The trouble with the Wuhan virus is that it’s neither one thing nor the other!
If, on the one hand, it was as mild a disease as the flu (though the flu kills 500 people a year in this country, which figure surprised me) then fws like Alan Jones on Sky News Australia (I’m not going to link!) would be right in saying we need to learn to live with it. The flu has detrimental effects on the old and compromised, but, by and large, we all recover with few lasting after effects.
Not so Covid-19. It was shocking to learn a child under 1 has the virus in NZ, and there have been plenty of cases world-wide of young and seemingly healthy people being killed by the disease. Then there’s the phenomenon called long-covid, which seems to have debilitating effects for months. Few people suffer, but for those who do, it’s not nice!
On the other hand, if the virus had a death rate approaching that of the Black Death of the 1340s in Europe, or the Great Plague of 1665 in London – around 30% mortality, then our government’s commendable actions would seem mild and inviting disaster. (Not that I wish the virus to be more virulent!)
Because the death rate of Covid-19 is so relatively low it allows right whingers to rabbit on about the economy. It also allows the anti-vax nutbars a platform to voice their cranky views.
As an old time leftie (I would probably nationalise anything that moved and harness it to the service of the people) I have been, I admit, a little disappointed by the lack of ‘socialist fervour’ displayed by our government, but cannot fault their overall performance in containing this virus.
I posted this quote yesterday (a screen-shot, I think, of a FB page on a Twitter post – no idea how to copy and past that into Open Mike) but I think it’s worth repeating:
Ciaran Irvine said:
"The right wing media here (and also in the rest of the world) NEED Jacinda to fail at this – because how she has handled Covid indicts them all as not just clueless spoofers but in many countries actual mass murderers,
"The Right has been utterly, catastrophically, psychotically Wrong all over the world at every single step of this pandemic, so Aotearoa's success thus far infuriates them and they NEED us to fail."
We may not be so lucky when the next pandemic shakes the world up.
I can acknowledge the attempts at change made by the government: increases in minimum wage, the improvement in pensions.
However, the problems seem to arise amongst those who are charged with implementing any reform. They appear to be stuck in this neo-liberal mindset. Hospitals and DHBs having CEOs and sub contracting important parts of the work force.
As an example, our local DHB resisted issuing scrubs to front line staff for a long time in the first lockdown. Shortage of stock was cited as an excuse. This time round the policy is to wait until Covid is identified in the district before scrubs are available.
This arrogance is akin to folk who don't scan or wear masks, because they know better.
This is all about a balance sheet. The DHB bears the cost of laundering. Whereas public health should be the lens through which these decisions are made. Less of ‘The machine that goes bing’ ala Monty Python.
Back to your wider point, we are needing to have a korero about the short and medium term future and what life in Aotearoa looks like in 2025.
Yep, Scomo and others seem to believe this Delta outbreak in NZ is (somehow) a validation of their beliefs, and so are hoping NZ doesn't get on top of the outbreak. They would prefer NZ to be a NSW, not a SA or WA – depressing and revealing.
How’s your ‘keep it out, stamp it out’ mantra going now? Delta has really upped the cost of that hasn’t it?
I believe the tragic Covid-19 death toll is a validation of the Govt's virus elimination strategy, and the Team of (nearly) Five Million's has (again) responded magnificently.
I don't mean the full nutbar brigade. But if your dad died of it last year while you were convincing yourself that masks were an overreaction and it was fine to go to that football match and take shortcuts with isolation, then a country eliminating delta means that dad might have died of a preventable disease rather than an irresistable act of god.
……Because the death rate of Covid-19 is so relatively low it allows right whingers to rabbit on about the economy. It also allows the anti-vax nutbars a platform to voice their cranky views.
"……Aotearoa's success thus far infuriates them and they NEED us to fail."
Our local Fifth Columnists, enemy within, want us to fail more than most.
Fifth column
World War II poster from the United States denouncing fifth columnists
A fifth column is any group of people who undermine a larger group from within……
……Clandestine fifth column activities can involve acts of sabotage, disinformation, or espionage executed within defense lines by secret sympathizers with an external force….
We've had sabotage, we certainly have had disinformation. I don't think, we have had any espionage, executed by sympathisers of an external force embarrassed by our success, and wanting us to fail. (Unless you count the people parading with QAnon signs at a Billy TK anti-lockdown rally, as "sympathisers of an external force").
I think Jacinda needs to stop with the hand-wringing, over-earnest, exaggerated caring manner. It has become cringe-worthy. And is putting people off, as they can't bear to watch or listen.
Maybe peel that style back to a more open, clear, fresh straight-eyed manner, through which Jacinda's genuine caring kindness will still shine through.
It does come through that the PM has kindness as a personal core value.
The core values of the government managing Covid is what the population in NZ trust. The government have a good track record and a hell of a job to do.
I afraid I couldn't resist it. It was the combination of the two wind directions that you and icognito had chosen that set me off. One I could have ignored but not the combination. It isn't meant to be a comment on any views that you might have expressed of course.
Except you opinion of Shakespeare though. I felt the same way when I was at school but I changed when I saw them acted rather than as something to study. The best was a performance of Macbeth held outside in the evening in the You Yangs, a National Park near Melbourne. No props, just the granite outcrops as a background to the performance. Magnificent.
One of the things I love about theatre and other performing arts is that it's a medium that only exists in the moment, and that moment is unpredictable in duration. Any part done well is over in an instant, but a short performance done badly takes an eternity…
Sorry, alwyn, but you have erred most grievously on quoting Northern hemisphere winds here in NZ. As a yachtsman, I learned long ago that as regards high pressure, low pressure, cyclones and anti-cyclones, everything in the Southern hemisphere is the opposite of the Northern hemisphere.
So here in Godzone, a wind from the NW will do the opposite of what it does in Europe.
Nice try, though.
(It’s a bit like the Coriolis effect causing bathtub water to spin the opposite way in each hemisphere when exiting via the plughole with no outside interference, like one of us deliberately spinning it the other way..
Now who would spin things a certain way??)
Well I know what it means, in these modern days. As I said though I simply couldn't resist making my comment after you used south and pat used north-west.
I'm not sure about In Vino though. It may foreign to him.
I would certainly agree that The Bard was very unlikely to have used "south" with that meaning. The phrase was apparently used for the first time about 300 years after his death.
"When the expression “go south” first appeared in the early 20th century".
Nah screw that. Elimination and tight border control has been hard but it's saved us from an absolute disaster. We are on the right track. Kia kaha Fortress NZ
High vaccination, a more highly trasmissable strain than Delta, a breakdown of contact tracing, people not isolating, no money left in the Covid fund, essential, services breaking down due to not having the staff. The most affected essential service will be health as there is already a shortage.
We can only have a sensible debate if we all know and agree on definitions and terms. I sincerely doubt this is the case, so we’re guaranteed talking past each other.
Elimination of disease: Reduction to zero of the incidence of a specified disease in a defined geographical area as a result of deliberate efforts; continued intervention measures are required. Example: neonatal tetanus.
Elimination of infections: Reduction to zero of the incidence of infection caused by a specific agent in a defined geographical area as a result of deliberate efforts; continued measures to prevent re-establishment of transmission are required. Example: measles, poliomyelitis.
Indeed….and I think B.H. is correct in his use of terminology (although I disagree with his assessment of the Gov positioning pre current outbreak), we will at some point, probably early,mid next year accept 'control' as our strategy….or at least the Gov will accept it, there will be opposition but I expect that will be insufficient to change the Govs direction.
Yet with elimination also requires our leaders to do more than "manage" what covid throws us. We need to have the confidence that those in charge are also reviewing the strategies. Modifying them from reviews see what works, what requires modification and what has failed . Such review processes appears not to have occurred until we have had this current outbreak, and then changed some processors. I accept some issues will not arise until the "system" is tested, others should have been seen in the planning stages that they would not succeed.
I have heard our PM comment that the delta variation is a game changer. Yet The first case of the Delta variant worldwide was detected in India in October last year. Daily cases surged from around 10,000 in February to more than 414,000 in May 7. And we in NZ have maintained the same game plan e.g. we only tested "several sites in Auckland" when there are 18.
And that is where many here IMO fail to see and become so defensive. That planning needs to be so much better than what it was, and that requires people to question what has been put into place and for those in power to accept that somethings need to change.
I would be reluctant to be too critical…by your own example delta only changed the game at the end of May and we have successfully maintained our border until a week or so ago…it is difficult to plan for all eventualities especially when the potential events are almost infinite.
I'd suggest that given our very limited resources we have done particularly well but we have absolutely no guarantee that we will continue to do so, and that is no reflection on the Gov, they have performed well, if not perfectly….and there is no such thing as perfection,
There is no need for the Gov to be defensive, though that wont stop various interests calling them out
Don't worry about Herodotius' analysis. If it is to do with the current government it is always negative… disguised as an opinion from someone who endeavours to present as an intellectual expert. In short, he/she is a troll.
That you for confirming that there are some here are closed to anything that resembles questioning the government or seeking to improve. Perhaps you could open an eye and look at what is happening in the real world. Or do you think that this government is mistake free and there is no need for any improvement ?
I think there's an implicit assumption in some of the current "questioning" that little to no planning and preparation has occurred in regards to delta. I'm not sure that's the case.
There's also the point that we have a world-leading government in regards to this pandemic. Argue about vax schedules all you want, whether we should have fast-tracked medsafe approval or gone for a collect-the-set approach to purchases of the different vaccines, or thrown more money to try and outbid plaguelands. A total death toll after 18 months of a couple of dozen? That's amazeballs.
So sure, question stuff. If the points are genuinely worthwhile and unlikely to have been considered by the people responsible.
Even better, if you think there's someone in NZ better to be PM or DGHealth or whatever, please name them for consideration. They'd have big shoes to fill, though.
I am on record here of stating that the current government is the best we have as an option, but that it does not mean that it is the best, and that there is not room for improvement. Also I believe that we the public deserve the best that they can provide, and imo that is not the case, not just COVID but housing, health, the environment etc I still think our waste water testing in Auckland was totally inadequate as this was suppose to be an early warning system of COVID being present, we were told that there were measures in place. Devonport is not somewhere on the margins of Auckland- and from my understanding ww from this area was not going to a station that was being tested.
and to have someone like Anne make attacks when she has on this site supported the governments stance on NOT meeting the pay demands of the nurses, from memory commenting that she is ok with the nurses fair pay to take 10 years.
how on earth can the dickhead commentators in the UK and Australia claim NZ is on the wrong path in light of these facts??
and lets check those stats again later when we are similarly vaccinated and all countries are operating under similar conditions, with or without covid on the loose.. lets just see who suffered the most lockdowns and who suffered the most deaths..
I suspect we know what the results will be..
and I suspect we know that the dickhead commentators will again avoid the facts… dickheads..
It typically occurs with an unspecified antecedent, in sentences such as:
"Somebody left their umbrella in the office. Could you please let them know where they can get it?"
"The patient should be told at the outset how much they will be required to pay."
"But a journalist should not be forced to reveal their sources."
The singular they emerged by the 14th century, about a century after the plural they. It has been commonly employed in everyday English ever since then and has gained currency in official contexts. Singular they was criticised since the mid-18th century by prescriptive commentators who considered it an error.
So it's lasted 600 odd years so far, I'd be betting on it sticking around myself.
That is not the same thing at all, arkie. It avoids the inconvenience of having to say 'he or she' or 'his or her' after words like 'everybody'…. and, as you say, has been accepted usage for a long time.
I cannot see the same acceptance being given to referring to one specific person as 'they'.
Well there are three examples of referring to one specific person as they in the quote I provided. The article is on the singular they and can provide you with further examples of singular they being used through 600 years of history.
That's more than enough time for acceptance I would have thought.
Correct, they were all uses of singular they 'with an unspecified antecedent', though that is different from your example of a plural they 'with an unspecified antecedent'.
As to your second example; what if the patient is named Jay Smith, or Robin Smith or any other number of non-gendered names?
Here on this pseudonymous forum many commenters names are not gender specific, I think that presents a pretty fair case for use of the singular they.
I have presented the facts about the 600 year history of the singular they, so with respect, it's not a 'bloody nonsense' and it has lasted and will outlast us both.
Cool – no argument with the examples you gave, but I still think it will not be generally accepted when the antecedent is specified in number and gender.
It won't take much to outlast me – I am getting old!
The ratings of the second season seem to be holding up, though some purists would have preferred to have stopped with the first. Suggestions that the lead role would be better played by Ardern feigning unconcerned detachment, and aping a conventional male presentation style seem misplaced. Especially with Bloomfield already excelling in that role.
Detractors seem mostly concerned that spoilers are not readily available pre-screening. However, given that episodes are; generally live tweeted, and synopses are widely distributed after airing, these criticisms seem rather churlish.
<blockquote>
Set in a dystopian world where autocratic and populist leaders are in charge of the USA, China, UK, Brazil and many other nations. 1pm Daily Update takes place in the imaginary island nation of New Zealand, a utopian society where science, facts, strong leadership and a genuine care for its people and environment take precedence over money and big business.
First thought was that if health professionals who care for those with Covid have decided not to get vaccinated, then surely they have their own reasons? They are after all qualified in the area of healthcare.
Making vaccination madatory seems to me like it risks those clinicians walking away from front line care. It's not like we have an abundance of doctors as nurses in NZ.
“Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed he has asked health officials for advice on making the Pfizer vaccine mandatory for health workers in contact with confirmed Covid-19 cases, including in hospitals.
Such policy wasn’t on the table before the highly infectious Delta strain forced a rethink of how to protect the country. It would be a “last resort”, Hipkins told the Herald.
“We currently encourage all frontline healthcare workers to be vaccinated. This is a group that has been eligible to be vaccinated since the beginning of the rollout to Group 2 [in March].”
[Despite several attempts by several Moderators to get your attention to the Moderation of your comment, you have refused to acknowledge and engage with it. You are wasting Moderator time. I have no time to keep monitoring you and trying to get your attention.
For those of you with time on your hands in lockdown, I highly recommend Helen Kelly, her Life by Rebecca Mackie. Not sure if its possible to purchase and download, but if you can, do.
it’s an outstanding book and includes the background stories of Pat and Cath Kelly, Helens parents. It also details the impact of Rogernomics and the despicable employment contracts on working people of NZ and the resulting demise of Trade Unions.
The book captures the extraordinary leader and woman Helen was. Driven, determined, deeply compassionate and committed to working people.
I was given a cardigan a few months ago what a marvelous garment ive scarcely taken it off since frequently wearing it to bed then waking up feeling half cooked !Its made by a company called mcdonalds and contains mulberry silk ,possum and marino wool.Dont kill possums for nothing people theyre far too valuable imo
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For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti. Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
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Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
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Opinion
The trouble with the Wuhan virus is that it’s neither one thing nor the other!
If, on the one hand, it was as mild a disease as the flu (though the flu kills 500 people a year in this country, which figure surprised me) then fws like Alan Jones on Sky News Australia (I’m not going to link!) would be right in saying we need to learn to live with it. The flu has detrimental effects on the old and compromised, but, by and large, we all recover with few lasting after effects.
Not so Covid-19. It was shocking to learn a child under 1 has the virus in NZ, and there have been plenty of cases world-wide of young and seemingly healthy people being killed by the disease. Then there’s the phenomenon called long-covid, which seems to have debilitating effects for months. Few people suffer, but for those who do, it’s not nice!
On the other hand, if the virus had a death rate approaching that of the Black Death of the 1340s in Europe, or the Great Plague of 1665 in London – around 30% mortality, then our government’s commendable actions would seem mild and inviting disaster. (Not that I wish the virus to be more virulent!)
Because the death rate of Covid-19 is so relatively low it allows right whingers to rabbit on about the economy. It also allows the anti-vax nutbars a platform to voice their cranky views.
As an old time leftie (I would probably nationalise anything that moved and harness it to the service of the people) I have been, I admit, a little disappointed by the lack of ‘socialist fervour’ displayed by our government, but cannot fault their overall performance in containing this virus.
I posted this quote yesterday (a screen-shot, I think, of a FB page on a Twitter post – no idea how to copy and past that into Open Mike) but I think it’s worth repeating:
Ciaran Irvine said:
"The right wing media here (and also in the rest of the world) NEED Jacinda to fail at this – because how she has handled Covid indicts them all as not just clueless spoofers but in many countries actual mass murderers,
"The Right has been utterly, catastrophically, psychotically Wrong all over the world at every single step of this pandemic, so Aotearoa's success thus far infuriates them and they NEED us to fail."
We may not be so lucky when the next pandemic shakes the world up.
Not a lot to take issue with there.
I can acknowledge the attempts at change made by the government: increases in minimum wage, the improvement in pensions.
However, the problems seem to arise amongst those who are charged with implementing any reform. They appear to be stuck in this neo-liberal mindset. Hospitals and DHBs having CEOs and sub contracting important parts of the work force.
As an example, our local DHB resisted issuing scrubs to front line staff for a long time in the first lockdown. Shortage of stock was cited as an excuse. This time round the policy is to wait until Covid is identified in the district before scrubs are available.
This arrogance is akin to folk who don't scan or wear masks, because they know better.
This is all about a balance sheet. The DHB bears the cost of laundering. Whereas public health should be the lens through which these decisions are made. Less of ‘The machine that goes bing’ ala Monty Python.
Back to your wider point, we are needing to have a korero about the short and medium term future and what life in Aotearoa looks like in 2025.
It is depressing that people want us to fail (deaths, life long illness, overflowing hospitals) for political reasons.
Yep, Scomo and others seem to believe this Delta outbreak in NZ is (somehow) a validation of their beliefs, and so are hoping NZ doesn't get on top of the outbreak. They would prefer NZ to be a NSW, not a SA or WA – depressing and revealing.
I believe the tragic Covid-19 death toll is a validation of the Govt's virus elimination strategy, and the Team of (nearly) Five Million's has (again) responded magnificently.
Keep it out, Stamp it out
Unite against COVID-19
https://covid19.govt.nz/
And for personal coping reasons, I suspect.
I don't mean the full nutbar brigade. But if your dad died of it last year while you were convincing yourself that masks were an overreaction and it was fine to go to that football match and take shortcuts with isolation, then a country eliminating delta means that dad might have died of a preventable disease rather than an irresistable act of god.
Our local Fifth Columnists, enemy within, want us to fail more than most.
We've had sabotage, we certainly have had disinformation. I don't think, we have had any espionage, executed by sympathisers of an external force embarrassed by our success, and wanting us to fail. (Unless you count the people parading with QAnon signs at a Billy TK anti-lockdown rally, as "sympathisers of an external force").
I think Jacinda needs to stop with the hand-wringing, over-earnest, exaggerated caring manner. It has become cringe-worthy. And is putting people off, as they can't bear to watch or listen.
Maybe peel that style back to a more open, clear, fresh straight-eyed manner, through which Jacinda's genuine caring kindness will still shine through.
2c for the start of the day
It does come through that the PM has kindness as a personal core value.
The core values of the government managing Covid is what the population in NZ trust. The government have a good track record and a hell of a job to do.
I agree, the PM seems to be less 'stage managed' than a lot of her ilk- Collins and Bridges for example.
The lack of involvement by Labour MPs in 'National's many issues' last election was refreshing.
Of course , unless maybe she genuinely cares and not being a fake means that fact shows on her face.?
Yeh sounds like she is being asked to fake being a fake.
Right on. Same with the constant harping from so many sources on the emotional angle. It's intellectually dishonest.
Just give us the news, information and analysis.
I'll decide how i feel about it – it doesn't need to be orchestrated.
But how are we to know what to think if Jenny May Coffin doesn't show us she's sad every morning?
Like goldsmiths piece in granny on the education system they spent 3 terms screwing over.
The hypocrisy is palpable and the attack angles multiple
I put up a post just after 6am but appear to have run into a moderation problem?
One word triggered Auto-Moderation. Just be patient until a Moderator releases it.
https://thekaka.substack.com/p/why-elimination-will-have-to-end
Kite is flying…what way is the wind blowing?
Southward
NW here
Well incognito at least is claiming to be sane.
You are, I fear, admitting to insanity. A wind from the NW indeed. Did you never see Hamlet when you were at school? As he put it
"I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw."
Lol…I may well be….and Shakespeare I can happily live without
I afraid I couldn't resist it. It was the combination of the two wind directions that you and icognito had chosen that set me off. One I could have ignored but not the combination. It isn't meant to be a comment on any views that you might have expressed of course.
Except you opinion of Shakespeare though. I felt the same way when I was at school but I changed when I saw them acted rather than as something to study. The best was a performance of Macbeth held outside in the evening in the You Yangs, a National Park near Melbourne. No props, just the granite outcrops as a background to the performance. Magnificent.
I guess you had to be there
True, that.
One of the things I love about theatre and other performing arts is that it's a medium that only exists in the moment, and that moment is unpredictable in duration. Any part done well is over in an instant, but a short performance done badly takes an eternity…
Sorry, alwyn, but you have erred most grievously on quoting Northern hemisphere winds here in NZ. As a yachtsman, I learned long ago that as regards high pressure, low pressure, cyclones and anti-cyclones, everything in the Southern hemisphere is the opposite of the Northern hemisphere.
So here in Godzone, a wind from the NW will do the opposite of what it does in Europe.
Nice try, though.
(It’s a bit like the Coriolis effect causing bathtub water to spin the opposite way in each hemisphere when exiting via the plughole with no outside interference, like one of us deliberately spinning it the other way..
Now who would spin things a certain way??)
I suggest that you take it up with Shakespeare. He wrote the words after all.
The wind was figurative and so was the direction. You know when things go South means, don’t you? I don’t think that Will gave it that meaning though.
Well I know what it means, in these modern days. As I said though I simply couldn't resist making my comment after you used south and pat used north-west.
I'm not sure about In Vino though. It may foreign to him.
I would certainly agree that The Bard was very unlikely to have used "south" with that meaning. The phrase was apparently used for the first time about 300 years after his death.
"When the expression “go south” first appeared in the early 20th century".
https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/go/words/word-of-the-week-metaphorically-going-south-has-changed-through-history/article_70166330-e2ed-5d7a-9cba-b2d96a4735d1.html
ps I see pat commented, a greay deal more succinctly, while I was composing this.
In Shakespeare's time they knew the world was round, but had no idea of differing weather patterns in the Southern hemisphere.
alwyn should have known this and allowed for it in his almost-creditable witticism.
He came to the end of his wit.
Apparently its a 19th century idiom, so a little after Shakespeares time
Nah screw that. Elimination and tight border control has been hard but it's saved us from an absolute disaster. We are on the right track. Kia kaha Fortress NZ
What is going to end elimination in NZ?
High vaccination, a more highly trasmissable strain than Delta, a breakdown of contact tracing, people not isolating, no money left in the Covid fund, essential, services breaking down due to not having the staff. The most affected essential service will be health as there is already a shortage.
Edit transmissible.
We can only have a sensible debate if we all know and agree on definitions and terms. I sincerely doubt this is the case, so we’re guaranteed talking past each other.
https://gh.bmj.com/content/6/8/e006810
Good link Incognito. Eradication is the best solution to aim at. To hell with the right wing cult of death
it is only the right wing redneck country leaders who failed with elimination who claim elimination can't work … funnily enough… doh
… and as always they drag the rest of the populace down with them
… enough with right wing redneck leaders
Elimination has worked for us to date…..that dosnt mean that it will to continue to do so or even continue to be acceptable to the majority.
Yet with elimination also requires our leaders to do more than "manage" what covid throws us. We need to have the confidence that those in charge are also reviewing the strategies. Modifying them from reviews see what works, what requires modification and what has failed . Such review processes appears not to have occurred until we have had this current outbreak, and then changed some processors. I accept some issues will not arise until the "system" is tested, others should have been seen in the planning stages that they would not succeed.
I have heard our PM comment that the delta variation is a game changer. Yet The first case of the Delta variant worldwide was detected in India in October last year. Daily cases surged from around 10,000 in February to more than 414,000 in May 7. And we in NZ have maintained the same game plan e.g. we only tested "several sites in Auckland" when there are 18.
And that is where many here IMO fail to see and become so defensive. That planning needs to be so much better than what it was, and that requires people to question what has been put into place and for those in power to accept that somethings need to change.
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/covid-19-wastewater-testing
I would be reluctant to be too critical…by your own example delta only changed the game at the end of May and we have successfully maintained our border until a week or so ago…it is difficult to plan for all eventualities especially when the potential events are almost infinite.
I'd suggest that given our very limited resources we have done particularly well but we have absolutely no guarantee that we will continue to do so, and that is no reflection on the Gov, they have performed well, if not perfectly….and there is no such thing as perfection,
There is no need for the Gov to be defensive, though that wont stop various interests calling them out
Don't worry about Herodotius' analysis. If it is to do with the current government it is always negative… disguised as an opinion from someone who endeavours to present as an intellectual expert. In short, he/she is a troll.
What!…me worry?
Not meant to be taken literally.
That you for confirming that there are some here are closed to anything that resembles questioning the government or seeking to improve. Perhaps you could open an eye and look at what is happening in the real world. Or do you think that this government is mistake free and there is no need for any improvement ?
I think there's an implicit assumption in some of the current "questioning" that little to no planning and preparation has occurred in regards to delta. I'm not sure that's the case.
There's also the point that we have a world-leading government in regards to this pandemic. Argue about vax schedules all you want, whether we should have fast-tracked medsafe approval or gone for a collect-the-set approach to purchases of the different vaccines, or thrown more money to try and outbid plaguelands. A total death toll after 18 months of a couple of dozen? That's amazeballs.
So sure, question stuff. If the points are genuinely worthwhile and unlikely to have been considered by the people responsible.
Even better, if you think there's someone in NZ better to be PM or DGHealth or whatever, please name them for consideration. They'd have big shoes to fill, though.
I am on record here of stating that the current government is the best we have as an option, but that it does not mean that it is the best, and that there is not room for improvement. Also I believe that we the public deserve the best that they can provide, and imo that is not the case, not just COVID but housing, health, the environment etc I still think our waste water testing in Auckland was totally inadequate as this was suppose to be an early warning system of COVID being present, we were told that there were measures in place. Devonport is not somewhere on the margins of Auckland- and from my understanding ww from this area was not going to a station that was being tested.
and to have someone like Anne make attacks when she has on this site supported the governments stance on NOT meeting the pay demands of the nurses, from memory commenting that she is ok with the nurses fair pay to take 10 years.
US, Australia, NZ and UK
Ausie
1739 cases 38 death per million
NZ
611 cases 5 death per million
UK
95,986 cases , 1,931 deaths
US
116,704 cases, 1944 deaths
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
how on earth can the dickhead commentators in the UK and Australia claim NZ is on the wrong path in light of these facts??
and lets check those stats again later when we are similarly vaccinated and all countries are operating under similar conditions, with or without covid on the loose.. lets just see who suffered the most lockdowns and who suffered the most deaths..
I suspect we know what the results will be..
and I suspect we know that the dickhead commentators will again avoid the facts… dickheads..
Yes Dick head is a very gentle description in my view.
And apparently Trump was booed at a rally for promotion of vaccination!!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/300390673/donald-trump-booed-at-alabama-rally-after-encouraging-crowd-to-get-covid19-vaccine
Alabama
per million
135,7592 cases
447 deaths
I trust Greywarshark is keeping ok, I haven't seen anything from them for a while.
I think they found a new home over at TDB.
Ahh, ta.
For heaven's sake – 'they' is plural. Give up on that bloody nonsense. It will not last.
When in Rome …
You aren't in Rome. You are on a little country at the bottom of the world, luckily for you. (Until just lately – hoping for status quo to hold.)
Lucky. My Italian sucks.
Que?
There's an appropriate Blackadder line somewhere…
Cunning …
It’s a saying, but you know this.
Actually, I’m in my lounge catching up with the daily news before I can chill out.
So it's lasted 600 odd years so far, I'd be betting on it sticking around myself.
That is not the same thing at all, arkie. It avoids the inconvenience of having to say 'he or she' or 'his or her' after words like 'everybody'…. and, as you say, has been accepted usage for a long time.
I cannot see the same acceptance being given to referring to one specific person as 'they'.
Well there are three examples of referring to one specific person as they in the quote I provided. The article is on the singular they and can provide you with further examples of singular they being used through 600 years of history.
That's more than enough time for acceptance I would have thought.
With respect, (as Winston used to love to say) all three examples you used were non-specific in gender and identity, just like my example 'everybody'.
If the patient were specifically named 'John Smith' nobody would say 'they' instead of 'he'.
Correct, they were all uses of singular they 'with an unspecified antecedent', though that is different from your example of a plural they 'with an unspecified antecedent'.
As to your second example; what if the patient is named Jay Smith, or Robin Smith or any other number of non-gendered names?
Here on this pseudonymous forum many commenters names are not gender specific, I think that presents a pretty fair case for use of the singular they.
I have presented the facts about the 600 year history of the singular they, so with respect, it's not a 'bloody nonsense' and it has lasted and will outlast us both.
Cool – no argument with the examples you gave, but I still think it will not be generally accepted when the antecedent is specified in number and gender.
It won't take much to outlast me – I am getting old!
The ratings of the second season seem to be holding up, though some purists would have preferred to have stopped with the first. Suggestions that the lead role would be better played by Ardern feigning unconcerned detachment, and aping a conventional male presentation style seem misplaced. Especially with Bloomfield already excelling in that role.
Detractors seem mostly concerned that spoilers are not readily available pre-screening. However, given that episodes are; generally live tweeted, and synopses are widely distributed after airing, these criticisms seem rather churlish.
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt12511606/
Imaginary utopia leads brave new world invisibly away from 1984 in spite of massive drone deployments. . .
o.m.g.
That's fecking amazing.
The other one I saw today was this:
[img only link]
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E9mWhxBVcAISDSj?format=jpg&name=large
https://twitter.com/glocks75/status/1430339867083304963/photo/1
First thought was that if health professionals who care for those with Covid have decided not to get vaccinated, then surely they have their own reasons? They are after all qualified in the area of healthcare.
Making vaccination madatory seems to me like it risks those clinicians walking away from front line care. It's not like we have an abundance of doctors as nurses in NZ.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/exclusive-mandatory-vaccination-considered-for-health-workers-treating-covid-19-patients/2WYUESH326UI3COGKANOQEHTTY/
Edit: forgot it was paywalled, adding quote
“Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed he has asked health officials for advice on making the Pfizer vaccine mandatory for health workers in contact with confirmed Covid-19 cases, including in hospitals.
Such policy wasn’t on the table before the highly infectious Delta strain forced a rethink of how to protect the country. It would be a “last resort”, Hipkins told the Herald.
“We currently encourage all frontline healthcare workers to be vaccinated. This is a group that has been eligible to be vaccinated since the beginning of the rollout to Group 2 [in March].”
[Despite several attempts by several Moderators to get your attention to the Moderation of your comment, you have refused to acknowledge and engage with it. You are wasting Moderator time. I have no time to keep monitoring you and trying to get your attention.
Banned for three weeks – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 10:38 am.
Rather Ardern's Mormon kindness than Mortlock's toxic, white bread evangelicalism.
https://twitter.com/davidfarrier/status/1430235729079115776
https://www.webworm.co/p/worshipping-at-the-church-of-anti
If you haven’t already discovered Jonathan Pie…
https://youtu.be/_buiAGqcy7s
On my box of disposable marks, (the ones with a blue side and a white side) I could not see which side needs to be worn closest to the nose and mouth.
Does anyone know if it makes a difference which side is closest to your face?
white side to face
I looked at where the elastic was placed and it is smoother on the white side.
I have been wearing blue side to face.
lol…why doesn't that surprise me!
Here you go.
https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/does-surgical-mask-orientation-affect-its-ability-capture-viruses/
Thanks for that.
Wearing either side closest to the mouth face will be sufficient to stop the shouts of 'wear a mask' and strange looks in public.
Breathing through my mouth when wearing a mask stops my glasses from fogging up. At least I can now see people I would want to avoid.
Fogging: the eternal foe.
Wearing masks as high up the bridge of the nose as possible (under the glasses) seems to help, but then my chin starts popping out the bottom.
I did manage to work out to not put the mask on upside down as there is only one end which has the wire to mold the mask on the bridge of the nose.
Edit: I have worn a mask upside down.
Rosemary posted this a few days ago. My partner walked past while I was watching and said, "That's what I do to stop my glasses fogging up."
Worth a trial, if that's an issue:
https://youtu.be/5P0AVeX19Gk
I did see the other video on viral load, the immune vitamins and breathing exercises by the same woman. I appreciate the link.
I was given a cardigan a few months ago what a marvelous garment ive scarcely taken it off since frequently wearing it to bed then waking up feeling half cooked !Its made by a company called mcdonalds and contains mulberry silk ,possum and marino wool.Dont kill possums for nothing people theyre far too valuable imo