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.
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.
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.
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.
I ran across a recent essay from The Brothers Krynn, which attempts to map common horror monsters onto the Seven Deadly Sins: https://canadianculturecorner.substack.com/p/horror-monsters-and-vice My interest, however, is not in the meat of the piece, but rather the opening paragraph: It is an interesting fact that in recent decades, Vampires have ...
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
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Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
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Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
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This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
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 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
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Gazprom issued warning to Poland gas supplies will be cut from Wednesday,after failure to pay for supplies in Russian currency.
https://twitter.com/JavierBlas/status/1519021325389602817?cxt=HHwWgoC5oZ320pQqAAAA
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.
https://twitter.com/fbirol/status/1519208710056382464?cxt=HHwWgMC46bmRqJUqAAAA
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!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOpWXoRsDPE
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.
https://twitter.com/jamespeshaw/status/1519137375892295681
https://twitter.com/jamespeshaw/status/1519137380522889217
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.
https://twitter.com/lisametofox/status/1519035925627805696
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
https://twitter.com/manidunlop/status/1519117924153319426?s=21&t=u9XolMmlpXjtpT8W7G_zCQ
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.