Open mike 23/02/2021
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- Another captive agency
The Crown Pastoral Land Act 1998 requires leaseholders to obtain permission before conducting certain activities, such as burning vegetation or disturbing the soil (which includes clearing vegetation, planting trees, draining wetlands, and applying fertiliser, as well as going wild with a bulldozer). It allows the Commissioner of Crown Lands to ...8 hours ago - When the Line Between Life and Death Is ‘A Little Bit Fuzzy’
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Session forty-seven. No-one trusted these mirrors. Nor should anyone. A collection of mirrors, just conveniently sitting in the middle of a Nightmare Forest? Clearly dangerous. The party made a point of burying them face-down in the dirt. Then three bears and eight wolves turned up. Again, these were ...9 hours ago - Union worker: Pay freeze was an attempt at intimidation by a government scared of strikes
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Putting a price tag on upcoming atmospheric rivers The Clausius-Clapeyron equation isn't complicated— once somebody has thought of the concept and mathematically tamed it. However, the deceptively meek and harmless looking caged expression of the idea in combination with an entire planet's atmosphere heating up in the presence of an ample water ...1 day ago - Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Have billions been incorrectly paid out in the wage subsidy sch...The Government’s wage subsidy scheme may have incorrectly paid out billions of dollars to ineligible businesses, and this is not being audited. That’s the conclusion to be taken from the Auditor General’s report, released yesterday. It is highly critical about the lack of checks and balances on a scheme that ...1 day ago
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- Labour’s divide and rule pay freeze
by Don Franks Last week, on the anniversary of Karl Marx’s birthday,Public Service Minister Chris Hipkins had good and bad news for workers. His good news – twenty-five per cent of public servants can expect pay rises. His bad news – for the next three years, public servants earning more than $60,000 will only get rises under ...2 days ago - NZ Politics Daily: 11 May 2021Public sector pay freeze Justin Giovannetti (Spinoff): Ardern and Robertson say public sector wage freeze is ‘misreporting’. But is it? Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Grant Robertson schedules union crisis meetings after failing to communicate public pay freeze properly Chris Trotter (Interest): Playing by a new set of rules RNZ: Government urged to rethink public sector pay freeze decision Henry Cooke (Stuff): Government in ...3 days ago
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- Te Hurihanganui growing with Nelson community celebrationNelson is the latest community to join the Te Hurihanganui kaupapa to drive change and address racism and bias in education, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Speaking at today’s community celebration, Kelvin Davis acknowledged the eight iwi in Te Tau Ihu for supporting and leading Te Hurihanganui in ...10 hours ago
- Te Hurihanganui Nelson Community Celebration Te Hurihanganui Nelson Community Celebration Victory Community Centre, Nelson “Racism exists – we feel little and bad”. Those were the unprompted words of one student during an interview for a report produced by the Children’s Commissioner in 2018. They were also the words I used when I announced the ...11 hours ago
- Child wellbeing reports highlight need for ongoing actionThe Government has released the first Annual Report for the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy and the second Child Poverty Related Indicators (CPRI) Report, both of which highlight improvements in the lives of children as a result of actions of the Government, while setting out the need for ongoing action. ...12 hours ago
- Formal consultation starts on proposals for Hawera schoolsEducation Minister Chris Hipkins today announced a formal consultation for the future of schooling in Hawera. "Recent engagement shows there is a lot of support for change. The preferred options are for primary schools to be extended to year 7 and 8, or for a year 7-13 high school to ...12 hours ago
- He Whenua Taurikura: New Zealand’s Hui on Countering Terrorism and Violent ExtremismThe Government is progressing another recommendation of the Royal Commission of Inquiry report into the terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain by convening New Zealand’s first national hui on countering terrorism and violent extremism. He Whenua Taurikura, meaning ‘a land or country at peace’, will meet in Christchurch on 15 and ...17 hours ago
- Hundreds of new electric cars for state sectorTotal of 422 new electric vehicles and charging infrastructure across the state sector $5.1 million for the Department of Conservation to buy 148 electric vehicles and install charging infrastructure $1.1 million to help Kāinga Ora buy 40 electric vehicles and install charging infrastructure 11,600 tonnes of carbon emissions saved over ...1 day ago
- Apartments give new life to former Trade Training hostelA building that once shaped the Māori trade training industry will now revitalise the local community of Ōtautahi and provide much needed housing for whānau Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson announced today. The old Māori Trade Training hostel, Te Koti Te Rato, at Rehua Marae in Christchurch has been ...1 day ago
- Opening of Te Kōti o Te Rato at Rehua Marae, Ōtautahi*Check with delivery* It is a great pleasure to be here with you all today. I acknowledge Ngāi Tūāhuriri and the trustees of Te Whatu Manawa Māoritanga o Rehua Trust Board. The opening of six new apartments on these grounds signifies more than an increase in much-needed housing for Ōtautahi. ...1 day ago
- Major step to pay parity for early learning teachersCertificated teachers on the lowest pay in early education and care services will take another leap towards pay parity with their equivalents in kindergartens, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said in a pre-Budget announcement today. “Pay parity for education and care teachers is a manifesto commitment for Labour and is reflected ...1 day ago
- New Zealand Wind Energy ConferenceTēnā koutou katoa Tēnā koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te Rā No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tatou katoa Thank you Grenville for the introduction and thanks to the organisers, the New Zealand Wind Energy Association, for inviting me to speak this morning. I’m delighted that you ...1 day ago
- Speech to New Zealand Drug Foundation 2021 Parliamentary Drug Policy SymposiumSpeech to Through the Maze: On the road to health New Zealand Drug Foundation 2021 Parliamentary Drug Policy Symposium Mōrena koutou katoa, Tēnei te mihi ki a koutou, Kua tae mai nei me ngā kete matauranga hauora, E whai hononga ai tatau katoa, Ka nui te mihi! Thank you for the opportunity ...2 days ago
- Govt to deliver lower card fees to businessCommerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark has today announced the Government’s next steps to reduce merchant service fees, that banks charge businesses when customers use a credit or debit card to pay, which is estimated to save New Zealand businesses approximately $74 million each year. “Pre COVID, EFTPOS has ...2 days ago
- Government support boosts Arts and Culture sectorGovernment support for the cultural sector to help it recover from the impact of COVID-19 has resulted in more cultural sector jobs predicted through to 2026, and the sector performing better than forecast. The latest forecast by economic consultancy ‘Infometrics’ reflects the impact of Government investment in keeping people in ...2 days ago
- Govt takes further action against gang crimeThe Government will make it illegal for high risk people to own firearms by introducing Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPOs) that will strengthen action already taken to combat the influence of gangs and organised crime to help keep New Zealanders and their families safe, Police Minister Poto Williams and Justice Minister ...3 days ago
- Thousands of MIQ spaces allocated to secure economic recoveryFive hundred spaces per fortnight will be allocated in managed isolation facilities over the next 10 months, many for skilled and critical workers to support our economic recovery, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor say. “The Trans-Tasman bubble has freed up more rooms, allowing us to ...3 days ago
- New Zealand Sign Language Week a chance to recognise national taongaThis week (10 – 16 May 2021) is New Zealand Sign Language Week (NZSL), a nationwide celebration of NZSL as an official language of New Zealand. “We’re recognised as a world leader for our commitment to maintaining and furthering the use of our sign language,” says Minister for Disability Issues ...4 days ago
- Economic resilience provides more options in Budget 2021Securing the recovery and investing in the wellbeing of New Zealanders is the focus of Budget 2021, Grant Robertson told his audience at a pre-budget speech in Auckland this morning. "The economy has proven resilient in response to COVID-19, due to people having confidence in the Government’s health response to ...4 days ago
- Pre-Budget speech to BNZ-Deloitte Auckland Breakfast EventThank you for the invitation to speak to you today, and to share with you some of the Government’s thinking leading into this year’s budget. This will be my fourth time delivering the annual Budget for the Government, though the events of the past year have thrown out that calculation. ...4 days ago
- Rotuman Language week affirms language as the key to Pacific wellbeingThe first Pacific Language Week this year makes it clear that language is the key to the wellbeing for all Pacific people said Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio. “This round of language weeks begin with Rotuman. As I have always said language is one of the pillars of ...4 days ago
- Budget delivers improved cervical and breast cancer screeningBudget 2021 funds a more effective cervical screening test to help reduce cervical cancer rates A new breast screening system that can proactively identify and enrol eligible women to reach 271,000 more people who aren’t currently in the programme. Budget 2021 delivers a better cervical screening test and a major ...4 days ago
- NZ-France to co-chair Christchurch Call Leaders’ SummitNew Zealand and France will jointly convene the Christchurch Call Community for a leaders’ summit, to take stock of progress and develop a new shared priority work plan. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and President Emmanuel Macron will co-chair the leaders’ meeting on the 2nd anniversary of the Call, on 14 ...5 days ago
- New South Wales travel pause to be lifted tomorrowCOVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says the current travel pause with New South Wales will lift tomorrow – subject to no further significant developments in NSW. “New Zealand health officials met today to conduct a further assessment of the public health risk from the recently identified COVID-19 community cases in Sydney. It has been determined that the risk to public ...5 days ago
- March 15 Collective Impact Board appointedThe voices of those affected by the March 15 mosque attacks will be heard more effectively with the establishment of a new collective impact board, Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan announced today. Seven members of the Christchurch Muslim community have been appointed to the newly established Board, ...6 days ago
- More young Kiwis supported with mental health and addiction servicesNearly quarter of a million more young New Zealanders will have access to mental health and addiction support in their communities as the Government’s youth mental health programme gathers pace. New contracts to expand youth-specific services across the Northland, Waitematā and Auckland District Health Board areas have been confirmed, providing ...6 days ago
- New hospital facilities mean fewer trips to Auckland for NorthlandersNorthlanders will no longer automatically have to go to Auckland for lifesaving heart procedures like angiograms, angioplasty and the insertion of pacemakers, thanks to new operating theatres and a cardiac catheter laboratory opened at Whangārei Hospital by Health Minister Andrew Little today. The two projects – along with a new ...6 days ago
- Fair Pay Agreements to improve pay and conditions for essential workersThe Government is delivering on its pre-election commitment to implement Fair Pay Agreements which will improve wages and conditions, as well as help support our economic recovery, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood announced today. Fair Pay Agreements will set minimum standards for all employees and employers in an ...6 days ago
- Establishment of the new Māori Health Authority takes first big stepSir Mason Durie will lead a Steering Group to provide advice to the Transition Unit on governance arrangements and initial appointments to an interim board to oversee the establishment of the Māori Health Authority. This Group will ensure that Māori shape a vital element of our future health system, Minister ...6 days ago
- Cycle trails move up a gear in CentralWork on new and upgraded cycle trails in Queenstown, Arrowtown and Central Otago is moving up a gear as two significant projects pass further milestones today. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has announced new funding for the Queenstown Trails Project, and will also formally open the Lake Dunstan Trail at Bannockburn ...6 days ago
- Government gives households extra help to reduce their power billsNine community energy education initiatives to help struggling New Zealanders with their power bills are being given government funding through the new Support for Energy Education in Communities (SEEC) Programme. “Last year we committed nearly $8 million over four years to establish the SEEC Programme. This funding will help ...6 days ago
- Picton ferry terminal upgrade consent fast-trackedThe planned upgrade of the Waitohi Picton Ferry terminal has been approved under the fast-track consenting process. Environment Minister David Parker today welcomed the decision by the expert consenting panel to approve the Waitohi Picton Ferry Precinct Redevelopment Project. The project will provide a significant upgrade to the ferry facilities ...1 week ago
- Quarantine Free Travel with New South Wales pausedCOVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has announced his intention to pause Quarantine Free Travel from New South Wales to New Zealand while the source of infection of the two cases announced in Sydney in the last two days is investigated. Whole genome sequencing has linked the case yesterday to a recent ...1 week ago
- Covid-19 immigration powers to be extendedThe passing of a bill to extend temporary COVID-19 immigration powers means continued flexibility to support migrants, manage the border, and help industries facing labour shortages, Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said. “Over the past year, we’ve made rapid decisions to extend visas, vary visa conditions and waive some application requirements ...1 week ago
- “Supporting a Trade-Led Economic Recovery”Trade Policy Road Show SpeechManukau, Auckland Kia ora koutou – nau mai, haere mai ki Manukau, ki Tāmaki. Good morning everyone, and thank you for this opportunity to discuss with you current global challenges, opportunities and the Government’s strategy in support of a trade-led recovery from the economic ...1 week ago
- Building consent numbers at an all-time highA record 41,028 new homes have been consented in the year ended March 2021 March 2021 consent numbers the highest since the 1940s Record number of new homes consented in Auckland The number of new homes consented is at an all-time high, showing a strong and increasing pipeline of demand ...1 week ago
- Too late, already bolted: how a faster WHO response could have slowed COVID-19’s spread
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Toole, Professor of International Health, Burnet Institute Urgent global action is needed to end the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for future threats, according to a new report by the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. The panel, co-chaired by former ...39 mins ago - The Handmaid’s Tale recap: Lights will guide you home, June
June made it out of Gilead, but does that mean her troubles are over? Of course not. Tara Ward recaps episode five of season four of The Handmaid’s Tale.Welcome to the halfway point of season four, mates. It feels like this season is rushing by, and yet the entire series ...2 hours ago - Immigration Minister confronted at rally over border restrictions
Crowd rallies at Parliament over border closures, saying families are separated ...3 hours ago - With billions more allocated to immigration detention, another bleak year for refugeesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Higgins, Senior Research Fellow, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Refugees and asylum seekers will take little comfort from the 2021–22 budget. Resettlement places remain capped, while spending on offshore processing, immigration detention and deterrence measures remains high. For those ...4 hours ago
- Big-spending ‘recovery budget’ leaves universities out in the coldSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Larkins, Professor Emeritus and Former Deputy Vice Chancellor, The University of Melbourne The 2021 federal budget has largely ignored the plight of Australian universities. The forward estimates even point to an overall decline, once adjusted for inflation, in Commonwealth direct funding ...4 hours ago
- The 2021-22 budget has added salt to universities’ COVID woundsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University The federal government’s budget announcements this week included nothing new for universities — an industry hit particularly hard by the pandemic border closures and loss of international students. Treasurer ...4 hours ago
- What is the Moderna COVID vaccine? Does it work, and is it safe?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Taylor, Early Career Research Leader, Emerging Viruses, Inflammation and Therapeutics Group, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University Overnight, Boston-based pharmaceutical company Moderna announced a new supply agreement with Australia for 25 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine. The deal includes ten ...5 hours ago
- NZ Human Rights Organisation Condemns Israeli Aggression
“The Foundation Against Islamophobia and Racism (FAIR) strongly condemns the latest atrocities committed by the illegal state of Israel on the Palestinian people and the attacks on Masjid Al Aqsa in the blessed month of Ramadan,” said Azad Khan, ...6 hours ago - What is repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and how does it actually work?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Fitzgerald, Professor of Psychiatry, Monash University A line in this week’s federal budget allocating A$288.5 million to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) therapy might pass most people by. This is a brain stimulation technique that’s been used to treat conditions such ...6 hours ago
- Data Confirms That The 2020 NZ Election Occurred Alongside A Dangerous Spike In Online Misinformatio...Tohatoha CEO Mandy Henk and Emmi Bevensee, developer of the Social Media Analysis Toolkit (SMAT), have presented oral evidence to the Justice Committee at NZ Parliament that shows misinformation from ‘malicious actors’ originating on fringe websites ...6 hours ago
- No vaccine ‘targets’, but Australians could still be vaccinated by end of yearSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Driss Ait Ouakrim, Research Fellow, Population Interventions Unit, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne This week’s budget assumes Australians will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the year, despite ...6 hours ago
- Bid to roll West Coast Regional Council chair Allan BirchfieldAn attempted coup is underway at the West Coast Regional Council with a bid to roll the chairperson Allan Birchfield. ...6 hours ago
- Business is Boring: Compostic is taking the plastic out of kitchen productsNew Zealand startup Compostic wants to help us kick our plastic cling wrap habit with a range of home compostable alternatives. Simon Pound speaks to founder and CEO Jon Reed in this episode of Business is Boring.Follow Business is Boring on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast provider.The way ...6 hours ago
- The budget should have been a road to Australia’s low-emissions future. Instead, it’s a flight o...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Looking at other nations around the world, the path to cutting greenhouse gas emissions seems clear. First, develop wind and solar energy and battery storage to replace coal- and gas-fired electricity. Then, ...6 hours ago
- ExportNZ Welcomes Trade Missions And Trade FocusExportNZ welcomes Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern’s announcement today that she will be leading a trade mission to Australia in July and that Trade Minister Damien O’Connor will be heading to the UK and Brussels in June to pursue the FTA negotiations ...7 hours ago
- The Mitchells vs The Machines shows ‘smart’ tech might be less of a threat to family bonds than ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, leader of the Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, UNSW Sydney, and leader of the UNSW Node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decison-Making and Society, UNSW Robots have fascinated ...7 hours ago
- Lifeline Records Busiest Text Month EverCrisis helpline Lifeline Aotearoa’s text support service recorded its busiest month ever in April with more than 30,000 texts sent and received. This follows a previous record set in March of 27,000 texts sent and received. Both figures are ...7 hours ago
- PM: Vaccine stocks could run out before July surge
Ministers and officials have flagged the possibility the vaccine rollout could falter in June - despite engineering it to avoid that very thing As of Sunday evening, New Zealand had around 378,000 Pfizer vaccines available for use. That surged to more than 400,000 with the delivery of 60,840 doses a few days ...7 hours ago - Money for telescopes and vaccines is great, but the budget’s lack of basic science funding risks l...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Shine, President, Australian Academy of Science; Laboratory Head, Garvan Institute The story of the past year has been the pandemic: from the first outbreaks in early 2020, the identification of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and methods to detect it, through to lockdown ...7 hours ago
- Police and their Minister duck Maori Party question which drew attention to something troubling abou...
Yes, we are aware of the Maori Party’s aversion to Parliamentary questions from Opposition MPs which aim to flush the PM and her government into the open on their programme of incorporating the “Treaty partnership” in their reform programme. The Maori Party insists those questions are racist and has pressed ...8 hours ago - ‘If you want to torture somebody, this is what you do’: Immigrants plead for end to family separ...When the borders closed in March 2021, immigrants who were cut off from their families never imagined they’d still be waiting to be reunited more than a year later. Now many are at their breaking point, they tell Branko Marcetic.Despite all the worries that had driven Johan and Sumari Steyn ...8 hours ago
- Foreign Affairs Minister calls growing Israel-Gaza violence unacceptableNew Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister said that all sides must de-escalate amid growing violence in Israel. ...8 hours ago
- How snake fangs evolved to perfectly fit their foodSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Silke Cleuren, PhD candidate, Monash University Few structures in nature inspire more fear and fascination than the fangs of venomous snakes. These needle-like teeth are used by snakes to pierce their prey and inject deadly venom. With more than 3000 species of ...8 hours ago
- How can the world help India — and where does that help need to go?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dileep Mavalankar, Vice President western region, Public Health Foundation of India India is in the grip of an unprecedented second wave of COVID-19. Official data suggests new cases have crossed 400,000 per day, and the daily death count is around 4,200. But ...8 hours ago
- Moving past psychometrics: How inclusive employment works in practiceInclusivity in the workplace is changing – and for many employers and workers, it’s become a critical pillar of business. Here’s what it looks like in action. Ever aced a job interview then bombed when confronted with a psychometric test?Designed by psychologists, the standardised tests are used regularly by a range ...8 hours ago
- NZ Budget 2021: we need the arts to live, but artists need to earn a livingSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Harvey, Senior Lecturer in Creative Arts, University of Auckland It seems unlikely the arts will be a priority in the government’s May 20 budget. With housing affordability, climate change and child poverty all urgent issues, arts funding might not be seen ...8 hours ago
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces trade missions to Australia, UKThe prime minister has announced that she will lead a trade and promotional delegation to Australia in early July, which will be New Zealand's first since Covid-19 hit. ...8 hours ago
- Mayor Steve Chadwick On Rotorua Emergency Housing UpdateThe first actions announced today by Minister Woods and Minister Sepuloni are a great start. I called for the Government to focus its attention on Rotorua and to have a presence here on the ground because of the untenable situation of mothers ...9 hours ago
- Government Funding To Help Drive Emissions DownHawke’s Bay DHB welcomes Climate Change Minister James Shaw’s announcement that it will receive funding for an electric vehicle (EV) and to install charging infrastructure under the State Sector Decarbonisation Fund. The news follows last month’s announcement ...9 hours ago
- Emergency housing: Move to end 'mixed-use' motels practice in RotoruaThe government is moving to clean up the problems with emergency housing in Rotorua, in response to reports of crime and unsafe living conditions. ...9 hours ago
- https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2105/S00114/.htm...9 hours ago
- ‘Top down’ disaster resilience doesn’t work. The National Recovery and Resilience Agency must ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Duckworth, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University, Deakin University In the past ten years we have seen several major reports and announcements seeking to improve and transform the way ...10 hours ago
- Govt allocates $13.1m to buy 400 cars – but they will be climate-friendly and help drive the publi...
Good news for car dealers – if they are in the business of selling electric cars, at least. Some of them are about to strike it lucky: the Government is going on a $13.1 million shopping expedition to keep civil servants mobile while helping the public service become carbon-neutral. Good ...10 hours ago - Kindergartens Want Pay Parity Delivered Through A Collective AgreementKindergartens Aotearoa welcomes the government move to spend $170 million over four years to move towards pay parity for early childhood teachers. Kindergarten teachers are covered by a national collective employment agreement that means salaries relate ...10 hours ago
- Government Report Shows Children Made To Suffer UnnecessarilyGrim reading: that’s the Child Poverty Action Group’s assessment of the Child Poverty Related Indicators Report released today by the Government. "The report shows our children are suffering unnecessarily. Polling shows our communities care ...10 hours ago
- Camp Rock? No, We Rock!The Doc Edge original showcases girls and enbys destined to rock at Girls Rock! Camp Aotearoa 2020.We Rock! is a Doc Edge original and made with the support of the Doc Edge Rei Foundation Film Fund.If you have to send your kid to a camp, why not make it one ...10 hours ago
- Watch live: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern makes pre-Budget speechPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern is making a pre-Budget speech to Business NZ in Auckland today. ...11 hours ago
- Greyhound Doping And Suspicious Betting Should Warrant A Police InvestigationLast week the Otago Daily Times revealed an unidentified punter placed a $10,000 bet on greyhound Zipping Sarah, who won her race at the Addington Raceway in November 2020 before testing positive for methamphetamine. Of the 481 bets placed totalling ...11 hours ago
- SFO files criminal charges against six people in Labour Party donations caseThe Serious Fraud Office has filed criminal charges against six people in relation to a donation made to the Labour Party in 2017. ...11 hours ago
- National hammers government over unclear gun buy-back estimatesBoth police and government are claiming a successful firearms buy-back despite having no up-to-date estimate of how many guns they expected to be handed in. ...11 hours ago
- Employment Indicators: Weekly As At 10 May 2021The experimental weekly series provides an early indicator of employment and labour market changes in a more a timely manner than the monthly employment indicators series. Key facts The 6-day series includes jobs with a pay period equal to or less than ...12 hours ago
- Rental Price Indexes: April 2021...12 hours ago
- Rawiri Waititi: Māori 'sick and tired' of being a political footballMāori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi says a barrage of rhetoric towards Māori in Parliament is fuelling racist comments on social media. ...12 hours ago
- Online Meeting On The 2010 Pike River Mine Disaster In New Zealand Exposes Cover-up By Successive Go...The Socialist Equality Group (New Zealand) held an important public webinar last Saturday, titled “Ten years after the Pike River mine disaster: Political lessons of the struggle for the truth about the deaths of 29 men.” It discussed one of ...13 hours ago
- A night in the life of a nurse on the NICUYesterday was International Nurses Day. Against the backdrop of months of stalled pay negotiations, Roxie Mohebbi, a former Auckland ICU nurse, wrote this journal entry based on some of her toughest shifts. This story discusses infant mortality and babies in medical distress. Please take care.17.00: My timer is set for 45 minutes. ...13 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – May 13 2021Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Click here to subscribe to Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup and New Zealand Politics Daily. Today’s content Parliamentary debates on race Jane Patterson (RNZ): Policies can be called racist but not MPs, ...13 hours ago
- Dunne Speaks – The Could-be Prime Minister?There has been a desperate and palpably false rumour circulating in recent weeks that the resignation of the Prime Minister is imminent. Meanwhile, Jacinda Ardern remains just as firmly ensconced in office as she ever was. However, it does raise ...14 hours ago
- Grant Robertson says public pay sector restrictions do not amount to pay freezeFinance Minister Grant Robertson says he deeply regrets the distress caused by public sector pay restrictions, but maintains the restrictions do not amount to a pay freeze. ...14 hours ago
- Hold the celebrations — the budget’s supposed focus on women is no game-changerSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Hill, Associate professor, University of Sydney One of the major planks of the budget was a pitch to women. This included an 80-plus page women’s budget statement — the first since 2013 — with an overall figure of A$3.4 billion for ...14 hours ago
- How much can the budget’s $1.1 billion for women’s safety really achieve? Two experts give their...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Director, Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre; Associate Professor of Criminology, Faculty of Arts, Monash University One of the headline figures in Tuesday’s federal budget was a A$1.1 billion dollar investment in women’s safety. This came as part of ...14 hours ago
- The pressure is on for Australia to accept the coronavirus really can spread in the air we breatheSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By C Raina MacIntyre, Professor of Global Biosecurity, NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, Head, Biosecurity Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW More than a year into the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) and US Centers for Disease Control finally changed their guidance to acknowledge SARS-CoV-2, ...14 hours ago
- The 50 beautiful Australian plants at greatest risk of extinction — and how to save themSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Silcock, Post-doctoral research fellow, The University of Queensland As far as odds go, things don’t look promising for the slender-nerved acacia (Acacia leptoneura), a spiky plant with classic yellow-ball wattle flowers. With most of its habitat in Western Australia’s wheat belt ...14 hours ago
- Despite major conservation efforts, populations of New Zealand’s iconic kiwi are more vulnerable t...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Isabel Castro, Associate Professor in Ecology and Zoology, Massey University Kiwi are moved between populations to lower the risk of inbreeding. Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust, CC BY-SA Like many endangered species, Aotearoa’s flightless and nocturnal kiwi survive only in small, fragmented and ...14 hours ago
- Frustrated Auckland developers call on council to turn up the consenting tapAuckland Council is being accused of blocking the flow of affordable houses, and industry leaders are calling for more streamlined systems.Inefficient consent processing and a lack of Auckland Council staff is being blamed by property developers, industry leaders and even a city councillor for slowing the supply of houses into ...14 hours ago
- How China has been transforming international education to become a leading host of studentsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jing Qi, Lecturer, School of Global, Urban and Social Sciences, RMIT University When Australians think of international education and China, they typically consider the country as a source of international students — Australia’s largest. But China is now one of the leading ...14 hours ago
- Soaring housing costs are pushing retirees into areas where disaster risks are highSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lois Towart, Lecturer in Property Economics, University of Technology Sydney The impacts of a closed border and recent floods have highlighted the challenges facing older Australians who live permanently in caravan parks and manufactured home estates. These properties have long provided affordable ...14 hours ago
- Guide to the Classics: Montesquieu’s Persian Letters at 300 — an Enlightenment story that resona...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Knox Peden, Senior Lecturer in European Enlightenment Studies, The University of Queensland We have recently seen a spate of books defending the Enlightenment, that period of efflorescence, in 18th-century Europe, which helped shape the modern world. At the vanguard has been the ...14 hours ago
- Live updates, May 13: ‘Trumpish’ rhetoric by Judith Collins inciting hatred against Māori – W...Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for May 13, bringing you the latest news updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz8.00am: ‘Trumpish’ rhetoric by Judith Collins inciting hatred against Māori – Rawiri WaititiPolicies are allowed to called racist during debates in parliament – but not people.That’s the ruling ...14 hours ago
- The Bulletin: Pandemic could have been prevented, international panel findsGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: International panel finds pandemic could have been prevented, big pre-budget boost for ECE teachers, and nurses may vote to strike.A high-powered international panel has castigated governments and supra-national organisations for allowing Covid-19 to become the pandemic it is today. The panel, ...15 hours ago
- Kinder, gentler policies can have downsides
Peter Dunne: In politics, achievements rather than virtuous ambitions are all that matter ...15 hours ago - Government to cap bank interchange fees for businesses
A new disclosure and reporting requirement will empower the Commerce Commission to monitor and regulate retail payments. The government is introducing regulations to reduce the fees banks charge businesses when customers use credit or debit cards. The Commerce Commission will also be given powers to regulate and monitor the retail ...16 hours ago - Judith Collins sends letter to PM asking her to sack SpeakerNational Party Leader Judith Collins is challenging the Prime Minister to sack Parliament's Speaker. ...16 hours ago
- Newsroom's daily sudoku, Thursday 13 May
...17 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 13 May
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...17 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Thursday 13 May
...17 hours ago - One trip, nine tickets and transports cards, nil progress
Paul Callister just wanted to make a simple trip to the uni in Palmerston North – but navigating the public transporting ticketing is anything but simple ...17 hours ago - Policies can be called racist but not MPs, Speaker rulesThe latest blow up over race relations in Parliament has raised the question - are MPs allowed to call each racist in the House? ...17 hours ago
- Electric Vehicles Announcement A “Baby Step” For The Climate – GreenpeaceMay 12, 2021 In response to today’s announcement that the Government will procure 422 new electric vehicles for the public sector, Greenpeace Climate Campaigner, Amanda Larsson, says: "More electric vehicles for the public sector is a small step ...17 hours ago
- The story of a mighty penWhy is an ordinary ballpoint pen held in the collection of Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum? For The Single Object, Madeleine Chapman learns it has a story to tell about the power of privilege.This story was first published in July 2018.In 1978, young brown men were being arrested. With unemployment ...17 hours ago
- They said the changes would help the most vulnerable. Here’s what happened to meThe government announced that changes to the welfare system would reduce poverty. For me, it did the opposite, writes Alex.Earlier this year Carmel Sepuloni declared that changes to the welfare system, introduced on April 1, would help to “reduce poverty among our most vulnerable”.That hasn’t happened for me.The narrow and ...17 hours ago
- Trawling for the truth about fishing
A new Netflix programme - we're not calling it a documentary - is putting people worldwide off eating fish. But how much of the message was massaged? If the controversial Netflix documentary Seaspiracy is to be believed we should all give up eating fish now. It even set a ...17 hours ago - Race-based rhetoric all the rage at Parliament
The idea that Māori should be entitled to health services that Pakeha aren't, doesn't sit well with National MP Simon Bridges. ...17 hours ago - Eleventh hour bid to stop sale of Laura Ferguson trust for disabled
The Laura Fergusson Trust provided a safe haven for young disabled people - until last year when it abruptly shut up shop in Auckland. Now, members of the community are rallying for the Government to intervene in the centre's impending sale. Matthew Scott reports. Sophia Malthus was just glad she didn’t ...17 hours ago - Grim effects of long Covid amplify need for vaccine
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A Premium article in The Herald today.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/superyacht-supper-huhu-grubs-and-goats-testicles-on-regatta-menu/7CBF46UVNX4A3X6EYCWBRFU464/
“Superyacht supper: Huhu grubs and goat's testicles on regatta menu”
“The vessel is owned by German industrialist and superyacht builder Guido Krass. Bold was built in 2019 by Fremantle superyacht builders SilverYachts, founded by Krass in 2005.”
“While in New Zealand Bold will have repairs and maintenance done, thought to worth millions of dollars.”
Who is kidding who here ? This small ship was built in 2019 and is now thought to need millions of dollars of repair!
Virtually all ocean craft require an annual budget of !0-15% of build cost for maintenance and repairs – salt water does that.
Yes I know , I have sailed half the world,. We used to say BOAT means Bring out another thousand. This boat was built in 2019 , they didn,t say when it was launched , so maybe has been on the water around one year. New boats don,t cost as much as old boats to maintain.
More likely a refit… probably changed his mind on the interior colour scheme
The helipad may need enlarging.
Is the length of the visa dependent on them 'repairing' their boats?
Not usually, they are just visitor visas with the ability to extend a bit if repairs or storm season dictate.
What beverage is recommended with the appetizers?
Squeezed Bambi juice.
I’d go for a sparkling water with a hint of lemon.
Domestos lemon fresh.
For those with any exposure to the roading industry, the recent decision by Refining New Zealand to cease production of bitumen will mean that there's no locally manufactured source for the entire roading network. Yes, our entire NZ roading network.
Not only will that focus the whole of the industry and Waka Kotahi (NZTA) on continuity of supply, it will also focus R&D departments on how to decrease that reliance. Sure hope they've got their own port and shipping slots or this could get exceedingly ugly exceedingly fast.
Queenstown Airport made a good example of this a couple of years ago.
https://www.queenstownairport.co.nz/corporate/news-and-events/news/queenstown-airports-apron-resurfacing-project-wins-sustainability-initiative-of-the-year-award-at-the-new-zealand-airports-awards
Why are we even using bitumen though? Most countries use concrete for reading, which is far better lifespan and grip wise.
Cost, our terrain, not mention seismic activity…
concrete roading doesnt work on our soft ,ever moving ground.
That makes sense. Thanks woodart, ad and Cricklewood!
Concrete, apart from being exceedingly expensive and hopeless for maintaining when you often have to dig it all up for new utilities required for new developments, also has a massive carbon cost – much of that carbon cost from cement production but also in quarrying and in its transport.
Bitumen is going to be a really curly one as we transition away from hydrocarbon fuels. It’s all the shit thats left over from refining the useful stuff. But really handy for surfacing cheap, flexible roads. Even when we’re all running around in electrics we’re going to need roads like we have now. Haven’t seen any alternatives coming through.
The Queenstown airport ‘green’ engineering was more for engineering pragmatism than any environmental concern. The toner cartridges gave plasticity for performance over a wider temperature range and the glass sand is used because Central Otago sands are weathered schist which are very weak and the particle sizes are all wrong for making good concretes and roads. Crushed clean glass has been added to premium concrete and basecourse sand here for a long time.
Even pulverised used tyre crumb (what to do with big piles of dead tyres) hasn't been sued extensively here. After NZTA's Kapiti Expressway surfacing debacle a couple of years back they are pretty conservative when it comes to trying out new surfacing materials.
Still hilarious after all these years. And sad, at the same time
The highlight—“Scum! Russian scum!”—comes at about the 5:50 mark…
I hate to say it, but I think I agree with Judith Collins regarding this Aussie woman that refuses a Covid test.
Judith Collins calls for deportation of Australian woman refusing Covid test | Stuff.co.nz
ditto.
Meh.
As long as she gets charged for the length of her stay, I don't particularly care. Hell, there's even the possibility she actually has a point – that's up to the courts to determine.
If she's just a wingbat who wants to spend other wingbats' money on quarantine and lawyers for a futile gripe, ain't but a thing. If sticking thermometers up animals' butts really has shown her a nuance of informed consent that everyone else has missed, then the court case she's promising can only be a good thing.
who is paying for the court case, us or herself?
She'll be paying for her lawyers, us ours, and the winner might get costs.
As long as she covers her direct costs, it's not a huge deal. The judge and crown lawyers will still be doing legal stuff even without her.
so she squandered scarce resources in quarantine and isolation
now she is squandering our resources in the court that could be used otherwise.
Yeah, right ….no biggie…..and the winner can get costs back? Sounds sensible. Not.
What is it – 1/4000th of capacity for an extra fortnight?
Rather than simply deciding that a court case is a done deal so we don't even need to have one?
Which slope is more slippery, do you think?
yeah, flat fee, apparently. Pity.
Max stay in MIQ without testing is 28 days. Max charge is 14 days. According to midday news on TV 1.
I think she's more of a dingnut than wingbat.
wish collins would make up her mind. normally ,she sides with aus against her own country.
Broken clocks are usually correct twice a day. She has one more time to be correct today.
Simple virtue signalling, and she's desperate for the column inches.
I thought MIQ was to prevent a Covid-19 case from entering the community. There is a process for this which is applied before being able to leave MIQ.
You beat me to it Jimmy.
Dump her on a plane back to Aussie and tell her she's not allowed to come here again.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/judith-collins-wants-australian-woman-refused-covid-19-test-deported
I have sympathy for those needing to stay in MIQ for more than a week if they have to stay longer due to a new infection that requires a longer stay as a precaution, but otherwise they should pay for every day they are there, and if the rules only allow for payment up to 14 days the rules need to be changed. She is now living in Auckland, and presumably spending Australian sourced funds with our shops and possibly for accommodation – why should our government assist her by paying for a return flight? If she is financial difficulties she can contact the Australian embassy. Kneejerk reactions can be wrong; we should expect them from Judith Collins. Certainly in this case she appears to just be looking for something, anything, to criticise, but it is hard when the government set out what would happen if someone declined a test (they are not compulsory after all), and then sticks to that good policy. For those that want to send her back – would you be prepared to pay any of your money to help her? If not, why should our government pay?
When it comes to special treatment as in not following the rules the answer is a no.
She was thinking of the foster children by escorting them back to NZ. There is something going on with the process of returning the foster children. Saying goodbye would not have been easy.
Not liking the decision of following the rules about Covid-19 testing could be about challenging authority for another reason.
I am not aware of any evidence that she did not follow the rules. Not liking the rules is a separate issue – she managed to get publicity, but this article may not be what she was looking for:
https://thespinoff.co.nz/media/25-02-2021/who-is-lucinda-baulch-the-australian-who-refused-a-covid-test/
Ardern rightly manages to stick to the issues but it's hard not to feel something close to vengence towards these moronic aussies.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/124338604/return-the-favour-nsw-premier-sends-strong-transtasman-border-message-to-jacinda-ardern
I wonder if an airline/transport would carry her?
Will she get more quarantine when she lands back in Australia ?
Who or what is Medsafe working for? I think there should be some sackings from Medsafe.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/436942/maker-of-epilepsy-drug-warned-over-quality-control
After the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned Mylan about violating quality standards – including "missing, deleted and lost data" – New Zealand's medical safety watchdog Medsafe did its own investigation…
Medsafe didn't tell Pharmac about the quality control issues at the plant which manufactures Logem, and in August 2018 Pharmac signed a deal to make Logem the only funded brand of lamotrigine in New Zealand.
The deal meant more than 10,000 people taking lamotrigine had to switch brands, in a move Pharmac made to try to save $30 million over five years.
Today Medsafe takes the stand at an inquest by the Chief Coroner into the deaths of six people, who died after switching from their original brands of lamotrigine to the Logem generic.
Pharmac should have been given all the information to assist in their deliberations as to what was the safe and effective drug at the best price. That's their job, and how can they do it when a fellow agency doesn’t fully communicate with them. A pox on Medsafe!
What’s your point? There were no quality control issues with the product on sale in NZ. As far as Medsafe was concerned, it had done its job, checked, and deemed it safe.
Why did you remove this part from the text you quoted??
I’d call that selective quoting and it raises my suspicion.
Time to legislate out of existence any real or imagined obligation to maximise shareholder value – USD 2500/day power bills
Very sad. It is a good question. What will this landlord do with an extra $100/week?
Intergenerational class divisions are opening ever wider in New Zealand and hardly anyone seems bothered by it.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/renting/124318345/my-wellington-apartment-is-depressing-yet-my-rent-just-went-up-100-a-week
60 days notice is required to increase the rent.
This couple have got their priorities right, run as soon and as fast as you can into your own place.
A $100 rent increase is to steep for a semi cell type apartment.
100 per week, 400 per month. That is not a rent increase that is extortion.
It's why we need rent controls and regulation of landlords and agents. So no-one is caught out by amateur actors in the industry.
I’d call the residential tenancy sector the wild west at the moment. People’s lives are at stake.
I need to look up how much notice the landlord needs to give to sell?
I would question the landlords motive on hiking the rent as much as they have.
Tenant needs to give 4 weeks notice to end the tenancy.
Just to establish yourself in a rental the average person is put in debt or has to save.
How many tenants rely on a credit card/s to be able to afford entering a rental agreement?
Same can be said for a loan from Work and Income to avoid being homeless.
It's 90 days now. Such a rent hike is designed to evict, but without having to evict without cause, which is now illegal.
It’s a product of this timid government’s tinkering with tenancy legislation rather than wholly reforming it.
One issue is there is still no cap on rent hikes, only the frequency, so they can do this. Hence the need for more robust rent control regulation.
Will be interesting to see what happens with the apartment when the tenants leave.
Regulation is required for a rent hike to protect renters.
No we dont need rent controls, thats a fucking bandaid.
What we need is state housing and lots of it, with infrastructure ie busways trains etc etc
After so much neglect and the effective privatization of state housing, The scale needed can only be meet by a govt programme backed with low cost finance.
I hear ya. I did say a day or 2 ago that building state homes worked.
Short term is different to long term.
What would you do in the short term to prevent rent scalping?
Personally, take the very hard road and start sucking the capital out of housing as an investment.
Make no mistake it will be ugly as house prices fall, many will be hurt by negative equity and will need support from govt but what point political capital and a Lab govt if you dont spend it in a meaningful way.
I feel that the left is forgetting that the real divide in society is class… and the current govt is entrenching it…
With RNZ exposing yesterday that the smelter at Bluff had stockpiled 106,000 tonnes of cyanide-laced hazardous waste less than 100 metres from a fast-eroding beach, it's good to see Minister Parker giving them a good slam today.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/environment-minister-slams-uncooperative-tiwai-point-he-reveals-govts-toxic-waste-clean-up-request
The question must surely be, just as they were so weak-assed about the last contamination problem in Mataura, why is Environment Southland so shit at its job?
And the answer as ever is…..follow the money
What's your evidence for that in the case Parker is describing?
Fuck there are a lot of dicks about today…why do you think NZAS buried a shit load of toxic waste in a site that wasnt monitored?
Because their good mates in industry want it that way.
Virginia about to abolish the death penalty
While I hope the remaining states follow, this is huge – Virginia has been one of the mainstays of the death penalty in the USA with the most executions in US history and second post-Furman to Texas. Also some good other progressive wins for the recent Democrat majority in Virginia as noted in the article.
According to Henry Cooke it's been three and a half years since JA mentioned shared equity schemes and/or similar, and he and housing minister Megan Woods are reporting to date there have been just 12 families successfully housed in such a way.
Beyond pathetic.
Megan Woods says it's complicated and goes on to blame low income families themselves for some reason. Not that's it's her fault. Phil Twyford should have owned this but has been found not competent at ministerial level.
If the government doesn't pull finger on housing, and importantly housing for the under $100K/pa families, this term will be their last.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300237672/home-ownership-scheme-announced-in-2019-has-housed-just-12-families
At some stage this govt will be voted out, anything more than 3 terms is a big ask.
I can see, that despite the rhetoric leading up to the first term the landlord renter class divide will have grown far larger/faster than anytime in our history.
The 'soft' Nat voters that switched are getting what they paid for the core Lab voters are getting crumbs but are going to end up worse off in the long term…
My place has 'earned' more than my wife and I's yearly income in the last 12 months.
Its fucked, hell a colleague with a 900k pre approval cant manage to buy in Auckland cause anything without a fishhook that effects his finance goes to auction.
But dont worry Jacinda cares…
I know someone in Wellington, the place cost 29 k in 1978. Bank loan for the mortgage was only 9 k. The place is now worth 1.2 mil.
Per year profit what does that work out as?
How would this look on a graph?
The cost of housing and the profit is making people dizzy. Negative equity if you need to re buy in the same city.
Gladys Berejiklian wants New Zealand to reciprocate the trans-Tasman bubble. She has been very stern with Jacinda Ardern.
Gladys might find more cooperation if Australia stopped exporting their home grown criminals.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/124338604/return-the-favour-nsw-premier-sends-strong-transtasman-border-message-to-jacinda-ardern