Here are five disturbing findings from my research, which adheres, I believe, to the highest possible scientific standards inall respects:1.In 2016, biased search results generated by Google’s search algorithml ikely impacted undecided voters in a way that gave at least 2.6 million votes to Hillary Clinton(whom I supported). I know this because I preserved more than 13,000 election-related searches conducted by a diverse group of Americans on Google, Bing, and Yahoo in the weeks leading up to the election, and Google search results –which dominate search in the U.S. and worldwide –were significantly biased in favor of Secretary Clinton in all 10 positions on the first page of search results in both blue states and red states. I know the number of votes that shifted because Ihave conducted dozens of controlled experiments in the U.S. and other countries that measure precisely how opinions and votes shift when search results favor one candidate, cause, or company. I call this shift “SEME” –the Search Engine Manipulation Effect. My first scientific paper on SEME was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences(PNAS) in 2015 (https://is.gd/p0li8V)(Epstein & Robertson, 2015a) and has since been accessed or downloaded from PNAS’s website more than 200,000 times. SEME has also been replicated by a research team at one of the Max Planck Institutes in Germany
Abandoned at birth by his father Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin searches for his life's purpose. With the help of some friends, Bitcoin rises from total obscurity to become a Batman–esque hero of the people who fights against the corrupt banking system that oppresses everyone.
In the pilot episode, Bitcoin awakens to a chaotic world following the 2008 financial crisis. With only a few words to his young child, Satoshi disappears, leaving Bitcoin with more questions than answers. Fortunately, a benevolent ice cream truck owner (Jones) takes Bitcoin under his wing in a search to find his father.
Bitcoin is the ultimate example of something whose only value is that a few people delude themselves that it has value. In tangible terms, it's purely a certificate of gratuitously wasted electricity.
Our present financial system is the ultimate example of something whose only value is that a few people [in pivotal positions manipulate it and in the confidence in its value by many] assure themselves that it has value.
In the end, the value of a state-issued currency is made tangible by that state having powers of compulsion over its citizens. So in that sense, yes, the backing is utterly reliant on the confidence of its citizens. That confidence can be lost, Zimbabwe and Venezuela being notable recent examples. But it takes a fairly cataclysmic societal upheaval to decimate the value of a state-issued currencly. Whereas a ponzi-scheme con game like crypto-currency could collapse from something as ephemeral as the next shiny economics-fashion idea coming along.
Your point is made…but 'the next shiny economics-fashion idea coming along' sounds just the idea of having a floating currency as the remarkable idea brought by the emissary from the Finsec riding on his magic wand that solved the problem of states trying to hold a stable currency against those who doubted its equivalency. So we decide on the unstable currency dependent on the 'next shiny idea' of the Alex's out there.
And in their persecution and murder of Christians and Yazidis in Iraq and Syria, Isis – which included Muslims from around the world – may not have been specifically aided by the local population; but while Arabs tried to protect their neighbours, others systematically looted their homes and property after Isis had slaughtered or deported the owners. https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/holocaust-armenia-genocide-shoah-nazi-germany-turkey-ottoman-a9020601.html
And Don't hold back on fascist fighting …. 32 secs
If anybody deserves a holocaust …it would have to be those fascists …. 1min 32 secs :0
A regime huckster putting words in the mouths of his opponents.
Putting words in the mouths of others, hardly amounts to giving a balanced account.
Allah must never forgive anyone who shows mercy towards the Alawites, screams the opposition activists of Syria”
Faisal Qasim
From this beginning Faisal Qasim goes on to demolish the sectarian straw man argument of his own creation.
Despite Syria being a majority Sunni Muslim country, (and naturally the make up of the majority of the opposition reflect this reality). there have been and are Alawites and Christians who have been in the opposition even in leading positions.
Fadwa Soliman the famed Actress and political activist from Homs who became the most nationally recognised face of the opposition was from a notable Alawite family.
Homs was completely destroyed and depopulated by the regime's genocidal aerial bombardment. To escape this aerial genocide Fadwa Soliman along with tens of thousands of other citizens of Homs was forced to flee the rebel city and become a refugee.
Fadwa Soliman died in exile in France in 2017.
Reason, to finish, will ask you one simple question, it is a question I have always asked regime apologists like yourself.
I have lost track of the number of times I have asked it. And not once since I first posed it, have I ever received a single response from you, or any of the other pro-regime apologists who infest this site
To expose the intellectual dishonesty and cowardice of regime apologists like yourself Reason, I will again ask this question and challenge you to give an answer.
Jenny … … the video part of my post . was just a loon having a rave …. about killing fascists … he calls them Alawites … you call the Assadists … Same people.
You ignored in Wayne Mapp like fashion … the serious part of my post
And in their persecution and murder of Christians and Yazidis in Iraq and Syria,,,,,
Homs … “Christians to Beirut, Alawites to their graves!”
Amnesty International have stated that Raqqa was the worst example of total destruction and indifferent killing of civilians in either Iraq or Syria …. done by your fascist fighters … the good guys.
I've already told you who started it .,.. who is to blame … so your being dishonest yet again.
the video part of my post . was just a loon having a rave …. about killing fascists … he calls them Alawites … you call the Assadists … Same people.
Reason
Indeed he was a loon, just as you say. Faisal Qasim a sort of Arabic shock jock whose show has had 'guests' brawling in front of the cameras. Qasim had been criticised in the past for his habit of hand picking such unrepresentative loons to make his straw man arguments.
In this case a man who lives in Lebanon unknown in Syria, representative of no group or organisation in Syria or Lebanon, or anywhere else who makes no claim of being connected to any group or organisation and who speaks for nobody but himself. A 'loon' quite happy no doubt with his appearance fee to spout his lunacy.
I am sure you could find some loon like this in Lebanon if you specifically went and looked for them.
On another note. I have never used the term Assadist which I consider trite.
Putting words in other people’s mouths is lazy and dishonest.
I notice Reason that just like every other Assad apologist before you, you haven't answered the question.
Why is that?
Do you think it is a trick question?
I am sure you can argue all day long about false flags and crisis actors and faked videos and the rebels gassing their own people to make the Assad regime look bad.
But it is hard to make such arguments in the face of evidence of a whole city destroyed.
As I said your refusal to answer this simple question exposes the intellectual dishonesty and cowardice of regime apologists like yourself.
The truth is we know what we have to do and we can't do it, yet. They are killing us all for money – get that? money – a figment of our imagination.
These 10 companies produced 54.5 million tonnes of CO2 – more than two thirds of NZ's total emissions. Combined, they produced an estimated 54.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, roughly two-thirds of the national total.
That is very clearly put marty mars, but of course such a statement can be as easily applied to the person in the old toyota corolla or the new suv who whizzes past those of us on the road who walk everywhere …
or had the fireplace going last night …
aren't we all complicit by way of our daily actions?
In the case of the fuel companies, it's because the emissions are attributed to the company, not to the fuel buyer that actually burns it and emits the CO2.
Old cars must have a lesser carbon footprint than new because the making and materials would probably be amortised over say ten years, and then be about nil, only running and fuel costs then, and recycled parts often – so a lot of good can come from old cars.
Our lives and the economy have been built around oil-driven cars. What would it have been like if the steam-driven cars had succeeded? There would have been a contest for water, but most of what was used would have come down in rain somewhere wouldn't it?
The Stanley Steamer may have been the answer, killed off by better funded more aggressive Ford. The motor manufacturers had the bit between the teeth, figuratively, and didn't like anyone introducing different ideas to the public, even shatter-proof safety glass, note Tucker.
The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was an American manufacturer of steam-engine vehicles; it operated from 1902 to 1924. The cars made by the company were colloquially called Stanley Steamers, although several different models were produced.
It would be hard to dislike Jonathan Pie as he always presents my point of view in technicolour.
Then the selection that came up after his rant showed Stephen Fry – I am not sure whether he is for or against Brexit, but I would be likely to vote for him if there were just the two – Johnson and Fry for choice. And Fry's make chocolate too don't they – a winning name then. He is more fun than Boorish. And I think he said that his family was Hungarian, so you get diversity straight away to match and perhaps top Boris – Boris has Turkish delight as his sweet spot I think.
Thanks Grey. What makes it more fun, is that those bits were probably unscripted. What a clever chapStephen is. There was a set where he took the hypocrisy of the church to task. Bowled 'em all for a duck.
Clever, funny and possibly principled too. Though that should not be held against him if sizing him up for a politician! Got to have a larf occasionally.
What did poor old Boris Becker do to be connected to this?
His personal life may have been just as turbulent as that of the other Boris but I hardly think he is responsible for Brexit. Let's just remember him as a really great tennis player.
The Coalition of Kindness gives not a shit about disability.
The fact that disabled New Zealanders are neglected and abused (sometimes to death) under the care of Ministry of Health providers matters not.
The recent announcement regarding the end of discrimination of family carers providing assessed supports was nothing but a PR stunt that failed to convince commenters here on the day, and it is now confirmed by our state broadcaster that the numbers simply don't add up.
New delegations for the associate Ministers of Health have been announced and responsibility for the Health Promotion Agency/Te Hiringa Hauora (HPA) has shifted from Hon Jenny Salesa to Hon Peeni Henare.
The full list of responsibilities is:
Associate Minister of Health: Hon Peeni Henare
Responsibility for policy and service delivery realting to:
Māori health equity
the Health Promotion Agency
blood and organ donation (including the New Zealand Blood Service)
diabetes
other initiatives as agreed from time to time.
Associate Minister of Health: Hon Jenny Salesa
Reponsibility for policy and service delivery relating to:
Pacific health equity
problem gambling
healthy school environments
health of older people
tobacco
ethics committees
special patients
the Health Quality and Safety Commission
HealthCERT and quality assurances (including Radiation Safety)
Disability Support Services
other initiatives as agreed from time to time.
Associate Minister of Health: Hon Julie Anne Genter
Responsibility for policy and service delivery relating to the following areas (with the exeption of remuneration issues, which are retained by the Minister of Health):
climate change and health
population health (built environments)
women's health (including maternity services, breast and cervical cancer screening, and the health aspects of abortion)
sexual health
family and sexual violence
public health (including immunisation, but excluding drinking water)
other initiatives as agreed from time to time.
I despair. I really do.
I would sincerely love to hear from the loyal Coalition Flagwavers on this issue…
I would sincerely love to hear from the loyal Coalition Flagwavers on this issue…
So would I but let's not hold our breath waiting. Disabled persons in NZ are now officially at the bottom of the food chain. I would go as far as to say below hardened violent criminals for the simple reason that they don't get ignored by politicians and the media, especially at election time. We just don't exist.
Let's see how many of them vote for the EOLC Bill. I can actually envisage some of them spinning it that allowing the sick and disabled the choice is upholding human rights.
Disability seems to be listed under Jenny Salesa's list of responsibilities.
As for not adding up, the $22.8M.p.a. seems to be slightly under the halfway point of Easton's projection of costs including the new families ($19.4-27.8M.p.a.). Which is reasonable for a budget allocation.
Needs assessments do need an overhaul, though. Vote Green to get it done.
Disability is at the bottom of the list of Jenny Salesa's responsibilities.
The new allocation of funding is only just enough to raise the hourly rate of those already being paid under the discriminatory Funded Family Care.
Those of us who could conceivably paid for the assessed supports we are providing will have to settle for a mere fraction of what has been allocated.
Had I the time McFlock I'd point you in the direction of numerous reports generated with government funding that describe only to clearly the legion of failings of the NASC assessment process. As if it is accurate to describe it as a "process" as that implies some sort of plan, or consistency, or structure.
Well, until people are actually turned down for funding it's all just speculation. And if it happens that there is a shortfall, you and the Greens will lobby to get more funding allocated and backpaid, no?
Well, until people are actually turned down for funding it's all just speculation.
Well, McFlock…why do you think that the local building inspector has to sign off on the foundations of a building before the walls and roof can go up?
In fact, if they did allow the build to proceed with dodgy foundations they'd be liable, surely?
(Or maybe not, since accountability is a dirty word these days.)
My initial optimism that Sunday (Sunday?! to make a major announcement on a bleeding Sunday!…who does that???) was subdued by the knowledge that repeated Ministers from successive governments have been totally and utterly impotent in the face of the often malevolence shown by the Ministry of Health towards disabled people who choose (or have no other option) to have a family member providing their assessed supports. And the MOH bureaucrats have a particular level of contempt towards family carers.
Putting this right could be ridiculously simple once the longstanding issue of inadequate and inconsistent NASC assessments has been sorted.
But this government is too chickenshit to demand that the Ministry of Health DSS makes this work an absolute priority.
Or/and this government truly do believe that disability support deserves it's place and the bottom of the Jenny Salesa's list of responsibilities.
Building inspectors don't assume that the place will fall down before they receive the plans.
But they're the wrong functionary in the building analogy, anyway. People build a new home aim for a value of say $500,000. But that's just an estimate. They'll try to bring it in on budget, but if it comes out to be more expensive, there's usually a certain leeway in their cost estimate to absorb a bit more expense. It might be $497k, but they might push to $580k or more.
What they don't do is get all dismayed about the project because the plans costed out the dwelling but the driveway isn't included. They will ask about the cost of that detail, but it's not a portent of project doom.
McFlock. I can see this is not your particular area of knowledge or expertise so I'll try and explain.
The Ministry of Health Disability Support Services has this database (called SOCRATES) they set up back in…2007 or so.. which in 2013 was finally persuaded to regurgitate some actual, well,data.
Up until then, and Brian Easton (blessings upon him and his kin) made mention of this in his 2008 brief of evidence to the Human Rights Review Tribunal for Atkinson, actual numbers of people enrolled with each area NASC were sketchy to say the least.
Those enrolled who had high and very high support needs (as assessed by the NASC) they could only make the wildest of guesses.
The numbers with high and very high support needs who were costing the Ministry NOTHING to support because an unpaid family carer was doing those tasks unpaid, they had very little idea…but…strangely enough by the time Crown Law had done their work, their economist's guestimate ($17-593 million) the upper figure of (and why don't we round that up) $600 million is the one that stuck. Big, scary costings based on guesses of what the actual numbers were.
Easton was much closer, and until I get a reply back from MOH DSS as to where the number "640" originated (if you haven't been keeping up that is the number of extra family carers Ardern has promised to pay) I won't be able to be more accurate in my estimates.
But looking at the data from Socrates, it could very well be that of the MOH DSS clients wanting or needing family to provide some or all of their assessed supports 640 extra might not be far off the mark.
It would be much easier if Socrates actually kept count of not only the Support Needs Allocation for the MOH DSS clients but also the actual funding used by each client. Because, believe it or not, it doesn't. Or so they claim.
So, McFlock…what I'm trying to get through to you ( and anyone else even remotely concerned that I am damning the Ministry and its tamed Ministers presumptively) that this is well on the way to being yet another Ministry of Health Disability Support Services cock up. And while they just might fool some with their brilliant impression of a virgin on his wedding night floundering around in the dark, they are not fooling me.
They have the data and they have the numbers and they will have a very good idea of how much it is going to cost to bring about justice.
So either the ministry advisors are misleading the government and setting them up to look like numpties with their Sunday afternoon announcements, or, the Ministers, including Ardern, are well aware it simply wasn't going to float but thought we were all (including Easton) too thick to notice.
And seriously McFlock…you'd wait until the keys were handed over to draw attention to the fault in the slab?
Look, I get the "fifteen times bitten, I know what to expect" routine.
But if all those 640 families get one full time support allocation at the top pay rate, the system will run out of funding in months. If it's part time funding at lower scales on average, the current funding might actually be adequate. If funding isn't adequate, it'll likely run out just before the election – which would almost guarantee a quick boost.
This is why I prefer "pretense of kindness" governments. They at least have to back it up if they get too specific.
I'd wait until the slab was poured before assuming there's a fault.
Home transfers to overseas people in Central Auckland peaked at 321 transfers (22 per cent) in the June 2018 quarter, shortly before the Overseas Investment Amendment Act 2018 was passed, restricting the sale of residential land.
Of these, 153 homes were transferred to overseas people with Chinese tax residency in the June 2018 quarter – falling to 48 in the June 2019 quarter.
Across New Zealand, there were 183 home transfers to people who didn't hold NZ citizenship or a resident visa in the June 2019 quarter versus 1116 in the same quarter last year. Total home transfers numbered 37,695 and of those 0.5 per cent went to overseas buyers. A year earlier, total home transfers numbered 39,627 and 2.8 per cent went to overseas buyers.
A ban on foreign buyers took effect from October 22 last year and prevents most people who don't hold NZ citizenship or a resident visa from buying residential property in New Zealand.
Under the revamped act, there are exemptions for those who buy new apartments in certain developments, who add to New Zealand's housing supply, and for Australian and Singaporean citizens.
A bunch of gripes about royalty – Prince Charles doesn't sit up and beg like one of his Mother's corgis might. It hasn't always been good to host royalty, as noted from past centuries. Prince Charles is not PC about his duties to visit, smile at the peeps and now sends trucks carrying the entire bedroom suite including orthopaedic bed for himself and Camilla. If he has to put himself about the nation, he is an old man, and he tries to do it to his standard of comfort not that of the hosts, and probably has learned that from past experience.
The country's leading building product assurance scheme is in disarray after another major company pulled out of it.
The CodeMark review questions competency and technical expertise of companies that issue certificates.
The government's CodeMark scheme provides product approvals that cannot be challenged by councils during building consenting, but the scheme has now lost three of its seven certifiers, and these three have issued almost 70 percent of all certificates.
The latest to go is also the biggest, CertMark of Queensland, which issued 63 certificates, or a third of the total 183 CodeMarks.
It's a blow that the Building Industry Federation, which represents thousands of products suppliers, believes might prove fatal.
(This reflects that under neolib government is unable to keep control of its projects, its services, how they are run, whether they get value for money, etc.)
I heard a report on the Provincial Growth Fund this morning. One of its objects was to get work for NZs unemployed (get the nevvies off the couch) yet by the time it gets contracted out in frequent iterations, the gummint don't know what's going on.
RNZ also requested under the OIA the number of migrant workers being employed in these jobs through the fund, but the Provincial Development Unit (PDU) does not keep these figures.
PDU head Robert Pigou said they did not monitor who were actually getting the jobs once the money got to those projects.
"We don't keep track and the contracts don't require applicants to provide us with the details of where they're getting their workforce from.
"In many cases the applicants might be a local organisations like the district council and they would then go and contract with a third party."
Bloody neolib is not working well for citizens. However I did hear Michael Bassett waffling on this morning as head of Auckland Chamber of Commerce. M. Bassett is one of the Hounds that ushered in the neolib system and sold the stupid Unionists down the river as redundant munters of our small economy. Adopting the fancy new USA economic system was just what the wealthy ordered, giving them the chance for a plutocratic lifestyle in a peasant farmer country, that would always be struggling but why should they be held down by our size and isolation?
Principals fear Government learning support plan lacks long-term funding…
Auckland Primary Principals' Association president Heath McNeil said while the intent of the action plan was important, many of its goals were "we wills" subject to getting more funding down the line.
We've got boards of trustees now that are forced into topping up ministry funding by tens of thousands, in some cases hundreds of thousands, every year out of their operational budgets … We've just had a significant number of our students with needs have teacher aide funding cuts, pretty drastic ones, in the last three months."
McNeil points to other aims of the action plan, including reducing waiting times for early intervention.
"But the timeframe for that is six-and-a-half years with no real targets," he said.
I have a cunning plan. Pig disease in China – African Swine Flu (is that racist?) – is decimating their herds, flocks, whatever. Apparently it has been spread by feeding them meat scraps.
We used to feed pigs from the whey of our milk. Why don't we start doing that again and have pig meat that is 100% pure of ASF? At the same time we reduce the bloody factory dairy farms carrying stock numbers by a certain amount each year for the next three years. Then we will have a dynamic duo of healthy cows and pigs, and less disease from stacked stock with no room to move and live their normal lives.
Our frenzied dash after every dollar has led us to have cramped quarters in our own sour pens. A healthy appreciation of what life is about for animals and ourselves, the superior species, may be the saving of us for healthy real food. I can see the dreamy ads quite now, and if they are based on truth for once, we will be winners.
A pattern of repeated representations from senior NZ politicians to their Australian counterparts about this issue is emerging.
Deportations a growing source of tension
The Australian and New Zealand governments have been at odds over this issue since the legislation changes were introduced in 2014…
But this harsh deportation policy isn't the only issue creating strain in the relationship. New Zealand's offer to resettle refugees imprisoned in Australian offshore detention centres has been refused a number of times, most recently last week.
Morrison's apparent lack of willingness to take Ardern's concerns about deporting New Zealand offenders more seriously confirms a noticeable hardening in Australia's approach…
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton: "where people are sexually offending against children, for example, we've had a big push to try to deport those paedophiles."
Fair enough, most Australians may think.
But Dutton's remarks are highly misleading. The overwhelming majority of the people being deported are not paedophiles.
In fact, many people being deported from Australia under the "character test" have extensive family ties in Australia and have spent very little time in New Zealand, having arrived in Australia as children.
Losing contact with family
Deportees we've interviewed for as-yet unpublished research* had experienced significant trauma because of this process, and a common theme in our research is grief from the loss of contact with children and other loved ones.
Stories of families being torn apart and children being raised by only one parent were particularly distressing for them to recount.
*Professor Patrick Keyzer heads La Trobe University's law school. Dave Martin is a PhD candidate, La Trobe University
(Sounds nasty N..i behaviour from the Australian government. Not all Australians adopt this vicious mentality to NZs thank goodness.)
There were hopes for a change of government, and a show of principled behaviour, fairness and having a heart but the Australians have one approach for their citizens and apparently a prejudice against NZs which is totally unjustified, considering how we have been disadvantaged as a country from their government actions.
.
As the number of deportees has mounted, so too has the death toll. In the past three years, at least four New Zealand citizens have died in Australian custody or immediately following deportation, and researchers believe there are almost certainly more. The New Zealand government has no estimate of the total number of deaths, and Minister of Justice Andrew Little says his office is powerless to force a change in Australian law. “We don’t have any control over what the Australians do. We don’t have a great deal of leverage.”
Advocates in both countries say Australia’s actions are in direct contravention of United Nations conventions against torture, and in several cases even children have been locked in isolation or detained with adults, forcing tense political standoffs.
More than 15,000 New Zealand citizens are expected to be deported in the next ten years; a flood of exiles, many with no connection to this country, never allowed to go home.
National cut back on training for young mothers and other young people, so the vocational training institutions have to cut back. Then we can blame them when there are no trained people for jobs and we just have to – sob, sob – get immigrant labour in. A race to the bottom for NZ Inc. Will the last person out please turn off the light. Oh don't worry the light fitting has gone phut already.
I'm breaking my recent resolution not to return to The Standard because this particular subject is too important to leave unremarked. I can't post this item where it really belongs (The Guardian) because they're so snowed under lately with BTL comments, they have to close them off within about 5 minutes of the OP's piece going up.
I'm starting to see some ominous parallels with the 1917 Russian revolution. We have here a group that barely commands a majority in its own party (think: Bolsheviks v Mensheviks), but which knows exactly what it wants, concentrates relentlessly on its objectives, and is in the process of seizing a degree of power unprecedented in modern Britain. Like Lenin, they have realised that a small, active, tightly focused organisation is going to be more effective than a larger, diffuse one whose members don't have common goals.
The timing from their point of view couldn't be better – Parliament in recess for the next six weeks, so nothing to hold this Executive to account till early September. I predict we will see in that period a huge spate of activity by Cabinet and the ministries and departments of state. It will all be within the bounds – just – of existing legislation, but hitherto accepted agreements about what is "done" and "not done" will be ripped to shreds, just as we've been seeing in the USA.
There'll be no need to formally control the press because Rupert "Moloch" will do it for them and pump out endless propaganda about the necessity for it all. And then, shortly after Parliament resumes, they'll engineer some single-issue "crisis" and call a general election in search of a formal mandate to resolve it – and, by-the-by, cement their grip on what remains of the country.
Deluded fantasy on my part? Oh I hope so, I do hope so.
Yes Obi Knobi. Boris isn't as silly as he looks I think. As you say it's a worry.
And why don't you want to comment here? That would be interesting to know – or do you feel there isn't freedom of speech and thought allowed here to talk about it? I think it is important to say. What have you got to lose? I am sorry in advance, if I have offended you.
I'm not offended, Grey. I just got sick and tired of seeing about 90% of BTL comments devoted to petty point-scoring and denigration of anyone who didn't happen to share the particular point of view of the poster. I'd better things to do with my time than wading through that sort of drivel.
Vulnerable mothers desperately need access to more residential homes so they can keep their babies instead of watching them being taken into state care, an Insight investigation has found.
Last year, 281 babies were taken from their mothers within three months of birth, up from 247 in 2016…
But there are only five residential homes nationwide that offer a safe environment for women and their babies and support mothers to be good parents.
These homes can only offer 24 places for vulnerable mothers and their children at any one time.
Does anyone think this is the right way to support new families, and treat parents and children who should be encouraged to bond and build the security and continuity that keeps children happy and trusting in parents?
Moving into a residential home was not an option for Mel*, who ended up in a Women's Refuge safe house at the start of this year, after another hiding from her ex-partner.
(Mel protests against Oranga Tamariki uplifts after her children were taken into state care. Photo: RNZ / Leigh Marama McLachlan)
She spent the week there before Oranga Tamariki took her one-year-old and three-month-old daughters over safety issues.
"I was compliant with Oranga Tamariki through that whole week, going into meetings," Mel said.
"That Friday they told me to come into the office at 5pm, when they had closed. They threw a bit of paper at me saying, 'You've got a minute to say goodbye to your kids'.
This seems… odd. It seems to be more a bureaucratic bias against prescriptive curruculae rather than intentional suppression (although suppression will be the outcome).
I always figured that there were basics that needed to be taught, and that was dictated by the ministry so local nutbars couldn't teach utter bullshit. Apparently I luckily just went ot a progressive school that taught physics, evolution, and some aspects of colonisation (rather than just the bible, intelligent design, and a flat earth with no history outside of europe).
It does seem weird to me that there isn't at least some minimum requirement of coveragewithin the curriculum – does the science curriculum require teachers to teach the basic equations like "F=ma", or is that all just traditionally done out of the kindness of teachers' hearts?
That idiot who drove a roller and smashed other people cars with it needs his head read something wrong up there .
This Government is talking to the whenua protesters Ma te wa.
Simon ain't plastic like shonky is .
Can't all the customers of Wallis group just separate the pork out of there meat waste and find a new market for there waste pork no drama there I say.
There is more to trees and plant life than people know or believe The Kauri stump being kept alive by other trees giving it vital nutrients very interesting.
This Government is trying to figure out a solution to the whenua protesters problems the last lot would have tried to shut it down to many tangata whenua there now to . It is a difacult thing to get to the bottom of who is correct in the whenua issue . My tipuna had a Maori Land court case that lasted 40 years and still it's not sorted the correct owners only got 5 shears out of 500 the shears went to the crowns stool pigeon Eco Maori is going to be re starting that case Ma Te Wa.
national scrapped the cancer agency and now they are trying to capitalize on their own MESS Paddy.
Eco Maori thinks all the help that our Pacific cousins can get from Aotearoa and China is needed to help them cope with climate change.Its cool that our government is investing in saving that rear bird .
Donna mahi is good for the wairua its sad that the system has a age discrimination I think its should change to encourage the elderly get mahi.
Alex it was freezing in bayview Hawksbay yesterday morning and today but where Eco Maori resides Te Ra was shining bright and warm also Te Ra had my solar powered system running strong.
Paina you lost your voice I did a few months ago it took about 2 months to come back it was sad times for Eco Maori.
Rania Smith te tangata knows the TRUTH about the historical significance of Ihumatoo.
I agree that tangata whenua need to have a bigger hand in the stakes of tamariki in the states care. I have made a few statements that to care for someone correctly one has to have aroha for that person so Maori need to be included in the care of these poorest tamariki.
I tau toko the Hawaiian who are protesting that 30 meter high telescope on their sacred mountain they have every right to sue That is what will stop that telescope being built but like tangata whenua O Aotearoa they will have limited resources.
You two national supporters love any story that is negative about our Labour lead Coalition Governments Aotearoa economy is fine when compared to other countries and whats happening around Papatuanuku
Sorry about you been robbed point your finger at your national m8 they made the poor people poorer hence more robberies.
Chris the disabled people needs of access ramps needs to be catered for by these organizations. We have a hard time getting transportation for one of our love ones whom is disabled.
I can see this canser drug issue being privately pushed buy the Big drug companies. Talking about doubling Pharmacs budget the drug companies will be rubbing their hands together thinking about their PROFITS they are going to get from this campaign. Its all about Te mone .
I disagree a business man like shonky only set the country up for the wealthy people hence we have a major housing crisis thanks to shonky a run down health system and education system the roads were ignored he was cutting all the state organizations budgets hence the big mess our Coalition Government has to clean up.
Measles has been quite prominent in Aotearoa as of late the prisoner's who have measles its been a problem Papatuanuku wide.
Condolences to the people who lost their loveones in the Korean nightclub bar balcony accident.
All the best in your new journey of retiring from international Polo you made Aotearoa shine bright with your starlight Sir Mark Tod Im sure you will have heaps of other things to keep you busy.
I would rather live with kiore that be a kiore .
Mike I know what that is like my machinery being tampered with my machinery has strange things happen like my Eco Maori Truck having lose nuts on the ball joints tyers going down for no logical reason I know all those ball joints nuts were tight because I changed the ball joints my self guessing who the tamper is.
Condolences to the whanau who lost love ones in the Kiangroa Bay of plenty car and truck crash.
Its good to see that time have changed now Tangata Whenua O Aotearoa is commanding more respect and we are receiving it .
At Winston my whanau were Mana whenua and still we didn't get our correct shears in our whenua.
Thats a awesome knitted flag that te Wahine made I Eco Maori is a suporter for equality for Wahine.
Some people need to learn not to bite the hands that care for them the most or would Tangata Whenua O Aotearoa prefer to have a government like national making common people lives very hard to paddle there waka te waka is actually going backwards with a national government be careful Whanau we might get burned by your actions.
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
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 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
NONFICTION 1 The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour & Jude Dobson (Allen & Unwin, $37.99) 2 The Life of Dai by Dai Henwood and Jaquie Brown (HarperCollins, $39.99) 3 A Life Less Punishing by Matt Heath (Allen & Unwin, $37.99) 4 Waitohu by Hinemoa Elder (Penguin Random House, $35) ...
Oh dear. Details matter …
https://www.vox.com/2019/7/25/8930035/trump-altered-presidential-seal
Infantroopen … lawmarkers … and in the replies, today's greatest observation: "Trump's ass looks like a pet door for Lindsey Graham"
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1154422075345526785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1154452456425713665&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffpost.com%2Fentry%2Ftrump-mark-esper-infantroopen_n_5d39ed47e4b020cd99505d05
Oh dear the fix is on.
https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1154444505090629633
Here are five disturbing findings from my research, which adheres, I believe, to the highest possible scientific standards inall respects:1.In 2016, biased search results generated by Google’s search algorithml ikely impacted undecided voters in a way that gave at least 2.6 million votes to Hillary Clinton(whom I supported). I know this because I preserved more than 13,000 election-related searches conducted by a diverse group of Americans on Google, Bing, and Yahoo in the weeks leading up to the election, and Google search results –which dominate search in the U.S. and worldwide –were significantly biased in favor of Secretary Clinton in all 10 positions on the first page of search results in both blue states and red states. I know the number of votes that shifted because Ihave conducted dozens of controlled experiments in the U.S. and other countries that measure precisely how opinions and votes shift when search results favor one candidate, cause, or company. I call this shift “SEME” –the Search Engine Manipulation Effect. My first scientific paper on SEME was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences(PNAS) in 2015 (https://is.gd/p0li8V)(Epstein & Robertson, 2015a) and has since been accessed or downloaded from PNAS’s website more than 200,000 times. SEME has also been replicated by a research team at one of the Max Planck Institutes in Germany
https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Epstein%20Testimony.pdf
Uh oh Poission , that kind of news does not give comfort to righteous Democrat minds
And for that reason I think you'll find that the Russians directed that research.Google is as pure as the driven snow
The story of Bitcoin
From TDV newsletter:
The plot goes like this…
Abandoned at birth by his father Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin searches for his life's purpose. With the help of some friends, Bitcoin rises from total obscurity to become a Batman–esque hero of the people who fights against the corrupt banking system that oppresses everyone.
In the pilot episode, Bitcoin awakens to a chaotic world following the 2008 financial crisis. With only a few words to his young child, Satoshi disappears, leaving Bitcoin with more questions than answers. Fortunately, a benevolent ice cream truck owner (Jones) takes Bitcoin under his wing in a search to find his father.
Bitcoin is the ultimate example of something whose only value is that a few people delude themselves that it has value. In tangible terms, it's purely a certificate of gratuitously wasted electricity.
Meh. Currency is what you make it.
Reasons to use bitcoin #93 Everyone should have a Swiss Bank Account in their pocket
https://www.reasonstousebitcoin.com/shop/t-shirt/reason-93/
Cryptocurrency is a vapourware ponzi scheme, it *will* burn you sooner or later
The Wild West Of Crypto Hacks
Our present financial system is the ultimate example of something whose only value is that a few people [in pivotal positions manipulate it and in the confidence in its value by many] assure themselves that it has value.
In the end, the value of a state-issued currency is made tangible by that state having powers of compulsion over its citizens. So in that sense, yes, the backing is utterly reliant on the confidence of its citizens. That confidence can be lost, Zimbabwe and Venezuela being notable recent examples. But it takes a fairly cataclysmic societal upheaval to decimate the value of a state-issued currencly. Whereas a ponzi-scheme con game like crypto-currency could collapse from something as ephemeral as the next shiny economics-fashion idea coming along.
Your point is made…but 'the next shiny economics-fashion idea coming along' sounds just the idea of having a floating currency as the remarkable idea brought by the emissary from the Finsec riding on his magic wand that solved the problem of states trying to hold a stable currency against those who doubted its equivalency. So we decide on the unstable currency dependent on the 'next shiny idea' of the Alex's out there.
Alex cartoon Telegraph Peattie & Taylor
Syria Speaks
Tonight Auckland
Think you are an expert on Syria?
Think that the Assad regime is an anti-imperialist bastion?
Don't think that the Syian people have any right to defend themselves from a monstrous tyranny?
Think again?
Hear Syrians give their side of the story
The Peace Place
22 Emily Place
7pm
This Hui originally organised for the 15th of June, the anniversary of the start of the revolution against the Assad dynastic regime.
Despite the online death threats against this event this event.
Show the fascists that we will not be cowed.
Remember to put a good work in for the christians
And Don't hold back on fascist fighting …. 32 secs
If anybody deserves a holocaust …it would have to be those fascists …. 1min 32 secs :0
Peace be with you …
Hi Reason, hardly a credible source.
A regime huckster putting words in the mouths of his opponents.
Putting words in the mouths of others, hardly amounts to giving a balanced account.
From this beginning Faisal Qasim goes on to demolish the sectarian straw man argument of his own creation.
Despite Syria being a majority Sunni Muslim country, (and naturally the make up of the majority of the opposition reflect this reality). there have been and are Alawites and Christians who have been in the opposition even in leading positions.
Fadwa Soliman the famed Actress and political activist from Homs who became the most nationally recognised face of the opposition was from a notable Alawite family.
Homs was completely destroyed and depopulated by the regime's genocidal aerial bombardment. To escape this aerial genocide Fadwa Soliman along with tens of thousands of other citizens of Homs was forced to flee the rebel city and become a refugee.
Fadwa Soliman died in exile in France in 2017.
Reason, to finish, will ask you one simple question, it is a question I have always asked regime apologists like yourself.
I have lost track of the number of times I have asked it. And not once since I first posed it, have I ever received a single response from you, or any of the other pro-regime apologists who infest this site
To expose the intellectual dishonesty and cowardice of regime apologists like yourself Reason, I will again ask this question and challenge you to give an answer.
Who did this?
And is it not evidence of genocide?
Jenny … … the video part of my post . was just a loon having a rave …. about killing fascists … he calls them Alawites … you call the Assadists … Same people.
You ignored in Wayne Mapp like fashion … the serious part of my post
Homs … “Christians to Beirut, Alawites to their graves!”
Amnesty International have stated that Raqqa was the worst example of total destruction and indifferent killing of civilians in either Iraq or Syria …. done by your fascist fighters … the good guys.
I've already told you who started it .,.. who is to blame … so your being dishonest yet again.
Indeed he was a loon, just as you say. Faisal Qasim a sort of Arabic shock jock whose show has had 'guests' brawling in front of the cameras. Qasim had been criticised in the past for his habit of hand picking such unrepresentative loons to make his straw man arguments.
In this case a man who lives in Lebanon unknown in Syria, representative of no group or organisation in Syria or Lebanon, or anywhere else who makes no claim of being connected to any group or organisation and who speaks for nobody but himself. A 'loon' quite happy no doubt with his appearance fee to spout his lunacy.
I am sure you could find some loon like this in Lebanon if you specifically went and looked for them.
On another note. I have never used the term Assadist which I consider trite.
Putting words in other people’s mouths is lazy and dishonest.
Jenny …. "Putting words in other people’s mouths is lazy and dishonest."
lazy, dishonest …and forgetful in your case jenny.
I notice Reason that just like every other Assad apologist before you, you haven't answered the question.
Why is that?
Do you think it is a trick question?
I am sure you can argue all day long about false flags and crisis actors and faked videos and the rebels gassing their own people to make the Assad regime look bad.
But it is hard to make such arguments in the face of evidence of a whole city destroyed.
As I said your refusal to answer this simple question exposes the intellectual dishonesty and cowardice of regime apologists like yourself.
So I will ask you again, and defy you to answer
Who did this?
And is it not evidence of genocide?
The truth is we know what we have to do and we can't do it, yet. They are killing us all for money – get that? money – a figment of our imagination.
That is very clearly put marty mars, but of course such a statement can be as easily applied to the person in the old toyota corolla or the new suv who whizzes past those of us on the road who walk everywhere …
or had the fireplace going last night …
aren't we all complicit by way of our daily actions?
Interesting how many of them are Energy sector companies.
In the case of the fuel companies, it's because the emissions are attributed to the company, not to the fuel buyer that actually burns it and emits the CO2.
The same goes for the ag sector. Farmers get blamed instead of the people eating the meat and vegies ,cheese and milk etc
The difference is the ag sector actually does the emitting, much more than the final consumer. Well, if you exclude the bean-eating vegans, that is.
🙁 The most common sharks that are killed for squalene are…Basking sharks, Soupfin sharks, Bluntnose sixgill sharks.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2018/07/sharks-news-cosmetics-squalene-health/
Old cars must have a lesser carbon footprint than new because the making and materials would probably be amortised over say ten years, and then be about nil, only running and fuel costs then, and recycled parts often – so a lot of good can come from old cars.
Our lives and the economy have been built around oil-driven cars. What would it have been like if the steam-driven cars had succeeded? There would have been a contest for water, but most of what was used would have come down in rain somewhere wouldn't it?
The Stanley Steamer may have been the answer, killed off by better funded more aggressive Ford. The motor manufacturers had the bit between the teeth, figuratively, and didn't like anyone introducing different ideas to the public, even shatter-proof safety glass, note Tucker.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_Tucker
.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tucker_48
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/a30105/an-ultra-rare-3-million-tucker-48-was-discovered-in-an-ohio-barn/
Preston Tucker's car company was responsible for 51 cars being built. Of those, we know that 47 "Tucker '48s" have survived and we know where all of them are.
Another inventive gasoline-driven car maker. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Duryea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Motor_Carriage_Company
(Twins Francis E. Stanley (1849–1918) and Freelan O. Stanley (1849–1940) founded the company)
The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was an American manufacturer of steam-engine vehicles; it operated from 1902 to 1924. The cars made by the company were colloquially called Stanley Steamers, although several different models were produced.
The Stanleys had earlier developed improved dry plate photographic plates. They sold that invention to a chap called Eastman!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Edgar_Stanley
Ah, Boris Becker's bollocks!
Stark relief. Huh.
It would be hard to dislike Jonathan Pie as he always presents my point of view in technicolour.
Then the selection that came up after his rant showed Stephen Fry – I am not sure whether he is for or against Brexit, but I would be likely to vote for him if there were just the two – Johnson and Fry for choice. And Fry's make chocolate too don't they – a winning name then. He is more fun than Boorish. And I think he said that his family was Hungarian, so you get diversity straight away to match and perhaps top Boris – Boris has Turkish delight as his sweet spot I think.
Thanks Grey. What makes it more fun, is that those bits were probably unscripted. What a clever chapStephen is. There was a set where he took the hypocrisy of the church to task. Bowled 'em all for a duck.
Clever, funny and possibly principled too. Though that should not be held against him if sizing him up for a politician! Got to have a larf occasionally.
What did poor old Boris Becker do to be connected to this?
His personal life may have been just as turbulent as that of the other Boris but I hardly think he is responsible for Brexit. Let's just remember him as a really great tennis player.
It is Official.
The Coalition of Kindness gives not a shit about disability.
The fact that disabled New Zealanders are neglected and abused (sometimes to death) under the care of Ministry of Health providers matters not.
The recent announcement regarding the end of discrimination of family carers providing assessed supports was nothing but a PR stunt that failed to convince commenters here on the day, and it is now confirmed by our state broadcaster that the numbers simply don't add up.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/395170/new-families-joining-funded-family-care-scheme-may-miss-out-on-fair-pay
And to confirm exactly where disability sits on the list of priorities…
https://www.hpa.org.nz/news/new-delegations-for-the-associate-ministers-of-health-announced
New delegations for the associate Ministers of Health have been announced and responsibility for the Health Promotion Agency/Te Hiringa Hauora (HPA) has shifted from Hon Jenny Salesa to Hon Peeni Henare.
The full list of responsibilities is:
Associate Minister of Health: Hon Peeni Henare
Responsibility for policy and service delivery realting to:
Associate Minister of Health: Hon Jenny Salesa
Reponsibility for policy and service delivery relating to:
Associate Minister of Health: Hon Julie Anne Genter
Responsibility for policy and service delivery relating to the following areas (with the exeption of remuneration issues, which are retained by the Minister of Health):
I despair. I really do.
I would sincerely love to hear from the loyal Coalition Flagwavers on this issue…
Stay strong Rosemary, don't let the bastards get you down.
I would sincerely love to hear from the loyal Coalition Flagwavers on this issue…
So would I but let's not hold our breath waiting. Disabled persons in NZ are now officially at the bottom of the food chain. I would go as far as to say below hardened violent criminals for the simple reason that they don't get ignored by politicians and the media, especially at election time. We just don't exist.
Let's see how many of them vote for the EOLC Bill. I can actually envisage some of them spinning it that allowing the sick and disabled the choice is upholding human rights.
It's the only way such voting could be spun…
All so very progressive.
Gotta wonder what the issues are which will mobilise the mainstream…
Too hard basket…don't care….something more sinister…combination…
The eugenics folks didn't hide.
I suspect a number of psycho/sociopaths on the list of ministerial advisors.
Isn't that a job requirement?
Treatment of vulnerable human beings around the place , home and abroad should not be accepted.
As you say, the EOL vote will expose them…
To what end it would matter remains to be seen…
This govt were always going to let many people down…predictably.
So long as the darkness is in control…little of nothing meaningful is going to change…
Disability seems to be listed under Jenny Salesa's list of responsibilities.
As for not adding up, the $22.8M.p.a. seems to be slightly under the halfway point of Easton's projection of costs including the new families ($19.4-27.8M.p.a.). Which is reasonable for a budget allocation.
Needs assessments do need an overhaul, though. Vote Green to get it done.
Disability is at the bottom of the list of Jenny Salesa's responsibilities.
The new allocation of funding is only just enough to raise the hourly rate of those already being paid under the discriminatory Funded Family Care.
Those of us who could conceivably paid for the assessed supports we are providing will have to settle for a mere fraction of what has been allocated.
Had I the time McFlock I'd point you in the direction of numerous reports generated with government funding that describe only to clearly the legion of failings of the NASC assessment process. As if it is accurate to describe it as a "process" as that implies some sort of plan, or consistency, or structure.
Call Hanlon, because I still can't decide.
(I did vote Green)
The list of portfolios is not necessarily hierarchical. That is your assumption.
[edit] argh shit yeah fair call the allocation is enough to cover existing recipients.
Although I still think the assumption that any additional recipients from the new rule won’t be covered is a rough call.
Brian Easton is not overly optimistic, and I'll take his word over that of some overpaid spindoctor.
For a few brief moments there McFlock those Miserly of Health bureaucrats and their tamed Ministers had most of the people fooled with their bullshit.
Well, until people are actually turned down for funding it's all just speculation. And if it happens that there is a shortfall, you and the Greens will lobby to get more funding allocated and backpaid, no?
Well, until people are actually turned down for funding it's all just speculation.
Well, McFlock…why do you think that the local building inspector has to sign off on the foundations of a building before the walls and roof can go up?
In fact, if they did allow the build to proceed with dodgy foundations they'd be liable, surely?
(Or maybe not, since accountability is a dirty word these days.)
My initial optimism that Sunday (Sunday?! to make a major announcement on a bleeding Sunday!…who does that???) was subdued by the knowledge that repeated Ministers from successive governments have been totally and utterly impotent in the face of the often malevolence shown by the Ministry of Health towards disabled people who choose (or have no other option) to have a family member providing their assessed supports. And the MOH bureaucrats have a particular level of contempt towards family carers.
Putting this right could be ridiculously simple once the longstanding issue of inadequate and inconsistent NASC assessments has been sorted.
But this government is too chickenshit to demand that the Ministry of Health DSS makes this work an absolute priority.
Or/and this government truly do believe that disability support deserves it's place and the bottom of the Jenny Salesa's list of responsibilities.
Building inspectors don't assume that the place will fall down before they receive the plans.
But they're the wrong functionary in the building analogy, anyway. People build a new home aim for a value of say $500,000. But that's just an estimate. They'll try to bring it in on budget, but if it comes out to be more expensive, there's usually a certain leeway in their cost estimate to absorb a bit more expense. It might be $497k, but they might push to $580k or more.
What they don't do is get all dismayed about the project because the plans costed out the dwelling but the driveway isn't included. They will ask about the cost of that detail, but it's not a portent of project doom.
McFlock. I can see this is not your particular area of knowledge or expertise so I'll try and explain.
The Ministry of Health Disability Support Services has this database (called SOCRATES) they set up back in…2007 or so.. which in 2013 was finally persuaded to regurgitate some actual, well,data.
Up until then, and Brian Easton (blessings upon him and his kin) made mention of this in his 2008 brief of evidence to the Human Rights Review Tribunal for Atkinson, actual numbers of people enrolled with each area NASC were sketchy to say the least.
Those enrolled who had high and very high support needs (as assessed by the NASC) they could only make the wildest of guesses.
The numbers with high and very high support needs who were costing the Ministry NOTHING to support because an unpaid family carer was doing those tasks unpaid, they had very little idea…but…strangely enough by the time Crown Law had done their work, their economist's guestimate ($17-593 million) the upper figure of (and why don't we round that up) $600 million is the one that stuck. Big, scary costings based on guesses of what the actual numbers were.
Easton was much closer, and until I get a reply back from MOH DSS as to where the number "640" originated (if you haven't been keeping up that is the number of extra family carers Ardern has promised to pay) I won't be able to be more accurate in my estimates.
But looking at the data from Socrates, it could very well be that of the MOH DSS clients wanting or needing family to provide some or all of their assessed supports 640 extra might not be far off the mark.
It would be much easier if Socrates actually kept count of not only the Support Needs Allocation for the MOH DSS clients but also the actual funding used by each client. Because, believe it or not, it doesn't. Or so they claim.
So, McFlock…what I'm trying to get through to you ( and anyone else even remotely concerned that I am damning the Ministry and its tamed Ministers presumptively) that this is well on the way to being yet another Ministry of Health Disability Support Services cock up. And while they just might fool some with their brilliant impression of a virgin on his wedding night floundering around in the dark, they are not fooling me.
They have the data and they have the numbers and they will have a very good idea of how much it is going to cost to bring about justice.
So either the ministry advisors are misleading the government and setting them up to look like numpties with their Sunday afternoon announcements, or, the Ministers, including Ardern, are well aware it simply wasn't going to float but thought we were all (including Easton) too thick to notice.
And seriously McFlock…you'd wait until the keys were handed over to draw attention to the fault in the slab?
Look, I get the "fifteen times bitten, I know what to expect" routine.
But if all those 640 families get one full time support allocation at the top pay rate, the system will run out of funding in months. If it's part time funding at lower scales on average, the current funding might actually be adequate. If funding isn't adequate, it'll likely run out just before the election – which would almost guarantee a quick boost.
This is why I prefer "pretense of kindness" governments. They at least have to back it up if they get too specific.
I'd wait until the slab was poured before assuming there's a fault.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12253024
Only 75 Auckland homes sold to overseas buyers in past 3 months; Chinese activity collapses
Home transfers to overseas people in Central Auckland peaked at 321 transfers (22 per cent) in the June 2018 quarter, shortly before the Overseas Investment Amendment Act 2018 was passed, restricting the sale of residential land.
Of these, 153 homes were transferred to overseas people with Chinese tax residency in the June 2018 quarter – falling to 48 in the June 2019 quarter.
Across New Zealand, there were 183 home transfers to people who didn't hold NZ citizenship or a resident visa in the June 2019 quarter versus 1116 in the same quarter last year. Total home transfers numbered 37,695 and of those 0.5 per cent went to overseas buyers. A year earlier, total home transfers numbered 39,627 and 2.8 per cent went to overseas buyers.
A ban on foreign buyers took effect from October 22 last year and prevents most people who don't hold NZ citizenship or a resident visa from buying residential property in New Zealand.
Under the revamped act, there are exemptions for those who buy new apartments in certain developments, who add to New Zealand's housing supply, and for Australian and Singaporean citizens.
A bunch of gripes about royalty – Prince Charles doesn't sit up and beg like one of his Mother's corgis might. It hasn't always been good to host royalty, as noted from past centuries. Prince Charles is not PC about his duties to visit, smile at the peeps and now sends trucks carrying the entire bedroom suite including orthopaedic bed for himself and Camilla. If he has to put himself about the nation, he is an old man, and he tries to do it to his standard of comfort not that of the hosts, and probably has learned that from past experience.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12014916 Prince Charles to visit New Zealand: Here's his remarkable travel demands revealed.
I wonder what The Don demands?
I wonder what The Don demands?
Waterworks displays. Allegedly.
The mind boggles…
And spanking. Using a rolled-up magazine with his face on the cover. Allegedly.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1907/S00146/uncertainty-for-codemark-future-after-certifier-departures.htm
Phil Pennington, Reporter
The country's leading building product assurance scheme is in disarray after another major company pulled out of it.
The CodeMark review questions competency and technical expertise of companies that issue certificates.
The government's CodeMark scheme provides product approvals that cannot be challenged by councils during building consenting, but the scheme has now lost three of its seven certifiers, and these three have issued almost 70 percent of all certificates.
The latest to go is also the biggest, CertMark of Queensland, which issued 63 certificates, or a third of the total 183 CodeMarks.
It's a blow that the Building Industry Federation, which represents thousands of products suppliers, believes might prove fatal.
(This reflects that under neolib government is unable to keep control of its projects, its services, how they are run, whether they get value for money, etc.)
I heard a report on the Provincial Growth Fund this morning. One of its objects was to get work for NZs unemployed (get the nevvies off the couch) yet by the time it gets contracted out in frequent iterations, the gummint don't know what's going on.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/395273/locals-getting-jobs-through-pgf-not-tracked-by-officials
Sectors like forestry, which have been allocated funding through the PGF, have already indicated they want to hire more migrant workers to meet their obligations.
RNZ also requested under the OIA the number of migrant workers being employed in these jobs through the fund, but the Provincial Development Unit (PDU) does not keep these figures.
PDU head Robert Pigou said they did not monitor who were actually getting the jobs once the money got to those projects.
"We don't keep track and the contracts don't require applicants to provide us with the details of where they're getting their workforce from.
"In many cases the applicants might be a local organisations like the district council and they would then go and contract with a third party."
Bloody neolib is not working well for citizens. However I did hear Michael Bassett waffling on this morning as head of Auckland Chamber of Commerce. M. Bassett is one of the Hounds that ushered in the neolib system and sold the stupid Unionists down the river as redundant munters of our small economy. Adopting the fancy new USA economic system was just what the wealthy ordered, giving them the chance for a plutocratic lifestyle in a peasant farmer country, that would always be struggling but why should they be held down by our size and isolation?
Michael *Barnett*, different guy than the evil one who screwed local govt law.
Oh. The name – and I jumped 'that high'. I'll settle down now.
Another happy clappy Coalition Grand Announcement that withers more than a little under close scrutiny from those at the coalface.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-plan-and-funding-strengthen-learning-support
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12252962
Principals fear Government learning support plan lacks long-term funding…
Auckland Primary Principals' Association president Heath McNeil said while the intent of the action plan was important, many of its goals were "we wills" subject to getting more funding down the line.
We've got boards of trustees now that are forced into topping up ministry funding by tens of thousands, in some cases hundreds of thousands, every year out of their operational budgets … We've just had a significant number of our students with needs have teacher aide funding cuts, pretty drastic ones, in the last three months."
McNeil points to other aims of the action plan, including reducing waiting times for early intervention.
"But the timeframe for that is six-and-a-half years with no real targets," he said.
Read the Action Plan here…https://conversation.education.govt.nz/assets/DLSAP/Learning-Support-Action-Plan.PDF
God forbid we give these New Zealanders any senses of security.
SSDD
I have a cunning plan. Pig disease in China – African Swine Flu (is that racist?) – is decimating their herds, flocks, whatever. Apparently it has been spread by feeding them meat scraps.
We used to feed pigs from the whey of our milk. Why don't we start doing that again and have pig meat that is 100% pure of ASF? At the same time we reduce the bloody factory dairy farms carrying stock numbers by a certain amount each year for the next three years. Then we will have a dynamic duo of healthy cows and pigs, and less disease from stacked stock with no room to move and live their normal lives.
Our frenzied dash after every dollar has led us to have cramped quarters in our own sour pens. A healthy appreciation of what life is about for animals and ourselves, the superior species, may be the saving of us for healthy real food. I can see the dreamy ads quite now, and if they are based on truth for once, we will be winners.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/country/395298/untreatable-pig-disease-puts-pressure-on-pork-industry
How are our Kiwis getting on in Oz or perhaps Oz's concentration camps?
26/7/2019 The victims of Australia's deportation policy – they're Kiwis https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=12252700
A pattern of repeated representations from senior NZ politicians to their Australian counterparts about this issue is emerging.
Deportations a growing source of tension
The Australian and New Zealand governments have been at odds over this issue since the legislation changes were introduced in 2014…
But this harsh deportation policy isn't the only issue creating strain in the relationship. New Zealand's offer to resettle refugees imprisoned in Australian offshore detention centres has been refused a number of times, most recently last week.
Morrison's apparent lack of willingness to take Ardern's concerns about deporting New Zealand offenders more seriously confirms a noticeable hardening in Australia's approach…
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton: "where people are sexually offending against children, for example, we've had a big push to try to deport those paedophiles."
Fair enough, most Australians may think.
But Dutton's remarks are highly misleading. The overwhelming majority of the people being deported are not paedophiles.
In fact, many people being deported from Australia under the "character test" have extensive family ties in Australia and have spent very little time in New Zealand, having arrived in Australia as children.
Losing contact with family
Deportees we've interviewed for as-yet unpublished research* had experienced significant trauma because of this process, and a common theme in our research is grief from the loss of contact with children and other loved ones.
Stories of families being torn apart and children being raised by only one parent were particularly distressing for them to recount.
*Professor Patrick Keyzer heads La Trobe University's law school. Dave Martin is a PhD candidate, La Trobe University
This is what we thought in 2016.
2/8/2016 https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/82670283/kiwis-biggest-group-being-held-in-australian-detention-centres–new-report
Locking Kiwis up in Australian detention centres and sending them back across the ditch could be part of a policy to "purify" the country, says Labour MP Kelvin Davis.
(Sounds nasty N..i behaviour from the Australian government. Not all Australians adopt this vicious mentality to NZs thank goodness.)
There were hopes for a change of government, and a show of principled behaviour, fairness and having a heart but the Australians have one approach for their citizens and apparently a prejudice against NZs which is totally unjustified, considering how we have been disadvantaged as a country from their government actions.
.
12/5/2019 https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/112551906/13-15-focus-oz-election-what-would-a-labor-government-mean-for-kiwis- Kiwis living in Australia hopeful for change of government so they get a better deal
27/2/2019 https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/383475/special-treatment-considered-for-kiwis-in-australian-immigration-appeals
17/1/2019 https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2019/01/more-than-100-kiwis-in-hunger-strike-at-australian-detention-centres.html
3/1/2019 https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/01/kiwis-in-australian-detention-centres-face-being-moved-from-families-lawyer.html
15/10/2018 https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/15-10-2018/tasman-deathtrap-the-brutal-human-toll-of-australias-deportation-policy/ (This feature was made possible thanks to reader contributions via the Spinoff Longform Fund. Click here to support our investigative journalism.)
As the number of deportees has mounted, so too has the death toll. In the past three years, at least four New Zealand citizens have died in Australian custody or immediately following deportation, and researchers believe there are almost certainly more. The New Zealand government has no estimate of the total number of deaths, and Minister of Justice Andrew Little says his office is powerless to force a change in Australian law. “We don’t have any control over what the Australians do. We don’t have a great deal of leverage.”
Advocates in both countries say Australia’s actions are in direct contravention of United Nations conventions against torture, and in several cases even children have been locked in isolation or detained with adults, forcing tense political standoffs.
More than 15,000 New Zealand citizens are expected to be deported in the next ten years; a flood of exiles, many with no connection to this country, never allowed to go home.
3/9/2018 https://www.magic.co.nz/home/archivedtalk/on-demand/the-am-show/2018/09/the–easy–solution-to-kiwis-in-detention-centres—go-home—-j.html ('Go home' – Jason Morrison)
6/4/2018 https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/australian-government-finally-reveals-number-kiwis-locked-up-christmas-island-detention-centre
25/9/2015 Key: Nearly 200 Kiwis in Australian detention centres https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11518766
National cut back on training for young mothers and other young people, so the vocational training institutions have to cut back. Then we can blame them when there are no trained people for jobs and we just have to – sob, sob – get immigrant labour in. A race to the bottom for NZ Inc. Will the last person out please turn off the light. Oh don't worry the light fitting has gone phut already.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/395296/weltec-and-whitireia-to-cut-up-to-70-teaching-jobs
I'm breaking my recent resolution not to return to The Standard because this particular subject is too important to leave unremarked. I can't post this item where it really belongs (The Guardian) because they're so snowed under lately with BTL comments, they have to close them off within about 5 minutes of the OP's piece going up.
Anyway, refer to the following:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/25/power-brexit-boris-johnson-radical-conservative-party
I'm starting to see some ominous parallels with the 1917 Russian revolution. We have here a group that barely commands a majority in its own party (think: Bolsheviks v Mensheviks), but which knows exactly what it wants, concentrates relentlessly on its objectives, and is in the process of seizing a degree of power unprecedented in modern Britain. Like Lenin, they have realised that a small, active, tightly focused organisation is going to be more effective than a larger, diffuse one whose members don't have common goals.
The timing from their point of view couldn't be better – Parliament in recess for the next six weeks, so nothing to hold this Executive to account till early September. I predict we will see in that period a huge spate of activity by Cabinet and the ministries and departments of state. It will all be within the bounds – just – of existing legislation, but hitherto accepted agreements about what is "done" and "not done" will be ripped to shreds, just as we've been seeing in the USA.
There'll be no need to formally control the press because Rupert "Moloch" will do it for them and pump out endless propaganda about the necessity for it all. And then, shortly after Parliament resumes, they'll engineer some single-issue "crisis" and call a general election in search of a formal mandate to resolve it – and, by-the-by, cement their grip on what remains of the country.
Deluded fantasy on my part? Oh I hope so, I do hope so.
Yes Obi Knobi. Boris isn't as silly as he looks I think. As you say it's a worry.
And why don't you want to comment here? That would be interesting to know – or do you feel there isn't freedom of speech and thought allowed here to talk about it? I think it is important to say. What have you got to lose? I am sorry in advance, if I have offended you.
I'm not offended, Grey. I just got sick and tired of seeing about 90% of BTL comments devoted to petty point-scoring and denigration of anyone who didn't happen to share the particular point of view of the poster. I'd better things to do with my time than wading through that sort of drivel.
This would be such a good idea. Can't someone adopt this poor little overlooked idea and give it a good secure home properly funded.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/394741/more-residential-homes-could-stop-oranga-tamariki-uplifts
Vulnerable mothers desperately need access to more residential homes so they can keep their babies instead of watching them being taken into state care, an Insight investigation has found.
Last year, 281 babies were taken from their mothers within three months of birth, up from 247 in 2016…
But there are only five residential homes nationwide that offer a safe environment for women and their babies and support mothers to be good parents.
These homes can only offer 24 places for vulnerable mothers and their children at any one time.
Does anyone think this is the right way to support new families, and treat parents and children who should be encouraged to bond and build the security and continuity that keeps children happy and trusting in parents?
Moving into a residential home was not an option for Mel*, who ended up in a Women's Refuge safe house at the start of this year, after another hiding from her ex-partner.
(Mel protests against Oranga Tamariki uplifts after her children were taken into state care. Photo: RNZ / Leigh Marama McLachlan)
She spent the week there before Oranga Tamariki took her one-year-old and three-month-old daughters over safety issues.
"I was compliant with Oranga Tamariki through that whole week, going into meetings," Mel said.
"That Friday they told me to come into the office at 5pm, when they had closed. They threw a bit of paper at me saying, 'You've got a minute to say goodbye to your kids'.
Ministry of education doesn't want to make the Land wars a compulsory part of the NZ curriculum.
This seems… odd. It seems to be more a bureaucratic bias against prescriptive curruculae rather than intentional suppression (although suppression will be the outcome).
I always figured that there were basics that needed to be taught, and that was dictated by the ministry so local nutbars couldn't teach utter bullshit. Apparently I luckily just went ot a progressive school that taught physics, evolution, and some aspects of colonisation (rather than just the bible, intelligent design, and a flat earth with no history outside of europe).
"Mar 30 2016"
Fuck. That'll teach me to take news off FB lol.
Seems to be a lot of that going around this year. Been caught out myself.
All credit to Stuff, they seem to periodically report someone raising the issue.
Here's Hipkins repeating the "no" last year.
It does seem weird to me that there isn't at least some minimum requirement of coveragewithin the curriculum – does the science curriculum require teachers to teach the basic equations like "F=ma", or is that all just traditionally done out of the kindness of teachers' hearts?
Shit, I'll be sounding like a baby boomer soon…
Kia Ora Newshub.
That idiot who drove a roller and smashed other people cars with it needs his head read something wrong up there .
This Government is talking to the whenua protesters Ma te wa.
Simon ain't plastic like shonky is .
Can't all the customers of Wallis group just separate the pork out of there meat waste and find a new market for there waste pork no drama there I say.
There is more to trees and plant life than people know or believe The Kauri stump being kept alive by other trees giving it vital nutrients very interesting.
Ka kite ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
This Government is trying to figure out a solution to the whenua protesters problems the last lot would have tried to shut it down to many tangata whenua there now to . It is a difacult thing to get to the bottom of who is correct in the whenua issue . My tipuna had a Maori Land court case that lasted 40 years and still it's not sorted the correct owners only got 5 shears out of 500 the shears went to the crowns stool pigeon Eco Maori is going to be re starting that case Ma Te Wa.
Ka kite ano
https://youtu.be/qQfetkoGrpU
Some Eco Maori music for the minute.
https://youtu.be/w5tWYmIOWGk
Kia Ora Newshub.
national scrapped the cancer agency and now they are trying to capitalize on their own MESS Paddy.
Eco Maori thinks all the help that our Pacific cousins can get from Aotearoa and China is needed to help them cope with climate change.Its cool that our government is investing in saving that rear bird .
Donna mahi is good for the wairua its sad that the system has a age discrimination I think its should change to encourage the elderly get mahi.
Alex it was freezing in bayview Hawksbay yesterday morning and today but where Eco Maori resides Te Ra was shining bright and warm also Te Ra had my solar powered system running strong.
Ka kite ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Paina you lost your voice I did a few months ago it took about 2 months to come back it was sad times for Eco Maori.
Rania Smith te tangata knows the TRUTH about the historical significance of Ihumatoo.
I agree that tangata whenua need to have a bigger hand in the stakes of tamariki in the states care. I have made a few statements that to care for someone correctly one has to have aroha for that person so Maori need to be included in the care of these poorest tamariki.
I tau toko the Hawaiian who are protesting that 30 meter high telescope on their sacred mountain they have every right to sue That is what will stop that telescope being built but like tangata whenua O Aotearoa they will have limited resources.
Ka kite ano
Piripi that group of Native American and Canadian tribes paddling together looks like Tangata Whenua O Aotearoa waka paddlers awesome.
Kia Ora Newshub.
You two national supporters love any story that is negative about our Labour lead Coalition Governments Aotearoa economy is fine when compared to other countries and whats happening around Papatuanuku
Sorry about you been robbed point your finger at your national m8 they made the poor people poorer hence more robberies.
Chris the disabled people needs of access ramps needs to be catered for by these organizations. We have a hard time getting transportation for one of our love ones whom is disabled.
I can see this canser drug issue being privately pushed buy the Big drug companies. Talking about doubling Pharmacs budget the drug companies will be rubbing their hands together thinking about their PROFITS they are going to get from this campaign. Its all about Te mone .
I disagree a business man like shonky only set the country up for the wealthy people hence we have a major housing crisis thanks to shonky a run down health system and education system the roads were ignored he was cutting all the state organizations budgets hence the big mess our Coalition Government has to clean up.
Ka kite ano
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
https://youtu.be/eJlN9jdQFSc
Kia ora Newshub.
Measles has been quite prominent in Aotearoa as of late the prisoner's who have measles its been a problem Papatuanuku wide.
Condolences to the people who lost their loveones in the Korean nightclub bar balcony accident.
All the best in your new journey of retiring from international Polo you made Aotearoa shine bright with your starlight Sir Mark Tod Im sure you will have heaps of other things to keep you busy.
I would rather live with kiore that be a kiore .
Mike I know what that is like my machinery being tampered with my machinery has strange things happen like my Eco Maori Truck having lose nuts on the ball joints tyers going down for no logical reason I know all those ball joints nuts were tight because I changed the ball joints my self guessing who the tamper is.
Ka kite ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Condolences to the whanau who lost love ones in the Kiangroa Bay of plenty car and truck crash.
Its good to see that time have changed now Tangata Whenua O Aotearoa is commanding more respect and we are receiving it .
At Winston my whanau were Mana whenua and still we didn't get our correct shears in our whenua.
Thats a awesome knitted flag that te Wahine made I Eco Maori is a suporter for equality for Wahine.
Some people need to learn not to bite the hands that care for them the most or would Tangata Whenua O Aotearoa prefer to have a government like national making common people lives very hard to paddle there waka te waka is actually going backwards with a national government be careful Whanau we might get burned by your actions.
Ka kite ano