Gazprom issued warning to Poland gas supplies will be cut from Wednesday,after failure to pay for supplies in Russian currency.
MAJOR DEVELOPMENT: Russia will cut off the gas to Poland on Wednesday in a major escalation in the standoff between Moscow and Europe over energy supplies and the war in Ukraine | #Ukraine#UkraineRussiaWar#Russia#ONGThttps://t.co/ABvEalrguc
Not yet,but he is advancing the European agenda,b4 they can get LNG distribution platforms in place.Germany has no LNG facilities so economic damage will be severe.
It also affects electricity distribution across Europe and makes European manufacturing very expensive.
IEA confirms gas to Poland and Bulgaria has stopped.
Gazprom unilaterally cutting gas supplies to Bulgaria & Poland today makes it clearer than ever that Europe needs to move quickly to reduce its reliance on Russian energy@IEA strongly supports Poland & Bulgaria as they respond to this latest weaponization of energy supplies
It appears Poland were planning to cease Russian gas supply by year end anyway….they have reserves and alternative supplies in train….Bulgaria maybe not so.
The Russian forces don't use the US/UK (and NZ) model of good numbers of professional NCOs, so senior Russian officers see more front line duty than in the model we are more familiar with.
conscripts need direct motivation Russias armed forces are not as well trained as Putin would have us believe.Thats why their Generals are in the front line.
Daphna Whitmore is a staunch socialist feminist who was discussing the insanity of banning feminist critiques of the trans movement, here’s the description of the event…
Join us for a discussion about free speech in the context of often polarising transgender-gender-critical feminism debate.
Daphna was the plaintiff in Whitmore v Palmerston North City Council, which saw the Palmerston North library forced to honour a booking for the feminist group Speak Up For Women. Speak Up For Women booked the library for a public meeting to discuss their concerns about amendments to the Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationships Registration Act. After initially accepting the booking, the library later cancelled, saying it would only host a debate where ‘all views could be heard’. Speak up For Women applied for interim relief, which was granted, forcing the library to honour the booking. Justice Gerald Nation held that the Council’s decision to cancel the event ‘involved a serious failure to recognise the BORA rights of Speak Up For Women and its members.’
So, what lessons can we learn from this episode? Is it ever appropriate to limit free speech in public venues?
AUT is New Zealand's third largest university in terms of total student enrolment, with approximately 29,100 students enrolled across three campuses in Auckland. I was seriously impressed to discover that its wiki contains no section on governance!
Perhaps the thing governs itself?? You know, on autopilot, like an amoeba. Anyway, we don't know how to find out who did the cancelling. This operation is clearly a serious contender for the Evasion of Accountability & Responsibility Excellence Award, and Putin ought to take note of how they do it. Except that their magic invisibility screen is so damn good his spooks probably can't penetrate it.
I mean, really, this is elementary. If they're too busy, put a one-liner there asking for volunteers to do it!
Their Academic Freedom Poll Results are from 1,266 respondents. That's a goodly portion of the whole, methinks. However their link onsite only appears when you hover your cursor over the title. Bad design.
Visitors scanning the page will wonder why the title appears over a huge blank space (as I did) and think they forgot to write text to explain it! Get media savvy, dudes. Think how eyeballs work! And there's also this here org from olden times:
this is the other problem. There's a whole Grand Canyon between GCFs and Nazis, but the cancelculture bros want to make out they are both a threat to society and the same degree of threat.
There's a good examination of dynamics and tactics used in this piece about email pronouns.
Thanks for that link weka…it was a really interesting piece. I will send it to my daughter to read, she has been negotiating her way through that minefield at various Art Schools she has been attending….by the sounds of it, some of those institutions have been very heavily mined!
Yes a feminist Marxist being shut down. Outrageous that AUT did this. This of course will not be reported in the msm who are complicit in the shutting down of debate on gender ideology.
SUFW is a group populated by mostly labour/green voters who have worked hard on progressive causes.
Reading this personal account from an older TiM, and thinking about the echo chambers we can create in our online interactions, I wonder how IRL we can counteract those limited perspectives.
He talks about "surviving testosterone poisoning" and his belief in the unavoidable monstrous nature of men. A disturbing read for anyone. Such a limited and damaging view of the possibilities and realities of men, and the contributions they can make in the world. (I'll leave discussion of his understanding of 'feminists' and 'toxic masculinity' for another time, while acknowledging the damage that the interpretations that he had created for him, and continues to create for society).
"When I connected to the internet, I was inundated with messages about the violence of maleness. This wasn't just "toxic masculinity"–I saw feminists saying all masculinity was toxic, that all men were rapists, all men were oppressors, all men should be killed. As a white man, I was directly responsible for all of the oppression experienced by women and people of color. I was fourteen years old and had never been in a fight in my life or said a racist or misogynistic word to anyone, but I believed that the circumstances of my birth made me a monster. "
This categorisaton of oneself as beyond the pale, is mirrored in the account from a TiF detransitioner:
On Tumblr, the situation was such that any claim to being “oppressed” would accumulate social credibility, while any unfortunate “privileged” status was justification for verbal abuse. As a “privileged” person, you were expected to constantly grovel and apologize, you had no right to speak on any issue involving the group you were “oppressing”, and you could not object in any way to any mistreatment hurled against you because of your race, gender, or sexuality.
I found myself in a bit of a double bind. On one hand, I had found what felt like the perfect group of friends who understood me on an intuitive level, who I was able to talk to openly about the things I liked and made me “weird” in real life, but on the other hand I was a “cishet white girl” in an environment where that was one of the worst things to be. Since Tumblr users are mostly biological females, the “cishet white girl” holds the position of most privileged and therefore most inherently bad group. In this climate, you are made to feel guilty and responsible for all the horrors and atrocities in the world. No hardship you could possibly go through could ever be as bad as the prejudice and genocide POC and LGBT people face every. Single. Day. Insert clap emoji. LGBT people and POC can’t even walk out of their houses without being murdered by cishet white people just like you!
The first author retains an admirable amount of detail of the thinking processes that were taking place during his childhood and youth, and gives some insight into his reasoning, emotions and reactions.
For those interested in the topic, or at least wondering whether medicalisation should be celebrated as the only option, both pieces are worth the read. And any ensuing discussion.
There is a general attack on masculinity in popular culture and in universities. And it’s more acute in progressive circles. Whereas the right wing tends to toxicity. It’s not like there is a shortage of good male role models, but pop culture portrays males as either brutes, oafs, or completely emasculated androgynes like BTS (the k-pop boy band).
Our culture is failing its boys. Elevating all sorts of other identities and lifestyles. But the reality for boys is that they need a father figure, a stable home, and a more active education rather than Ritalin.
I don't disagree, but I believe that we are failing both boys and girls in the messages we are sending to them. The fact that messages are amplified for individuals in online echo-chambers, makes it more difficult to ensure that more diverse voices are heard and reduction in community real life contacts with people, might also narrow perspectives.
It is the expectation of particular roles that causes damage for both boys and girls. Alongside a rejection and criticism of the traditional masculine stereotype, there is a rejection of the traditional feminine caretaker. It is assumed that both are regressive models, rather than it is the expectation that only those models are acceptable that is regressive.
I thought the first article covered the points you make really well.
National are going to have to be very careful how they respond to David Parker’s tax information gathering initiative. Labour are framing it to find out if all New Zealanders are paying their fair share of tax. The suspicion is that the top few percent are not.
Should National be too heavy handed in opposing the legislation, and it’s findings, they stand to be accused of only wanting to look after the rich. We know that is the case, but I’m sure it’s not the way they want to be portrayed to the wider electorate.
I very much doubt they are that worried. We all know people (National, Labour and Green Party voters) avoiding tax either purposefully through Trusts and what not, or more under the radar through simple accountancy sleigh of hand. National voters are people who do this with a bold sense of entitlement, or, more sadly, people who simply dream of being in a position to "claim their entitlements". Its rather like capital gains tax, or a meaningful drop in house prices, you would think people would have some desire for change alongside some level of shame for their profiteering …but they simply don't.
God willed that a statuesque head of his daughter be found. A farmer in Gaza found it, and thanked God:
Palestinian archaeologists say that the head of the Canaanite deity, Anat, dates back 4,500 years… The 22cm-high (8.7 in) carving clearly shows the face of the goddess wearing a serpent crown. "We found it by chance. It was muddy and we washed it with water," said farmer Nidal Abu Eid, who came across the head while cultivating his field.
"We realised that it was a precious thing, but we didn't know it was of such great archaeological value," he told the BBC. "We thank God, and we are proud that it stayed in our land, in Palestine, since the Canaanite times." https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-61228553
Wikipedia: "In the Baal Cycle texts, Anat appears as a war-goddess, initially called upon by her father El". You may recall this original name of God the father from Genesis in the Bible (he renamed himself YHVH later to Moses).
In contemporary Israel, "Anat" is a common female first name… Philologist Anat Bechar, who herself bears the name, wrote: "The Biblical Shamgar was a rather minor and obscure character, and of his mother Anat we know nothing but her name. We do know that it was the name of a goddess in a Semitic pantheon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anat
Obvious explanation of ignorance about God's daughter is cultural transmission in a patriarchy. El was creator deity for various ancient semitic tribes, not just Hebrews & Canaanites. Interesting that freedom of choice prevailed in ancient times too. Genesis:
the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
God seems to have had a family and one naturally wonders who he had it with. Theologians have exhibited a tendency in the past to assume God wasn't actually telling the truth about this when instructing the authors of Genesis. Usage of metaphor was implied, as if to suggest that the Bible is not actually literally true. One suspects that fundamentalists get itchy trigger fingers when confronted by such theologians!
A sincere faith in God can accept the existence of mysteries and unresolved questions. Only a fundamentalist demands certainty (which leaves no room for faith)
So will people who want the new exemption from mask wearing card have to prove they have some relevant condition that makes it difficult/harmful for them to wear a mask?
The fact the card can be obtained online or over the phone suggests a no me. The non-maskers will likely be able to continue to get a card they don't qualify for and which now cannot be questioned.
That's if they even bother. All along some have been able to say they have an exemption but as I understand could not be compelled to prove it. For some it's only been about them.
I realise there is genuine need to be exempt for some but basing the system on honesty and trust in NZ in a pandemic was always a mistake.
I always felt that enforcement of mask-wearing should have been stricter and the government should not have left it to businesses. If people needed an exemption they could have rung their medical centre and a practice nurse could have easily confirmed any pre-existing condition from their medical record.
Then it should have been no mask = prove your exemption or no entry. Simple.
Coincidence you say this Grey Area. I have just come in from a morning op shopping with a friend. First time I have been out for some discretionary retail therapy for a long time. Suitably masked up with my friend we wandered through a series of charity shops all clumped in one area together. I came across a young woman about 19 years old unmasked. I said to her politely "why are you not wearing a mask", she promptly opened her phone and showed me a an exemption cert. I thanked her and wandered on. She joined a group of a Mum and a Dad and a son of about the 16 years.
I chatted with my friend and we concurred that it was highly unlikely the entire family was exempt and what a farce it was. Anybody could replicate a message on their phone and be buggered about everybody else's health. It really upsets me that pockets of the population are so thoughtless about other people and their own health concerns. This family looked pretty hale and hearty to me, not autoimmune compromised or struggling with poor health. They followed us through all of the op shops haunting us with their bare faces – typical.
Just my contribution to my day out in the big bad world for some time now.
Ha. I was going mention my regular anecdotal observation of what appear to be family groups in Bunnings, all unmasked. Curious I've thought. Funny how they all must have conditions precluding mask use.
Woman attending an appointment in the Superclinic a couple of months ago, responded aggressively to the receptionist offering a mask. She neither offered proof of her stated exemption or was asked to provide it by staff.
A good proportion of the women in the waiting room were there for chemotherapy, and so, immunocompromised.
Having done the neutropeanic thing back in 2010 with Peter, I get the necessity to deploy as many infection preventative measures as are available until one's immune system regains some level of function. I recall that there was more concern about the patient catching a gastro bug…although it was a chest infection that nearly felled Himself.
The immunocompromised person wearing a mask signals to others that this particular person requires an extra degree of care. Of course, in a hospital …and especially in an oncology setting… wearing a mask when there is widespread community transmission is a no brainer.
Having said that...research strongly suggests that both the surgical masks and the N95 masks are of limited effectiveness…
The study, published in JAMA, found that surgical masks were as effective as N95 respirators at preventing the flu, which is to say, not all that effective because, of the 446 nurses who took part in this study, nearly one in four (24%) in the surgical mask group still got the flu as did 23% of those who wore the N95 respirator. And, because both groups wore masks, it’s impossible to say how they would have fared compared with not wearing a mask at all.
This piece from, The Conversation, quite sensibly states that those folk infectious with a serious respiratory disease, such as the flu, are most likely feeling so crook they are unlikely to be out and about spreading Te Virus.
Of course in these Covid times, with the Pfizer product having limited effectiveness at preventing infection and transmission and reasonable effectiveness at reducing symptoms for a short time after being administered, the chances of infectious people feeling well enough to be out and about because the jab is 'working' so well is higher.
So taking all the precautions to hand to prevent catching Covid if you might be more at risk of serious outcomes is not such a silly idea….even if wearing a mask is largely signalling to others that the wearer is vulnerable.
Very soon we will have a plan to bring down our emissions and help prevent the worst effects of climate change, but we must also support communities already being hit more extreme and more frequent weather events. 1/3
Aotearoa has a history of solving difficult problems through innovation, resourcefulness and determination. Adapting to climate damage is no different. Be sure to have your say. 3/3https://t.co/97HT5P7ZtV
Maori as paragons of democracy? Looks like it's there in the tradition:
In 1857, Francis Dart Fenton wrote, “No system of government that the world ever saw can be more democratic than that of the Maoris. The chief alone has no power. The whole tribe deliberate on every subject, not only politically on such as are of public interest, but even judicially they hold their ‘komitis’ on every private quarrel. In ordinary times the vox populi determines every matter, both internal and external. No individual enjoys influence or exercises power, unless it originates with the mass and is expressly or tacitly conferred by them.”
From the very early days of European settlement, efforts were made to establish structures of governance based on Western models, although as Busby observed, “It was . . . extremely difficult to get the Chiefs to separate themselves from their connexions, and to form themselves into anything like a regular assembly”.
So chiefly mana came from a sense of being rooted in the social matrix. Hierarchy as a privilege system had to be foisted onto them by the Treaty. That changes my view considerably! More organic social process than I thought.
Under Te Tiriti, the rangatira were entitled to participate as equals on the Executive Council and the Legislative Council appointed by the governor, but these groups had no Māori members. When the first House of Representatives was established in 1853, a requirement that electors were male land owners excluded most Māori men, who had use rights to land through whakapapa and occupation, not as individual property. Under ancestral tikanga, Māori women had rights to leadership and land, but these were also disregarded.
Most recently, a Crown requirement that ‘Post-settlement Governance Entities’ be established at the iwi level to receive Treaty settlements and a redefinition of taonga as ‘property’ has seen a further erosion of tikanga, alongside the imposition of Western governance models on kin groups, and this has often been divisive.
Building fake bridges across the cultural divide is poor governance. Therefore I wish Labour success in its attempt to provide an authentic alternative.
There’s probably some symbolism in the old wooden bridge that connects the Waitangi Treaty Grounds with Paihia. It’s. a one-way bridge with no traffic signals that is often the site of jams in summer as wealthy Aucklanders vie to tow their massive boats across. Meanwhile the construction of the bridge caused the lower reaches of the Waitangi River to silt up and its once beautiful beaches to become covered with mangroves. The signs prohibit people from jumping off but I have been ignoring that for years!
Hard to know what's what until we see the specific details, Jimmy. I saw the story on Stuff (not willing to pay for the NZH), which seemed a bit vague:
The exact orders the judge will make have yet to be decided. The parties have 14 days to agree on the words of a declaration, or the judge will decide it at a later date…
Minister of Covid-19 Response, Chris Hipkins, said the judgment upheld several parts of the MIQ system, including from mid-October when those already in New Zealand became infected and their close contacts were able to isolate at home.
MIQ was always “the least worst option” to help keep out Covid-19 and stop it spreading.
“We have long acknowledged the difficult trade-offs we’ve had to make in our Covid-19 response to save lives and the effects of those decisions on all New Zealanders, particularly those living abroad.”
The judge’s decision was being carefully considered, he said…
The judge said there were no easy answers but middle ground was available so, for instance, a points system could have operated for New Zealanders who said their return was unreasonably delayed, or to change the number of rooms available for emergency allocation.
The virtual lobby system was more appropriate for people who wanted to return but could not show they’d been unreasonably delayed.
The changes that were made were “at the margins” and not enough to eliminate unjustified delays.
The judge decided that the restrictions were not lawful as a justified limitation on the right to enter New Zealand in a free and democratic society.
However, she also said a voucher system was justified and the isolation periods were reasonable and proportionate.
Hipkins'; "The judge’s decision was being carefully considered", sounds like the government's lawyers may be considering an appeal, depending on the final wording of the judge's orders and declarations. I guess we'll know more in a fortnight or so.
From your link Jimmy. "We welcome the Court's determination that the requirement for returnees to undergo MIQ was lawful and was not an unjustified infringement of New Zealanders' right to come home," he said.
"The Court also ruled that the requirement for people entering the country to isolate was lawful and was reasonable and proportionate even when, from mid-October 2021, those in the community who had the virus and their close contacts were able to self-isolate at home."
Hipkins did accept the court's ruling that the virtual lobby system said the Government infringed on New Zealand citizens' right to enter the country.
"We are carefully considering the Court's decision," he said.
Beloved old fossil Joe Bennett writes faux pas in that bastion of progressive thought, the Otago Daily Times
Story time: I was alerted today to an opinion piece in @otd I have thought hard about sharing it but I think it's important to show the views of people who have significant platforms but also the support they receive. Have a read… pic.twitter.com/hXyUiv7DDK
Dear old Joe is listening to the wrong station. He can hear the Queen’s English as she is spoke on the BBC (oops they have presenters from all their colonies with weird accents too!). This is Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa, i.e. Radio New Zealand, which represents us.
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So far, the excited media response to the spike in “ram-raid” incidents is being countered by evidence that in reality, youth crime is steeply in decline, and has been so for much of the past decade. Who knew? Perhaps that’s the real issue here. Why on earth wasn’t the latest ...
In the past 10 years or so – and that’s how quickly it has happened – all our comfortable convictions about the unassailability of free speech have been turned on their heads. Suddenly we find ourselves fighting again for rights we assumed were settled. Click here to watch the video ...
Enforced Fertility: The imminent overturning of Roe versus Wade by the US Supreme Court is certain to raise echoes here that are no less evocative of the dystopia envisioned by Margaret Atwood in The Handmaid’s Tale. Gilead can happen here.WITH THE UNITED STATES seemingly on the brink of becoming “Gilead”, ...
Not Wanted On Grounds Of Political Rejuvenation: Winston Peters did nothing more than visit the protest encampment erected by anti-vaxxers on the parliamentary lawn. A great many New Zealanders applauded him for meeting with the protesters and wondered why the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition could not do ...
May The Force Be With Us: With New Zealanders under 40, nostalgia for a time when politics worked gains little purchase. Politics hasn’t swerved to any noticeable degree since the 1980s, becoming in the Twenty-First Century a battle between marketing strategies, not ideologies. Young New Zealanders critique political advertisements in ...
Dane Giraud reflects on his working class upbringing and how campaigning for free speech radicalised him Evidence to support censorship as a tool for social cohesion is paltry. I Read the NZ Human Rights Commission website, and 99% of their ‘evidence’ is anecdotal. When asked why we need hate speech ...
As you may have noticed, I have been slowly working my way through the works of Agatha Christie. At the time of writing, I have read some thirty-eight of her books – less than half her total output, but arguably enough to get a reasonable handle on it. It ...
Population growth has some effect on economic growth, but it is complicated especially where infrastructure is involved. We need to think more about it. In an opinion piece in the New Zealand Herald, John Gascoigne claimed that New Zealand was a ‘tragic tale of economic decline’. He gave no evidence ...
The Greens have been almost invisible since the 2020 election. Despite massive crises impacting on people’s lives, such as climate change, housing, inequality, and the cost of living, they’ve had very little to say. On this week’s highly contentious issue of politicians being banned from Parliament by Trevor Mallard, the ...
The government has announced it will be replacing all coal boilers in schools by 2025: All remaining coal boilers in New Zealand schools will be replaced with cleaner wood burners or electric heating by 2025, at a cost of $10 million, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced. The coal ...
Israeli news media and politicians often complain about the activity of neo-Nazis in Ukraine. “Activists and supporters of Ukrainian nationalist parties hold torches as they take part in a rally to mark the 112th birth anniversary of Stepan Bandera, in Kyiv, Ukraine, January 1, 2021. Credit: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters The recent ...
Another gnawing warming worry Accidental outcomes of our engineering prowess are warming Arctic regions at a rapid pace. Another species of accomplished engineers is rapidly occupying and exploiting new territory we've thereby made more easily available, namely beavers (Castor canadensis). Beaver populations in affected Arctic regions have increased from "none" to "quite a ...
Dr Simon Lambert’s dream is to see Indigenous nations across the world exercising their sovereign rights by adding their say to disaster risk reduction planning. Simon, of Ngāi Tūhoe and Ngāti Ruapani ki Waikaremoana, specialises in indigenous disaster risk reduction, indigenous health and indigenous development, social science, environmental management, planning ...
Rukingi Haupapa (Ngāti Whakaue, Te Arawa) credits his stroke in 2005 for changing his life: leading him to change his name, get his mataora (facial moko) and set up a trust to help fellow stroke survivors. Oranga (health and wellbeing) is Rukingi’s passion. He holds a Master’s degree in Indigenous ...
Mike Hosking’s all-too familiar diatribe in today’s Herald is so dripping with venom and anti-Jacinda animus that one can’t help but wonder if the content matters less than the spirit and purpose in and with which it was offered. Hosking clearly needs help. He seems to live in a world ...
So a Supreme Court stacked with ideologues selected by Donald Trump is about to make an ideological decision to ban the legal right of American women to an abortion. In their infinite wisdom, the US courts have decided that the government cannot force people to wear a mask during a ...
National party leader Chris Luxon has been reported as giving some badly uninformed responses to questions about Te Tiriti o Waitangi. As a potential Prime Minister, he needs to get up to speed. Te Tiriti is the Māori language version of the Treaty of Waitangi – the version that is ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) from the atmosphere continues to be a hot topic. In its newest report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that the Paris Climate Agreement targets cannot be met without substantial efforts to remove some of the more than three-trillion ...
Is Parliament just the fiefdom of Trevor Mallard and his colleagues? That’s the impression the public might take from yesterday’s news that the Speaker of Parliament is issuing trespass notices to political opponents who visited the protest in March on the lawns of Parliament. Speaker Mallard has the absolute right ...
The quarterly labour market statistics were released this morning, showing unemployment holding at a record low of 3.2%. There are now 94,000 unemployed - 29,000 fewer than when Labour took office. Average wages are also up, and looking back, they've increased from $30.45 / hour in 2017 to $36.18 today. ...
International analyst Geoffrey Miller reads between the lines of Jacinda Ardern’s speech to this week’s US business summit in Auckland Jacinda Ardern is slowly but surely shifting New Zealand’s foreign policy towards the West. That was the underlying theme of a keynote address by New Zealand’s Prime Minister this ...
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Mr Speaker, It has taken four-and-a-half years to even start to turn the legacy of inaction and neglect from the last time they were in Government together. And we have a long journey in front of us! ...
Today Greens Te Mātāwaka Chair and Health Spokesperson, Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, said “The Greens have long campaigned for an independent Māori Health Authority and pathways for Takatāpui and Rainbow healthcare. “We welcome the substantial funding going into the new health system, Pae Ora, particularly for the Māori Health Authority, Iwi-Partnership ...
Budget 2022 shows progress on conservation commitments in the Green Party’s cooperation agreement Green Party achievements in the last Government continue to drive investment in nature protection Urgent action needed on nature-based solutions to climate change Future budget decisions must reflect the role nature plays in helping reduce emissions ...
Landmark week for climate action concludes with climate budget Largest ever investment in climate action one of many Green Party wins throughout Budget 2022 Budget 2022 delivers progress on every part of the cooperation agreement with Labour Budget 2022 is a climate budget that caps a landmark week ...
Green Party welcomes extension to half price fares Permanent half price fares for Community Services Card holders includes many students, which helps implement a Green Party policy Work to reduce public transport fares for Community Services Card holders started by Greens in the last Government Budget 2022 should be ...
New cost of living payment closely aligned to Green Party policy to expand the Winter Energy Payment Extension and improvement of Warmer Kiwi Homes builds on Green Party progress in Government Community energy fund welcomed The Green Party welcomes the investment in Budget 2022 to expand Warmer Kiwi ...
Budget 2022 support to reduce homelessness delivers on the Green Party’s cooperation agreement Bespoke support for rangatahi with higher, more complex needs The Green Party welcomes the additional investment in Budget 2022 for kaupapa Māori support services, homelessness outreach services, the expansion of transitional housing, and a new ...
Green Party reaffirms call for liveable incomes and wealth tax Calls on Government to cancel debt owed to MSD for hardship assistance such as benefit advances, and for over-payments The Green Party welcomes the support for people on low incomes Budget 2022 but says more must be done ...
Our Government has just released this year’s Budget, which sets out the next steps in our plan to build a high wage, low carbon economy that gives economic security in good times and in bad. It’s full of initiatives that speed up our economic recovery and ease cost pressures for ...
A stronger democracy is on the horizon, as Golriz Ghahraman’s Electoral (Strengthening Democracy) Amendment Bill was pulled from the biscuit tin today. ...
Tomorrow, the Government will release this year’s Budget, setting out the next steps in our plan to build a high wage, low carbon economy that gives economic security in good times and in bad. While the full details will be kept under wraps until Thursday afternoon, we’ve announced a few ...
As a Government, we made it clear to New Zealanders that we’d take meaningful action on climate change, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. Earlier today, we released our next steps with our Emissions Reduction Plan – which will meet the Climate Commission’s independent science-based emissions reduction targets, and new ...
Emissions Reduction Plan prepares New Zealand for the future, ensuring country is on track to meet first emissions budget, securing jobs, and unlocking new investment ...
The Greens are calling for the Government to reconsider the immigration reset so that it better reflects our relationship with our Pacific neighbours. ...
Hamilton City Council and Whanganui District Council have both joined a growing list of Local Authorities to pass a motion in support of Green Party Drug Reform Spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick’s Members’ bill to minimise alcohol harm. ...
Today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a major package of reforms to address the immediate skill shortages in New Zealand and speed up our economic growth. These include an early reopening to the world, a major milestone for international education, and a simplification of immigration settings to ensure New Zealand ...
Proposed immigration changes by the Government fail to guarantee pathways to residency to workers in the types of jobs deemed essential throughout the pandemic, by prioritising high income earners - instead of focusing on the wellbeing of workers and enabling migrants to put down roots. ...
Ehara taku toa i te toa takatahi, engari taku toa he toa takimano – my strength is not mine alone but the strength of many (working together to ensure safe, caring respectful responses). We are striving for change. We want all people in Aotearoa New Zealand thriving; their wellbeing enhanced ...
The Green Party is throwing its support behind the 10,000 allied health workers taking work-to-rule industrial action today because of unfair pay and working conditions. ...
Since the day we came into Government, we’ve worked hard to lift wages and reduce cost pressures facing New Zealanders. But we know the rising cost of living, driven by worldwide inflation and the war in Ukraine, is making things particularly tough right now. That’s why we’ve stepped up our ...
An independent review of New Zealand’s detention regime for asylum seekers has found arbitrary and abusive practices in Aotearoa’s immigration law, policy, and practice. ...
It is a pleasure to speak to this Budget. The 5th we have had the privilege of delivering, and in no less extraordinary circumstances. Mr Speaker, the business and cycle of Government is, in some ways, no different to life itself. Navigating difficult times, while also making necessary progress. Dealing ...
Budget 2022 provides funding to implement the new resource management system, building on progress made since the reform was announced just over a year ago. The inadequate funding for the implementation of the Resource Management Act in 1992 almost guaranteed its failure. There was a lack of national direction about ...
The Government is substantially increasing the amount of funding for public media to ensure New Zealanders can continue to access quality local content and trusted news. “Our decision to create a new independent and future-focused public media entity is about achieving this objective, and we will support it with a ...
$662.5 million to maintain existing defence capabilities NZDF lower-paid staff will receive a salary increase to help meet cost-of living pressures. Budget 2022 sees significant resources made available for the Defence Force to maintain existing defence capabilities as it looks to the future delivery of these new investments. “Since ...
More than $185 million to help build a resilient cultural sector as it continues to adapt to the challenges coming out of COVID-19. Support cultural sector agencies to continue to offer their important services to New Zealanders. Strengthen support for Māori arts, culture and heritage. The Government is investing in a ...
It is my great pleasure to present New Zealand’s fourth Wellbeing Budget. In each of this Government’s three previous Wellbeing Budgets we have not only considered the performance of our economy and finances, but also the wellbeing of our people, the health of our environment and the strength of our communities. In Budget ...
It is my great pleasure to present New Zealand’s fourth Wellbeing Budget. In each of this Government’s three previous Wellbeing Budgets we have not only considered the performance of our economy and finances, but also the wellbeing of our people, the health of our environment and the strength of our communities. In Budget ...
Four new permanent Coroners to be appointed Seven Coronial Registrar roles and four Clinical Advisor roles are planned to ease workload pressures Budget 2022 delivers a package of investment to improve the coronial system and reduce delays for grieving families and whānau. “Operating funding of $28.5 million over four ...
Establishment of Ministry for Disabled People Progressing the rollout of the Enabling Good Lives approach to Disability Support Services to provide self-determination for disabled people Extra funding for disability support services “Budget 2022 demonstrates the Government’s commitment to deliver change for the disability community with the establishment of a ...
Fairer Equity Funding system to replace school deciles The largest step yet towards Pay Parity in early learning Local support for schools to improve teaching and learning A unified funding system to underpin the Reform of Vocational Education Boost for schools and early learning centres to help with cost ...
$118.4 million for advisory services to support farmers, foresters, growers and whenua Māori owners to accelerate sustainable land use changes and lift productivity $40 million to help transformation in the forestry, wood processing, food and beverage and fisheries sectors $31.6 million to help maintain and lift animal welfare practices across Aotearoa New Zealand A total food and ...
House price caps for First Home Grants increased in many parts of the country House price caps for First Home Loans removed entirely Kāinga Whenua Loan cap will also be increased from $200,000 to $500,000 The Affordable Housing Fund to initially provide support for not-for-profit rental providers Significant additional ...
Child Support rules to be reformed lifting an estimated 6,000 to 14,000 children out of poverty Support for immediate and essential dental care lifted from $300 to $1,000 per year Increased income levels for hardship assistance to extend eligibility Budget 2022 takes further action to reduce child poverty and ...
More support for RNA research through to pilot manufacturing RNA technology platform to be created to facilitate engagement between research and industry partners Researchers and businesses working in the rapidly developing field of RNA technology will benefit from a new research and development platform, funded in Budget 2022. “RNA ...
A new Business Growth Fund to support small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to grow Fully funding the Regional Strategic Partnership Fund to unleash regional economic development opportunities Tourism Innovation Programme to promote sustainable recovery Eight Industry Transformation Plans progressed to work with industries, workers and iwi to transition ...
Budget 2022 further strengthens the economic foundations and wellbeing outcomes for Pacific peoples in Aotearoa, as the recovery from COVID-19 continues. “The priorities we set for Budget 2022 will support the continued delivery of our commitments for Pacific peoples through the Pacific Wellbeing Strategy, a 2020 manifesto commitment for Pacific ...
Boost for Māori economic and employment initiatives. More funding for Māori health and wellbeing initiatives Further support towards growing language, culture and identity initiatives to deliver on our commitment to Te Reo Māori in Education Funding for natural environment and climate change initiatives to help farmers, growers and whenua ...
New hospital funding for Whangārei, Nelson and Hillmorton 280 more classrooms over 40 schools, and money for new kura $349 million for more rolling stock and rail network investment The completion of feasibility studies for a Northland dry dock and a new port in the Manukau Harbour Increased infrastructure ...
$168 million to the Māori Health Authority for direct commissioning of services $20.1 million to support Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards $30 million to support Māori primary and community care providers $39 million for Māori health workforce development Budget 2022 invests in resetting our health system and gives economic security in ...
Biggest-ever increase to Pharmac’s medicines budget Provision for 61 new emergency vehicles including 48 ambulances, along with 248 more paramedics and other frontline staff New emergency helicopter and crew, and replacement of some older choppers $100 million investment in specialist mental health and addiction services 195,000 primary and intermediate aged ...
Landmark reform: new multi-year budgets for better planning and more consistent health services Record ongoing annual funding boost for Health NZ to meet cost pressures and start with a clean slate as it replaces fragmented DHB system ($1.8 billion year one, as well as additional $1.3 billion in year ...
Fuel Excise Duty and Road User Charges cut to be extended for two months Half price public transport extended for a further two months New temporary cost of living payment for people earning up to $70,000 who are not eligible to receive the Winter Energy Payment Estimated 2.1 million New ...
A return to surplus in 2024/2025 Unemployment rate projected to remain at record lows Net debt forecast to peak at 19.9 percent of GDP in 2024, lower than Australia, US, UK and Canada Economic growth to hit 4.2 percent in 2023 and average 2.1 percent over the forecast period A ...
Cost of living payment to cushion impact of inflation for 2.1 million Kiwis Record health investment including biggest ever increase to Pharmac’s medicines budget First allocations from Climate Emergency Response Fund contribute to achieving the goals in the first Emissions Reduction Plan Government actions deliver one of the strongest ...
Budget 2022 will help build a high wage, low emissions economy that provides greater economic security, while providing support to households affected by cost of living pressures. Our economy has come through the COVID-19 shock better than almost anywhere else in the world, but other challenges, both long-term and more ...
Health Minister Andrew Little will represent New Zealand at the first in-person World Health Assembly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from Sunday 22 – Wednesday 25 May (New Zealand time). “COVID-19 has affected people all around the world, and health continues to ...
New Zealand is committing to trade only in legally harvested timber with the Forests (Legal Harvest Assurance) Amendment Bill introduced to Parliament today. Under the Bill, timber harvested in New Zealand and overseas, and used in products made here or imported, will have to be verified as being legally harvested. ...
The Government has welcomed the release today of StatsNZ data showing the rate at which New Zealanders died from all causes during the COVID-19 pandemic has been lower than expected. The new StatsNZ figures provide a measure of the overall rate of deaths in New Zealand during the pandemic compared ...
Legislation that will help prevent serious criminal offending at sea, including trafficking of humans, drugs, wildlife and arms, has passed its third reading in Parliament today, Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta announced. “Today is a milestone in allowing us to respond to the increasingly dynamic and complex maritime security environment facing ...
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor is set to travel to Thailand this week to represent New Zealand at the annual APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) meeting in Bangkok. “I’m very much looking forward to meeting my trade counterparts at APEC 2022 and building on the achievements we ...
Settlement of the first pay-equity agreement in the health sector is hugely significant, delivering pay rises of thousands of dollars for many hospital administration and clerical workers, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “There is no place in 21st century Aotearoa New Zealand for 1950s attitudes to work predominantly carried out ...
Health Minister Andrew Little opened a new intensive care space for up to 12 ICU-capable beds at Christchurch Hospital today, funded from the Government’s Rapid Hospital Improvement Programme. “I’m pleased to help mark this milestone. This new space will provide additional critical care support for the people of Canterbury and ...
Budget 2022 will continue to deliver on Labour’s commitment to better services and support for mental wellbeing. The upcoming Budget will include a $100-million investment over four years for a specialist mental health and addiction package, including: $27m for community-based crisis services that will deliver a variety of intensive supports ...
Budget 2022 will continue to deliver on Labour’s commitment to better mental wellbeing services and support, with 195,000 primary and intermediate aged children set to benefit from the continuation and expansion of Mana Ake services. “In Budget 2022 Labour will deliver on its manifesto commitment to expand Mana Ake, with ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has today announced sanctions on Belarusian leaders and defence entities supporting Russia’s actions in Ukraine, as part of the Government’s ongoing response to the war. “The Belarusian government military is enabling the illegal and unacceptable assault on Ukraine’s sovereignty,” Nanaia Mahuta said. “Under the leadership of ...
Just after World War 2, there were incentives to clear forest and bring land into agricultural production. In places, the land had been stripped bare as forests were felled for sheep grazing. Today, you only have to look at the hills around Taihape and see the stumps of a once ...
The drive to decarbonise industry and further accelerate preparations for a sustainable, more resilient future will get a boost from the Climate Emergency Response Fund in Budget 2022 by supercharging efforts to encourage the switch to cleaner energy options and transform the energy system. “Today is a momentous day ...
The Government is investing in New Zealand’s economic security by ensuring climate change funding moves away from short-term piecemeal responses and towards smart, long-term investment. Climate Emergency Response Fund (CERF) established with $4.5 billion from Emissions Trading Scheme revenue Initial allocation of $2.9 billion over four years invested in emissions ...
Rolling out the Clean Car Upgrade programme, supporting lower- and middle- income families transition to low-emission alternatives through a new scrap-and-replace trial Helping low-income households lease low emission vehicles Supporting the rapid development of urban cycleway networks, walkable neighbourhoods, healthier school travel, and increased accessibility and reliability of public ...
New Centre for Climate Action on Agricultural Emissions that develops and commercialises smart new products to reduce agricultural emissions Funding for forestry to develop alternatives to fossil fuels, boost carbon storage and increase sequestration Support for producers and whenua Māori entities to transition to a low emissions future The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Shaw, Professor of Politics, Massey University Getty Images One way to make sense of Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s fifth budget speech was to see it as a political performance working on different levels. First, Labour needs this budget ...
Greater Wellington welcomed news today that the Government will permanently fund cheaper public transport fares for community services card hold holders. Chair of Greater Wellington Daran Ponter said there had been strong support for this type ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Preston, Professor of Economics, The University of Western Australia Shutterstock In 2020 the Morrison government allowed Australians to raid their superannuation to get through during the pandemic. This week Scott Morrison proposed letting people raid their super for a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Eltham, Lecturer, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University Shutterstock The past term of government has been tough for arts and culture in Australia. Culture was among the worst affected by the pandemic of any aspect of society: ...
It's a 'cost of living crisis' not a 'spending on living crisis'. Throwing more and more money at a black-hole for kiwis to spend is akin to the famous saying: "...it's like standing in a bucket and trying to pull yourself up by the handle." ...
Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union and the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations are disappointed to see the tertiary education sector largely ignored once again in the Labour government’s fifth Budget since taking office in 2017. ...
The biggest Budget spend up in New Zealand’s history has delivered some, but not a lot, of initiatives that will support businesses in the Canterbury region. "Some of the initiatives announced in Budget 2022 will go some way towards helping business, ...
Community Housing Aotearoa, a peak body for the community housing sector, welcomes the announcement in today’s Budget to create a $350M Affordable Housing Fund. This investment is a good use of the unallocated Residential Response Fund and a sign ...
The Government’s fourth wellbeing budget fittingly delivered a raft of initiatives to support people, communities and the environment, but when it came to business support it was much as expected. The good news is $100m has been allocated for a ...
Budget 2022 has pluses and minuses for the disabled community, says Disability Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero. On the plus side there was considerable investment in the new Ministry for Disabled People and other funding which has the potential ...
New Zealand’s national association for civil contractors has welcomed the $230 million investment in trades training programmes, increased funding for rail and rural broadband infrastructure, and support for Construction Sector Accord Transformation ...
Leading healthcare provider, ProCare is disappointed that primary care nurses have been left out of today’s Budget announcement. Gabrielle Lord, Nursing Director and General Manager Practice Services, at ProCare says: “Nurses have been the backbone ...
The Health and Climate Budget, being touted as Securing our Future fails to address a key determinant of health, which is low incomes. “There was talk in lockdown about keeping (the governments) eye on the ball, and I kept thinking, are they aware ...
Leading healthcare provider ProCare has today welcomed funding in today’s Budget to ensure Kiwis can live in warmer, dryer homes. This is one of the biggest determinants of health and is one of the key measures we can take to prevent hospitilisations ...
A coalition of anti-poverty groups has challenged the Government for excluding people receiving income support from today’s cost of living ‘helicopter payments’, saying they have chosen to leave families living in the harshest poverty further ...
Wellington, 19 May 2022 – There is no doubt the New Zealand health system requires reform and today’s Budget clearly set out the way forward, with funding prioritised against the most pressing issues on the Government’s agenda, says Deloitte Partner ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emily Foley, PhD Candidate, La Trobe University, La Trobe University National security has been a feature of this election campaign, but there’s been little substantive difference on key issues of foreign policy. Last week’s foreign policy debate between Foreign Minister Senator Marise ...
PSA national secretary, Kerry Davies: As promised by the Minister of Finance, this was a Budget of health and climate, both areas our members have a strong interest in. The bold step of clearing DHB deficits and the small, iterative steps to improve ...
18 May: Greenpeace is responding to Budget 2022 by saying the Government is generating hype and hot air while failing the environment. "There has never been more hype, while the need for real action to address the climate and biodiversity crises has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dani Larkin, Lecturer/Deputy Director of the Indigenous Law Centre, UNSW Sydney AAP Image/Lukas Coch and Mick Tsikas, Shutterstock One of the recommendations from the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart calls for the establishment of a First Nations Voice to ...
Wellington, 19 May 2022 – The lack of any tax announcements in today’s Budget announcement was not surprising but it’s lack of presence did not go unnoticed says Deloitte Partner Robyn Walker. “While tax has barely been out of the headlines ...
An extension of half price public transport fares over the winter months is a promising start, says LGNZ Chief Executive Susan Freeman-Greene. “Cheaper public transport fares must be seen as much more than a way to help ease the burden of the rising ...
The New Zealand Dental Association (NZDA) has welcomed the Government’s Budget Day dental commitments. The Government will increase grants from $300 to $1000 to improve dental access for the lowest income New Zealanders. NZDA says that their ...
The Human Rights Commission, Te Kāhui Tika Tangata, is welcoming an increase in its baseline funding for the next four years but is calling on the Government to stand by its promises to tangata whenua. It comes after the Government rejected a ...
Budget 2022 was heralded as the “Climate and Wellbeing Budget”, but has missed the mark when it comes to enabling a just transition into a sustainable future. This budget needed to include free public transport for tertiary students, under 25s, ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Finance Minister Grant Robertson has delivered a Budget that will many asking “Is that all there is?” There is a myriad of initiatives and there is increased spending, but strangely it doesn’t really add up to much at all for ...
Sri Lanka is in the grip of its worst economic crisis in decades, facing depleted petrol reserves, food shortages and a chronic lack of medical supplies. More than a month of mainly peaceful protests against the government’s handling of the economy turned deadly last week when supporters of the former prime minister ...
A View from Afar – In this podcast, political scientist Paul Buchanan and Selwyn Manning examine the Implications of the Russia-Ukrainian conflict and how it impacts on regional security architecture. In particular, we assess Finland and Sweden’s move to become NATO members and whether Turkey will prevent this from ...
New Zealanders from all walks of life will benefit from increased access to justice thanks to funding for our legal aid system in Budget 2022, the New Zealand Law Society I Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa says. Today’s budget sees an extra $190m over four ...
The Budget’s failure to contribute funding for a fleet of hybrid electric trains in the lower North Island has surprised and disappointed Greater Wellington and Horizons regional councils. The trains, which are battery powered on non-electric track, were ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bhiamie Williamson, Research Associate & PhD Candidate, Australian National University It is often lamented that Indigenous peoples’ electoral power is insignificant in Australia, except perhaps in the remote Northern Territory seat of Lingiari. But our new analysis of Indigenous populations in ...
Budget 2022 keeps the rebuild of our national railway on track with $661.5 million allocated for rail, KiwiRail Acting Chief Executive David Gordon says. The investment includes: $312.3 million to continue the Government’s commitment to raising the ...
Pharmac welcomes the $191 million increase to its pharmaceutical budget over the next two years. It is already working its way through the medicines options for investment (OFI) list, looking at what agreements it can now make with pharmaceutical suppliers. ...
The one year extension to the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme announced in today’s Budget has been called ‘literally the least the government could do’ by the Green Building Council. Today’s Budget only extended the home insulation and heating ...
BusinessNZ welcomes investment in education and small business as part of the Government's Budget announcement. Chief Executive Kirk Hope says investment in health and climate action will also be appreciated but businesses are looking for ways to shore up skill ...
Small businesses across the country will breathe a collective sigh of relief after the 2022 Budget earmarked $100 million of capital funding for a Business Growth Fund. Buy NZ Made executive director Dane Ambler says many small businesses are "teetering ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is almost – but not quite – lost for words over Budget 2022’s announcement of another $185 million in arts and heritage grants. Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “We were amazed when the Government decided ...
Responding to Budget 2022’s two-month extension of fuel tax and road user charge relief, New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says: “This is a small but significant victory for taxpayers and will save the average household ...
The Taxpayers’ Union representatives choked on Treasury’s budget lock up sausage rolls when they discovered Stuart Nash’s announcement that he’s launching an investment bank for business rejected by the banking sector and to appoint government ...
Grant Robertson is the first Minister of Finance since Muldoon to fail to deliver a budget suplus during a time of economic boom, says the Taxpayers’ Union, commenting from today’s Budget 2022 Beehive lockup. “With Government revenues booming, it ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson today outlined the 2002 Budget, which places a cost of living and public investment package at its centre, said CTU Economist Craig Renney. The CTU welcomes the Budget package that will provide both relief for cost-of-living ...
More than two million New Zealanders will get a one-off $350 sweetener as part of the Budget's centrepiece $1 billion cost-of-living relief package. ...
It wasn’t exactly the calm we expected before the tsunami of Budget initiatives that will be posted this afternoon along with documents that will record fiscal and economic forecasts and detailed estimates of appropriations. Three announcements were made ahead of the Budget speech. Partly there was an echo of yesterday’s ...
The Government has already spent $34 million designing a reform so badly received they plan to bill water users more than a billion dollars to bring stakeholders on board. Figures released by the Department of Internal Affairs shows that the Government ...
Family First NZ is repeating its call for a review of ‘right to silence’ laws which is effectively hindering investigations into child abuse. Family First has previously made this plea as a result of the Coroner’s report into the death of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lucas Cernusak, Associate professor, James Cook University Alexander Schenkin, Author provided In recent years, the Great Barrier Reef off Australia’s northeast coast has seen multiple events of mass coral bleaching as human-caused global warming has driven sustained high temperatures in ...
I would like to clarify a statement made by an officer purporting to represent the New Zealand Maori Council. Firstly there is an ongoing Inquiry into the 2021 Triennial Elections of the New Zealand Maori Council this is because a number of Districts ...
I would like to clarify a statement made by an officer purporting to represent the New Zealand Maori Council. Firstly there is an ongoing Inquiry into the 2021 Triennial Elections of the New Zealand Maori Council this is because a number of Districts ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Murray Goot, Emeritus Professor of Politics and International Relations, Macquarie University The number of voters the Coalition is attempting to sway in the final days of the campaign varies widely, depending on how the targeted voters are defined. But the historical precedent ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rodney Tiffen, Emeritus Professor, Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney Mick Tsikas/AAP With severe staffing cuts, pressures for instant productivity and a priority on producing clickbait, few would think we are in a golden age for journalism. Few, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law. President, Australian Association for Professional & Applied Ethics., Griffith University Luis Ascui/AAP It’s difficult to ask, but how many fatalities should Australia accept from COVID in 2022? The World Health Organization ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruby Grant, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University of Tasmania Shutterstock About one in three LGBTIQ+ voters are not sure who to vote for, or are considering changing who they vote for, this federal election, according to a survey by Equality Australia. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Jotzo, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy and Head of Energy, Institute for Climate Energy and Disaster Solutions, Australian National University Climate change and reducing emissions has figured little in the 2022 federal election campaign. But after many years of inadequate ...
COMMENTARY: Sh’ma Koleinu – Alternative Jewish Voices When Marilyn Garson’s memoir of working in Gaza was published, Radio NZ scheduled an interview. On the day of the interview, RNZ first promoted and then cancelled it. In response to her OIA request, RNZ disclosed this internal email: The RNZ quote about ...
RNZ News Aotearoa New Zealand has reported 9570 new community cases of covid-19 and a further 32 deaths today, bringing total publicly recorded deaths with the coronavirus 1017. In a statement, the Ministry of Health said the total number of deaths was up by 31 from yesterday as they had ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Papua New Guinea police have been tasked to furnish a full investigation report on the death of Deputy Prime Minister Sam Basil and his bodyguard First Constable Neil Maino. Prime Minister James Marape told Basil’s children that “no stone would be left unturned” by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jim Stanford, Economist and Director, Centre for Future Work, Australia Institute; Honorary Professor of Political Economy, University of Sydney Shutterstock/The Conversation Every three months the Bureau of Statistics releases the lesser-known cousin of the consumer price index. It’s called the ...
"Tangata whenua had to defend themselves in the first lockdown, we put up borders, we set up systems within the iwi and within the rural areas to be able to cope whilst waiting for a vaccine. So no, it wasn't equitable, and many iwi paid for that thems ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Podger, Honorary Professor of Public Policy, Australian National University On the eve of the election, the Coalition has said it will impose a higher “efficiency dividend” on public service agencies over the next four years in an effort to cut public ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Every election is unique, but each also presents comparisons and contrasts with elections past. In this podcast, Australian National University history professor Frank Bongiorno gives his insights into the current battle but also takes ...
Two of New Zealand’s principal economic issues are its low productivity and high effective corporate tax rates. So will the Ardern government tackle these issues in Budget 2022? Finance Minister Grant Robertson could write himself into NZ’s economic history if he did so. Sadly, Point of Order suspects he might ...
ACT Party candidate in Tauranga, Cameron Luxton has called for Commissioner Anne Tolley's head saying she should not interfere in politics as an unelected official. ...
Gazprom issued warning to Poland gas supplies will be cut from Wednesday,after failure to pay for supplies in Russian currency.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/eastward-yamal-gas-flows-germany-poland-remain-steady-2022-01-23/
Question…as Gazprom gas to Germany flows through Poland how do they cut supply to an intermediate point, or prevent reverse flows?
Nordstream 1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nord_Stream
Yes, but as of a month ago the Yamal line was still in operation…has it been shut down?
Not yet,but he is advancing the European agenda,b4 they can get LNG distribution platforms in place.Germany has no LNG facilities so economic damage will be severe.
It also affects electricity distribution across Europe and makes European manufacturing very expensive.
Yes there are price and time implications but if there is flow through Poland there are options….not necessarily good options, but still options.
IEA confirms gas to Poland and Bulgaria has stopped.
It appears Poland were planning to cease Russian gas supply by year end anyway….they have reserves and alternative supplies in train….Bulgaria maybe not so.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61237519
The Norwegian pipeline comes on in Oct.Around 5% of gas for electricity,a lot for fertilizer.(poland)
Just finishing reading the "daily review" comments from last night.
A good debate with valid points on both sides.
Congrats to all who participated.
Another 2 Russian generals reportedly killed in the Ukraine! Making a total of 10!
There's something seriously wrong with the command structure of the Russian armed forces!
The Russian forces don't use the US/UK (and NZ) model of good numbers of professional NCOs, so senior Russian officers see more front line duty than in the model we are more familiar with.
https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/the-russian-militarys-weak-nco-corps-on-display-in-ukraine/ gives a bit of insight into the lack of NCOs.
Longstanding military joke: Officers think they run the army. Sergeants know they do.
conscripts need direct motivation Russias armed forces are not as well trained as Putin would have us believe.Thats why their Generals are in the front line.
Bomber reports AUT cancelling free speech:
AUT is New Zealand's third largest university in terms of total student enrolment, with approximately 29,100 students enrolled across three campuses in Auckland. I was seriously impressed to discover that its wiki contains no section on governance!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auckland_University_of_Technology
Perhaps the thing governs itself?? You know, on autopilot, like an amoeba. Anyway, we don't know how to find out who did the cancelling. This operation is clearly a serious contender for the Evasion of Accountability & Responsibility Excellence Award, and Putin ought to take note of how they do it. Except that their magic invisibility screen is so damn good his spooks probably can't penetrate it.
There is a strident Trans Rights Activist on the staff of AUT. Any deviation from the required beliefs is protested.
FSU say that the reason AUT gave was incomplete paperwork. Wish FSU would publish everything and make it transparent.
incomplete paperwork
A standard method of defense employed by bureaucrats since time immemorial.
Wish FSU would publish everything and make it transparent.
Incompetence. They ought to put it here:
https://www.fsu.nz/news
I mean, really, this is elementary. If they're too busy, put a one-liner there asking for volunteers to do it!
Their Academic Freedom Poll Results are from 1,266 respondents. That's a goodly portion of the whole, methinks. However their link onsite only appears when you hover your cursor over the title. Bad design.
Visitors scanning the page will wonder why the title appears over a huge blank space (as I did) and think they forgot to write text to explain it! Get media savvy, dudes. Think how eyeballs work! And there's also this here org from olden times:
https://nzccl.org.nz/
Freedom of thought, expression, and action, and the protection of these rights from government interference or restriction.
If the "paperwork is incomplete" sure that is easily remeded……..Re schedule the metting and complete the paper work in time! Too easy.
Or else take the b….ards to court and sue the pants off them.
Surprized more others on this site aren't up in arms about this.
Have to support this post from Dennis. Freedom of speech, assembly and association should be upheld by us all.
I do personally draw the line at open Nazis though, others may disagree of course on that.
this is the other problem. There's a whole Grand Canyon between GCFs and Nazis, but the cancelculture bros want to make out they are both a threat to society and the same degree of threat.
There's a good examination of dynamics and tactics used in this piece about email pronouns.
https://www.legalfeminist.org.uk/2022/04/26/grammar-and-grievance/
Thanks for that link weka…it was a really interesting piece. I will send it to my daughter to read, she has been negotiating her way through that minefield at various Art Schools she has been attending….by the sounds of it, some of those institutions have been very heavily mined!
it's pretty intense out there. I'm so glad I don't work or study in places where the war is happening.
Reading this personal account from an older TiM, and thinking about the echo chambers we can create in our online interactions, I wonder how IRL we can counteract those limited perspectives.
He talks about "surviving testosterone poisoning" and his belief in the unavoidable monstrous nature of men. A disturbing read for anyone. Such a limited and damaging view of the possibilities and realities of men, and the contributions they can make in the world. (I'll leave discussion of his understanding of 'feminists' and 'toxic masculinity' for another time, while acknowledging the damage that the interpretations that he had created for him, and continues to create for society).
https://cutdowntree.substack.com/p/purification-rites?s=r
"When I connected to the internet, I was inundated with messages about the violence of maleness. This wasn't just "toxic masculinity"–I saw feminists saying all masculinity was toxic, that all men were rapists, all men were oppressors, all men should be killed. As a white man, I was directly responsible for all of the oppression experienced by women and people of color. I was fourteen years old and had never been in a fight in my life or said a racist or misogynistic word to anyone, but I believed that the circumstances of my birth made me a monster. "
This categorisaton of oneself as beyond the pale, is mirrored in the account from a TiF detransitioner:
https://lacroicsz.substack.com/p/by-any-other-name?utm_source=url&s=r
The first author retains an admirable amount of detail of the thinking processes that were taking place during his childhood and youth, and gives some insight into his reasoning, emotions and reactions.
For those interested in the topic, or at least wondering whether medicalisation should be celebrated as the only option, both pieces are worth the read. And any ensuing discussion.
There is a general attack on masculinity in popular culture and in universities. And it’s more acute in progressive circles. Whereas the right wing tends to toxicity. It’s not like there is a shortage of good male role models, but pop culture portrays males as either brutes, oafs, or completely emasculated androgynes like BTS (the k-pop boy band).
Our culture is failing its boys. Elevating all sorts of other identities and lifestyles. But the reality for boys is that they need a father figure, a stable home, and a more active education rather than Ritalin.
I don't disagree, but I believe that we are failing both boys and girls in the messages we are sending to them. The fact that messages are amplified for individuals in online echo-chambers, makes it more difficult to ensure that more diverse voices are heard and reduction in community real life contacts with people, might also narrow perspectives.
It is the expectation of particular roles that causes damage for both boys and girls. Alongside a rejection and criticism of the traditional masculine stereotype, there is a rejection of the traditional feminine caretaker. It is assumed that both are regressive models, rather than it is the expectation that only those models are acceptable that is regressive.
I thought the first article covered the points you make really well.
Does anyone here know the relationship of the sisters to the victim?
News articles seem to be completely devoid of details.
Te Puna child killer: Woman pleads guilty to murder of 5-year-old Malachi Subecz
National are going to have to be very careful how they respond to David Parker’s tax information gathering initiative. Labour are framing it to find out if all New Zealanders are paying their fair share of tax. The suspicion is that the top few percent are not.
Should National be too heavy handed in opposing the legislation, and it’s findings, they stand to be accused of only wanting to look after the rich. We know that is the case, but I’m sure it’s not the way they want to be portrayed to the wider electorate.
Good times!
Without a generic CGT they probably have affairs structured for capital gain i.e. not taxed, totally legit.
I'd like to see then skewered on the tax havens they 'allowed' as kiwis need a reminder as to nationals true MO.
I very much doubt they are that worried. We all know people (National, Labour and Green Party voters) avoiding tax either purposefully through Trusts and what not, or more under the radar through simple accountancy sleigh of hand. National voters are people who do this with a bold sense of entitlement, or, more sadly, people who simply dream of being in a position to "claim their entitlements". Its rather like capital gains tax, or a meaningful drop in house prices, you would think people would have some desire for change alongside some level of shame for their profiteering …but they simply don't.
God willed that a statuesque head of his daughter be found. A farmer in Gaza found it, and thanked God:
Wikipedia: "In the Baal Cycle texts, Anat appears as a war-goddess, initially called upon by her father El". You may recall this original name of God the father from Genesis in the Bible (he renamed himself YHVH later to Moses).
Obvious explanation of ignorance about God's daughter is cultural transmission in a patriarchy. El was creator deity for various ancient semitic tribes, not just Hebrews & Canaanites. Interesting that freedom of choice prevailed in ancient times too. Genesis:
God seems to have had a family and one naturally wonders who he had it with. Theologians have exhibited a tendency in the past to assume God wasn't actually telling the truth about this when instructing the authors of Genesis. Usage of metaphor was implied, as if to suggest that the Bible is not actually literally true. One suspects that fundamentalists get itchy trigger fingers when confronted by such theologians!
A sincere faith in God can accept the existence of mysteries and unresolved questions. Only a fundamentalist demands certainty (which leaves no room for faith)
Govt launches new mask exemption card
So will people who want the new exemption from mask wearing card have to prove they have some relevant condition that makes it difficult/harmful for them to wear a mask?
The fact the card can be obtained online or over the phone suggests a no me. The non-maskers will likely be able to continue to get a card they don't qualify for and which now cannot be questioned.
That's if they even bother. All along some have been able to say they have an exemption but as I understand could not be compelled to prove it. For some it's only been about them.
I realise there is genuine need to be exempt for some but basing the system on honesty and trust in NZ in a pandemic was always a mistake.
I always felt that enforcement of mask-wearing should have been stricter and the government should not have left it to businesses. If people needed an exemption they could have rung their medical centre and a practice nurse could have easily confirmed any pre-existing condition from their medical record.
Then it should have been no mask = prove your exemption or no entry. Simple.
Coincidence you say this Grey Area. I have just come in from a morning op shopping with a friend. First time I have been out for some discretionary retail therapy for a long time. Suitably masked up with my friend we wandered through a series of charity shops all clumped in one area together. I came across a young woman about 19 years old unmasked. I said to her politely "why are you not wearing a mask", she promptly opened her phone and showed me a an exemption cert. I thanked her and wandered on. She joined a group of a Mum and a Dad and a son of about the 16 years.
I chatted with my friend and we concurred that it was highly unlikely the entire family was exempt and what a farce it was. Anybody could replicate a message on their phone and be buggered about everybody else's health. It really upsets me that pockets of the population are so thoughtless about other people and their own health concerns. This family looked pretty hale and hearty to me, not autoimmune compromised or struggling with poor health. They followed us through all of the op shops haunting us with their bare faces – typical.
Just my contribution to my day out in the big bad world for some time now.
Forgot to say the entire family were not masked which made it pretty odd that they were all kosher with exemptions.
Ha. I was going mention my regular anecdotal observation of what appear to be family groups in Bunnings, all unmasked. Curious I've thought. Funny how they all must have conditions precluding mask use.
Woman attending an appointment in the Superclinic a couple of months ago, responded aggressively to the receptionist offering a mask. She neither offered proof of her stated exemption or was asked to provide it by staff.
A good proportion of the women in the waiting room were there for chemotherapy, and so, immunocompromised.
Having done the neutropeanic thing back in 2010 with Peter, I get the necessity to deploy as many infection preventative measures as are available until one's immune system regains some level of function. I recall that there was more concern about the patient catching a gastro bug…although it was a chest infection that nearly felled Himself.
The immunocompromised person wearing a mask signals to others that this particular person requires an extra degree of care. Of course, in a hospital …and especially in an oncology setting… wearing a mask when there is widespread community transmission is a no brainer.
Having said that...research strongly suggests that both the surgical masks and the N95 masks are of limited effectiveness…
The study, published in JAMA, found that surgical masks were as effective as N95 respirators at preventing the flu, which is to say, not all that effective because, of the 446 nurses who took part in this study, nearly one in four (24%) in the surgical mask group still got the flu as did 23% of those who wore the N95 respirator. And, because both groups wore masks, it’s impossible to say how they would have fared compared with not wearing a mask at all.
This piece from, The Conversation, quite sensibly states that those folk infectious with a serious respiratory disease, such as the flu, are most likely feeling so crook they are unlikely to be out and about spreading Te Virus.
Of course in these Covid times, with the Pfizer product having limited effectiveness at preventing infection and transmission and reasonable effectiveness at reducing symptoms for a short time after being administered, the chances of infectious people feeling well enough to be out and about because the jab is 'working' so well is higher.
So taking all the precautions to hand to prevent catching Covid if you might be more at risk of serious outcomes is not such a silly idea….even if wearing a mask is largely signalling to others that the wearer is vulnerable.
Maori as paragons of democracy? Looks like it's there in the tradition:
So chiefly mana came from a sense of being rooted in the social matrix. Hierarchy as a privilege system had to be foisted onto them by the Treaty. That changes my view considerably! More organic social process than I thought.
Building fake bridges across the cultural divide is poor governance. Therefore I wish Labour success in its attempt to provide an authentic alternative.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/anne-salmond-tiriti-and-democracy-part-4-unite-and-rule
Kei te pai. This would forgive a lot of other sins.
There’s probably some symbolism in the old wooden bridge that connects the Waitangi Treaty Grounds with Paihia. It’s. a one-way bridge with no traffic signals that is often the site of jams in summer as wealthy Aucklanders vie to tow their massive boats across. Meanwhile the construction of the bridge caused the lower reaches of the Waitangi River to silt up and its once beautiful beaches to become covered with mangroves. The signs prohibit people from jumping off but I have been ignoring that for years!
Looks like Kiwi citizens and residents not allowed back in the country have won a case against the government.
Grounded Kiwis fight in the High Court ends in success – NZ Herald
Hard to know what's what until we see the specific details, Jimmy. I saw the story on Stuff (not willing to pay for the NZH), which seemed a bit vague:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/127890187/grounded-kiwis-win-miq-was-a-lottery-when-better-options-were-available-judge-decides
Hipkins'; "The judge’s decision was being carefully considered", sounds like the government's lawyers may be considering an appeal, depending on the final wording of the judge's orders and declarations. I guess we'll know more in a fortnight or so.
From your link Jimmy. "We welcome the Court's determination that the requirement for returnees to undergo MIQ was lawful and was not an unjustified infringement of New Zealanders' right to come home," he said.
"The Court also ruled that the requirement for people entering the country to isolate was lawful and was reasonable and proportionate even when, from mid-October 2021, those in the community who had the virus and their close contacts were able to self-isolate at home."
Hipkins did accept the court's ruling that the virtual lobby system said the Government infringed on New Zealand citizens' right to enter the country.
"We are carefully considering the Court's decision," he said.
The Crown needs to appeal this both to Appeal and Supreme Court levels.
Parliament needs to be guided by stronger BORA judgements all round in preparation for the next one.
Has the crown actually won a case yet?
Beloved old fossil Joe Bennett writes faux pas in that bastion of progressive thought, the Otago Daily Times
Dear old Joe is listening to the wrong station. He can hear the Queen’s English as she is spoke on the BBC (oops they have presenters from all their colonies with weird accents too!). This is Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa, i.e. Radio New Zealand, which represents us.