Ceri Black, the woman who has been asked to voluntarily go to the police station (and if she doesn’t ,get arrested) speaks.All this because of a complaint lodged by a man about her tweets.
Faafoi is merely a messenger, who can be replaced by the leaders of Gov at any instance, or what its worth, he could also resign if he don't want his good name to be attached to this abomination of a law.
This bill is being shoved down these sweet lands is courtesy of the full Labour Party / Government with their handmaiden/aunt lydia the Green Party.
I wonder what Hone Harawira is doing to keep the virus out of the North and to help the people get vaccinated. Whatever he's doing is usually a good practical effort using locals to do the mahi. We in regions could do a lot worse, like do nothing, than to do similar to Hone Harawira, whatever it is. I have some faith in the man in times of shit.
With the coming "opening" of Auckland that bloody virus will get everywhere before we know it. Regional borders could be a thing, run by locals. Something must be able to be done and not just let Auckland infect the whole country. (sorry Auckland).
Well what could private citizen Hone Harawira do that he not already doing? Because he is raising the issue with the leaky border – leaky side being Akl/Cops, not his border patrol. As for the vaccination drive,
"We have a curious dialogue which implicitly equates Māori with the lower classes, drawing attention to their low incomes, their poverty, their unemployment, their poor health, housing and life prospects and their high incarceration rates. All true on average, but demeaning to many Māori, who have good jobs, decent incomes, reasonable health, their own homes and high social status and who are proud of their culture. It is true there are proportionally fewer of them than for Pakeha, but it is also true that there are many more Pakeha in total who are low in the socioeconomic ranking"
I’ve a lot of time for Brian Easton but I do wish he (and others) could find a different word for the group of people they label the underclass.
I like that he continues to highlight that there a plenty of Pākehā that belong to this group and plenty of Māori who don’t.
I spend quite a lot of time wondering why Pākehā in this group are ignored and have come to the conclusion that academics, politicians and other ‘thought leaders’ are racist or paternalistic believing that only (and all) Māori are this disengaged from society. And if they believe Pākehā are similarly disengaged, they also believe Pākehā have the means to get themselves out of a hole – personal responsibility and all that, or are disgusted that these people are letting the [Pākehā] side down so render them not worthy or invisible.
For the rest of us, thinking the ‘underclass is only Māori, that’s just shoving people in a box and equating ‘most of’ with ‘all’. We spend too much time categorising.
"I spend quite a lot of time wondering why Pākehā in this group are ignored and have come to the conclusion that academics, politicians and other ‘thought leaders’ are racist or paternalistic believing that only (and all) Māori are this disengaged from society."
I suspect it has more to do with the lack of consideration (understanding)….the 'underclass" (of all ethnicities) are dismissed as unimportant, indeed something to be 'tolerated' for the necessity of the labours they perform….the reality is our society is driven by and for the elites.
Very much like the old saying goes, if all hte poor people would see each other as poor and neglected first and different races/religions/sex last they could band together as poor people and maybe even bring about change. But then, divide and conquer is the current model and it seems to be working quite well.
Time and again Sabine we have counted on the poor etc to get the Left over the line at election time and every time they stay away in droves. They are just not engaged in politics, and the Right know it.
It is funny though, that the non voters that i know are well to do, white people in nice houses in nice areas.
Maybe neither the left nor the right has anything to offer to the poor?
the left, thinly applied empathy for a few deserving poor, a few pennies here and there when the visuals are too upsetting (kids living in vans or hovels), when it gets to cold and Nan can either eat or heat, etc etc. But no change what so ever. Try being an unemployed women in NZ who has a partner who still has an income, no matter how long you worked, no matter how much taxes you paid, you won't be getting a penny from Winz. Cause……surely your partner will give you some pin money and a daily feed. Thanks left of NZ.
the right, thickly applied 'can't be bothered at all' with most beneficiaries, as their list of the deserving poor is even shorter then that of the left. Lets cut the benefits, or not incresae them. Bootstraps for bootless people is the best they can offer.
Why on earth would any one in NZ who is poor, by unemployment, by unlucky draw of the health card, by sex – single women with children are pretty much the poorest in nz vote for the duopoly that is the political landscape in NZ? Oh to rubberstamp either party into existance?
Lol.
Maybe the left really needs to come to grips that the giveaway for one electric car (for the very rich of this country – cause one has to be rich to afford a new 35 000 NZD vehicle – at the low end that one) is more in one give away then the poor got over the last 5 years.
18% didn't vote in the last election. Who were they?
In the US with all the hullabaloo around the 2020 election and the candidates and NZ$19 billion spent on the campaigns, there was a record voter turnout but that was only 67%.
They analyse to the nth degree who did and didn't vote.
Yeah, I think so – economically marginalised Maori and economically marginalised Pākehā live in the same space, shop in the same places etc. Supporting one group and not the other creates division. Why on earth would the group that is left behind vote for a party that doesn’t see them?
It's no surprise that Te Paati Māori has MPs from Rotorua and Taranaki – and good on them. If only their party and the Labour party had enough in common to work together to bring about change for all the economically marginalised.
Economically marginalised Pākehā have yet to find a party that cares about their lives. Maybe they need a Trump or a Boris if Labour won't do it – their lives seem to be rock bottom, but at least they can shaft the centre-left. But what a disaster that would be for the rest of us.
Yes, I think women and singles are the bottom of most heaps, and if you are brown, even harder. Smart Asians anglicised their names to get past hiring agencies. That tells about bias. A great number of women will have lost part time or service positions lately, those favoured when they have a younger family.
As many office workers work from home office cleaners are not required, work cafeterias and cafes close, as firms make choices to work around covid.
Though covid has stripped away some pretensions about which functions in society are essential, those living alone are disadvantaged, as two incomes are needed to survive, one is often penury .We need to remember that and pay better rates for those part time service positions many younger and older citizens supplement income with.
As with there being no need to distinguish ethnicity, gender and partnership status are superfluous….there is perhaps only one delineation required…the 'deserving' and 'undeserving'…the former being those who labour as opposed to those who do not.
As with there being no need to distinguish ethnicity, gender and partnership status are superfluous….there is perhaps only one delineation required…the 'deserving' and 'undeserving'…the former being those who labour as opposed to those who do not
I have to disagree. Ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and partnership status are all important. People may all be in similar dire situations but they may have different priorities and require different strategies to have the situations they live in improved.
It seems that there's a limited pot of empathy and caring (as well as money) that gets swapped from one group to the next and back again. While the well-off get bribed with tax cuts, and the wealth gap continues to widen. They governments for the well-off give up nothing for the economically marginalised and they can do so because the economically marginalised are labelled the "underclass", which is wrapped in stereotyped culture of personal failings that leaves them supposedly 'undeserving'.
the 'deserving' and 'undeserving'…the former being those who labour as opposed to those who do not
This is just so wrong, or are you being cynical and it's gone way over my head?
Yes Miravox, I was thinking of my hard working cousin, who at 58 has few reserves, no home and is a grande' mal epileptic. She works in the "care industry" lives in as she has no home. After leaving a drug addled husband she brought up two great kids, they also rent. One in NSW and one in Auckland. She has not seen her children for two years as she works in Levin.
Then there is our nephew in NSW. He is in construction, has developed a fungal lung infection from timber he was working with. His wife left him and his share of things did not stretch to a home. He has been unable to work and is thankful for excellent medical treatment, but he too has a bleak future outlook.
A friend who helps me with the heavy cleaning once a fortnight, is juggling 5 part time jobs a sick husband and a 98 year old father.
Our son is awaiting 3 different surgical procedures in QLD, the prep for which needs dye tests to decide what part gets cut away next. He has had surgery delayed 3 times through covid. (Anne I see you )So we have wee home but may have to do something drastic if things get really bad for him. How these situations work out for people with nothing and no hope who are called critical cruel unjust labels .. well "There but for the Grace…" OK some people are silly anti and misguided. But they are us. Our best and our worst.
None of these people I spoke of go without food, they are all hard workers when well, but none of them have been able to do more than keep afloat in normal times..then along came covid to add to their stress and problems.
I could tell 7 or 8 more stories like that, and I think the system is geared to two incomes.
Singles or people with a sick or unemployed partner are disadvantaged, and women more so because of the pay gap.
Also these days people need enough money for internet 'phone laptop rent and food. I feel the idea of a BUI is more appealing by the day, if it was near the level of the pension.
No doubt someone will say "We can't afford it" Wellbeing requires it.
Whether it has gone over your head I cannot say….the point is how our society functions is determined by the wants of the elites not the needs of the whole, and much of what is debated on sites such as this is mere distraction from that fact…and that serves only one group.
Keeping the wide goal in mind is essential, but so is looking at the subdivisions within the overarching delineation. These subdivisions involve different aspects of their creation and the way to overcome the inequities that result from that. Those differences sometimes require more than just a specific focus, they require effort on our part to realise the lenses we use to look at something often have filters installed by our place in society.
These are not distractions, any more than using the right tool for a job is a distraction. Sometimes you can fix everything with a hammer, sometimes it takes actual knowledge of what you're doing and the right tools to do it.
I was unable to read your meaning in the comment. But that's fair enough.
I agree that out society functions by the needs of the elite. I believe we can work to ease the problems of the people disadvantaged by that as well as working to change the system. I fear not doing that will lead to overthrow of the current elite that will hurt more people and in the end just install a different elite because we haven't actually learned how not to have an elite.
"…the 'underclass" (of all ethnicities) are dismissed as unimportant, indeed something to be 'tolerated' for the necessity of the labours they perform…"
That is a very Victorian view of the poor. Deserving and undeserving.
I believe that we are able to change things… getting bitter and putting labels on the haves is the same trap as putting labels on the poor. Those labels stop us seeing our common humanity… Our stories give us points of real connection, otherwise it is notional.
Its called divide and conquer. In the end it is this tit for tat, to and fro, low level disputes that keeps the unwashed masses ruminating in their little "class war" and all the while the carpet of protective law for all is pulled under all.
It needs a good minds, honest debate and an open ear and heart to understand and to prevent. Right now many have lost their compass and holding on to all those ideas that look like establishing balance but all it does is fanning hate and revenge. Some truly enjoying this and crime waves increase, being placated as the disadvantaged take their share and the law for all is “wrong”. The next generation will not just have to battle climate change, there is something more at stake.
So "scientists estimate that around half the plastic in the air is smaller than 5mm (the definition of a microplastic), with some in the nano-, or less than one micrometre, size range. That means there may be way more plastic in the air that this latest study didn’t account for."
Beijing, for example, is recorded as having concentrations of more than 5,500 bits of plastic per cubic metre… What’s more clear though is how horrible airborne microplastics can be for human health. They can lead to breathlessness, crackly breathing, developing cancer or might just literally cut you up from the inside out.
But don't worry, be happy! Them bits of plastic can't really compete with Delta because their invasion technique is too random.
Seven students are suing a Texas school district over its dress-code policy banning boys from having long hair… According to its dress code policy, boys cannot wear their hair over their eyes, past the bottom of their ears, or past the bottom of a dress shirt collar.
Bad enough having to wear a dress shirt, eh? But good on the Texans for taking a belated stand against Beatlemania. The mop-top look was grossly uncool to those of us who were serious about long hair.
The suit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas (ACLU) on Thursday on behalf of the students, argues the school district "imposed immense and irreparable harm… solely because of these students' gender".
It details a number of punishments given to the students – six boys and one non-binary child – for wearing long hair. One, a nine-year-old identified as AC, is Latino, and wears his hair long like his father and uncle as a part of his family's heritage, the suit says. Another, an 11-year-old identified as TM, is non-binary and has worn long hair as a "critical component" of their gender expression. Both have been subjected to punishments including suspension, denial of extracurricular activities and separation from their peers.
Hope they fight it to the Supreme Court, and Trump realises it's a golden opportunity to raise his waning profile. He ought to bankroll them. We see his hair creeping back over his collar on a regular basis. Fab way to reinforce his model rebel political praxis. Voters would recognise that it gives him authenticity.
Does anyone on here happen to be in the govt business and know if these vax cert's are going to be a physical thing or just something added to the covid app' like a QR code which when scanned shows fully vaxed?
Because if physical it will be a logistical nightmare. If the later an actually good idea.
And consider also the idea – as portrayed in many a movies – no QRcode no passing from one sector to the next.
Ideally all that is needed for businesses is a certification like with the health rating. All staff are vaccinated hang that cert into your business window. Done. Unless we really are starting to advocate a society where every move must be on some app.
Needs to be both as many do not have devices which do "APPS" indeed many cannot afford the connectivity required to run the devices. Try keeping connected without the ability to pay for all this connection. Run out of "minutes" and no access is also a problem that can only be mitigated by physical paper.
Can't afford smart phone? Sorry, not welcome, with my QR thinking. Bit dim on my part.
Agree, has to be both.
Personally I would also get both, as have a pre pay, with sheds of data, stuff all call time, but the monthly renewal always runs out with me not remembering to top up, and for a few days I’m carrying round a pretty pointless piece of plastic lol
You don't have to be "in the Govt Business" to know the answer. At one of the daily Press Conferences it was very specific it IS both. It can be on your phone or you can carry a hard copy around with you. I hope that clears it up for you Chris T, we wouldn't want to inadvertently cast doubt where doubt doesn't exist. Cheers
It may be that many of those who are vaccine averse will not be persuaded otherwise.
Instead of further incentives/disincentives, why not look at other strategies
Namely what has been used in countries where wide roll outs of the vaccine have not been possible .
Those testing positive in early stages have been sent home with home treatment kits, monitored and re tested , with very good results. Not a clinical trial, but good epidemiological data
Chris Leitch of Social Credit has advocated this, and includes that data for reference.
I think it should be looked at, instead of the increasing divisiveness and futility in attempts to educate resistant people into accepting the vaccine.
Professor Chris Butler, from the University Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, Joint Chief Investigator of the PRINCIPLE trial, said, ‘Ivermectin is readily available globally, has been in wide use for many other infectious conditions so it’s a well-known medicine with a good safety profile, and because of the early promising results in some studies it is already being widely used to treat COVID-19 in several countries. By including ivermectin in a large-scale trial like PRINCIPLE, we hope to generate robust evidence to determine how effective the treatment is against COVID-19, and whether there are benefits or harms associated with its use.’
At least we now know that ivermectin at 12 mg has a good safety profile.Worth a trial at least.
Of course there may still be hardliners who won’t accept any pharmaceutical, but I am seeing a lot of anti vaxxers who are only resistant to the MRNA vaccine.
Treatment packs may be more realistic than waiting for Novovax
Ivermectin became a litmus test – not so much as whether it worked or not because I'm willing to accept that the umpire is still out on that question – but because the Big Pharma 'there is no alternative to vaccines' narrative so blatantly attempted to discredit it.
Those of us who have consistently advocated that we should be intelligently trialing every possible tool have naturally been suspicious of this from the outset, a suspicion only inflamed by the vax only crowd vilifying and othering those whose conscience or beliefs led them to be hesitant or reject this narrow plan.
If nothing else we should have learned from the antibiotic resistance story, that if we impose a single narrow evolutionary pressure on any organism – it will likely find ways to evade that tool – no matter how promising. We've already seen this starting to happen with COVID vaccines. The correct way to avoid this mistake is not to mindlessly double down with more and more booster vaccines, but to be open to multiple different approaches with mutually exclusive mechanisms.
I think also the difficulty with ivermectin is that the studies have been so small, and many crappy. To do a big study with all the bells and whistles requires money.
No pharmaceutical company is interested in giving grants to a study that will not result in profits. Ivermectin is out of patent, easily produced , therefore cheap.
If not ivermectin other antivirals could be considered.
I agree with you, all this one way stuff is frustrating.
I think also the difficulty with ivermectin is that the studies have been so small, and many crappy.
That worried me less than the detractors would have it. Ivermectin would not be the first drug to have been successfully re-purposed based on small, crappy clinical trials. Those who have demanded that the only acceptable evidence would be a large, gold standard – and yes very expensive – RCT, conveniently overlook that medical progress has never relied on these alone. Decades of experience with meta-analysis has probably driven more innovation in medicine than RCT's.
Still ultimately we have to hope that eventually the blatant agendas and politics gets out of the way and we get to see some fully trusted data – and on that the Ivermectin story will live or die.
Thanks for that info.Was not aware, but then of course many drugs have been successfully repurposed.Like aspirin, first used for fever reduction and pain relief, then many years later as a blood thinner.
Yep … you're both pretty much bang-on … as reasonable, thoughtful, fair-minded, easy-going people on the Left often are … as opposed to both Woke hysterics & Clintonista melodramatics … in terms of the latter: horse de-wormers, convergence moonbats, Donald Trump, anti-vaxxers & various other guilt-by-association rhetorical strategies designed to demonize a potentially promising & inexpensive re-purposed antiparasitic drug that could save many lives … on & on ad nauseam …
The difficulty with Ivermectin is that it has become so parasite resistant it is no longer used as an animal wormer, I guess the manufacturers have to peddle their wares somehow some where.
Google found a couple of recent papers on horse nematodes that are resistant to ivermectin – don't know if resistance is recent and/or isolated, or if it's potentially a more established problem as suggested by the third link.
Nice to know the old horse paste slur no longer applies
Ivermectin’s not going out of fashion in a hurry. Curiously, human parasites haven’t developed any resistance, and there are other multiple uses for it
"If nothing else we should have learned from”(RL 11.11am); the fact that diet is extremely important if you want a sound immune system. As a nation we shoud be totally ashamed at the general lousy health of the majority of NZers. For example it is a fact that the majority of NZ are on the verge of scurvy because of inadequate vitamin C intake. Guess which vitamin is essential for a robust immune system.?
Endless consumption of takeaways and junk,overprocessed food and sugary drinks doesn't take long to compromise your defences.
Yes. In the longer run I suspect COVID will force us to re-think the whole public health story. The correlation with so called 'co-morbidities' has been obvious from the outset – yet relatively few people have been willing to openly ask the question 'how come we're so sick in the first place'?
The 'crush the curve' narrative to prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed is all very well in the short term, but fails to ask why diseases like diabetes, cardio-vascular illnesses, dementia, depression and anxiety already threaten to overwhelm them COVID or not.
Another aspect that’s been completely overlooked is the poor quality of so much of our indoor ventilation, creating ideal environments for an air borne virus to spread. There’s another tool the 90% plus vax crowd won’t want to mention.
I am most impressed with the tight narrowing of political and media discussion about a broader view of society beyond health.
We've got out of COVID outbreaks three times in New Zealand, and zero politicians or strong media commentators are asking:
What kind of country do we really want and can change to achieve?
– A different approach to work, when we continue to be one of the most state-subsidised wage economies in the world?
– A different approach to transport and travel, when so much of it has proven unnecessary?
– A different approach to digital news aggregators, when they have been shown to be the enemy of life-saving truth?
– A different approach to the marginalised, when their lives have never been more magnified for society?
– A different approach to Maori and Pasifika health organisations, when they have proven their superior reach and delivery from the singular state?
– A different approach to retirement savings and public employment insurance, when crises are now besetting our lives faster and faster every decade?
– A different approach to the best we can hope for our children, when travel for adventure or study is going to be rare, and may mean they don't come back for years?
New Zealand is a place where David Seymour looks like a leading public intellectual and James Shaw's support is heading for 6% within a globally huge year for climate change.
All very good questions with many posts worth of discussion to be had. Yet if I can discern one thing they may all have in common, is just what role do we want in having the state drive these questions as contrasted to the individual and the community?
Going back to public health for example, I could imagine the state might devise an excellent public food system that compelled people to eat only from a state sanctioned diet that was officially deemed to be 'healthy'. And as effective as this might be in terms of improving health, it would be rightly rejected as an insane imposition into our personal lives – for all sorts of other reasons.
But this does not mean the state should give up on getting us all leaner, fitter and a bit meaner either. The trick is inspiring change while utilising the least necessary amount of force necessary.
(Principle of Least Action. A fundamental idea in physics that has it's analogy in politics as well.)
Ad,
This is because if you want an inclusive government, don't shut anybody out as it is done now (no matter what color, race, etc.) and have unlawful behavior sanctioned. The majority of people want a cohesive, just society whilst we seem to be heading to Mad Max #3. The green party has not delivered anything that is doable in the wider sense and does not create more toxic rubbish (batteries of electric cars) Just putting platitudes out will not do. I really miss Jeanette Fitzsimons and Rod Donald, Russel Norman. They steered a focused course.
Probably the phrase 'verge of scurvy' is a tad rhetorical, but I'd generally go along with the idea that our modern lifestyles leaves us with sub-optimal levels of both Vitamin C and D.
Citing something as fact which is demonstrably untrue is a pretty poor rhetorical device.
Our modern lifestyles (generally speaking) certainly provide us with too many calories and not enough exercise.
I suspect our modern lifestyles also provide us on balance with higher vitamin intake than lifestyles of the past, not really sure as it's not my area of expertise.
I am generally in favour of the traffic light road map announced on Friday morning. There is one obvious flaw however in the system, the fate of the Waikato region.
Auckland at alert level 3 will shift to the new traffic light system when they reach 90% double vaccination. Fair enough, they have been through a lot and done a lot of 'heavy lifting'. The South Island might also move when they all reach 90%. They will have done the right thing and can migrate across.
The Waikato is currently at alert level 3, daily covid numbers have me wondering if the virus will be stamped out in our rohe or whether we will continue in the level 3 twilight zone. the Waikato is doing it's share of the heavy lifting as well now. By my calculations it will be only behind Auckland in terms of weeks in Levels 3&4 lockdowns.
Should this area be stuck in level 3 I think the same provisions given to Auckland need to apply here as well. Once we have reached 90% double vaxed we transition to the new traffic light system. If that option is not given to the Waikato, we face the inequity of sitting at level 3 waiting for all other DHBs to do the right thing. However those areas stay at level 2 and the Waikato at level 3. That wait will be pretty unfair.
In order to get to 90% the Waikato will need to have our less vaccinated populations – maori and pasifika – much better vaccinated. That's what it will take to get to 90%, such is the ethnic make up of the region, it won't be pakeha alone getting us there. So no one ethnicity will be 'left behind'. We currently have a level 3 border within the Waikato so moving to the traffic light system with a DHB wide border will not make a substantive difference. The border will simply enlarge. If we can be trusted to have a 'soft' border now, we can be trusted to have a 'soft' border under the new traffic lights.
Thus, if we cannot soon stamp out covid in the Waikato, and it becomes entrenched, then the provision must be made available to Waikato to join the likes of Auckland to transition to the traffic light system when we reach 90% double vaccinated, rather than wait for the rest of the country. We can have the same restrictions placed on us, like a border. It will allow us to control our own fate and avoid the risk of the Waikato being the only area stuck in level 3 and waiting for everyone else to get to 90%. Or, put it another way, the Waikato wants the ability to control it's own fate to get out of Level 3, not rely on the Sandra Goudies and Pembroke Birds of other areas.
Why should having had Covid 19 in your community in the past have anything to do with whether you should be locked up in the future? Why free up Auckland but keep restrictions in Christchurch just because Auckland had a Covid infection in the past but Christchurch didn't?
I personally think that the whole silly scheme is going to collapse shortly after the drop the level in Auckland down the traffic light scale. Do you really think that the people in DHB areas with high vaccination levels are going to tolerate have to put up with irksome restrictions just because people living hundreds of kilometres away happen to live in an arbitrarily defined area, ie another DHB area, that has lower levels of vaccination?
Like hell they will. That is when the Government, although it contains a lot of JAFAs, is going to be reminded that more than 2/3 of the voters do NOT live in Auckland and you offend them all at your peril. They, the Government, won't admit that they got it wrong of course. They will simply change tack and tell us that it was our fault for misunderstanding their plans and that they really meant something quite different.
sound essentially like you are supporting what I have said.
Auckland is doing the right thing and will get out of level 3 to the traffic light system at 90% vaccination. South Island will go from level 2 to the traffic lights at 90%.
The outlier will be the Waikato. In case you have missed the news, we are at LEVEL 3. If the outbreak cannot be stamped out we run the risk of remaining here for weeks on end – 3 weeks already. We did the Level 4 & 3 with the rest of the country, had a shortish period at level 2, now back to level 3.
When Auckland migrates, the Waikato might be the ONLY area left at level 3. The logical thing then is to treat us like Auckland, allow us to migrate to the traffic lights when WE reach 90% vaccination rate. If that involves a boundary around the Waikato all good and fine. We have that already so no big difference. That way we will not be locked at level 3 and dependent on other DHBs getting to 90% before WE can migrate to the traffic lights. We can go there when we are ready, the other areas enjoying level 2 can migrate to the traffic lights when they have got themselves in order.
No, I am not agreeing with you. The first thing is that you say that "South Island will go from level 2 to the traffic lights at 90%". This MAY happen for the SI in isolation but it is only promised if every other DHB has got to 90%. They simply haven't stated the SI option of going early as anything other than a possibility.
The second, and more significant thing, is that you say that the Waikato should be allowed to migrate to the traffic lights when WE reach 90%. By WE I assume you mean the Waikato, not all DHBs. I want to know why the Waikato can do that but not, say, my own area of Wellington. Why do you say that Wellington can't go to the traffic light system if perhaps the Lakes DHB district hasn't reached 90% but Wellington has? Why should we have to wait for the bottom of the South Island but you don't?
And I am afraid that saying that you are suffering now doesn't cut it. These gradings are meant to be for health reasons, not because you were unlucky enough to have Covid cases at a time when we didn't.
I wouldn't bet on any of the proposal being fixed of course. The people making the decisions are politicians and they are making them based only on what they see as the politics of the matter. Pissing off 2/3 of the voters in the country, and seeing any chance of staying in office vanishing will concentrate their minds in a quite amazing manner. You will notice that any talk of relying on the "experts" has become so yesterday-ish?
pretty simply really, you are at level 2 and have been for the past 3 weeks.
we are at level 3 and have been for the past 3 weeks and looks like we might well be for some more weeks yet.
if you want to introduce covid back into Wellington and spend a number of weeks at level 3 in order to have the option I have discussed, go for it.
What would you rather have though, stay at level 2 for a number of weeks waiting for other DHBs, or, have a number of weeks at level 3 and have the option of moving to the traffic light system when your region gets to 90%. Which of those 2 scenarios are more palatable for you?
For us with covid now seeming digging itself in, and if that continues I want the option of us being able to control our own destinies. If we have to wait for every other area to get to 90% before we leave level 3 and migrate to the traffic lights as Auckland will be soon, then every other DHB should go to level 3 as well. We all wait and we all have the SAME lock down situation. If you don't like that idea then it's pretty simple, you can stay at level 2 and we can translate to the traffic lights.
I'm not going to debate with you any longer tonight. You, and the rest of the Waikato will by now be in mourning for their defeat by the Magnificent Magpies.
My consolations. As a Bay boy myself I feel for you. Well just a little bit. Aw, why lie about it. Come on The Bay!!!!!!!!!!
They offered something about a month ago that would provide you with a record of your vaccination status. You were supposed to be able to get an e-mail or a posted response.
To see how prepared they were my wife and I responded. My wife asked for an e-mail, and got a response within a couple of days. I asked for the mail option and I am still waiting. It will be 4 weeks on Monday. I fear the scheme is no better organised that all the other activities of this mob of incompetent idiots we have for a Government.
N.B. The current MPs do not personally organise your health records. This would be a function of the chronically underfunded public service and even more dysfunctional and broken health system.
You have no clue about the technical challenges involved in standing up a nation-wide secure system that validates all its users, supports all sorts of client devices, and integrates with the rest of government.
No of course he doesn't – but he's not interested in engaging with reality, his motivations are all located somewhere else.
I think getting the vaccine passport software ready, properly tested to handle the probably myriad marginal (non-standard) use cases, secure, load-tested etc. is a real risk to the transition to the traffic light system.
There are two places I wouldn't like to be working now – Counties-Manukau DHB, or the development team for the vaccine passport system.
There will be different vaccination certificates depending on whether you are using them within New Zealand, or for international travel. The QR codes will be different, and your international certificate will have more personal information.
You will be able to either print or save the QR codes on your smartphone in your Apple Wallet or Google Pay.
Domestic digital vaccination certificate
From the end of November, everyone in New Zealand will be able to access a digital vaccination certificate. This will include a QR code, which you can print or save to your phone.
You may be required to show this as proof of vaccination in a range of public settings. This could include:
events
hospitality
retail
sport
faith-based gatherings.
Requiring vaccination certificates will be optional for many locations.
You will not be required to show proof of vaccination to access supermarkets, pharmacies, health services, food banks and petrol stations.
There will be options available for people who do not have a smartphone or access to a computer.
Manana. Tomorrow they promise this. I was testing what they had said was available a month ago and it hasn't happened yet. When will they actually come up with something I was told I could get at the end of last month?
I gather that the proposal is that for those without smart phones or access to such technology the paper certificates will be available through GPs. They have access to NHI's.
what is stored on the QR code.
How we record your vaccination
When you get vaccinated, we record the details in the national COVID-19 Immunisation Register (CIR).
This includes:
your name, birth date, gender and National Health Index (NHI) number
your address and contact details
details about the vaccination/s you receive
any reactions you have to the vaccine.
The CIR will also record if you decide not to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Sounds like our Aussie ones. We have Medicare issued vaccination certificates with no QR code, just names, Medicare numbers and details of the 2 Astrazeneca jabs with batch identification and who did the jabbing. We also have 'international' vaccination certs that have what the normal ones have as well as our NZ passport numbers on and a QR code with, presumably encrypted info of vaccine status, passport identification etc. We can print them off or show them on a tablet or smartphone. Haven't had a chance to use them yet with interborder travel across Oz even more of a dilemma than it is across NZ. We are in Queensland which miraculously seems to have avoided the plague rampaging over the border and has only had a few small outbreaks. The only problem is that it has made Queenslanders complacent. I haven't seen a mask in months, and the vaccination uptake here, like other Covid free states, has been slow – seems it takes the arrival of Delta to frighten most into getting the jab.
Norwegian Forest Cat. Close up he looks like a grey fluffy lion. Very large cat. Extra long claws. Waterproof fur. Avid hunter, even of ducks & other waterbirds. Suspected murderer of Aspen, Pickles, & Jojo Pook.
Norwegian Forest Cat. Close up he looks like a grey fluffy lion. Very large cat. Extra kong claws. Waterproof fur. Avid hunter, even of ducks & other waterbirds. Suspected murderer of Aspen, Pickles, & Jojo Pook.
Mod: Sorry, accidentally posted this again while editing text with 1st gif. Using my smartphone 1st time for posting. Can you just delete the copy, if possible?
Yes. The cat has a Greek name & a responsible young male owner. His owner was mortified to learn that his beautiful, very human-friendly cat was a bred-for-it apex predator who was killing birds of all sizes & kinds every single day. (I sent him a video of his cat ambushing birds on my property.)
He was renting in my area & subsequently moved, with his cat. Ending the killings. I am a former cat-lover, & still like cats, but will have no more cats at my place. Many are just too lethal to birds.
Pickles just "disappeared". My wonderful, friendly 9 mth old Aspen I found lying dead on the far side of the stream, with otherwise not a mark on him. And my 2nd baby pook, Jojo was found lying dead in shallow water 3 m downstream from my place, also unmarked. I cried buckets over Aspen & Jojo. Really surprised me how much I grieved. I decided after this to try not to get quite so emotionally attached to the local wildlife.
Further to the "Friday will Change Us"… it does feel like the world has shifted. The traffic light system is a signal of a new normal. Crisis capitalism will not save us
It is just levels, but the govt lumping the respnsibilities of moving between them on DHBs, and Ardern not having to front any more for cocking up the vaccine roll out.
Aye. Whenever you find yourself in a lather about our government’s ‘shambles’ of a vaccine roll out, it may help to re-read this advice from another commenter here.
Pointing out one party passes responsibility onto the shoulders of another who are probably about to lose their jobs anyway, because the first cocked it up (Vaccine roll out) is not bitching.
It is just observation of happenings.
It would be like saying "It is clouding over. Looks like we might get rain" is saying the person is bitching about clouds.
Admittedly I wouldn’t call the clouds pathetic
But the govt has the greatest minds in the country supposedly advising them yet still fobbed it off. So different
My only points were that it seems very openly the govt have passed responsibility to "their" chosen too high (in my personal opinion 90%) target from themselves onto the DHBs
This is quite clever and creates a no lose/big win scenario.
They cocked up the vaccine roll out and our scrambling. If any DHBs can't meet the 90% Ardern can blame the DHB. If all DHBs hit 90% it will be Ardern getting the glory.
All the while the DHB staff know that Ardern is restructuring their arse, merging them all atm and probablytrying to justify their job to keep it.
It is clever manipulation by Ardern's PR people to save her arse from cocking up the vaccine roll out and giving her a shit load of people to put the blame on if it goes sour.
As I say. I am not bitching. Think it is quite clever. But pretty nasty IMHO
It is clever manipulation by Ardern's PR people to save her arse from cocking up the vaccine roll out…
Again, if you choose to characterise Kiwis being more highly vaccinated against Covid than Aussies (when NZ currently has a couple of extra months up it's sleeves to adapt to its Delta outbreak compared to Australia), as "cocking up", then you’re beyond help, imho. Be well.
From just some of your 35 comments here today – "cocking up", "screwed up", "stuffed up". Now that's bitching.
They [our government] will screw it up like everything else big they have tried to organise.
It is a stupidly high number, and purely picked to make the govt look good if they get to it.
If they all do it and hit 90%. Hey Ardern did that. It is amazing! She's the greatest! [OK, we agree there.]
Given their [our government's] record organisation wise. Can't see this before christmas.
Make it f’ing clearer how it will work?
Should have blocked the Island off ages ago to anyone that can't pass a rapid saliva test before going there, but as usual. Too slow.
...Ardern not having to front any more for cocking up the vaccine roll out. Frankly it is pathetic.
I just pointed out the govt stuffed up the vaccine roll out.
… How many of their lifes are ok to lose because the govt screwed up the vaccine roll out btw?
Not that this lot [our government] will think of it.
But she [PM Ardern] is getting a bit them and us, and will probably get worse I reckon.
I look yet see nothing justifying lumping it on DHBs halway through being restructured.
Also missed the bit where if the vaccine was rolled out earlier we would already be on 90% probably , and she wouldn't have had to throw DHBs under the bus.
I look yet see nothing justifying lumping it on DHBs halway through being restructured.
Haven't DHBs been responsible for implementing the vaccine roll out all along?
Are you bitching about our government setting a % vaccinated target [I believe business leaders, politicians and others have been calling for target to be set], or are you complaining only about the target being too high?
And, if 90% proves too high (which imho is unlikely, although a few months ago I wouldn't have given you tuppence for the team getting to 90%), might the government have had a reason for setting it that high?
Um. No. The perception at least to me, was the govt was.
Hence the daily pressers.
As an aside. When I get caught up in these actual interactional convos on here my experience is a particular mod ends up suspending me for months on end, so do you mind if we talk about it tomorrow?
I think it is a personality clash thing. Probably my fault. Just realised it is starting toget to that time.
Hindsight is wonderful – personally I thought the medical assessments to be able to convince New Zealanders that the vaccination would be safe were done very quickly, and given the excellent results we had achieved in limiting local infections, I am not surprised that other countries were less inclined to take that step and that manufacturers were prepared to sell more quickly to countries with dreadful rates of infection.
Our results remain very very good – the programmes of vaccination and lockdowns work together – I suspect we would have had more people getting vaccinated if, like other countries, we had a lot of deaths – is that what you believe we should have had, chris T?
And restructuring has barely started – those working on Covid issues will barely be affected.
And on a different topic, that is a wonderful quote above: "Most of those finding anything they can to bitch about re vaccinations should look at themselves in the mirror and wonder that in the stuff-up, the oversight, the schemozzle, the disaster, at least one prick made it through."
That's a pity – the first time I read Pete's comment I found it LOL funny, and still get a chuckle out of it even now, although I must have read it at least a dozen times. It's just so observant.
As it is easier. Are you denying if the govt had rolled out the vaccine earlier we would already be at 90 % (Give or take a 1 or 2% of weirdo anti vaxers)?
To be honest with you chris, I’m not sure if “we would already be at 90%” – are you? Guess you are – after all you've already stated [@11.1.1.2.1.1] that you think the 90% target is too high.
Which begs the question – why all your concern that we might actually reach that target? Although it would certainly be a great outcome for the team, just like the excellent Covid health outcomes that the team has achieved to date.
"The team" is a shortened reference to "The Team of Five Million." Are you on that team chris T?
Staff that run DHBs, including healthcare professionals responsible for implementing NZ's vaccine roll out, are a vital part of the team against the pandemic; always have been, and I hope they always will be. A shout out to them; please hang in there.
What exactly united the 'team of 5 million' to quash Covid-19?
The Ministry of Health's own chief science adviser, Dr Ian Town, similarly credited Bloomfield and Ardern's careful, unifying messaging from the Beehive podiums – but also the efforts of all Kiwis this year.
"The team of five million won the day."
Regarding that problematic 90% target:
And yes I think we would be at 90% by now if the govt rolled it out earlier.
But on the other hand personally only. Think 90% is a dumb stupidly high percentage either way
If you think that the team would have been 90% vaxxed by now with an earlier vaccine roll out, then surely a target of 90% is still acheivable. And, if that’s the case, then I can’t make sense of your choice to characterise 90% as “a dumb stupidly high percentage“.
""The team" is an shortened reference to "The Team of Five Million." Are you on the team chris T?"
Well funny enough, yes I am Drowsy, mate if I could carry off a short skirt and pom poms I''d be doing the cart wheels, which is why I am finding it hard for you to not get my point she dumped responsibility with vaccination numbers from her looking after her "team" (and me with pom poms) to the DHBs she is halfway through dismatilling.
…. my point she dumped responsibility with vaccination numbers from her looking after her "team" (and me with pom poms) to the DHBs she is halfway through dismatilling.
DHB staff have been at the coalface of implementing the vaccine roll out since it's inception, with coordinating support from the MoH.
Business interests, politicians and others have been crying out for a ‘% of eligible Kiwis fully vaccinated’ target at which lockdowns will end. That target has now been set: 90%. DHBs will continue to implement the vaccine roll out, with further assistance from the MoH.
It’s not “her team” – it’s ‘The Team’. I don't understand what you're so agitated about.
Do you have a link about PM Ardern being "halfway through dismatilling" the DHBs? I'm interested in getting a little more detail on how far the restructuring has progressed.
Brings up another point actually. Will the govt still be restructuring the DHBs under covid for the forseeable future and after lumping them with acceptable vax percentages?
I just wished a lovely friend a happy birthday on facebook. I haven't seen her for ages because she lives in Auckland. Suddenly Vera Lynn's song "We'll meet again" came into what goes for my mind these days. The song of the age again?
I applied for my vaccination certificate on Tuesday and received it on Friday. I asked for it to be by email, the other option being to a physical address. It was easy as. I printed out 3 copies in case the boss wants me to supply it (guaranteed that they will) so I can hoover up any extra shifts as I work as a casual. I will get the app when it appears.
That is an actual issue I think with the physical cert side of things.
No way to send by email and print. Would have to be a non fakeable plastic thing like drivers licences, passports and cash. With unique QR codes or a chip.
Other wise you could have printed 20 and sold them to your mates for ten bucks each with QR codes
Been working from home. Decided why the hell am I bothering shaving? Grew beard for first time in my life. Thought I could just get it trimmed if gets too full on at the barber. Forgot barbers make you wear masks so can't trim.
Any advice from the bearded posters for a first timer? As the full on has hit.
Is it just small scissors and play it by ear? Or is their some secret method of buying a lady shave and doing a kind of number 3 or something?
Don't really wan't to be mistaken for the last surviving member of ZZ Top
I got a cheap corded set of clippers from the warehouse. I already had a battery set for detail trimming, but the batteries wind down pretty quickly. Corded set is nice and quiet, but the weight and shake of the cord makes them less precise.
I've tried a beard once in my life. Stuck it out for about four months. The itching drove me bonkers, and it really wasn't any good at storing breakfast leftovers for morning tea. Never been tempted to try it again.
No problem. If you don't live near a Harvey Norman I bet they will courier it to you. Dunno about all them bits & pieces but for $24 who cares. I just use the trimmer & charger. Learning the technique of careful usage takes a wee while.
I have boycotted Harvey Norman ever since they refused to pay back the $13million Govt subsidy they received ,despite record earnings and a special dividend to shareholders of 6 cents.
I either use electric hair clippers comb 3 (9mm, I think) or just use the moustache trimmer on my electric shaver to trim the beard overall, based on previous experience of achieving satisfactory results that way too. 👍
I got a Remington from Noel Leeming recently but not sure yet I would recommend it, but as the others say, select the comb length for your own beard length. Take the comb off to do a sharp edge if you want to make it tidier. Am really looking forward, one day, to trying a hot towel beard trim at the Barbers when we can. Good luck. 👍
South Island case infected person now. Bit of downer. Should have blocked the Island off ages ago to anyone that can't pass a rapid saliva test before going there, but as usual. Too slow.
It’s not really a SI case but a Te Awamutu one so how the hell did it get here. To the ramparts now!!! Repel the invaders!!. Going to a movie and a meal in Blenheim tonight, should have the place to myself.
Rapid saliva done by an inexperienced person is from 54% accurate. By an experienced person anywhere between 72% and 89%. The only people promoting them are the ones who own the company and Chris Bishop and JC, reminder to self, must look up the share register.
Open access notablesA Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future:Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and always answered “yes”, with very few ...
Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
Alwyn Poole writes – After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
Eric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
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 ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Writer Rebecca K Reilly breaks down the national book awards. What are the Ockhams?The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are our annual national awards for books published for adults, and have existed in this form since 2016. There are four categories: Fiction, Poetry, General Non-fiction and Illustrated Non-fiction. There ...
Wellington City Council should keep its 34% ownership share in Wellington International Airport, argue Unions Wellington spokespeople Finn Cordwell and Ashok Jacob. Insanity, as the saying goes, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Wellington City Council (WCC) is yet again proposing to dispose ...
New Zealand’s largest book publisher has undergone drastic changes this week, leaving its future role in local publishing uncertain. Two of the most recognisable local publishers in New Zealand are among those restructured out of Penguin Random House, it was announced this week. Head of publishing Claire Murdoch will leave ...
In 2021 the Public Interest Journalism Fund launched the Te Rito Journalism project, a $2.4 million initiative to boost diversity in New Zealand’s newsrooms. The initiative was in response to the decades-long shortage of Māori and Pacific journalists in the media industry. It was billed as New Zealand’s ...
The Black Ferns Sevens appeared to be a mile behind Australia at the halfway point of the 2023-24 SVNS international circuit. Winless in three tournaments, a cup quarter-final exit in Perth was one of their worst results. To add insult to injury, talismanic skipper Sarah Hirini had been ruled out ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 10 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Successive governments have tried, and failed, to count Māori. But with the return of social investment, it’s more important than ever to get good data. The post Government looks for a better way to count Māori appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Experts in financing social investment initiatives say New Zealand is in a prime position to tackle social issues via a social investment approach The post What will Willis’ social investment fund look like? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist A former Tuvalu prime minister says while the New Zealand government’s oil and gas plans show it is concerned about its economy, he is more concerned about the livelihoods and survival of the Tuvalu people. Enele Sopoaga — who still serves as an MP ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Many people who follow federal budgets know about the magnificent “budget tree” in a parliamentary courtyard, which turns a glorious red in time for the May event. This week Treasurer Jim Chalmers posed by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Bennett, Professor of Music, Australian National University Richard P J Lambert/flickr, CC BY The future belongs to the analogue loyalists. Fuck digital. As a tsunami of CDs, DAT tapes and samplers swept the recording industry in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Strong, Associate professor, Music Industry, RMIT University This week American rapper Macklemore released a new track, Hind’s Hall, which has gained a lot of attention because of its explicitly political nature. The track is unapologetically pro-Palestine. It declares the artist’s ...
Explainer - The government from 2025 is mandating how state schools teach children to read. But what is structured literacy and how does it compare to other teaching methods? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danica Jenkins, Lecturer in European Studies, University of Sydney On a freezing spring night in March, Georgia’s national soccer team beat Greece in a nail-biter penalty shootout to qualify for the Euro 2024 championships. The atmosphere on the streets of the capital ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam G. Arian, Lecturer (Accounting & Finance), Australian Catholic University Loic Manegarium/Pexels Imagine every ton of carbon dioxide a company emits is slowly inflating its costs — not just in terms of potential fines or fees but in the capital it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Somwrita Sarkar, Senior Lecturer in Design and Computation, University of Sydney The “latte line” is the infamous, invisible boundary that divides Sydney between the more affluent north-east and the south-west. Historically, people north of the line enjoy better access to jobs and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dowdy, Principal Research Scientist in Extreme Weather, The University of Melbourne Nomad_Soul/Shutterstock In media articles about unprecedented flooding, you’ll often come across the statement that for every 1°C of warming, the atmosphere can hold about 7% more moisture. This ...
RNZ Pacific Former Fiji Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has been sentenced to one year in prison, Fiji media are reporting. Bainimarama, alongside suspended Fiji Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho appeared in the High Court in Suva today for their sentencing hearing for a case involving their roles in blocking a police ...
Acting Chief Human Rights Commissioner Saunoamaali’i Dr Karanina Sumeo says, “Addressing violence and abuse remains New Zealand’s most significant human rights issue affecting women. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Symons, Macquarie School of Social Sciences, Macquarie University Michael Schiffer / Unsplash Life has transformed our world over billions of years, turning a dead rock into the lush, fertile planet we know today. But human activity is currently transforming Earth ...
One woman’s quest to watch Challengers without ruining her body clock. Every Saturday morning, I wake up with a screaming demon inside my head urging me to “Do. Something. This. Weekend.” I run through the possibilities in my head in a defensive mental crouch, reminiscent of that one time I ...
The PSA is alarmed that ACC is proposing to shed 309 jobs including 29 dedicated injury prevention jobs at a time when the number and cost of injuries is rising. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Baker, Associate Professor in Human Geography, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images As local and regional councils struggle with inadequate infrastructure and unsustainable costs, New Zealand will be hearing a lot more about the potential solution offered by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gary Sacks, Professor of Public Health Policy, Deakin University Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock In recent years, there’s been increasinghype about the potential health risks associated with so-called “ultra-processed” foods. But new evidence published this week found not all “ultra-processed” foods are linked ...
Fears that New Zealand is relying too heavily on low-cost forests to absorb its carbon dioxide emissions have been reignited by a report from the OECD. ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed the total dollar savings target from public sector cuts has been met, but the reductions have not been felt evenly across public agencies. Government departments were told to make savings set at 6.5 percent or 7.5 percent where headcount had grown by more than ...
She doesn’t have a single kind word for me and it’s getting under my skin.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,I have two amazing friends that I absolutely adore. Grace (all names have been changed) and I lived together across 2023 and Olivia moved in with us this ...
Can Western science and Māori science work together to support our well-being? The Te Ohu Mō Papatūānuku (TOMP) Trials Project was a landmark case for healing the land and people with the guidance of Māori science and leadership. This is what happened when Papatūānuku (Earth) was contaminated by toxic discharge, ...
The District Plan is a blueprint for a bigger, better Wellington, through tens of thousands of new apartments and townhouses and a new approach to urban growth. Joel MacManus lays out the vision. The process of putting together Wellington’s new District Plan has been long and excruciating. As a city, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Williams Veazey, ARC DECRA Research Fellow, University of Sydney DavideAngelini/Shutterstock In the 2007 film The Bucket List Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman play two main characters who respond to their terminal cancer diagnoses by rejecting experimental treatment. Instead, they go ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mohan Singh, Professor of Agri-Food Biotechnology, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences at the University of Melbourne., The University of Melbourne Tanja Esser/Shutterstock Australia’s vital agriculture sector will be hit hard by steadily rising global temperatures. Our climate is already ...
The Acumen Edelman Trust barometer reported that New Zealand’s political trust score now sits below the global average, a topic explored in a recent discussion paper by Maxim Institute. ...
Greenpeace Aotearoa executive director Russel Norman says, "The Fast-Track Bill is the most damaging piece of environmental legislation any Government has introduced in living memory. People are angry, and it’s time to march." ...
The school lunches programme has been retained – and will be extended to some preschoolers. So how is it going to cost $107 million less? To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. The minister with many hats David Seymour wears a number of hats, but this week ...
“Show us the bird,” I found myself muttering at times while reading Hard by the Cloud House by Peter Walker, a deeply thoughtful, often hilarious, at times rambling – but somehow delightfully so – search for the story of a big bird. But not just any bird: the bird. This ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jack Marley, Environment + Energy Editor, UK edition DPVUE .images/Shutterstock Your home was probably designed for a climate that no longer exists. As long as humanity continues to burn fossil fuel, padding the heat-trapping blanket of gases in Earth’s atmosphere, the ...
A senior lawyer has filed a complaint about tikanga becoming a required law school module. Law lecturer Carwyn Jones explains what he’s getting wrong. “…the first law of Aotearoa, a law that served the needs of tangata whenua for a thousand years before the arrival of tauiwi.”– Ani Mikaere ...
In 2019, an Auckland woman woke up from surgery to find that she had undergone a treatment she didn’t consent to. She tells Alex Casey about her experience. From her very first period at the age of 14, Laura experienced “debilitating” levels of pain that forced her to withdraw from ...
Opinion: Could former co-leader James Shaw still make a difference to working with National? The post How the Greens could be contenders appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: What if we got rid of our existing drug laws and replaced them with a new law that legalised and carefully regulated all psychoactive substances, from cannabis to MDMA, methamphetamine and LSD to magic mushrooms? And which also included legal drugs such as alcohol and nicotine. “Wow,” you might ...
In the gloom following director-general Al Morrison’s job cuts in 2013, the Department of Conservation restructured its operations arm. Eleven conservancy districts were whittled into six new “conservation delivery” regions, under which the Rēkohu/Wharekauri/Chatham Islands area, comprising 40 scattered islands more than 800km east of Christchurch, was tethered to the ...
One of th e country’s top litigation lawyers says New Zealand is seeing a lift in court action between companies. Chapman Tripp partner Justin Graham, who oversees a team of around 80 litigation specialists, says the courts are now so log-jammed that it’s taking over two years to get cases ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,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 9 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Comment: Concerns about the state of the economy are creeping up to the top of firms’ list of challenges. That’s evident in both surveys and the tone of our recent client discussions. Skimming the past few weeks of eco-news, it’s not hard to see why. – Retail card spending fell ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government is talking up the crucial role of gas as a transition fuel “through to 2050 and beyond”. In a gas strategy to be released on Thursday, the government envisages the fuel’s ...
Ceri Black, the woman who has been asked to voluntarily go to the police station (and if she doesn’t ,get arrested) speaks.All this because of a complaint lodged by a man about her tweets.
https://ceriblack.substack.com/p/full-text-of-my-speech-to-the-belfast
Increidble. This women is really courageous.
Thanks for posting Francesca. Is this the same women Weka posted about yesterday.
Yes, it is
And this is precisely the sort of nonsense we'll get here if Faafoi get's his way.
All power to Ceri.
Faafoi is merely a messenger, who can be replaced by the leaders of Gov at any instance, or what its worth, he could also resign if he don't want his good name to be attached to this abomination of a law.
This bill is being shoved down these sweet lands is courtesy of the full Labour Party / Government with their handmaiden/aunt lydia the Green Party.
you can watch here
https://fb.watch/8OYZwXyK2O/
I wonder what Hone Harawira is doing to keep the virus out of the North and to help the people get vaccinated. Whatever he's doing is usually a good practical effort using locals to do the mahi. We in regions could do a lot worse, like do nothing, than to do similar to Hone Harawira, whatever it is. I have some faith in the man in times of shit.
With the coming "opening" of Auckland that bloody virus will get everywhere before we know it. Regional borders could be a thing, run by locals. Something must be able to be done and not just let Auckland infect the whole country. (sorry Auckland).
Labour Weekend is going to spread Covid. No city, region, town or settlement is immune. Delta just happened to come to Auckland first.
Hone has been active in setting up roadblocks. So that's doing something to try to keep covid out of Northland.
I haven't seen anything suggesting he's been active in trying to lift vaccination rates.
Well what could private citizen Hone Harawira do that he not already doing? Because he is raising the issue with the leaky border – leaky side being Akl/Cops, not his border patrol. As for the vaccination drive,
He has been quite vocal about he issues in Northland re safety from covid, vaccinations and the leaky borders.
https://waateanews.com/2021/08/24/northland-in-real-danger-from-delta/
https://www.teaomaori.news/slam-f-door-on-auckland-hone-harawira
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300426881/covid19-anger-as-northlanders-prepare-for-the-worst
just a few links.
"We have a curious dialogue which implicitly equates Māori with the lower classes, drawing attention to their low incomes, their poverty, their unemployment, their poor health, housing and life prospects and their high incarceration rates. All true on average, but demeaning to many Māori, who have good jobs, decent incomes, reasonable health, their own homes and high social status and who are proud of their culture. It is true there are proportionally fewer of them than for Pakeha, but it is also true that there are many more Pakeha in total who are low in the socioeconomic ranking"
https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/vaccinating-the-underclass
An underclass typically unconsidered by the powers that be…..and that underclass continues to grow.
I’ve a lot of time for Brian Easton but I do wish he (and others) could find a different word for the group of people they label the underclass.
I like that he continues to highlight that there a plenty of Pākehā that belong to this group and plenty of Māori who don’t.
I spend quite a lot of time wondering why Pākehā in this group are ignored and have come to the conclusion that academics, politicians and other ‘thought leaders’ are racist or paternalistic believing that only (and all) Māori are this disengaged from society. And if they believe Pākehā are similarly disengaged, they also believe Pākehā have the means to get themselves out of a hole – personal responsibility and all that, or are disgusted that these people are letting the [Pākehā] side down so render them not worthy or invisible.
For the rest of us, thinking the ‘underclass is only Māori, that’s just shoving people in a box and equating ‘most of’ with ‘all’. We spend too much time categorising.
"I spend quite a lot of time wondering why Pākehā in this group are ignored and have come to the conclusion that academics, politicians and other ‘thought leaders’ are racist or paternalistic believing that only (and all) Māori are this disengaged from society."
I suspect it has more to do with the lack of consideration (understanding)….the 'underclass" (of all ethnicities) are dismissed as unimportant, indeed something to be 'tolerated' for the necessity of the labours they perform….the reality is our society is driven by and for the elites.
Hear hear. I find this curious too.
Very much like the old saying goes, if all hte poor people would see each other as poor and neglected first and different races/religions/sex last they could band together as poor people and maybe even bring about change. But then, divide and conquer is the current model and it seems to be working quite well.
Time and again Sabine we have counted on the poor etc to get the Left over the line at election time and every time they stay away in droves. They are just not engaged in politics, and the Right know it.
lol, and the poor vote for the right.
It is funny though, that the non voters that i know are well to do, white people in nice houses in nice areas.
Maybe neither the left nor the right has anything to offer to the poor?
the left, thinly applied empathy for a few deserving poor, a few pennies here and there when the visuals are too upsetting (kids living in vans or hovels), when it gets to cold and Nan can either eat or heat, etc etc. But no change what so ever. Try being an unemployed women in NZ who has a partner who still has an income, no matter how long you worked, no matter how much taxes you paid, you won't be getting a penny from Winz. Cause……surely your partner will give you some pin money and a daily feed. Thanks left of NZ.
the right, thickly applied 'can't be bothered at all' with most beneficiaries, as their list of the deserving poor is even shorter then that of the left. Lets cut the benefits, or not incresae them. Bootstraps for bootless people is the best they can offer.
Why on earth would any one in NZ who is poor, by unemployment, by unlucky draw of the health card, by sex – single women with children are pretty much the poorest in nz vote for the duopoly that is the political landscape in NZ? Oh to rubberstamp either party into existance?
Lol.
Maybe the left really needs to come to grips that the giveaway for one electric car (for the very rich of this country – cause one has to be rich to afford a new 35 000 NZD vehicle – at the low end that one) is more in one give away then the poor got over the last 5 years.
18% didn't vote in the last election. Who were they?
In the US with all the hullabaloo around the 2020 election and the candidates and NZ$19 billion spent on the campaigns, there was a record voter turnout but that was only 67%.
They analyse to the nth degree who did and didn't vote.
Yeah, I think so – economically marginalised Maori and economically marginalised Pākehā live in the same space, shop in the same places etc. Supporting one group and not the other creates division. Why on earth would the group that is left behind vote for a party that doesn’t see them?
It's no surprise that Te Paati Māori has MPs from Rotorua and Taranaki – and good on them. If only their party and the Labour party had enough in common to work together to bring about change for all the economically marginalised.
Economically marginalised Pākehā have yet to find a party that cares about their lives. Maybe they need a Trump or a Boris if Labour won't do it – their lives seem to be rock bottom, but at least they can shaft the centre-left. But what a disaster that would be for the rest of us.
Yes, I think women and singles are the bottom of most heaps, and if you are brown, even harder. Smart Asians anglicised their names to get past hiring agencies. That tells about bias. A great number of women will have lost part time or service positions lately, those favoured when they have a younger family.
As many office workers work from home office cleaners are not required, work cafeterias and cafes close, as firms make choices to work around covid.
Though covid has stripped away some pretensions about which functions in society are essential, those living alone are disadvantaged, as two incomes are needed to survive, one is often penury .We need to remember that and pay better rates for those part time service positions many younger and older citizens supplement income with.
As with there being no need to distinguish ethnicity, gender and partnership status are superfluous….there is perhaps only one delineation required…the 'deserving' and 'undeserving'…the former being those who labour as opposed to those who do not.
I have to disagree. Ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and partnership status are all important. People may all be in similar dire situations but they may have different priorities and require different strategies to have the situations they live in improved.
It seems that there's a limited pot of empathy and caring (as well as money) that gets swapped from one group to the next and back again. While the well-off get bribed with tax cuts, and the wealth gap continues to widen. They governments for the well-off give up nothing for the economically marginalised and they can do so because the economically marginalised are labelled the "underclass", which is wrapped in stereotyped culture of personal failings that leaves them supposedly 'undeserving'.
This is just so wrong, or are you being cynical and it's gone way over my head?
Yes Miravox, I was thinking of my hard working cousin, who at 58 has few reserves, no home and is a grande' mal epileptic. She works in the "care industry" lives in as she has no home. After leaving a drug addled husband she brought up two great kids, they also rent. One in NSW and one in Auckland. She has not seen her children for two years as she works in Levin.
Then there is our nephew in NSW. He is in construction, has developed a fungal lung infection from timber he was working with. His wife left him and his share of things did not stretch to a home. He has been unable to work and is thankful for excellent medical treatment, but he too has a bleak future outlook.
A friend who helps me with the heavy cleaning once a fortnight, is juggling 5 part time jobs a sick husband and a 98 year old father.
Our son is awaiting 3 different surgical procedures in QLD, the prep for which needs dye tests to decide what part gets cut away next. He has had surgery delayed 3 times through covid. (Anne I see you )So we have wee home but may have to do something drastic if things get really bad for him. How these situations work out for people with nothing and no hope who are called critical cruel unjust labels .. well "There but for the Grace…" OK some people are silly anti and misguided. But they are us. Our best and our worst.
None of these people I spoke of go without food, they are all hard workers when well, but none of them have been able to do more than keep afloat in normal times..then along came covid to add to their stress and problems.
I could tell 7 or 8 more stories like that, and I think the system is geared to two incomes.
Singles or people with a sick or unemployed partner are disadvantaged, and women more so because of the pay gap.
Also these days people need enough money for internet 'phone laptop rent and food. I feel the idea of a BUI is more appealing by the day, if it was near the level of the pension.
No doubt someone will say "We can't afford it" Wellbeing requires it.
It is a descriptive comment, not a judgement.
Whether it has gone over your head I cannot say….the point is how our society functions is determined by the wants of the elites not the needs of the whole, and much of what is debated on sites such as this is mere distraction from that fact…and that serves only one group.
.
Yep … you've hit the nail squarely on the head.
As true of an affluent power-hungry Woke as it is of the Neo-Liberal Right.
Keeping the wide goal in mind is essential, but so is looking at the subdivisions within the overarching delineation. These subdivisions involve different aspects of their creation and the way to overcome the inequities that result from that. Those differences sometimes require more than just a specific focus, they require effort on our part to realise the lenses we use to look at something often have filters installed by our place in society.
These are not distractions, any more than using the right tool for a job is a distraction. Sometimes you can fix everything with a hammer, sometimes it takes actual knowledge of what you're doing and the right tools to do it.
I was unable to read your meaning in the comment. But that's fair enough.
I agree that out society functions by the needs of the elite. I believe we can work to ease the problems of the people disadvantaged by that as well as working to change the system. I fear not doing that will lead to overthrow of the current elite that will hurt more people and in the end just install a different elite because we haven't actually learned how not to have an elite.
"…the former being those who labour as opposed to those who do not."
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-23-10-2021/#comment-1826868
"…the 'underclass" (of all ethnicities) are dismissed as unimportant, indeed something to be 'tolerated' for the necessity of the labours they perform…"
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-23-10-2021/#comment-1826867
That is a very Victorian view of the poor. Deserving and undeserving.
I believe that we are able to change things… getting bitter and putting labels on the haves is the same trap as putting labels on the poor. Those labels stop us seeing our common humanity… Our stories give us points of real connection, otherwise it is notional.
Its called divide and conquer. In the end it is this tit for tat, to and fro, low level disputes that keeps the unwashed masses ruminating in their little "class war" and all the while the carpet of protective law for all is pulled under all.
It needs a good minds, honest debate and an open ear and heart to understand and to prevent. Right now many have lost their compass and holding on to all those ideas that look like establishing balance but all it does is fanning hate and revenge. Some truly enjoying this and crime waves increase, being placated as the disadvantaged take their share and the law for all is “wrong”. The next generation will not just have to battle climate change, there is something more at stake.
" The next generation will not just have to battle climate change, there is something more at stake."
Indeed, but I fear they will be no more successful than the current generation….we are a slow to learn species.
Having trouble breathing? It's all them bits of plastic you're breathing in. https://thespinoff.co.nz/science/21-10-2021/is-it-a-bird-is-it-a-plane-no-its-millions-of-tiny-bits-of-plastic-above-our-heads/
So "scientists estimate that around half the plastic in the air is smaller than 5mm (the definition of a microplastic), with some in the nano-, or less than one micrometre, size range. That means there may be way more plastic in the air that this latest study didn’t account for."
But don't worry, be happy! Them bits of plastic can't really compete with Delta because their invasion technique is too random.
A good brushing of the tongue and a spit to clear the shit out.
Bad enough having to wear a dress shirt, eh? But good on the Texans for taking a belated stand against Beatlemania. The mop-top look was grossly uncool to those of us who were serious about long hair.
Hope they fight it to the Supreme Court, and Trump realises it's a golden opportunity to raise his waning profile. He ought to bankroll them. We see his hair creeping back over his collar on a regular basis. Fab way to reinforce his model rebel political praxis. Voters would recognise that it gives him authenticity.
Just out of interest
Does anyone on here happen to be in the govt business and know if these vax cert's are going to be a physical thing or just something added to the covid app' like a QR code which when scanned shows fully vaxed?
Because if physical it will be a logistical nightmare. If the later an actually good idea.
it should be both.
And consider also the idea – as portrayed in many a movies – no QRcode no passing from one sector to the next.
Ideally all that is needed for businesses is a certification like with the health rating. All staff are vaccinated hang that cert into your business window. Done. Unless we really are starting to advocate a society where every move must be on some app.
Needs to be both as many do not have devices which do "APPS" indeed many cannot afford the connectivity required to run the devices. Try keeping connected without the ability to pay for all this connection. Run out of "minutes" and no access is also a problem that can only be mitigated by physical paper.
The whole concept is fatally flawed.
Yeah that is a good point.
Can't afford smart phone? Sorry, not welcome, with my QR thinking. Bit dim on my part.
Agree, has to be both.
Personally I would also get both, as have a pre pay, with sheds of data, stuff all call time, but the monthly renewal always runs out with me not remembering to top up, and for a few days I’m carrying round a pretty pointless piece of plastic lol
With the current APP, a data connection is not required for it to work..
True I guess if it is a QR type thing. But it would still require a smart phone to display QR.
But if you can use a physical card as well that would alleviate that issue
Drivers licence type makes more sense to me.
Hopefully we can dispense with ID cards, again, when covid is sorted out.
You don't have to be "in the Govt Business" to know the answer. At one of the daily Press Conferences it was very specific it IS both. It can be on your phone or you can carry a hard copy around with you. I hope that clears it up for you Chris T, we wouldn't want to inadvertently cast doubt where doubt doesn't exist. Cheers
Some people struggle with simple instructions.
What instructions?
You kind of do as they are rolling it out.
And I don’t like many people watch every news conference.
Maybe they could. I don’t know. Make it f’ing clearer how it will work?
Seems pretty f'ing clear to me.
From the covid19 website under Vaccination Certificate it specifically states
"There will be options available for people who do not have a smartphone or access to a computer"
Perhaps if you have any other f'ing questions you might find the answers there. Unless you are fomenting f'ing mischief. Egg!
I think I will walk away from this convo' as it is getting obvious you do not get my point.
This is probably my fault for not expressing it properly, as not the greatest when it comes to typed conversations. So woouldn't be a first.
And if it carries on I will be the one who ends up suspended for months for not expressing myself well enough
All good.
It may be that many of those who are vaccine averse will not be persuaded otherwise.
Instead of further incentives/disincentives, why not look at other strategies
Namely what has been used in countries where wide roll outs of the vaccine have not been possible .
Those testing positive in early stages have been sent home with home treatment kits, monitored and re tested , with very good results. Not a clinical trial, but good epidemiological data
Chris Leitch of Social Credit has advocated this, and includes that data for reference.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE2110/S00137/call-for-treatment-kits-to-be-issued-to-home-isolatees.htm
I think it should be looked at, instead of the increasing divisiveness and futility in attempts to educate resistant people into accepting the vaccine.
The Principle Oxford study must be due out soon
https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-06-23-ivermectin-be-investigated-possible-treatment-covid-19-oxford-s-principle-trial
At least we now know that ivermectin at 12 mg has a good safety profile.Worth a trial at least.
Of course there may still be hardliners who won’t accept any pharmaceutical, but I am seeing a lot of anti vaxxers who are only resistant to the MRNA vaccine.
Treatment packs may be more realistic than waiting for Novovax
Ivermectin became a litmus test – not so much as whether it worked or not because I'm willing to accept that the umpire is still out on that question – but because the Big Pharma 'there is no alternative to vaccines' narrative so blatantly attempted to discredit it.
Those of us who have consistently advocated that we should be intelligently trialing every possible tool have naturally been suspicious of this from the outset, a suspicion only inflamed by the vax only crowd vilifying and othering those whose conscience or beliefs led them to be hesitant or reject this narrow plan.
If nothing else we should have learned from the antibiotic resistance story, that if we impose a single narrow evolutionary pressure on any organism – it will likely find ways to evade that tool – no matter how promising. We've already seen this starting to happen with COVID vaccines. The correct way to avoid this mistake is not to mindlessly double down with more and more booster vaccines, but to be open to multiple different approaches with mutually exclusive mechanisms.
I think also the difficulty with ivermectin is that the studies have been so small, and many crappy. To do a big study with all the bells and whistles requires money.
No pharmaceutical company is interested in giving grants to a study that will not result in profits. Ivermectin is out of patent, easily produced , therefore cheap.
If not ivermectin other antivirals could be considered.
I agree with you, all this one way stuff is frustrating.
I think also the difficulty with ivermectin is that the studies have been so small, and many crappy.
That worried me less than the detractors would have it. Ivermectin would not be the first drug to have been successfully re-purposed based on small, crappy clinical trials. Those who have demanded that the only acceptable evidence would be a large, gold standard – and yes very expensive – RCT, conveniently overlook that medical progress has never relied on these alone. Decades of experience with meta-analysis has probably driven more innovation in medicine than RCT's.
Still ultimately we have to hope that eventually the blatant agendas and politics gets out of the way and we get to see some fully trusted data – and on that the Ivermectin story will live or die.
Thanks for that info.Was not aware, but then of course many drugs have been successfully repurposed.Like aspirin, first used for fever reduction and pain relief, then many years later as a blood thinner.
Thalidomide was a successfully re-purposed drug too – at least for a short time until it was found not to be successful . . .
.
Yep … you're both pretty much bang-on … as reasonable, thoughtful, fair-minded, easy-going people on the Left often are … as opposed to both Woke hysterics & Clintonista melodramatics … in terms of the latter: horse de-wormers, convergence moonbats, Donald Trump, anti-vaxxers & various other guilt-by-association rhetorical strategies designed to demonize a potentially promising & inexpensive re-purposed antiparasitic drug that could save many lives … on & on ad nauseam …
The difficulty with Ivermectin is that it has become so parasite resistant it is no longer used as an animal wormer, I guess the manufacturers have to peddle their wares somehow some where.
Mind giving a link for that ?
Google found a couple of recent papers on horse nematodes that are resistant to ivermectin – don't know if resistance is recent and/or isolated, or if it's potentially a more established problem as suggested by the third link.
I wonder if SARS-CoV-2 could be ‘pushed’ to become resistant to ivermectin – if not in the lab then maybe in the field? "Life finds a way."
Nice to know the old horse paste slur no longer applies
Ivermectin’s not going out of fashion in a hurry. Curiously, human parasites haven’t developed any resistance, and there are other multiple uses for it
https://www.nature.com/articles/ja201711?proof=t%2Btarget%3D
And in regions where long term use of ivermectin has resulted in sub-optimal responses to the treatment?
https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-020-05444-2
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24762816/
Don’t worry Joe, you’re not likely to suffer from river blindness here.
Ivermectin is still being used and has a good record for the last 30 years.
Moxidectin is a supercharged version and may take over
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)30101-6/fulltext
"If nothing else we should have learned from”(RL 11.11am); the fact that diet is extremely important if you want a sound immune system. As a nation we shoud be totally ashamed at the general lousy health of the majority of NZers. For example it is a fact that the majority of NZ are on the verge of scurvy because of inadequate vitamin C intake. Guess which vitamin is essential for a robust immune system.?
Endless consumption of takeaways and junk,overprocessed food and sugary drinks doesn't take long to compromise your defences.
Yes. In the longer run I suspect COVID will force us to re-think the whole public health story. The correlation with so called 'co-morbidities' has been obvious from the outset – yet relatively few people have been willing to openly ask the question 'how come we're so sick in the first place'?
The 'crush the curve' narrative to prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed is all very well in the short term, but fails to ask why diseases like diabetes, cardio-vascular illnesses, dementia, depression and anxiety already threaten to overwhelm them COVID or not.
Another aspect that’s been completely overlooked is the poor quality of so much of our indoor ventilation, creating ideal environments for an air borne virus to spread. There’s another tool the 90% plus vax crowd won’t want to mention.
I am most impressed with the tight narrowing of political and media discussion about a broader view of society beyond health.
We've got out of COVID outbreaks three times in New Zealand, and zero politicians or strong media commentators are asking:
What kind of country do we really want and can change to achieve?
– A different approach to work, when we continue to be one of the most state-subsidised wage economies in the world?
– A different approach to transport and travel, when so much of it has proven unnecessary?
– A different approach to digital news aggregators, when they have been shown to be the enemy of life-saving truth?
– A different approach to the marginalised, when their lives have never been more magnified for society?
– A different approach to Maori and Pasifika health organisations, when they have proven their superior reach and delivery from the singular state?
– A different approach to retirement savings and public employment insurance, when crises are now besetting our lives faster and faster every decade?
– A different approach to the best we can hope for our children, when travel for adventure or study is going to be rare, and may mean they don't come back for years?
New Zealand is a place where David Seymour looks like a leading public intellectual and James Shaw's support is heading for 6% within a globally huge year for climate change.
All very good questions with many posts worth of discussion to be had. Yet if I can discern one thing they may all have in common, is just what role do we want in having the state drive these questions as contrasted to the individual and the community?
Going back to public health for example, I could imagine the state might devise an excellent public food system that compelled people to eat only from a state sanctioned diet that was officially deemed to be 'healthy'. And as effective as this might be in terms of improving health, it would be rightly rejected as an insane imposition into our personal lives – for all sorts of other reasons.
But this does not mean the state should give up on getting us all leaner, fitter and a bit meaner either. The trick is inspiring change while utilising the least necessary amount of force necessary.
(Principle of Least Action. A fundamental idea in physics that has it's analogy in politics as well.)
The new role of the state would need a book.
Must surely be your turn to do a post RL.
Seconded. This discussion has been enlightened by the contributions of Redlogix and Andre
"and may mean they don't come back for years?"
Isn't that how it's always been…well, pre-facebook/messenger/email/ticki-tocki-etc..?
“Hi mum – I’m in the Congo/greasy grey Limpopo River etc…)
Ad,
This is because if you want an inclusive government, don't shut anybody out as it is done now (no matter what color, race, etc.) and have unlawful behavior sanctioned. The majority of people want a cohesive, just society whilst we seem to be heading to Mad Max #3. The green party has not delivered anything that is doable in the wider sense and does not create more toxic rubbish (batteries of electric cars) Just putting platitudes out will not do. I really miss Jeanette Fitzsimons and Rod Donald, Russel Norman. They steered a focused course.
Maybe we make dentistry affordable again. All the good food in the world is of no use when you have no teeth to chew.
And fwiw, junkfood is very soft, and needs almost no chewing, or can be gummed down.
"For example it is a fact that the majority of NZ are on the verge of scurvy because of inadequate vitamin C intake. "
This is neither a fact nor is it remotely true.
Probably the phrase 'verge of scurvy' is a tad rhetorical, but I'd generally go along with the idea that our modern lifestyles leaves us with sub-optimal levels of both Vitamin C and D.
Citing something as fact which is demonstrably untrue is a pretty poor rhetorical device.
Our modern lifestyles (generally speaking) certainly provide us with too many calories and not enough exercise.
I suspect our modern lifestyles also provide us on balance with higher vitamin intake than lifestyles of the past, not really sure as it's not my area of expertise.
Vitamin D yes; vitamin C not so much. Very few recent cases of scurvy in NZ.
Possibly? A tad? Touchstone of credibility?
I am generally in favour of the traffic light road map announced on Friday morning. There is one obvious flaw however in the system, the fate of the Waikato region.
Auckland at alert level 3 will shift to the new traffic light system when they reach 90% double vaccination. Fair enough, they have been through a lot and done a lot of 'heavy lifting'. The South Island might also move when they all reach 90%. They will have done the right thing and can migrate across.
The Waikato is currently at alert level 3, daily covid numbers have me wondering if the virus will be stamped out in our rohe or whether we will continue in the level 3 twilight zone. the Waikato is doing it's share of the heavy lifting as well now. By my calculations it will be only behind Auckland in terms of weeks in Levels 3&4 lockdowns.
Should this area be stuck in level 3 I think the same provisions given to Auckland need to apply here as well. Once we have reached 90% double vaxed we transition to the new traffic light system. If that option is not given to the Waikato, we face the inequity of sitting at level 3 waiting for all other DHBs to do the right thing. However those areas stay at level 2 and the Waikato at level 3. That wait will be pretty unfair.
In order to get to 90% the Waikato will need to have our less vaccinated populations – maori and pasifika – much better vaccinated. That's what it will take to get to 90%, such is the ethnic make up of the region, it won't be pakeha alone getting us there. So no one ethnicity will be 'left behind'. We currently have a level 3 border within the Waikato so moving to the traffic light system with a DHB wide border will not make a substantive difference. The border will simply enlarge. If we can be trusted to have a 'soft' border now, we can be trusted to have a 'soft' border under the new traffic lights.
Thus, if we cannot soon stamp out covid in the Waikato, and it becomes entrenched, then the provision must be made available to Waikato to join the likes of Auckland to transition to the traffic light system when we reach 90% double vaccinated, rather than wait for the rest of the country. We can have the same restrictions placed on us, like a border. It will allow us to control our own fate and avoid the risk of the Waikato being the only area stuck in level 3 and waiting for everyone else to get to 90%. Or, put it another way, the Waikato wants the ability to control it's own fate to get out of Level 3, not rely on the Sandra Goudies and Pembroke Birds of other areas.
Why should having had Covid 19 in your community in the past have anything to do with whether you should be locked up in the future? Why free up Auckland but keep restrictions in Christchurch just because Auckland had a Covid infection in the past but Christchurch didn't?
I personally think that the whole silly scheme is going to collapse shortly after the drop the level in Auckland down the traffic light scale. Do you really think that the people in DHB areas with high vaccination levels are going to tolerate have to put up with irksome restrictions just because people living hundreds of kilometres away happen to live in an arbitrarily defined area, ie another DHB area, that has lower levels of vaccination?
Like hell they will. That is when the Government, although it contains a lot of JAFAs, is going to be reminded that more than 2/3 of the voters do NOT live in Auckland and you offend them all at your peril. They, the Government, won't admit that they got it wrong of course. They will simply change tack and tell us that it was our fault for misunderstanding their plans and that they really meant something quite different.
sound essentially like you are supporting what I have said.
Auckland is doing the right thing and will get out of level 3 to the traffic light system at 90% vaccination. South Island will go from level 2 to the traffic lights at 90%.
The outlier will be the Waikato. In case you have missed the news, we are at LEVEL 3. If the outbreak cannot be stamped out we run the risk of remaining here for weeks on end – 3 weeks already. We did the Level 4 & 3 with the rest of the country, had a shortish period at level 2, now back to level 3.
When Auckland migrates, the Waikato might be the ONLY area left at level 3. The logical thing then is to treat us like Auckland, allow us to migrate to the traffic lights when WE reach 90% vaccination rate. If that involves a boundary around the Waikato all good and fine. We have that already so no big difference. That way we will not be locked at level 3 and dependent on other DHBs getting to 90% before WE can migrate to the traffic lights. We can go there when we are ready, the other areas enjoying level 2 can migrate to the traffic lights when they have got themselves in order.
No, I am not agreeing with you. The first thing is that you say that "South Island will go from level 2 to the traffic lights at 90%". This MAY happen for the SI in isolation but it is only promised if every other DHB has got to 90%. They simply haven't stated the SI option of going early as anything other than a possibility.
The second, and more significant thing, is that you say that the Waikato should be allowed to migrate to the traffic lights when WE reach 90%. By WE I assume you mean the Waikato, not all DHBs. I want to know why the Waikato can do that but not, say, my own area of Wellington. Why do you say that Wellington can't go to the traffic light system if perhaps the Lakes DHB district hasn't reached 90% but Wellington has? Why should we have to wait for the bottom of the South Island but you don't?
And I am afraid that saying that you are suffering now doesn't cut it. These gradings are meant to be for health reasons, not because you were unlucky enough to have Covid cases at a time when we didn't.
I wouldn't bet on any of the proposal being fixed of course. The people making the decisions are politicians and they are making them based only on what they see as the politics of the matter. Pissing off 2/3 of the voters in the country, and seeing any chance of staying in office vanishing will concentrate their minds in a quite amazing manner. You will notice that any talk of relying on the "experts" has become so yesterday-ish?
Don't worry Alwyn COVID is coming to your town.
It's not an Auckland disease. We've simply given the rest of the country time to prepare.
Why you ask?
pretty simply really, you are at level 2 and have been for the past 3 weeks.
we are at level 3 and have been for the past 3 weeks and looks like we might well be for some more weeks yet.
if you want to introduce covid back into Wellington and spend a number of weeks at level 3 in order to have the option I have discussed, go for it.
What would you rather have though, stay at level 2 for a number of weeks waiting for other DHBs, or, have a number of weeks at level 3 and have the option of moving to the traffic light system when your region gets to 90%. Which of those 2 scenarios are more palatable for you?
For us with covid now seeming digging itself in, and if that continues I want the option of us being able to control our own destinies. If we have to wait for every other area to get to 90% before we leave level 3 and migrate to the traffic lights as Auckland will be soon, then every other DHB should go to level 3 as well. We all wait and we all have the SAME lock down situation. If you don't like that idea then it's pretty simple, you can stay at level 2 and we can translate to the traffic lights.
There, there.
I'm not going to debate with you any longer tonight. You, and the rest of the Waikato will by now be in mourning for their defeat by the Magnificent Magpies.
My consolations. As a Bay boy myself I feel for you. Well just a little bit. Aw, why lie about it. Come on The Bay!!!!!!!!!!
TF
who cares about some bloody rugby game, couldn't give a stuff
I would probably have felt the same way if it was my provincial team that had been thrashed.
Anyone seen anything about when the passport system is actually going to be ready?
Wondering if something went wrong with it because it sound like it was really close a few weeks ago…
They offered something about a month ago that would provide you with a record of your vaccination status. You were supposed to be able to get an e-mail or a posted response.
To see how prepared they were my wife and I responded. My wife asked for an e-mail, and got a response within a couple of days. I asked for the mail option and I am still waiting. It will be 4 weeks on Monday. I fear the scheme is no better organised that all the other activities of this mob of incompetent idiots we have for a Government.
Alwyn, Could you suggest something better? Or is brickbats all you have?
Constructive criticism welcome.
N.B. The current MPs do not personally organise your health records. This would be a function of the chronically underfunded public service and even more dysfunctional and broken health system.
You have no clue about the technical challenges involved in standing up a nation-wide secure system that validates all its users, supports all sorts of client devices, and integrates with the rest of government.
No of course he doesn't – but he's not interested in engaging with reality, his motivations are all located somewhere else.
I think getting the vaccine passport software ready, properly tested to handle the probably myriad marginal (non-standard) use cases, secure, load-tested etc. is a real risk to the transition to the traffic light system.
There are two places I wouldn't like to be working now – Counties-Manukau DHB, or the development team for the vaccine passport system.
Vaccination certificates
There will be different vaccination certificates depending on whether you are using them within New Zealand, or for international travel. The QR codes will be different, and your international certificate will have more personal information.
You will be able to either print or save the QR codes on your smartphone in your Apple Wallet or Google Pay.
Domestic digital vaccination certificate
From the end of November, everyone in New Zealand will be able to access a digital vaccination certificate. This will include a QR code, which you can print or save to your phone.
You may be required to show this as proof of vaccination in a range of public settings. This could include:
Requiring vaccination certificates will be optional for many locations.
You will not be required to show proof of vaccination to access supermarkets, pharmacies, health services, food banks and petrol stations.
There will be options available for people who do not have a smartphone or access to a computer.
Manana. Tomorrow they promise this. I was testing what they had said was available a month ago and it hasn't happened yet. When will they actually come up with something I was told I could get at the end of last month?
"Digital vaccination certificates will be available at the end of November 2021."
Sounds pretty good. As long as it is properly security checked and rolled out and not rushed through.
From a purely selfish point of you hope they are taking Huawei's into account.
Probably are.
If not, sounds like you just join the no smartphone lot which, while annoying, is reasonable.
I gather that the proposal is that for those without smart phones or access to such technology the paper certificates will be available through GPs. They have access to NHI's.
what is stored on the QR code.
How we record your vaccination
When you get vaccinated, we record the details in the national COVID-19 Immunisation Register (CIR).
This includes:
The CIR will also record if you decide not to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Thank you. This is clear, precise and well explained.
Sounds like our Aussie ones. We have Medicare issued vaccination certificates with no QR code, just names, Medicare numbers and details of the 2 Astrazeneca jabs with batch identification and who did the jabbing. We also have 'international' vaccination certs that have what the normal ones have as well as our NZ passport numbers on and a QR code with, presumably encrypted info of vaccine status, passport identification etc. We can print them off or show them on a tablet or smartphone. Haven't had a chance to use them yet with interborder travel across Oz even more of a dilemma than it is across NZ. We are in Queensland which miraculously seems to have avoided the plague rampaging over the border and has only had a few small outbreaks. The only problem is that it has made Queenslanders complacent. I haven't seen a mask in months, and the vaccination uptake here, like other Covid free states, has been slow – seems it takes the arrival of Delta to frighten most into getting the jab.
Norwegian Forest Cat. Close up he looks like a grey fluffy lion. Very large cat. Extra long claws. Waterproof fur. Avid hunter, even of ducks & other waterbirds. Suspected murderer of Aspen, Pickles, & Jojo Pook.
https://m.imgur.com/BiMKzuk
Norwegian Forest Cat. Close up he looks like a grey fluffy lion. Very large cat. Extra kong claws. Waterproof fur. Avid hunter, even of ducks & other waterbirds. Suspected murderer of Aspen, Pickles, & Jojo Pook.
https://m.imgur.com/BiMKzuk
Mod: Sorry, accidentally posted this again while editing text with 1st gif. Using my smartphone 1st time for posting. Can you just delete the copy, if possible?
Bullet-proof fur? Just asking'…
That's sad 😥. Does he have an owner?
Yes. The cat has a Greek name & a responsible young male owner. His owner was mortified to learn that his beautiful, very human-friendly cat was a bred-for-it apex predator who was killing birds of all sizes & kinds every single day. (I sent him a video of his cat ambushing birds on my property.)
He was renting in my area & subsequently moved, with his cat. Ending the killings. I am a former cat-lover, & still like cats, but will have no more cats at my place. Many are just too lethal to birds.
RIP Aspen, Pickles & Jojo Pook. That is so sad Gezza.
Pickles just "disappeared". My wonderful, friendly 9 mth old Aspen I found lying dead on the far side of the stream, with otherwise not a mark on him. And my 2nd baby pook, Jojo was found lying dead in shallow water 3 m downstream from my place, also unmarked. I cried buckets over Aspen & Jojo. Really surprised me how much I grieved. I decided after this to try not to get quite so emotionally attached to the local wildlife.
Further to the "Friday will Change Us"… it does feel like the world has shifted. The traffic light system is a signal of a new normal. Crisis capitalism will not save us
https://youtu.be/WLPeRDJGKvQ
Bit over exaggeration I think.
It is just levels, but the govt lumping the respnsibilities of moving between them on DHBs, and Ardern not having to front any more for cocking up the vaccine roll out.
Frankly it is pathetic.
Aye. Whenever you find yourself in a lather about our government’s ‘shambles’ of a vaccine roll out, it may help to re-read this advice from another commenter here.
https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations?country=NZL~AUS
Unite against COVID-19
https://covid19.govt.nz
Forgive me. But I am not sure of your point. I am not bitching.
I just pointed out the govt stuffed up the vaccine roll out.
I don't actually care that much as the likelihood of me dying if I got it is about the same as me being hit by a bus watching TV in my lounge.
But a bit of pull finger and actual sort it shit probably would have helped a lot of people coming up with underlying medical conditions.
At lets not forget cancer treatments and heart ops put off.
How many of their lifes are ok to lose because the govt screwed up the vaccine roll out btw?
Really, chris "frankly it is pathetic" T – you're not bitching? Really?
Frankly that's pathetic.
https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations?country=NZL~AUS
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
Unite against COVID-19
https://covid19.govt.nz
I still don't get how it is bitching.
Pointing out one party passes responsibility onto the shoulders of another who are probably about to lose their jobs anyway, because the first cocked it up (Vaccine roll out) is not bitching.
It is just observation of happenings.
It would be like saying "It is clouding over. Looks like we might get rain" is saying the person is bitching about clouds.
Admittedly I wouldn’t call the clouds pathetic
But the govt has the greatest minds in the country supposedly advising them yet still fobbed it off. So different
If you really don't get how your brief comment @11.1 about Ardern:
and that
is bitching about the vaccine roll out, then frankly I can't help – be well.
https://medium.com/@razvan.rogoz/do-you-want-a-better-life-stop-bitching-complaining-and-criticizing-ee7ba0e580e6
Actually apologies. I meat to say
"
I just pointed out the govt stuffed up the vaccine roll out."…And have suicide passed their cock up to the FHB's
(Which they are about to restructure and merge. So the people they are f'ing over will probably lose their jobs either way. Ironic"
Forgive me. But I am not sure of your point(s).
My only points were that it seems very openly the govt have passed responsibility to "their" chosen too high (in my personal opinion 90%) target from themselves onto the DHBs
This is quite clever and creates a no lose/big win scenario.
They cocked up the vaccine roll out and our scrambling. If any DHBs can't meet the 90% Ardern can blame the DHB. If all DHBs hit 90% it will be Ardern getting the glory.
All the while the DHB staff know that Ardern is restructuring their arse, merging them all atm and probablytrying to justify their job to keep it.
It is clever manipulation by Ardern's PR people to save her arse from cocking up the vaccine roll out and giving her a shit load of people to put the blame on if it goes sour.
As I say. I am not bitching. Think it is quite clever. But pretty nasty IMHO
Again, if you choose to characterise Kiwis being more highly vaccinated against Covid than Aussies (when NZ currently has a couple of extra months up it's sleeves to adapt to its Delta outbreak compared to Australia), as "cocking up", then you’re beyond help, imho. Be well.
From just some of your 35 comments here today – "cocking up", "screwed up", "stuffed up". Now that's bitching.
I look yet see nothing justifying lumping it on DHBs halway through being restructured.
Also missed the bit where if the vaccine was rolled out earlier we would already be on 90% probably , and she wouldn't have had to throw DHBs under the bus.
Haven't DHBs been responsible for implementing the vaccine roll out all along?
Are you bitching about our government setting a % vaccinated target [I believe business leaders, politicians and others have been calling for target to be set], or are you complaining only about the target being too high?
And, if 90% proves too high (which imho is unlikely, although a few months ago I wouldn't have given you tuppence for the team getting to 90%), might the government have had a reason for setting it that high?
Um. No. The perception at least to me, was the govt was.
Hence the daily pressers.
As an aside. When I get caught up in these actual interactional convos on here my experience is a particular mod ends up suspending me for months on end, so do you mind if we talk about it tomorrow?
I think it is a personality clash thing. Probably my fault. Just realised it is starting toget to that time.
Just as a leaving thing.
What is with the people have to be bitching to disagree with you thing?
I mean I just disagree
Hindsight is wonderful – personally I thought the medical assessments to be able to convince New Zealanders that the vaccination would be safe were done very quickly, and given the excellent results we had achieved in limiting local infections, I am not surprised that other countries were less inclined to take that step and that manufacturers were prepared to sell more quickly to countries with dreadful rates of infection.
Our results remain very very good – the programmes of vaccination and lockdowns work together – I suspect we would have had more people getting vaccinated if, like other countries, we had a lot of deaths – is that what you believe we should have had, chris T?
And restructuring has barely started – those working on Covid issues will barely be affected.
And on a different topic, that is a wonderful quote above: "Most of those finding anything they can to bitch about re vaccinations should look at themselves in the mirror and wonder that in the stuff-up, the oversight, the schemozzle, the disaster, at least one prick made it through."
BTW. Whats with the fixation with my posts and copy and paste out of context shit about dude? …. or dudette?
Kind of odd.
I mean it's cool. At least you read them.
Just didn't think they were that important in the grand scheme of things
Glad you think it's cool too – does Pete's 'bitching prick' comment make sense now?
Not really.
As I am not still 12 and into name calling
That is me for a bit. Too close to being suspended from experience
That's a pity – the first time I read Pete's comment I found it LOL funny, and still get a chuckle out of it even now, although I must have read it at least a dozen times. It's just so observant.
Simple question
As it is easier. Are you denying if the govt had rolled out the vaccine earlier we would already be at 90 % (Give or take a 1 or 2% of weirdo anti vaxers)?
To be honest with you chris, I’m not sure if “we would already be at 90%” – are you? Guess you are – after all you've already stated [@11.1.1.2.1.1] that you think the 90% target is too high.
Which begs the question – why all your concern that we might actually reach that target? Although it would certainly be a great outcome for the team, just like the excellent Covid health outcomes that the team has achieved to date.
"outcomes that the team has achieved to date."\
That is my complete point.
Ardern has switched it from "The team" to individual DHBs.
You seem a bright dude..dudette.
Even you must see that
Edit: And yes I think we would be at 90% by now if the govt rolled it out earlier.
But on the other hand personally only. Think 90% is a dumb stupidly high percentage either way
By the way. As about to go to bed.
Yes I do think 90% is too high for the whole country.
Totally get only my opinion, some experts will disagree, others will agree. But just seems a tad silly to me.
Personally would go 85
"The team" is a shortened reference to "The Team of Five Million." Are you on that team chris T?
Staff that run DHBs, including healthcare professionals responsible for implementing NZ's vaccine roll out, are a vital part of the team against the pandemic; always have been, and I hope they always will be. A shout out to them; please hang in there.
Regarding that problematic 90% target:
If you think that the team would have been 90% vaxxed by now with an earlier vaccine roll out, then surely a target of 90% is still acheivable. And, if that’s the case, then I can’t make sense of your choice to characterise 90% as “a dumb stupidly high percentage“.
""The team" is an shortened reference to "The Team of Five Million." Are you on the team chris T?"
Well funny enough, yes I am Drowsy, mate if I could carry off a short skirt and pom poms I''d be doing the cart wheels, which is why I am finding it hard for you to not get my point she dumped responsibility with vaccination numbers from her looking after her "team" (and me with pom poms) to the DHBs she is halfway through dismatilling.
Excellent !
DHB staff have been at the coalface of implementing the vaccine roll out since it's inception, with coordinating support from the MoH.
Business interests, politicians and others have been crying out for a ‘% of eligible Kiwis fully vaccinated’ target at which lockdowns will end. That target has now been set: 90%. DHBs will continue to implement the vaccine roll out, with further assistance from the MoH.
It’s not “her team” – it’s ‘The Team’. I don't understand what you're so agitated about.
Do you have a link about PM Ardern being "halfway through dismatilling" the DHBs? I'm interested in getting a little more detail on how far the restructuring has progressed.
Brings up another point actually. Will the govt still be restructuring the DHBs under covid for the forseeable future and after lumping them with acceptable vax percentages?
I just wished a lovely friend a happy birthday on facebook. I haven't seen her for ages because she lives in Auckland. Suddenly Vera Lynn's song "We'll meet again" came into what goes for my mind these days. The song of the age again?
for many of us, yes.
Yeah I'm thinking that wrt visiting our daughters, one in Auckland, and the other in Perth WA. Also the absence of our mokopuna is hard to take.
Reply to Chris T at 6.
I applied for my vaccination certificate on Tuesday and received it on Friday. I asked for it to be by email, the other option being to a physical address. It was easy as. I printed out 3 copies in case the boss wants me to supply it (guaranteed that they will) so I can hoover up any extra shifts as I work as a casual. I will get the app when it appears.
My mistake – it is a confirmation of Covid-19 vaccination letter rather than actual certificate.
No worries.
That is an actual issue I think with the physical cert side of things.
No way to send by email and print. Would have to be a non fakeable plastic thing like drivers licences, passports and cash. With unique QR codes or a chip.
Other wise you could have printed 20 and sold them to your mates for ten bucks each with QR codes
Actually just further from that post. Thinking about it there is a way to fast track it off the top of my head.
Just take the template for drivers licences they use and replace some of the wording. Already has photo and has years of unfaking tech behind already.
It would just look a lot like your licence but different wording and a QR code added.
Would be a shedload cheaper than creating some new template.
Not that this lot will think of it.
Oh and obviously use a different coloured piece of plastic.
Probably red for impact.
Easy peasy lemon squeasy.
They already print licences all day everyday, so printing machines already around ready to go.
One of my left field off covid ones again.
Been working from home. Decided why the hell am I bothering shaving? Grew beard for first time in my life. Thought I could just get it trimmed if gets too full on at the barber. Forgot barbers make you wear masks so can't trim.
Any advice from the bearded posters for a first timer? As the full on has hit.
Is it just small scissors and play it by ear? Or is their some secret method of buying a lady shave and doing a kind of number 3 or something?
Don't really wan't to be mistaken for the last surviving member of ZZ Top
Hair clippers, select your comb, no 2 for me, have at it and tidy up with a razor.
Ah, the covidbeard 🙂
I got a cheap corded set of clippers from the warehouse. I already had a battery set for detail trimming, but the batteries wind down pretty quickly. Corded set is nice and quiet, but the weight and shake of the cord makes them less precise.
I've tried a beard once in my life. Stuck it out for about four months. The itching drove me bonkers, and it really wasn't any good at storing breakfast leftovers for morning tea. Never been tempted to try it again.
No problem. If you don't live near a Harvey Norman I bet they will courier it to you. Dunno about all them bits & pieces but for $24 who cares. I just use the trimmer & charger. Learning the technique of careful usage takes a wee while.
https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/personal-care-and-health/shavers-and-trimmers/mens-shavers-and-groomers/vs-sassoon-metro-carbon-titanium-all-in-one-grooming-system.html
I presume the titanium keeps the cutting edge sharp…
I don't know how they can make and ship that for $24, let alone sell it for that price.
I have boycotted Harvey Norman ever since they refused to pay back the $13million Govt subsidy they received ,despite record earnings and a special dividend to shareholders of 6 cents.
I either use electric hair clippers comb 3 (9mm, I think) or just use the moustache trimmer on my electric shaver to trim the beard overall, based on previous experience of achieving satisfactory results that way too. 👍
I got a Remington from Noel Leeming recently but not sure yet I would recommend it, but as the others say, select the comb length for your own beard length. Take the comb off to do a sharp edge if you want to make it tidier. Am really looking forward, one day, to trying a hot towel beard trim at the Barbers when we can. Good luck. 👍
Thanks heaps everyone.
She is just getting a bit raggedy
Covid beard in progress here. Aiming for the full ZZ Top look though!
I’m a rough boy. Ain't nobody with legs gonna do the velcro fly or slip inside my sleeping bag in the near future…
Lol
Whadda ya mean, "too full"?
I think there is a point where it gets bigger than your hair and your head looks upside down lol
Deploy the beard-oils!
(or as my hairdresser said, as I began my grow-out, “tame the beast!”)
Good one!
South Island case infected person now. Bit of downer. Should have blocked the Island off ages ago to anyone that can't pass a rapid saliva test before going there, but as usual. Too slow.
Have you heard the research stats on the reliability of National''s holy grail "Rapid saliva tests" compered with the current nasal ones?
Especially when done by untrained people.
Which is why they havn't featured much until now.
Better ones are coming however.
It’s not really a SI case but a Te Awamutu one so how the hell did it get here. To the ramparts now!!! Repel the invaders!!. Going to a movie and a meal in Blenheim tonight, should have the place to myself.
Rapid saliva done by an inexperienced person is from 54% accurate. By an experienced person anywhere between 72% and 89%. The only people promoting them are the ones who own the company and Chris Bishop and JC, reminder to self, must look up the share register.
This from an Oxford study on RNZ last week.
Adrian DO Bishop and Collins actually own the saliva testing co?