I thought it was a good performance given the role of both parties. Remember the interviewers job is to ask all the stupid questions to allow the interviewee to explain the topic in more depth. That and the general public has little idea what the terms even mean.
I would like to compliment all the commentators on The Standard for their patience in dealing with Paddington's pedantic and nit-picking yesterday. Even LPrent, whose caustic comments have raised a smile in the past, was subdued.
If this is indicative of the PM's call for kindness, well done. We will all need to be patient and understanding in the difficult times that lie ahead.
I’ve left a moderation note asking for it to be dropped, thanks. Now, if we could all move on and focus on what really matters right here, right now, that would be great and might even safe lives.
"Now, if we could all move on and focus on what really matters right here"
We can, and have ……….. or maybe not – but it's six days later, and fromwhat I've seen as an interloper, Paddy Bear seems to have tucked up his tail and scarpered (possibly to re-appear under another guise)
Well said Tony. Paddington was being an irritating house fly buzzing around, but people had bigger things to think about than his/her silliness.
Jacinda’s instinctive qualities as a leader and communicator were again things we should be so grateful for at this time. Talking to a friend (on the phone) yesterday after her announcement, was interesting. He was so complimentary about how she has handled all this massive situation.
Does anyone in your household suffer from anxiety?
My youngest does, so I made up some info sheets for her last night and a list of her responsibilities before we officially go into lock down. Put official logos etc on it thanks to the covid-19 website.
This has helped sooooo much, as she now knows what to expect and can check her info sheets if she is unsure.
For example…. today my girls need to decide on any projects they wish to complete over the next month and any supplies they may need for that project, because the warehouse, mitre 10, $2 shop etc won't be open for a month come Thursday.
Saw that Warehouse will be open. Perhaps because they have many household basics at excellent prices, veg and flower plants and warmer clothing as well. They are also big and allow for space. Cheers You are such a good Mum.
Here is a little something from one of my on-line friends in the US. He offers his experiences from a similar situation he faced last year, with a cartoon that your daughters might identify with:
When I was in isolation during cancer treatments last year, some days I just played Red Dead Redemption Online because the stress of the situation made being actually productive too emotionally difficult. We all deal with stress in different ways. It ok to freak out a bit, this is a novel flu pandemic, life has changed, it’s ok to acknowledge how this is affecting you. We are all under duress, don’t beat you’re self up if your productivity is not as high as it was before or your not excited about doing stuff, this is a high stress situation. Remember to give yourself permission to feel anything right now. Feelings and random thoughts are not who you are as a person. You can only control your actions.
Well done, try and make some games out of it with mini prizes, those parents who did this in the Chch aftershocks, i.e. quessing strength of aftershocks etc, had children emerge in good health .
Would anyone know if owner operator lawn mowing business would be eligible for subsidy if the operator is a superannuitant getting pension. Which,as most people know is barely subsistence level. We have payments to make for van and motor mowers and other debts that go along with business ownership such as taxes and accountants etc.
Without this business we wouldnt survive so we have to keep it going.
I cant find mention of beneficiaries who are business owners being eligible. Help!!
There is a lot to read on this site Ffloyd. Bit about cashflow and such and lists of links. Hope this helps. It looks like the place to go if you need to do some gentle harassing.
Thought of the moment: is Tiwai Point an essential business? If it has to shut down for four weeks, have the odds suddenly shifted towards it never starting back up again? Would the various parties to the assorted contractual obligations around shutdown timeframes be more flexible right now around amending those timeframes?
I believe it takes some time to shut down and longer to start. . If they do shut now is not a good time to kill them off when we are allowed out again a 1000 jobs in the south will be a big thing.
The problems you hear about around shutting down potlines are mostly around the damage that happens when the power supply is unexpectedly lost. While planned shutdowns are still expensive, they are less expensive than unplanned forced shutdowns. Given the financial pain being caused across the rest of New Zealand, it amounts to special pleading for Tiwai Point to claim their financial pain from shutdown is somehow unique or should entitle them to special privileges.
Very little of Tiwai Point's output is used in New Zealand. It is of generally very high purity (because of the way they choose to operate the smelter, not anything special about New Zealand) and it mostly goes to Japan for specialist electronic uses. I've had occasion to look into the supply chain for the aluminium used in some engineering projects I've been involved in, and every time it has been imported.
thanks Andre. I don't care very much about Comalco's profit, other than how that might affect NZ (and we could definitely do with freeing up Manapouri power). Job losses and our international obligations to essential production matter. Do we buy specialist electronics from Japan?
The other big issue is how safe is it re covid for workers? Can good protocols be put in place?
I'd see closure generally in the context of the Powerdown and creating sustainable tech industries esp in relation to CC. Don't know if now or later is better for that, but we're not having the necessary conversation yet.
No it's not something in the news, it really was just a random thought for the morning. Given that the review decision was supposed to be complete sometime in this first quarter, I'm a little surprised at the silence.
I've never visited Tiwai Point, so this is just speculation, but here goes anyway …
As far as worker protection from COVID-19 goes, the production area of smelter type operations tends to have very low worker density, so keeping distance is unlikely to be a problem. It's a huge facility and if there's only 1000 or so there covering 24/7 shifts, they can't be very close together. Except maybe in smoko rooms.
I'd guess the higher risk would be for professional and lab staff. It's unlikely they've resisted the general execrable management trend of jamming as many people as possible into crowded open-plan areas. So they're more likely to spend all day in close proximity.
As Andre says, an orderly shutdown isn't that much of a problem.
Quite expensive in power and especially when you look at what it does to the refractories (I used to do tech sales at Kamo Green refractories during Think Big).
I wouldn't expect that it is defined as 'essential'. They may get some grace from just arguing the economic impact to the economy. We're going to be scratching for export income for a while.
I had a quick look for up to date news specific to Tiwai Point and didn't find any. But there was a lot about how chinese smelters have kept running and there's now an oversupply with reduced demand. Plus stories of how the big companies are putting the squeeze on other countries such as Icelasnd threatening to shut down if they don't get lower electricity prices.
So I suspect we're in for another disaster capitalism play from Rio Tinto for more hidden and overt subsidies that the rest of us pay for. Leveraging off of ideas like scarcity of export income and preserving jobs etc.
A thing about exotic trees and native trees in Australia and how flammable Oz trees are. We don't have a lot of Eucs here but the principle is the same and discussions here along the same lines are important.
For decades, Peter has planted a mosaic of trees including his truffle bearing hazelnuts and oaks, but also poplars and willows, and up to 30 bamboo varieties. His aim is to restore the property’s capacity to retain water at all levels, moving it gently through the soil profile rather than streaming off degraded, heavily compacted land…
Peter’s reasoning is that even a fire roaring uphill with a good draft will pause when it hits green trees. He estimates that a mature poplar, for example, is carrying 100 to 200 kg of water. As the fire and the trees interact, there’s a burst of flash evaporation from the greenery that absorbs heat. Peter says updraft wind will drop almost instantly under those conditions.
The wind controlling effect of banked deciduous foliage also worked to dramatically slow the fire’s spread and, three rows in, the blaze became controllable with groundwork and shovels.
Thanks Robert. Hope everything is going well in green land and family.
And while you have a minutes I wondered if you could tell me if I'm hurting my cherry plum tree draining rinse water towards which has a touch of detergent in it still. The leaves on a weaker side are dullish and hanging. Might just have been too dry from weeks of little water.
(I keep thinking about panic and hoping people aren't hurting themselves and having more accidents that end up needing treatment. It's going to be really interesting to see what happens with that over the next month).
I'm an essential worker apparently, but what I'm seeing today is panic driving, looking forward to some quiet roads during lockdown while I go about my essential business. Also today, 15-20 car long queues for McDonalds.
I noticed Henry Cooke being snide again. According to him, Jacinda has us "Under House Arrest"
We can go for a walk, shop for food, get our medications, Make up our own activities, use the internet, talk to friends and neighbours over the fence or on the "phone/skype
What is stuck in his craw?
Sorry, I could not locate the article again. Herald.
Be kind Henry, the PM is working hard to save lives…. get with the goal and write some helpful pieces.
Wait for Stuff regular columnist Steve Elers if you're looking for snide in attacking the PM. He had the sense to say in a column most recently, "As a commentator of everything and a master of nothing" of himself. That should be added to the descriptive blurb at the bottom of his 'work.'
Steve Elers tag line at the bottom of his opinion pieces on stuff currently say he is " a senior lecturer at Massey University and writes a weekly article on cultural and political matters' or something similar. It should read "he is an ill-informed senior lecturer at Massey who writes a weekly diatribe abusing the Prime Minister." Massey must be so proud.
I suspect they have, and tho' it's nice to be able to walk down the street (keeping me 2 mtr separation and watching the stupidity with a degree of amusement at [predominantly] male ego insecurities), shifting the problem into the private domain will probably mean a whole lot of it goes unreported.
Already, I've noticed an increase in decibels from some of the neighbouring properties in the early hours, then later the littering of RTD cans and empty bottles of piss.
I'm actually hoping Women's Refuge and various other agencies begin to report they are being overwhelmed.
We spoke of this last night, in the context of the children who go to school as they can get food. Also school can be a violence free refuge, as opposed to home. Home that now has an even higher stressed adult(s) dishing out the family harm.
Well if the stories about queues at bottle stores and panic buying are true, then probably not, it may just be spilling out on to driveways instead of the high street.
Yep. It's Pippa. The albatross chick /live cam. Poor little mite is being buffeted by strong winds and rain at the moment.
They also produce a video of the highlights at the end of each day which consists of Mum and Dad returning to feed her and a bunch of teenage Albatross brats who like to tease and harass her especially around feed time. Mum knows how to handle them.
Christ. Have such landlords got no shame? Name and shame – or even report to authorities. Where are they meant to go once the lock down deadline arrives?
It would seem that the powers that be at our local hospital may have missed a trick in respect to uniforms. This, to me, is a potentially serious health and safety issue.
Almost all front-line health staff (nurses) wear their uniform to and from work.
There is push-back from management against the wearing of scrubs. Scrubs are an ideal solution to keeping staff families and homes free of the virus that can be bought home on clothing. The hospitals still launder scrubs so any potential contamination stays in house.
Particularly ironic as our local hospital has just changed the colour of the surgical scrubs in January, so there must be a surplus of this clothing somewhere.
It will be interesting to see how Covid-19 affects the next Australian election. Their infection rates are much higher than ours. There could be a backlash against a last minute Cambridge Analytica campaign.
Public transport and domestic air travel can only be used for medical reasons, to get to the supermarket, for people working in essential services and for freight.
and
taxis and ride share services like Uber will continue operating.
Chris Martenson praising NZ saying PM "just doing a great job". Yep, she is. Just prior to this time segment a letter from Annie, who closed her restaurant a couple of days before officials ordered it.
Early in this piece we learn that New York is over 20,000 cases – that was quick. Other surprises are Switzerland who have more cases per person than other countries.
I have just found out the WINZ offices are closing down for fear of staff getting infected by the virus. Why isn't this classified as an essential department for citizens when they are allowing The Warehouse to remain open for business. When has the Warehouse ever been considered an essential industry/business. Have I just fallen down the rabbit hole here. What it he hell is going on. Also All the courts are closing with the exception of the District courts – how does this equate as well. People are people no matter what court they have to attend and will catch this virus no matter what the sin is.
I am increasingly becoming confused about how these decisions are agreed upon. What about all the thousands of people who are now without jobs. How do they get any support if they can't get to their local WINZ Office. Not everybody has a computer or even able to afford to get online. Somebody clarify to me – am I missing something here. I have a loved one who is fragile and involved in these two departments and its hard enough with the enormity of the environment right now without pulling up the drawbridge on one department – WINZ and allowing the other District Courts to remain open to the milling crowds of people who go in their bldgs each day.
Phones are not much use when the system crashes through overload. Its a futile exercise even trying to get through. People who are needing WINZ right now are out of jobs, scared shitless, and vulnerable and the powers that be should have been better prepared for the influx of numbers and laid on more staff and perspex screens for them to protect from this virus if they are so worried over them. I am definitely down the rabbit hole over this.
The Warehouse helped stop the peasants revolting when we entered the fire economy – they are essential to the survival of liberalism as the dominate ideology.
I went to a supermarket in central Auckland this morning and it was remarkably calm and relatively uncrowded. No busier than a typical pre-Christmas day. Queue at checkout no longer than usual. Some shelves were sparsely stocked but there was nothing on my list I couldn't get if I changed brands. Posh pasta instead of budget pasta, no biggie.
I realize many people are not as conveniently close to supermarkets and dairies as I am. But in the last 48 hours I have had no problem buying both essentials and treats (and no I'm not hoarding).
I too wonder why the warehouse remains open. Yes it does sell some food but it's not a main offering IIRC a lot of it is imported and we need to do without the shopping fix that people may want to access for other goods. Why have they not got the stay at home message.
WINZ I would have thought was essential. – Okay they would want internet & phone first and they need to call back the pay as you use people – maybe they should stuff some form of access around the supermarkets – dedicated phone line or a credit that goes only to WINZ.
"Self-isolation" allows for a walk outside, carefully avoiding contact, but based on my (obviously random) sample of seeing people on the street on this last day before lockdown, I'd say at least a quarter still don't "get it". Plenty of proximity and touching.
It takes time for the message to sink in, so we can expect an extension after one month, as community transfer continues. If we can't be trusted to do this right, then it's going to be a full curfew.
Yes. I can't believe the queues outside some supermarkets (and gun shops) where people are not doing the 2 meter distancing from each other. I hope this gets controlled in future.
I certainly won't be venturing out til that is sorted.
I'm fortunate that I was able to book a supermarket home delivery for Sunday, and I have a nephew on standby who will deliver more more food (mostly fresh fruit & veges) when I need them.
Micro businesses – NZrs who make their own work since various governments made it so hard for small business which collapsed unable to compete with the world.
And here we see how the gummint agencies are just not concerned about helping these great innovative entrepreneurs in their small businesses.
<i>Only about $200 went through the till yesterday – down from about $1500 on a good day…. "Honestly I'm freaking out. I don't know if I can sustain it because how am I going to pay my rent even?
"I haven't even paid this month's rent yet, you know what I mean? "How do I pay the rent? How do I pay the wages, the power bill, the phone bill, my mortgage?"
Boyd said as a sole trader she did not yet have the 13-digit business number required to access government relief funds. "I really don't understand that either because I've been trying to get my New Zealand business number."
I even went to my accountant and he went online with me and it wouldn't get through. It kept saying 'error' but it won't tell me what the error is."
Boyd said she was worried about her staff, one of whom was expecting a baby.</i>
This leaves landlords able to bank renters' money with interest while having no outgoings at all.
A far as I am aware though all the other fixed costs like rates, insurance and property management fees will likely remain. You would be surprised at what a large fraction of your rent these consume. Including other smaller sundries we allow 50% of the rent to go in fixed costs. After that comes the variable costs like mortgage interest and annual company tax.
If a tenant stops paying their rent, a mortgage holiday will be very welcome, but it goes nowhere near covering all our costs.
The government should look at dole plus half rent paid for those losing their income/employment. Half rent would cover such utility costs for the landlord.
Tenants are going to be shafted; either owing massive amounts in rent or kicked out after the lockdown period is over.
A comment elsewhere on the subject with respect to the fraught idea of the random negotiating of rent reductions between tenant (powerless) and landlord (the clue is in the name).
Do you know what. I wouldn't have an issue if we were all in this together but today the preferential treatment for the comparatively wealthy beggars belief.
The reasoning for the mortgage holiday is apparently so people don't 'lose their homes'.
What if they did 'lose their homes', what would they be then?
i hardly believe that a company with 80 million annual turnover would have a owner who would 'loose' the house.
nah, these guys are making sure that some survive – whom ever they consider 'solvent' – and the rest so far can get fucked. Essentially this is a very national bail out, it is what i would have expected from teh National Party.
I am honestly out of wits when it comes to the 'hand outs' of this government.
funnily enough i was interviewed today by some 'regional NZ herald' guy and i essentially said that the government needs to either offer interest free loans or offer a rent/mortgage/lease/bill holiday to all of us. Its not ok to tell us to take a bank loan on the eve of Financial Crisis 2.0. So far my loyal customers have come through. I have discounted everything, and tomorrow last day – morning only – hopefully will see me make enough money for the Landlord.
I already advised my chocolate supplier that next month bill will be the first that i will miss in 8 years.
I don't wish the Labour Party and the coalition any ill, but i will never ever support them – not with money, not with time, and most certainly not with a vote. I just don't have any reason to do so.
The scheme will include a limit of $500,000 per loan and will apply to firms with a turnover of between $250,000 and $80 million per annum. The loans will be for a maximum of three years and expected to be provided by the banks at competitive, transparent rates.
well these businesses are very deserving, and need a bail out as where all those below 250.000 turnover per annum can get fucked.
Contrary to rumours, misinformation etc here and elsewhere, WINZ has NOT closed down completely.
MSD/WINZ has been designated an essential service. Like many other Goverment departments also classed as essential services, it has closed its service centres for face to face appointments, advice etc – BUT will continue to provide advice, help etc via its internet site and by phome.
Some other changes mentioned in that article of interest:
MSD is also making a number of other changes, coming into effect on 30 March, for a six-month period:
Removing the need to provide subsequent medical certificates for clients already getting Jobseeker Support or Sole Parent Support
Deferring any Disability Allowance reviews
Delaying Annual Reviews (including all annual reviews of income, confirming your circumstances (CYC) and annual circumstances letters (ACL), social housing reviews, and life certificates
NOTE that the section on Service Centre states that:
We've closed our service centres to keep people safe and stop the spread of COVID-19. If you need to contact us urgently you can use MyMSD or contact us.
FYI here is the URL for that "Contact Us' link – contact numbers are under each of the main headings. Press the + sign.
Note the wording in this particular section which I have underlined:
Left your job voluntarily or fired for misconduct
If you've left your job without a good reason or have been fired for misconduct, you may still need to wait up to 13 weeks before your payments start.
This 13 week period is a non-entitlement period, not a stand-down.
The wording "you may still need to wait up to 13 weeks", implies that this is not a compulsory set period; rather a period of time to a maximum of 13 weeks which is open to a decision by WINZ based on the circumstances of each case where someone has left a job voluntarily or has been fired for misconduct.
Hope the above helps.
PS – Just heard the PM, in her press conference currently underway, confirm that The Warehouse will not be open and is not an essential service.
At the press conference on Friday announcing the New York shutdown, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “I want to be able to say to the people of New York—I did everything we could do. And if everything we do saves just one life, I’ll be happy.”
This statement reflects a disastrous sentimentalism. Everything for the sake of physical life? What about justice, beauty, and honor? There are many things more precious than life. And yet we have been whipped into such a frenzy in New York that most family members will forgo visiting sick parents. Clergy won’t visit the sick or console those who mourn. The Eucharist itself is now subordinated to the false god of “saving lives.”
[…]
A number of my friends disagree with me. They support the current measures, insisting that Christians must defend life. But the pro-life cause concerns the battle against killing, not an ill-conceived crusade against human finitude and the dolorous reality of death.
Yes that is a huge kick in the guts for renters. Why is the mortgage holiday for people who are renting out their properties. Sounds more like "a be kind to banks week."
Right up there with all the high income employees and directors not taking a haircut while they spend their time laying people off.
As for Winz – tone deaf as usual – just pushing the everyone can go online agenda – despite benefits being insufficent to support being able to afford these services or for that matter a phone. Oh and guess what the library has been closed so even if there is one the internet can't be used there either.
A six-month mortgage holiday for people whose incomes have been affected by Covid-19 will mean people won't lose their homes as a result of the economic disruption caused by this virus
Still a massive imbalance in the way two sections of society are being treated. And it still applies to the landlord who claims the holiday on their own home.
One section is being offered massive relief around the biggest household cost of all at this very stressful and critical time, while another section is offered nothing in the same area.
This needs to be sorted or there will be massive unrest.
The scheme will include a limit of $500,000 per loan and will apply to firms with a turnover of between $250,000 and $80 million per annum. The loans will be for a maximum of three years and expected to be provided by the banks at competitive, transparent rates.
i really don't see why a business owner with 80 million turn over needs a mortgage holiday, while the dude on 70.000 does not. But then maybe the dude with the 80 million dollar business needs to buy some more cheap houses when the dudes on regular wages default. After all we can't have socialism for the poor, no we only have it for the well to do, and the very rich. Besides, when the Labour critters quit parliament they would like to have some lucrative jobs on boards and such, so consider it a 'prepayment' for services to be rendered in the future.
Now somebody understands what my thread was about. A lot of people on benefits do not own a computer and if they do own one they cannot afford to go online. Libraries were open with computers and wifi and were available to these beneficeries and now they have closed down too. Owning a computer and being online is a luxury to many people and I find it quite extraordinary to plead the safety of their staff the reason for closing down. What about all the staff in supermarkets, pharmacies, they are having to run the gauntlet of being in harm's way. I just don't buy it at all their excuse for shutting down.
Even the District Court is staying open for the poor felons going before the judges. Obviously they want to punish the felons and punish the poor bastards who are out of work, mentally unwell, physically disabled etc. as well.
Yes, I definitely have gone down the rabbit hole on this one.
If people use the month to outdoor exercise, on foot or bike and get plenty of sleep then our public health (stronger immune systems) will be stronger for it. It is a good time of year for it.
If you've got elderly neighbours don't forget to make sure they are ok, because they may be scared or have no family close by.
We've contacted ours to let them know (via a note slipped under their door) if we go to the supermarket etc we will contact them know in advance should they need anything.
Mention was made in the comment at 18 that prompted my one at 25 re WINZ, that all Courtrs except District Courts were being closed down.
The Court situation is actually a lot more complex than what was stated at 18 and is still being sorted out. Advice about what is happening with the Courts is being promulgated on an ongoing basis on the following link and also on the Courts of New Zealand Twitter account @CourtsofNZ.
"Courts are an essential service. It is essential that New Zealand courts continue to uphold the rule of law and to ensure that fair trial rights, the right to natural justice and rights under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act are upheld"
"However, the move to level 4 will be extremely disruptive to everyday court practices. It will affect the ability of all who support the operations of the courts, and those who appear before them, to prepare for or attend at court."
For the remainder of this week it is expected that courts will operate only in the priority areas of:proceedings that affect: liberty of the individual, personal safety and wellbeing, and matters in which resolution is time-critical.
Proceedings in the following courts will not go ahead this week: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Employment Court, Environment Court (with one exception), Māori Land Court, Waitangi Tribunal, and Coroners Court.
To the maximum extent possible, and to avoid the need for people to attend court in person, the courts will use remote participation eg AVL where that is possible, telephone or email.
“However, in the District Court in-person attendances may be required in some cases. Where court attendance is unavoidable, the safety of the public, court staff and members of the legal profession is paramount. Measures have been taken to achieve physical distance and to improve courthouse hygiene.”
In summary (rough mix of quotes and shortened wording):
From today, the following proceedings take priorityin the District Court (all full quotes):
Criminal when the defendant is in custody: Public order offenders; Bail applications (including breaches); Sentencing those already in custody; Deportation warrants; CP(MIP); Breach of PSOs.
Civil: Injunctions, Harassment orders; Harmful digital communications; Tenancy Tribunal appeals against evictions.
Youth: Arrests (first appearances); Secure care applications, Bail applications; Review of custody, CP (MIP), Early release hearing (see separate letter from Principal Youth Court Judge Walker.)
Family: Public Health Order applications; Without notice applications: Care and protection (s 67 and s 78 immediate uplift); Protection and related Orders (Family Violence Act); Care of Children applications (family violence related); Mental Health (applications for compulsory treatment orders); Other without notice applications: PPPR, PRA, Hague Convention; Substance Addiction (Compulsory Treatment); s 67 Care and Protection.
Other proceedings will be administratively adjourned to the next available date except in the case of Youth Court which will be adjourned for four weeks. (shortened)
"If AVL facilities are not available, the Duty Solicitor (or Duty Youth Advocate or Assigned Youth Advocate in Youth Court) must attend in person.
If facilities for the defendant to appear by AVL are not available, the defendant will appear in person.
In the Family Court, counsel are to appear by telephone or AVL, and if facilities are not available, in person.
In Civil cases, counsel can appear by telephone."
Again, I hope that clarifies things a bit at least.
Methinks Macro is getting bored out of his brain with this lock-down before its even officially started. Didn't you manage to get into town for a bout of panic buying this afto?
OMG! that s serious price gouging. Mine was $10 a kilo, mind you I brought my own container. From here on in, I'll ring up and order, and she will pack and either drop off or I can pick up from the store.
i buy all my meat from the local butcher. The guy and his wife know what they do, they have five kids and the mad butcher's meat is just rubbish. But yeah, what a rip of.
Macro – the sprout-with-toothpicks image is one I saw a few days back and sent to friends, most of whom didn't get it at all! I was amazed but learned the lesson about niche-knowledge and the ease with which one can assume that what to you is obvious (and in this case, funny) is neither of those to people who haven't tried growing an avocado this way.
Ahh a sad commentary on our society. There is not a vegetable seedling to be had in the whole of town right now. I fear for those tender young things in inexpert hands. I wonder how and where they will be placed in the expectation that within a week or two they will be harvested.
I wonder if these sis sandflys are going to try and arrest me when I go to the supermarket today.??? They will be drooling to do that with there new powers
Some of the symptoms of the virus is loss of smell and taste
Its better that we do it hard and correct now and minimise the virus spread than not to isolation properly now and the virus spread rapidly causing chaos to our love one's and our hospital system.
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TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
Today marks a tragic milestone for New Zealanders as the Coalition Government side with big tobacco to repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins and Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti. Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 19 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
Reacting to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s refusal to rule out introducing new taxes at the budget, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “Today’s refusal to rule out new taxes suggests the Government is nothing more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne Aila Images/Shutterstock Aged-care workers will receive a significant pay increase after the Fair Work Commission ruled they ...
He’s bringing ‘Sophie’ back, yeah. Goodshirt’s ‘Sophie’ music video is one of the most instantly recognisable New Zealand music videos of all time. Featuring a woman listening to the song on headphones while her entire house is burgled behind her, the video won the New Zealand music award for Best ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University A year ago, the AUKUS agreement was formally announced between Australian and UK Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese and Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden. The agreement mapped out the “optimal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andreas Helwig, Associate Professor, Electro-Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern Queensland SmartS/Shutterstock Steam locomotives clattering along railway tracks. Paddle steamers churning down the Murray. Dreadnought battleships powered by steam engines. Many of us think the age of steam has ended. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carrie Leonetti, Associate Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Victims who experience family violence in Aotearoa New Zealand are treated differently, depending on which part of the justice system they turn to for help. But a new member’s bill ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Tesch, Visiting Fellow at the ANU Centre for European Studies, Australian National University In perhaps the least surprising news of the year, Vladimir Putin has triumphed at the Russian ballot box and been enthroned for the fifth time as president. He ...
The Papua New Guinea Supreme Court has stopped a byelection for the Madang Open seat being held until an appeal filed by former MP Bryan Kramer is concluded. Kramer had appealed to the Supreme Court over a National Court decision not to review his application of the Leadership Tribunal decision ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Despite a “historic” ceasefire agreement in Papua New Guinea between Enga authorities and tribal leaders after months of bitter warfare, a young woman has been found brutally killed near Kaekin village, Wapenamanda. Despite the peace agreement and signing concluded in Port Moresby last Thursday ...
The second season of Ryan Murphy’s Feud is a sadder and slower entry into his canon of true story-telling, leaning heavily on a verdict about the cost of a single work of art. Hollywood heavyweight Ryan Murphy has had a bit of “ick” about him in the last few years. ...
Adrian Orr taking apart Corin Dann's economic ignorance on RNZ as I speak.
I thought it was a good performance given the role of both parties. Remember the interviewers job is to ask all the stupid questions to allow the interviewee to explain the topic in more depth. That and the general public has little idea what the terms even mean.
Fair point. Dann made wild assumptions and Orr jumped on them very firmly
I would like to compliment all the commentators on The Standard for their patience in dealing with Paddington's pedantic and nit-picking yesterday. Even LPrent, whose caustic comments have raised a smile in the past, was subdued.
If this is indicative of the PM's call for kindness, well done. We will all need to be patient and understanding in the difficult times that lie ahead.
Agreed,TV
Paddington Needs to be Self isolated
Just ignore.
Maybe we were all out panic buying.
Yep! It was bloody hard not to chip in – which would have simply added to the pedantry.
Pushing the barriers at all costs – in order to be right. Twas so; Twas not; Twas so; Twas not.
Hopefully the Bear is of a mood to be feeling particularly cuddly
I’ve left a moderation note asking for it to be dropped, thanks. Now, if we could all move on and focus on what really matters right here, right now, that would be great and might even safe lives.
"Now, if we could all move on and focus on what really matters right here"
We can, and have ……….. or maybe not – but it's six days later, and fromwhat I've seen as an interloper, Paddy Bear seems to have tucked up his tail and scarpered (possibly to re-appear under another guise)
Next
Well said Tony. Paddington was being an irritating house fly buzzing around, but people had bigger things to think about than his/her silliness.
Jacinda’s instinctive qualities as a leader and communicator were again things we should be so grateful for at this time. Talking to a friend (on the phone) yesterday after her announcement, was interesting. He was so complimentary about how she has handled all this massive situation.
Does anyone in your household suffer from anxiety?
My youngest does, so I made up some info sheets for her last night and a list of her responsibilities before we officially go into lock down. Put official logos etc on it thanks to the covid-19 website.
This has helped sooooo much, as she now knows what to expect and can check her info sheets if she is unsure.
For example…. today my girls need to decide on any projects they wish to complete over the next month and any supplies they may need for that project, because the warehouse, mitre 10, $2 shop etc won't be open for a month come Thursday.
Saw that Warehouse will be open. Perhaps because they have many household basics at excellent prices, veg and flower plants and warmer clothing as well. They are also big and allow for space. Cheers You are such a good Mum.
Cheers 🙂
Ironically I chickened out, way too many people up town today Lmao!!!
The Plan B projects are…. De-cluttering with Marie Kondo…. and… how to be resourceful!!! ROFL 🙂
Here is a little something from one of my on-line friends in the US. He offers his experiences from a similar situation he faced last year, with a cartoon that your daughters might identify with:
[lprent; Changed image width to 520. ]
Well done, try and make some games out of it with mini prizes, those parents who did this in the Chch aftershocks, i.e. quessing strength of aftershocks etc, had children emerge in good health .
Would anyone know if owner operator lawn mowing business would be eligible for subsidy if the operator is a superannuitant getting pension. Which,as most people know is barely subsistence level. We have payments to make for van and motor mowers and other debts that go along with business ownership such as taxes and accountants etc.
Without this business we wouldnt survive so we have to keep it going.
I cant find mention of beneficiaries who are business owners being eligible. Help!!
There is a lot to read on this site Ffloyd. Bit about cashflow and such and lists of links. Hope this helps. It looks like the place to go if you need to do some gentle harassing.
https://www.business.govt.nz/news/coronavirus-information-for-businesses/
Thank you greywarshark. I will look into that site.
Thought of the moment: is Tiwai Point an essential business? If it has to shut down for four weeks, have the odds suddenly shifted towards it never starting back up again? Would the various parties to the assorted contractual obligations around shutdown timeframes be more flexible right now around amending those timeframes?
I believe it takes some time to shut down and longer to start. . If they do shut now is not a good time to kill them off when we are allowed out again a 1000 jobs in the south will be a big thing.
also my understanding that you can't just shut it down temporarily (technical reasons).
I would guess that it's essential. We're not going to stop using aluminium this year.
The problems you hear about around shutting down potlines are mostly around the damage that happens when the power supply is unexpectedly lost. While planned shutdowns are still expensive, they are less expensive than unplanned forced shutdowns. Given the financial pain being caused across the rest of New Zealand, it amounts to special pleading for Tiwai Point to claim their financial pain from shutdown is somehow unique or should entitle them to special privileges.
Very little of Tiwai Point's output is used in New Zealand. It is of generally very high purity (because of the way they choose to operate the smelter, not anything special about New Zealand) and it mostly goes to Japan for specialist electronic uses. I've had occasion to look into the supply chain for the aluminium used in some engineering projects I've been involved in, and every time it has been imported.
thanks Andre. I don't care very much about Comalco's profit, other than how that might affect NZ (and we could definitely do with freeing up Manapouri power). Job losses and our international obligations to essential production matter. Do we buy specialist electronics from Japan?
The other big issue is how safe is it re covid for workers? Can good protocols be put in place?
I'd see closure generally in the context of the Powerdown and creating sustainable tech industries esp in relation to CC. Don't know if now or later is better for that, but we're not having the necessary conversation yet.
(btw if this is something in the news, a link can help for those of us not up to speed).
No it's not something in the news, it really was just a random thought for the morning. Given that the review decision was supposed to be complete sometime in this first quarter, I'm a little surprised at the silence.
I've never visited Tiwai Point, so this is just speculation, but here goes anyway …
As far as worker protection from COVID-19 goes, the production area of smelter type operations tends to have very low worker density, so keeping distance is unlikely to be a problem. It's a huge facility and if there's only 1000 or so there covering 24/7 shifts, they can't be very close together. Except maybe in smoko rooms.
I'd guess the higher risk would be for professional and lab staff. It's unlikely they've resisted the general execrable management trend of jamming as many people as possible into crowded open-plan areas. So they're more likely to spend all day in close proximity.
As Andre says, an orderly shutdown isn't that much of a problem.
Quite expensive in power and especially when you look at what it does to the refractories (I used to do tech sales at Kamo Green refractories during Think Big).
I wouldn't expect that it is defined as 'essential'. They may get some grace from just arguing the economic impact to the economy. We're going to be scratching for export income for a while.
I had a quick look for up to date news specific to Tiwai Point and didn't find any. But there was a lot about how chinese smelters have kept running and there's now an oversupply with reduced demand. Plus stories of how the big companies are putting the squeeze on other countries such as Icelasnd threatening to shut down if they don't get lower electricity prices.
So I suspect we're in for another disaster capitalism play from Rio Tinto for more hidden and overt subsidies that the rest of us pay for. Leveraging off of ideas like scarcity of export income and preserving jobs etc.
Hmmmm. Good thought!
A thing about exotic trees and native trees in Australia and how flammable Oz trees are. We don't have a lot of Eucs here but the principle is the same and discussions here along the same lines are important.
https://the-riotact.com/the-exotic-weeds-that-saved-a-braidwood-truffle-forest-from-destruction/360629
For decades, Peter has planted a mosaic of trees including his truffle bearing hazelnuts and oaks, but also poplars and willows, and up to 30 bamboo varieties. His aim is to restore the property’s capacity to retain water at all levels, moving it gently through the soil profile rather than streaming off degraded, heavily compacted land…
Peter’s reasoning is that even a fire roaring uphill with a good draft will pause when it hits green trees. He estimates that a mature poplar, for example, is carrying 100 to 200 kg of water. As the fire and the trees interact, there’s a burst of flash evaporation from the greenery that absorbs heat. Peter says updraft wind will drop almost instantly under those conditions.
The wind controlling effect of banked deciduous foliage also worked to dramatically slow the fire’s spread and, three rows in, the blaze became controllable with groundwork and shovels.
That's a great article, grey.
Thanks Robert. Hope everything is going well in green land and family.
And while you have a minutes I wondered if you could tell me if I'm hurting my cherry plum tree draining rinse water towards which has a touch of detergent in it still. The leaves on a weaker side are dullish and hanging. Might just have been too dry from weeks of little water.
Short term no, long term quite likely… some detergents are much worse than others for that matter. Cold Water laundry detergent is pretty nasty.
Having reactive skin, I stick to liquid woolwash.
Thought I might just kick around home today.
Maybe a little trip into town this afto to do a bit of panic buying?
Exciting times!
Take care out there Macro!
(I keep thinking about panic and hoping people aren't hurting themselves and having more accidents that end up needing treatment. It's going to be really interesting to see what happens with that over the next month).
I'm an essential worker apparently, but what I'm seeing today is panic driving, looking forward to some quiet roads during lockdown while I go about my essential business. Also today, 15-20 car long queues for McDonalds.
I noticed Henry Cooke being snide again. According to him, Jacinda has us "Under House Arrest"
We can go for a walk, shop for food, get our medications, Make up our own activities, use the internet, talk to friends and neighbours over the fence or on the "phone/skype
What is stuck in his craw?
Sorry, I could not locate the article again. Herald.
Be kind Henry, the PM is working hard to save lives…. get with the goal and write some helpful pieces.
It was on Stuff. Did Cooke write the headline? Or the expert Chief Sensational Headline Writer?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/120501534/coronavirus-jacinda-ardern-just-made-the-most-consequential-decision-of-her-career-putting-nz-on-house-arrest
Wait for Stuff regular columnist Steve Elers if you're looking for snide in attacking the PM. He had the sense to say in a column most recently, "As a commentator of everything and a master of nothing" of himself. That should be added to the descriptive blurb at the bottom of his 'work.'
Steve Elers tag line at the bottom of his opinion pieces on stuff currently say he is " a senior lecturer at Massey University and writes a weekly article on cultural and political matters' or something similar. It should read "he is an ill-informed senior lecturer at Massey who writes a weekly diatribe abusing the Prime Minister." Massey must be so proud.
Alcohol. The Police have always said that over 70% of their work is dealing with alcohol related incidents.
Does the shutdown mean that the Police get a respite from dealing with drunks spilling out onto the street? That would be great wouldn't it?
Maybe. But not if the reduction in problems on the street is matched or exceeded by an increase in alcohol-related domestic problems.
True but at least those punch-ups outside pubs should diminish. Would domestic drink related problems increase? Hope not.
I suspect they have, and tho' it's nice to be able to walk down the street (keeping me 2 mtr separation and watching the stupidity with a degree of amusement at [predominantly] male ego insecurities), shifting the problem into the private domain will probably mean a whole lot of it goes unreported.
Already, I've noticed an increase in decibels from some of the neighbouring properties in the early hours, then later the littering of RTD cans and empty bottles of piss.
I'm actually hoping Women's Refuge and various other agencies begin to report they are being overwhelmed.
Yes. And overseas there are reports of increased domestic violence, largely against women, during Covid-19 lock downs. It can keep the abused trapped in homes with their abusers.
We spoke of this last night, in the context of the children who go to school as they can get food. Also school can be a violence free refuge, as opposed to home. Home that now has an even higher stressed adult(s) dishing out the family harm.
Yes. I think they may be a reason for keeping schools open as long as possible.
And for re-opening them as soon as it is wise and safe to do so.
Well if the stories about queues at bottle stores and panic buying are true, then probably not, it may just be spilling out on to driveways instead of the high street.
A little something to while away the long hours to be spent at home:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9XNKQY4tQc
Yep. It's Pippa. The albatross chick /live cam. Poor little mite is being buffeted by strong winds and rain at the moment.
They also produce a video of the highlights at the end of each day which consists of Mum and Dad returning to feed her and a bunch of teenage Albatross brats who like to tease and harass her especially around feed time. Mum knows how to handle them.
Have just received info of an eviction going ahead today. Mother and seven year old is the info I have to hand atm.
Christ. Have such landlords got no shame? Name and shame – or even report to authorities. Where are they meant to go once the lock down deadline arrives?
or even report to authorities
Apparently Tenancy Services were contacted. No joy. Eviction gets actioned.
Nice to each other, wins again.
It would seem that the powers that be at our local hospital may have missed a trick in respect to uniforms. This, to me, is a potentially serious health and safety issue.
Almost all front-line health staff (nurses) wear their uniform to and from work.
There is push-back from management against the wearing of scrubs. Scrubs are an ideal solution to keeping staff families and homes free of the virus that can be bought home on clothing. The hospitals still launder scrubs so any potential contamination stays in house.
Particularly ironic as our local hospital has just changed the colour of the surgical scrubs in January, so there must be a surplus of this clothing somewhere.
Have seen this at my local. Still with stethescopes etc round their neck.
It will be interesting to see how Covid-19 affects the next Australian election. Their infection rates are much higher than ours. There could be a backlash against a last minute Cambridge Analytica campaign.
RNZ has an article with services that will to operate during the lock down.
This is good to see:
and
Looks like something is broken in the right hand feeds.
I will have a look at it when I finish work today.
My belated breakfast fixed it. Should see the feed improving.
Whoa! A big backlog with loads of interesting feeds form the past little while.
Many thanks for fixing it.
Looks like an updated version of the plugin wanted to use an updated version of the curl libraries.
Chris Martenson praising NZ saying PM "just doing a great job". Yep, she is. Just prior to this time segment a letter from Annie, who closed her restaurant a couple of days before officials ordered it.
Early in this piece we learn that New York is over 20,000 cases – that was quick. Other surprises are Switzerland who have more cases per person than other countries.
https://youtu.be/EzaHBM7PP8A?t=1263
I have just found out the WINZ offices are closing down for fear of staff getting infected by the virus. Why isn't this classified as an essential department for citizens when they are allowing The Warehouse to remain open for business. When has the Warehouse ever been considered an essential industry/business. Have I just fallen down the rabbit hole here. What it he hell is going on. Also All the courts are closing with the exception of the District courts – how does this equate as well. People are people no matter what court they have to attend and will catch this virus no matter what the sin is.
I am increasingly becoming confused about how these decisions are agreed upon. What about all the thousands of people who are now without jobs. How do they get any support if they can't get to their local WINZ Office. Not everybody has a computer or even able to afford to get online. Somebody clarify to me – am I missing something here. I have a loved one who is fragile and involved in these two departments and its hard enough with the enormity of the environment right now without pulling up the drawbridge on one department – WINZ and allowing the other District Courts to remain open to the milling crowds of people who go in their bldgs each day.
Our Winz Office closed months ago. Now communications are by phone or email.
Phones are not much use when the system crashes through overload. Its a futile exercise even trying to get through. People who are needing WINZ right now are out of jobs, scared shitless, and vulnerable and the powers that be should have been better prepared for the influx of numbers and laid on more staff and perspex screens for them to protect from this virus if they are so worried over them. I am definitely down the rabbit hole over this.
The Warehouse helped stop the peasants revolting when we entered the fire economy – they are essential to the survival of liberalism as the dominate ideology.
I went to a supermarket in central Auckland this morning and it was remarkably calm and relatively uncrowded. No busier than a typical pre-Christmas day. Queue at checkout no longer than usual. Some shelves were sparsely stocked but there was nothing on my list I couldn't get if I changed brands. Posh pasta instead of budget pasta, no biggie.
I realize many people are not as conveniently close to supermarkets and dairies as I am. But in the last 48 hours I have had no problem buying both essentials and treats (and no I'm not hoarding).
In Auckland at least, panic is pointless.
I too wonder why the warehouse remains open. Yes it does sell some food but it's not a main offering IIRC a lot of it is imported and we need to do without the shopping fix that people may want to access for other goods. Why have they not got the stay at home message.
WINZ I would have thought was essential. – Okay they would want internet & phone first and they need to call back the pay as you use people – maybe they should stuff some form of access around the supermarkets – dedicated phone line or a credit that goes only to WINZ.
Update from Ministry, etc today says it has not been decided that the Warehouse will stay open. I think it means it's still being assessed.
Maybe someone from Warehouse was premature. He also said if anyone is unsure if their business was an "essential service" it probably isn't.
It should be closed, let's hope sense prevails.
"Self-isolation" allows for a walk outside, carefully avoiding contact, but based on my (obviously random) sample of seeing people on the street on this last day before lockdown, I'd say at least a quarter still don't "get it". Plenty of proximity and touching.
It takes time for the message to sink in, so we can expect an extension after one month, as community transfer continues. If we can't be trusted to do this right, then it's going to be a full curfew.
Yes. I can't believe the queues outside some supermarkets (and gun shops) where people are not doing the 2 meter distancing from each other. I hope this gets controlled in future.
I certainly won't be venturing out til that is sorted.
I'm fortunate that I was able to book a supermarket home delivery for Sunday, and I have a nephew on standby who will deliver more more food (mostly fresh fruit & veges) when I need them.
Love the reply.
https://twitter.com/damiengleeson/status/1241883851783147521
Nothing to see here – move along
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa6IIfjNPdg&feature=em-uploademail&ab_channel=TheJimmyDoreShow
cool, I'll skip it then.
Do you want me to delete it?
Humour from incognito – will I'll be knocked over by a peacock feather…
Micro businesses – NZrs who make their own work since various governments made it so hard for small business which collapsed unable to compete with the world.
And here we see how the gummint agencies are just not concerned about helping these great innovative entrepreneurs in their small businesses.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/412485/hospitality-business-owners-fear-for-their-future-after-lockdown-announced
<i>Only about $200 went through the till yesterday – down from about $1500 on a good day…. "Honestly I'm freaking out. I don't know if I can sustain it because how am I going to pay my rent even?
"I haven't even paid this month's rent yet, you know what I mean? "How do I pay the rent? How do I pay the wages, the power bill, the phone bill, my mortgage?"
Boyd said as a sole trader she did not yet have the 13-digit business number required to access government relief funds. "I really don't understand that either because I've been trying to get my New Zealand business number."
I even went to my accountant and he went online with me and it wouldn't get through. It kept saying 'error' but it won't tell me what the error is."
Boyd said she was worried about her staff, one of whom was expecting a baby.</i>
The next government action will cover business and residential expense payments whose incomes have been impacted.
you keep saying that…… we don't see it tho however.
A stunning kick in the guts for renters who continue to have to pay rent while homeowners, including their own landlords get a mortgage holiday!
This is a massively unfair playing field – the haves once again getting special treatment at the expense of the have-nots.
This leaves landlords able to bank renters' money with interest while having no outgoings at all.
Tell me I'm missing something here…
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12319343
It also means that the landlord with a mortgage can claim this where their tenant’s income is affected – instead of hassling the tenant.
There is so little interest on bank accounts its not going to tempt anyone.
This leaves landlords able to bank renters' money with interest while having no outgoings at all.
A far as I am aware though all the other fixed costs like rates, insurance and property management fees will likely remain. You would be surprised at what a large fraction of your rent these consume. Including other smaller sundries we allow 50% of the rent to go in fixed costs. After that comes the variable costs like mortgage interest and annual company tax.
If a tenant stops paying their rent, a mortgage holiday will be very welcome, but it goes nowhere near covering all our costs.
The government should look at dole plus half rent paid for those losing their income/employment. Half rent would cover such utility costs for the landlord.
A comment elsewhere on the subject with respect to the fraught idea of the random negotiating of rent reductions between tenant (powerless) and landlord (the clue is in the name).
My landlord requires his pound of flesh on the seventh.
I am debating if i shall cut it from the ribs or the hind?
Do you know what. I wouldn't have an issue if we were all in this together but today the preferential treatment for the comparatively wealthy beggars belief.
The reasoning for the mortgage holiday is apparently so people don't 'lose their homes'.
What if they did 'lose their homes', what would they be then?
I'll tell you what they'd be…
…renters.
i hardly believe that a company with 80 million annual turnover would have a owner who would 'loose' the house.
nah, these guys are making sure that some survive – whom ever they consider 'solvent' – and the rest so far can get fucked. Essentially this is a very national bail out, it is what i would have expected from teh National Party.
I am honestly out of wits when it comes to the 'hand outs' of this government.
funnily enough i was interviewed today by some 'regional NZ herald' guy and i essentially said that the government needs to either offer interest free loans or offer a rent/mortgage/lease/bill holiday to all of us. Its not ok to tell us to take a bank loan on the eve of Financial Crisis 2.0. So far my loyal customers have come through. I have discounted everything, and tomorrow last day – morning only – hopefully will see me make enough money for the Landlord.
I already advised my chocolate supplier that next month bill will be the first that i will miss in 8 years.
I don't wish the Labour Party and the coalition any ill, but i will never ever support them – not with money, not with time, and most certainly not with a vote. I just don't have any reason to do so.
well these businesses are very deserving, and need a bail out as where all those below 250.000 turnover per annum can get fucked.
WINZ Ongoing Services
Contrary to rumours, misinformation etc here and elsewhere, WINZ has NOT closed down completely.
MSD/WINZ has been designated an essential service. Like many other Goverment departments also classed as essential services, it has closed its service centres for face to face appointments, advice etc – BUT will continue to provide advice, help etc via its internet site and by phome.
More here in the last hour or so:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/covid-19/412487/winz-moves-to-online-and-phone-services
Some other changes mentioned in that article of interest:
There is more on MSD's website here: – https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/eligibility/emergencies/2020/coronavirus.html
NOTE that the section on Service Centre states that:
FYI here is the URL for that "Contact Us' link – contact numbers are under each of the main headings. Press the + sign.
https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/about-work-and-income/contact-us/phone-numbers.html#null
Standdown periods were discussed at length over the last few days. These have been suspended for the six months from 23 March 2020 – 23 November 2020.
More detail and further links here – https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/online-services/apply/what-is-a-stand-down.html
Note the wording in this particular section which I have underlined:
The wording "you may still need to wait up to 13 weeks", implies that this is not a compulsory set period; rather a period of time to a maximum of 13 weeks which is open to a decision by WINZ based on the circumstances of each case where someone has left a job voluntarily or has been fired for misconduct.
Hope the above helps.
PS – Just heard the PM, in her press conference currently underway, confirm that The Warehouse will not be open and is not an essential service.
Thanks for the info veutoviper.
Xtian writer's pro-life
maskhood slips.At the press conference on Friday announcing the New York shutdown, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “I want to be able to say to the people of New York—I did everything we could do. And if everything we do saves just one life, I’ll be happy.”
This statement reflects a disastrous sentimentalism. Everything for the sake of physical life? What about justice, beauty, and honor? There are many things more precious than life. And yet we have been whipped into such a frenzy in New York that most family members will forgo visiting sick parents. Clergy won’t visit the sick or console those who mourn. The Eucharist itself is now subordinated to the false god of “saving lives.”
[…]
A number of my friends disagree with me. They support the current measures, insisting that Christians must defend life. But the pro-life cause concerns the battle against killing, not an ill-conceived crusade against human finitude and the dolorous reality of death.
https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2020/03/say-no-to-deaths-dominion
Yes that is a huge kick in the guts for renters. Why is the mortgage holiday for people who are renting out their properties. Sounds more like "a be kind to banks week."
Right up there with all the high income employees and directors not taking a haircut while they spend their time laying people off.
As for Winz – tone deaf as usual – just pushing the everyone can go online agenda – despite benefits being insufficent to support being able to afford these services or for that matter a phone. Oh and guess what the library has been closed so even if there is one the internet can't be used there either.
What i read was
A six-month mortgage holiday for people whose incomes have been affected by Covid-19 will mean people won't lose their homes as a result of the economic disruption caused by this virus
A key word was home , not property.
Still a massive imbalance in the way two sections of society are being treated. And it still applies to the landlord who claims the holiday on their own home.
One section is being offered massive relief around the biggest household cost of all at this very stressful and critical time, while another section is offered nothing in the same area.
This needs to be sorted or there will be massive unrest.
It also means that the landlord with a mortgage can claim this where their tenant’s income is affected – instead of hassling the tenant.
They'll be hassling the tenant alright, as soon as they think it's safe to do so
I'd say a few days after the lockdown finishes…
this is from the article linked above.
The scheme will include a limit of $500,000 per loan and will apply to firms with a turnover of between $250,000 and $80 million per annum. The loans will be for a maximum of three years and expected to be provided by the banks at competitive, transparent rates.
i really don't see why a business owner with 80 million turn over needs a mortgage holiday, while the dude on 70.000 does not. But then maybe the dude with the 80 million dollar business needs to buy some more cheap houses when the dudes on regular wages default. After all we can't have socialism for the poor, no we only have it for the well to do, and the very rich. Besides, when the Labour critters quit parliament they would like to have some lucrative jobs on boards and such, so consider it a 'prepayment' for services to be rendered in the future.
Now somebody understands what my thread was about. A lot of people on benefits do not own a computer and if they do own one they cannot afford to go online. Libraries were open with computers and wifi and were available to these beneficeries and now they have closed down too. Owning a computer and being online is a luxury to many people and I find it quite extraordinary to plead the safety of their staff the reason for closing down. What about all the staff in supermarkets, pharmacies, they are having to run the gauntlet of being in harm's way. I just don't buy it at all their excuse for shutting down.
Even the District Court is staying open for the poor felons going before the judges. Obviously they want to punish the felons and punish the poor bastards who are out of work, mentally unwell, physically disabled etc. as well.
Yes, I definitely have gone down the rabbit hole on this one.
Screen shots from web cams around the world.
https://twitter.com/noahkalina/status/1242114225121693696
If people use the month to outdoor exercise, on foot or bike and get plenty of sleep then our public health (stronger immune systems) will be stronger for it. It is a good time of year for it.
Mix it up a bit for a giggle and wear fancy dress on a bike ride.
If you've got elderly neighbours don't forget to make sure they are ok, because they may be scared or have no family close by.
We've contacted ours to let them know (via a note slipped under their door) if we go to the supermarket etc we will contact them know in advance should they need anything.
Courts and COVID-19
Mention was made in the comment at 18 that prompted my one at 25 re WINZ, that all Courtrs except District Courts were being closed down.
The Court situation is actually a lot more complex than what was stated at 18 and is still being sorted out. Advice about what is happening with the Courts is being promulgated on an ongoing basis on the following link and also on the Courts of New Zealand Twitter account @CourtsofNZ.
https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/publications/announcements/covid-19-coronavirus/court-protocols/
(quot; ") from of a note from Chief Justice Winkelmann on the link
Further advice re District Court hearings is also u=included in the above main link and inter alia includes this link https://www.districtcourts.govt.nz/media-information/information-for-legal-practitioners/for-the-profession-re-24-march-2020-23-march-2020
In summary (rough mix of quotes and shortened wording):
Again, I hope that clarifies things a bit at least.
Hmmm out of toilet paper..
Will this work?
If yer gonna try to wipe yer bum with that, I recommend you remove the spikes first.
No I want it to sprout like an avocado stone – then I can plant it in the garden and get lots of rolls for free!
Wellll, if growing lots of toilet rolls with spikes sticking out of them is your thing, I'm not gonna judge.
Methinks Macro is getting bored out of his brain with this lock-down before its even officially started. Didn't you manage to get into town for a bout of panic buying this afto?
Go Macro – we need positive, creative ideas like yours (but preferably ones that will work..) Anyway – just ignore all those unworthy put-downs.
[don’t think you meant to use your email as user name. Have changed it, but please check before your next comment – weka]
Mod note In Vino.
Yep! I managed to snare a bag of spuds! And 400 grams of mince from the butcher!
My nice lady butcher has been run off her feet today 🙁 She had to restock the shop at least twice; and care for her 8 year old and 1 year old.
saw a pack of mince – mad butcher – 2 kg – white fatty 'premium mince for
$ 40.
OMG! that s serious price gouging. Mine was $10 a kilo, mind you I brought my own container. From here on in, I'll ring up and order, and she will pack and either drop off or I can pick up from the store.
i buy all my meat from the local butcher. The guy and his wife know what they do, they have five kids and the mad butcher's meat is just rubbish. But yeah, what a rip of.
Macro – the sprout-with-toothpicks image is one I saw a few days back and sent to friends, most of whom didn't get it at all! I was amazed but learned the lesson about niche-knowledge and the ease with which one can assume that what to you is obvious (and in this case, funny) is neither of those to people who haven't tried growing an avocado this way.
Ahh a sad commentary on our society. There is not a vegetable seedling to be had in the whole of town right now. I fear for those tender young things in inexpert hands. I wonder how and where they will be placed in the expectation that within a week or two they will be harvested.
Clever folk who for-some-reason don't garden, brought seeds-for-sprouting and micro greens – fast, simple and healthy.
Yeah that's what we have done too.
In the garden the amaranth is particularly yummy right now – then we leave it to seed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mbR5xcO8aI&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3_VAElvdrB_yAKRcXKJE81sXlHRjjVB__srLjEwzsucZqRnx6d9fnDHuo
🙂
Almost looks as good as my lunch buddha bowl.
thats pretty funny
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment says The Warehouse Group has not been granted an exemption to trade during the mandatory four-week lockdown.
5:20 PM · Mar 24, 2020
Son's happy. 4 weeks holiday with no visitors on 80% pay.
Kia Ora The Am Show.
Esport is one of the fastest growing sport in the world.
Time to pay horticultural workers more putea.
The Spanish flue affect Maori in higher rates than others.
Like to see you find a house to rent that cheap $350 a week.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Newshub. .
Coincidence ya right.
Kia Kaha everyone.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
We do need to give the tangata with out a voice a voice.
The free Kai being delivered to the needy is good.
Kia Kaha tangata whenua o Aotearoa.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora The Am Show.
People won't get board with all the gadgets we have these day's.
Ka kite Ano
Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute.
https://youtu.be/cEXhZ8PwM-Y
I wonder if these sis sandflys are going to try and arrest me when I go to the supermarket today.??? They will be drooling to do that with there new powers
Kia Ora Newshub.
Its good that our government caught the dubble dipping business trying to cheat in these times is low.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Some of the symptoms of the virus is loss of smell and taste
Its better that we do it hard and correct now and minimise the virus spread than not to isolation properly now and the virus spread rapidly causing chaos to our love one's and our hospital system.
Ka kite Ano