Such an interesting political fallout. I can't figure out how much is about the failure of the climate targets, how much is Cass Report, and how much is Independence.
Quick reminder of the numbers – SNP 63, Tories 31 + Labour 22 + Lib Dems 4 + Greens 7 + Alba 1 = 65 so FM will hope Greens either support him or abstain but having said today he is a "coward" and "not to be trusted" can they with integrity support him?
also interesting is how similar the issues are to here. I'm listening in to a Scottish Space on twitter, and there is commentary like how much the Highlands and Islands have been neglected and the government focused on the cities. Too much about NB toilets, not enough ensuring ferry crossings are functional.
I really hope NZ GP and Lab are learning the right things here. We are lucky that neither party leadership do the kind of relationship destroying behaviour we've seen in Scotland in the recent past.
Scotland's Labor Party have been on the rise for a decade, now into the mid-30% and primed to replace SNP. With the Greens struggling to crack 5% forever.
I wasn't talking about the MP/Party make up. I was talking about the issues that matter to voters and why the SNP and SGs are in such a mess.
The last big dip I am aware of for the SNP was when Sturgeon was interviewed and couldn't explain how trans women are women but shouldn't be in women's prisons. Voters hate numpties.
As I said above, it's complex, because there are at least three distinct issues playing directly into what just happened: the climate targets, the Cass Review, and Independence. But those sit within a broader cultural context of what matters in people's day to day lives. That's very similar to here.
(and as an aside, but following on from that and your comment, looks to me like Scotland is getting MMP better than we are, with a better distribution of power across parties rather than retaining a two party system with add ons like NZ does).
With 63 of the 129 seats, the SNP will stumble on as an administration until the next election in 2026. On the issues in play to Scotland’s political makeup, only climate registers with voters here.
If Scotland is what successful coalition government looks like, we've done well to avoid it. Scotland's Greens should be taking lessons from us.
I've just been listening to a Scottish voter talking about the broader issues and they sound similar eg people concerned the liberal government parties are focusing on the wrong things.
Climate is an issue for the split in Scotland because the SG membership wanted a vote on whether to stay in the Bute House agreement after the SNP pulled out of the climate targets (as far as I understand it). Yousaf apparently decided not to wait for that, but I get the sense there is more to it because now the SNP are in a precarious position. That's a different set of dynamics than what ordinary voters want, which is what I was referring to.
If Scotland is what successful coalition government looks like, we've done well to avoid it. Scotland's Greens should be taking lessons from us.
Dunno about that, we currently have a successful coalition government tearing the country apart 🤷♀️
Scottish and UK Green Parties are insane because of their handling of the sex/gender wars and their lack of real politik and reading the room. The Scottish Green co-leader has denied the Cass Review findings and is doubling down on making the TRA agenda a priority. The UK Greens went through several scandals around a trans identified man and his father who was a child sex offender. How they handled that makes the NZ Greens' handling of problematic people seem very good.
The NZ GP removing Kerekere speaks to them having better sense of real politik. She was a loose unit, and because of that they were heading down the same path re gender identity that the SG and UKG have gone. It's silo mentality, and I really hope the NZ GP are in the process of leaving that behind.
Our own Green Party delivered massive legislation and policy programmes from a fairly small position last term. Neither NZ Greens nor any other party are revisiting the Birth Deaths and Marriages Act and nor will they ever: dead issue for all our political parties. Our Greens handled their leadership change with aplomb and their 2023 results are the strongest they've ever had.
I have no view of the Scottish Greens' level of sanity, but our Greens are on a roll.
yes, they are. And, there are challenges coming up. The Cass Review, the MoH review of puberty blockers, and the myriad of issues that have been arising in societies elsewhere and we are just getting started on. Those aren't going away and at some point the pressure will be on the Greens. My hope is that they learn from the SG and GPEW (UK) on what not to do, because those GPs are a shit show. The SG are in the process of major brand damage.
Self-ID may be a dead issue for political parties atm, but obviously not for voters. Hence Hipkins was completely unprepared for the 'what is a woman?' question, despite it being a major issue for UK Labour because women voters forced the issue.
If Labour and/or GP staffers are still giving them poor information on this issue, it will bite the centre left.
It's going to be an issue for Swarbrick, because there is a direct conflict between her plan to mobilise communities and the GP position of fuck off nazi terf bigot. Same with the Palestinian liberation and telling Jewish people they need to explore their racism. Her plan is good for building green left vote is good, but she has a huge blindspot as well. I hope she can resolve that over the next two years.
possible given that many of the people that would no longer vote for Labour or the Greens because of the gender identity trumps sex position had already made the decision before Hipkins was asked. Including TS commenters.
But it’s an odd assertion, given in the UK people saying they will no longer vote on the left over genderist policies, and we know that similar dynamics are playing out here. We also know that most people are supportive of trans people having the same kinds of rights as other people, but draw the line when those rights infringe on the rights of women and children.
The longer the liberal left stays in denial of what is happening, the more the narrative is handed to the right, and the bigger the backlash against trans people.
meanwhile, there’s to be a vote on confidence in the Scottish government, and the person that holds the balance of power is a gender critical woman who has already said that support for Yousaf depends on his support for women’s sex based rights.
I have written to Humza Yousaf this morning requesting a reset, and a return to competent government, where we prioritise independence and protect the dignity, safety and rights of women and children. I remain open to any discussion where we progress the priorities of the people of Scotland
That’s Ash Regan, who shifted from the SNP to the Alba Party last year.
So you can test whether UK reports about gender self-identification really do change votes. Or not.
That’s not how it works. People vote for a range of reasons and the only way to know to what extent gender identity pol is a factor would be to poll that specifically. I’m not aware of anyone doing that polling.
"The last big dip I am aware of for the SNP was when Sturgeon was interviewed and couldn't explain how trans women are women but shouldn't be in women's prisons. Voters hate numpties."
"trans women are trans women, which means biologically male, and they appear to have same rates of violence against women as other males and thus like other males shouldn't be housed in women's prisons. Trans women are at risk of violence from men in men's prisons, which is why as government we are moving now to establish how trans women, other gender non conforming or vulnerable male prisoners can be protected from targeted violence. We further acknowledge that men's prisons have inherent levels of violence that need addressing"
Yes, they're hard core gender identity ideologists. One of the co-leaders has been full on supporting the TRA lines against the Cass Review in the past few weeks.
The lessons for NZ GP and Labour are around what not to do.
Can they not run a minority government? One would hope the SNP would still be able to pass legislation with either Labour, Alba or the Greens each time.
Or do they need a confidence and supply agreement to stay as government?
BREAK: Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar will lay motion of no confidence in the Scottish government this afternoon. If SG loses it would require Humza Yousaf to resign, there is 28 days to instal a new leader or face Scottish election.
with an screenshot saying that if there is a vote of no confidence in the government, the First Minister and Ministers have to resign, then there is 28 days to elect a new FM. If parliament can't do that, parliament is dissolved.
There is a bit of excitement over here in vegan-corner…
We have seen the future of protein/food…and it looks really good…
Move aside plant-based meats ..here comes protein grown from a microbe ..and thin air ..
At first glance it seems like magic..(and it really is..!..both in ending the cruelties/environmental damage from getting protein from animals ..and in fixing the problem of how to feed the planet..)
The scientific explanation is that the microbe uses the hydrogen in the air .to grow ..
Effing cool..!..eh..?
And this is not a new concept..it is already tried and true ..the American space program used this method to grow food for astronauts in space ..in the 1970's…
Anyone wanting to know more would be advised to google food from air ..(fill yet boots..!)
Looks like our rivers lost that war. 45% of our river length is unswimmable.
And our wetland lost tens of thousands of hectares.
And of course all our native species lost that war. 94% of our reptile species, 82% of bird species, 80%of bat species, 76%of freshwater fish species, and 46%of vascular plant species are either facing extinction or are at risk of being threatened with extinction.
Also forest cover in New Zealand has been reduced to below extinction levels in nearly all our districts.
The end of our enslaving of other species..(to do with what we will)..will see massive land use changes in NZ ..
One would expect that that the rural land currently used/abused to those enslaving ends…will see a sharp drop in value…as those export markets evaporate..
And one could also hope for a regeneration/re wilding of many of those ills you detail..
Something else that is of note is how quickly we have done this to new Zealand…
And one thing is for sure…we cannot continue doing the same..and expecting a different outcome..
But that change is going to be taken out of our hands..
It will just be a matter of NZ no longer needed as a source of protein…for the rest of the world…
And those addicted to tearing flesh from the bone can relax ..this air-grown protein can be made into beef/chicken/pig-meat etc ..
So there is no need of cultural change ..no need to see the light..and turn vegan..or anything like that ..
Market forces alone will drive those changes…
If the end product is indistinguishable from the animal based ones…one would need to be a bit of a sick puppy to insist that an animal must suffer/die..for you to eat..?..eh..?
With you all the way on dairying. I've come to really hate what they do to cows (and have done, particularly the grotesque results of selective breeding).
Oat milk, though pricey by comparison, is a pretty satisfactory substitute in drinks and pouring on cereals. Must now try and see how it goes in cooking.
On the plus side however Ad, we are making a name for ourselves in how to farm mud with cows used as an addition to really get the paddocks churned and thus hasten mud farming.
Mud farming plays an important part in our aim to increase the percentage of unswimmable rivers from a mediocre 45%.
When we use automatic irrigation systems on mud paddocks it enhances the runoff so it contains high fecal counts.
When farming mud NZ farmers can lead the way in better breeeding with the traditional cloven hooves gradually making way for flippered single digit hooves. They are also looking at borrowing from self clean oven manufacturers to develop a self clean system for cows legs should cows ever want to graze on dry grassed pastures. That then brings us to the latest developments in cows being specially bred to eat mud. Inventors are looking at if the addition of hay and limestone plus a change in the gut from rounded to square can lead to formed adobe type bricks being excreted by cows. /Sarc
There are still dopey farmers who don't self manage and actually needed the controls/restrictions imposed on not being able to farm mud. The lure of the mighty dollar overrides the need to protect cows or pastures. (People will say 'oh but farmers love their land and love their cows') They may do but it does not stop some from pushing, pushing the capacities of both to the nth degree.
NB The work done by local authorities etc to restrict practices that lead to mud farming has led, in my view, to the gap in pictures of the worst offenders due to close monitoring/shame of those mud farmers spoiling it for everyone.
NB on the so-called 'hardship' of fencing riparian margins my B-i-L fenced the margins of several creeks running through his Southland farm over 30 years ago. He was looked on as a sort of 'crazy man' then and looks like that attitude is still prevalent
Remember those farmers really need those holidays in Kenya to recuperate.
I was running an Environment Court case for a Society in the Upper Clutha (Wanaka area) a few years ago where the farmer was pleading poverty and the consequent need to subdivide, but he let slip that he had just come back from an Africa jaunt.
“It seems ghoulish, but it is a perfectly legal and common practice for chicken litter — the material that accumulates on the floor of chicken growing facilities — to be fed to cattle,” said Michael Hansen, a senior scientist with Consumers Union.
fortunately for NZ, we could probably transition fast off the more insane aspects of our animal farming if we had to. Not sure we would mind (and def think we wouldn't under the current government).
Big Hairy News and Paul the Other One discuss Minister of Children Chhour's decision to thumb her nose at Waitangi tribunal over changes removing Maori focus in Oranga Tamariki. This opens the door for others in government to refuse to speak to the Tribunal to justify their political decisions.
Paul is very well-informed on this issue. Lots of political strategising on NZ First and ACT. Apparently, once legislation is in Parliament, the Tribunal cannot become involved. Hence, the fast-track of the Fast-Track.
I don't think it's "Minister" Chhour's decision to thumb her nose at the Waitangi Tribunal, it's those pulling her strings. We have to work towards this being a one-term government. We have 30 months.
For the record, Trump's attorney John Sauer argues before the Supreme Court that depending on the circumstances, assassinating a political rival could be considered an official act.
It's becoming clear from polls about the direction of the government that people voted Labour out because they were bored with their lives (surviving a pandemic only to work to pay rent or mortgage) so cheated on the New Zealand nation state society and formed a new relationship … with a dystopian nightmare.
Bringing back that pandemic "horror excitement" in a new way.
And all it took was a promise to prevent co-governance with Maori and any special place for the indigenous people (and Treaty) to launch it successfuilly.
So here we are, the reduction of the nation state government (apart from building roads) and pandering to a collective of special interests instead … landlords, trucking, farmers unconcerned for the environment .. business seeking the same …
It must be perplexing for this government that the Consumer Price Index remains stubbornly above 4.5%, interest rates have no schedule at all for coming down, and consumer confidence is the worst it's been since the 2008-9 GFC. Their austerity has cratered the economy of the Wellington region for years to come.
No doubt the government-by-resentment will work a smart schtick for a year.
But if the keep using austerity to crash the economy, I'm confident people will see their personal and family interests decline as a direct result of this government, and the mood will shift against this government.
I doubt anyone is perplexed that after just a few months all the problems of the world have not been resolved. As for ‘cratering’ the Wellington economy, given how few job losses there has been in Wellington so far, that’s some fantastic hyperbole there.
Taser maker and police contractor Axon has announced a new product called "Draft One," an AI that can generate police reports from body cam audio.
As Forbes reports, it's a brazen and worrying use of the tech that could easily lead to the furthering of institutional ills like racial bias in the hands of police departments. That's not to mention the propensity of AI models to "hallucinate" facts, which could easily lead to chaos and baseless accusations.
"It’s kind of a nightmare," Electronic Frontier Foundation surveillance technologies investigations director Dave Maass told Forbes. "Police, who aren't specialists in AI, and aren’t going to be specialists in recognizing the problems with AI, are going to use these systems to generate language that could affect millions of people in their involvement with the criminal justice system."
The Republican base, it turns out, is now opposed to democracy. Their words, not mine, as you’ll soon see.
[…]
Then they kicked it up a notch. They passed a resolution calling on people to please stop using the word “democracy.”
“We encourage Republicans to substitute the words ‘republic’ and ‘republicanism’ where previously they have used the word ‘democracy,’ ” the resolution says. “Every time the word ‘democracy’ is used favorably it serves to promote the principles of the Democratic Party, the principles of which we ardently oppose.”
The resolution sums up: “We … oppose legislation which makes our nation more democratic in nature.”
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Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
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. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
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 ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Late one afternoon in March 1860 a man in a thin green velveteen jacket and a wide-awake hat arrived on foot at a sheep station named Glenmark, about 65 kilometres north of Christchurch. The man was in his mid-fifties but he looked older. Several people who met him that day ...
If building one of Auckland’s possible waterfront stadiums was funded privately, it would need to hold a sold-out Ed Sherran concert every weekday for 25 years. That’s Rob Hamlin’s finding – he’s a senior marketing lecturer at the University of Otago. “It’s not going to happen; forget about it,” he ...
Comment: The debate over the future relationship between news and social media is bringing us closer to a long-overdue reckoning. Social media isn’t trying to kill journalism, because social media has never really cared about journalism. Social media is resolutely in the attention business. News propels some attention — perhaps ...
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For the past 12 years, Georgia-Rose Brown has balanced on the brink of making an Olympic Games – but always landed gracefully on the wrong side. Reaching the Olympics is a dream the gymnast has harboured since she was a six-year-old; a dream that would dwindle every four years, yet ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A new Commonwealth Prac Payment will provide students with $319.50 a week when they are on clinical and professional placements. The payment will be means tested and start from July 1 next year, which ...
Asia Pacific Report About 500 people honoured Palestinian journalists in the heart of the New Zealand city of Auckland today for their brave coverage of Israel’s War on Gaza, now in its seventh month with almost 35,000 people killed, mostly women and children. Marking the annual May 3 World Press ...
The Government Communications Security Bureau denies hosting a foreign spying capability flagged by the watchdog, differentiating it from the system recently criticised. ...
RNZ News A group of academic staff at New Zealand’s largest university have expressed concern at the administration’s move to block a protest encampment that was planned to take place on campus calling for support for the rights of Palestinians. This week, the University of Auckland warned that while it ...
Genterwocky After a hard days marching, Sir Doocey calls in at the Village Tavern For a pint of ale and a pork pie. The grim villagers stare at him. “Do not be travelling on the forest road,” warns a crusty old beak. “And why is that, antique peasant?” Grins Sir ...
Political conferences after a party returns to power are usually a chance for some healthy, even unhealthy backslapping. Yet National Party president Sylvia Wood’s address to its mainland representatives on Saturday hardly contained the unalloyed delight that one might have expected following National’s escape from the wilderness of opposition. Yes, ...
Comment: Almost half the world is voting in national elections this year and artificial intelligence is the elephant in the room. There are genuine fears AI-generated or AI-edited deepfakes will potentially manipulate election outcomes not just in the US and UK, but critically in countries such as India. For that ...
Ahead of the reality franchise’s return to New Zealand, allow us to introduce the eight brides and grooms. Chuck on a veil and tie back your man bun, because it’s time to say “I do” to a new season of Married at First Sight NZ. The reality TV “social experiment” ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University Every year on June 1, student debt in Australia is indexed to inflation. In 2023, high inflation pushed the indexation rate to 7.1%, the highest since 1990. This ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Changes in the May 14 budget will cut the student debt of more than three million people, wiping more than $3 billion from what people owe. The government will cap the HELP indexation rate ...
Asia Pacific Report The prosecutor’s office at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has appealed for an end to what it calls intimidation of its staff, saying such threats could constitute an offence against the “administration of justice” by the world’s permanent war crimes court. The Hague-based office of ICC Prosecutor ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk A women’s union in New Caledonia has staged a sit-in protest this week to support senior Kanak indigenous journalist Thérèse Waia, who works for public broadcaster Nouvelle-Calédonie la Première, after a smear attack by critics. The peaceful demonstration was held on ...
New Zealand Food Safety is monitoring overseas recalls of Indian packaged spice products manufactured by MDH and Everest due to concerns over a cancer-causing pesticide. ...
By Stephen Wright and Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews Fiji’s ranking in a global press freedom index has jumped into the top tier of countries with free or mostly free media after its government last year repealed a draconian law that threatened journalists with prison for doing their jobs. Fiji’s improvement ...
We might be in Invercargill but all anyone can talk about is Gore. Specifically, Salford Street. That’s where three-year-old Lachlan Jones lived, south of the centre of town, between the A&P Showgrounds and the Mataura River. Roughly 1.2 km away from the single level home he lived in with his ...
MONDAY I lined up the latest round of civil servants from city hall against the wall, and signalled for the firing squad to drop their rifles. I stepped up onto a wooden crate to look at the office workers in the eye. But that didn’t feel right, so I found ...
Keen hiker and second-year MSc student Liam Hewson wears two hats when he’s in the great outdoors. “The scientist in me appreciates nature and goes, ‘Oh, there’s that thing and there’s another thing,’ but then the tramper and the outdoorsy person in me thinks, ‘Cool bush.’” Born and bred in ...
After a long and illustrious career as a goal kicker, Dan Carter’s favourite way to unwind is… kicking goals. Why can’t he get enough of it? And what it’s like to watch him do it for an hour straight? A semicircle of people wielding cameras and phones has formed in ...
Dame Susan Devoy takes us through her life in television, including late night ER debriefs, her proudest CTI moment and the show she watches in secret. Quite aside from her four world champion squash titles, Dame Susan Devoy will likely go down in history as one of the best Celebrity ...
Hera Lindsay Bird reveals the best places in Ōtepoti to score more for your apocalypse-prep book hoard.Sometimes I get the feeling I’ve been killed in a car crash, and this second half of my life is just the brain unspooling itself, like one of those episodes of a hospital ...
ThreeNow’s new murder mystery series takes us on a dark, damp journey into the Australian wilderness.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. High Country is ThreeNow’s new Australian eight-part crime drama, set in a remote part of the Victorian highlands. It tells ...
Introducing a new way to read The Spinoff every weekend. After nearly 10 years of being an online magazine, we’re finally embracing the weekend liftout. Despite our best efforts to convince you otherwise, writers and editors at The Spinoff don’t work weekend. It is through the sheer power of technology ...
Tip one: let yourself be nurtured by this big old man. Tip two: don’t ask him to adopt you. So, you’ve arrived at your first session with a new therapist. He tells you to make yourself comfortable and you opt for the tweed armchair, hoping it makes you look like ...
I didn’t know books could open you back up; that there were books that stayed with you, where reading was like a chemical event. I knew nothing.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Not too long ago, I was listening to the American ...
Former Olympic swimmer James Magnussen has already started training for the Enhanced games, though says he won’t start taking performance enhancing substances until about nine months out from the competition. The Australian world champion was the first athlete to be announced by Enhanced, but he says the organisation has had ...
Everyone thinks he’s dead. Every day they expect his body to be washed up along the coast. Most likely up Karitane way, the way the tide’s running. But nobody’ll be too surprised if his body’s never found. Even in death he wouldn’t have wished for such attention. He would have ...
Council members voted 21 to 4 in favour of Ahluwalia returning to the Laucala campus following a much-awaited meeting in Vanuatu this week. It comes as USP and its two unions — the Association of the University of the South Pacific Staff (AUSPS) and the Administration and Support Staff Union ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicola Henry, Professor & Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Social and Global Studies Centre, RMIT University Shutterstock Following an emergency meeting of the National Cabinet this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a raft of measures to tackle the problem ...
Analysis - A poll showing the opposition is more popular than the government raises questions, politicians go through their 'trial by pay rise' and a Green MP loses her cool in the debating chamber. ...
The entire stretch of Tokomaru Bay on the East Coast will be subject to a joint customary marine title for two hapū, and extending up to four miles out to sea. A High Court judge has found the two groups, who during the case settled a dispute over boundaries for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Hall, Lecturer, Media & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University A longstanding feud between TikTok and Universal Music Group seems to have finally reached an end, with both parties signing a deal that will see Universal-backed music returned to the social media ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Siobhan O’Dean, Postdoctoral Research Associate, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney After several highly publicised alleged murders of women in Australia, the Albanese government this week pledged more than A$925 million over five years ...
Political parties have now fully disclosed the donations they received last year - with National getting more than double the cash of any other party. ...
A Pacific regionalism expert has called out New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS military pact. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard de Grijs, Professor of Astrophysics, Macquarie University Bruno Scramgnon/Pexels All systems are “go” for tonight’s launch of China’s next step in a carefully planned lunar exploration program. Placed on top of a powerful Long March 5 rocket, the Chang’e 6 ...
National returned a massive donation the day after a Newsroom story linked the donors to a property being investigated for operating unlawfully as a migrant workers’ hostel. The party’s 2023 donation filings, released on Friday, show it returned a $200,000 donation from Buen Holdings on August 23. That was the ...
Pacific Media Watch New Zealand has slumped to an unprecedented 19th place in the annual Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index survey released today on World Press Freedom Day — May 3. This was a drop of six places from 13th last year when it slipped out of its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Political Historian and Administrator Officer, Australian Historical Association, Australian National University Australia has had its fair share of public record-keeping controversies in recent years. Some have been mere farce, as in the case of two formerly government-owned filing cabinets (containing ...
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a United Nations-affiliated organization dedicated to fostering peace through civilian-led initiatives, has issued a statement in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. ...
A poem by Tessa Keenan, from AUP New Poets 10. Mātou These days we are a photograph; one of a farm strewn with cows that used to be bright harakeke or swamp. The kids point at it and say the sun sits behind a smudge (left by someone at Christmas); ...
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 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Faber & Faber, $25)The masterful Irish writer ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. Key facts Marriages and civil unions In ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lennon Y.C. Chang, Associate Professor of Cyber Risk and Policy, Deakin University Taiwan stands out as a beacon of democracy, innovation and resilience in an increasingly autocratic region. But this is under growing threat. In recent years, China has used a variety ...
In this excerpt from her new memoir, Dame Susan Devoy remembers her turn as star contestant on the 2022 season of Celebrity Treasure Island. The most anxious time of every day was pre-elimination, when you knew this could be your final day on the show. I felt such contradictory emotions, ...
A week that began in triumph ended in an all-too-familiar disaster for the Green Party. Duncan Greive asks if there’s something in the mission that breaks its best and brightest. A long, strange week for the Green party began with a fantastic poll result. On one level this is hardly ...
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Former MSP Regan has the deciding vote on a no confidence vote in Scotland.
The SNP have 63 votes, the others have 64.
The SNP have been in government for 17 years.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3g8dwn01gno
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-67248844
former SNP 👍
Such an interesting political fallout. I can't figure out how much is about the failure of the climate targets, how much is Cass Report, and how much is Independence.
https://twitter.com/holyroodmandy/status/1783471554786951315
also interesting is how similar the issues are to here. I'm listening in to a Scottish Space on twitter, and there is commentary like how much the Highlands and Islands have been neglected and the government focused on the cities. Too much about NB toilets, not enough ensuring ferry crossings are functional.
I really hope NZ GP and Lab are learning the right things here. We are lucky that neither party leadership do the kind of relationship destroying behaviour we've seen in Scotland in the recent past.
Scotland's Labor Party have been on the rise for a decade, now into the mid-30% and primed to replace SNP. With the Greens struggling to crack 5% forever.
https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/polls_scot.html
That's a whole different scenario to New Zealand.
I wasn't talking about the MP/Party make up. I was talking about the issues that matter to voters and why the SNP and SGs are in such a mess.
The last big dip I am aware of for the SNP was when Sturgeon was interviewed and couldn't explain how trans women are women but shouldn't be in women's prisons. Voters hate numpties.
As I said above, it's complex, because there are at least three distinct issues playing directly into what just happened: the climate targets, the Cass Review, and Independence. But those sit within a broader cultural context of what matters in people's day to day lives. That's very similar to here.
(and as an aside, but following on from that and your comment, looks to me like Scotland is getting MMP better than we are, with a better distribution of power across parties rather than retaining a two party system with add ons like NZ does).
With 63 of the 129 seats, the SNP will stumble on as an administration until the next election in 2026. On the issues in play to Scotland’s political makeup, only climate registers with voters here.
If Scotland is what successful coalition government looks like, we've done well to avoid it. Scotland's Greens should be taking lessons from us.
I've just been listening to a Scottish voter talking about the broader issues and they sound similar eg people concerned the liberal government parties are focusing on the wrong things.
Climate is an issue for the split in Scotland because the SG membership wanted a vote on whether to stay in the Bute House agreement after the SNP pulled out of the climate targets (as far as I understand it). Yousaf apparently decided not to wait for that, but I get the sense there is more to it because now the SNP are in a precarious position. That's a different set of dynamics than what ordinary voters want, which is what I was referring to.
Dunno about that, we currently have a successful coalition government tearing the country apart 🤷♀️
Scottish and UK Green Parties are insane because of their handling of the sex/gender wars and their lack of real politik and reading the room. The Scottish Green co-leader has denied the Cass Review findings and is doubling down on making the TRA agenda a priority. The UK Greens went through several scandals around a trans identified man and his father who was a child sex offender. How they handled that makes the NZ Greens' handling of problematic people seem very good.
The NZ GP removing Kerekere speaks to them having better sense of real politik. She was a loose unit, and because of that they were heading down the same path re gender identity that the SG and UKG have gone. It's silo mentality, and I really hope the NZ GP are in the process of leaving that behind.
Our own Green Party delivered massive legislation and policy programmes from a fairly small position last term. Neither NZ Greens nor any other party are revisiting the Birth Deaths and Marriages Act and nor will they ever: dead issue for all our political parties. Our Greens handled their leadership change with aplomb and their 2023 results are the strongest they've ever had.
I have no view of the Scottish Greens' level of sanity, but our Greens are on a roll.
yes, they are. And, there are challenges coming up. The Cass Review, the MoH review of puberty blockers, and the myriad of issues that have been arising in societies elsewhere and we are just getting started on. Those aren't going away and at some point the pressure will be on the Greens. My hope is that they learn from the SG and GPEW (UK) on what not to do, because those GPs are a shit show. The SG are in the process of major brand damage.
Self-ID may be a dead issue for political parties atm, but obviously not for voters. Hence Hipkins was completely unprepared for the 'what is a woman?' question, despite it being a major issue for UK Labour because women voters forced the issue.
If Labour and/or GP staffers are still giving them poor information on this issue, it will bite the centre left.
It's going to be an issue for Swarbrick, because there is a direct conflict between her plan to mobilise communities and the GP position of fuck off nazi terf bigot. Same with the Palestinian liberation and telling Jewish people they need to explore their racism. Her plan is good for building green left vote is good, but she has a huge blindspot as well. I hope she can resolve that over the next two years.
The question to Hipkins changed not a single vote.
Same question could have been put to any NZ political leader and it would still have no effect at all.
possible given that many of the people that would no longer vote for Labour or the Greens because of the gender identity trumps sex position had already made the decision before Hipkins was asked. Including TS commenters.
But it’s an odd assertion, given in the UK people saying they will no longer vote on the left over genderist policies, and we know that similar dynamics are playing out here. We also know that most people are supportive of trans people having the same kinds of rights as other people, but draw the line when those rights infringe on the rights of women and children.
The longer the liberal left stays in denial of what is happening, the more the narrative is handed to the right, and the bigger the backlash against trans people.
"The question to Hipkins changed not a single vote"
Well it was another reason for me not to give Labour either tick and confirmed a party vote tick for the Maori Party.
You don't have to wait for the next Scottish election.
On May 2nd – 2 weeks time – there's the next British election.
So you can test whether UK reports about gender self-identification really do change votes. Or not.
meanwhile, there’s to be a vote on confidence in the Scottish government, and the person that holds the balance of power is a gender critical woman who has already said that support for Yousaf depends on his support for women’s sex based rights.
https://twitter.com/AshReganALBA/status/1783769794824503712
That’s Ash Regan, who shifted from the SNP to the Alba Party last year.
That’s not how it works. People vote for a range of reasons and the only way to know to what extent gender identity pol is a factor would be to poll that specifically. I’m not aware of anyone doing that polling.
edit: the vote is about Yousaf not the government
"The last big dip I am aware of for the SNP was when Sturgeon was interviewed and couldn't explain how trans women are women but shouldn't be in women's prisons. Voters hate numpties."
What should she have said, Weka?
"trans women are trans women, which means biologically male, and they appear to have same rates of violence against women as other males and thus like other males shouldn't be housed in women's prisons. Trans women are at risk of violence from men in men's prisons, which is why as government we are moving now to establish how trans women, other gender non conforming or vulnerable male prisoners can be protected from targeted violence. We further acknowledge that men's prisons have inherent levels of violence that need addressing"
Not true of the Scottish parliament Ad. Between 1999 AND 2021 lLabour has gone down steadily from 34% to 19, while the Greens have gone from 3% to 8.
This is from Wiki….difficult to link as am in Dunedin cafe.
In 2018 Labour were at 21% and tanked to a low of 12%.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1225498/scotland-holyrood-voting-intention/
As of now they are on 32% and rising, with SNP on 34% and falling fast.
Greens are at 4% which is about where they were in 2018.
Please, what are "NB toilets"?
non binary
Oh, of course.
I stared at it for a couple of minutes without registering. Thank you.
Have the Scottish Greens been captured by GI ideologues the same way as the wider UK party apparently has? (See https://thestandard.org.nz/chris-hipkins-values-matter/#comment-1993957) If so, I think it would be unwise to take any lessons from them.
You can track here what's most important to Scottish voters, over multiple years:
https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2023/08/foi-202300359025/documents/foi-202300359025—information-for-release—2/foi-202300359025—information-for-release—2/govscot%3Adocument/FOI%2B202300359025%2B-%2BInformation%2Bfor%2BRelease%2B-%2B2.pdf
Yes, they're hard core gender identity ideologists. One of the co-leaders has been full on supporting the TRA lines against the Cass Review in the past few weeks.
The lessons for NZ GP and Labour are around what not to do.
I would link to SG twitter accounts but apparently they purged all the tweets related to the CR (I haven't looked though).
my bad, it's not the UK Greens, but the GP of England and Wales.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Party_of_England_and_Wales
One of the more bonkers issues they've had
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aimee_Knight
My bad too, Weka. I could do with more time for preliminary fact-finding, tbh.
It appears it is concessions to Regan now an Alba MP (Salmond, which might influence strategy) from SNP.
If not, then it's onto elections.
That could result in a Labour led government, with either SNP, or LD and Greens.
If SNP (under a new leader, say Forbes) remain number 1, they might seek partnership with LD (if they have the votes).
Can they not run a minority government? One would hope the SNP would still be able to pass legislation with either Labour, Alba or the Greens each time.
Or do they need a confidence and supply agreement to stay as government?
A no confidence vote would likely result in the SNP First Minister either resigning, or calling new elections.
The alternative is a new SNP leader (Forbes a social conservative, who lost the last leadership contest, is not favoured by Greens).
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3g8dwn01gno
It is if Regan votes with the SNP that they would continue as a minority government.
This now. Crikey.
with an screenshot saying that if there is a vote of no confidence in the government, the First Minister and Ministers have to resign, then there is 28 days to elect a new FM. If parliament can't do that, parliament is dissolved.
https://twitter.com/ConnorGillies/status/1783786023480123712
There is a bit of excitement over here in vegan-corner…
We have seen the future of protein/food…and it looks really good…
Move aside plant-based meats ..here comes protein grown from a microbe ..and thin air ..
At first glance it seems like magic..(and it really is..!..both in ending the cruelties/environmental damage from getting protein from animals ..and in fixing the problem of how to feed the planet..)
The scientific explanation is that the microbe uses the hydrogen in the air .to grow ..
Effing cool..!..eh..?
And this is not a new concept..it is already tried and true ..the American space program used this method to grow food for astronauts in space ..in the 1970's…
Anyone wanting to know more would be advised to google food from air ..(fill yet boots..!)
And pass on the good news…
Apparently the war on farming is over.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2404/S00323/government-ends-war-on-farming.htm
Looks like our rivers lost that war. 45% of our river length is unswimmable.
And our wetland lost tens of thousands of hectares.
And of course all our native species lost that war. 94% of our reptile species, 82% of bird species, 80%of bat species, 76%of freshwater fish species, and 46%of vascular plant species are either facing extinction or are at risk of being threatened with extinction.
Also forest cover in New Zealand has been reduced to below extinction levels in nearly all our districts.
Maybe we just re-name ourselves New DeathLand.
May as well as it would appear the welcome mat's been laid out awhile to Capital of many varieties to plunder these shores.
The end of our enslaving of other species..(to do with what we will)..will see massive land use changes in NZ ..
One would expect that that the rural land currently used/abused to those enslaving ends…will see a sharp drop in value…as those export markets evaporate..
And one could also hope for a regeneration/re wilding of many of those ills you detail..
Something else that is of note is how quickly we have done this to new Zealand…
And one thing is for sure…we cannot continue doing the same..and expecting a different outcome..
But that change is going to be taken out of our hands..
It will just be a matter of NZ no longer needed as a source of protein…for the rest of the world…
..we need to get our heads around all this..
And those addicted to tearing flesh from the bone can relax ..this air-grown protein can be made into beef/chicken/pig-meat etc ..
So there is no need of cultural change ..no need to see the light..and turn vegan..or anything like that ..
Market forces alone will drive those changes…
If the end product is indistinguishable from the animal based ones…one would need to be a bit of a sick puppy to insist that an animal must suffer/die..for you to eat..?..eh..?
I don't think your out-there approach is gaining many converts Phil :), but if a true faux meat can be created for the carnists – woot!
I'm hanging out for a synthetic milk so the dairy industry can go the way of the dinosaurs.
With you all the way on dairying. I've come to really hate what they do to cows (and have done, particularly the grotesque results of selective breeding).
Oat milk, though pricey by comparison, is a pretty satisfactory substitute in drinks and pouring on cereals. Must now try and see how it goes in cooking.
(a comment of mine just vanished.. where did it go..?
And re the non-dairy milks:..the Pam's home brand soy milk has the best taste/texture for tea/coffee..
And vanilla flavoured anything is good for breakfasts…
The one to be wary of is almond milk…it has an elephant sized environmental footprint..
it went into Spam because of the typo in your username.
I thought I was being quite restrained.
The sooner people realise what is coming..the upending of our animal based export-industry..the better..
We can still grow fruit/veg..like real farmers do..
I don't think animal fatteners deserve the sobriquet of farmer…they don't farm…
They just fatten animals for slaughter..
So..the sooner we start making this protein from air..the better..
Best to be before the curve..not trailing behind ..
And what I say is immaterial to any outcomes..
I am just standing on a rock.. shouting "oy..!..over here..!'..
please fix your username
On the plus side however Ad, we are making a name for ourselves in how to farm mud with cows used as an addition to really get the paddocks churned and thus hasten mud farming.
Mud farming plays an important part in our aim to increase the percentage of unswimmable rivers from a mediocre 45%.
When we use automatic irrigation systems on mud paddocks it enhances the runoff so it contains high fecal counts.
When farming mud NZ farmers can lead the way in better breeeding with the traditional cloven hooves gradually making way for flippered single digit hooves. They are also looking at borrowing from self clean oven manufacturers to develop a self clean system for cows legs should cows ever want to graze on dry grassed pastures. That then brings us to the latest developments in cows being specially bred to eat mud. Inventors are looking at if the addition of hay and limestone plus a change in the gut from rounded to square can lead to formed adobe type bricks being excreted by cows. /Sarc
There are still dopey farmers who don't self manage and actually needed the controls/restrictions imposed on not being able to farm mud. The lure of the mighty dollar overrides the need to protect cows or pastures. (People will say 'oh but farmers love their land and love their cows') They may do but it does not stop some from pushing, pushing the capacities of both to the nth degree.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/125623570/activist-photos-reignite-winter-grazing-debate-in-southland
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/country/404052/farm-animals-suffering-due-to-poor-winter-grazing-practices-taskforce-says
Let us hope that Greenpeace is on the trail again.
https://www.greenpeace.org/aotearoa/press-release/mud-farming-clear-evidence-of-too-many-cows/
NB The work done by local authorities etc to restrict practices that lead to mud farming has led, in my view, to the gap in pictures of the worst offenders due to close monitoring/shame of those mud farmers spoiling it for everyone.
NB on the so-called 'hardship' of fencing riparian margins my B-i-L fenced the margins of several creeks running through his Southland farm over 30 years ago. He was looked on as a sort of 'crazy man' then and looks like that attitude is still prevalent
There's so much Southland adventure tourism potential in on-farm bog snorkeling
Southland is what they call "another country". They do things differently there ….
Remember those farmers really need those holidays in Kenya to recuperate.
I was running an Environment Court case for a Society in the Upper Clutha (Wanaka area) a few years ago where the farmer was pleading poverty and the consequent need to subdivide, but he let slip that he had just come back from an Africa jaunt.
heh. Who won?
The phoney war on farmers has ended.
The real war on the environment has begun.
National is responsible for both.
Good point about the phoney “war” (which non-farmers would call justified regulation).
Federated Farmers has played the role of innocent victim perfectly.
Can't wait.
“It seems ghoulish, but it is a perfectly legal and common practice for chicken litter — the material that accumulates on the floor of chicken growing facilities — to be fed to cattle,” said Michael Hansen, a senior scientist with Consumers Union.
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-04-18/avian-flu-outbreak-raises-a-disturbing-question-is-our-food-system-built-on-poop
fortunately for NZ, we could probably transition fast off the more insane aspects of our animal farming if we had to. Not sure we would mind (and def think we wouldn't under the current government).
"and def think we wouldn't under the current government".
Which is why those who really care have to work to ensure this is a one-term government.
I'm trying to make connections on my patch towards that. This nightmare has to end as soon as possible.
Big Hairy News and Paul the Other One discuss Minister of Children Chhour's decision to thumb her nose at Waitangi tribunal over changes removing Maori focus in Oranga Tamariki. This opens the door for others in government to refuse to speak to the Tribunal to justify their political decisions.
Paul is very well-informed on this issue. Lots of political strategising on NZ First and ACT. Apparently, once legislation is in Parliament, the Tribunal cannot become involved. Hence, the fast-track of the Fast-Track.
I don't think it's "Minister" Chhour's decision to thumb her nose at the Waitangi Tribunal, it's those pulling her strings. We have to work towards this being a one-term government. We have 30 months.
Chhour hasn't "thumbed her nose" at anyone. The Waitangi Tribunal is not a court, and so has no power to summons anyone.
It's a tribunal populated by judges.
The Minister is showing herself incapable of engaging seriously with experts who are also jurists, within her own Ministerial portfolio field.
Chhour is a fucking coward. She will get utterly mocked at Matariki.
As to the power to summons anyone, read the High Court judgement:
https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases/2024/2024-NZHC-931.pdf
So yes they can summons people, but be careful with Ministers (the case is being appealed).
Surely it is part of her job description..?
To interact with/explain gummint policies to relevant interested parties..?
And surely the tribunal is that..?
(Grr.!..name..!)
What exactly does she need to explain to the Waitangi Tribunal that they don't know already? It's a power play by the tribunal, pure and simple.
No it's not…the tribunal is an agent of the people..taking care of their interests.
And as such it most certainly behoves the minister to interact with the tribunal… seeing as it's the voice for many..
..and especially so when the policies the minister is enacting…are having/will be having such an impact on those the tribunal represents..
The minister refusing to meet with them makes a mockery of democracy..
A former and possible future US president is telling the supreme court that he should have immunity to kill political rivals.
Surreal.
@abbydphillip
For the record, Trump's attorney John Sauer argues before the Supreme Court that depending on the circumstances, assassinating a political rival could be considered an official act.
https://twitter.com/abbydphillip/status/1783498625974198289
It's becoming clear from polls about the direction of the government that people voted Labour out because they were bored with their lives (surviving a pandemic only to work to pay rent or mortgage) so cheated on the New Zealand nation state society and formed a new relationship … with a dystopian nightmare.
Bringing back that pandemic "horror excitement" in a new way.
And all it took was a promise to prevent co-governance with Maori and any special place for the indigenous people (and Treaty) to launch it successfuilly.
So here we are, the reduction of the nation state government (apart from building roads) and pandering to a collective of special interests instead … landlords, trucking, farmers unconcerned for the environment .. business seeking the same …
It must be perplexing for this government that the Consumer Price Index remains stubbornly above 4.5%, interest rates have no schedule at all for coming down, and consumer confidence is the worst it's been since the 2008-9 GFC. Their austerity has cratered the economy of the Wellington region for years to come.
No doubt the government-by-resentment will work a smart schtick for a year.
But if the keep using austerity to crash the economy, I'm confident people will see their personal and family interests decline as a direct result of this government, and the mood will shift against this government.
I doubt anyone is perplexed that after just a few months all the problems of the world have not been resolved. As for ‘cratering’ the Wellington economy, given how few job losses there has been in Wellington so far, that’s some fantastic hyperbole there.
Right up Merk Mitchell's alley, I reckon.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/498887/ethics-questioned-of-us-taser-company-working-with-nz-police
Taser maker and police contractor Axon has announced a new product called "Draft One," an AI that can generate police reports from body cam audio.
As Forbes reports, it's a brazen and worrying use of the tech that could easily lead to the furthering of institutional ills like racial bias in the hands of police departments. That's not to mention the propensity of AI models to "hallucinate" facts, which could easily lead to chaos and baseless accusations.
"It’s kind of a nightmare," Electronic Frontier Foundation surveillance technologies investigations director Dave Maass told Forbes. "Police, who aren't specialists in AI, and aren’t going to be specialists in recognizing the problems with AI, are going to use these systems to generate language that could affect millions of people in their involvement with the criminal justice system."
"What could go wrong?" he pondered.
https://futurism.com/police-ai-generates-police-reports-body-cam-footage
A cult in need of a king.
./
The Republican base, it turns out, is now opposed to democracy. Their words, not mine, as you’ll soon see.
[…]
Then they kicked it up a notch. They passed a resolution calling on people to please stop using the word “democracy.”
“We encourage Republicans to substitute the words ‘republic’ and ‘republicanism’ where previously they have used the word ‘democracy,’ ” the resolution says. “Every time the word ‘democracy’ is used favorably it serves to promote the principles of the Democratic Party, the principles of which we ardently oppose.”
The resolution sums up: “We … oppose legislation which makes our nation more democratic in nature.”
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/the-wa-gop-put-it-in-writing-that-theyre-not-into-democracy/