled “In Defence of Science” is that none of its most prominent critics have actually defended mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge) as being scientific.”
For more on the Listener 7 read the above link. Graham Adams has covered this extensively.
What's the connection between poor Māori health stats and rongoa Māori?
Research wise there is unlikely to be a connection.
I think it is possible that people who seek out Rongao Maori may do this instead of visiting a Dr. I don't have any evidence for this. But if it is true, then it could lead to postponed diagnosis.
I think it is important that all people have a good science education so they understand the benefits of Western medicine. This is surely what would have been preferable for the anti vaxer types?
There is however good evidence to show that Pāhekā dominated systems treat Māori in ways that inhibit good engagement, and that when Māori services are provided (separate or integrated) Māori have better outcomes and are more likely to engage.
Irihapeti Ramsden's work a really good place to look for understanding on this. Here's a good starter. Note how she's talking about making changes for all cultures https://ngataonga.org.nz/set/item/569
Many Māori have experiential reasons to not trust mainstream medicine. Because of how they've been treated, or mistreated.
The best outcomes come from culturally appropriate services, and integrated care ie make rongoa Māori available alongside GP and specialist care. We won't get that by positioning Western Science as the be all and end all. This is one of the reasons why I think the position of segregating Māori culture is a fail.
btw, rongoa has a science base as well, to the extent that some of the plants have been studied. It's a particular Western view to see it as lesser or ineffective.
https://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/article/undoctored/scientists-confirm-kawakawas-healing-properties
(you might know Chris Pook from twitter)
Thanks for your various thoughtful responses. I feel like I have learned something.
cheers.
Thanks Weka.
I am not on twitter.
I am not at all surprized Kawakawa leaves have been proven through science to have healing properties. St Johns Wort is a herb that the Germans did much research on and it was found to have an anti depressant effect. It is not to be taken with other anti depressants though as many herbal medicines are not to be taken with allopathic medicine.
It is sad that Maori find it hard to access healthcare because of mistrust due to their experiences. Richie Poulton from the Dunedin Longitudinal study put out a statement during the pandemic about the anti vaxers. They analyed data from the study participants that showed those who were anti vax were more likely to have experienced adverse life events in childhood and had anti authority tendancies.
I will read Ramsdem's article.
Having worked in the health sector in the 1990s we managed to engage well with Maori and their whanau.
FYI, Māori are under-represented in the Dunedin Study compared the national average.
I didn't follow this point from Anker either.
If Maori are using Rongoa Maori in their healing of course the origins of the plant matter. I am picking that many Maori may be uncomfortable with hybridised* plants, or plants where the seed has been treated a la Monsanto.
I had an experience with flax at our family beach property. My next door neighbour was an art tutor at a local wananga. He said our flax was a special kind, that was not used for fine weaving but was used in other ways, it had a different preparation required before use.
So imagine if Maori had not known this whakapapa/origin of this flax, others would be using it, wasting time preparing for fine weaving and then not getting the result that was wanted.
NB The spelling is Rongoa Anker, please correct you auto correct…it makes my eyes hurt spelled the other way.
* I know that those engaged in serious native reveg programmes do not use hybrids. They eco source or grow on from unhybridised plants in the area.
It is exactly because health stats are so poor that those practising Rongoa Maori need to have the best, authentic plants available to them. Their patients deserve the best and those practising Rongoa Maori what their remedies work. Only if they are made from the best ingredients can they have the best results.
This is why in western medicine some prescriptions have expiry dates, this is because the older they are usually the less effective they are. The less effective they are, such as in antibiotics, the more chance of breeding antibiotic resistant diseases.
Not quite: https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/PUArticles/March2016/MedicineExpiryDates.htm
Much of it has to do with regulation aka paper trails.
I went to the links, read through the NZ Science Curriculum on line and could not find "it will be taught in science that science is a Western knowledge system."
What I did find: tsmithfield on The Standard quotes Jerry Coyne who quotes getting a letter from a person who quotes a teacher who went to a regional session about the government curriculum for integrating modern science.
The meeting was a professional development day to discuss the NCEA science curriculum. At the meeting a unit plan from the host school was presented. This was quoted as evidence of the potential for the curriculum to be distorted.
On here that has been turned into "here is some of what will be taught in science: That science is a Western knowledge system."
Fair enough for people to qualms and concerns about the science curriculum but it is ironic in a discussion about science and presumably accuracy, to see how this is presented.
So absurd that it just has to be true.
https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1617094220430610432
Sometimes Bomber hits the mark – though I couldn’t find the text to give the actual quote – he said something like this:
Both Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon hold strong views on how NZ should be governed.
The difference is, Chippy is happy to share his views with one and all, while Luxon is terrified we may get to learn what his real views are.
Bang on.
Does anyone have any predictions for the Cabinet reshuffle? (Apart from those portfolios/roles Hipkins has already handed over to Nash, Tinetti and Robertson.) Obviously PMs tend to hold few portfolios other than intelligence services, but what about Sepuloni? Might she pass on MSD, which she’s held for 5 years, or is that too much of a priority area? It seems likely Roberston will remain MOF? Who might we expect to get promoted and/or handed key portfolios?
I think the reshuffle is expected shortly after Hipkins is sworn in on Wednesday. My pick is either late Wed, or Thurs.
Those who have indicated they are leaving politics at the time of the election (14 Oct.) are likely to lose their portfolios and we will see the arrival of fresh faces in the Cabinet. Dr Deborah Russell, MP for New Lynn is likely to be one of them. She is a taxation expert.
Well..yes! Also re-nationalise NZ Rail (having a cleanout of Kiwirail white ants). Time…is of the essence ! Get on it