Full of hope patriotism and propaganda, very little connection to what's actually happening on the ground. Without going into detail I will cut to the chase and offer a $100 bet that Russia is and will decisively win this Special Military Operation which is to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine, all bets to be held by a neutral party, so come on all you armchair experts put some money where your mouths are ..
@ Tony….Good on you…let's see who will put their money where their mouth is…in my experience of these Liberal Imperialists, I think you will find most of them are just so much all hot air and very little else.
btw, a joint statement from Russian and Ukrainian socialists points the finger
Although the majority of the left has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the left camp’s unity is still lacking. We would like to address those on the left who still stick to “a plague on both houses” position that views the war as an inter-imperialist war.
It is high time the left woke up and carried out a “concrete analysis of the concrete situation” instead of reproducing worn-out frameworks from the Cold War. Overlooking Russian imperialism is a terrible mistake for the left. It is Putin, not NATO, who is waging war on Ukraine. That is why it is essential to shift our focus from Western imperialism to Putin’s aggressive imperialism, which has an ideological and political basis in addition to an economic one.
That is why it is essential to shift our focus from Western imperialism to Putin’s aggressive imperialism, which has an ideological and political basis in addition to an economic one.
I think many countries would be quite surprised to find western imperialism is not aggressive and is devoid of politics and ideology.
Modern Imperialism not only involves the expansion of multinational corporations but the spreading of the dominant nation’s political ideology. America has made no secret of the latter.
Adrian, regardless of the background history between the Ukraine and Russia, the facts remain that the Ukraine is a (however imperfect) democracy, while Russia is a dictatorship where opposition to the government line can be quite detrimental to your health, and Putin/Russia needlessly invaded another country and has, apparently, committed some quite horrendous and, it seems, unnecessary crimes in doing so.
My backing is for David against Goliath!
But I'm not crass enough to put money on human suffering, Tony.
TV, I am betting on the outcome of a situation that has been the subject of the most intense propaganda programme I have ever witnessed and the truth must be searched for, I am willing to put my money where my mouth is, most on here are as Adrian said full of hot air and have only MSM as their source of information, when you say "Putin needlessly invaded another Country" that shows me you have done no research into the whole story, I am happy to share independent intelligent well researched journalists ex Military strategists and academics informed views if you want to educate yourself ..
Cheers Adrian T, no takers so far from here, however I have already collected 2 x $100 wagers that President Putin would be assassinated by his own staff by the 6th April and one of the punters is still so convinced it's going to happen I have given him until May the 6th and we have another $100 on it .. I have enjoyed reading your comments and laugh at the pile on when the tribe doesn't like something you say, they rush to shoot the messenger and ignore the story.
Discussing with another commentator the lack of adequate mental health provision in NZ, and the damage done by the failure of recognising the distinct and particular needs of the transgender community, I'm reposting some links I put in a couple of days ago on Open Mike (if that's OK by the moderators).
The update since this comment is that Norway has now also indicated that it will join the following countries in recommending quality therapy for the transgender community as their reviews of present methods of medication and surgery show net harm, instead of the expected benefits.
We have multiple examples historically and recently of iatrogenic harm done to people from unqualified or non-scrutinised medical treatments.
People asking for good clinical evidence for medical interventions – are often dismissed as transphobic – but really should be everyone.
Links below are particularly pertaining to the medical response for children and young people.
But here in NZ, we were late to the party, and it was only 2020 when the curriculum guidelines for Relationships and Sex Education were created and slapped on as an addition to the TKI – from the Ministry of Education.
For those unaware, the TKI guidelines set out the curriculum for all primary and secondary students in NZ. They specify what learning outcomes are needed, to meet curriculum requirements. Curriculum resources can therefore be created by teachers, schools or purchased from third-party organisations.
Guidelines can be found here on this page for both primary and secondary students as a pdf download.
There is a lot to unpick – and justifiably critique in these documents – but the one relevant to this point can be found in both documents (Pg 30 of Yrs 1-8 guide):
In science, ākonga can:
• consider variations in puberty, including the role of hormone blockers
This means that every child within the NZ education system is introduced to the idea – (and due to the diversity of curriculum that can be taught we have no idea how) – that puberty is something that can reasonably be avoided, and puberty blockers are the method to do so.
Our Ministry of Health follows "gender affirming health care" for transgender NZers, including children. (Without getting into details, note that "gender affirming healthcare" is a pre-determined diagnosis and treatment, not equal to quality healthcare).
For young people where these feelings continue into puberty or emerge during puberty, particularly if associated with distress, it is important to see a health professional. Puberty blockers are a medication that can be used to halt the physical changes of an unwanted puberty.
Blockers are a safe and fully reversible medicine that may be used from early puberty through to later adolescence to help ease distress and allow time to fully explore gender health options.
Service providers that can help access blockers include:
paediatric services
youth health services
endocrinologists
primary health care teams.
Late to the party, and staying for the hangover. NZ education normalises the idea of delayed puberty, while offering – without reserve – off-label medications that have no robust clinical evidence of benefit.
In fact, the countries above, that have reviewed evidence have found that the net result is harm.
If any of this bothers you, write to both the Ministry of Educaation and the Ministry of Health, asking them what evidential base did they use as reference for these TKI outcomes, and current medical response.
If your concern is for high-quality appropriate care for transgender youth, then you should be bothered. The likelihood of iatrogenic harm from the current approach is high, and the evidence of that occurring is starting to accumulate and be collected.
Forgot to add, Florida state, in contradiction of Federal guidelines, has also concluded after review that therapy is the best response in terms of outcomes.
Link to Independent article below, in which the first link is the pdf issued by Florida state, that outlines their reasoning.
As you may know, Florida has also regulated for appropriate age teaching regarding sex and education in public schools. Misnomered as "Don't Say Gay" bill.
They had the same issue, as we have here, where schools were instructing young students that puberty blockers were a reasonable and perfectly safe option for them without clinical evidence that this is true.
In the interest of being pedantic, replace "good" with 'informed' and I then fully agree with you.
There are good people who are uninformed, but you have provided information that may get them to widen their knowledge and give them another perspective.
Late to the party, and staying for the hangover. Very good…okay if I borrow that?
I see the trans thing as a (very significant) part of a wider crisis we are going through where it is demanded of us that we accept without question the pronouncements of the Establishment. However bizarre, nonsensical and downright unscientific they may be.
We are being told by Government and the media that 'This' Is So…and anyone who doesn't 100% believe 'This', is clearly transphobic, anti-vax, scientifically illiterate etc.etc. (Insert whichever slur fits.)
I am trying to figure out who the mentally distressed are. Are they those who go along with the bullshit (that people can change sex and the Covid vaccines are 'effective' etc. ) and the rational part of their brains are rebelling, or are they those of us who call out the bullshit when we see it… and the distress is caused by the Establishment's derision.?
I fear this batshit crazy is going to persist for some time here in Godzone.
(Thanks for those links btw. Many other nations are accepting that some policies and protocols might have have been in error and are making definite attempts to rectify and move forward.)
Iatrogenic harm is something I have personal experience with, as I know you do.
So I have a learned response to question what evidence is provided regarding outcomes and the expected harms. Providing quality information in that regard is necessary for true informed consent. Otherwise, it is a tickbox exercise only, which renders the process harmful rather than neutral, because it pretends to provide a standard of care that it doesn't.
That doesn't mean that I expect all information to be 100% conclusive, I actually believe that to be impossible.
I do expect it to withstand scrutiny, and be able to say "The long-term effects of this are unknown…" or "Data is unavailable in regards…".
As soon as certainty is paired with a new medication, treatment or device my interest is piqued.
“Late to the party, and staying for the hangover. Very good…okay if I borrow that?”
Feel free to use whatever you want.
(The alcoholic theme may or may not be a reflection of my younger days. )
I am bothered about what this "Relationships" stuff is teaching Gay and Lesbian kids also. Tells us that we are "same gender" attracted – not "same sex" attracted. As a Lesbian – attracted to women (as in "adult human females" – rather than "anybody who says they are") I find this offensively homophobic. I don't see any definition of "Homosexual" in the Glossary.
This language appropriation has consequences in regards to discussion and public discourse. If "Transwomen are Women", then the word women has been appropriated to included men. Discussion of women right's and the impact of being a woman in terms of both biological sex and the impact of that on societal expectations becomes a minefield.
I noticed that those trying to maintain those discussions, then moved on to using female, but that also is being considered by many advocates of gender ideology to be transphobic. So, I returned to using women to describe women.
Lesbians were at the forefront of noticing that gay support organisations were shifting language and definitions to obscure original meanings, and eradicate the understood same-sex attraction definition.
The consequence of teaching children that attraction is gender based, and anything other is discriminatory, is that we are essentially saying that a healthy sexual orientation is bisexual – and only bisexual.
The organisations that the Ministry of Education refers the teaching profession to for classroom resources and curriculum, if they do refer to lesbian or homosexual, define it as "same gender attracted" rather than "same sex attracted".
There's a number of links you have to get through to get to this. But you end up with a pdf link.
Rainbow Youth – the most visible of the support organisations for young NZers, and also referred to as a resource by the Ministry of Health – does not use the word ‘lesbian’ at all on its website, and ‘homosexual’ only appears in their submissions to select committee. (Note: I haven’t checked this for a few weeks, so may have changed).
"A resource, focused on pornography within the broader context of Relationships and Sexuality Education, is for all educators, including teachers. The activities, reflective questions, and additional materials are designed to ensure flexibility for educators. Parents and whanau: You can 'browse as guest' and find the public version using the search tools…"
Haven't had a good look around yet. The resource keeps taking a while to load.
Regarding Relationships and Sexuality, I think the provision of guidance that allows external organisations and individuals to provide varying and ideological perspectives on sexuality, is the wrong approach.
I would much prefer the Ministry of Education compiled and published their own curriculum to be used, so that teaching staff provided the same information to all students, and transparency was given to parents and caregivers on what that information is.
Also, coming to the view that not only should biological development of childhood and puberty be covered, but the full timeline of biological sex from birth to death should be included in secondary school teaching.
This will result in a universal understanding of some of the basic common health concerns relating to sex, as children grow into adults. Eg. issues regarding infertility, endimetriosis, breast cancer, prostate cancer, menopause etc. Parents/caregivers of the same sex can be invited to attend sessions to fill in some of the knowledge that the occasional public campaigns endeavour to fill. In particular, this may be of worth to English as a second language NZers. A colloborative effort between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health.
Continuing the talk about language appropriation, the self-named Human Rights Campaign organisation, has put out a wonderful resource for those who are finding it hard to keep up with language, The Safer Sex Guide for Trans Bodies:
I saw a clip of someone wearing a full body suit/mask in Sidney walking the streets. Creepiest shit i have ever seen. But as in Germany and Australia , coming soon to a non gendered pissoir soon enough, thanks current government. This could not have happened without them. s/
All of us who knew that this was the latest iteration of the "men's rights" movement and that it was all about the removal of boundaries. They draped it in a rainbow flag, but it was all about men's access to women's spaces and women's bodies. Anything that women had fought for or utilised has been fetishised for their enjoyment. This includes even mass murder. After years of demanding to have access to the memorial to these women murdered because they were women, Trans Rights Activists have succeeded in invading the annual commemoration to talk about themselves. https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/tributes-to-victims-on-32nd-anniversary-of-montreal-s-polytechnique-mass-shooting-1.5694861
Well. there were those of us bwho were aware that removing boundaries without discussion, may invite those for whom those boundaries were intended too keep out in, alongside the welcoming rainbow flags.
We need to talk about Chesterton's Fence, and become as familiar with it as we did with the Overton Window.
"There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, “I don’t see the use of this; let us clear it away.” To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: “If you don’t see the use of it, I certainly won’t let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it.”
Thanks for that Poission. I'm not religious myself, but follow and agree with some of the points made.
Interestingly, this sentence "Now it is not unnatural that this unnatural separation, between sex and fruitfulness, which even the Pagans would have thought a perversion, has been accompanied with a similar separation and perversion about the nature of the love of the land." seems to relate to a theme that's come up several times lately, regarding the removal of the material body from discussions about sex, and replacing it with more of a focus on the hedonistic and pleasurable aspects of it. As this becomes more common, further exploration of the diversity of sexual acts are introduced. Not necessarily a problem, unless it makes it's way into standard education for children and young people.
(Which appears to have happened in the UK, which resulted in my first experience of watching a Benjamin Boyce video, where he lightly touches on this topic after a Family Sex Show was cancelled at several venues after complaints were made about safeguarding.)
None of us have consented. This is Alex Drummond – identifies as a woman and a lesbian, No surgery, no hormones, does not even have to shave off the beard. Stonewall sends Alex around schools to talk about diversity and inclusion and Alex tells kids that this is what a lesbian looks like.
This continual pushing against boundaries, brings to mind the open letter sent to Madison Metropolitan School District in 2020 about their transphobic bathroom policy written by a teacher of 23 years:
I don't want to discourage anyone from reading the full(some) complaint (that makes no mention of the risk assessments part of safeguarding) but here is the introduction – in their own words:
"The leadership of Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) is currently enacting a transphobic policy. And yes, it’s about bathrooms. It’s ALWAYS about bathrooms.
Here are the facts:
The policy our leadership is enacting is to require that staff and students use different bathrooms. I know, that doesn’t seem transphobic on the face of it. Our leadership wants to push the idea that it’s just a clarification of existing expectations. They want us to believe that it’s not transphobic, it’s just about safety and about “listening to all stakeholders”. And if that were true, this would not be a problem."
Now, in someone else's words, who understands the place risk assessment has in quality safeguarding policies:
US — Madison, Wisconsin. In January 2020, a male teacher penned an open letter in Our Lives, an LGBT Madison newsletter, accusing the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) of transphobia because the district encouraged adult staff to use staff washrooms, not those designated for children. Vica Steel who was previously named Mark Busenbark and currently identifies as a woman, wants to continue using the girls’ washroom directly across from the science teacher’s second-floor classroom, rather than an “all-gender” bathroom further away on the first floor.
…An Allis parent, (whose) child reported feeling uncomfortable using a children’s bathroom while an adult staff member was also using that same bathroom, contacted MMSD central office to inquire about what district practice was regarding adults using children’s bathrooms …
While staff members are able to use adult washrooms in the school “based on the gender with which they identify”, LeMonds indicated it is a best practice for adults to use a different bathroom than students “for safety purposes”.
Kim Hill interviewed Bill Browder this morning. He's living in seclusion for the same reason as Salman Rushdie (perpetual threat of assassination and/or kidnapping) but has to protect his wife & family simultaneously too.
Surprisingly, I managed the 48 mins without a moment of boredom. Most unusual. I liked his verbal style: fast, precise, low-key – yet always clear and direct.
They deployed useful-idiot theory for the Trump/Putin negotiations (in respect to the 2016 campaign meeting & offer of dirt on Hillary). Putin wanted Trump to ditch the Magnitsky Act. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnitsky_Act]
Most interesting bit was his explanation for why the goons who beat Magnitsky to death in prison put on the official form that they had used rubber truncheons on him: same as for Nazi goons under Himmler (to protect themselves against higher goons) – they had to create a bureaucratic record that they'd followed their orders properly.
For instance he said "Putin got 50%" of the Russian oligarchs billions for protecting them. How does he know this?
He also came across as money hungry to a point where, by the end, I was thinking he was getting his just deserts having to live his life as though he and his family were under threat of Russian violence at all times. When you dance with the devil…..
A Mount Maunganui museum dedicated to the military history of white minority-ruled Rhodesia that’s been likened to “celebrating the holocaust” is being used as a venue for Anzac commemorations this weekend…
A spokesperson for the government’s Department of Internal Affairs said the department had not received any complaints relating to the Rhodesian Services Association’s eligibility for registration under the Charities Act 2005.
However a letter sighted by Stuff dated 2010 from the Charities Commission refers to a complaint lodged with the commission regarding the charitable status of the Rhodesian Services Association, leading the commission to investigate “whether the Association was engaging in some form of public advocacy, advocating racial discrimination, or extolling the past racially based Rhodesian regime.”.
Hugh Bomford, spokesperson for the Lion and Tusk museum, run by the Rhodesian Services Association… said the museum is funded through membership, trading, donation and fundraising.
There have been recent concerns about white supremacy activity in Tauranga following the distribution of leaflets throughout the city.
Police said that they are aware of this and while they understand it may be offensive, it does not constitute a criminal offence.
It seems likely that the DIA will soon be getting a few complaints about the Rhodesian Services Association (including their cooption of the RSA TLA on ANZAC Day). From myself and my whanau if no one else.
I am put in mind of this NRT piece from yesterday:
The BORA's affirmation of the right to freedom of expression means that it is phenomenally difficult to prosecute for inciting racial disharmony, and this is only the second-ever case. But the penalty for that is only three months, so the bulk of his sentence (12 months' home detention and 300 hours of community work) was due to knowingly making an objectionable publication. Which I guess shows the opponents of a specific hate speech law the existing alternative: rather than risking three months in jail, they can risk 14 years, and be tainted by an offence normally reserved for child pornographers.
Thanks for the links Joe90. I don't spend much time on Twitter so wouldn't have thought of looking there myself. Though admittedly I do glance at Te Taipo and the disinformation project every so often since the Wellington occupation(/ inept coup attempt).
The second link didn't take me to a specific article, more a Google search in which the most relevant piece was about Don Brash in 2017. I didn't read it in full. Was that what you intended to link to?
Seem's like the Charities Commission should have a more robust system of dealing with complaints, and publishing decisions. In this era of technology, it should be a fundamental automatic process.
Scott Hamilton, always seems to be ahead of the ball in these situations.
I hope that those that do complain, are responded to in detail and that the Charities Commission not only publishes the complaints but the decision making process that leads to their response.
I waver between the balance between knowing where such possibilities for racial extremism are, against sending them underground or onto the dark net where they are fully hidden.
I don't support the use of the venue for Anzac though, seems a bad judgement call on the part of the Ministry of Defence.
It's been great fun seeing Keir Starmer do the slow roast of Boris Johnson.
Even if her survives the Parliamentary inquiry he will have holed the Conservatives below the waterline. Great to see Starmer finally harvesting the results of all those carefully set Parliamentary questions.
President Xi Jinping speaks wise words at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022, a thread outlining 10 major observations & messages from the speech. Actions mean more, but I live in hope.
He requests the international community to cooperate to keep global peace & warns against unilateralism, Cold War mentality & hegemonic tendencies & ambitions of the old order:
“We need to work together to maintain peace and stability in the world….The Cold War mentality
would only wreck the global peace framework, hegemonism and power politics would only endanger world peace, and bloc confrontation would only exacerbate security challenges in the 21st century.
“Keep walking and one will not be daunted by a thousand miles; make constant efforts and one will not be intimidated by a thousand tasks.”
Al-Aqsa is Islam's third-holiest site, and the most sacred site in Judaism where it is known as the Temple Mount. Police fired tear gas and rubber-tipped bullets at stone-throwing Palestinian youths, and later used drones to spray tear gas from the air, an AFP photographer said.
After midday prayers, some worshippers chanted "incitement" and tried to damage a security post, police said. More than 200 people, mostly Palestinians, have been hurt in clashes in and around Al-Aqsa in the past week. Palestinians have been outraged by massive Israeli police deployment and repeated visits by Jews to the holy site.
By long-standing convention, Jews are allowed to visit under certain conditions but are not allowed to pray there. Palestinian worshipper Alaa al-Haddad said Israel was restricting access to Al-Aqsa, and that this had created "tensions that lead to clashes", with hundreds of people arrested in recent days."It's all because the occupation forces are regularly storming the holy Al-Aqsa mosque," Haddad said.
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TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
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Here's a video (24 mins) for Tsmithfield – Ukraine has already won the war!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDf6Zf0JrPE
Full of hope and patriotism – but perhaps not too far off the mark.
Good stuff
Full of hope patriotism and propaganda, very little connection to what's actually happening on the ground. Without going into detail I will cut to the chase and offer a $100 bet that Russia is and will decisively win this Special Military Operation which is to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine, all bets to be held by a neutral party, so come on all you armchair experts put some money where your mouths are ..
@ Tony….Good on you…let's see who will put their money where their mouth is…in my experience of these Liberal Imperialists, I think you will find most of them are just so much all hot air and very little else.
"these liberal imperialists" – wow what a try-hard. Do you have a beret and a Che t-shirt?
And can't see me pants, too?
btw, a joint statement from Russian and Ukrainian socialists points the finger
Although the majority of the left has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the left camp’s unity is still lacking. We would like to address those on the left who still stick to “a plague on both houses” position that views the war as an inter-imperialist war.
It is high time the left woke up and carried out a “concrete analysis of the concrete situation” instead of reproducing worn-out frameworks from the Cold War. Overlooking Russian imperialism is a terrible mistake for the left. It is Putin, not NATO, who is waging war on Ukraine. That is why it is essential to shift our focus from Western imperialism to Putin’s aggressive imperialism, which has an ideological and political basis in addition to an economic one.
https://lefteast.org/against-russian-imperialism/
I think many countries would be quite surprised to find western imperialism is not aggressive and is devoid of politics and ideology.
Modern Imperialism not only involves the expansion of multinational corporations but the spreading of the dominant nation’s political ideology. America has made no secret of the latter.
Adrian, regardless of the background history between the Ukraine and Russia, the facts remain that the Ukraine is a (however imperfect) democracy, while Russia is a dictatorship where opposition to the government line can be quite detrimental to your health, and Putin/Russia needlessly invaded another country and has, apparently, committed some quite horrendous and, it seems, unnecessary crimes in doing so.
My backing is for David against Goliath!
But I'm not crass enough to put money on human suffering, Tony.
TV, I am betting on the outcome of a situation that has been the subject of the most intense propaganda programme I have ever witnessed and the truth must be searched for, I am willing to put my money where my mouth is, most on here are as Adrian said full of hot air and have only MSM as their source of information, when you say "Putin needlessly invaded another Country" that shows me you have done no research into the whole story, I am happy to share independent intelligent well researched journalists ex Military strategists and academics informed views if you want to educate yourself ..
Cheers Adrian T, no takers so far from here, however I have already collected 2 x $100 wagers that President Putin would be assassinated by his own staff by the 6th April and one of the punters is still so convinced it's going to happen I have given him until May the 6th and we have another $100 on it .. I have enjoyed reading your comments and laugh at the pile on when the tribe doesn't like something you say, they rush to shoot the messenger and ignore the story.
It's just a game, a money-making opportunity, that's all! Such a callous disregard for human suffering because it's 'over there,' far away from NZ.
I find your attitude appalling!
Discussing with another commentator the lack of adequate mental health provision in NZ, and the damage done by the failure of recognising the distinct and particular needs of the transgender community, I'm reposting some links I put in a couple of days ago on Open Mike (if that's OK by the moderators).
The update since this comment is that Norway has now also indicated that it will join the following countries in recommending quality therapy for the transgender community as their reviews of present methods of medication and surgery show net harm, instead of the expected benefits.
We have multiple examples historically and recently of iatrogenic harm done to people from unqualified or non-scrutinised medical treatments.
People asking for good clinical evidence for medical interventions – are often dismissed as transphobic – but really should be everyone.
Links below are particularly pertaining to the medical response for children and young people.
Netherlands; https://www.voorzij.nl/more-research-is-urgently-needed-into-transgender-care-for-young-people-where-does-the-large-increase-of-children-come-from/
Finland; https://segm.org/Finland_deviates_from_WPATH_prioritizing_psychotherapy_no_surgery_for_minors
Sweden; https://segm.org/segm-summary-sweden-prioritizes-therapy-curbs-hormones-for-gender-dysphoric-youth
France; https://segm.org/France-cautions-regarding-puberty-blockers-and-cross-sex-hormones-for-youth
the UK in the form of the Interim Cass Review; https://cass.independent-review.uk/publications/interim-report/
But here in NZ, we were late to the party, and it was only 2020 when the curriculum guidelines for Relationships and Sex Education were created and slapped on as an addition to the TKI – from the Ministry of Education.
For those unaware, the TKI guidelines set out the curriculum for all primary and secondary students in NZ. They specify what learning outcomes are needed, to meet curriculum requirements. Curriculum resources can therefore be created by teachers, schools or purchased from third-party organisations.
https://hpe.tki.org.nz/guidelines-and-policies/relationships-and-sexuality-education/
Guidelines can be found here on this page for both primary and secondary students as a pdf download.
There is a lot to unpick – and justifiably critique in these documents – but the one relevant to this point can be found in both documents (Pg 30 of Yrs 1-8 guide):
This means that every child within the NZ education system is introduced to the idea – (and due to the diversity of curriculum that can be taught we have no idea how) – that puberty is something that can reasonably be avoided, and puberty blockers are the method to do so.
Our Ministry of Health follows "gender affirming health care" for transgender NZers, including children. (Without getting into details, note that "gender affirming healthcare" is a pre-determined diagnosis and treatment, not equal to quality healthcare).
https://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/healthy-living/transgender-new-zealanders/transgender-new-zealanders-children-and-young-people
Late to the party, and staying for the hangover. NZ education normalises the idea of delayed puberty, while offering – without reserve – off-label medications that have no robust clinical evidence of benefit.
In fact, the countries above, that have reviewed evidence have found that the net result is harm.
If any of this bothers you, write to both the Ministry of Educaation and the Ministry of Health, asking them what evidential base did they use as reference for these TKI outcomes, and current medical response.
If your concern is for high-quality appropriate care for transgender youth, then you should be bothered. The likelihood of iatrogenic harm from the current approach is high, and the evidence of that occurring is starting to accumulate and be collected.
Forgot to add, Florida state, in contradiction of Federal guidelines, has also concluded after review that therapy is the best response in terms of outcomes.
Link to Independent article below, in which the first link is the pdf issued by Florida state, that outlines their reasoning.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/florida-transgender-healthcare-desantis-b2061804.html
As you may know, Florida has also regulated for appropriate age teaching regarding sex and education in public schools. Misnomered as "Don't Say Gay" bill.
They had the same issue, as we have here, where schools were instructing young students that puberty blockers were a reasonable and perfectly safe option for them without clinical evidence that this is true.
Even in America – with its for profit health system and its proliferation of "gender clinics" – good people are fighting back. https://lgbausa.org/2022/03/the-medicalization-of-gender-nonconforming-youth-a-statement-on-where-we-stand/?fbclid=IwAR2H76_xwbhkexcI_qxd_nIpqRdEC1U5tys82IWRkSsUd7GG2o8NwjZ8BmQ
In the interest of being pedantic, replace "good" with 'informed' and I then fully agree with you.
There are good people who are uninformed, but you have provided information that may get them to widen their knowledge and give them another perspective.
Late to the party, and staying for the hangover. Very good…okay if I borrow that?
I see the trans thing as a (very significant) part of a wider crisis we are going through where it is demanded of us that we accept without question the pronouncements of the Establishment. However bizarre, nonsensical and downright unscientific they may be.
We are being told by Government and the media that 'This' Is So…and anyone who doesn't 100% believe 'This', is clearly transphobic, anti-vax, scientifically illiterate etc.etc. (Insert whichever slur fits.)
I am trying to figure out who the mentally distressed are. Are they those who go along with the bullshit (that people can change sex and the Covid vaccines are 'effective' etc. ) and the rational part of their brains are rebelling, or are they those of us who call out the bullshit when we see it… and the distress is caused by the Establishment's derision.?
I fear this batshit crazy is going to persist for some time here in Godzone.
(Thanks for those links btw. Many other nations are accepting that some policies and protocols might have have been in error and are making definite attempts to rectify and move forward.)
Iatrogenic harm is something I have personal experience with, as I know you do.
So I have a learned response to question what evidence is provided regarding outcomes and the expected harms. Providing quality information in that regard is necessary for true informed consent. Otherwise, it is a tickbox exercise only, which renders the process harmful rather than neutral, because it pretends to provide a standard of care that it doesn't.
That doesn't mean that I expect all information to be 100% conclusive, I actually believe that to be impossible.
I do expect it to withstand scrutiny, and be able to say "The long-term effects of this are unknown…" or "Data is unavailable in regards…".
As soon as certainty is paired with a new medication, treatment or device my interest is piqued.
“Late to the party, and staying for the hangover. Very good…okay if I borrow that?”
Feel free to use whatever you want.
(The alcoholic theme may or may not be a reflection of my younger days. )
I am bothered about what this "Relationships" stuff is teaching Gay and Lesbian kids also. Tells us that we are "same gender" attracted – not "same sex" attracted. As a Lesbian – attracted to women (as in "adult human females" – rather than "anybody who says they are") I find this offensively homophobic. I don't see any definition of "Homosexual" in the Glossary.
This language appropriation has consequences in regards to discussion and public discourse. If "Transwomen are Women", then the word women has been appropriated to included men. Discussion of women right's and the impact of being a woman in terms of both biological sex and the impact of that on societal expectations becomes a minefield.
I noticed that those trying to maintain those discussions, then moved on to using female, but that also is being considered by many advocates of gender ideology to be transphobic. So, I returned to using women to describe women.
Lesbians were at the forefront of noticing that gay support organisations were shifting language and definitions to obscure original meanings, and eradicate the understood same-sex attraction definition.
The consequence of teaching children that attraction is gender based, and anything other is discriminatory, is that we are essentially saying that a healthy sexual orientation is bisexual – and only bisexual.
The organisations that the Ministry of Education refers the teaching profession to for classroom resources and curriculum, if they do refer to lesbian or homosexual, define it as "same gender attracted" rather than "same sex attracted".
There's a number of links you have to get through to get to this. But you end up with a pdf link.
https://healtheducation.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/m-nzhea-seg-teaching-and-learning-resources-for-sexuality-education.pdf
Rainbow Youth – the most visible of the support organisations for young NZers, and also referred to as a resource by the Ministry of Health – does not use the word ‘lesbian’ at all on its website, and ‘homosexual’ only appears in their submissions to select committee. (Note: I haven’t checked this for a few weeks, so may have changed).
Planned Parenthood has moved on from issues to do with reproduction and their method of providing easy and unscrutinised access to hormones is widely shared on transitioner forums.
It takes a while to go through all links, and some are only available to registered users.
As is the information regarding this which seems to have been added on 13 April 2022:
Haven't had a good look around yet. The resource keeps taking a while to load.
Regarding Relationships and Sexuality, I think the provision of guidance that allows external organisations and individuals to provide varying and ideological perspectives on sexuality, is the wrong approach.
I would much prefer the Ministry of Education compiled and published their own curriculum to be used, so that teaching staff provided the same information to all students, and transparency was given to parents and caregivers on what that information is.
Also, coming to the view that not only should biological development of childhood and puberty be covered, but the full timeline of biological sex from birth to death should be included in secondary school teaching.
This will result in a universal understanding of some of the basic common health concerns relating to sex, as children grow into adults. Eg. issues regarding infertility, endimetriosis, breast cancer, prostate cancer, menopause etc. Parents/caregivers of the same sex can be invited to attend sessions to fill in some of the knowledge that the occasional public campaigns endeavour to fill. In particular, this may be of worth to English as a second language NZers. A colloborative effort between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health.
Continuing the talk about language appropriation, the self-named Human Rights Campaign organisation, has put out a wonderful resource for those who are finding it hard to keep up with language, The Safer Sex Guide for Trans Bodies:
https://assets2.hrc.org/files/assets/resources/Trans_Safer_Sex_Guide_FINAL.pdf
Do you remember (baby) last September… when women were foolishly complaining about the cover of the Lancet with "bodies with vaginas" quote?
Well, we've moved on from there.
Bodies with vaginas, are not the bodies with vaginas of yesterday.
However, the dicks of today are the same as the dicks of yesterday.
Just keeps getting better and better,
https://twitter.com/hatpinwoman/status/1517515059945222144?s=21
https://twitter.com/hatpinwoman/status/1517517624195883010?s=21
if it’s a sexual fetish, doing it publicly involves other people who haven’t consented.
I saw a clip of someone wearing a full body suit/mask in Sidney walking the streets. Creepiest shit i have ever seen. But as in Germany and Australia , coming soon to a non gendered pissoir soon enough, thanks current government. This could not have happened without them. s/
These new woman are something. Aren't they?
Who would have thought #NoDebate would lead to this kind of boundary pushing?
All of us who knew that this was the latest iteration of the "men's rights" movement and that it was all about the removal of boundaries. They draped it in a rainbow flag, but it was all about men's access to women's spaces and women's bodies. Anything that women had fought for or utilised has been fetishised for their enjoyment. This includes even mass murder. After years of demanding to have access to the memorial to these women murdered because they were women, Trans Rights Activists have succeeded in invading the annual commemoration to talk about themselves. https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/tributes-to-victims-on-32nd-anniversary-of-montreal-s-polytechnique-mass-shooting-1.5694861
Well. there were those of us bwho were aware that removing boundaries without discussion, may invite those for whom those boundaries were intended too keep out in, alongside the welcoming rainbow flags.
We need to talk about Chesterton's Fence, and become as familiar with it as we did with the Overton Window.
Chesterton was a thinker well ahead of his time.
https://twitter.com/GKCdaily/status/1412944776861818880
Thanks, Poission. That seems very appropriate.
Do you know what context this quote was made in?
Its from an essay [ sex and property] that also has analogous arguments,that relate to the forthcoming dystopian regimes that were appearing.
https://www.chesterton.org/sex-and-property/
Thanks for that Poission. I'm not religious myself, but follow and agree with some of the points made.
Interestingly, this sentence "Now it is not unnatural that this unnatural separation, between sex and fruitfulness, which even the Pagans would have thought a perversion, has been accompanied with a similar separation and perversion about the nature of the love of the land." seems to relate to a theme that's come up several times lately, regarding the removal of the material body from discussions about sex, and replacing it with more of a focus on the hedonistic and pleasurable aspects of it. As this becomes more common, further exploration of the diversity of sexual acts are introduced. Not necessarily a problem, unless it makes it's way into standard education for children and young people.
(Which appears to have happened in the UK, which resulted in my first experience of watching a Benjamin Boyce video, where he lightly touches on this topic after a Family Sex Show was cancelled at several venues after complaints were made about safeguarding.)
https://youtu.be/q9mF8DHwU8U
lol, all of us? 🙂
Now that I think of it… I'm pretty sure I was on the Us bus with you.
But people kept wanting to send us to Coventry because of the loud team sing-a-long.
People do as people see fit. We were/are in good company on that bus to Coventry. Maybe we should meet for lunch one day?
I'll get the t-shirts…
https://twitter.com/TheFamousArtBR/status/1517244619905548291
I want us all in a restaurant with phones on the table and lots of laughter.
name the place and a date…….
Sounds like a plan!
I'm not up to getting together, but what about something like this?
https://twitter.com/JKRsBarmyBooks/status/1518123802093359108
(and totally support others getting together!)
First book is Joyce's Trans.
To both. Book club to start.
https://twitter.com/jkrsbarmybooks/status/1518634962647457793?s=21
None of us have consented. This is Alex Drummond – identifies as a woman and a lesbian, No surgery, no hormones, does not even have to shave off the beard. Stonewall sends Alex around schools to talk about diversity and inclusion and Alex tells kids that this is what a lesbian looks like.
do you think he's AGP?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkK7zisjoDk
The most splendid Magdalene Berns.
But yes, yes he is. And he clearly enjoys the power to make women feel uncomfortable around him, and imo that is why he does it.
Absolutely.
ah yes, I'd forgotten about that.
I miss the fabulous Magdalen Burns. She's so on form there.
This continual pushing against boundaries, brings to mind the open letter sent to Madison Metropolitan School District in 2020 about their transphobic bathroom policy written by a teacher of 23 years:
https://ourlivesmadison.com/article/open-letter-from-vica-steel-madison-metropolitan-school-district-is-currently-enacting-a-transphobic-policy/
I don't want to discourage anyone from reading the full(some) complaint (that makes no mention of the risk assessments part of safeguarding) but here is the introduction – in their own words:
Now, in someone else's words, who understands the place risk assessment has in quality safeguarding policies:
https://www.womenarehuman.com/male-teacher-now-transgender-demands-access-to-washroom-for-elementary-school-girls/
Comments?
Who would possibly not want this person in the same bathroom as their 13yo daughter? This is Vica Steel.
Elementary school ages in the US are approx five to eleven years old.
Kim Hill interviewed Bill Browder this morning. He's living in seclusion for the same reason as Salman Rushdie (perpetual threat of assassination and/or kidnapping) but has to protect his wife & family simultaneously too.
Surprisingly, I managed the 48 mins without a moment of boredom. Most unusual. I liked his verbal style: fast, precise, low-key – yet always clear and direct.
They deployed useful-idiot theory for the Trump/Putin negotiations (in respect to the 2016 campaign meeting & offer of dirt on Hillary). Putin wanted Trump to ditch the Magnitsky Act. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnitsky_Act]
Most interesting bit was his explanation for why the goons who beat Magnitsky to death in prison put on the official form that they had used rubber truncheons on him: same as for Nazi goons under Himmler (to protect themselves against higher goons) – they had to create a bureaucratic record that they'd followed their orders properly.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018839233/bill-browder-the-man-high-on-putin-s-hit-list
I found him interesting but too glib Dennis.
For instance he said "Putin got 50%" of the Russian oligarchs billions for protecting them. How does he know this?
He also came across as money hungry to a point where, by the end, I was thinking he was getting his just deserts having to live his life as though he and his family were under threat of Russian violence at all times. When you dance with the devil…..
This is simply despicable:
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/300570733/kiwi-seaside-town-hosts-rhodesian-museum-where-a-racist-regimes-war-is-honoured
It seems likely that the DIA will soon be getting a few complaints about the Rhodesian Services Association (including their cooption of the RSA TLA on ANZAC Day). From myself and my whanau if no one else.
I am put in mind of this NRT piece from yesterday:
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2022/04/a-conviction-for-hate-speech.html?m=1
Historian Scott Hamilton has had an eye on these fuckers.
https://twitter.com/search?q=from%3A%40SikotiHamiltonR%20rhodesia&src=typed_query
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=rhodesia+site%3Areadingthemaps.blogspot.com
Thanks for the links Joe90. I don't spend much time on Twitter so wouldn't have thought of looking there myself. Though admittedly I do glance at Te Taipo and the disinformation project every so often since the Wellington occupation(/ inept coup attempt).
The second link didn't take me to a specific article, more a Google search in which the most relevant piece was about Don Brash in 2017. I didn't read it in full. Was that what you intended to link to?
Just noting that Scott's been writing about Rhodesians in NZ and their connections since 2009.
That's an informative Stuff article.
Seem's like the Charities Commission should have a more robust system of dealing with complaints, and publishing decisions. In this era of technology, it should be a fundamental automatic process.
Scott Hamilton, always seems to be ahead of the ball in these situations.
I hope that those that do complain, are responded to in detail and that the Charities Commission not only publishes the complaints but the decision making process that leads to their response.
I waver between the balance between knowing where such possibilities for racial extremism are, against sending them underground or onto the dark net where they are fully hidden.
I don't support the use of the venue for Anzac though, seems a bad judgement call on the part of the Ministry of Defence.
It's been great fun seeing Keir Starmer do the slow roast of Boris Johnson.
Even if her survives the Parliamentary inquiry he will have holed the Conservatives below the waterline. Great to see Starmer finally harvesting the results of all those carefully set Parliamentary questions.
(14) Labour Produced Strategic Masterstroke in Trapping Boris Johnson – YouTube
President Xi Jinping speaks wise words at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022, a thread outlining 10 major observations & messages from the speech. Actions mean more, but I live in hope.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1517095829147996165.html
What Government services are currently underfunded?
IDF gotta IDF.
https://twitter.com/nirhasson/status/1515602981722501124
Al-Aqsa is Islam's third-holiest site, and the most sacred site in Judaism where it is known as the Temple Mount. Police fired tear gas and rubber-tipped bullets at stone-throwing Palestinian youths, and later used drones to spray tear gas from the air, an AFP photographer said.
After midday prayers, some worshippers chanted "incitement" and tried to damage a security post, police said. More than 200 people, mostly Palestinians, have been hurt in clashes in and around Al-Aqsa in the past week. Palestinians have been outraged by massive Israeli police deployment and repeated visits by Jews to the holy site.
By long-standing convention, Jews are allowed to visit under certain conditions but are not allowed to pray there. Palestinian worshipper Alaa al-Haddad said Israel was restricting access to Al-Aqsa, and that this had created "tensions that lead to clashes", with hundreds of people arrested in recent days."It's all because the occupation forces are regularly storming the holy Al-Aqsa mosque," Haddad said.
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20220422-scores-of-palestinians-wounded-in-clashes-with-israeli-police-at-jerusalem-s-al-aqsa-mosque-compound