That ignores the reality of history and the complexity of neighbour relationships. The easiest analogy is Cuba in the 1960s. Imagine Mexico started an alliance with the russians – what would the US have to say do you think?
It is absolutely not solely up to a country on its own – never is. That ignores reality
The reality of history is that the big and powerful can do what they want.
You agree Ukraine doesn't have the right to decide what happens in its own country.
I wonder if we can demand that Fiji should not have anything to do with China. And enforce it with military action. Unfortunately the only oil they have might be coconut oil.
Well Putin is calling a bluff on Nato, and Nato no needs to show if it is going to protect the countries that it wants to put its weapon in. Lets see if Nato is going to do that.
I dont know what is so hard to understand about this – the Russians don't want NATO and american bombs on their doorstep. Entirely understandable given US aggression in countless places around the world the last few decades.
The answer lies in US and western aggression
Put a map together showing where US and UK bombs are situated around the globe right now – then ponder
It's going to be an exciting day for me getting about the neighbourhood. I'm going to take over the places where people have stuff I don't want on my doorstep.
The fellow over the road with guns? The people over the back with dogs?
I think the war in Ukraine is terrible, war is never an answer, but has no one ever heard the saying "don't poke the bear"?
This has been a long time coming, with Russia's existential security concerns arrogantly brushed aside by NATO and the west.
Filling Ukraine to the brim with lethal weapons meant they didn't have to start implementing the Minsk accords, and could intensifying bombing the Donbas into submission .A recent UN report shows 80% of the civilian deaths are in the Donbas, perpetrated by the Ukrainian army No sympathy for those innocent civilians?, having to endure daily destruction at the hands of the Ukrainian army ably assisted by openly neo nazi militia?
.Zelensky in 2019 declared his ambition to join NATO, and more recently his desire for nuclear weapons.If that's not an existential threat on Russia's most vulnerable flank, I don't know what is .Further back in 2002, the US withdrew from the ABM Treaty,which had been designed to pull back from a nuclear arms race
Anyone who thinks NATO is a defence organisation has selective amnesia, it's the US agency for keeping dominance in Europe, Russia circled,with side hustles in the middle east.
Any NATO member with a spine should veto the addition of further countries.
'Thousands of nuclear arms had been left on Ukrainian soil by Moscow after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. But in the years that followed, Ukraine made the decision to completely denuclearize.'
'In exchange, the U.S., the U.K. and Russia would guarantee Ukraine's security in a 1994 agreement known as the Budapest Memorandum.'
My favourite Inga story, told by him, was when he was doing a tour of schools with Zinzan Brooke and some other famous All Blacks. Asking one of the children in the assembly, if the child knew his name, the child replied "No, but when you got the ball my Dad yelled " Go you black bastard, go!"".
Not very impressed by Hipkins response to the question about opening the border and ending isolation now for returning Kiwis (taking 'advice')
“I don’t have an announcement to make on that at the moment. We’re getting advice on that – about whether people should still need to self-isolate on arrival in New Zealand. And we expect to get that advice in the next week or two and consider that and make further decisions based on that.”
Hipkins said the decisions would be made within the next month.
2 reasons – the numbers of cases at the border are miniscule compared to the number in the community (8 yesterday, compared to 6,000+ (and estimates that that really is 25,000 – given the delays in testing). So the risk of allowing fully vaxed people with a negative pre-departure test to come in freely without isolation requirements, is miniscule.
And, we could sure use those nurses, who are currently administering tests to MIQ arrivals, in our overloaded hospital system, and (potentially) those rooms if/when hospitals are out of capacity.
Hipkins shouldn't need to take further advice. We knew this day was coming (once Omicron was loose) – and they should have had a plan ready to swing into action when cases reached the Omicron level 3 threshold.
In general I agree so long as there isn't a new variant banging on the door. Perhaps the caution is that if MIQ is canned and a new big nasty variant pops up it would politically impossible to re-establish it.
Too much focus on the pennies, to the detriment of their staff, staff's family and patients/public.
A great example of dire state we find ourselves in. Some people slow or reluctant to partake in a medical intervention, lose their jobs, in part, to 'protect' our health system.
It always gets easier to lie about what someone says when you misquote and paraphrase. What he was referring to was related to the community transmission of Omicron.
However this isn’t exactly news. It was part of a pre-planned policy.
“As we move in 2022, we know that the pandemic is not over and it’s not going to suddenly end and we only need to look at Europe to know that the path out of the pandemic is not a straight-forward one.
“Today’s announcement does not mean that MIQ as a system is not going to end any time soon. MIQ is intended to be a temporary measure and its current scale and the way it operates has served us incredibly well.”
The traffic light system will come into effect for the whole country at 11.59pm Thursday 2 December.
Apparently you either never read the news or you don’t retain common information.
I’d also suggest that you cease with mindless assertions putting words into the mouths without links. I happily ban for idiots who do that.
He recognised that the health risk is higher in the community compared to those bringing the virus in across the border, as it was already widespread.
Quote from the article – to which I did link in my comment about Bloomfield.
The point is that the risk from fully vaccinated people who've had a pre-departure test is very significantly less than just being in the community (especially in Auckland).
If even close contacts are no longer required to isolate – then why should we require people flying into the country to do so?
MIQ may have served us well, in the past. It's difficult to argue that it still does so. Especially when we can see the need for nurses to be redeployed into hospitals – and possibly even the need for the MIQ facilities for overflow hospital care facilities.
"I’d also suggest that you cease with mindless assertions putting words into the mouths without links. I happily ban for idiots who do that."
Look. I know I'm a new commenter. But really, I am very careful to provide links. And threatening with a ban is a bit OTT.
If even close contacts are no longer required to isolate – then why should we require people flying into the country to do so?
Seems almost too obvious to point out?
Where does NZ get the new variants of covid-19 from? By having a break at the border. There are going to be more variants.
Right now we have a population that is divided into those that have some protection from vaccines, and a relatively small percentage (but but large in number) with no immune responses at all.
We also have a relatively mild variant circulating and a less infectious version that causes more damage. Our health system is coping.
MIQ stops the next variant while the whole of our population slowly acquires immune responses with as low a death and injury rate as possible.
In about 6-8 weeks we will have the population prepared for whatever comes next.
Russian Forces Capture Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Says Ukrainian PM
"Unfortunately, I have to say that, as of now, the Chernobyl zone, the so-called exclusion zone, and all Chernobyl facilities have been taken under control by Russian armed groups," Shmygal told a news briefing after an extraordinary cabinet meeting in Kyiv…..
The National Board of Health and Welfare is today publishing new recommendations regarding hormone treatment of young people under the age of 18 with gender dysphoria. Uncertain science and new knowledge mean that the National Board of Health and Welfare now recommends restraint when it comes to hormone treatment. At the same time, it is important that children and young people suffering from gender dysphoria are taken seriously, treated well and offered adequate care measures.
…
There are no definite conclusions about the effect and safety of the treatments
At the request of the National Board of Health and Welfare, SBU has produced a literature review in which all relevant studies on the effect and safety of hormone treatments have been reviewed. The report, which is published today, states that it is not yet possible to draw any definite conclusions about the effect and safety of the treatments based on scientific evidence.
– The conclusion is that very little knowledge has been added about the effects and safety of the treatments since 2015, says Thomas Lindén.
– When the knowledge support for care of children and young people with gender dysphoria was developed in 2015, the importance was emphasized of the measures offered within the framework of the clinical work being followed up systematically and evaluated in the best possible way. We now see that this has not yet been realized, which contributes to the fact that there is reason to change the recommendations.
…
The risks outweigh the benefits at present
Based on the results that have emerged, the National Board of Health and Welfare's overall conclusion is that the risks of anti-puberty and sex-confirming hormone treatment for those under 18 currently outweigh the possible benefits for the group as a whole.
– The assessment is that treatment with hormones should continue to be given within the framework of research. Increased knowledge is needed, among other things, about the treatments' impact on gender dysphoria and the mental health and quality of life of minors, in both the short and long term, says Thomas Lindén.
– While waiting for a research study to be put in place, our assessment is that the treatments can be given in exceptional cases. Here, we propose a number of criteria that care can be based on in the individual clinical assessments.
At the same time, it is important that young people with gender dysphoria continue to receive care and treatment in health care. This concerns both hormonal treatments in cases where they are deemed justified and, for example, psychosocial interventions, child psychiatric treatment and suicide prevention measures when necessary.
– Care must continue to ensure that children and young people who suffer from gender dysphoria are taken seriously, treated well and offered adequate care measures. In the future, this care will be national, highly specialized care, and then the opportunities for research and knowledge development in this area of care will increase, as well as for further strengthened patient safety and quality, says Thomas Lindén.
Recent article by a detransitioner talking about her journey, and in her case the role of social media in particular:
Not sure what header this should be under but it sure is a poke in the eye to the Government. The Police and NZDF are being told by the courts processes that their unvaccinated staff are now allowed to be reinstated at their work. Woohoo – personally think it is wrong but the PM now has to digest this news.
The decision may be appealed. "The requests for vaccination mandates originally came from Police and Defence, so before making any decision we will go back to them to assess the implications for their operations."
"He pointed out the court's decision did not affect any other vaccine mandates nor internal vaccination policies of the police or Defence Force"
The DHBs are going to be dismantled, why would they do anything other tehn what they are doing now, providing much needed medical services. Its not as if the Ministry of Health or the Minister of Health had any care other then the dismantling of the DHBs.
But once the DHBs have died a lot of good things will happen, until then…………who knows.
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
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In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
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Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
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 ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
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Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
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Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
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Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
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Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
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Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
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The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Is it all right for me to say "Russia has invaded Ukraine" or do I have to say "Russia Olympic Committee" has invaded Ukraine?
Surely they've got some way with words to play pretend.
No, what you should say is "america and UK put their bombs on Russia's border"
you know, like the ruskies have their bombs in Wales and Scotland ../sarc
this is all very easy
russia doesn't want the west on their doorstep
the west should fuck off
Surely that's up to Ukraine to decide?
That ignores the reality of history and the complexity of neighbour relationships. The easiest analogy is Cuba in the 1960s. Imagine Mexico started an alliance with the russians – what would the US have to say do you think?
It is absolutely not solely up to a country on its own – never is. That ignores reality
The reality of history is that the big and powerful can do what they want.
You agree Ukraine doesn't have the right to decide what happens in its own country.
I wonder if we can demand that Fiji should not have anything to do with China. And enforce it with military action. Unfortunately the only oil they have might be coconut oil.
Well Putin is calling a bluff on Nato, and Nato no needs to show if it is going to protect the countries that it wants to put its weapon in. Lets see if Nato is going to do that.
The more accurate description would be, America and and the West are at war with each other.
Because someone shot an Archduke in Serbia, is not the reason for the First World War.
It is the underlying causes that matter.
World War like climate change have the same cause.
You can't have infinite growth on a finite planet.
Just as the endless growth economy is butting up against the natural limits of the planet.
The growth economies of rival economic blocks are butting up against each other.
Notice you did not mention Ukraine in your reply.
What are they a sovereign nation or just shit on the jackpot of Putin?
as sovereign as wales is to england perhaps?
do you not know any history?
As sovereign as France is to England, more like.
exactly
Grow up VTO, where should the Russian border be as Putin sees it, running through the middle of Berlin?
ha ha yep of course the people in russia are happy as to have US bombs on their doorstep
cuba?
Ask Cuba about the US deciding they 'should be' within their sphere of influence
https://www.state.gov/cuba-sanctions/
russia russia communism communism socialism socialism jabcinda jabcinda
what a pile of shit is always spouted
shit
weapons of mass destruction anyone?
bahahahahaha
Well, I'm impressed by the high level of sophistication and the objectivity of the comments on here so far about the war in Europe.
Hey, this is just what the world needs now – a pandemic, a climate crisis and now a war.
Yay for us humans! We're not gonna go out with just a whimper!
ha ha, yep of course. Short but not shallow.
I dont know what is so hard to understand about this – the Russians don't want NATO and american bombs on their doorstep. Entirely understandable given US aggression in countless places around the world the last few decades.
The answer lies in US and western aggression
Put a map together showing where US and UK bombs are situated around the globe right now – then ponder
It's going to be an exciting day for me getting about the neighbourhood. I'm going to take over the places where people have stuff I don't want on my doorstep.
The fellow over the road with guns? The people over the back with dogs?
Russia may not have as many bombs situated around the globe right now as the US and UK.
Russia today is in the same position as the rising German and Japanese empires were in the last century.
This makes them more dangerous than the established empires of the West
Phase three today. Good that the RAT tests are finally available. They really should have been available a long time ago.
Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Phase 3 as Omicron cases top 6000, over 200 in hospital – NZ Herald
I think the war in Ukraine is terrible, war is never an answer, but has no one ever heard the saying "don't poke the bear"?
This has been a long time coming, with Russia's existential security concerns arrogantly brushed aside by NATO and the west.
Filling Ukraine to the brim with lethal weapons meant they didn't have to start implementing the Minsk accords, and could intensifying bombing the Donbas into submission .A recent UN report shows 80% of the civilian deaths are in the Donbas, perpetrated by the Ukrainian army No sympathy for those innocent civilians?, having to endure daily destruction at the hands of the Ukrainian army ably assisted by openly neo nazi militia?
.Zelensky in 2019 declared his ambition to join NATO, and more recently his desire for nuclear weapons.If that's not an existential threat on Russia's most vulnerable flank, I don't know what is .Further back in 2002, the US withdrew from the ABM Treaty,which had been designed to pull back from a nuclear arms race
Anyone who thinks NATO is a defence organisation has selective amnesia, it's the US agency for keeping dominance in Europe, Russia circled,with side hustles in the middle east.
Any NATO member with a spine should veto the addition of further countries.
Ukraine had nukes but gave them up, a poor decision in hindsight
https://www.npr.org/2022/02/21/1082124528/ukraine-russia-putin-invasion
'Thousands of nuclear arms had been left on Ukrainian soil by Moscow after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. But in the years that followed, Ukraine made the decision to completely denuclearize.'
'In exchange, the U.S., the U.K. and Russia would guarantee Ukraine's security in a 1994 agreement known as the Budapest Memorandum.'
Shoutout for Inga Tuigamala.
Another westie Kelston Boys guy made good.
Inga Tuigamala – YouTube
Sad to learn of his death
He struggled with type 2 diabetes and the recent death of his sister. A sad loss at 52.
Yep … sorry to hear about his untimely death.
He'll be mourned in Wigan (& other parts of Britain … both Union & League territory) just as much as NZ & Samoa.
My favourite Inga story, told by him, was when he was doing a tour of schools with Zinzan Brooke and some other famous All Blacks. Asking one of the children in the assembly, if the child knew his name, the child replied "No, but when you got the ball my Dad yelled " Go you black bastard, go!"".
A giant of a winger with a smile to match.
Not very impressed by Hipkins response to the question about opening the border and ending isolation now for returning Kiwis (taking 'advice')
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300525636/covid19-nz-border-rules-government-reviewing-selfisolation-for-travellers-as-cases-mount
2 reasons – the numbers of cases at the border are miniscule compared to the number in the community (8 yesterday, compared to 6,000+ (and estimates that that really is 25,000 – given the delays in testing). So the risk of allowing fully vaxed people with a negative pre-departure test to come in freely without isolation requirements, is miniscule.
And, we could sure use those nurses, who are currently administering tests to MIQ arrivals, in our overloaded hospital system, and (potentially) those rooms if/when hospitals are out of capacity.
Hipkins shouldn't need to take further advice. We knew this day was coming (once Omicron was loose) – and they should have had a plan ready to swing into action when cases reached the Omicron level 3 threshold.
In general I agree so long as there isn't a new variant banging on the door. Perhaps the caution is that if MIQ is canned and a new big nasty variant pops up it would politically impossible to re-establish it.
that's my guess too. We should have fixed the MiQ system a long time ago, rather than trying to abandon it.
When even Bloomfield is saying that MIQ makes little sense, you know that the Govt have dropped the ball on this one.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-omicron-ashley-bloomfield-says-health-risk-is-higher-in-community-than-from-those-coming-through-the-border/QMJOICCWSMKCPXE2WWEUD4TPCQ/?c_id=1&objectid=12507131&ref=rss
what does he say about new variants and the border?
Those new variants, if the last 2 years have taught us anything, will manifest overseas before making their presence here.
yes, but the issue is whether we might need MiQ in the future (including this year).
The Southern DHB has no rapid tests available none for patients entering hospital due to an overzealous cost cutting effort.
That sounds so sadly familiar.
Too much focus on the pennies, to the detriment of their staff, staff's family and patients/public.
A great example of dire state we find ourselves in. Some people slow or reluctant to partake in a medical intervention, lose their jobs, in part, to 'protect' our health system.
Over 12,000 community cases today.
Public health experts claiming yesterday that the real figures were probably 10 times the official figures.
'Chaos' on the frontline.
Police & Defence Force mandates unlawful.
Hang on to your hats!
It always gets easier to lie about what someone says when you misquote and paraphrase. What he was referring to was related to the community transmission of Omicron.
However this isn’t exactly news. It was part of a pre-planned policy.
From November last year. Covid-19: Major MIQ changes from early next year
Apparently you either never read the news or you don’t retain common information.
I’d also suggest that you cease with mindless assertions putting words into the mouths without links. I happily ban for idiots who do that.
Quote from the article – to which I did link in my comment about Bloomfield.
The point is that the risk from fully vaccinated people who've had a pre-departure test is very significantly less than just being in the community (especially in Auckland).
If even close contacts are no longer required to isolate – then why should we require people flying into the country to do so?
MIQ may have served us well, in the past. It's difficult to argue that it still does so. Especially when we can see the need for nurses to be redeployed into hospitals – and possibly even the need for the MIQ facilities for overflow hospital care facilities.
"I’d also suggest that you cease with mindless assertions putting words into the mouths without links. I happily ban for idiots who do that."
Look. I know I'm a new commenter. But really, I am very careful to provide links. And threatening with a ban is a bit OTT.
Seems almost too obvious to point out?
Where does NZ get the new variants of covid-19 from? By having a break at the border. There are going to be more variants.
Right now we have a population that is divided into those that have some protection from vaccines, and a relatively small percentage (but but large in number) with no immune responses at all.
We also have a relatively mild variant circulating and a less infectious version that causes more damage. Our health system is coping.
MIQ stops the next variant while the whole of our population slowly acquires immune responses with as low a death and injury rate as possible.
In about 6-8 weeks we will have the population prepared for whatever comes next.
A small cost to pay.
Two bald men fight over a comb.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
A few years old now but an interesting look into the mindsets of China, Russia and the USA recruitment ads
After a review, Sweden has updated their policy for medical treatments for transgender youth:
Updated recommendations for hormone therapy for gender dysphoria in young people
Recent article by a detransitioner talking about her journey, and in her case the role of social media in particular:
By Any Other Name
https://lacroicsz.substack.com/p/by-any-other-name?utm_source=url
R.I.P. Hot lips Houlihan (from the movie)
great .
Not sure what header this should be under but it sure is a poke in the eye to the Government. The Police and NZDF are being told by the courts processes that their unvaccinated staff are now allowed to be reinstated at their work. Woohoo – personally think it is wrong but the PM now has to digest this news.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/not-demonstrably-justified-high-court-upholds-challenge-to-police-and-nzdf-vaccination-mandates-police-suspend-terminations/LMAUM7LZWV6FFQWAKKJFLKYLIE/
The decision may be appealed. "The requests for vaccination mandates originally came from Police and Defence, so before making any decision we will go back to them to assess the implications for their operations."
"He pointed out the court's decision did not affect any other vaccine mandates nor internal vaccination policies of the police or Defence Force"
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/462265/covid-19-high-court-quashes-unlawful-vaccine-mandate-for-police-and-defence-force-staff
She believes in the rule of Law.
Test
Tested – you may now drink a beer….
😈
More tales of woe from our local ED. 8 resignations this week, 7 of them are Staff Nurses (RNs).
What does it take for the Board and or the DHB to at least try and fix the situation?
The DHBs are going to be dismantled, why would they do anything other tehn what they are doing now, providing much needed medical services. Its not as if the Ministry of Health or the Minister of Health had any care other then the dismantling of the DHBs.
But once the DHBs have died a lot of good things will happen, until then…………who knows.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/as-dhbs-die-a-chance-to-feed-a-starved-health-system
US numbers interesting 76k yesterday cf to nz 13k
230 per m cf to 2600 per mil (nz)