Professor Sharon Peacock, the director of Public Health England's National Infection Service, told MPs the kits were in the final stages of testing at a laboratory in Oxford and could be approved for mass distribution by the end of this week.
That and other anti-body tests are what will eventually kill the spread first, with antivirals and then vaccines. It will be interesting on what the max time is between exposure, initial infection and antibodies.
But the tests will be at least month away from any real levels of distribution. It takes time to scale up any kind of mass distribution. But if it works ok, then I suspect that there will be a big push to replicate it.
Yes, this is quite promising. I was just about to link to the same article.
and i like that they patentend the valves and then liberated the blue prints so everyone can print these valves. Also good on Decathlon for supplying the diving mask.
Transit is the issue. We mostly transit through Singapore and Hong Kong for most destinations. Singapore has largely shut transit. So has Hong Kong. Planes have a lot of range but it has limits and the limit is if you can land and refuel to get back again.
We are long way from anywhere apart from aussie and the islands.
Basically there was a reasonable level of warning. Some people didn't heed it.
Oh. 🙁
That’s a pity. I didn’t think about transits/fuel
Thought it was just a matter of organising between officials. It was a fast developing situation and bound to catch some of us out. Can’t help but worry for those caught overseas in places like Sri Lanka.
well he crowned himself bishop, so obviously he will have what ever doctorates he will need.
he too will kill people, just as the prosperity preachers do in the US. After all the man has bills to pay so the flock needs to hand over 10% of that sweet government money that they received in order to tide them over.
A grifter is gonna grift. Those harleys don't come cheap.
Rapper M.I.A. has revealed she is anti-vaccination and would 'choose death' over getting a coronavirus vaccination amid the ongoing pandemic.
The Paper Planes hitmaker, 44, declared her stance on vaccinations and expressed her regret at being 'made to' vaccinate her son, 11, before he started school in a series of tweets on Wednesday.
The musician, real name Mathangi Arulpragasam, wrote: 'If I have to choose the vaccine or chip I'm gonna choose death.'
""Satan has control of atmospheres unless you're a born-again, Jesus-loving, bible-believing, Holy Ghost-filled, tithe-paying believer," Bishop Tamaki said on Sunday morning."
From my contact who lives in the Coromandel: last couple of days a lot of people have arrived to stay in their holiday homes for the lock down. My contact is not bothered by this as they will not be mixing with them and are all prepared to stay at home.
Some of the arrivees live in apartments in the city, so it is understandable, but others don't and they would be better off in the city. Coromandel emergency services are already stretched and if these city-dwellers had an emergency, they'd be better off in the city.
The permanent population of the Coromandel is around 30,000. Over the summer months that population swells by around 100,000. Every year. I know when our local emergency services are busy because the siren sounds 3 – 4 times a day to call in the volunteers. Over the past week we have not heard the siren at all. There has not been a helicopter flying urgent cases out of the hospital. I visited my beach property this past week to do some preparatory maintenance before the shut down. There were far fewer people about than over the summer months. I spoke to my doctor just this week to delay my 1/2 yearly WOF, and confirm my 3 monthly prescriptions, and they are now doing consultations over the phone where possible. My friend who is a public health nurse has only had a staff of 2 for some time now and has a community to service from Te Aroha across to Waihi and north, and she is certainly run off her feet. But she has been for some time. Those moving in to holiday baches for the duration would be unlikely to be adding to her burden, if they were needing constant care I'm sure people would be remaining at their primary place of residence. Serious injuries are not handled at the Thames Base Hospital, all major surgery is immediately transferred to Hamilton after triage.
My sister-in-law, is in her seventies and at home with cold so I delivered food and panadol to her on Tuesday morning. She has sold her house, with a settlement date for next Friday, and will be moving into a unit in a Somerset retirement village in Hamilton. Tuesday afternoon, the real estate agent arrived and booted her out of the house for an hour while they did the final inspection. She drove down the road, still ill, and sat in her car until they texted her that they had left.
I had suggested that she get in touch with her lawyer and confirm that both deals are postponed until after the lockdown – however long that may be, and then make sure she is alright for the duration.
After calling this morning to see how she was going, she informs me that she has been unable to speak to her lawyer, but the office rang her to go in and sign some papers. When I asked what they were for, she said she didn't really know, and that the associate was unable to provide any information.
She also received a phone call yesterday from the retirement village, saying that they will be sending the scheduled movers to her place next Wednesday to pack and move her from Auckland to Hamilton. When I said this would not be regarded as an essential service, she said the retirement home said that they were an essential service and so the move would be permissible. I asked if she really wanted several people in her home touching all her stuff, which she would then have to unpack, and move during the lockdown. She said – not really. And so, I had to convince her that she has a right to stay where she is and advise her lawyer to postpone the settlement of both deals. My partner, who works in transport – reinforced that despite retirement homes being essential services – moving to one would be unlikely to be included in that criteria.
I am hoping she now has some confidence in dealing with this stressful situation in an already stressful time for her.
I consider she is being failed by three professional services at present. Her real estate company, her lawyer and the retirement village.
(In contrast, another experience, from a work colleague of my partner, had his lawyer ring him the same day as the Alert 4 notice to say – don’t worry, house settlement is on hold until the lockdown is over).
She is fairly independent and healthy, and the most we can do is give her some information and/or ammunition to deal with unreasonable or uncomfortable requests. Although it is very frustrating, to have your exceptional advice ignored, hah!, she is capable of making her own decisions and can make those choices and deal with the consequences.
As for the agent, they probably called her as they came over. It wouldn't occur to her to say "No, not at this time".
"New guidelines issued by the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand said owners and tenants would not be able to move into or out of properties during the lock-down period and the Auckland District Law Society had recommended that all settlements be deferred until after the lock-down is lifted."
If you are ok with advocating for her, is it possible to do conference calls, between her the resthome/lawyer, with you sitting in on the call? All she would need to do is tell them she gives her consent for you to be present as your advocate.
That way she can still make decisions etc, and you could speak up if you felt something was being overlooked or distorted.
It's really cool that she is able to share with you what's happening to her, that's so awesome. Like it’s obvious she values your advice, so she might be quite open to the advocate idea.
Thanks, Cinny. She knows that we will step in for her, and I think she will ask if she gets distressed. But there is a fine line between being helpful and being overbearing – and it's one I try to keep note of. She is – in normal circumstances – very independent. Although, these are not normal times.
Hope you and your girls are doing well with your plans.
That's good to hear Molly, yay, cheers for the update, so good it's working out for her.
The girls and I are having daily games of scrabble and they are loving it, thanks 🙂 They haven't left the house since Sunday, I'm contemplating take them out for a walk, the beach is a block away, so I figure that's a walk around the block, masks on girls, anti bacterial spray in our pockets 🙂 Hope all is well for you too.
Quick update: After phone calls to numerous relatives, she has been reassured and has accepted that she is to stay put for the duration. Which has almost removed any anxiety from the situation. So, the persuasive power of a wealth of similar advice from non-legal persons has a silver lining sometimes. (The lawyer is still to return the message left for them on Tuesday. )
The second thing he says is "govt/civil service that is competent, prepared, deserving of our trust and is actually trusted"
Unfortunately we seem to have a Police Commissioner who believes he is Wyatt Earp. Did you hear him on Morning Report this morning?
I was absolutely appalled by the what he was saying. I think he should be relieved of his duties until he can demonstrate that he has read and understood what we are allowed to do.
This morning he seemed more like a character out of a B-grade Western movie. He had the “I am the law in Dodge City” approach.
For example he seemed to think no one should be out of their home and that somehow using an ATM was a forbidden activity.
What does the official website say? You can
“Access essential services, like buying groceries, or going to a bank or pharmacy.
Go to work if you work for an essential service.
Go for a walk, or exercise and enjoy nature.”
What is using an ATM except going to a bank?
Just listen to the man. https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018740208
I have decided to keep a copy of the material on the official website with me when I go out for my daily exercise. I have to drive there because I live on a hill in Wellington and walking, other than on the flat, is very difficult. I am, on the other hand only too willing to keep a safe distance from other people. Indeed, if a Policeman approaches me, I plan on ordering him to stay at least 2 metres away from me and I will show him id but I am not going to let him touch it. Why should I get this disease because the Police Commissioner hasn’t told his staff how to do their job properly?
[please provide a time stamp for this “For example he seemed to think no one should be out of their home and that somehow using an ATM was a forbidden activity.”. In premod until that happens – weka]
I haven't listened to him but you are correct Alwyn, basically we can do anything as long as we keep our distance, and I laughed at the keeping the police at a distance too. I'm in South Dunedin, just took kids for walk to park and back, people about, all walking around each other, fairly cheerful, friendly. Take care mate.
Hope the kids didn't use any play equipment at the park. If so, an educational chat and Police warning would be in order. And no, you can't do anything as long as you keep your distance.
You're right, I only can go for walk, go to chemist, supermarket, vets, go check on my gran, go see my designated friend, check and exercise my horse, go to my workplace, drop off and pick up my kid, that's all.
Can I see my family and friends during the lockdown?
From 11.59pm "everyone must stay at home unless they are working in essential services", Government Controller John Ombler said during yesterday's press conference.
He said that meant no socialising with people outside their households.
"The police (and the army, if needed to support the police) are empowered to order any person to stop any activity that contributes to the current emergency – essentially, spreading Covid-19 in the community. Government ministers may set aside virtually any legislative provision that becomes impracticable to apply while the epidemic is in force."
Bush did sound a bit hard-line. I guess it was a psychological play to knock people into line early on – rather than have to try and put the lid on later if people start out by flouting the rules.
You seem to cause disquiet often. I couldn't understand why you have found yourself at odds with a Policeman.
He did not hand you a baby blanket. Was that the problem ?
Why don't you get in touch with your excellent friends – Sir John Key (experienced in touching ); Sir William English (experienced in settling issues with female staff ); and Paula Bennett ( expert at releasing any, I mean any, private material ).
She maybe able to take you in person to that outstanding Simon Bridges, trained in numerous Universities both in the Northern Hemisphere and apparently has strong roots in China. Well established in Law, and nearly perfect in speech. He could get you up the Hill in Wellington . When he is not counting out his bit of National money.
Taking into account a large number of New Zealanders see "laws, rules and regulations" more like "suggestions" at best, a strong wording at the start of the lockdown sounds sensible to me. And I'm definitely not a supporter of strong authority / heavy hand etc.
It's easier to loosen things up a bit, when it works well, then tighten things up, when required.
Prosecutions for repeat offenders, can enter buildings if they think gatherings are being held…all framed with the expectation most people have complied anyway.
Seemed pretty laid back to me given it is a nationwide quarantine. Most stressy part was the interviewer pushing for answers around armed checkpoints which don't seem to be on table yet.
The Commissioner sounds pretty tame alwyn – explaining expectations, outlining the consequences and generally fulfilling the requirements of his role. Some of those at risk of idiots who want to cause an extended shut-down would rather the NZ Police adopted the tactics of the Indian Police. Beat the hell out of suspected transgressors, no explanations, questions or warnings.
I bet you still have happy memories of the great days of the Red Squad. Is the Commissioner bound by the rules the Government has laid down, as I quoted, or is he at liberty do order his troops to do anything he wants? Is he above the law?
Red Squad, unrestrained powers of a Commissioner, ordering Police to act with disregard of the law, not allowing people to use ATMs? Most of us are more concerned with reality and stopping the ravages of a pandemic and haven't too much time for those who want warm fuzzies from the backstop put there by the Government to constrain fools. Go join your kindred spirits on Bondi Beach – they'll love you there.
I, for one, am shocked and appalled at this situation. Several comments into a thread about police gone amok and Alwyn has not yet raised the spectre of the police commissioner personally performing summary executions upon people who just wanted to use an ATM. In this time of worry and tribulation we need everyone to perform at their best, including the tory pearl-clutchers. /sarc
Chill out, dude. If you're genuinely worried, get cash out at the supermarket.
Exercise isn't meant to be easy. Walk on your hill. If the baby jesus had wanted you to exercise on the flat he wouldn't have out of his bounty given you a hillside residence.
I've heard him twice today and got the Wyatt Earp feeling too. Two things calmed me.
The first was thinking about the first antenatal classes I went to years ago. I felt for the woman taking it. She had a disparate group to inform. A wide group of ages 40ish to 16ish, a couple of teachers, a lawyer, a couple of shop assistants, a 17 year old who exhibited signs of not knowing how she became pregnant. How to pitch the message to such a group?
Second was thinking about other life saving measures we have and how messages of those are received, understood and acted on. Don't drink and drive, wear a seat belt, don't use a mobile while driving don't go too fast, drive to the conditions. What could you say and how could you say it? How should you say it?
To me the tone of the Commissioner made him sound a bit of a wooden plonker. Some of what he said made it sound like he thought we were plonkers. A lot of us are.
I thought about his 'style' and while thinking it was one I didn't find ideal I guess others would find it just right. I'm sure as hell pleased I don't have his job.
I've seen a few people comment in various places that this is mostly about the risk of creating unnecessary rescue callouts, but I think there's far more to it than that.
The government messaging about this has changed a lot in the last couple of days. That's probably a direct response to so many people asking and talking about how they can find loopholes to get away with doing whatever it is they want to do, so long as [blah blah 2 metres blah blah]. It's obvious that lots of people out there still want to convince themselves that stuff they want to do is perfectly okay, according to their own interpretation. It should frighten all of us if we're letting anyone and everyone interpret this as they want to, because that undermines the whole point.
A solo tramp or going hunting or going fishing might be technically okay if it were carried out perfectly, but that sidesteps the point. Allowing exceptions to the general and simple rule creates new problems. Every time someone acts like they're getting an exception, other people expect it should also apply to them. The messaging and the enforcement become orders of magnitude harder, and confusion increases.
There's a big responsibility we all have here, to lead by example, so that other people have less ammo for rationalising their own excuses to bend rules. Trying to rationalise loopholes, undermines the whole effort of getting the population to do something consistent for extremely important reasons.
I am in the food business, so yeah, food poisoning and such is an issue in any commercial kitchen and thus we are all a bit 'special' when it comes to scrubbing down our kitchens. Its one of the professional traumas that come with making food for public consumption.
however, you can just feel free to ignore anything that is posted by me in regards to food safety and handling and only do what you feel comfortable, but it has been established that the virus is quite happily living on certain surfaces and that no matter what you bring in from the supermarket will be as safe as the food control plan implemented by the supermarket and executed by the staff. 🙂
I, too, have been round food preperation and service most my life. When the hand wash message was being hammered, I was thinking ' surely y'all do this already?'
I hope post outbreak, folk will keep washing hands thoroughly.
Speaking of sanitiser: I use a 70% methylated spirits 30% water in a spray bottle as a contact sanitiser for my home brew equipment. Would work for most surfaces.
bleach will do and i have a liter of 60% cointreau cooking alcohol that i happily donate to the cause.
I finished scrubbing my kitchen down, first with very hot soapy water and then with a 70% bleach/30% water solution.
coffee now and then on to the bathroom/toilet as these are the areas that i think will be most sensitive.
I consider myself sick and quarantined, and thus will stay home for the 4 weeks. I have enough food to cook several big boil ups that should get us through this. No fancy meals, but good wholesome home cooked food.
i did splash some money tho on potting mix and compost to supplement mine and will tomorrow spend getting my veggie patch winter ready.
And yeah, quite a few home brewers and distillers are currently making sanitizer.
You have diluted the meths by about 40% making it useless against C-19 only 72% i.e pure meths or other alcohol is strong enough apparently to do the job. This shit isn't salmonella.
On Saturday I started notifying physicians and other staff at our hospital that they have contracted COVID. Today- we called more employees in one day than I have called the last three days combined. I spoke with sick physicians, scared staff who have put themselves on the front line to save all of you. I know eventually some healthcare workers will need to be admitted to the hospital, some may need intensive care…
Our hospital is filling up. We have expanded the number of ICU's. We are expanding the number of COVID floor units to take optimal care of our patients.
We are on calls daily to increase our physician and nursing teams to care for an ever increasing number of patients, while some are "on the bench" because they have fallen ill with COVID. We are cycling teams trying to maintain staffing, preserving our staff, and trying to keep everyone healthy.
We have doctors making hard decisions about time while they are on hospital service for 2 weeks at a time. I have to decide if I will live away from my family when I am on hospital service so that I do not expose them (including one with asthma and one on immunosuppressants). Know that your healthcare providers are making many sacrifices at this time, working extremely long hours, time away from family, and worrying that it is still not going to be enough. We are running as fast as we can and we can't keep up.
I know everyone is making sacrifices and I thank you. Please shelter in place. This will last a few months. check in with your family and friends via FaceTime or Zoom meetings. Take one trip to the grocery store per week. Help us help you.
[USA] With the FDIC now playing calming piano music in the background as they urge people not to take their money out of banks, I'd say we are on the verge of a rather spectacular corporate bond market collapse or it's been happening in the background.
The bond market is significantly bigger than the sharemarket where most people's focus is directed.
When depositing money in a bank it is considered an unsecured loan to the bank. If the bank was going under due to massive corporate bond write off's why continue taking the risk? Not like those deposits are earning much in the way of interest.
A nationwide shortage of two drugs touted as possible treatments for the coronavirus is being driven in part by doctors inappropriately prescribing the medicines for family, friends and themselves, according to pharmacists and state regulators.
“It’s disgraceful, is what it is,” said Garth Reynolds, executive director of the Illinois Pharmacists Association, which started getting calls and emails Saturday from members saying they were receiving questionable prescriptions. “And completely selfish.”
Demand for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine surged over the past several days as President Donald Trump promoted them as possible treatments for the coronavirus and online forums buzzed with excitement over a small study suggesting the combination of hydroxychloroquine and a commonly used antibiotic could be effective in treating COVID-19.
Reynolds said the Illinois Pharmacists Association has started reaching out to pharmacists and medical groups throughout the state to urge doctors, nurses and physician assistants not to write prescriptions for themselves and those close to them.
You seriously have to wonder where and how those doctors, nurses and physician assistants got their ‘qualifications’. Perhaps it was at Trump University.
A question for standardistas. My employer has just confirmed that they will be paying us the Covid 19 wage subsidy during the period we are closed for the lockdown. On top of that they also say they will be using our annual leave to top up wages/salaries to 80%. I thought that the government had said that annual leave could only be used in this way if agreed by both parties? Can anyone advise me? Can’t find any info online.
If an employee, who is required to self-isolate under Ministry of Health guidelines for COVID-19, can’t practicably work from home, then special paid leave should be considered. Other forms of paid leave can be considered (such as paid sick leave) and used by agreement between the employer and the employee. The COVID-19 Leave Payment Scheme is available to support employers to pay employees in these circumstances. All workers who left New Zealand prior to 15 March 2020 will be eligible for the COVID-19 Leave Payment Scheme.
We will see 100+ new cases a day for at least the next fortnight. The number of clusters is rising rapidly, so a lot of community transfer is only starting from now. No way will places like cafes be opening any time soon.
Looks that way. Is there a metric for dropping back to level 3? e.g. zero new cases for n consecutive days? Decline in new cases for n consecutive days? At some point it might be useful to have a metric that is science-based and to publicise it – just to stop the endless speculation that's gonna happen. But I guess they don't have a sense of what it is yet.
criteria are probably a) no further community transmission b) medical resources, masks, treatments are available c) secured the borders d) figured out tech for contact tracing & surveillance
i see the us being under one level or another for about 2 years. Until we have access to safe and fast testing, we will actually never know if one has it until that person shows symptons. Then followed by antivirals and vaccine. Hopefully.
So maybe a going up and down the 4 levels according to need. And any other flare up could and should result in lock downs again, hopefully then tho at a more local level rather then nation wide.
Apparently there was a national emergency alert sent out yesterday to mobile phones, I have 2 degrees data is disabled and I don't seem to have got it . Just curious but did others?
Got the alert with mobile data turned off. I'm on Vodafone. Phone is about 18 months old, on Android. IIRC it was at 6:30 and didn't leave anything on my phone when it finished playing. Maybe you didn't have your phone on you at that moment?
I hope you come through this with business intact, and will be a customer next time I'm in Rotorua after this is over (very fond of chocolate, serious problem for a diabetic but the dark stuff is reasonably safe as well as being the best choc).
I think when we all come out of this, we are going to see a lot more people working from home, as both employees and employers see the benefits. The company I work for has a lot of people working from home, and it seems that from what I heard, it seems to be going fine.
Having more people who can work from home, do so would have a lot of benefits. Perhaps the government should spend more money on better internet connectivity rather than roads?
A federal judge handed down a major victory for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe of North Dakota on Wednesday, ruling that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the National Environmental Policy Act by approving federal permits for the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The USACE must complete a full environmental impact study of the pipeline, including full consideration of concerns presented by the Standing Rock Tribe, the judge ruled. The tribe has asked the court to ultimately shut the pipeline down.
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
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. ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Asia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...
Asia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda J. Graham, Professor and Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Ryan Tauss/ Unsplash, CC BY Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal. In a dissenting report to the senate inquiry into the legislation, the Coalition says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
Comment: The weekly Monday post-Cabinet press conference is a useful forum for observing Christopher Luxon and how he is developing into the job of Prime Minister. He attempts to convey the impression of a man of action, speaking fast, delivering memorised National Party strategies in a connect-the-slogans kind of way, ...
Double votes, missing ballot boxes, tired tech and stressed staff: how tick-tallying went astray at last year’s election. Cast your mind back to November 2023, that bleary-eyed post-election period duringwhichwewaited, andwaited, for a coalition deal to be hammered out. A distraction from the hotel-hopping of our ...
International audiences are starting to discover what New Zealand already knew about After the Party.When After the Party aired in New Zealand last year, the response was fast and furious. In his preview for Rec Room, Duncan Greive said it was a “gritty, wrenching and highly confronting” series. By ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Convenor of the Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), and Acting Director the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires ...
Claire Mabey reviews the haunting and sexy debut novel from Sinéad Gleeson, who is about to touch down in Aotearoa for a string of live events.When Irish writer Sinéad Gleeson was in Aotearoa in 2018 with her spectacular collection of essays, Constellations, she told me she was working on ...
PNG Post-Courier Bougainville Affairs Minister Manasseh Makiba has described the Post-Courier’s front page story yesterday regarding a meeting between Bougainville and national government leaders as “sensationalised” and without substance. The Autonomous Bougainville Government (AGB) had warned it might use “other avenues to gain its independence” should the PNG government “continue ...
Where some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game.Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.”Some think that’s ...
The March results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 (HYEFU 2023), published on 20 December 2023 and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...
Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an 18-year-old who’s studying and working in hospo shares their approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Transmasc Age: 18 Ethnicity: Pākehā/Māori Role: Student, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Kelsey, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation if drilling rights offered by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Gleeson, Associate Professor of Law, Macquarie University Shutterstock The Albanese government is weighing up the costs of delivering an election promise to protect religious people from discrimination in Commonwealth law. Such protections were relatively uncontroversial when included in state anti-discrimination ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yen Ying Lim, Associate Professor, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio Dementia is often described as “the long goodbye”. Although the person is still alive, dementia slowly and irreversibly chips away at their memories and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judy Bush, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne Adam Calaitzis/Shutterstock I met with a friend for a walk beside Merri Creek, in inner Melbourne. She had lived in the area for a few years, and as we walked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Throsby, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Macquarie University Arts companies and individual artists in Australia are supported by government arts agencies, philanthropists, industry bodies, private donors and patrons. However, it is frequently overlooked that a major source of support for the arts ...
Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa, a new incorporated society dedicated to ending harmful drug policies, officially launched today, seeks a new fit-for-purpose drug law for Aotearoa New Zealand, rooted in science, experience and evidence. ...
The Corrections Minister admits he "muddied the water" after he and the Prime Minister repeatedly provided incorrect information about a $1.9 billion prison spend-up. ...
It took a post-post-cabinet statement to confirm that 810 new beds will be built at Waikeria, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Lili Tokaduadua was only 15 when she left her family in Fiji to pursue her netball dream in New Zealand. She’d been playing the sport for 10 years and was offered a netball scholarship at Auckland’s Howick College. Now, in her first year out of high school, the 19-year-old defender ...
The beloved local grocers lost a legal challenge to stop a new cycleway outside their store. Joel MacManus reports. In the annals of New Zealand legal history, there are a few brave people who have dared to stand up to the powers that be, no matter how bleak the odds ...
How what we produce and what we eat connects us to the world beyond our shores, visualised. Walking around a supermarket or vege shop, it might be obvious that everything on the shelves came from somewhere. But you might ...
Professor Jemma Geoghegan, of the University of Otago, Otakou Whakaihu Waka, co-leads a Te Niwha project aimed at understanding how and where avian influenza could affect Aotearoa New Zealand, as the highly infectious H5N1 virus spreads globally. The virus has now spread to all continents except Oceania and was recently ...
Thirty years on from Rwanda’s genocide, is guilt over the atrocities is blinding the world to the true nature of its current leadership? The post The repressive underside of Rwanda’s regime appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: Last week, important recommendations for our criminal justice system were made by the international community. Every five years, each member of the United Nations has its human rights practices reviewed. This rolling event – the Universal Periodic Review – is the culmination of a government reporting on its human ...
Highly pathogenic avian influenza – H5N1, or bird flu – has been flying around the world since the late 1990s. New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands are so far free of it, but now it’s been discovered in mainland Antarctica and scientists say it’s only a matter of time ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 7 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The following interview with auto electrician and former caver Stu Berendt, 68, of Charleston on the West Coast, came about because he was part of the caving team that found the rare and amazing fossil remains of the giant Haast eagle, the subject of one of the year’s best books, ...
A $1.8b funding boost for Pharmac still won’t enable it to buy more drugs, raising questions about the Government’s approach to the agency The post Can Pharmac do more with the same pot of money? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eric Stokan, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County If you live in one of the most economically deprived neighborhoods in your city, you might think the government is directing a smaller share of public funds to your community. ...
Wansolwara The news media’s crucial role in climate change and environment journalism was the focus of The University of the South Pacific’s Journalism Programme 2024 World Press Freedom Day celebrations. The European Union Ambassador to the Pacific, Barbara Plinkert, and Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna were the chief ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Adams, Professor of Corporate Law & Academic Director of UNE Sydney campus, University of New England Last August, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched legal proceedings against Qantas. The consumer watchdog accused the airline of selling thousands of tickets ...
This episode of A View From Afar was recorded LIVE on May 6, 2024 (NZST) which is Sunday evening, May 5, 2024 at 8:30pm (USEST). In an analytical essay titled ‘A moment of friction’ political scientist Dr Paul Buchanan wrote how we are living within a decisive moment ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Taylor, Assistant Professor, Bond University Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures At the crux of the critical response to Luca Guadagnino’s new movie Challengers is one word: “sexy”. The film charts a love triangle between three up-and-coming tennis players: Tashi (Zendaya), ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Stewart, Professor of Public Policy, ADFA Canberra, UNSW Sydney For years, First Nations people have been telling governments they want to be listened to. In particular, they want more ownership of the programs and services that are supposed to help them. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Why do trees have bark? Julien, age 6, Melbourne. This is a great question, Julien. We are so familiar with bark on trees, that most of us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Nasser, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, University of Technology Sydney PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an important ligament in the knee. It runs from the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia) and helps stabilise ...
This looks interesting
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/120576908/britain-days-away-from-releasing-millions-of-coronavirus-finger-prick-tests
Professor Sharon Peacock, the director of Public Health England's National Infection Service, told MPs the kits were in the final stages of testing at a laboratory in Oxford and could be approved for mass distribution by the end of this week.
That and other anti-body tests are what will eventually kill the spread first, with antivirals and then vaccines. It will be interesting on what the max time is between exposure, initial infection and antibodies.
But the tests will be at least month away from any real levels of distribution. It takes time to scale up any kind of mass distribution. But if it works ok, then I suspect that there will be a big push to replicate it.
solution to the shortage of ventilators
https://www.newsweek.com/coronavirus-covid19-hospital-ventilator-snorkeling-mask-italy-3d-printing-isinnova-1494150?fbclid=IwAR2FXmvdgh62GJb4S2VNQiESyMJwyzvFYYY1H1jmmoBW32Q01XEA1xrXs2c
Yes, this is quite promising. I was just about to link to the same article.
and i like that they patentend the valves and then liberated the blue prints so everyone can print these valves. Also good on Decathlon for supplying the diving mask.
More inovation.
https://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/czech-researchers-develop-top-grade-respirator-for-3d-printing
https://jalopnik.com/fords-quickly-designed-powered-air-purifying-respirator-1842476673?
Wishing that NZ would do some rescue flights for those stranded overseas. It just seems like our govt has given up too early on this.
I understand the lockdowns in other countries prevent NZ planes passing through them.
Transit is the issue. We mostly transit through Singapore and Hong Kong for most destinations. Singapore has largely shut transit. So has Hong Kong. Planes have a lot of range but it has limits and the limit is if you can land and refuel to get back again.
We are long way from anywhere apart from aussie and the islands.
Basically there was a reasonable level of warning. Some people didn't heed it.
Is transit shut because they want staff to stay home?
Part of them shutting down their borders to all foreigners.
Yes, but are they still letting in flights for goods?
A plane on the tarmac that is refueling and no-one disembarks is not the same as letting in people from overseas.
Oh. 🙁
That’s a pity. I didn’t think about transits/fuel
Thought it was just a matter of organising between officials. It was a fast developing situation and bound to catch some of us out. Can’t help but worry for those caught overseas in places like Sri Lanka.
Hi A
You seem displeased with the Government. Even though you are clearly aware that Landing Rights became inaccessible due to Sovereign Border Controls.
Why do you demand the impossible from the Government. Is it part of your fealty to the wonderful National Party ?
My son just made it back from Switzerland this morning; it was looking very sketchy for a while.
He has been covid19 tested then put in quarantine in a hotel near Auckland airport.
Phew! Glad to hear he's home.
The Bish goes all Trumpian on us.
"Im not a PhD but I have the highest doctorates, in whatever you, in the word of God. Nobody bigger in the nation right now."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/119861726/coronavirus-brian-tamaki-blames-satanic-airborne-demons-drinking-of-bats-blood?fbclid=IwAR0lhh6avd4phXAl-BtC0qeGpM4sEGmt7eI-UlfBV7VGOsx3nyxHVwPfbfY
well he crowned himself bishop, so obviously he will have what ever doctorates he will need.
he too will kill people, just as the prosperity preachers do in the US. After all the man has bills to pay so the flock needs to hand over 10% of that sweet government money that they received in order to tide them over.
A grifter is gonna grift. Those harleys don't come cheap.
And the $1.8 million home. https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/98196636/destiny-churchs-brian-and-hannah-tamaki-move-into-15m-luxury-home
I’ll tithe you but don't tax me.
He doesn't deserve the name Brian lest that be misspelt and it believed he has one and uses it….
Anti-vaxxers say it's 5G that's to blame.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/03/a-fake-pandemic-antivaxxers-are-spreading-coronavirus-conspiracy-theories/
Pro-rhonas say the darndest things.
Rapper M.I.A. has revealed she is anti-vaccination and would 'choose death' over getting a coronavirus vaccination amid the ongoing pandemic.
The Paper Planes hitmaker, 44, declared her stance on vaccinations and expressed her regret at being 'made to' vaccinate her son, 11, before he started school in a series of tweets on Wednesday.
The musician, real name Mathangi Arulpragasam, wrote: 'If I have to choose the vaccine or chip I'm gonna choose death.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8152925/M-choose-death-coronavirus-vaccination.html
Darwin Award.
""Satan has control of atmospheres unless you're a born-again, Jesus-loving, bible-believing, Holy Ghost-filled, tithe-paying believer," Bishop Tamaki said on Sunday morning."
(My bold)
From my contact who lives in the Coromandel: last couple of days a lot of people have arrived to stay in their holiday homes for the lock down. My contact is not bothered by this as they will not be mixing with them and are all prepared to stay at home.
Some of the arrivees live in apartments in the city, so it is understandable, but others don't and they would be better off in the city. Coromandel emergency services are already stretched and if these city-dwellers had an emergency, they'd be better off in the city.
The permanent population of the Coromandel is around 30,000. Over the summer months that population swells by around 100,000. Every year. I know when our local emergency services are busy because the siren sounds 3 – 4 times a day to call in the volunteers. Over the past week we have not heard the siren at all. There has not been a helicopter flying urgent cases out of the hospital. I visited my beach property this past week to do some preparatory maintenance before the shut down. There were far fewer people about than over the summer months. I spoke to my doctor just this week to delay my 1/2 yearly WOF, and confirm my 3 monthly prescriptions, and they are now doing consultations over the phone where possible. My friend who is a public health nurse has only had a staff of 2 for some time now and has a community to service from Te Aroha across to Waihi and north, and she is certainly run off her feet. But she has been for some time. Those moving in to holiday baches for the duration would be unlikely to be adding to her burden, if they were needing constant care I'm sure people would be remaining at their primary place of residence. Serious injuries are not handled at the Thames Base Hospital, all major surgery is immediately transferred to Hamilton after triage.
My sister-in-law, is in her seventies and at home with cold so I delivered food and panadol to her on Tuesday morning. She has sold her house, with a settlement date for next Friday, and will be moving into a unit in a Somerset retirement village in Hamilton. Tuesday afternoon, the real estate agent arrived and booted her out of the house for an hour while they did the final inspection. She drove down the road, still ill, and sat in her car until they texted her that they had left.
I had suggested that she get in touch with her lawyer and confirm that both deals are postponed until after the lockdown – however long that may be, and then make sure she is alright for the duration.
After calling this morning to see how she was going, she informs me that she has been unable to speak to her lawyer, but the office rang her to go in and sign some papers. When I asked what they were for, she said she didn't really know, and that the associate was unable to provide any information.
She also received a phone call yesterday from the retirement village, saying that they will be sending the scheduled movers to her place next Wednesday to pack and move her from Auckland to Hamilton. When I said this would not be regarded as an essential service, she said the retirement home said that they were an essential service and so the move would be permissible. I asked if she really wanted several people in her home touching all her stuff, which she would then have to unpack, and move during the lockdown. She said – not really. And so, I had to convince her that she has a right to stay where she is and advise her lawyer to postpone the settlement of both deals. My partner, who works in transport – reinforced that despite retirement homes being essential services – moving to one would be unlikely to be included in that criteria.
I am hoping she now has some confidence in dealing with this stressful situation in an already stressful time for her.
I consider she is being failed by three professional services at present. Her real estate company, her lawyer and the retirement village.
(In contrast, another experience, from a work colleague of my partner, had his lawyer ring him the same day as the Alert 4 notice to say – don’t worry, house settlement is on hold until the lockdown is over).
I'm betting there's a hefty chunk of patronising an old person in there too 🙁
Are the Community Law Centres open for calls? Sounds like she needs some independent legal advice.
It's her home, the agent can't come in at will, that's bullshit.
She is fairly independent and healthy, and the most we can do is give her some information and/or ammunition to deal with unreasonable or uncomfortable requests. Although it is very frustrating, to have your exceptional advice ignored, hah!, she is capable of making her own decisions and can make those choices and deal with the consequences.
As for the agent, they probably called her as they came over. It wouldn't occur to her to say "No, not at this time".
"New guidelines issued by the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand said owners and tenants would not be able to move into or out of properties during the lock-down period and the Auckland District Law Society had recommended that all settlements be deferred until after the lock-down is lifted."
https://www.interest.co.nz/property/104245/real-estate-agents-self-isolation-means-no-open-homes-no-auctions-and-no-property
Thanks, pat. That kind of information is gold.
youre welcome…hope it works out
If you are ok with advocating for her, is it possible to do conference calls, between her the resthome/lawyer, with you sitting in on the call? All she would need to do is tell them she gives her consent for you to be present as your advocate.
That way she can still make decisions etc, and you could speak up if you felt something was being overlooked or distorted.
It's really cool that she is able to share with you what's happening to her, that's so awesome. Like it’s obvious she values your advice, so she might be quite open to the advocate idea.
Thanks, Cinny. She knows that we will step in for her, and I think she will ask if she gets distressed. But there is a fine line between being helpful and being overbearing – and it's one I try to keep note of. She is – in normal circumstances – very independent. Although, these are not normal times.
Hope you and your girls are doing well with your plans.
That's good to hear Molly, yay, cheers for the update, so good it's working out for her.
The girls and I are having daily games of scrabble and they are loving it, thanks 🙂 They haven't left the house since Sunday, I'm contemplating take them out for a walk, the beach is a block away, so I figure that's a walk around the block, masks on girls, anti bacterial spray in our pockets 🙂 Hope all is well for you too.
Very unsettling for her. Glad she has someone around to help.
Quick update: After phone calls to numerous relatives, she has been reassured and has accepted that she is to stay put for the duration. Which has almost removed any anxiety from the situation. So, the persuasive power of a wealth of similar advice from non-legal persons has a silver lining sometimes. (The lawyer is still to return the message left for them on Tuesday. )
https://twitter.com/keith_ng/status/1242926157508431872
The second thing he says is "govt/civil service that is competent, prepared, deserving of our trust and is actually trusted"
Unfortunately we seem to have a Police Commissioner who believes he is Wyatt Earp. Did you hear him on Morning Report this morning?
I was absolutely appalled by the what he was saying. I think he should be relieved of his duties until he can demonstrate that he has read and understood what we are allowed to do.
This morning he seemed more like a character out of a B-grade Western movie. He had the “I am the law in Dodge City” approach.
For example he seemed to think no one should be out of their home and that somehow using an ATM was a forbidden activity.
What does the official website say? You can
“Access essential services, like buying groceries, or going to a bank or pharmacy.
Go to work if you work for an essential service.
Go for a walk, or exercise and enjoy nature.”
What is using an ATM except going to a bank?
Just listen to the man.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018740208
I have decided to keep a copy of the material on the official website with me when I go out for my daily exercise. I have to drive there because I live on a hill in Wellington and walking, other than on the flat, is very difficult. I am, on the other hand only too willing to keep a safe distance from other people. Indeed, if a Policeman approaches me, I plan on ordering him to stay at least 2 metres away from me and I will show him id but I am not going to let him touch it. Why should I get this disease because the Police Commissioner hasn’t told his staff how to do their job properly?
[please provide a time stamp for this “For example he seemed to think no one should be out of their home and that somehow using an ATM was a forbidden activity.”. In premod until that happens – weka]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4YGotz_MoA
I haven't listened to him but you are correct Alwyn, basically we can do anything as long as we keep our distance, and I laughed at the keeping the police at a distance too. I'm in South Dunedin, just took kids for walk to park and back, people about, all walking around each other, fairly cheerful, friendly. Take care mate.
Hope the kids didn't use any play equipment at the park. If so, an educational chat and Police warning would be in order. And no, you can't do anything as long as you keep your distance.
You're right, I only can go for walk, go to chemist, supermarket, vets, go check on my gran, go see my designated friend, check and exercise my horse, go to my workplace, drop off and pick up my kid, that's all.
ya reckon?
/
Can I see my family and friends during the lockdown?
From 11.59pm "everyone must stay at home unless they are working in essential services", Government Controller John Ombler said during yesterday's press conference.
He said that meant no socialising with people outside their households.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12319477
yep "
"Ardern said people needed to establish what their "bubble" was for the self-isolation period and they must stick to only interacting with each other.
She said this must be a very small group and everyone must remain "faithful" to only having contact with each other." The PM. Just use common sense.
Your bubble is your household.
But hey, good luck, vector.
Not quite. But close. And bubbles mustn't intersect, otherwise they're just bigger bubbles.
"The police (and the army, if needed to support the police) are empowered to order any person to stop any activity that contributes to the current emergency – essentially, spreading Covid-19 in the community. Government ministers may set aside virtually any legislative provision that becomes impracticable to apply while the epidemic is in force."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/412583/covid-19-state-of-national-emergency-explained
Bush did sound a bit hard-line. I guess it was a psychological play to knock people into line early on – rather than have to try and put the lid on later if people start out by flouting the rules.
It may be worth considering that in a state of emergency the authorities have neither the time nor inclination to debate your views
Of course, that was my point.
Mental note…..take the tape measure when visiting essential services in case one has interaction with the police… maybe a high viz vest too 🙂
Hi Alwyn
You seem to cause disquiet often. I couldn't understand why you have found yourself at odds with a Policeman.
He did not hand you a baby blanket. Was that the problem ?
Why don't you get in touch with your excellent friends – Sir John Key (experienced in touching ); Sir William English (experienced in settling issues with female staff ); and Paula Bennett ( expert at releasing any, I mean any, private material ).
She maybe able to take you in person to that outstanding Simon Bridges, trained in numerous Universities both in the Northern Hemisphere and apparently has strong roots in China. Well established in Law, and nearly perfect in speech. He could get you up the Hill in Wellington . When he is not counting out his bit of National money.
All the best.
?
Taking into account a large number of New Zealanders see "laws, rules and regulations" more like "suggestions" at best, a strong wording at the start of the lockdown sounds sensible to me. And I'm definitely not a supporter of strong authority / heavy hand etc.
It's easier to loosen things up a bit, when it works well, then tighten things up, when required.
Prosecutions for repeat offenders, can enter buildings if they think gatherings are being held…all framed with the expectation most people have complied anyway.
Seemed pretty laid back to me given it is a nationwide quarantine. Most stressy part was the interviewer pushing for answers around armed checkpoints which don't seem to be on table yet.
The Commissioner sounds pretty tame alwyn – explaining expectations, outlining the consequences and generally fulfilling the requirements of his role. Some of those at risk of idiots who want to cause an extended shut-down would rather the NZ Police adopted the tactics of the Indian Police. Beat the hell out of suspected transgressors, no explanations, questions or warnings.
"The Commissioner sounds pretty tame"
I bet you still have happy memories of the great days of the Red Squad. Is the Commissioner bound by the rules the Government has laid down, as I quoted, or is he at liberty do order his troops to do anything he wants? Is he above the law?
Red Squad, unrestrained powers of a Commissioner, ordering Police to act with disregard of the law, not allowing people to use ATMs? Most of us are more concerned with reality and stopping the ravages of a pandemic and haven't too much time for those who want warm fuzzies from the backstop put there by the Government to constrain fools. Go join your kindred spirits on Bondi Beach – they'll love you there.
I, for one, am shocked and appalled at this situation. Several comments into a thread about police gone amok and Alwyn has not yet raised the spectre of the police commissioner personally performing summary executions upon people who just wanted to use an ATM. In this time of worry and tribulation we need everyone to perform at their best, including the tory pearl-clutchers. /sarc
Chill out, dude. If you're genuinely worried, get cash out at the supermarket.
Exercise isn't meant to be easy. Walk on your hill. If the baby jesus had wanted you to exercise on the flat he wouldn't have out of his bounty given you a hillside residence.
I've heard him twice today and got the Wyatt Earp feeling too. Two things calmed me.
The first was thinking about the first antenatal classes I went to years ago. I felt for the woman taking it. She had a disparate group to inform. A wide group of ages 40ish to 16ish, a couple of teachers, a lawyer, a couple of shop assistants, a 17 year old who exhibited signs of not knowing how she became pregnant. How to pitch the message to such a group?
Second was thinking about other life saving measures we have and how messages of those are received, understood and acted on. Don't drink and drive, wear a seat belt, don't use a mobile while driving don't go too fast, drive to the conditions. What could you say and how could you say it? How should you say it?
To me the tone of the Commissioner made him sound a bit of a wooden plonker. Some of what he said made it sound like he thought we were plonkers. A lot of us are.
I thought about his 'style' and while thinking it was one I didn't find ideal I guess others would find it just right. I'm sure as hell pleased I don't have his job.
Here's an excellent comment from another forum:
'Murica
https://twitter.com/StevenTDennis/status/1242877676827836418
https://twitter.com/ChadPergram/status/1242865232206323715
"They worry that would create an incentive for low-wage workers to get laid off and stay laid off"
That is actually one of the things you most want a UBI implementation to do – weaken employer power.
They are talking about $200 p/w per person in NZ. Those on Super would be very diminished.
Perhaps the world will come to it's senses.
https://twitter.com/JihadiJew/status/1242878765811879937
a bit of good information about food and how to sanitize it before using it.
the smell of sanitizer will be the one thing that will define this period of time to me. That and the fear in the eyes of people.
Stay safe all of youse.
Croatian friend reckons we Kiwis are getting a taste of the fear that gripped people in Sarajevo during the Bosnian war.
Paranoia?
I am in the food business, so yeah, food poisoning and such is an issue in any commercial kitchen and thus we are all a bit 'special' when it comes to scrubbing down our kitchens. Its one of the professional traumas that come with making food for public consumption.
however, you can just feel free to ignore anything that is posted by me in regards to food safety and handling and only do what you feel comfortable, but it has been established that the virus is quite happily living on certain surfaces and that no matter what you bring in from the supermarket will be as safe as the food control plan implemented by the supermarket and executed by the staff. 🙂
I, too, have been round food preperation and service most my life. When the hand wash message was being hammered, I was thinking ' surely y'all do this already?'
I hope post outbreak, folk will keep washing hands thoroughly.
Speaking of sanitiser: I use a 70% methylated spirits 30% water in a spray bottle as a contact sanitiser for my home brew equipment. Would work for most surfaces.
bleach will do and i have a liter of 60% cointreau cooking alcohol that i happily donate to the cause.
I finished scrubbing my kitchen down, first with very hot soapy water and then with a 70% bleach/30% water solution.
coffee now and then on to the bathroom/toilet as these are the areas that i think will be most sensitive.
I consider myself sick and quarantined, and thus will stay home for the 4 weeks. I have enough food to cook several big boil ups that should get us through this. No fancy meals, but good wholesome home cooked food.
i did splash some money tho on potting mix and compost to supplement mine and will tomorrow spend getting my veggie patch winter ready.
And yeah, quite a few home brewers and distillers are currently making sanitizer.
You have diluted the meths by about 40% making it useless against C-19 only 72% i.e pure meths or other alcohol is strong enough apparently to do the job. This shit isn't salmonella.
Thanks, I will strengthen it up ie leave out the water.
The good thing is that a Defended case would have been agonising. Sentencing in May.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12319961
[Sorry Ianmac but we have a policy not to name him – MS]
Thank goodness he at last admitted his obvious guilt. That will be a small blessing to the large number of survivors and victims
Ooops. Sorry MS.
Trump on Easter:
Thank god we are not living in the States.
From a US health worker's FB.
(no link for privacy)
[USA] With the FDIC now playing calming piano music in the background as they urge people not to take their money out of banks, I'd say we are on the verge of a rather spectacular corporate bond market collapse or it's been happening in the background.
The bond market is significantly bigger than the sharemarket where most people's focus is directed.
When depositing money in a bank it is considered an unsecured loan to the bank. If the bank was going under due to massive corporate bond write off's why continue taking the risk? Not like those deposits are earning much in the way of interest.
On their way to being a failed state.
https://twitter.com/azeen/status/1242862701661036545
A nationwide shortage of two drugs touted as possible treatments for the coronavirus is being driven in part by doctors inappropriately prescribing the medicines for family, friends and themselves, according to pharmacists and state regulators.
“It’s disgraceful, is what it is,” said Garth Reynolds, executive director of the Illinois Pharmacists Association, which started getting calls and emails Saturday from members saying they were receiving questionable prescriptions. “And completely selfish.”
Demand for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine surged over the past several days as President Donald Trump promoted them as possible treatments for the coronavirus and online forums buzzed with excitement over a small study suggesting the combination of hydroxychloroquine and a commonly used antibiotic could be effective in treating COVID-19.
Reynolds said the Illinois Pharmacists Association has started reaching out to pharmacists and medical groups throughout the state to urge doctors, nurses and physician assistants not to write prescriptions for themselves and those close to them.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/doctors-are-hoarding-unproven-coronavirus-medicine-by-writing-prescriptions-for-themselves-and-their-families_n_5e7a13e4c5b62f90bc51ae3b
That could easily backfire. Chqlne has some serious side effects that need to be monitored.
You seriously have to wonder where and how those doctors, nurses and physician assistants got their ‘qualifications’. Perhaps it was at Trump University.
Where upon graduation they take the hypocrite oath
A question for standardistas. My employer has just confirmed that they will be paying us the Covid 19 wage subsidy during the period we are closed for the lockdown. On top of that they also say they will be using our annual leave to top up wages/salaries to 80%. I thought that the government had said that annual leave could only be used in this way if agreed by both parties? Can anyone advise me? Can’t find any info online.
Looks like you're correct.
If an employee, who is required to self-isolate under Ministry of Health guidelines for COVID-19, can’t practicably work from home, then special paid leave should be considered. Other forms of paid leave can be considered (such as paid sick leave) and used by agreement between the employer and the employee. The COVID-19 Leave Payment Scheme is available to support employers to pay employees in these circumstances. All workers who left New Zealand prior to 15 March 2020 will be eligible for the COVID-19 Leave Payment Scheme.
https://www.employment.govt.nz/about/news-and-updates/workplace-response-coronavirus-covid-19/
Racist stupidity abounds.
https://twitter.com/John_Hudson/status/1242917105256800258
https://twitter.com/bad_takes/status/1242911229267660802
Everything has to go through the MAGA disinformation machine. Equally, the 'Spanish flu' could be renamed to the "Kansas Virus"?
Probably too early, but how do people see the lockdown coming off/
I can't see it being overnight, possibly down to level 3,then 2, the 1 over say 2-4 weeks?
Scuttlebutt says >12 weeks.
It will be extended after 4 weeks, guaranteed.
We will see 100+ new cases a day for at least the next fortnight. The number of clusters is rising rapidly, so a lot of community transfer is only starting from now. No way will places like cafes be opening any time soon.
This is a long, hard road.
Yeah an extension is a definite possibility. Looks like it's gotten away on us within some communities, rather than just travellers.
Looks that way. Is there a metric for dropping back to level 3? e.g. zero new cases for n consecutive days? Decline in new cases for n consecutive days? At some point it might be useful to have a metric that is science-based and to publicise it – just to stop the endless speculation that's gonna happen. But I guess they don't have a sense of what it is yet.
criteria are probably a) no further community transmission b) medical resources, masks, treatments are available c) secured the borders d) figured out tech for contact tracing & surveillance
pretty Orwellian
i see the us being under one level or another for about 2 years. Until we have access to safe and fast testing, we will actually never know if one has it until that person shows symptons. Then followed by antivirals and vaccine. Hopefully.
So maybe a going up and down the 4 levels according to need. And any other flare up could and should result in lock downs again, hopefully then tho at a more local level rather then nation wide.
Up to date info here on all NZ cases, locations and flight numbers of any aircraft they may have been on lately
This is excellent that the government is sharing such.
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-current-cases
Thanks for that link – excellent info there 🙂
Some good advice for all.
Heh. Since we've all got time on our hands …
Internet access and broadband speed is a nightmare (hit and miss) at the moment 🙁
Internet's good, essential service working from home, but the phone is damn near unusable.
http://vodafonespeedtest.speedtestcustom.com/result/96df5a30-6efe-11ea-be9c-21fae30469d3
ADSL here and it is even more patchy than usual.
PM to speak at 3 pm, usual channels.
good announcment here for emergency and essential staff.
Countdown has set up shopping times for these groups of people
https://www.facebook.com/
Morning 8 – 9
Evening 8 – 9
please pass this on if you know people that fall into this category.
New World will also have dedicated hours for emergency staff – please check with them if this were to apply to you.
Apparently there was a national emergency alert sent out yesterday to mobile phones, I have 2 degrees data is disabled and I don't seem to have got it . Just curious but did others?
I didn't but I have an older phone and never get them. You can look online to see if your phone will receive them.
Don't think it's data dependent. Some people get those alerts even without a sim card (no idea how that works).
Got the alert with mobile data turned off. I'm on Vodafone. Phone is about 18 months old, on Android. IIRC it was at 6:30 and didn't leave anything on my phone when it finished playing. Maybe you didn't have your phone on you at that moment?
I'm on 2 degrees Prepay and I didn't get it either.
Thanks every one. No I wasn't near my phone at the time – nothing unusual in that for me.
Seems a waste if it just played and then vanished – lots of people then maybe didn't get it. and it is a national emergency alert.
Unfortunately all those special offers and texts reminding me to top up never seem to dematerialise.
Hi RBCV, I am with 2 degrees and a huawei and didn't receive txt.
The other two in the house on Apple and spark did.
I think it may depend on whether or not your phone can do 4g
This might explain why you didn't get it
https://getready.govt.nz/prepared/stay-informed/emergency-mobile-alert/ema-faqs/
The sociopathic POS doesn’t give a rats about the lives of ordinary people because it's all about him.
A pandemic is detrimental to his election success.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1242905328209080331
This Marist College case shows the ease of speed of this virus.
We are in the same integrated school community and at staff level my kids' schools have significant contact with Marist College.
Just days ago one staff member having travel overseas was diagnosed with Covid-19, now there are 11 cases.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/03/coronavirus-ministry-of-health-confirms-78-new-cases-in-new-zealand.html
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/03/coronavirus-marist-college-confirms-11-cases-of-covid-19.html
Some day …………
The Spinoof cheesey or what
good all the same
This could be a game changer
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO2003/S00125/queensland-researchers-find-coronavirus-cure.htm
If we're running out of cigarettes then it's an essential service.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/120561976/coronavirus-work-continues-at-cigarette-factory-through-lockdown
Is ANZ bank site down?
Can't open it.
Can log on now!!!
Yours truly.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/news/video.cfm?c_id=1501138&gal_cid=1501138&gallery_id=218398
Interview with the local herald crew and small businesses in Rotorua.
funnily enough the one person not coming through my doors was the Labour Candidate from Rotorua. 🙂
I hope you come through this with business intact, and will be a customer next time I'm in Rotorua after this is over (very fond of chocolate, serious problem for a diabetic but the dark stuff is reasonably safe as well as being the best choc).
as they say, you can't kill weed, and i consider myself weed.
Identify yourself when you come and i find you a nice 80% or maybe that little 70% Ecuadorian single origine. ….one of my faves.
Uganda has the best Covid 19 PSA.
awesome.
I think when we all come out of this, we are going to see a lot more people working from home, as both employees and employers see the benefits. The company I work for has a lot of people working from home, and it seems that from what I heard, it seems to be going fine.
Having more people who can work from home, do so would have a lot of benefits. Perhaps the government should spend more money on better internet connectivity rather than roads?
The other thing that would be good to see post Covid is a patient/nurse ratio implemented and adhered to.
Big win.
A federal judge handed down a major victory for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe of North Dakota on Wednesday, ruling that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the National Environmental Policy Act by approving federal permits for the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The USACE must complete a full environmental impact study of the pipeline, including full consideration of concerns presented by the Standing Rock Tribe, the judge ruled. The tribe has asked the court to ultimately shut the pipeline down.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/25/huge-victory-standing-rock-sioux-tribe-federal-court-rules-dapl-permits-violated-law?
Industrial scale suffering ahoy.
https://twitter.com/sunny_hundal/status/1242856226943381504
The wealthiest nation on the planet.
/
https://twitter.com/SarahDadouch/status/1242877475547418625