“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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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??
Medsafe's investigation closed in July 2017 and it decided that because there was "no evidence to suggest a direct quality or safety impact" a product recall was not required.
I’d call that selective quoting and it raises my suspicion.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
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In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
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Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
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Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
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Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
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The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
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Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
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Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
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Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
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Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 25 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
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…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAFxPXGDH4E
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
https://youtu.be/hlfQVvsNLFk