Annual report on U.S. human rights violations finds the situation as dire as ever
…. slammed the US' terrible human rights record, which makes its remarks on other countries' human rights situation pure "hypocrisy and double standards."
In seven major chapters, the 15,000-word report started with the now well-known line "I can't breathe!" made by George Floyd, an African-American, before he died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck, sparking a national outcry. However, the most striking deterioration in the human rights situation amid COVID-19 in the US was due to a failure of governance, the report said.
The epidemic went out of control and turned into a human tragedy due to the US government's reckless responses, it noted. By the end of February 2021, the US, home to less than 5 percent of the world's population, accounted for more than a quarter of the world's confirmed COVID-19 cases and nearly one-fifth of global deaths from the disease. More than 500,000 Americans lost their lives due to the deadly virus.
You jest, of course? It was a debacle. Biden said he came to the Senate 120 years ago, had a folio of pre-written answers to pre-lodged patsy questions, complete with photos of the journo 'asking' it, so he did not read the wrong answer. Totally avoided the Biden created border tragedy. Zero push back from the few (pre-selected) journos present
Accusations of paedeophilia invoke a visceral response and feelings of disgust, emotions that can impel normaly well adjusted people to commit violent, even unspeakable crimes.
Hitlers nazis knew this, and exploited it. News reels and propaganda movies of the time depicted Jews as rapists and paedophiles. Making any crime committed against them justifices and almost reasonable by comparison in the minds of followers of German nazism.
It is unconscienable in the modern age that a US president would compliment such people.
America and the world don't know what danger they were in.
Wanted to give a shout out for all those disabled people who are living in retirement villages for indefinite time periods, a depressing and isolating prospect when you move in in your 20s or 30s. Where is their hope? The government who says it consulted widely with disabled has left these people out entirely and has done for years.
Kianga Ora currently has a measly 3% as accessable properties, with a goal of 15% which is the exact proportion of the population with disabilities. Those in power fail (again) to understand that the general population aren't the ones applying for social housing so 15% is probably half or a third of the demand.
Even if this were done there is still no consideration to other types of disability that require noise reduction (Aspergers, PTSD, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis…) special lighting, or those who are chemically sensitive. These requests are being treated as minor issues when failing to provide this type of accommodation causes serious harm to the individual involved. Why not just assist these people into buying their own home?
Why not just assist these people into buying their own home?
They used to. Back in the day. I know of a few older 'crips', in the 70 plus demographic, who got State Advances loans to get them into their own home. Many of them were working too. Seems there was greater tolerance of difference in those kinder before-times.
A new Department of Housing Construction would oversee building and the State Advances, now a corporation, would manage the houses. The initiative formed part of a wider plan to slash unemployment and stimulate the economy. The scheme would:
give the jobless a trade
boost manufacturing industries
raise New Zealand housing standards
give tenants a security of tenure equal to home ownership.
By 1939 state houses were being completed at a rate of 57 each week, and there were 10,000 applicants on the state-house waiting list. The Second World War halted building until 1944, after which whole suburbs were constructed. This included the (garden-city inspired) suburb of Naenae, in Lower Hutt. It was built around a shopping centre, designed to foster social bonding and community life.
We used to do this housing stuff well. We now have a vast knowledge base for accessible/future proof building and have the capability (and if the will was there the capacity) to build at least the 57 houses that were being built per week back in 1939.
All would be future proof and cater for all types of families.
All of a sudden AirBNB is a huge problem (with massive numbers apparently!)….thieves fall out?
“If you want more housing, restrict Airbnb, there are 1000 Airbnb homes in Rotorua and hundreds of homeless families. This is simply a tax take, and it's the worst kind of tax, an annual hit on people who won't have planned to set that money aside."
Airbnb is a huge issue in rotorua.
I assume that landbanker who have bought up Rotorua over the last year will use AirBNB on locals to make some money in the interim.
I do agree that Air bnb is a problem actually and the irony that people like me use air bnb when I travel while families are housed in motels isn't lost on me. Yes a guilty confession on my behalf.
But it isn't an either or. Lets make it hard for people to invest in property, lets make it really unappealing. And I hope the govt does look at the impact of air bnb on the housing crisis. Andrews petition is not going to gather much momentum if he sticks it to air bnb though. All those property investors won't be pleased.
AirBnB is indeed a problem, however my point was to date it has always been played down/dismissed as an issue and the numbers and impact minimised ….now theyre prepared to throw each other under the bus.
As long as it's hard to buy existing residental supply I'm down with it. Investors come in handy when building new houses especially given limitations with Kiwisaver.
And AirBnB will be caught in the new regime….the regime is designed to remove the incentives that are driving the property inflation…ever increasing capital gain….if they are successful in that (and the price to income ratio can be eased) then much of this package could be wound back/modified for the new market conditions.
The alternative is to allow it continue until bust and wipe out (mainly) recent FHB and recent entrants to the investment market….the smart money will have quit before that happens.
AirB&B and similar short term rental properties should without doubt, be subject to the new regime. That aside, if the property is let for more than 14 days, there is a liability for income tax to be paid. Also, aren't commercial rates also payable in some (tourist) areas? That seems reasonable since the properties are competing with commercial entities such as hotels and motels.
I understand there are some TA restrictions on Air BnB…though how well enforced is open to debate.
the main problem is the number of dwellings it pulls from the housing market….its ironic that we allow (largely) unfettered development of AirBnB and the government utilises a huge proportion of motels to house the homeless.
“In this time of Covid,” the Porirua motelier said. “It helps us survive.”
Stuff has spoken to the city’s moteliers after its mayor raised the spectre of an accommodation crunch, with emergency demand trumping rooms for visitors.
Of the nine accommodation businesses in Porirua identified by Stuff, only one was not taking emergency accommodation.
Taxes might be part of the answer…but building a shit tonne of houses has to come first. Now.
I'm pretty sure they are aware of that possibility. How can they possibly not be? I would hope, therefor, that they will take regulatory measures to ensure that that will not be the case. For example. they could make landlords pay their mortgages themselves, out of their own pockets. After all, it is the landlords' own houses that those mortgages are paying for.
I am quite sure that Grant can see it. I have my doubts about Jacinda though. I think it may just be a little to complicated for her.
The important thing for them though is to try and look as if they are doing something. It doesn't really matter if it doesn't work. They will just blame the people who own the properties and describe them as "speculators" or suchlike. However they will claim that they are doing something, anything. Just so that they can pretend that it isn't the Government actions that have caused the mad boom in prices. If that gets pinned on them, as it should be, they will be in trouble with the hoi polloi.
I think it may just be a little to [sic] complicated for her.
Really Alwyn? Maybe PM Ardern is a little too complicated for you.
Of course, for the longest time almost all MPs will have benefited financially from increasing property prices, i.e. it’s in their own best interests to be ineffective.
Interesting the wee angles tories still try against the PM.
Snide remarks and condescension, never based on anything specific. Little hints and whispers about tiredness or intelligence. A little bit more subtle than the habit of calling her "cindy", but a constant gnawing away, trying to sow alarm and despondancy.
At least Labour are trying to do something to fix housing in NZ. A new habit from the last few decades.
They can see it – but they're not going to move pre-emptively. When it happens, they'll most likely try moral pressure first and then increase accommodation allowances, but not by enough. What they won't do is point out that landlords have a business model that has taxpayers over a barrel – because we aren't prepared to let large numbers of our fellow citizens live on the street. And if that's the case, which it is, it's not really a market in any meaningful sense of the word and heavy-handed regulation of it cannot be construed as any sort of 'market interference'.
My question is how do those groups such as Renters United, get the support or the coverage from the media like investor and landlord groups do, without being cast as oppositional or entitled?
Is there an ideologically aligned marketing/PR group willing to assist in developing some strategies?
All the homeless people in motels, all teh people on waiting lists for state houses are not political enough pressure? All the years of her and the labour ministers screaming in opposition about the housing crisis, the rental crisis, the homeless crisis is not enough political pressure? Was it all just a show? And here i thought she was PM of everyone in the country and not just those that can afford the lobby the PM. Oh well……..
I hope those that support introducing a rent freeze also support a freeze on council rates increases, building insurances premium increases, water rates freezes, tradies freezing their hourly rates, a freeze on companies that supplies materials used in repairs and maintenance etc.
If we wanted Councils, insurance companies and tradies to wind up their operations – we might suggest that. But we don't. All business operations are not equally socially beneficial.
It would appear a travel bubble, even to a COVID free country, is still months away. And given we had numerous dates last year, then by 31 March this year, not sure I’d believe end of May either. In the words of the deputy PM it’s too definitive.
Seems to me like they have only just recently started working on the travel bubble due to pressure from public (I know they say there has been lots of work done in the background but I think that statement is too definitive).
I really think Jacinda wants to delay it as long as possible.
Every State having their own interpretation and restrictions, how is that going work as we try and establish some sort of reliable and predictable cross border travel.
I know from within the industry that work on opening the border to Australia has been ongoing since last year, but the practical difficulties are huge because every State has it's own rules and interpretations. It may be possible for family visits, where a border closure will be easier to handle, but as a saviour of our tourism industry, don't hold your breath or bet the mortgage on it.
The Australian government just committed 1.2 billion (AUD) to subsidising domestic airfares to leisure destinations, because Aussies don't want to travel interstate, because they might get stuck, or be around someone with the plague.
What makes you think they will want to come here, and pay full fare.
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
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David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
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Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Annual report on U.S. human rights violations finds the situation as dire as ever
https://twitter.com/MarkHarrisNYC/status/1375146645235625990
Thanks for re-tweeting that lame non-joke, Macro, but what on earth does it have to do with the human rights outrages of the United States regime?
You jest, of course? It was a debacle. Biden said he came to the Senate 120 years ago, had a folio of pre-written answers to pre-lodged patsy questions, complete with photos of the journo 'asking' it, so he did not read the wrong answer. Totally avoided the Biden created border tragedy. Zero push back from the few (pre-selected) journos present
1930s German fascism and Qanonism share a common thread, the depiction of their opponents as sexual deviants.
"….they were sure about one thing: Trump was doing "God's work" to rid the land of "pedos," rapists and sex traffickers."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/dallas-suburbs-capitol-riot/2021/03/21/468646f2-8299-11eb-ac37-4383f7709abe_story.html?utm_campaign=eng-pw-evg&utm_medium=acq-intl&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=national-riotenclave&fbclid=IwAR0lSSE_PhkR4BwwIAFa64D1u-3ke_ro602-8Tmbz2SD8Pn5ueFlPkLmRAI
Accusations of paedeophilia invoke a visceral response and feelings of disgust, emotions that can impel normaly well adjusted people to commit violent, even unspeakable crimes.
Hitlers nazis knew this, and exploited it. News reels and propaganda movies of the time depicted Jews as rapists and paedophiles. Making any crime committed against them justifices and almost reasonable by comparison in the minds of followers of German nazism.
It is unconscienable in the modern age that a US president would compliment such people.
America and the world don't know what danger they were in.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/trump-praises-qanon-conspiracists-appreciates-223515918.html
This is not good.
Trains across Auckland 'delayed, cancelled' after person found dead on tracks (msn.com)
Wanted to give a shout out for all those disabled people who are living in retirement villages for indefinite time periods, a depressing and isolating prospect when you move in in your 20s or 30s. Where is their hope? The government who says it consulted widely with disabled has left these people out entirely and has done for years.
Kianga Ora currently has a measly 3% as accessable properties, with a goal of 15% which is the exact proportion of the population with disabilities. Those in power fail (again) to understand that the general population aren't the ones applying for social housing so 15% is probably half or a third of the demand.
Even if this were done there is still no consideration to other types of disability that require noise reduction (Aspergers, PTSD, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis…) special lighting, or those who are chemically sensitive. These requests are being treated as minor issues when failing to provide this type of accommodation causes serious harm to the individual involved. Why not just assist these people into buying their own home?
Why not just assist these people into buying their own home?
They used to. Back in the day. I know of a few older 'crips', in the 70 plus demographic, who got State Advances loans to get them into their own home. Many of them were working too. Seems there was greater tolerance of difference in those kinder before-times.
https://teara.govt.nz/en/housing-and-government/print
A new Department of Housing Construction would oversee building and the State Advances, now a corporation, would manage the houses. The initiative formed part of a wider plan to slash unemployment and stimulate the economy. The scheme would:
By 1939 state houses were being completed at a rate of 57 each week, and there were 10,000 applicants on the state-house waiting list. The Second World War halted building until 1944, after which whole suburbs were constructed. This included the (garden-city inspired) suburb of Naenae, in Lower Hutt. It was built around a shopping centre, designed to foster social bonding and community life.
We used to do this housing stuff well. We now have a vast knowledge base for accessible/future proof building and have the capability (and if the will was there the capacity) to build at least the 57 houses that were being built per week back in 1939.
All would be future proof and cater for all types of families.
We can do this! (sarc)
oh dear, what a shame! Never mind………..
I tend to think there is something in the govts new package given how much fuss they are kicking up.
All of a sudden AirBNB is a huge problem (with massive numbers apparently!)….thieves fall out?
“If you want more housing, restrict Airbnb, there are 1000 Airbnb homes in Rotorua and hundreds of homeless families. This is simply a tax take, and it's the worst kind of tax, an annual hit on people who won't have planned to set that money aside."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/property/300262320/property-investors-petition-for-reversal-of-rule-changes
Airbnb is a huge issue in rotorua.
I assume that landbanker who have bought up Rotorua over the last year will use AirBNB on locals to make some money in the interim.
I do agree that Air bnb is a problem actually and the irony that people like me use air bnb when I travel while families are housed in motels isn't lost on me. Yes a guilty confession on my behalf.
But it isn't an either or. Lets make it hard for people to invest in property, lets make it really unappealing. And I hope the govt does look at the impact of air bnb on the housing crisis. Andrews petition is not going to gather much momentum if he sticks it to air bnb though. All those property investors won't be pleased.
AirBnB is indeed a problem, however my point was to date it has always been played down/dismissed as an issue and the numbers and impact minimised ….now theyre prepared to throw each other under the bus.
As long as it's hard to buy existing residental supply I'm down with it. Investors come in handy when building new houses especially given limitations with Kiwisaver.
And lets make Air BNB so unattractive that staying in a lisenced, registered, controlled motel is simply the more attractive option.
Landbankers like AirBnb, make some money, not have too much hassle with tenants, and then sell.
And AirBnB will be caught in the new regime….the regime is designed to remove the incentives that are driving the property inflation…ever increasing capital gain….if they are successful in that (and the price to income ratio can be eased) then much of this package could be wound back/modified for the new market conditions.
The alternative is to allow it continue until bust and wipe out (mainly) recent FHB and recent entrants to the investment market….the smart money will have quit before that happens.
AirB&B and similar short term rental properties should without doubt, be subject to the new regime. That aside, if the property is let for more than 14 days, there is a liability for income tax to be paid. Also, aren't commercial rates also payable in some (tourist) areas? That seems reasonable since the properties are competing with commercial entities such as hotels and motels.
I understand there are some TA restrictions on Air BnB…though how well enforced is open to debate.
the main problem is the number of dwellings it pulls from the housing market….its ironic that we allow (largely) unfettered development of AirBnB and the government utilises a huge proportion of motels to house the homeless.
….staying in a lisenced, registered, controlled motel is simply the more attractive option.
You have to get the homeless into alternative digs first.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/122082057/citys-motel-industry-survives-on-providing-emergency-accommodation
“In this time of Covid,” the Porirua motelier said. “It helps us survive.”
Stuff has spoken to the city’s moteliers after its mayor raised the spectre of an accommodation crunch, with emergency demand trumping rooms for visitors.
Of the nine accommodation businesses in Porirua identified by Stuff, only one was not taking emergency accommodation.
Taxes might be part of the answer…but building a shit tonne of houses has to come first. Now.
well if travellers again stay in hotels, the air bnbs could be transformed back into rentals.
or are the homeless now at fault for living in motels and keeping good people in Air bnbs?
AirBnB's are in a different market. They are competing more with hotels and motels.
I quite enjoyed this one, as a provocation.
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2021/03/why-we-dont-fight.html
He's such a lover of the tragedean pose.
If I get an afternoon free I will generate a response.
$1B extra tax from removing the interest deductibility
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/asb-estimates-how-much-extra-tax-govt-could-make-from-housing-policy/7IPY3QOYZIJJUSCDJKF4CZHMGM/
Who will ultimately pay for that?
tenants, and the tax payer via accom benefit would be my guess.
How is it that everyone can see that except Grant and Jacinda?
I'm pretty sure they are aware of that possibility. How can they possibly not be? I would hope, therefor, that they will take regulatory measures to ensure that that will not be the case. For example. they could make landlords pay their mortgages themselves, out of their own pockets. After all, it is the landlords' own houses that those mortgages are paying for.
What?
Who do you think currently repays the [mortgage] loan?
After all, it is the landlords' own houses that those mortgages are paying for.
Would you buy a home and then give it to someone else to live in?
Yep, if I could afford to then why not – can't take it with me. How about you?
Isn't that what landlords do?
Anyhow you did not specify “homes” initially. It was “houses” that you were talking about.
It’s what you get with policy on the hoof.
I am quite sure that Grant can see it. I have my doubts about Jacinda though. I think it may just be a little to complicated for her.
The important thing for them though is to try and look as if they are doing something. It doesn't really matter if it doesn't work. They will just blame the people who own the properties and describe them as "speculators" or suchlike. However they will claim that they are doing something, anything. Just so that they can pretend that it isn't the Government actions that have caused the mad boom in prices. If that gets pinned on them, as it should be, they will be in trouble with the hoi polloi.
Really Alwyn? Maybe PM Ardern is a little too complicated for you.
Of course, for the longest time almost all MPs will have benefited financially from increasing property prices, i.e. it’s in their own best interests to be ineffective.
Interesting the wee angles tories still try against the PM.
Snide remarks and condescension, never based on anything specific. Little hints and whispers about tiredness or intelligence. A little bit more subtle than the habit of calling her "cindy", but a constant gnawing away, trying to sow alarm and despondancy.
At least Labour are trying to do something to fix housing in NZ. A new habit from the last few decades.
They can see it – but they're not going to move pre-emptively. When it happens, they'll most likely try moral pressure first and then increase accommodation allowances, but not by enough. What they won't do is point out that landlords have a business model that has taxpayers over a barrel – because we aren't prepared to let large numbers of our fellow citizens live on the street. And if that's the case, which it is, it's not really a market in any meaningful sense of the word and heavy-handed regulation of it cannot be construed as any sort of 'market interference'.
I think the only way they could stop it being passed on to tenants is by imposing a rent freeze.
If there is sufficient pressure to do so, their next step will be to make rents subject to the Commerce Commission as a regulated price activity.
As you can see, Ardern moves only when she needs to move, and spends the amount of political capital she needs to spend and no more.
So if renters want her to move, they need to organise and generate political pressure.
Simply being right is nowhere near enough.
Very true Ad.
My question is how do those groups such as Renters United, get the support or the coverage from the media like investor and landlord groups do, without being cast as oppositional or entitled?
Is there an ideologically aligned marketing/PR group willing to assist in developing some strategies?
I'd start by reaching out to the big charitable housing owners. People like Community of Refuge Trust.
Also the tenant advocate bodies. Plenty of stroppy people there.
And then bring some people in from cities with rent controls already in operation.
John Tamihere from Whānau Ora.
The Green Party.
The Māori Party.
Just for starters …
All the homeless people in motels, all teh people on waiting lists for state houses are not political enough pressure? All the years of her and the labour ministers screaming in opposition about the housing crisis, the rental crisis, the homeless crisis is not enough political pressure? Was it all just a show? And here i thought she was PM of everyone in the country and not just those that can afford the lobby the PM. Oh well……..
I hope those that support introducing a rent freeze also support a freeze on council rates increases, building insurances premium increases, water rates freezes, tradies freezing their hourly rates, a freeze on companies that supplies materials used in repairs and maintenance etc.
If we wanted Councils, insurance companies and tradies to wind up their operations – we might suggest that. But we don't. All business operations are not equally socially beneficial.
It would appear a travel bubble, even to a COVID free country, is still months away. And given we had numerous dates last year, then by 31 March this year, not sure I’d believe end of May either. In the words of the deputy PM it’s too definitive.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-travel-bubble-with-the-cook-islands-likely-to-begin-in-may/3BWLYYOCHXFSBFFWM4UK57OAAI/
Seems to me like they have only just recently started working on the travel bubble due to pressure from public (I know they say there has been lots of work done in the background but I think that statement is too definitive).
I really think Jacinda wants to delay it as long as possible.
What makes you think that?
Well considering the shit fight that's breaking out over the Tasman due to the current case / continuing outbreak in Brisbane, I don't blame her.
Every State having their own interpretation and restrictions, how is that going work as we try and establish some sort of reliable and predictable cross border travel.
I know from within the industry that work on opening the border to Australia has been ongoing since last year, but the practical difficulties are huge because every State has it's own rules and interpretations. It may be possible for family visits, where a border closure will be easier to handle, but as a saviour of our tourism industry, don't hold your breath or bet the mortgage on it.
The Australian government just committed 1.2 billion (AUD) to subsidising domestic airfares to leisure destinations, because Aussies don't want to travel interstate, because they might get stuck, or be around someone with the plague.
What makes you think they will want to come here, and pay full fare.
Facebook threatens to block the captain of the Evergreen.
"Block me will you, I'll show you blocked"
This system has killed my baby boy the eldest at 30 years young.
https://youtu.be/qQfetkoGrpU
Our son tangi is on Wednesday
https://youtu.be/qQfetkoGrpU