Who, in Labour, came up with the genius strategy of telling people to reduce their costs by having five minute showers and doing cold clothes washes? A campaign that will apparently cost $2.8 million of tax payers money.
This really is treating voters as if they are stupid, and appearing to be out of touch with the pressures people are under who may have had their mortgage rates triple, or may be facing much higher rent and grocery costs.
As if most of us haven't worked these savings methods already.
This can only backfire as far as I can see, as I don't think many will appreciate being told how to "suck eggs".
I presume you are one of the half dozen people still buying those old and inefficient light bulbs – just to "stick it to the Libs"? Like the water efficient shower heads that everybody uses these days – and understands the reasons why, we see National fighting any progress on energy or resource efficiency despite the climate changes all around us.
Nothing inherently wrong with the advice to take five minute showers etc to reduce power costs.
It is just that it is akin to the sort of advice parents would give their five year olds. And the government is spending nearly $3 million of tax payers money to do it.
Alan. Remember the National Party TV ads in the early 2000s that turned a "save power Electricity Dept "advice to limit the showers/smaller shower heads? Of course Helen Clark had nothing to do with the advice but Nats told the world that it was Nanny State. Remember the TV vision of Te Radar getting into a shower with two others under a huge stream of water from multiple shower heads?
I am not criticising the content of the message. Just the fact that the government is implying people are too stupid not to have worked this out already.
So that means in 2009, the National govt thought that people were too stupid to work it out for themselves, so they spent $4 million on a campaign to educate New Zealanders on energy efficiency.
I don't remember that campaign specifically. But, if it was akin to "now children, if you use less hot water it will cost less in power to heat it", then I would say that was wasted as well.
Look, you could be totally right, and National may have done exactly the same, or even done it worse than Labour is now.
But, whataboutism doesn't change the fact that a lot of kiwis will be pissed off now about being told to do basic things that they are probably doing anyway, as if it is some as if it was deep mystical wisdom.
Again that is just your opinion. You wouldn't know what a lot of the public thinks. It is not about 'whtaboutism'. National may have? National did have a similar campaign in 2009. Instead of wasting time making up pointless assumptions, you could have just read the link provided.
"The Prime Minister says the Government will continue with its programme of partial asset sales, despite a majority voting against the policy in a citizens initiated referendum"
National spent a fortune selling our assets and then "The government raised a lower-than-expected $4.7 billion from the sales of stakes in Mighty River Power, Meridian Energy, Genesis Energy and Air New Zealand"
"National Party energy spokeswoman Barbara Kuriger said the party was discussing its “Bradford reforms” of the industry and was open to the idea of structural separation"
Where do you think the line should be drawn, someone like whale oil (you know the guy that was in with the key government) would glady make an ai of Hipkins saying something untrue.
An interesting conversation on RNZ with the author of a book on the current (not future) real-world effects of AI bias when scraping informational content.
‘ “I’m 55 years of age. If I go to a hospital that’s leaning on an algorithm built using what’s called ‘Frankenstein’ data sets, which is data cobbled together from all different sources and not representing the proper spread of the population, I’m likely to be refused a ventilator. It will be given to someone who is 30 because they’re viewed as being more productive to society rather than an older person who’s over 50.” ‘
Medical resource allocation is done all the time, and you know it.
Imagine if the entire corpus of human medical knowledge were able to be applied to every medical decision you need, every second, and in seconds.
Rather than one (usually male) mind giving you allocation decisions based on their training two decades ago in one institution. When you can get an appointment every three months.
I merely extracted a quote from the RNZ blurb, which clearly thought it of interest, so that readers here could see what sort of issues might be involved. The interview discussion is in fact broad-ranging.
And the EU has a draft proposal for ethical limitations on the use of AI in potential garm and control.
" Risk based approach to AI – Prohibited AI practices
The rules follow a risk-based approach and establish obligations for providers and users depending on the level of risk the AI can generate. AI systems with an unacceptable level of risk to people’s safety would be strictly prohibited, including systems that deploy subliminal or purposefully manipulative techniques, exploit people’s vulnerabilities or are used for social scoring (classifying people based on their social behaviour, socio-economic status, personal characteristics). "
The previous article I posted also talked about mandatory watermarking of published AI images [and audio?].
"[MEPs] also added AI systems to influence voters in political campaigns and in recommender systems used by social media platforms (with more than 45 million users under the Digital Services Act) to the high-risk list".
This is AI used to implement things like micro-targetting of susceptible sub-populations in the electorate with political advertising. Why bother with big attack ads in the visible media when you can spot-drop a tailored message to the floating voters?
Much cheaper, essentially invisible to the wider public, and highly effective politicking.
The point of the EU legislation is not malicious State actors, rather transparency of European political parties in their electoral advertising strategies. And the target is algorithmic advertising strategies pushed by ‘social media companies’; twitter, facebook, webo, which act within that polity. The companies become responsible for policing. Don’t forget, Elon Musk turned off parts of twitter in respnse to Ergodan in Turkey’s current election.
Your deep distrust and one-sided view of TS Mods, incl. me, has been noted.
I won’t moderate you this time for your direct attack on my integrity that’s evidence-free.
I will also ignore this time your absurd idea that I would engage with you to trick & trap you into a ban – your comment(s) left much to challenge & critique, which you seem to take some issue with.
I won’t moderate you this time for your direct attack on my integrity that’s evidence-free.
Your ban on Liberty Belle was in my view a recent evidence point. You raised increasingly obtuse quibbles with that commenter until you have created a plausible scenario to reach for the ban hammer. Whether you were doing this intentionally is beside the point.
This is the reason why it used to be considered bad form to moderate a thread you were also commenting on. It worked well enough when there was a team of others willing to intervene as reasonably disinterested arbiters.
But there have been only two moderators here for quite a few years, effectively a duopoly determining how the site is run, and noted for carefully curating content they do not like. Not healthy.
[I suggested that you drop this attack line here & now, which sadly, you ignored.
You’re attacking my integrity as a Moderator and arguing about my specific moderation of another commenter that’s none of your business, as you’re no longer a Mod here – you quit. This is a self-martyrdom offence here on TS and you know it.
You started this attack line under a Guest-Post, which is doubling down on your stupidity – I have moved it to OM to stop polluting the Guest Post with your inane claims about me and moderation in general.
It was a strawman fallacy because I wasn’t moderating [you] under the Guest Post nor anywhere near moderating [you] – it was your cowardly copout and your refusal to continue engaging with me as a commenter in a genuine discussion (at least I thought it was).
The two main Mods are not “carefully curating content they do not like” nor are they “determining how the site is run” – one of the Mods sometimes sets more stringent boundaries for commenting under some of their own Posts, which every Author here is entitled to. These are false accusations – I wonder what the SYSOP Lprent has to say about these absurd claims of yours.
You’ve left this site in a huff & a puff before, because you do not want to accept some of the changes that you personally do not like, and then came back, more than once IIRC, i.e., this pattern behaviour seems to be a reoccurring one. However, if you continue undermining Mods and arguing like a vexatious litigator with and/or about Mods/moderation, I will do it for you, without hesitation and there won’t be a comeback on your terms, this time. You’re out of line and need to stop this. This is your warning – Incognito]
Actually RedLogix, I find there is a surprising diversity of views on TS site for most topics, from political commentators who often scavenge scuttle-butt crumbs from the NACT's table, to Social Justice Warriors lamenting Labour's lack of workers' revolution. And each of those posters often has interesting ideas on other topics.
The broad political spectrum may reflect the political drift in posters to The Standard since it was first set up, as set out in TS About.
"The Standard newspaper – from where our masthead comes – was founded by labour movement activists in the 1930s. They used it as a vehicle to share their views with a broader audience – a perspective they felt the mainstream media was representing poorly. We think the same is true today." Key phrase LABOUR MOVEMENT ACTIVISTS.
But the drift is OK, because it allows discourse instead of echo-chamber. I guess this place is the equivalent to me of a good verbal thrash down at the pub over the weeks' news with an assortment of odders and sodders.
Which does not excuse the TS equivalent of drunken boors.
I've spotted evidence for old-school Marxist-Leninists and fervent believers of fascist conspiracies. How much further do you think it needs to stretch?
Yes I think you are mostly on point there. A diversity of views has always been a point of difference here at TS and this is something I have consistently defended for years. I was one of the first handful of commenters here when Lynn started the site in 2007 – literally I was here a week later. I am sure more than a few people wish it were otherwise – but there you go.
As this was a site that allowed real-time commenting and encouraged the flow of the debate – moderation was originally focussed on protecting this flow from being disrupted by bad behaviour. Pointless abuse, trolling, drop and run, and blatant racism or sexism – generally falling into the 'arsehole' category quickly attracted the wrong attention and was dealt to.
It took more than a few years to evolve an effective team culture on this- and of course nothing was ever perfect. We all fucked up more than once.
At that time usually there was a randomly rotating group of authors who moderated when they felt inspired to do so. It was sometimes messy but it usually focused on moderating the behaviour not the opinion. In my view we've drifted some distance from that ideal in recent times.
Oooh look. A factual article about who produced and suggested accelerating the Auckland flood protection plans. Let's see – engineers rapidly updated their 30-year plan; council approved it, councillors have their opinions on implementation issues; mayor says he thinks it's a great idea, and takes it to central government (that's good, that's his job)…
This describes what happened before Wayne Brown's media splash about 'his' fast-track plans. Classic big-noting, as I thought.
Today, I announced Labour’s first policy of the 2023 election campaign. A Chris-Hipkins-led Government will keep the Superannuation Age of Eligibility at 65 years and over.
We’re also keeping the Winter Energy Payment in place permanently to support Kiwis and their whānau in the winter months, where household budgets are particularly stretched.
New Zealand has one of the simplest superannuation schemes in the world. It’s universal and generous, and as long as we keep paying into the Super Fund it’s also affordable.
Research tells us there is little appetite amongst Kiwis for a means-testing regime or changing the age of eligibility, which is why we’re committed to keeping Super universal from age 65.
National and ACT superannuation policies are out of touch and put New Zealander’s retirement savings at risk. Their plans to lift the age of eligibility and cut Government contributions to KiwiSaver will reduce New Zealanders' retirement savings. This will have an especially detrimental impact on disadvantaged women, Māori and Pasifika.
We’re drawing a clear distinction between Labour and the Coalition of Cuts – we will not be toying with the age of eligibility. Under Labour, Superannuation will remain accessible, affordable and equitable.
Unlike the Coalition of Cuts, we believe NZ Super, contributions to the Super Fund, and full Government contributions to KiwiSaver, are essential and affordable. We also believe that the Winter Energy Payment is too valuable to lose.
In this election, New Zealanders have a clear choice when it comes to support and security in retirement. The cuts that National and ACT make will have real-life consequences for people.
Head in the sand stuff from labour, every western country knows that the eligibility age for super must go up, otherwise it will be unaffordable and will collapse.
The OECD has made this perfectly clear in numerous reports. Even France, that bastion of progressive politics, has recognized this and has increased the age of eligibility.
Only if it is accompanied by strong workplace legislation that protects older workers. Otherwise you just finish up with a cohort of people in their 50's and 60's relying on state support anyhow. Nothing much changes.
Still given that some people are predicting that generative AI might eliminate 60% of all existing jobs over the next few years – all this might be a moot point at best.
Head in the sand stuff from labour, every western country knows that the eligibility age for super must go up, otherwise it will be unaffordable and will collapse.
No not really – you might want go have a wee look at a age pyramid of NZ. We are not the same as the rest of the western world – we have children and immigration which promotes having children, as such, we have reasonably healthy looking age pyramid.
Sorry to burst your bubble but it's not apples to apples when it comes to populations, and we are not as bad as the rest of the OECD. Far from it, we are not a Japan.
Really bad reporting by the newsroom, but then again, they are not know for being able to read graphs, nor for their analysis of data.
There is a high risk of error in assessing our future demographics – we have a higher rate of emigration and immigration than most. And that might include Kiwis going to Oz when they retire.
NZ Super from five percent of GDP in 2021 to 7.7 percent in 2060, while healthcare spending would rise from 6.9 percent of GDP in 2021 to 10.6 percent in 2060.
Labour's position was that with the Cullen Fund it was affordable. National under Key-English did not contribute to this and so Labour said it was no longer affordable on that course. Labour back in government restored finding into the Fund and have continued with their former age 65 policy (something the coalition with NZF would have required anyhow).
Of course, if National have no intention of contributing to a future cost now, then of course on their course it would become unaffordable more quickly. But that is because they prioritise tax cuts – over both such future expense planning and infrastructure investment.
Given the time of savings sort of expires by c2030 (it gets invested to provide a revenue stream to government for a decade or 2 or 3 and then gets wound down over a decade), it's becoming a moot point.
For mine we have no real idea about the effect of long COVID yet, nor of AI on employment and productivity. We can delay a call to 2030 whether to raise the age after 2040 and with more knowledge of the right course.
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Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Asia Pacific Report A score of Palestine solidarity protesters draped themselves in white shrouds with mock blood in a sombre “die-in” demonstration at Te Komitanga Square — the heart of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city — today as speakers urged people to take a stronger boycott against Israeli products. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tackling violence against women will be the sole agenda item for a national cabinet meeting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has convened for Wednesday. The meeting, held remotely, follows thousands of Australians attending rallies across ...
The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
https://i.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/132077510/under-fire-offset-company-prematurely-claims-a-global-watchdogs-green-light
Another day another dodgy carbon credit story, easy money attracts grifters like shit attracts flies.
Any and all carbon taxs must be collected by the government and spent in this country on reduction and mitigation .
Who, in Labour, came up with the genius strategy of telling people to reduce their costs by having five minute showers and doing cold clothes washes? A campaign that will apparently cost $2.8 million of tax payers money.
This really is treating voters as if they are stupid, and appearing to be out of touch with the pressures people are under who may have had their mortgage rates triple, or may be facing much higher rent and grocery costs.
As if most of us haven't worked these savings methods already.
This can only backfire as far as I can see, as I don't think many will appreciate being told how to "suck eggs".
The one thing Labour won't do is dismantle neoliberalism.
So they tinker away….
The only silly thing about it is it's given those in constant angry opposition mode something to beat labour over the head with it.
Governments have been running these sort of campaigns for ever.
Yes, remember Helen's light bulb advice?
That was real winner, the electorate loved it, more of that please Labour.
Sound advise, unbelievable that idiots got them selves lathered up about ,but hay right wing voters tend to be angry people.
I presume you are one of the half dozen people still buying those old and inefficient light bulbs – just to "stick it to the Libs"? Like the water efficient shower heads that everybody uses these days – and understands the reasons why, we see National fighting any progress on energy or resource efficiency despite the climate changes all around us.
ah, no, it was being told to suck eggs that pissed people off
I think it's 'how to suck eggs'..
There is a difference..
Nothing inherently wrong with the advice to take five minute showers etc to reduce power costs.
It is just that it is akin to the sort of advice parents would give their five year olds. And the government is spending nearly $3 million of tax payers money to do it.
Didn't Labour want the shower heads and light bulbs changed under Dame Helen Clarke.
But notice that all this has happened and didn't actually require the government giving condescending advice to do it.
People worked out for themselves it was a good idea. Who would have thought.
Don't you believe it TS. Many people are unaware of how to save power.
Helen Clark is not a Dame and that is all one needs to know about your comment.
Maybe you need to get out more, some people get not much more than genes from their parents
Energy efficient light bulbs and shower heads are commonplace now. Labour was right.
Alan. Remember the National Party TV ads in the early 2000s that turned a "save power Electricity Dept "advice to limit the showers/smaller shower heads? Of course Helen Clark had nothing to do with the advice but Nats told the world that it was Nanny State. Remember the TV vision of Te Radar getting into a shower with two others under a huge stream of water from multiple shower heads?
Sure it worked but typically dishonest.
bwaghorn
I am not criticising the content of the message. Just the fact that the government is implying people are too stupid not to have worked this out already.
So that means in 2009, the National govt thought that people were too stupid to work it out for themselves, so they spent $4 million on a campaign to educate New Zealanders on energy efficiency.
I don't remember that campaign specifically. But, if it was akin to "now children, if you use less hot water it will cost less in power to heat it", then I would say that was wasted as well.
How can you form any opinion on it if you can't remember National's energy-efficient campaign? I put a link to the article at 2.3.
Look, you could be totally right, and National may have done exactly the same, or even done it worse than Labour is now.
But, whataboutism doesn't change the fact that a lot of kiwis will be pissed off now about being told to do basic things that they are probably doing anyway, as if it is some as if it was deep mystical wisdom.
Again that is just your opinion. You wouldn't know what a lot of the public thinks. It is not about 'whtaboutism'. National may have? National did have a similar campaign in 2009. Instead of wasting time making up pointless assumptions, you could have just read the link provided.
"former Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee in 2009 announced a television campaign to help Kiwis increase energy efficiency. It cost $4 million"
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/05/government-s-campaign-suggesting-shorter-showers-to-save-money-costing-2-8-million.html
The fourth National government privatized the electricity industry to facilitate competition and deliver lower power prices.
"Power rise leaves Bradford red-faced"
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/power-rise-leaves-bradford-red-faced/QUX3MH7YECMNGLRPRCWVXUHW6M/
"The Prime Minister says the Government will continue with its programme of partial asset sales, despite a majority voting against the policy in a citizens initiated referendum"
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/230858/asset-sales-will-go-ahead,-says-key
National spent a fortune selling our assets and then "The government raised a lower-than-expected $4.7 billion from the sales of stakes in Mighty River Power, Meridian Energy, Genesis Energy and Air New Zealand"
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/285835/have-asset-sale-funds-gone-where-promised
"National Party energy spokeswoman Barbara Kuriger said the party was discussing its “Bradford reforms” of the industry and was open to the idea of structural separation"
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/125444715/national-taking-fresh-look-at-power-market-as-flick-asks-public-to-revolt
I reckon the reason why Natz are using ARTIFICIAL intelligence, is they have NO natural intelligence.
Lol agree.
Or they are early-adopters of latest technology. Next time around everyone will be doing it.
Or maybe just desperate. National's fast & furious attempt was a bit of a flop.
"AI era: Regulation required"
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/486951/ai-era-regulation-required-to-protect-workers-council-of-trade-unions-says
New Strategy marks next step in NZ’s digital journey
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-strategy-marks-next-step-nz%E2%80%99s-digital-journey
"Or maybe just desperate."
The polls say no.
All of them, some, or just one?
The polls are basically neck and neck. Luxon is still tanking.
Really? Proof of that would be surprising. Oh, you mean like the Hanna Barbera Cartoons of Cossack Dancers? That kind of AI.???
The real Cossacks, had they emigrated to NZ, would most likely have voted National anyway.
Where do you think the line should be drawn, someone like whale oil (you know the guy that was in with the key government) would glady make an ai of Hipkins saying something untrue.
Good point.
An interesting conversation on RNZ with the author of a book on the current (not future) real-world effects of AI bias when scraping informational content.
‘ “I’m 55 years of age. If I go to a hospital that’s leaning on an algorithm built using what’s called ‘Frankenstein’ data sets, which is data cobbled together from all different sources and not representing the proper spread of the population, I’m likely to be refused a ventilator. It will be given to someone who is 30 because they’re viewed as being more productive to society rather than an older person who’s over 50.” ‘
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018891823/tracey-spicer-how-ai-backs-up-gender-biases
Medical resource allocation is done all the time, and you know it.
Imagine if the entire corpus of human medical knowledge were able to be applied to every medical decision you need, every second, and in seconds.
Rather than one (usually male) mind giving you allocation decisions based on their training two decades ago in one institution. When you can get an appointment every three months.
I merely extracted a quote from the RNZ blurb, which clearly thought it of interest, so that readers here could see what sort of issues might be involved. The interview discussion is in fact broad-ranging.
And the EU has a draft proposal for ethical limitations on the use of AI in potential garm and control.
" Risk based approach to AI – Prohibited AI practices
The rules follow a risk-based approach and establish obligations for providers and users depending on the level of risk the AI can generate. AI systems with an unacceptable level of risk to people’s safety would be strictly prohibited, including systems that deploy subliminal or purposefully manipulative techniques, exploit people’s vulnerabilities or are used for social scoring (classifying people based on their social behaviour, socio-economic status, personal characteristics). "
The previous article I posted also talked about mandatory watermarking of published AI images [and audio?].
EU draft rules on AI use
"[MEPs] also added AI systems to influence voters in political campaigns and in recommender systems used by social media platforms (with more than 45 million users under the Digital Services Act) to the high-risk list".
This is AI used to implement things like micro-targetting of susceptible sub-populations in the electorate with political advertising. Why bother with big attack ads in the visible media when you can spot-drop a tailored message to the floating voters?
Much cheaper, essentially invisible to the wider public, and highly effective politicking.
How is this particularly different to the highly targeted ads we get through algorithms since at least 2016?
A worthy initiative. Do you imagine the Chinese will pay it attention?
The point of the EU legislation is not malicious State actors, rather transparency of European political parties in their electoral advertising strategies. And the target is algorithmic advertising strategies pushed by ‘social media companies’; twitter, facebook, webo, which act within that polity. The companies become responsible for policing. Don’t forget, Elon Musk turned off parts of twitter in respnse to Ergodan in Turkey’s current election.
Yes you have a point there – the CCP scarcely needs to covertly manipulate their electorate.
It's a dangerous world. I do hope Luxon takes no unnecessary risks with his shadow cabinet.
Yes Stuart. You have given Luxon fair warning. Simeon's teeth are small but sharp.
I know better than to argue with a moderator determined to be right.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Sad cowardly copout!
Don’t start what you cannot finish.
You are the one with the power here, and given your recent track record in provoking commenters so that you find it convenient to ban them – yeah nah.
Your deep distrust and one-sided view of TS Mods, incl. me, has been noted.
I won’t moderate you this time for your direct attack on my integrity that’s evidence-free.
I will also ignore this time your absurd idea that I would engage with you to trick & trap you into a ban – your comment(s) left much to challenge & critique, which you seem to take some issue with.
I’d suggest that you drop this line here & now.
Your ban on Liberty Belle was in my view a recent evidence point. You raised increasingly obtuse quibbles with that commenter until you have created a plausible scenario to reach for the ban hammer. Whether you were doing this intentionally is beside the point.
This is the reason why it used to be considered bad form to moderate a thread you were also commenting on. It worked well enough when there was a team of others willing to intervene as reasonably disinterested arbiters.
But there have been only two moderators here for quite a few years, effectively a duopoly determining how the site is run, and noted for carefully curating content they do not like. Not healthy.
[I suggested that you drop this attack line here & now, which sadly, you ignored.
You’re attacking my integrity as a Moderator and arguing about my specific moderation of another commenter that’s none of your business, as you’re no longer a Mod here – you quit. This is a self-martyrdom offence here on TS and you know it.
You started this attack line under a Guest-Post, which is doubling down on your stupidity – I have moved it to OM to stop polluting the Guest Post with your inane claims about me and moderation in general.
It was a strawman fallacy because I wasn’t moderating [you] under the Guest Post nor anywhere near moderating [you] – it was your cowardly copout and your refusal to continue engaging with me as a commenter in a genuine discussion (at least I thought it was).
The two main Mods are not “carefully curating content they do not like” nor are they “determining how the site is run” – one of the Mods sometimes sets more stringent boundaries for commenting under some of their own Posts, which every Author here is entitled to. These are false accusations – I wonder what the SYSOP Lprent has to say about these absurd claims of yours.
You’ve left this site in a huff & a puff before, because you do not want to accept some of the changes that you personally do not like, and then came back, more than once IIRC, i.e., this pattern behaviour seems to be a reoccurring one. However, if you continue undermining Mods and arguing like a vexatious litigator with and/or about Mods/moderation, I will do it for you, without hesitation and there won’t be a comeback on your terms, this time. You’re out of line and need to stop this. This is your warning – Incognito]
Actually RedLogix, I find there is a surprising diversity of views on TS site for most topics, from political commentators who often scavenge scuttle-butt crumbs from the NACT's table, to Social Justice Warriors lamenting Labour's lack of workers' revolution. And each of those posters often has interesting ideas on other topics.
The broad political spectrum may reflect the political drift in posters to The Standard since it was first set up, as set out in TS About.
"The Standard newspaper – from where our masthead comes – was founded by labour movement activists in the 1930s. They used it as a vehicle to share their views with a broader audience – a perspective they felt the mainstream media was representing poorly. We think the same is true today." Key phrase LABOUR MOVEMENT ACTIVISTS.
But the drift is OK, because it allows discourse instead of echo-chamber. I guess this place is the equivalent to me of a good verbal thrash down at the pub over the weeks' news with an assortment of odders and sodders.
Which does not excuse the TS equivalent of drunken boors.
Broad political spectrum on the standard
Thank you very much ,,, best laugh I've had all day.
I've spotted evidence for old-school Marxist-Leninists and fervent believers of fascist conspiracies. How much further do you think it needs to stretch?
Yes I think you are mostly on point there. A diversity of views has always been a point of difference here at TS and this is something I have consistently defended for years. I was one of the first handful of commenters here when Lynn started the site in 2007 – literally I was here a week later. I am sure more than a few people wish it were otherwise – but there you go.
As this was a site that allowed real-time commenting and encouraged the flow of the debate – moderation was originally focussed on protecting this flow from being disrupted by bad behaviour. Pointless abuse, trolling, drop and run, and blatant racism or sexism – generally falling into the 'arsehole' category quickly attracted the wrong attention and was dealt to.
It took more than a few years to evolve an effective team culture on this- and of course nothing was ever perfect. We all fucked up more than once.
At that time usually there was a randomly rotating group of authors who moderated when they felt inspired to do so. It was sometimes messy but it usually focused on moderating the behaviour not the opinion. In my view we've drifted some distance from that ideal in recent times.
Mod note
Newsroom article on Auckland's flood protection fast-track
Oooh look. A factual article about who produced and suggested accelerating the Auckland flood protection plans. Let's see – engineers rapidly updated their 30-year plan; council approved it, councillors have their opinions on implementation issues; mayor says he thinks it's a great idea, and takes it to central government (that's good, that's his job)…
This describes what happened before Wayne Brown's media splash about 'his' fast-track plans. Classic big-noting, as I thought.
Carmel Sepuloni @ Labour conference:
Kia ora
Today, I announced Labour’s first policy of the 2023 election campaign. A Chris-Hipkins-led Government will keep the Superannuation Age of Eligibility at 65 years and over.
We’re also keeping the Winter Energy Payment in place permanently to support Kiwis and their whānau in the winter months, where household budgets are particularly stretched.
New Zealand has one of the simplest superannuation schemes in the world. It’s universal and generous, and as long as we keep paying into the Super Fund it’s also affordable.
Research tells us there is little appetite amongst Kiwis for a means-testing regime or changing the age of eligibility, which is why we’re committed to keeping Super universal from age 65.
National and ACT superannuation policies are out of touch and put New Zealander’s retirement savings at risk. Their plans to lift the age of eligibility and cut Government contributions to KiwiSaver will reduce New Zealanders' retirement savings. This will have an especially detrimental impact on disadvantaged women, Māori and Pasifika.
We’re drawing a clear distinction between Labour and the Coalition of Cuts – we will not be toying with the age of eligibility. Under Labour, Superannuation will remain accessible, affordable and equitable.
Unlike the Coalition of Cuts, we believe NZ Super, contributions to the Super Fund, and full Government contributions to KiwiSaver, are essential and affordable. We also believe that the Winter Energy Payment is too valuable to lose.
In this election, New Zealanders have a clear choice when it comes to support and security in retirement. The cuts that National and ACT make will have real-life consequences for people.
Head in the sand stuff from labour, every western country knows that the eligibility age for super must go up, otherwise it will be unaffordable and will collapse.
The OECD has made this perfectly clear in numerous reports. Even France, that bastion of progressive politics, has recognized this and has increased the age of eligibility.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/oecd-to-nz-raise-pension-age-to-prevent-super-shock
Only if it is accompanied by strong workplace legislation that protects older workers. Otherwise you just finish up with a cohort of people in their 50's and 60's relying on state support anyhow. Nothing much changes.
Still given that some people are predicting that generative AI might eliminate 60% of all existing jobs over the next few years – all this might be a moot point at best.
yes, agreed
No not really – you might want go have a wee look at a age pyramid of NZ. We are not the same as the rest of the western world – we have children and immigration which promotes having children, as such, we have reasonably healthy looking age pyramid.
Sorry to burst your bubble but it's not apples to apples when it comes to populations, and we are not as bad as the rest of the OECD. Far from it, we are not a Japan.
Really bad reporting by the newsroom, but then again, they are not know for being able to read graphs, nor for their analysis of data.
yes, you are right and the OECD is wrong.
There is a high risk of error in assessing our future demographics – we have a higher rate of emigration and immigration than most. And that might include Kiwis going to Oz when they retire.
Labour's position was that with the Cullen Fund it was affordable. National under Key-English did not contribute to this and so Labour said it was no longer affordable on that course. Labour back in government restored finding into the Fund and have continued with their former age 65 policy (something the coalition with NZF would have required anyhow).
Of course, if National have no intention of contributing to a future cost now, then of course on their course it would become unaffordable more quickly. But that is because they prioritise tax cuts – over both such future expense planning and infrastructure investment.
Given the time of savings sort of expires by c2030 (it gets invested to provide a revenue stream to government for a decade or 2 or 3 and then gets wound down over a decade), it's becoming a moot point.
For mine we have no real idea about the effect of long COVID yet, nor of AI on employment and productivity. We can delay a call to 2030 whether to raise the age after 2040 and with more knowledge of the right course.
Where is Robert these days. ?
This clown could get his knees under the cabinet table.
//
@dbseymour
Tonight’s 1News poll shows we can end Labour’s reign of woke terror, and ACT and National can win and deliver real change.
https://twitter.com/dbseymour/status/1661624541033148418
The comment thread on that tweet is worth exploring…
There is some very funny stuff in there..
A great quote on woke from Kathy burke:
'i'd rather be woke that an ignorant fucken twat'
That Seymourism/oxymoron would be risible…if he was not serious ?. (although it can be hard to tell..the Rimmer effect an all : )
Still, a Nact govt….would absolutely be a Coalition of Chaos for the majority of NZ. Incl most of the sad numbnuts who "support" them……