After the interim order is given or not, the case will go to a full hearing. Germany has filed a declaration with the World Court to intervene in this hearing in support of Israel.
Why is Namibia furious at Germany's ICJ intervention supporting Israel?
Aljazeera host of "Counting The Cost" Adrian Finighan
@1:33 minutes
"….in 2021 Berlin acknowledged committing genocide in Namibia"
"..shouldn't a country responsible for two genocides be actively looking to prevent a third?"
@4:35 minutes
"Absolutely Adrian I cannot agree more with you….
…..particularly problematic is the way that they framed South Africa's complaint as an instrumentalization of the international court of justice. Which means basically it [Germany] thinks it's an illegitimate suit, it's something that should not happen.
After all we've heard during the pleadings in the past days last week. That is quite a strong statement. Therefore, I'm absolutely not surprised by the reaction on the on the side of Namibia…."
Namibia has requested that Germany withdraw their intervention in support of Israel at the World Court. Personally speaking, I would have thought that Germany would be the last country that would be trying to stop a court looking into a case of alleged genocide.
The people of Namibia suffered a genocide at the hands of the German colonial empire. Germany has admitted to it.
Germany has zero right to be supporting the slaughter of another indigenous people, at the hand of another occupying colonial power.
32 states intervened in the case of Ukraine vs. Russia, to argue the merits of Ukraine's case against Russia alleging Ukraine committed genocide in the Donbas.
But only one state, Germany, has put its name down to intervene in support of Israel at the United Nations International Court of Justice, the ICJ, also known as the World Court. Not even the US, Israel's biggest backer, has put up their hand to support Israel in the World Court.
Why is that?
The state of Israel was founded after WWII with the connivance of the US who were trying to form a counterweight to the power and influence of the British Empire in the Middle East.
At the end of the war, displaced Jewish refugees favoured destination of choice was America. As well as making it hard for displaced persons to enter the US. The US authorities gave Zionists access to the displaced persons camps in the US zone of control in Europe to gather recruits to go to Palestine. The British imperialists tried to resist the founding of the state of Israel and interned the Jewish refugees that the US had incited to go to Israel on the island of Cypress.
The Zionists have always been a proxy force for American imperialism in the Middle East.
The last gasp of the British Empire in the Middle East, was the Suez Crisis. After that the US became the dominant Western imperialist power in the region. Israel became US imperialism's unsinkable aircraft carrier threatening any Arab country that dared step out of line.
While the victorious super powers were squabbling over the spoils of war, what about the defeated imperialist powers Germany, Italy, Japan? They became junior partners to the new global hegemon.
When you can't do dirty work yourself you get someone else to do it.
Both Germany and Japan have been called on to put pressure on the World Court to to make sure their judges on the ICJ vote the way the US wants.
Shame on those countries that have chosen to do it.
Footnote:
If anyone thinks I am picking on Germany and Germans, I am not. Every capitalist country wants to expand its influence, every capitalist country aspires to be an imperialist, or junior imperialist, even lil'ol New Zealand.
Growth expansion imperialism, colonialism is written into the DNA of capitalism, every imperialist country commits massacres and genocides to maintain their rule.
Historic guilt of empire is irrelevant to this, as is the status of Jews as a past victim of empire themselves (Christian, Moslem and German). This is now. Post 1945 and the UN of member states and related international law.
Whether Palestinians (Arabic language and cultural order came with Islam after 600CE – before then most locals were Christians) are indigenous or Jews is irrelevant (they each have similar DNA northern Semite) and both are Semitic cultures.
Everyone knows the case of genocide will not succeed and is merely an attempt to get a interim order for a cease-fire.
This is not even a case of ethnic cleansing (the case of this in WB is far stronger).
There is a case for war crimes, and to prevent further loss of civilian life, this is a device to realise a cease-fire.
And given Russia ignored an interim order of this court (and others before them), as per Ukraine, if Israel does so will depend on other factors (guess why USA is not involved).
How very arrogant of you. It is plain that "everyone" does not agree. Have you even bothered to look at the heros welcome when the ICJ team arrived back in SA? There is historically huge support between SA and Palestinians.
I've no idea what you're talking about. Its a reference to your support of Maersk profits against Palestinian lives. I would add that obviously, the relationship is an inverse one.
They pass on costs to those who use their ships to transport goods to market, and they to consumers.
As for the impact of that inflation, a lot would be even higher cost for fertilizer and food out of south east Europe to Asia and maybe electronics and EV's between Asia and Europe.
Look SPC, I can be a bit dim but a light just illuminated in my head that said for you to be upset at a comment directed at yourself with the phrase "people like you" , and call me antisemitic, you may be an Israeli. If this is the case, I unreservedly apologise and regardless, will only address your comments in future.
[Stop playing the man. This is your warning – Incognito]
Once upon a time, if you criticised American policy you were called anti-American, a fellow traveller with the commie left or this century terrorists (and probably still). Some of us were visited by local police as suspects in the "threat" to the visiting golfer Tiger Woods most likely because some CIA agent thought manipulating them to act that way was both funny and a way to get our public opinion and government onto their Iraq regime change play.
Once upon a time, if you supported a two state solution that made one a Zionist or an anti-Zionist depending on who responded (and probably still). And that could mean all sorts of stuff to them and all sorts of language gets used, because all those Zionists or anti-Zionists are * and or **.
I was just wondering what "your own inflation adjusted values of life" was about, as it did not seem to make any sense. If I think something is anti-semitic I will say so.
‘ SPC @1.1 "Everyone knows the case of genocide will not succeed and is merely an attempt to get a interim order for a cease-fire."
Nobody knows. But if I were to guess, I would guess that it would be the other way round. The interim order for a ceasefire in Gaza will fail. The charge of genocide will be proved.
My guess is based on 'Realpolitik', especially as it is practiced in international affaires.
My guess based on realpolitik, is South Africa's attempt to get an interim order for a cease-fire in Gaza will fail. The political pressure from the US and its allied states on the judges of the ICJ will is too great.
Many years from now, the allegation of genocide will eventually be proven. The 84 page mountain of evidence of genocidal acts and statements of intent to commit genocide contained in the Brief by South Africa is damning, I am certain that even more damning evidence will be revealed with the passing of time.
Even the current available evidence is overwhelming, but by the time a final judgment is made, it will all be academic, and too late to make a difference.
Realpolitik:
Is the International Court of Justice Biased?
Abstract
…..We test the charge of bias using statistical methods. We find strong evidence that (1) judges favor the states that appoint them….
Only MMP would allow anywhere power a party of lying nincompoops with such a frankly partisan, grubby agenda to try and create a voting base out of bad policy.
It's interesting to consider though whether NZ would be struggling to find competent Ministers and MPs at this point in time if it was still under FPP.
Under FPP – as the result of the 2023 election you would have an overwhelming National Party government (having won a substantial majority of the electorates) – possibly in coalition with the 2 ACT MPs – but with no NZF representation. You'd have a few GP electorate MPs and the 5 TPM ones – in opposition, along with a pretty tiny Labour Party.
While there would be no NZF representation – you would have a centre-right government which would regard itself as having an overwhelming mandate (since they would hold well over 2/3 of the seats).
Characterizing MMP as a failure because it hasn't (on this occasion) given you the government you wanted – is pretty short-sighted.
I don't feel that the record of the last year inclines me to believe in the competence of the Labour Ministers in the previous government.
Any new government, coming in after a spell in opposition, is going to consist of predominantly inexperienced MPs.
The Conservative Party has a big majority under FPP – soon to be history, the majority, not FPP – and yet small radical splitter groups (some can be considered "lunatic") appear to drive policies:
ERG (European Research Group)
Common Sense Group
The New Conservatives
No Turning Back
…
I can't see much of a difference to MMP coalition(s).
"Especially because the absolute worst part of the past three months has been how common it’s become to casually slag off Māori. There’s a noticeable swell in hate, division, racism, crazy talk and an all round sulphuric nastiness"
It is disgusting how manipulative the players in parliament have become. We have a elected government and the crowd that screams the loudest or plays games like in high school seems to propose to do away with democracy. All the hallmarks are there of a toppling of the legal government. No willingness to uphold the other side of the constitution. Show your colors and don't hide behind insults. The ones slagging off anybody are hailed as doing the right thing, go figure. Give those who are caught in the middle a chance to rearrange their affairs and move to a safer country.
I guess so, which is why there’s a handy Reply button for convenient nesting/threading of comment threads. If there are technical issues then it would be good to let Lprent know about it.
It's staining the world of science and education as well;
"Do I need to emphasize once again that there are no “indigenous ways of knowing” beyond the ways that modern science “knows” things. To be frank, indigenous “ways of knowing” are inferior to modern science, which has a whole armamentarium for determining what counts as “knowledge” (experimentation, controls, replication, hypothesis-testing, pervasive doubt, and so on). In contrast, indigenous ways of knowing invariably come down to simple observation of natural phenomena or assertions (say, about the efficacy of plants as medicines) that aren’t tested using blind studies. And without verification and replication and testing, you don’t have knowledge; you have claims."
my eyes glazed over as soon as I saw the words 'Jerry Coyne'. A rationalist who exhibits irrational behaviour each time he opens his keyboard on anything to do with indigenous knowledge.
There’s no such thing as “crystalline armour of science-thinking”, as it would imply that it is pure, hard & sharp, and symmetrical, and some kind of protection or defence [against what?].
Science that isn’t shared with people and that has no impact on people and society is less than a tree in a Zen forest. This sharing and influencing, not just in terms of ‘pure’ thinking but also in knowledge transfer and technological advancement is a bi-directional & mutual and dynamic process.
That’s futile because the Dark Arts are inside the science fortress as much as they’re on the outside. Rationalism in isolation is an exercise in futility. Rationalism as a ‘great purifier’ of science and mankind is a mug’s game.
n contrast, indigenous ways of knowing invariably come down to simple observation of natural phenomena or assertions (say, about the efficacy of plants as medicines) that aren’t tested using blind studies. And without verification and replication and testing, you don’t have knowledge; you have claims."
Any halfwit who has gardened for a length of time knows how to test whether something works or not. The man needs to get out more.
Two peoples in one land, should we send David Seymour to re-write the principles of he state of Israel, the PA and the Oslo Accord peace process?
Let our first nation to see each days dawn enlighten them, or not make it any worse here or there?
Mr Barak is alarmed Israel is “losing legitimacy” and clearly worried for the next generation. “Statesmanship is missing. There is a vacuum in the overall running of the war,” he says. “We need to do something about it because time is running out. There are two clocks ticking at a different pace. The clock of legitimacy is ticking very fast; the clock of achieving the objective is ticking very slow. It is the basic role of the senior command to make sure these two clocks become synchronised.”
"The government has confirmed a document about the government's proposed Treaty Principles bill is a leaked draft memo from the Ministry of Justice"
The screenshot showed commentary from the report's author saying they expected the Bill would be "highly contentious".
..a full copy of the leaked report, which it said warned the proposal's key points were "at odds with what the Treaty of Waitangi actually says".
Now by what I see is that, whoever was the "author" – no one seem to name the person – is not really authorized.
However, what concerns me most is that, the public service is to stay neutral as they are employed to do the job no matter who is in government and hence have to stir away from any bias. This is difficult – true, but a pre requisite to make sure that corruption does not have an entry door.
How is making the media and thus the public being aware of something any form of corruption – more likely to be otherwise.
Many suspect that the leak was to aid the major party in the new government, give it more reason to dampen down expectation of its supporting a second reading (and embolden NZF to say they would not do so).
I really have no interest as to the motivation of the person but rather the institution of government and its employees obligation to adhere to protocol and impartiality. The country needs to be able to rely on its government for stability, economically and defence. Undermining it is actually treason.
"Public sector chief executives and board chairs are responsible for the integrity and conduct of their agencies and maintaining the agency’s political neutrality. This includes during the election period"
This would be speculation as the document was a draft held at the ministry of justice (no less!) and no reading has taken place as far as reported to date. On those grounds the person had an agenda and hence should be dismissed – ungracefully.
Equally, it is a duty of any party/govt employee to make sure that such leaked document is not a spurious placed for publication intended to fan emotions in the current environment.
It is in essence inciting perceptions that can lead to violence. One should not forget that, not all people approach this issue with an academic mind and zest of evidence based discussion. In that sense it is a treasonous act to incite willingly and knowingly discontent.
The sad part is that, if the Maori Party has taken this aboard and now "wants to held a government to account" and call a rightfully elected government "white supremacist". This is adding fuel to this without actually checking facts. On that basis their integrity and adherence to parliamentary protocol is questionable.
What is the basis of your assertion that the TPM "integrity and adherence to parliamentary protocol is questionable"?
In that sense it is a treasonous act to incite willingly and knowingly discontent.
No, it is not an act of treason to incite discontent (not under any democratic government).
That would lead to censorship of media and as someone once said he would rather have no elections, than no independent media.
Equally, it is a duty of any party/govt employee to make sure that such leaked document is not a spurious placed for publication intended to fan emotions in the current environment.
It is the objective of the Americans to block whistleblowing, and of all governments into covering up stuff to keep the public ignorant, passive and compliant.
….A children’s clothes seller from Gaza standing unarmed among a group of Palestinian men holding a white flag, was shot dead minutes after speaking to an ITV cameraman.
A report aired by the British public service broadcaster showed the events unfolding as the group of five Palestinian men tried to reach family members stranded in a house inside and active combat zone….
Minutes before being shot dead, the middle-aged, English-speaking Palestinian man told ITV: “Nowhere is safe in Gaza. Everywhere you find the Israeli Army. They shoot at us at home, in any building and in the street….
With an Israeli imposed telecommunications blackout over most of Gaza, footage like this is rare. But it would seem to confirm many Palestinian accounts that unarmed civilians in Gaza are being killed in what the IDF call "field executions".
South Africa has alleged in the World Court that Israel is committing atrocities and war crimes in Gaza amounting to genocide. As more and more evidence like the above comes out, linked to the genocidal statements by Israeli lawmakers and military leaders, it seems almost inevitable that this Friday, the ICJ will announce their order on Israel to stop their assault on Gaza.
The great "Kumera of the North" Shane Jones says "we should not be afraid of discussing the Treaty Principles". in his speech at Ratana.
It is not discussion we are afraid of, it is "Bad Actors" who come with an agenda to undermine belittle and divide, to get control of Maori treasures, water medicines and minerals.
I understand medicines, minerals but water is not a possession but a right of any and all people to have available. You can survive 3 days without food, but you die after 3 days without water. Fact.
I see that there is no objection to large Corps pumping millions of gallons of drinking water to sell overseas or filling those floating cities called Cruise ships with tones of drinking water. For money of cause! 🙄
The majority of New Zealand’s bottled water is drawn from Blue Spring in Putaruru , where Coca-Cola Amatil has a bottling factory.
The spring is world-renowned for its color and clarity, and is classified as a natural Taonga, or treasure.
Meanwhile, all of NZlands piping system has fallen in disrepair because of those "look at me, I want to be in the History books" projects and a failure of planning and charging proportionally. This despite the need to maintain the supply system being well known for decades.
So, water… if there is any sincerity by all parties concerned than the first issue is repairing pipes so that every person residing here has drinkable water. Followed by securing water sources into the future and not prioritising Large Corporations or interests that only have one benefactor.
Is not spring water a taonga or treasure claim of the iwi? There should a royalty. And their consent for any export.
Rivers are a taonga and treasure in relation to Maori customary activity dependent on water flow (fishing/eels etc). There is an issue here about water taken from the river that has an impact on this.
Rivers as a catchment that allows collection and storage (hydro, irrigation or water use dams) is a land asset of an iwi. It's not just rain that flows to the sea that has value to those in chieftainship of their land.
In the ECAN area water has been gathered for irrigation for use (dairying) in ways that pollute (nitrate) the underground aquifer.
I understand your argument but still do not agree to any "ownership" of drinking water. If this is the case the person/party holding ownership essentially own me or any person whose life depends on it. No way would I ever agree to that!
How about a foreign corporate owning water supply assets and charging you for it (as councils do now)?
I wonder if the Herald will do a look at the access of farmers to water, as per cost to ratepayers, industrial/business and farm users (and no cost to bottlers)?
The human right to water and sanitation. On 28 July 2010, through Resolution 64/292, the United Nations General Assembly explicitly recognized the human right to water and sanitation and acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realisation of all human rights.
The NZ Government has to apply the rules and laws. There is a difference between personal and commercial use. Farmers do need water to meet the second need to survival – food. Supermarkets on the other hand…..
Well, the health service across the country is very much in need of more staff and resources.
Some first hand experience:
Just recently, when my husband was admitted via ambulance to the ER with suspicion of a heart attack I was somewhat taken aback by the way the process works. Whilst the nurse did an ECG straight away, comparative troponin tests are needed to ascertain any wider issues. From the time we made the first call to the waiting of the vital lab result 8.5 hours passed – and it could have been my husband not just the hours. On asking how far that is away: Receptions response was to make a note for the nurse. We decided to go home in the early hours of the morning without having seen the lab report. I think this is a dangerous situation that we have no means to change in any shape or form.
Another patient was in pain and a person also being in the waiting room for hours explained that this chap has been waiting for 10 hours now – yes, in pain.
There were some 20 people waiting, most for almost the same time as we are.
By what I saw, there were 2 nurses and 1 doctor available. I saw 3 ambulances arrivingin that time we were there.
All those affected were pakeha and this, in my experience, shows that there is an issue across the board. Nothing to do with race.
it's in a dire state for sure. In some rural areas you can't even get A/E services.
Re ethnicity, the racism that might happen (I said might) would be if the system treated a Māori man differently from your husband. Maybe had to wait longer, maybe there were communication issues/barriers, maybe the staff had conscious or unconscious racism.
Another example that is also well known is when people turn up in A/E wanting pain relief and are suspected of being addicts. Or they are registered in the system as an addict and turn up in pain. A whole bunch of biases against them can kick in eg staff assume they're lying about the pain to get access to drugs.
I don't really understand why these are difficult things to talk about. I've been learning about cultural bias in healthcare since the 90s. I think things have improved, but there are still issues.
It's not going to take away anything from non-Māori to address these issues. And if the system does start taking away from non-Māori, then the solution isn't to take away from Māori again, it's to sort it out so it is done fairly and well.
My observation was not that anything is necessary based on race, it could be incidental. More to the point was the lack of staff. Those professionals who were there also had to look after those arriving by ambulance. This increased the waiting time exponentially. The chap in pain looked like to have something on his leg (broken?) but I am not a doctor.
It was a frightening experience for me as I wasn't sure how bad the situation is without those tests. I lost two of my closest relatives due to a heart attack and it was not really foreseeable.
thanks for clarifying. I agree it is frightening. Might be worth talking to your GP about it to see if there is anything else that could be done in that situation.
One thing for all of the socially conscious left to watch for in David Seymours' insidious plan is the pathway to the referendum question. He'll try to lock in the referendum before the question we are to be asked is proposed. Make no mistake, the plan to referendum and the question is already being formulated.
A bit like Jong Khee's flag debacle except more organised, more funded, and certainly more evil.
For so long, you identified as Libertarian. What changed?
I completely have not used the word Libertarian in describing myself since I got an email during lockdown where a person from a Libertarian organization wrote to me and said, “We’re doing an anti-mask demonstration in Vegas, and obviously we’d like you to head it.” I looked at that email and I went, “The fact they sent me this email is something I need to be very ashamed of, and I need to change.”
[…]
Many times when I identified as Libertarian, people said to me, “It’s just rich white guys that don’t want to be told what to do,” and I had a zillion answers to that — and now that seems 100 percent accurate.
"Insanity wasn’t in our genes — we humans had gone off the rails because our culture had lost its source of external significance. We were so completely colonized by the belief that all meaning came down to economics and private consumption that it no longer even felt like a belief. We’d forgotten the fact that, in Gaylor Nelson’s great phrase, “the economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment, and not the other way around.”"
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With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
The fight to control major transport policy and projects in Auckland has burst into the open again, with councillors rejecting Mayor Wayne Brown’s latest attempt to steer things more under his influence. Councillors from the left and right broke ranks on the mayor’s bid to control Auckland Transport more directly ...
Exhausted by the general election campaign, horrified by the twilight zone of coalition negotiations, distracted by the silly season and waiting for the honeymoon to begin, Raw Politics has been in hibernation since October. From today, we’re back. Our weekly political video show and podcast returns for ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Authorities in the small town of Boulouparis have commemorated Armistice Day on May 8 with a new memorial honouring New Zealand soldiers who were stationed in New Caledonia during World War II. The ceremony took place in the township on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Dehm, Senior lecturer, international migration and refugee law, University of Technology Sydney The High Court unanimously ruled today that the Australian government can keep asylum seekers in immigration detention indefinitely in cases where they do not “voluntarily” cooperate with their own ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Munro, Lecturer, Creative Industries and Digital Media, University of South Australia Twenty-four hours after the release of Macklemore’s pro-Palestine protest song Hind’s Hall on social media on May 7, the video had already notched up over 24 million views. In ...
Failing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...
350 Aotearoa is calling the Environment Select Committee’s decision to allow oral submissions from just 40% of individual, unique submitters who asked to speak to the committee ‘a disgraceful blight to democracy’. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Helal, Assistant Dean (Sustainability), The University of Melbourne Dubai skylineAleksandarPasaric/Pexels Since ancient times, people have built structures that reach for the skies – from the steep spires of medieval towers to the grand domes of ancient cathedrals and mosques. Today ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Musole, PhD Law Student, University of New England Girts Ragelis/ShutterstockRecent trends show Australians are increasingly buying wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. These electronics track our body movements or vital signs to provide data throughout the day, with ...
Papua New Guinea experienced a significant earthquake on 24 March in East Sepik and there has also been recent flooding there and in surrounding provinces. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yousuf Mohammed, Dermatology researcher, The University of Queensland Maridav/Shutterstock You wake up, stagger to the bathroom and gaze into the mirror. No, you’re not imagining it. You’ve developed face wrinkles overnight. They’re sleep wrinkles. Sleep wrinkles are temporary. But as your ...
The Environment Select Committee has just announced that 60 percent of individuals who asked to speak at the hearings will not be heard. This equates to almost 700 people who made individual submissions and more than 1000 more who made a form submission. ...
The Royal New Zealand Ballet is performing Swan Lake around the country. What kind of dream does the ballet sell?Before going to see the Royal New Zealand Ballet perform Swan Lake, I had about as much familiarity with the plot of this ballet as could be expected from having ...
A new poem by Auckland poet Eamonn Tee. High Tide at Local Maxima It is only going to get worse. The streams will be narrow and fickle. The week will bend and buckle like a pot-bellied waist. You will make it to the weekend with one ...
The New Zealand entrepreneur behind beauty business Ethique is gearing up to launch a new eco-venture. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Our thirst for a tasty bevvy is insatiable, but it comes with a hefty plastic price for the planet: 580 billion ...
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 James by Percival Everett (Mantle, $38) A retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from ...
By Kamna Kumar in Suva Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Henry Puna stressed the importance of media freedom and its link to the climate and environmental crisis at the 2024 World Press Freedom Day event organised by the University of the South Pacific’s journalism programme. Under the theme “A Planet for ...
Tara Ward previews a new local TV series offering alternative visions of motherhood. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. A woman is clambering up the side of her two-story house, clinging desperately to a drainpipe. Nearby, her child is perched on the ...
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is supportive of the cross-party approach to climate adaptation announced by the Minister of Climate Change today. ...
The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC) welcome today’s announcement from Government around a bipartisan inquiry into an enduring climate adaptation framework for New Zealand. ...
The Free Speech Union welcomes the decision by the Department of Internal Affairs, and Minister Brooke Van Velden, to abandon proposals to further regulate online speech. ...
Its new building in Wellington will not be nearly big enough for all its records, and it has also run out of money to build its new storage facility in Levin. ...
BusinessNZ is congratulating the Minister of Climate Change for his work in achieving cross-party consensus for a way forward on climate adaptation. ...
Recent research reveals the repeal of smokefree measures is not only bad for our health, but also the economy. The Government has repealed various smokefree measures to ensure it keeps collecting $1.2 billion a year in tobacco taxes, in order to pay for tax cuts already being delivered to ...
The club’s surprisingly good season is built on the desire to prove a random A-League YouTuber wrong… and a few other factors.“There’s no way that Wellington Phoenix play finals this year. I can’t see it happening at all.” Those are the words of Lachlan Raeside, an Australian football content ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By César Albarrán-Torres, Senior Lecturer, Department of Media and Communication, Swinburne University of Technology Apple TV+ As one of billions of bilingual individuals in the world, it disappoints me when a film or TV show with characters of a non-English-speaking background is ...
The under-utilised course is a waste of space, and with a little political will, it could be turned into something better. For the duration of her stay in Wellington, my long-suffering cousin listened to me rant about golf courses. They’re bad for the environment: water intensive and pesticide heavy. They ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Ruppanner, Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of The Future of Work Lab, Podcast at MissPerceived, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock A recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows US fertility rates dropped 2% in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Corderoy, Medical doctor and PhD candidate studying involuntary psychiatric treatment, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney shop_py/Shutterstock Picture two people, both suffering from a serious mental illness requiring hospital admission. One was born in Australia, the other in Asia. Hopefully, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Treby, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, RMIT University P.j.Hickox, Shutterstock Peatlands store more carbon per square metre than any other ecosystem on Earth. These waterlogged, mossy bogs beat even dense rainforests for their ability to act as carbon reservoirs. Under the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Goss, Adjunct Associate Professor, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra Government spending on health has been growing so rapidly that a decade ago the then health minister Peter Dutton called it “unmanageable” and “unsustainable”. Health spending grew in real terms by ...
New Zealand's largest electricity distributor is warning the country to hurry up with controls around charging electric vehicles or face unnecessary bills running into the billions. ...
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News out of South Africa is that the ICJ will be releasing their ruling for an interim order on Israel to stop the war on Gaza.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/south-africa-expects-icj-judgment-gaza-emergency-measures-friday-news24-cites-2024-01-24/
After the interim order is given or not, the case will go to a full hearing. Germany has filed a declaration with the World Court to intervene in this hearing in support of Israel.
Why is Namibia furious at Germany's ICJ intervention supporting Israel?
Aljazeera host of "Counting The Cost" Adrian Finighan
@1:33 minutes
"….in 2021 Berlin acknowledged committing genocide in Namibia"
"..shouldn't a country responsible for two genocides be actively looking to prevent a third?"
@4:35 minutes
"Absolutely Adrian I cannot agree more with you….
…..particularly problematic is the way that they framed South Africa's complaint as an instrumentalization of the international court of justice. Which means basically it [Germany] thinks it's an illegitimate suit, it's something that should not happen.
After all we've heard during the pleadings in the past days last week. That is quite a strong statement. Therefore, I'm absolutely not surprised by the reaction on the on the side of Namibia…."
Namibia has requested that Germany withdraw their intervention in support of Israel at the World Court. Personally speaking, I would have thought that Germany would be the last country that would be trying to stop a court looking into a case of alleged genocide.
The people of Namibia suffered a genocide at the hands of the German colonial empire. Germany has admitted to it.
Germany has zero right to be supporting the slaughter of another indigenous people, at the hand of another occupying colonial power.
32 states intervened in the case of Ukraine vs. Russia, to argue the merits of Ukraine's case against Russia alleging Ukraine committed genocide in the Donbas.
But only one state, Germany, has put its name down to intervene in support of Israel at the United Nations International Court of Justice, the ICJ, also known as the World Court. Not even the US, Israel's biggest backer, has put up their hand to support Israel in the World Court.
Why is that?
The state of Israel was founded after WWII with the connivance of the US who were trying to form a counterweight to the power and influence of the British Empire in the Middle East.
At the end of the war, displaced Jewish refugees favoured destination of choice was America. As well as making it hard for displaced persons to enter the US. The US authorities gave Zionists access to the displaced persons camps in the US zone of control in Europe to gather recruits to go to Palestine. The British imperialists tried to resist the founding of the state of Israel and interned the Jewish refugees that the US had incited to go to Israel on the island of Cypress.
The Zionists have always been a proxy force for American imperialism in the Middle East.
The last gasp of the British Empire in the Middle East, was the Suez Crisis. After that the US became the dominant Western imperialist power in the region. Israel became US imperialism's unsinkable aircraft carrier threatening any Arab country that dared step out of line.
While the victorious super powers were squabbling over the spoils of war, what about the defeated imperialist powers Germany, Italy, Japan? They became junior partners to the new global hegemon.
When you can't do dirty work yourself you get someone else to do it.
Both Germany and Japan have been called on to put pressure on the World Court to to make sure their judges on the ICJ vote the way the US wants.
https://www.icj-cij.org/home#:~:text=LATEST%20NEWS&text=On%2011%20January%202024%2C%20HE,Peace%20Palace%20in%20The%20Hague.
Shame on those countries that have chosen to do it.
Footnote:
If anyone thinks I am picking on Germany and Germans, I am not. Every capitalist country wants to expand its influence, every capitalist country aspires to be an imperialist, or junior imperialist, even lil'ol New Zealand.
Growth expansion imperialism, colonialism is written into the DNA of capitalism, every imperialist country commits massacres and genocides to maintain their rule.
New Zealand is no exception.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/the-spoiling-of-samoa/HEDXHCD4LKX7MEWD7AZ5H6TGMQ/
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/black-saturday-nz-police-open-fire-on-mau-protestors-in-apia-nine-samoans-killed
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23143678
Historic guilt of empire is irrelevant to this, as is the status of Jews as a past victim of empire themselves (Christian, Moslem and German). This is now. Post 1945 and the UN of member states and related international law.
Whether Palestinians (Arabic language and cultural order came with Islam after 600CE – before then most locals were Christians) are indigenous or Jews is irrelevant (they each have similar DNA northern Semite) and both are Semitic cultures.
Everyone knows the case of genocide will not succeed and is merely an attempt to get a interim order for a cease-fire.
This is not even a case of ethnic cleansing (the case of this in WB is far stronger).
There is a case for war crimes, and to prevent further loss of civilian life, this is a device to realise a cease-fire.
And given Russia ignored an interim order of this court (and others before them), as per Ukraine, if Israel does so will depend on other factors (guess why USA is not involved).
How very arrogant of you. It is plain that "everyone" does not agree. Have you even bothered to look at the heros welcome when the ICJ team arrived back in SA? There is historically huge support between SA and Palestinians.
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/1/15/south-african-genocide-case-legal-team-returns-to-heroes-welcome-2
Just another example of the inability of people like yourself to empathise outside the comfort zone of your own inflation adjusted values of life
Is that some sort of code, a sly anti-semitic trope?
I've no idea what you're talking about. Its a reference to your support of Maersk profits against Palestinian lives. I would add that obviously, the relationship is an inverse one.
They pass on costs to those who use their ships to transport goods to market, and they to consumers.
As for the impact of that inflation, a lot would be even higher cost for fertilizer and food out of south east Europe to Asia and maybe electronics and EV's between Asia and Europe.
Look SPC, I can be a bit dim but a light just illuminated in my head that said for you to be upset at a comment directed at yourself with the phrase "people like you" , and call me antisemitic, you may be an Israeli. If this is the case, I unreservedly apologise and regardless, will only address your comments in future.
[Stop playing the man. This is your warning – Incognito]
Meh.
Once upon a time, if you criticised American policy you were called anti-American, a fellow traveller with the commie left or this century terrorists (and probably still). Some of us were visited by local police as suspects in the "threat" to the visiting golfer Tiger Woods most likely because some CIA agent thought manipulating them to act that way was both funny and a way to get our public opinion and government onto their Iraq regime change play.
Once upon a time, if you supported a two state solution that made one a Zionist or an anti-Zionist depending on who responded (and probably still). And that could mean all sorts of stuff to them and all sorts of language gets used, because all those Zionists or anti-Zionists are * and or **.
I was just wondering what "your own inflation adjusted values of life" was about, as it did not seem to make any sense. If I think something is anti-semitic I will say so.
Mod note
‘
SPC @1.1
"Everyone knows the case of genocide will not succeed and is merely an attempt to get a interim order for a cease-fire."
Nobody knows. But if I were to guess, I would guess that it would be the other way round. The interim order for a ceasefire in Gaza will fail. The charge of genocide will be proved.
My guess is based on 'Realpolitik', especially as it is practiced in international affaires.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realpolitik#:~:text=Realpolitik%20(German%3A%20%5B%CA%81e%CB%88a%CB%90lpoli%CB%8Cti%CB%90k%5D,%2C%20moral%2C%20or%20ethical%20premises.
My guess based on realpolitik, is South Africa's attempt to get an interim order for a cease-fire in Gaza will fail. The political pressure from the US and its allied states on the judges of the ICJ will is too great.
Many years from now, the allegation of genocide will eventually be proven. The 84 page mountain of evidence of genocidal acts and statements of intent to commit genocide contained in the Brief by South Africa is damning, I am certain that even more damning evidence will be revealed with the passing of time.
Even the current available evidence is overwhelming, but by the time a final judgment is made, it will all be academic, and too late to make a difference.
Realpolitik:
By the end of Friday in the Hague we will know if Realpolitik or Justice is the winner
Germany was always closely aligned to the US (since the 1600's).
They seem to also have a collective paranoia to be seen anti semitic since the WWII.
The position taken by the representative at the UN does not necessary reflect the opinion of the general population.
The ordinary folk is often left at the sidelines of political agendas, in Germany and many other states.
I do like your article. We also have to be careful not to be the "handmaiden" of any party at play.
https://www.iamexpat.de/expat-info/german-expat-news/history-between-usa-and-germany
I've always enjoyed reading Verity Johnson for some lighter reading. Her latest opinion piece is excellent and weightier than many previous ones.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350156501/why-we-need-fight-treaty-waitangi
MMP is a failure.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/507471/official-documents-suggest-a-nz-first-minister-wants-to-freeze-excise-tax-on-cigarettes-but-she-denies-it
Only MMP would allow anywhere power a party of lying nincompoops with such a frankly partisan, grubby agenda to try and create a voting base out of bad policy.
Seems evil, this vein of duplicity that runs through this Government.
wouldn't that still have to go through cabinet?
It's interesting to consider though whether NZ would be struggling to find competent Ministers and MPs at this point in time if it was still under FPP.
Under FPP – as the result of the 2023 election you would have an overwhelming National Party government (having won a substantial majority of the electorates) – possibly in coalition with the 2 ACT MPs – but with no NZF representation. You'd have a few GP electorate MPs and the 5 TPM ones – in opposition, along with a pretty tiny Labour Party.
While there would be no NZF representation – you would have a centre-right government which would regard itself as having an overwhelming mandate (since they would hold well over 2/3 of the seats).
Characterizing MMP as a failure because it hasn't (on this occasion) given you the government you wanted – is pretty short-sighted.
You'd also have a national Government with an awful lot of new, inexperienced, and going on recent selection successes, grossly incompetent MPs.
Similar, and probably much worse, to the current mess
I don't feel that the record of the last year inclines me to believe in the competence of the Labour Ministers in the previous government.
Any new government, coming in after a spell in opposition, is going to consist of predominantly inexperienced MPs.
But as a counter point, under FPP governments don't have to pander to a lunatic fringe in order to gain/retain power.
One voter's leader of a lunatic fringe is another's acting PM – hang in there Luxon.
The point needs to be made that Luxon didn't have to pander to any lunatic fringe!
Where were Winnie and David going to go if he'd (Luxon) had any real negotiating skills and told them to shove their wanky and racist policies?
At worse, he might have triggered another election, but he could have blamed Seymour and Peters and may well have got some sympathy!
Instead, he caved in and gave them (Winnie and David) everything they wanted!
Hipkins can be justly criticised for the poor Labour showing, but at least he, on a matter of principle, ruled out working with NZFirst!
Did you follow the UK in recent years?
The Conservative Party has a big majority under FPP – soon to be history, the majority, not FPP – and yet small radical splitter groups (some can be considered "lunatic") appear to drive policies:
I can't see much of a difference to MMP coalition(s).
See also Guardian – Anatomy of a party in turmoil: the Conservative factions in the spotlight
"Especially because the absolute worst part of the past three months has been how common it’s become to casually slag off Māori. There’s a noticeable swell in hate, division, racism, crazy talk and an all round sulphuric nastiness"
It is disgusting how manipulative the players in parliament have become. We have a elected government and the crowd that screams the loudest or plays games like in high school seems to propose to do away with democracy. All the hallmarks are there of a toppling of the legal government. No willingness to uphold the other side of the constitution. Show your colors and don't hide behind insults. The ones slagging off anybody are hailed as doing the right thing, go figure. Give those who are caught in the middle a chance to rearrange their affairs and move to a safer country.
Was your stand-alone comment intended as a reply to https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-25-01-2024/#comment-1986558 @ 2?
Well it is where the quote comes from.
I guess so, which is why there’s a handy Reply button for convenient nesting/threading of comment threads. If there are technical issues then it would be good to let Lprent know about it.
My apologies for the confusion. I had to attend to an issue and pressed the button without checking.
It's staining the world of science and education as well;
"Do I need to emphasize once again that there are no “indigenous ways of knowing” beyond the ways that modern science “knows” things. To be frank, indigenous “ways of knowing” are inferior to modern science, which has a whole armamentarium for determining what counts as “knowledge” (experimentation, controls, replication, hypothesis-testing, pervasive doubt, and so on). In contrast, indigenous ways of knowing invariably come down to simple observation of natural phenomena or assertions (say, about the efficacy of plants as medicines) that aren’t tested using blind studies. And without verification and replication and testing, you don’t have knowledge; you have claims."
https://pointofordernz.wordpress.com/2024/01/24/illegal-in-the-us-maybe-but-it-flourishes-in-nz-and-it-strikes-a-blow-against-western-science-so-canada-has-imported-it/
Sort of, but do not discount the ability of big pharma to block natural medicine or appropriate it and patent.
The medical science version of Monsanto.
The motivated players in the science.v. matauranga Māori argument are the money-makers?
Goodness!
Big Pharma do all the testing before products go to market. Scientific method, really?
Should GE companies have the same right?
my eyes glazed over as soon as I saw the words 'Jerry Coyne'. A rationalist who exhibits irrational behaviour each time he opens his keyboard on anything to do with indigenous knowledge.
Can such a person ever take the leap and experience the very thing they argue so bluntly against?
Does gradual exposure to indigenous thinking wear away the crystalline armour of science-thinking?
I've seen "hanging out with manawhenua" have this effect on a group of people for whom "te mana o te wai" was dismissed out of hand/confusion.
what kind of changes did you see?
The opening of hearts through realising that ideas are genuinely embedded in people and culture and are as valid as their own embedded ideas.
There’s no such thing as “crystalline armour of science-thinking”, as it would imply that it is pure, hard & sharp, and symmetrical, and some kind of protection or defence [against what?].
Science that isn’t shared with people and that has no impact on people and society is less than a tree in a Zen forest. This sharing and influencing, not just in terms of ‘pure’ thinking but also in knowledge transfer and technological advancement is a bi-directional & mutual and dynamic process.
"…some kind of protection or defence [against what?]."
Well, the Dark Arts, obviously.
That’s futile because the Dark Arts are inside the science fortress as much as they’re on the outside. Rationalism in isolation is an exercise in futility. Rationalism as a ‘great purifier’ of science and mankind is a mug’s game.
Agreed.
Any halfwit who has gardened for a length of time knows how to test whether something works or not. The man needs to get out more.
Do halfwits garden?
They pull & spray perceived weeds and use a robotic lawnmower to maintain the monoculture grass at a fixed strictly standardised low height.
Greenkeepers?
Hole in one
There is a hole (o) in one.
It's well known.
even monoculturists know how to replicate something to make it work.
Ahhh, Wanaka.
Aue, Wanaka!
Two peoples in one land, should we send David Seymour to re-write the principles of he state of Israel, the PA and the Oslo Accord peace process?
Let our first nation to see each days dawn enlighten them, or not make it any worse here or there?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/350154692/israel-will-sink-gaza-mud-years-netanyahu-power-warns-former-prime-minister
"The government has confirmed a document about the government's proposed Treaty Principles bill is a leaked draft memo from the Ministry of Justice"
The screenshot showed commentary from the report's author saying they expected the Bill would be "highly contentious".
..a full copy of the leaked report, which it said warned the proposal's key points were "at odds with what the Treaty of Waitangi actually says".
Now by what I see is that, whoever was the "author" – no one seem to name the person – is not really authorized.
However, what concerns me most is that, the public service is to stay neutral as they are employed to do the job no matter who is in government and hence have to stir away from any bias. This is difficult – true, but a pre requisite to make sure that corruption does not have an entry door.
How is making the media and thus the public being aware of something any form of corruption – more likely to be otherwise.
Many suspect that the leak was to aid the major party in the new government, give it more reason to dampen down expectation of its supporting a second reading (and embolden NZF to say they would not do so).
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/507090/government-confirms-leaked-document-was-a-ministry-treaty-principles-bill-memo
I really have no interest as to the motivation of the person but rather the institution of government and its employees obligation to adhere to protocol and impartiality. The country needs to be able to rely on its government for stability, economically and defence. Undermining it is actually treason.
"Public sector chief executives and board chairs are responsible for the integrity and conduct of their agencies and maintaining the agency’s political neutrality. This includes during the election period"
https://www.publicservice.govt.nz/guidance/general-election-guidance-2023/responsibilities-of-public-sector-agencies/
The person who leaked a draft memo should be sacked as he/she etc. shows ulterior motives and fanning of discontent without facts.
Maybe someone in government thought the coalition agreement, as per the Treaty principles debate and first reading, posed some risk to stability?
Because what Seymour was saying about the Treaty was fact free and would lead to division
And gave that advice. It is part of their public service role to do that.
The only issue is leaking something and that appears not of any agenda against the government (given 2 of the 3 partners oppose it).
This would be speculation as the document was a draft held at the ministry of justice (no less!) and no reading has taken place as far as reported to date. On those grounds the person had an agenda and hence should be dismissed – ungracefully.
Equally, it is a duty of any party/govt employee to make sure that such leaked document is not a spurious placed for publication intended to fan emotions in the current environment.
It is in essence inciting perceptions that can lead to violence. One should not forget that, not all people approach this issue with an academic mind and zest of evidence based discussion. In that sense it is a treasonous act to incite willingly and knowingly discontent.
The sad part is that, if the Maori Party has taken this aboard and now "wants to held a government to account" and call a rightfully elected government "white supremacist". This is adding fuel to this without actually checking facts. On that basis their integrity and adherence to parliamentary protocol is questionable.
What facts are you referring to?
What is the basis of your assertion that the TPM "integrity and adherence to parliamentary protocol is questionable"?
No, it is not an act of treason to incite discontent (not under any democratic government).
That would lead to censorship of media and as someone once said he would rather have no elections, than no independent media.
It is the objective of the Americans to block whistleblowing, and of all governments into covering up stuff to keep the public ignorant, passive and compliant.
Please include a link when you quote text or even single words.
Palestinian man shot and killed by IDF sniper after talking to the media.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/palestine-gaza-itv-report-israel-shot-dead-live-tv-b2483877.html
With an Israeli imposed telecommunications blackout over most of Gaza, footage like this is rare. But it would seem to confirm many Palestinian accounts that unarmed civilians in Gaza are being killed in what the IDF call "field executions".
Latest in Israel's long list of attrocities: IDF Field Executions – YouTube
South Africa has alleged in the World Court that Israel is committing atrocities and war crimes in Gaza amounting to genocide. As more and more evidence like the above comes out, linked to the genocidal statements by Israeli lawmakers and military leaders, it seems almost inevitable that this Friday, the ICJ will announce their order on Israel to stop their assault on Gaza.
The shooting of unarmed civilians is obviously a war crime.
It is sufficient cause for the US POTUS to allow a UNSC Resolution condemning it and calling for an end to military action if it does not stop.
It reminds one of the shootings of those by the Gaza fence back in 2018.
Great to see Jon Stewart returning to The Daily Show in time for this US election season. The acid has been needed.
Tis the season for Monday morning quarter-backs.
The great "Kumera of the North" Shane Jones says "we should not be afraid of discussing the Treaty Principles". in his speech at Ratana.
It is not discussion we are afraid of, it is "Bad Actors" who come with an agenda to undermine belittle and divide, to get control of Maori treasures, water medicines and minerals.
I understand medicines, minerals but water is not a possession but a right of any and all people to have available. You can survive 3 days without food, but you die after 3 days without water. Fact.
I see that there is no objection to large Corps pumping millions of gallons of drinking water to sell overseas or filling those floating cities called Cruise ships with tones of drinking water. For money of cause! 🙄
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/ratepayers-charged-500-times-more-for-water-than-bottling-companies/FWYMZBUZIVX27XLWWLDPTS4CNE/
"Water bottling companies are paying an average 500 times less than ratepayers for each litre of water they're allowed to use"
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/27/new-zealand-anger-as-pristine-lakes-tapped-for-bottled-water-market
The majority of New Zealand’s bottled water is drawn from Blue Spring in Putaruru , where Coca-Cola Amatil has a bottling factory.
The spring is world-renowned for its color and clarity, and is classified as a natural Taonga, or treasure.
Meanwhile, all of NZlands piping system has fallen in disrepair because of those "look at me, I want to be in the History books" projects and a failure of planning and charging proportionally. This despite the need to maintain the supply system being well known for decades.
So, water… if there is any sincerity by all parties concerned than the first issue is repairing pipes so that every person residing here has drinkable water. Followed by securing water sources into the future and not prioritising Large Corporations or interests that only have one benefactor.
Is not spring water a taonga or treasure claim of the iwi? There should a royalty. And their consent for any export.
Rivers are a taonga and treasure in relation to Maori customary activity dependent on water flow (fishing/eels etc). There is an issue here about water taken from the river that has an impact on this.
Rivers as a catchment that allows collection and storage (hydro, irrigation or water use dams) is a land asset of an iwi. It's not just rain that flows to the sea that has value to those in chieftainship of their land.
In the ECAN area water has been gathered for irrigation for use (dairying) in ways that pollute (nitrate) the underground aquifer.
I understand your argument but still do not agree to any "ownership" of drinking water. If this is the case the person/party holding ownership essentially own me or any person whose life depends on it. No way would I ever agree to that!
How about a foreign corporate owning water supply assets and charging you for it (as councils do now)?
I wonder if the Herald will do a look at the access of farmers to water, as per cost to ratepayers, industrial/business and farm users (and no cost to bottlers)?
This is what I mentioned at 9.1
Having access to drinking water is a human right.
https://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/human_right_to_water.shtml#:~:text=The%20human%20right%20to%20water%20and%20sanitation&text=On%2028%20July%202010%2C%20through,realisation%20of%20all%20human%20rights.
The human right to water and sanitation. On 28 July 2010, through Resolution 64/292, the United Nations General Assembly explicitly recognized the human right to water and sanitation and acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realisation of all human rights.
The NZ Government has to apply the rules and laws. There is a difference between personal and commercial use. Farmers do need water to meet the second need to survival – food. Supermarkets on the other hand…..
Judith Collins.
Chrome test
You'll never leak alone.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/a-leaked-letter-to-health-minister-shane-reti-that-i-can-neither-confirm-nor-deny-rob-campbell/RNK3MFPLAZDIXFQ6GCZXSU2VXA/
Well, the health service across the country is very much in need of more staff and resources.
Some first hand experience:
Just recently, when my husband was admitted via ambulance to the ER with suspicion of a heart attack I was somewhat taken aback by the way the process works. Whilst the nurse did an ECG straight away, comparative troponin tests are needed to ascertain any wider issues. From the time we made the first call to the waiting of the vital lab result 8.5 hours passed – and it could have been my husband not just the hours. On asking how far that is away: Receptions response was to make a note for the nurse. We decided to go home in the early hours of the morning without having seen the lab report. I think this is a dangerous situation that we have no means to change in any shape or form.
Another patient was in pain and a person also being in the waiting room for hours explained that this chap has been waiting for 10 hours now – yes, in pain.
There were some 20 people waiting, most for almost the same time as we are.
By what I saw, there were 2 nurses and 1 doctor available. I saw 3 ambulances arriving in that time we were there.
All those affected were pakeha and this, in my experience, shows that there is an issue across the board. Nothing to do with race.
it's in a dire state for sure. In some rural areas you can't even get A/E services.
Re ethnicity, the racism that might happen (I said might) would be if the system treated a Māori man differently from your husband. Maybe had to wait longer, maybe there were communication issues/barriers, maybe the staff had conscious or unconscious racism.
Another example that is also well known is when people turn up in A/E wanting pain relief and are suspected of being addicts. Or they are registered in the system as an addict and turn up in pain. A whole bunch of biases against them can kick in eg staff assume they're lying about the pain to get access to drugs.
I don't really understand why these are difficult things to talk about. I've been learning about cultural bias in healthcare since the 90s. I think things have improved, but there are still issues.
It's not going to take away anything from non-Māori to address these issues. And if the system does start taking away from non-Māori, then the solution isn't to take away from Māori again, it's to sort it out so it is done fairly and well.
To your last Sentence:
My observation was not that anything is necessary based on race, it could be incidental. More to the point was the lack of staff. Those professionals who were there also had to look after those arriving by ambulance. This increased the waiting time exponentially. The chap in pain looked like to have something on his leg (broken?) but I am not a doctor.
It was a frightening experience for me as I wasn't sure how bad the situation is without those tests. I lost two of my closest relatives due to a heart attack and it was not really foreseeable.
thanks for clarifying. I agree it is frightening. Might be worth talking to your GP about it to see if there is anything else that could be done in that situation.
This guy is horrible!
"A separate health system ‘by Maori for Maori’ that’s a duplication and indulgence. "
https://pointofordernz.wordpress.com/2024/01/25/lindsay-mitchell-the-danger-of-the-treaty-debate-wearing-us-down/
Lindsay Mitchell has been researching and commenting on welfare since 2001.
She is also on
https://www.bassettbrashandhide.com
One wonders who influenced her change of focus to this issue.
John Keys' war on meth went well:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/crime/child-abuse-sentencing-kurtis-innes-blames-wheelchair-fall-for-babys-more-than-60-injuries/7Z6B4QNVGRGQJNY6377YHHFLMY/
“Yo Christopher” and “Where’s your hair at?!”
Wouldn't get away with that here!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350157533/three-headed-taniwha-government-enemy-maori-ratana-criticism-should-give-pm
Melanie Nelson is da bomb! 🙂
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2tp5FBhqdp77r6yJWmqIwZ
One thing for all of the socially conscious left to watch for in David Seymours' insidious plan is the pathway to the referendum question. He'll try to lock in the referendum before the question we are to be asked is proposed. Make no mistake, the plan to referendum and the question is already being formulated.
A bit like Jong Khee's flag debacle except more organised, more funded, and certainly more evil.
So, not such a great idea.
For so long, you identified as Libertarian. What changed?
I completely have not used the word Libertarian in describing myself since I got an email during lockdown where a person from a Libertarian organization wrote to me and said, “We’re doing an anti-mask demonstration in Vegas, and obviously we’d like you to head it.” I looked at that email and I went, “The fact they sent me this email is something I need to be very ashamed of, and I need to change.”
[…]
Many times when I identified as Libertarian, people said to me, “It’s just rich white guys that don’t want to be told what to do,” and I had a zillion answers to that — and now that seems 100 percent accurate.
https://www.cracked.com/article_40871_penn-jillette-wants-to-talk-it-all-out.html
Reminds me of Verity Johnson's mea culpa today.
Ponder this:
"Insanity wasn’t in our genes — we humans had gone off the rails because our culture had lost its source of external significance. We were so completely colonized by the belief that all meaning came down to economics and private consumption that it no longer even felt like a belief. We’d forgotten the fact that, in Gaylor Nelson’s great phrase, “the economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment, and not the other way around.”"
https://www.themarginalian.org/2022/06/26/richard-powers-bewilderment/
Direct action. Don't you love to see it?
Poor old James Cook lying on the grass like he was on holiday in Hawaii that time…
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-25/melbourne-captain-cook-queen-victoria-statues-vandalised/103386996
Few statues here which could become headless.