The previous Government swept through a decision to return to the Open Plan classrooms of the 80s. As classrooms were opened up the classes of 40+ with say 2 teachers became the norm. Doesn't suit all kids. Has your school just caught up?
If it has failed before, or elsewhere, in education, as in so many other things, National is all for it.
National likes “evidence based policy” so they can do the opposite,
It will take decades to recover the ground lost in education, due to National's, back to the 1880's. Never mind the 80's.
Maybe comprehend what he said, "at the expense of the gentle children", not quite what you implied James, unless you're shit stirring? People get a little sensitive and personal when it comes to their kids.
Whatever the spin, the basic aim of all neo-liberal 'reforms' in education is cost-cutting: fitting more students into less space for less expense. I would say that was the main reason for 'Mainstreaming' as well, vociferously though its proponents will deny it.
One of the factors apparently is that children are separated from their friends that have been made and with whom they have formed a learning pair or group.
You'll get a balanced appraisal of Muller out of it. Turns out Judith Collins did the numbers for him. Last weekend, if I heard Harman aright, before the polls. So the thing was up & running on the basis that the two polls would confirm what they already knew?
The bit I heard he referred to making the decision to launch it after the poll results. So it's the difference between contingency plan and activation of that plan that we're looking at…
And then later on Niall Ferguson (if you're into the occasional bit of earache).
When listening to Ferguson's wisdom as an 'Historian' – you really need to preface the title with "Neo-liberal Economic'. Just as well Fukuyama's original predictions didn't come to pass or Ferguson would be out of a job
Coupla media pros with lengthy personal experience of dispassionate political commentary sharing their insights after having talked with him personally often enough through past years. No revelations – just a healthy antidote to the biased views expressed onsite here from a position of total ignorance since he won the battle…
Do you happen to have any conflicts of interest that should be declared?
I only ask because the only previous dude I heard who went out of his way to praise provide a balanced view of Who-ller had some 'splaining to do after he quit Twitter the other day.
No. I'm retired, my membership of the Green Party (second time round) is current at 5.5 years. I'm typical of a large swathe of humanity in preferring balanced views on anything contentious – due to it being an essential pre-condition for peaceful co-existence. 😇
Mullers very first speech after he gained the leadership, included the oft repeated lying memes that have been endlessly repeated by the usual suspects, this month. https://www.facebook.com/gerard.otto
Just another who is happy to join in National's one of two standard propaganda approaches to get power. Othering and repetitive lying.
Repeating the same bs on every occasion, until repetition persuades even the people who should know better.
“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss”.
Does National have a clone factory for these people?
CIA or CCP run. LOLZ
I don't disagree that he is likely to pitch to those he represents – every politician must to be successful. Lying is a subjective judgment. Usually used without any evidence to validate it. I suspect he is unlike Trump and not inclined to do it. However I do have an open mind on the issue so will consider evidence.
He was objectively lying. As Otto showed in the link I included.
Lying about their economic and social record, misusing statistics, and, and bashing an, "other" are their standard methods, when they are lagging in the polls.
Muller is totally following the script.
The occasional original thought, from people who think they are competent to run the country, would be good.
Didn't you get the sub text in Mullers speech. The lines we will hear endlessly until the election, in various guises. "The girl did a good job with the virus. Now it is time for the serious, men, in National, to sort the economy".
In offering to refund firms' GST, the National Party appears to misunderstand the GST system. Firms, in theory, don't pay GST since any GST that they do pay is recouped from their customers. It is the customers, ultimately, who pay GST. A better plan would be to abolish GST altogether.
Any refund would merely be a subsidy masquerading as a GST refund. Subsidizing small firms which find themselves in difficulties due to COVID-19 may well be a good policy, but there is no reason to suppose that the GST that they have paid is the appropriate amount that that subsidy should take.
You only pay gst on profit? This statement makes you unqualified to have any public comment or position on tax.
Businesses pay the difference between gst collected and gst paid. Abolishing gst would be the best tax cut for poor people and the best way to reduce business compliance costs. It’ll also help our local councils as all the rates collected will go to them. They won’t have to pay 15% to central government.
Which isn’t a valid reason not to do it. I don’t expect councils for instance to lower rates 15%
companies, however, work out there margins then add gst on top. So some might make supernormal profits. Those in competitive industries would struggle to retain customers if they didn’t.
there was a lot of teeth gnashing and doom predicting for the less than top bracket earners when gst went up 2.5% Under national round here. Why the reluctance to abolish gst altogether just because someone may profit? Abolishing it now would be the best move the government could make. Give poor consumers 15% more bang for their buck at least.
National will have to return to power to see calls for gst to be cut to return to the standard
On profit plus labour costs and other non GSTaxable costs. With depreciation GST will have been refunded at the time a depreciable asset was purchased.
At a macro level GST is paid to the government by those not registered collected by those who are registered. Companies are only collecting it on the behalf of the govt and passing on the payment to the Govt. i.e. people pay the GST, companies do not.
I thought it was a very simplistic sound bite designed to appeal to very simplistic small business owners who see GST as a cost like power or rent.
Offering a rebate based on the GST you've paid is good for business selling into the NZ market who are doing ok, so probably don't need it, hopeless for the businesses that aren't doing too well, hence not paying much GST because expenses exceed income, and bloody offensive to businesses who export, because export receipts are zero rated for GST.
Coming from Muller, who's worked for export businesses and I'd expect knows how this works, is just poorly thought out survival politics.
I had a Nat candidate rock into the shop one election saying that National's tax cuts were going to make my business thrive. I replied that it would be nice to be making a profit for tax to be an issue (it was in the middle of the late 90's recession / austerity). The look was priceless
Muller wants trans-tasman travel to resume as a matter of priority, but Australia has 16 new cases today so this would be a risk to New Zealand and will remain so until Australia can get their new cases to zero.
The article is by Luke Malpass and Tracey Watkins. Interesting because Watkins was the National Party reporter and head of politics at Stuff but retired/moved-on after the 2017 defeat. Mr Malpass obviously doesn't have the ear of the important people in National's caucus so had to get Watkins in the work the phones for him!
I clocked Watkins name on the article too Muttonbird and it piqued my interest. Didn’t she have an article up recently bemoaning the loss of controlling the narrative? Media get two polls up in quick succession facilitating a leadership challenge, nek minnit, wall to wall national party coverage. There’s even a bloody opinion piece on stuff by Paul Goldsmith.
Trans tasman travel could be a while away given Victoria’s inability to get control of the virus. The states won’t even allow travel between each other. Queensland border might not open till September.
Pretty clear to me the comment in question is about if the Herald want a 50m handout, they have to do the bidding of the pm and earn it, probably like the accusations thrown from the left when tv3 got bailed out, even though it completely ignores two days of puff pieces on Mulder and kayley.
There is no way trans travel will start for a very long time as they said in Melbourne today we are finding more because we are testing more. so community cases are most of their cases .also Queensland will not open their border before September. and the NZ public will not want it to until all these issues are cleared up. Best he shuts up about that for a while
Mr Muller has been so busy developing his plan (not for NZ , but to roll Simon Bridges) that he seems to has missed that the trans Tasman bubble is well under way after Australia invited Jacinda to attend then cabinet meeting and that work is being done on it already on this. It is not his call to make on this in isolation. Actually Australia has a say in this too. Given his haste on this does that mean he would have left the lockdown sooner, or even kept the economy going in a partial lockdown.
Does Muller not understand gst? Small business owners collect the tax, but get a rebate of the gst they pay.
" The Herald on Sunday has since been told by a reliable source that Muller won the leadership by just one vote, although that may never be known for certain. "
Now that his old friend Todd Muller is National leader, Matthew Hooton is pulling back from political commentary. His critics say he should have done so before the contest kicked off, writes Colin Peacock for RNZ.
It was yet another example of control from the centre; funding for a while was only provided for classrooms that met the large 2 classes to a room model. Many are now being ''renovated"" to put a large divider down the middle so teachers can be heard by their class . . .
Sadly the primary school closest to me had their renovation approved pre-2017 election – as a ""Normal"" school some new teachers will know what schools to avoid . . .
I can only base this on a half-remembered presentation from an MoE guy early last year (during which I might have been busy or dozed off), but ISTR that was some of the point of the design approach they were going for – it could be adapted for different school needs.
If you could do group learning or needed lots of space for an art or drama class, open it up. If you need separated class rooms, the adaptation isn't structural.
Biden gets tough: "In a recent campaign ad, Joe Biden accused the president of being too soft on China over COVID-19. This decision to criticize Donald Trump on China and subsequent signals that Biden will take a tough approach toward Beijing have made some progressives nervous." https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/how-should-biden-handle-china/612052/
"Writing in The Atlantic, Peter Beinart called Biden’s ad “a jingoistic fantasy” that may put Asian Americans in the crosshairs of racist attacks, “hastening a geopolitical confrontation that threatens progressive goals.” In The New York Times, the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft scholars Rachel Esplin Odell and Stephen Wertheim warned Biden about following Trump into a new cold war with China and argued that the United States should seek to work with Beijing on shared challenges such as pandemics and climate change."
"Critics of Biden’s China policy are proposing far-reaching U.S.-China cooperation that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent diplomatic record suggests is chimerical at best." You bet. Attempts to cooperate with emperors seem sadly lacking in the historical record. My way or the highway.
Completely understand what the government is trying to do with repealing the requirement for certain consents and think it's a reasonable thing to do…. however the law of unexpected consequences may come into play.
It's building consents not resource or planning consents? The district plan about the size and placement of buildings will still need to be followed I assume.? I can't see us being able to build 4 car garages with kerb crossings onto a major arterial route under this scheme if we couldn't before.
yes know who it went to but would suggest their input will be minimal on the outcome…i.e.their thoughts will be largely irrelevant to the implementation or not…and frankly its just as well.
Not a bad list. Agree with the need to check the priority of shovel ready projects so that we don't build too many more unneeded road tunnels.
I also though that the projects grouped:
Restoration- undoing past sins like restoring wetlands
Repurpose & resilience- electric rail not fossil fuel. 3 waters
Redirected- future facing projects like individual generation of electricity
I would add a few other screens too apart from going for a decent geographic spread of jobs and money.
– Can the investment be easily sold or reversed for gain by an incoming RW government. Individual power generation maybe not others yes
– does the investment promote the interests of for profit groupings (neo lib) or is a for community/ widespread individual benefit and with decision making at the lowest viable level.
-Is it progressive or regressive. Better power generation could be tied to the provision of universal basic services – improving lives and reducing community costs rather than high power company salaries and overseas dividends
-Does it embed a future economic low carbon approach that RW governments would struggle to undo.
Lastly, I see some of yesterday's ideas never sleep. Fran Wilde and another mayor trying again to amalgamate all the wellington councils. Pity she can't distingush between representation which does not need to be amalgamated and joint projects.
Banks and other entities trying to us the crisis to shove everything on line or into their preferred models of RW gouging.
Forest & Bird has laid an urgent complaint with the Chief Ombudsman, after MBIE officials took 30 days to refuse a request to release information on how the decisions are being weighted on nearly 2000 ‘shovel-ready’ project proposals.
Documents, including Forest & Bird’s complaint letter, are available here.
That would figure The government urgently needs to revamp the public service. Mobie according to the local scuttle still thinks it in the JK era. thank goodness the health dept had had it's refresh
From since when did Stuff allow party political broadcasts to masquerade as opinion?
Perhaps Stuff should publish an expose on how National steered NZ out of the GFC on the back of the economic legacy left by the previous Labour-led government? And that traditionally it’s National that sucks money away from the economy into the pockets of the rich, then leaves it to Labour to cop the blame and do all the fixing until the next change of government when the whole cycle starts over?
The general population needs to know this. National knows about money, but being good at manipulating the economy for the benefit of a few is not the same as being good economic managers. The myth rests on seeing National as a party for the wealthy, "so maybe if I vote for them I'll get rich, too". This thinking needs to be attacked head on and destroyed.
and important enough for you to link to, you know it's called "clickbait" for a reason (I couldn't be bothered reading it myself, too busy watching the latest Tory debacle over in the UK).
The Herald only published the story to trigger right-wing nut jobs. After all, they need something to talk about because the new Nats leader is less charismatic than a block of wood.
I'm hoping Herr Muller will appoint Mathew Hooten minister of propaganda. Mathew is of that age that requires a 911 Menoporsche and God knows he's earned it.
I went and saw Aussie author Bryce Courtney speak, changed my life.
He had a big corporate job, key player in a fabulous Sydney ad agency. He got a bonus, went and bought a sick 911. Just after taking delivery, sitting at the lights, he overheard the very type of human he was keen to attract. "Look at the desperate silver-fox in his Menoporsche."
He resigned and talked to a publisher about the practice book he had been working on: "The Power of One."
Throw a few sunflower seeds about this autumn. Easy.
Come spring your grandchildren will be amazed by the giant flowers and when they ask why you grew sunflowers you'll be able to say "I did it for you. You remind me of Sunflowers."
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
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TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
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What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
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Who are the fools that decided to experiment with kids education buy making classes into hubs with 40 kids in them??
My kids gone from loving school to dreading it in 1 term .
Please explain??
Ask your local Principal to explain. Perhaps 4 groups of 10 to limit covid-19 contacts?
It was done pre covid.
Unfortunately the principle is a lovely lady who thinks the trouble makers should be given multiple chances at the expense of the gentle children.
The previous Government swept through a decision to return to the Open Plan classrooms of the 80s. As classrooms were opened up the classes of 40+ with say 2 teachers became the norm. Doesn't suit all kids. Has your school just caught up?
Open Plan failed in the 80s.
If it has failed before, or elsewhere, in education, as in so many other things, National is all for it.
National likes “evidence based policy” so they can do the opposite,
It will take decades to recover the ground lost in education, due to National's, back to the 1880's. Never mind the 80's.
Ianmac ,, the school started bringing kids out from town to boost the roll and its become a runaway train ( possible wreck) .
We weren't consulted in any way about the expansion into hub systems or my child being 1 of 6 put up into a hub with the two years ahead.
You don’t think that the trouble makers should be given a chances?
why are they being like they are ? No breakfast? Problems at home ? But as soon as it impacts you – off they go.
god forbid your kids play up and become the trouble maker – I assume you would want them to be given chances and hep then?
Maybe comprehend what he said, "at the expense of the gentle children", not quite what you implied James, unless you're shit stirring? People get a little sensitive and personal when it comes to their kids.
And you can be certain James is a massive Nimby in all other respects so his comment is particularly at odds with what you would expect from him.
This added nothing to the conversation, did it? Just pointing it out for you. You can do so much better.![yes yes](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/thumbs_up.png)
We don't comment in a bubble.
'You can do so much better.'
Can he though ?
What did this add to the conversation?
Both wasting oxygen. Grow up.
Do you want to be me today?
If you give him a chance, yes.
Feeling lucky today, do you?
You still interacting with James? He knows how to rile.
Do you think expanding classes to 40 helps the kids with behavioral issues??
Whatever the spin, the basic aim of all neo-liberal 'reforms' in education is cost-cutting: fitting more students into less space for less expense. I would say that was the main reason for 'Mainstreaming' as well, vociferously though its proponents will deny it.
Exactly right.
One of the factors apparently is that children are separated from their friends that have been made and with whom they have formed a learning pair or group.
Worth a listen: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/2018747729/linda-clark-and-richard-harman-discuss-politics-and-progress
You'll get a balanced appraisal of Muller out of it. Turns out Judith Collins did the numbers for him. Last weekend, if I heard Harman aright, before the polls. So the thing was up & running on the basis that the two polls would confirm what they already knew?
But when asked by a journalist at his first interview after gaining Leadership, Muller said he thought about going for Leader on Wednesday.
The bit I heard he referred to making the decision to launch it after the poll results. So it's the difference between contingency plan and activation of that plan that we're looking at…
And then later on Niall Ferguson (if you're into the occasional bit of earache).
When listening to Ferguson's wisdom as an 'Historian' – you really need to preface the title with "Neo-liberal Economic'. Just as well Fukuyama's original predictions didn't come to pass or Ferguson would be out of a job
Complete with denigrating governments for temporarily thwarting the free market's glorious destruction of businesses.
20’ 54”; yeah, nah.
What was the “balanced appraisal of Muller”, in a nutshell, and what did you think of it?
Coupla media pros with lengthy personal experience of dispassionate political commentary sharing their insights after having talked with him personally often enough through past years. No revelations – just a healthy antidote to the biased views expressed onsite here from a position of total ignorance since he won the battle…
Do you happen to have any conflicts of interest that should be declared?
I only ask because the only previous dude I heard who went out of his way to
praiseprovide a balanced view of Who-ller had some 'splaining to do after he quit Twitter the other day.No. I'm retired, my membership of the Green Party (second time round) is current at 5.5 years. I'm typical of a large swathe of humanity in preferring balanced views on anything contentious – due to it being an essential pre-condition for peaceful co-existence. 😇
Mullers very first speech after he gained the leadership, included the oft repeated lying memes that have been endlessly repeated by the usual suspects, this month.
https://www.facebook.com/gerard.otto
Just another who is happy to join in National's one of two standard propaganda approaches to get power. Othering and repetitive lying.
Repeating the same bs on every occasion, until repetition persuades even the people who should know better.
“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss”.
Does National have a clone factory for these people?
CIA or CCP run. LOLZ
I don't disagree that he is likely to pitch to those he represents – every politician must to be successful. Lying is a subjective judgment. Usually used without any evidence to validate it. I suspect he is unlike Trump and not inclined to do it. However I do have an open mind on the issue so will consider evidence.
He was objectively lying. As Otto showed in the link I included.
Lying about their economic and social record, misusing statistics, and, and bashing an, "other" are their standard methods, when they are lagging in the polls.
Muller is totally following the script.
The occasional original thought, from people who think they are competent to run the country, would be good.
Didn't you get the sub text in Mullers speech. The lines we will hear endlessly until the election, in various guises. "The girl did a good job with the virus. Now it is time for the serious, men, in National, to sort the economy".
Collins merely told Bridges that the numbers were being done against him. Please get the basics right.
Validate such truth claims via actual quotes lest you seem frivolous. 🙄
It is from the audio you incorrectly characterised.
In offering to refund firms' GST, the National Party appears to misunderstand the GST system. Firms, in theory, don't pay GST since any GST that they do pay is recouped from their customers. It is the customers, ultimately, who pay GST. A better plan would be to abolish GST altogether.
Makes a good headline for the nats though, same shit different day
Any refund would merely be a subsidy masquerading as a GST refund. Subsidizing small firms which find themselves in difficulties due to COVID-19 may well be a good policy, but there is no reason to suppose that the GST that they have paid is the appropriate amount that that subsidy should take.
Yes, just corporate welfare and using GST payable as a (misleading) proxy for business scale. Lazy.
Should be in relation to business income tax paid.
However that would mean the many National supporters businesses, that are tax dodgers, would lose out.
And you only pay GST on profit. The balance is rebated so the strugglers don't get the steam off a turd, typical Nats.
You only pay gst on profit? This statement makes you unqualified to have any public comment or position on tax.
Businesses pay the difference between gst collected and gst paid. Abolishing gst would be the best tax cut for poor people and the best way to reduce business compliance costs. It’ll also help our local councils as all the rates collected will go to them. They won’t have to pay 15% to central government.
If we abolish GST we can't assume that everyone will automatically reduce their prices by 15% unfortunately.
Which isn’t a valid reason not to do it. I don’t expect councils for instance to lower rates 15%
companies, however, work out there margins then add gst on top. So some might make supernormal profits. Those in competitive industries would struggle to retain customers if they didn’t.
there was a lot of teeth gnashing and doom predicting for the less than top bracket earners when gst went up 2.5% Under national round here. Why the reluctance to abolish gst altogether just because someone may profit? Abolishing it now would be the best move the government could make. Give poor consumers 15% more bang for their buck at least.
National will have to return to power to see calls for gst to be cut to return to the standard
On profit plus labour costs and other non GSTaxable costs. With depreciation GST will have been refunded at the time a depreciable asset was purchased.
At a macro level GST is paid to the government by those not registered collected by those who are registered. Companies are only collecting it on the behalf of the govt and passing on the payment to the Govt. i.e. people pay the GST, companies do not.
I thought it was a very simplistic sound bite designed to appeal to very simplistic small business owners who see GST as a cost like power or rent.
Offering a rebate based on the GST you've paid is good for business selling into the NZ market who are doing ok, so probably don't need it, hopeless for the businesses that aren't doing too well, hence not paying much GST because expenses exceed income, and bloody offensive to businesses who export, because export receipts are zero rated for GST.
Coming from Muller, who's worked for export businesses and I'd expect knows how this works, is just poorly thought out survival politics.
Can see this blowing up in his face.
Is simply another variation of 'tax cuts'….and fully in line with the narrative National will continue to play.
Never mind that it doesn't work, it makes the right noises.
I had a Nat candidate rock into the shop one election saying that National's tax cuts were going to make my business thrive. I replied that it would be nice to be making a profit for tax to be an issue (it was in the middle of the late 90's recession / austerity). The look was priceless
Muller wants trans-tasman travel to resume as a matter of priority, but Australia has 16 new cases today so this would be a risk to New Zealand and will remain so until Australia can get their new cases to zero.
The article is by Luke Malpass and Tracey Watkins. Interesting because Watkins was the National Party reporter and head of politics at Stuff but retired/moved-on after the 2017 defeat. Mr Malpass obviously doesn't have the ear of the important people in National's caucus so had to get Watkins in the work the phones for him!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/121607160/how-todd-muller-took-simon-bridges-by-surprise
I clocked Watkins name on the article too Muttonbird and it piqued my interest. Didn’t she have an article up recently bemoaning the loss of controlling the narrative? Media get two polls up in quick succession facilitating a leadership challenge, nek minnit, wall to wall national party coverage. There’s even a bloody opinion piece on stuff by Paul Goldsmith.
Trans tasman travel could be a while away given Victoria’s inability to get control of the virus. The states won’t even allow travel between each other. Queensland border might not open till September.
There's always Tasmania 🙂
You forgot the sarc tag.
https://covidlive.com.au/
Total Active Cases
NSW 385
Vic 99
Qld 13
WA 2
SA 0
Tas 16
ACT 0
NT 0
Total 515
Nice one Damien Venuto:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12334259
“Todd Muller’s MAGA hat is not okay.”
Well for a 50M handout, they have to do something.
The NZ Herald got a $50M handout? Pray tell.
Your comprehension skills are a bit down today anonymous one.
I didn't say the Herald had received a 50m handout.
What did you say then?
Perhaps go and play Revolution 9 backwards for some clues..
[Your luck is about to run out. Please clarify what you meant @ 5.1 and don’t be a dick today because you can do better too, thanks – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 11:31 AM.
Ha Ha no thanks OAB…
[No worries. Have four days off instead plus another two for calling me OAB – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 12:16 PM.
Pretty clear to me the comment in question is about if the Herald want a 50m handout, they have to do the bidding of the pm and earn it, probably like the accusations thrown from the left when tv3 got bailed out, even though it completely ignores two days of puff pieces on Mulder and kayley.
The commenter was asked to clarify but chose not to and has been given some time off.
The only $50m bailout announced so far was mainly for broadcasters rather than print media in any case. Throwaway line.
There is no way trans travel will start for a very long time as they said in Melbourne today we are finding more because we are testing more. so community cases are most of their cases .also Queensland will not open their border before September. and the NZ public will not want it to until all these issues are cleared up. Best he shuts up about that for a while
This. Muller is blurting before thinking. Not a good sign for the Nats.
He seems your usual, arrogant born-to-rule tory.
Tory? Really?
Its like calling Labour Communist, just a load of crap. Come on Mutton you can do better!
small tee tory.
"small 't' Tory" Perfectly captured, weka and exquisitely true!
I doubt many Labour MPs are fans of the Communist Manifesto, true.
But I suspect many nats would be great fans of Thatcher's policies, if they bothered to read anything about her.
Mr Muller has been so busy developing his plan (not for NZ , but to roll Simon Bridges) that he seems to has missed that the trans Tasman bubble is well under way after Australia invited Jacinda to attend then cabinet meeting and that work is being done on it already on this. It is not his call to make on this in isolation. Actually Australia has a say in this too. Given his haste on this does that mean he would have left the lockdown sooner, or even kept the economy going in a partial lockdown.
Does Muller not understand gst? Small business owners collect the tax, but get a rebate of the gst they pay.
" The Herald on Sunday has since been told by a reliable source that Muller won the leadership by just one vote, although that may never be known for certain. "
from Claire Trevett
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12334244
Exploring the potential conflicts of interest in Mr Hooton's advocacy of Muller on RNZ (9min), including their Head of News' view of it: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018747708/prominent-pundit-pulls-back-over-muller-link
Hooton has deleted his Twitter account? Things are getting serious.
And:
Oh dear, poor Matt, the victim now!
He has temporarily deleted his account in the past.
You'd assume if his role with the National Party has been/is being resumed, it'll be more than a temporary deletion?
Perhaps it is temporary until he has had time to clean up any incriminating evidence.
Is it possible that Hooton has a new job? Muller might need a Campaign Manager perhaps.
Very possible…one things for sure, Paula Bennet isn't going to have that role.
What has happened to Paula? I rated her for the top-job, but she's been buried…somewhere…for sometime…Paula? Paula?
You rated Paula?…methinks you're being facetious
The same Mediawatch story in text form: https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/24-05-2020/hooton-is-withdrawing-from-punditry-critics-say-hes-at-least-a-week-late/
I did wonder what Matthew’s Magic Numbers were all about …
It’s pretty legal, isn’t it? But is it Dirty Politics? Nek minit …
Hey someone had to leak the Curia internal polling to the Nat caucus who were being denied them by Simon's bunch. Wonder where he got them from..?
We’ll never know for certain but my guess is Christopher.
Has to be someone who was either trusted with them by the Bridges cabal or was getting them slipped via Farrar, I guess.
Suthers seems to have been comfortable in a ponyboy kinda way.
Hooton's company website has disappeared as well – Exceltium Corporate & Public Affairs Ltd.
It was yet another example of control from the centre; funding for a while was only provided for classrooms that met the large 2 classes to a room model. Many are now being ''renovated"" to put a large divider down the middle so teachers can be heard by their class . . .
Sadly the primary school closest to me had their renovation approved pre-2017 election – as a ""Normal"" school some new teachers will know what schools to avoid . . .
I can only base this on a half-remembered presentation from an MoE guy early last year (during which I might have been busy or dozed off), but ISTR that was some of the point of the design approach they were going for – it could be adapted for different school needs.
If you could do group learning or needed lots of space for an art or drama class, open it up. If you need separated class rooms, the adaptation isn't structural.
Biden gets tough: "In a recent campaign ad, Joe Biden accused the president of being too soft on China over COVID-19. This decision to criticize Donald Trump on China and subsequent signals that Biden will take a tough approach toward Beijing have made some progressives nervous." https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/how-should-biden-handle-china/612052/
"Writing in The Atlantic, Peter Beinart called Biden’s ad “a jingoistic fantasy” that may put Asian Americans in the crosshairs of racist attacks, “hastening a geopolitical confrontation that threatens progressive goals.” In The New York Times, the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft scholars Rachel Esplin Odell and Stephen Wertheim warned Biden about following Trump into a new cold war with China and argued that the United States should seek to work with Beijing on shared challenges such as pandemics and climate change."
"Critics of Biden’s China policy are proposing far-reaching U.S.-China cooperation that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent diplomatic record suggests is chimerical at best." You bet. Attempts to cooperate with emperors seem sadly lacking in the historical record. My way or the highway.
Not quite sure about this
There seems to have been a great deal of scientific collaboration for quite some years between the US, France ,Uk and China
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236629065_The_role_of_Chinese-American_scientists_in_China-US_scientific_collaboration_A_study_in_nanotechnology
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/11/11/study-quantifies-benefits-us-china-scientific-collaboration
https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ce/ceindo/eng/whjy/kjjl/P020180115591904368673.pdf
Could be his advisors want him to out-macho Trump. 🙄 Yeah, I know. It's a male thing. Only works if in character, I suspect.
I agree that collaboration is, in principle, what we need in geopolitics. We're all up against primate internal wiring…
Completely understand what the government is trying to do with repealing the requirement for certain consents and think it's a reasonable thing to do…. however the law of unexpected consequences may come into play.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/121606376/diy-dream-come-true-building-consents-for-low-risk-projects-scrapped
A flood of granny-flat collapses in a decade's time. And backyard slum-lords across poor suburbs in the meantime.
I doubt granny-flats will be exempt, and everything will still need to be built to code.
It's building consents not resource or planning consents? The district plan about the size and placement of buildings will still need to be followed I assume.? I can't see us being able to build 4 car garages with kerb crossings onto a major arterial route under this scheme if we couldn't before.
Better or BAU?
https://mcusercontent.com/056bc28505444958c9358e331/files/909aa867-cb50-48a7-93c3-0b433650dcad/Letter_to_PM_from_ENGOs_Restoring_Aotearoa.pdf
My script-blocker has blanked that out.
Didn't expect the content to load, thought only the link would
All pretty sound suggestions.
Certainly a move in the right direction
It is. Surprising that Salmon is aboard (bluegreen). Hefty consensus. Shane & Phil will have to seek advice on how think about it…
Shane and Phil?
Check out who those copies went to…
yes know who it went to but would suggest their input will be minimal on the outcome…i.e.their thoughts will be largely irrelevant to the implementation or not…and frankly its just as well.
That is an excellent list of job-rich priorities.
Of course, only if you Party Vote Green you get most of them.
Not a bad list. Agree with the need to check the priority of shovel ready projects so that we don't build too many more unneeded road tunnels.
I also though that the projects grouped:
Restoration- undoing past sins like restoring wetlands
Repurpose & resilience- electric rail not fossil fuel. 3 waters
Redirected- future facing projects like individual generation of electricity
I would add a few other screens too apart from going for a decent geographic spread of jobs and money.
– Can the investment be easily sold or reversed for gain by an incoming RW government. Individual power generation maybe not others yes
– does the investment promote the interests of for profit groupings (neo lib) or is a for community/ widespread individual benefit and with decision making at the lowest viable level.
-Is it progressive or regressive. Better power generation could be tied to the provision of universal basic services – improving lives and reducing community costs rather than high power company salaries and overseas dividends
-Does it embed a future economic low carbon approach that RW governments would struggle to undo.
Lastly, I see some of yesterday's ideas never sleep. Fran Wilde and another mayor trying again to amalgamate all the wellington councils. Pity she can't distingush between representation which does not need to be amalgamated and joint projects.
Banks and other entities trying to us the crisis to shove everything on line or into their preferred models of RW gouging.
This from TDB. May.24/20
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/05/24/mbie-secrecy-not-how-democracy-should-function-forest-and-bird/#comment-507677
That would figure The government urgently needs to revamp the public service. Mobie according to the local scuttle still thinks it in the JK era. thank goodness the health dept had had it's refresh
7am tomorrow.
https://twitter.com/YoYo_Ma/status/1264220735066853376
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/300019211/its-been-a-tough-week-for-simon-bridges–but-this-isnt-tiddlywinks
From since when did Stuff allow party political broadcasts to masquerade as opinion?
Perhaps Stuff should publish an expose on how National steered NZ out of the GFC on the back of the economic legacy left by the previous Labour-led government? And that traditionally it’s National that sucks money away from the economy into the pockets of the rich, then leaves it to Labour to cop the blame and do all the fixing until the next change of government when the whole cycle starts over?
The general population needs to know this. National knows about money, but being good at manipulating the economy for the benefit of a few is not the same as being good economic managers. The myth rests on seeing National as a party for the wealthy, "so maybe if I vote for them I'll get rich, too". This thinking needs to be attacked head on and destroyed.
Jacinda Ardern realising she forgot to ditch the milk in her fridge makes national news.
Great to see our intrepid media keeping up the real important stories.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12334283
and important enough for you to link to, you know it's called "clickbait" for a reason (I couldn't be bothered reading it myself, too busy watching the latest Tory debacle over in the UK).
The Herald only published the story to trigger right-wing nut jobs. After all, they need something to talk about because the new Nats leader is less charismatic than a block of wood.
Remarkable gaffe from Todd Muller on TV1 news tonight. He calls for NZ to re-open the borders, and specifically to arrivals from China.
If he thinks that's a vote-winner, he reads the room as badly as Bridges.
I'm hoping Herr Muller will appoint Mathew Hooten minister of propaganda. Mathew is of that age that requires a 911 Menoporsche and God knows he's earned it.
I went and saw Aussie author Bryce Courtney speak, changed my life.
He had a big corporate job, key player in a fabulous Sydney ad agency. He got a bonus, went and bought a sick 911. Just after taking delivery, sitting at the lights, he overheard the very type of human he was keen to attract. "Look at the desperate silver-fox in his Menoporsche."
He resigned and talked to a publisher about the practice book he had been working on: "The Power of One."
Great book, and surprisingly really funny, bet he's a hoot to hear talking.
Yes, the thought of an orphaned boy befriending a chicken lacks credibility. Bryce made us fall in love with that chook.
Yes, I'm sure we all left his talk thinking, 'Gee I like that guy.'
Quality person.
Throw a few sunflower seeds about this autumn. Easy.
Come spring your grandchildren will be amazed by the giant flowers and when they ask why you grew sunflowers you'll be able to say "I did it for you. You remind me of Sunflowers."
Kia Ora The Am Show.
That's great local sports being able to start up with health and safety hygiene plans in place.
Buy New Zealand made is great.
I read some lines of a person Im quite glad that his opinions are not appropriate in the year 2020.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub.
The tax free payment is a payment design to keep tangata afloat and Aotearoa afloat during these unusual times.
Congratulations on the new baby.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Funny. I know A few Goldsmiths.
Ka pai using Pepe mail to teach our tamariki about our environment.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Newshub.
It great that Aotearoa has invested funds into vax research.
Jender equality at the Japanese bank is awesome the first Wahine CEO.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Newshub.
Shocking behaviour.
Shows how the tech industry has changed the World the Ion Age.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Move your butt looks like a great cause rasing funding for bowel cancer.
Te Papa opening is great there is some amazing things help by the Museum.
The Hangi pit makes me hungry.
A 4 day work week will save our environment and give people more time to live a good life.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora The Am Show.
Its great that teachers aids are getting paid equally as men based industry’s.
Papatuanuku is paradise that needs to be respected.
Great the person giving free dental service for the poor common people.
Ka kite Ano