"She knows hydrogen, having researched it in her native United States – “I’ve got patents on fuel cells” – and supervised two PhD students conducting hydrogen research in New Zealand. She’s certain it won’t work, not because of technical difficulties, but because of logic. It’ll take a huge amount of new renewable electricity to make enough hydrogen to power our transport fleet, she says.
“We would need four more South Islands of New Zealand to do exactly the same thing we’re doing right now, with hydrogen.”
The only path I see for the hydrogen future to actually arrive is if someone gets to a workable solution for photocatalytic water splitting. That is, directly using sunlight to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. There's too many good alternative uses for electrical energy to waste it on inefficient hydrogen production.
Other Twitter users felt Menéndez March's Boomer reference was misinterpreted.
"I feel like Ricardo's light-hearted way of introducing his new area of responsibility has been misinterpreted by many," one said. "He genuinely wants to look out for seniors – ie make sure 'they're OK'. You could not find a more genuine guy. There is absolutely no disrespect intended."
Another said he was "genuinely asking" if Baby Boomers are okay.
"Ricardo is genuinely asking us if we're OK and we can only focus on the appropriateness of the collective noun. Yes I am thanks @RMarchNZ and thanks for asking. Boomer is fine and I'm sure you didn't forget the silent generation either."
I am not sure whether a person starting out in their work life can actually understand what a person on the other end of the scale faces.
Start of working life: need money, career, career, career, get house, wants travel, meet a partner maybe have family. Party and social life essential, wardrobe is important (brand names?)
End of the working life: end of career, need money, back to work, house might not be mortgage free, insurances – cancel all, health – good luck, transport – tricky without a car that becomes increasingly unaffordable, participation in art, sport, interests – only what can be done at home at no cost, support for family- often at personal sacrifice and the list goes on.
More detail about that Oxford vaccine efficacy info that's just come out. Including informed speculation on why it might work better given as a half-dose first followed by a full dose weeks later (this could also just be an artefact of small numbers in each group when the data gets split down that finely).
Reminder, the Oxford vaccine is based on a modified cold virus that infects chimpanzees, so it's a much more conventional vaccine that doesn't require unusual storage and there's less uncertainty about possible side-effects that may not appear until longer times have passed since vaccination.
Yeah. That's a big deal for the less-privileged parts of the world. Not so much for us and other wealthy nations. For us that’s just the difference between the vaccine component of the vaccination program being either a very small part of the total cost or a medium-ish part of the total cost.
The stage 3 trial was also paused twice for adverse reactions. The first time was for the case of transverse myelitis, but I've yet to find any details about the second instance.
Whoops, the first time was eventually diagnosed as multiple sclerosis and the second case was transverse myelitis. Both cases were assessed as unrelated to the vaccine.
Things looking rough in Michigan, with the Board of Canvassers meeting, two Republicans and two Democrats, to decide whether to certify J. Biden’s win, the Republicans have refused to second a motion.
Bryce edwards has done a useful piece in the guardian..detailing just how middle-class the new gummint is…and whose interests they promote..(hint: it's not the poor/working class..)
Do your material circumstances influence your thinking and world view? obviously a rhetorical question on my account…but, yes they bloody do
aspirationals just love to exclaim “envy!” if someone dares to ask questions–such as how many MPs do not own a rental property, or multiple properties? or how many MPs personally know and associate with someone precariously employed, or unemployed, or Māori?
When was the last time any MP voluntarily used public transport? did some supermarket shopping and knows prices of common items? How many MPs use private sector health services?
I could go on…many things do not have to be experienced to understand–like say, living in Gaza, but the PM on 400 odd grand calling a $25 benefit increase (which did not apply to all) “significant” shows a chasm of understanding or intentional fudging. When some sadist at MSD has the power to decide if your kids eat this week, then you really understand.
Chloe, Chloe, Chloe, making decisions about a housing market that you rent in is every bit as much a conflict of interest as making decisions about a housing market that you own in.
There's plenty of valid criticisms and arguments about the clusterfuck going on in the whole housing area right now, so it's not difficult to choose some that actually make sense.
The Green party MPs are going to have to master the subtle art of, what happens on twitter stays on twitter, because there is no rhyme or reason to who twits will go after next.
I am pretty sure our MPs, even from National, don't consider their own property portfolios when considering legislation.
pretty sure that the point wasn't home ownership or renting, but where MPs are making capital gains from investment properties.
The solution isn't to hand all decisions to renters, it's to acknowledge the conflict of interest and set up an independent body that is made up of people with a range of experiences.
Btw, the Greens quite obviously have policy against their own personal financial interests, so it can be done. Before the 2017 election Turei was talking about policy that would drop property prices over time. We might want to ask if it can be done, why isn't it?
I don't think the kinds of things MPs would consider acceptable policies will actually hold property prices close to the inflation rate. This is the problem for Labour and aspects of the Greens, the promised things which they can't deliver in policy terms.
If they’re difficult to administer/enforce, and/or they don't generate much revenue, then maybe a land value tax would be more straightforward?
A land value tax is generally favored by economists as (unlike other taxes) it does not cause economic inefficiency, and it tends to reduce inequality. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_value_tax
Can't help wondering about the average wealth of the politicians and senior public servants voting/advising on the feasibility of progressive/redistributive tax systems. Would politicians voting for more progressive tax regimes be a less extreme example of 'Turkeys voting for Christmas'?
Having coincidently replayed Day of The Tentacle over the last few nights there was an opportune moment in the game while George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Hancock are in the mansion drafting the constitution of the United States where they are deciding the rules for standing for president.
"Must be human" they debated as part of the dialogue. I could definitely think of a few more rules they could have added:
Must not be a movie star or must not be a reality TV star….
Jefferson also notes in the game "We hit a slight creative block right after the preamble. That's why we've set up a suggestion box."
Opportunity lost most definitely! Not even the game creators of this most wonderful game could have seen their comedic events would have been overtaken by real life!
An asthmatic woman is repeatedly pepper sprayed and has to show her used sanitary products to male guards, while her seriously depressed girlfriend is left in isolation until she attempts suicide. Guyon Espiner reveals what's going on at Auckland Women's prison.
[changed the font to normal font. Please don’t bold whole sentences or pieces of text]
More snippets from Devonport. I was visiting there today and a middle aged female stalwart from the area accosted me in the doorway of a shop and demanded why I was wearing a mask. I said "I am setting an example" she replied "well I think its all a lot of baloney". I replied that I had family living in Maryland US and there are approximately 1,800 citizens of the state testing positive on a daily basis right now and a good few of them will get seriously ill and possibly die from the virus, that is why I wear a mask. She then told me off for getting uppety with her and I replied "No madam just giving you the facts of the situation." She huffed and walked off.
I walked into the shop and the retailer behind the counter smiled and said to me "I bet she is a Trump follower". I just tapped my head and and intimated that the lady concerned had a screw loose. Scary that people can be so blind to the truth..
In my personal opinion people who deny the seriousness of this virus are so God damn petrified of the truth of the seriousness that their brain just shuts out the reality of it. But hey I am just a mere soul who enjoys observing people.
It's certainly perplexing why some people are like that when the evidence is plain to see. You might be right about the cognitive dissonance. I suspect it's also cumulative (all the various world stresses).
Did I understand the 5pm news rightly? Has Robertson just handed the problem of rising house prices back to the Reserve Bank? In other words, wrung his hands and admitted it's too hard for the GOVERNMENT to handle?
But I suppose this is on par with a do-nothing government.
Now, on Checkpoint, it's the au pairs! Can't get kiwis to work for 'at least the minimum wage!' (and potentially around the clock).
My, hasn't covid thrown up the inequalities in the NZ job market (and the rampant inequalities in wealth). First the fishers, then the fruit pickers, now au pairs. Are we a country that depends on exploited, underpaid labour?
Short answer – yes…we actually need to do away with neoliberal capitalism…it hasn't served us all that well until now…and shows little sign of any recovery anytime soon..so..what to replace it with..? .a more equitable version of what we have now..ie…higher taxes funding realistic social support..like they do in finland/norway etc…or should we rethink the whole thing…and come up with something better..?
we actually need to do away with neoliberal capitalism…it hasn't served us all that well until now
Neoliberal capitalism has served many NZers poorly, particularly of late, but it’s noteworthy that it continues to serve most politicians and elites quite well enough.
An outcome that cancelled/relieved the collective $13 billion debt (~$26,000 per person) of the 'bottom' 10% of NZers would be a good starting point, IMHO.
What ‘group‘ of NZers might be best placed to take the lead in achieving such an outcome, do you think?
Well I'm sure that would be pretty good outcome for that bottom 10% (and less so for whoever it was you had in mind to pay for it … but let's park that thought.)
Next question, do you think this is a stable outcome? Do we have to do this once only? And what about the new 10% at the bottom?
Firstly, there's no such thing as a "stable" political or economic system. The chaotic instability of human collective action is inherent.
Secondly, wealth inequality is bad because the people with least relative wealth have health and social outcomes that are much worse than for the people with the highest relative wealth. So yes, regardless of whether total debt forgiveness is an ongoing measure rather than just a "starting point", addressing wealth inequality would have to be an iterative process until those disproportionately negative outcomes are no longer practically detectable. Whether this point is at ~60% of median income or ~80%, the inability to detect socioeconomic strata in deprivation beyond a certain point of relative inequality would mean that positing the idea of "debt forgiveness" does not actually necessarily need to be a veiled reference to marxist-leninist-maoist communism.
Let's not park that thought. If the 'top' 10% sacrificed ~1.6% of their collective wealth, that would be sufficient to forgive the crippling debt of the 'bottom' 10%.
While I acknowledge that a 1.6% decrease in wealth could cause mental anguish, it's doubtful that the material comfort of many 'top' 10-percenters would be seriously compromised. Some might even derive satisfaction from thoughts of the good their gift would do to improve the quality of life and mental health of tens of thousands of NZ families facing life in debt.
The questions you raise are intriguing, but IMHO they're poor reasons for doing nothing. If you have an idea for an easier way to address the indebtedness of the 'bottom' 10% of NZers, then by all means let's hear it.
In her essay below, Liang describes poverty as a “heritable condition” that perpetuates and amplifies through generations: “It is also not hard to see how individual poverty flows into communities and society, with downstream effects on economics, crime and health, as well as many other systems. Loosen one strand and everything else unravels.”
The reality is we dont have a 'NZ labour market'….the purpose of globalism (neoliberalism) is to access the almost infinite pool of labour to reduce costs and increase profit…otherwise known as the race to the bottom.
Workers should be allocated shares in any companies they work for…50 percent would seem fair…this should be mandated by law..with the various formulae part of that law..
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New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
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 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 26 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
"She knows hydrogen, having researched it in her native United States – “I’ve got patents on fuel cells” – and supervised two PhD students conducting hydrogen research in New Zealand. She’s certain it won’t work, not because of technical difficulties, but because of logic. It’ll take a huge amount of new renewable electricity to make enough hydrogen to power our transport fleet, she says.
“We would need four more South Islands of New Zealand to do exactly the same thing we’re doing right now, with hydrogen.”
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/hydrogen-magic-pill-or-magic-bean
The cow has been sold…and the gov has bought a pup.
Interesting to see NZSuper pull out of its fuel cell investment this week and take a bath on it.
The only path I see for the hydrogen future to actually arrive is if someone gets to a workable solution for photocatalytic water splitting. That is, directly using sunlight to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. There's too many good alternative uses for electrical energy to waste it on inefficient hydrogen production.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photocatalytic_water_splitting
An interesting technique worth researching. But inevitably limited by land area consumed no matter how efficient the catalyst is.
It kinda slipped under the radar that the Greens appointed Rick from the Young Ones as spokesperson for senior citizens. What could go wrong?
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/11/green-party-mp-ricardo-men-ndez-march-blasted-for-ok-boomer-reference.html
What could go wrong?
The Greens could be wilfully misrepresented by people desperate to be offended?
https://twitter.com/RMarchNZ/status/1330665300795162625
Rick's heart was always in the right place but misunderstood, too.
Ok Mike.
Heh..!
I did appreciate the set up from Andre.
Yes..yes ..but well spotted..
I'm not familiar enough with a 40 year old TV program to determine that.
It was a back handed compliment.
Well, I'm a boomer and I'm glad someone is asking. The boomer title is fine with me
Darien Fenton's Facebook is buzzing with upset at Ricardo Melendez March's use of the term "Boomer", or rather his tweeted, "You ok, boomer?"
https://www.facebook.com/darien.fenton/
Boomers, no sense of humour since 1946.
😄….from a boomer
You must be the exception that proves the rule.
No sense of humour. I like to think that some of my crows feet are due to laughter.
Do you know what crows feet are?
You must not be the exception that proves the rule.
I fixed that link, not sure why it didn't work (and it looks like only people on her Friends list can see the posts).
Her twitter is currently public https://twitter.com/DarienFenton
who is darien fenton ,and why is his-her farcebook page important
She was a 3 term Labour MP, and now high up in trade unions.
https://thestandard.org.nz/author/darienfenton/
I am not sure whether a person starting out in their work life can actually understand what a person on the other end of the scale faces.
Start of working life: need money, career, career, career, get house, wants travel, meet a partner maybe have family. Party and social life essential, wardrobe is important (brand names?)
End of the working life: end of career, need money, back to work, house might not be mortgage free, insurances – cancel all, health – good luck, transport – tricky without a car that becomes increasingly unaffordable, participation in art, sport, interests – only what can be done at home at no cost, support for family- often at personal sacrifice and the list goes on.
Yes, what could go wrong.
More detail about that Oxford vaccine efficacy info that's just come out. Including informed speculation on why it might work better given as a half-dose first followed by a full dose weeks later (this could also just be an artefact of small numbers in each group when the data gets split down that finely).
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03326-w
https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-11-23-oxford-university-breakthrough-global-covid-19-vaccine
Reminder, the Oxford vaccine is based on a modified cold virus that infects chimpanzees, so it's a much more conventional vaccine that doesn't require unusual storage and there's less uncertainty about possible side-effects that may not appear until longer times have passed since vaccination.
It’ll be a lot cheaper than the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Yeah. That's a big deal for the less-privileged parts of the world. Not so much for us and other wealthy nations. For us that’s just the difference between the vaccine component of the vaccination program being either a very small part of the total cost or a medium-ish part of the total cost.
The stage 3 trial was also paused twice for adverse reactions. The first time was for the case of transverse myelitis, but I've yet to find any details about the second instance.
Whoops, the first time was eventually diagnosed as multiple sclerosis and the second case was transverse myelitis. Both cases were assessed as unrelated to the vaccine.
Things looking rough in Michigan, with the Board of Canvassers meeting, two Republicans and two Democrats, to decide whether to certify J. Biden’s win, the Republicans have refused to second a motion.
https://twitter.com/gtconway3d/status/1330967491980505094?s=20
Yep. Michigan certified to Biden.
CNN has just reported the certification is done.
Some dude in the Daily Kos sez the vote was 3-1, with Shinkle the "no" vote, but the randoms in Daily Kos are hardly a reliable source.
3-0. 1 abstention.
Bryce edwards has done a useful piece in the guardian..detailing just how middle-class the new gummint is…and whose interests they promote..(hint: it's not the poor/working class..)
Do your material circumstances influence your thinking and world view? obviously a rhetorical question on my account…but, yes they bloody do
aspirationals just love to exclaim “envy!” if someone dares to ask questions–such as how many MPs do not own a rental property, or multiple properties? or how many MPs personally know and associate with someone precariously employed, or unemployed, or Māori?
When was the last time any MP voluntarily used public transport? did some supermarket shopping and knows prices of common items? How many MPs use private sector health services?
I could go on…many things do not have to be experienced to understand–like say, living in Gaza, but the PM on 400 odd grand calling a $25 benefit increase (which did not apply to all) “significant” shows a chasm of understanding or intentional fudging. When some sadist at MSD has the power to decide if your kids eat this week, then you really understand.
Jan Logie uses the train nearly every day she has to go to Parliament. I see her on it quite often.
Good on her…so she is the exception that makes the rule…the gulf still stands..
She's a good sort.
They're all excellent questions, and the next step is to ask them about the voters. Not eligible voters, but the people who actually vote.
Link?
Chloe, Chloe, Chloe, making decisions about a housing market that you rent in is every bit as much a conflict of interest as making decisions about a housing market that you own in.
There's plenty of valid criticisms and arguments about the clusterfuck going on in the whole housing area right now, so it's not difficult to choose some that actually make sense.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/11/julie-anne-genter-defends-greens-housing-policies-amid-conflict-of-interest-concerns.html
Well this is the logical outcome of using personal characteristics as a placeholder for interest.
The Green party MPs are going to have to master the subtle art of, what happens on twitter stays on twitter, because there is no rhyme or reason to who twits will go after next.
I am pretty sure our MPs, even from National, don't consider their own property portfolios when considering legislation.
pretty sure that the point wasn't home ownership or renting, but where MPs are making capital gains from investment properties.
The solution isn't to hand all decisions to renters, it's to acknowledge the conflict of interest and set up an independent body that is made up of people with a range of experiences.
Btw, the Greens quite obviously have policy against their own personal financial interests, so it can be done. Before the 2017 election Turei was talking about policy that would drop property prices over time. We might want to ask if it can be done, why isn't it?
I don't think the kinds of things MPs would consider acceptable policies will actually hold property prices close to the inflation rate. This is the problem for Labour and aspects of the Greens, the promised things which they can't deliver in policy terms.
that too. I can't tell if Labour are in massive denial or just trying to bluff their way through.
Its definitely denial. Labour believes house price increases are an inflation issue and therefore manageable via reserve bank policy.
There is no acknowledgement that house price increases didn't slow down even with the OCR at 8% (e.g its never worked as described).
After this becomes widely understood to be RBNZ responsibility officials will stop acknowledging that no outcomes have changed.
Interesting to consider reasons given for repealing wealth taxes in some countries.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_tax#Prevalence_worldwide
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_tax#Past_repeals
If they’re difficult to administer/enforce, and/or they don't generate much revenue, then maybe a land value tax would be more straightforward?
Can't help wondering about the average wealth of the politicians and senior public servants voting/advising on the feasibility of progressive/redistributive tax systems. Would politicians voting for more progressive tax regimes be a less extreme example of 'Turkeys voting for Christmas'?
Land tax would work fine if applied to all property but if it excluded the family home, it would be a lot less effective.
A wealth tax would sort it Andre
Quite the headline.
https://m.metrotimes.com/detroit/lock-the-motherfucker-up/Content?oid=25831861
Having coincidently replayed Day of The Tentacle over the last few nights there was an opportune moment in the game while George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Hancock are in the mansion drafting the constitution of the United States where they are deciding the rules for standing for president.
"Must be human" they debated as part of the dialogue. I could definitely think of a few more rules they could have added:
Must not be a movie star or must not be a reality TV star….
Jefferson also notes in the game "We hit a slight creative block right after the preamble. That's why we've set up a suggestion box."
Opportunity lost most definitely! Not even the game creators of this most wonderful game could have seen their comedic events would have been overtaken by real life!
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/431299/gassed-in-their-cells-begging-for-food-at-auckland-women-s-prison
[changed the font to normal font. Please don’t bold whole sentences or pieces of text]
More snippets from Devonport. I was visiting there today and a middle aged female stalwart from the area accosted me in the doorway of a shop and demanded why I was wearing a mask. I said "I am setting an example" she replied "well I think its all a lot of baloney". I replied that I had family living in Maryland US and there are approximately 1,800 citizens of the state testing positive on a daily basis right now and a good few of them will get seriously ill and possibly die from the virus, that is why I wear a mask. She then told me off for getting uppety with her and I replied "No madam just giving you the facts of the situation." She huffed and walked off.
I walked into the shop and the retailer behind the counter smiled and said to me "I bet she is a Trump follower". I just tapped my head and and intimated that the lady concerned had a screw loose. Scary that people can be so blind to the truth..
In my personal opinion people who deny the seriousness of this virus are so God damn petrified of the truth of the seriousness that their brain just shuts out the reality of it. But hey I am just a mere soul who enjoys observing people.
nicely handled.
It's certainly perplexing why some people are like that when the evidence is plain to see. You might be right about the cognitive dissonance. I suspect it's also cumulative (all the various world stresses).
Did I understand the 5pm news rightly? Has Robertson just handed the problem of rising house prices back to the Reserve Bank? In other words, wrung his hands and admitted it's too hard for the GOVERNMENT to handle?
But I suppose this is on par with a do-nothing government.
Now, on Checkpoint, it's the au pairs! Can't get kiwis to work for 'at least the minimum wage!' (and potentially around the clock).
My, hasn't covid thrown up the inequalities in the NZ job market (and the rampant inequalities in wealth). First the fishers, then the fruit pickers, now au pairs. Are we a country that depends on exploited, underpaid labour?
Short answer – yes…we actually need to do away with neoliberal capitalism…it hasn't served us all that well until now…and shows little sign of any recovery anytime soon..so..what to replace it with..? .a more equitable version of what we have now..ie…higher taxes funding realistic social support..like they do in finland/norway etc…or should we rethink the whole thing…and come up with something better..?
Neoliberal capitalism has served many NZers poorly, particularly of late, but it’s noteworthy that it continues to serve most politicians and elites quite well enough.
So in view of this unhappy information, what outcome would you like to see?
An outcome that cancelled/relieved the collective $13 billion debt (~$26,000 per person) of the 'bottom' 10% of NZers would be a good starting point, IMHO.
What ‘group‘ of NZers might be best placed to take the lead in achieving such an outcome, do you think?
Well I'm sure that would be pretty good outcome for that bottom 10% (and less so for whoever it was you had in mind to pay for it … but let's park that thought.)
Next question, do you think this is a stable outcome? Do we have to do this once only? And what about the new 10% at the bottom?
Still hunting them down, eh Sen. McCarthy?
Firstly, there's no such thing as a "stable" political or economic system. The chaotic instability of human collective action is inherent.
Secondly, wealth inequality is bad because the people with least relative wealth have health and social outcomes that are much worse than for the people with the highest relative wealth. So yes, regardless of whether total debt forgiveness is an ongoing measure rather than just a "starting point", addressing wealth inequality would have to be an iterative process until those disproportionately negative outcomes are no longer practically detectable. Whether this point is at ~60% of median income or ~80%, the inability to detect socioeconomic strata in deprivation beyond a certain point of relative inequality would mean that positing the idea of "debt forgiveness" does not actually necessarily need to be a veiled reference to marxist-leninist-maoist communism.
Let's not park that thought. If the 'top' 10% sacrificed ~1.6% of their collective wealth, that would be sufficient to forgive the crippling debt of the 'bottom' 10%.
While I acknowledge that a 1.6% decrease in wealth could cause mental anguish, it's doubtful that the material comfort of many 'top' 10-percenters would be seriously compromised. Some might even derive satisfaction from thoughts of the good their gift would do to improve the quality of life and mental health of tens of thousands of NZ families facing life in debt.
The questions you raise are intriguing, but IMHO they're poor reasons for doing nothing. If you have an idea for an easier way to address the indebtedness of the 'bottom' 10% of NZers, then by all means let's hear it.
The reality is we dont have a 'NZ labour market'….the purpose of globalism (neoliberalism) is to access the almost infinite pool of labour to reduce costs and increase profit…otherwise known as the race to the bottom.
Heavy work or long hours for the minimum wage. The employer needs to try it for a month.
Workers should be allocated shares in any companies they work for…50 percent would seem fair…this should be mandated by law..with the various formulae part of that law..