RNZ had one of the blowhards Siouxsie Wiles describes in the above piece, on Morning Report today–their mantra, repeated ad naseum, is “lockdowns don’t work, elimination is impossible”.
Yet, the numbers in NZ so far still do not support that “case”.
Zero tolerance is meaningless. Presumably the Government has zero tolerance for suicides, but there were 654 suicide deaths in the year to June 2020. There were 685 deaths the previous year. Sadly, many who commit suicide are aged under 25.
If the Government can accept suicide deaths despite zero tolerance, there is no logical reason why it cannot accept deaths from other causes, including Covid-19.
We could stop all suicides by monitoring every single person 24/7 and intervening. Of course it's not a viable strategy. It seems to me stopping all infections of Covid is simply not practically possible unless we become a fortress.
"Yeah, it sounds like a journey with small children …"
I would like to know more than when we are going to arrive. I would like to know what the destination looks like, whether the driver actually is following a map, and how many stops we're going to have to endure along the way.
In times of uncertainty it's natural to crave certainty, and so our leaders seek to soothe and comfort with certain promises, e.g.Freedom Day.
I'd be skeptical of those claiming "to know what the destination looks like" "and how many stops we're going to have to endure along the way."
I'll settle for honesty and evidence-based planning to help as many Kiwis through this pandemic as possible – and sooner rather than later, of course, but it is what it is.
Certainty? Of course not. But a general overview of the destination, surely? Put another way, the government is following a clear strategy (they call elimination) which currently involves hard and fast lockdown as soon as Covid appears in the community. All good. But what is the long game? Clearly Covid is mutating, so high vaccination rates are helpful, but not a definitive response. So what is the long term plan?
Clearly Covid is mutating, so high vaccination rates are helpful, but not a definitive response. So what is the long term plan?
Well, obviously global eradication is off because other governments insist on their populations acting as petrie dishes for new cultivating variants.
So we'll probably find a sweet spot of vaccine efficacy and decreasing virulence, at which point business leaders lobbying to exchange an unkown number of dead NZers for the hope of more revenue for their businesses (or using immigrants for lower wage costs) will finally get their way.
If you want a calendar, you're shit out of luck. The govt is pretty clearly avoiding further stress to the health system from community outbreaks.
Unless that changes, the "long game" is pretty obvious. There are only a few variables: vaccine efficacy, virulence, infectiousness, ICU beds and mortality.
All good points. I would just like to see more from government outlining how they see the factors you outline in your final paragraph playing out, and potentially how we need to adapt. After all, we haven't eliminated either measles or influenza, so having to live with covid in one form or another is the most likely scenario.
We have an elimination strategy for measles, not for influenza.
Being eliminated does not mean there won’t be new cases sprouting up ever again; it is the default state of zero infections that is the goal and [the process of] elimination is the sum-total of all the measures and interventions required to achieve that goal.
I feel your frustration and disappointment at the lack of a certain long-term plan. Try relaxation techniques and patience – works for me.
POST-CABINET PRESS CONFERENCE: FRIDAY, 27 AUGUST 2021 [PDF link] PM: No. We haven’t received any advice, so we’ve given no advice. And as you can imagine right now, that is just not where our thinking is at. I mean, we’re obviously trying to ensure that we’re looking after all New Zealanders, getting us back to the best position possible. It’s very clear that a bubble right now is just not a goer, but, of course, we’ll stick to the time lines we had. At the end of September, we were going to look at those settings and just give just a bit of a long-term view as to what is going to happen, because I know a lot of people are hanging on those decisions for their long-term plans. Media: At the end of September or at the start of September when— PM: Ah! Forgive me. I believe it was the end of September, from memory. Media: OK. Can I ask as well, is there an ambition—because there were five Australian states or territories that recorded zero cases today—to reopen— PM: And let’s be clear, those states would not open to us right now. Media: Indeed—yes, but you are trying to— PM: Yep, because despite what’s said, they are running pretty much an elimination strategy. Media: My question casts into the future, because of course you’re trying to eliminate the virus and are likely to, touching wood. Is there an ambition to reopen before Christmas? PM: That wasn’t wood, but I appreciate the sentiment. Look, too soon for us to say. And I would say, it’s not just up to us; those states have, for the most part, an elimination strategy themselves. They’ll want to make sure that they’re open to countries they consider to be safe. So it does all feel a bit premature right now. What we will do at the end of September, though, is just give an indication of where we think things are heading, because people are planning around that, and we need to give them some long-term certainty as much as we can—yep.
Covid-19: High vaccine rates not enough to end lockdowns, expert says
For now, Ardern said an elimination strategy remained the undisputed best option. Going into 2022, she said the government would be working with independent experts to see how Delta and other factors might change New Zealand’s approach.
“We know an elimination strategy has worked for New Zealand before, that’s the way we have managed to have a larger number of days where we have been without restrictions than countries like the UK and the United States, and not had our people gravely ill and hospitalised and unfortunately losing their lives.”
Why poverty in New Zealand is everyone's concern
Liang describes poverty as a "heritable condition" that perpetuates and amplifies through generations: "It is also not hard to see how individual poverty flows into communities and society, with downstream effects on economics, crime and health, as well as many other systems. Loosen one strand and everything else unravels."
A Kete Half Empty Poverty is your problem, it is everyone's problem, not just those who are in poverty. – Rebecca, a child from Te Puru
As a passenger, I don’t pretend to drive or control the car or know better than the driver. I trust the driver has a valid licence and good driving experience. I trust that the car has a WOF and won’t break down. I can check on the gauge if there’s enough fuel. I trust that the GPS will warn of traffic accidents or jams ahead and re-route, if necessary. I trust that we have options between the fastest route, and various other ones, including scenic D-tours, if we choose to. I’ll go along for the ride and try and enjoy it without getting motion sickness. I might listen to music on the radio, have a conversation with others in the car, or just stare out of the windows and take in the scenery.
After what has unfolded in recent weeks, I’m having difficulty trusting the driver.
I give the government and government agencies kudos for the approach last year. And the current lockdown is the right move. But there are a lot of questions over our preparedness for this current outbreak that are making plenty of people question whoever is driving.
Sure, but there’s only one driver. In 2023, we can swap drivers if we wish, and hope that we don’t go off-road. Meanwhile, we all can make sure that the driver stays focussed, sharp, and safe so that we all stay safe.
Remember only one occasion when driver behaviour caused me to change cars, but over the years many many NZers have 'changed cars', for the usual reasons. Our MIQ centres are now chockablock with them.
Our response worked. First time around. Going by the rapid reduction in close contacts with level four and a constant number, rather than exponential increase, in daily cases, our response is also working with Delta.
The 39% is based on a study by the Israel Ministry of Health. The article specifically addresses the rate of severe disease, but the study clearly goes beyond just that single metric.
“According to the report, the vaccines still work very well in preventing severe cases, demonstrating 88% effectiveness against hospitalization and 91% effectiveness against severe illness. But this is still is a steep decline from the earlier estimate of 64% efficacy rate released on July 5, and steeper still from the initial 95% efficacy rate Israel published in May, based on records from Jan. 24 to April 3, 2021.”
Our response (a hard lockdown) will always stop spread, but only of that outbreak. It won't achieve elimination, unless our borders are permanently closed. The Skegg report claimed that based on the then border settings, a breach was inevitable. We have choices to make, and none of them easy.
Can't put that ‘genie’ back in its bottle? Why not give Collins a go?
Maybe she could ‘pray the Covid away’
Collins says people are being ‘malicious and nasty’ to her
It’s not the first time Collins has claimed comments she’s made that could be heard as a threat have been misinterpreted. During the election campaign last year she said “disgraceful” investigative journalist Nicky Hager “still needs to meet his maker“.
She later clarified what she meant was the “Christian” belief that “we’re all going to die one day and we’re going to have to justify our actions“.
No argument form me. Before that time we have to have a much higher vaccination rate, and have developed strategies to deal with the possibility of periodic outbreaks that move beyond hard lock downs.
Not with other countries being run by sociopaths or morons, no.
But periodic elimination is, and then when we are fully vaccinated and the virus itself has self-selected to become less virulent (less severe symptoms because the surviving viruses don't kill their host as quickly), we should be able to open the borders again without parking tents and freezer trucks outside our hospitals.
After having a good think about whether we really want to go back to the old days of mass tourism.
But that doesn't mean we'll all need to go into level 4 every time there's a community covid case. That depends on our vaccine coverage (and boosters if needed) and how virulent it is, how likely it is to swamp hospitals and kill people.
Personally, I'd like to see a 3-day MIQ for all arrivals as a long term policy, but good luck getting that past the $$-at-all-costs brigade (despite how many less harmful but still damaging outbreaks of colds and flu it might catch).
"As of 24 February 2020, there had been 2,194 cases of measles reported throughout New Zealand since 1 January 2019."
If our strategy is to eliminate measles, it isn't working. But I imagine that successive governments have decided we can live with measles.
As for polio, there are still cases in some countries.
The pandemic is part of the problem. In March, WHO ordered a pause to all polio eradication campaigns to make sure vaccinators going door to door weren't unwittingly contributing to the spread of COVID-19. That order was lifted over the summer, but "as a result, 30 to 40 countries have not conducted mass immunization campaigns," Zaffran says. "During that period, up to 80 million children have been left unprotected against polio."
I also left several other instructive comments here under this post for others to inform themselves.
And yet, here we are again. Your refusal to inform yourself and take heed of warnings was your undoing last time, although you tried hard and many times to bypass your well-deserved and justified ban. NB you have been given back your commenting privileges only 11 days ago!
If you don’t improve your comments, you know how this will end. And please don’t argue with Moderators about Moderation, as is clearly explained in this site’s Policy – Incognito]
NZ does not have a Covid-19 eradication strategy, it has an elimination strategy.
NZ has an elimination strategy for measles, mainly through vaccination, as you know, and it is also a notifiable infectious disease, just as Covid-19 is. NB influenza is not a notifiable infectious disease in NZ, but non-seasonal influenza is.
"NZ does not have a Covid-19 eradication strategy, it has an elimination strategy."
Fair comment. I'm wrongly using the terms interchangeably – my bad.
To be clear, I don't believe we can eliminate Covid for anything other than short bursts, unless we completely isolate ourselves from the rest of the world.
The difference between measles and covid is that the measles virus doesn't mutate "in a comparable way".
In this mornings Herald, Professor Graham Mellsop wrote this:
"Our team of 5 million needs to be told both to committ to the preservation of good community vaccination levels and that our future includes Covid infections with brief illnesses, some hospitalisations and relatively uncommon deaths".
Few Kiwis would support continuing strict border controls, with level 4 lockdowns in response to delta (or worse) outbreaks, for years, but I do wonder about the motivation(s) of those who are agitating for a ‘sooner rather than later’ relaxation of these prudent protective measures on day 11 of our current level 4 lockdown.
There will absolutely be a time and place to let our Covid guard down. With ~23% of NZers fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and the global number of active cases set to exceed the previous January 2021 peak (18.6 million), now is not the time, imho.
‘Covid thrill-seekers‘ have the rest of the world to choose from – please leave us sleepy hobbits be a little while longer.
Yeah, it sounds like a journey with small children in the back of the car asking 5 min into the trip and then at regular and increasingly shorter intervals “are we there yet?”
Elimination is not eradication. Yes elimination is possible in a particular area, but difficult to maintain. Israel did not attempt to eliminate the virus – they wrongly relied on ""herd immunity"" – and then a variant of the virus appeared which was more infectious and they learned that the vaccine did not give personal immunity. Presumptions by politicians do not always predict science or future reality.
Ya reckon?? I reckon nz proved that if humans were as intelligent as we think, we could have wiped covid from the plant in 6 weeks , but oh no we had right from the get go fucktsrds clutching there Pearl's and screaming my economy, and then there a the countries so poverty stricken and usually run by true scum that the daily grind means that they have to go out daily to survive
Vaccine-derived polio is a strain of the virus that originated as part the oral polio vaccine but has managed to circulate, reproduce and regain strength in places with poor sanitation. Vaccine-derived polio is caused by remnants of earlier versions of the live virus used in the oral polio vaccine.
Elimination is possible depending on government action and public will.
Best results achieved with contained small outbreaks, it could even still be done in the u.s, the UK and other overrun nations, but highly unlikely after numerous previous failures to contain and eliminate.
Unless you are suggesting that no one ever enters and leaves NZ, elimination is unfortunately not possible. Getting people vaccinated is a prerequisite to open the borders not just in NZ but countries from where people travel from.
Admittingly, the government has made a big tactical error by not getting in to high gear a year ago of procuring the vaccine and getting it distributed whilst we were still on level 1 without the travel bubble, which incidentally was the biggest mistake in my book. Far too early, no one vaccinated, flying on a hope and prayer. Everybody I talked to about travel was saying that it is just a matter of time until we see level 4 again. And here we are.
Elimination, especially with a relatively small outbreak is entirely possible, as proved by the first and second times we had community spread in NZ and got rid of it, giving many months of normality.
Now what happens between outbreaks is the debate you might want to have, but that won't change any of the above being true with regards to containment and elimination.
You don’t seem to know what “elimination” is/means.
It might surprise you that NZ has successfully followed and is still following an elimination strategy.
This has been recommended by experts, e.g., Prof. Skegg, and it is still the recommendation. Indeed, Skegg has said that this outbreak was and should have been expected although not the exact size and date, of course.
This lockdown may fail to contain the Delta outbreak, but definitely worth a try imho.
What's disappointing is the certainty of 'fail blowhards' – takes all kinds I guess.
Collins says the government needs to give people more certainty.
"People aren't stupid, they understand this is a highly transmissible variant. So people do need certainty, they need certainty about their lives, their work, their businesses."
Why is Collins bleating about "more certainty"? Her future is certain enough.
And here I was thinking business was 'agile' and 'innovative', that it could move 'at pace' and 'make decisions' and 'bring clarity' in 'fast-paced environments' that are 'challenging' and require 'insight', judgment and 'flawless execution'. Surely not much certainty is needed when you have this array of talents? Or have I been looking at too many Seek job ads?
And I had thought that requiring an impossible certainty was an endearing but thankfully temporary trait that we observe in our children – or, less endearingly, in some behavioural disorders. Just shows how wrong I was.
don’t quite understand what you are saying Ross. NZ managed to eliminate the virus in previous lockdowns. To stay at a 0% case level we would have had to completely shut our boarders, which the govt chose not to do.
perhaps it is a case of what strategies work best. I believe that the science based strategies the govt are following have worked the best. These are the strategies our top experts have recommended.
of course there is a future burden for young people out of this pandemic, but that would be true for all countries.
one of the many benefits of following an elimination strategy is it preserves our very precious health workforce. The Uk for example have lost many Drs and nurses to covid
Yes. Ross was reporting a bit of humour at Auckland's expense.
It looks like Auckland is in for 2 more weeks of L4 at the least. We know its the right thing to do but it is hard going. We Jafas have had more than our fair share of these debilitating lockdowns.
NZ managed to eliminate the virus in previous lockdowns.
We have had cases for as long as I can remember. Indeed, I recall a gentleman from Australia allegedly bringing Covid to Wellington in June. Before that I recall a woman in the Coromandel testing positive after visiting numerous places. There are and have been any number of cases in MIQ. The idea the virus has been eliminated is wrong.
Some people might have thought that vaccination would prevent lockdowns but that doesn't seem to be the case. We will continue to have lockdowns. That will only change with the political will to do so.
Anker, 3
As history tells us, science is one thing, human behavior quite something else. So perhaps this should be approached with science and common sense. Opening a travel bubble without having the population in NZ vaccinated and allowing people from known delta virus countries to enter the country with test results that no one can verify….come on, human behavior + a bit of stupidity = super spread. I mean this is not so difficult to figure out. Unless political correctness has no dampened our survival instinct.
North Cornwall town reeling and people urged not to visit as thousands of cases linked to festival
I understand that not all the 5,000 COVID cases in Cornwall are necessarily directly linked to the festival. There are probably cases outside of Cornwall linked to the festival. Anyway, lets assume this festival caused 5,000 COVID cases, which means with current UK numbers:
~ 1,000 people in hospital
~ 20 people dead
I would like to see the world-wide news headlines, the public outrage, if you would have those numbers linked to a terrorist attack at a music festival!
To announce "Freedom Day" and "Let COVID rip" through the country without sufficient protection should be called "mass-murder".
But of your comparators, only one is an infectious disease (AIDS) and in comparison to COVID-19, AIDS is really not very infectious at all. The other examples are a bit silly: one traffic accident does not cause another three accidents. It is the exponential growth in a completely immune-naive population that makes COVID so different and completely justifies the response to date. At the right time and once we have good information, we will move cautiously to a different approach.
All are systemic risks we have learnt to live with.
What do you mean?
Millions if not billions of dollars are spent each year to keep death tolls due to those causes under control and even to bring them down further. Once you open flood gates mitigation is pretty much all you can do within (economic) reason. The big difference with Covid-19 is that so far we have managed to control it and keep a lid on it (only 26 deaths so far). Once we remove the elimination measures, we will be likely having to accept the consequences in terms of severe illness and death, despite vaccination, and live with it; in all likelihood, it will be worse and more severe than influenza.
Sounds like you’re saying that it is “when” not “if” and if that’s the case, you fundamentally change the debate to “when” and “how”. Unfortunately, some pundits only focus on the “when” and think the “how” is somebody else’s problem, usually the Government’s.
BTW, polio and measles have been eliminated and can possibly be eradicated.
Fortunately for Kiwis, our government and health experts (epidemiologists, virologists, vaccinologists) have been singing from the same songbook, and so we still have good choices after 10 days of lockdown and 70 new cases.
Kiwis might yet rush in and snatch defeat from the jaws of this victory, so winning the 'sympathy' of powerful 'allies', but we don't have to – we really don’t.
Given our essential workers are at highest risk, why aren't we insisting their employers provide them with N95 masks which actually provide best protection?
I wondered where our resident hand wringer David was getting his talking points from. Doesn’t surprise me it’s from Matt King. Cindy's not the Messiah, she's just a naughty girl. A la Monty Python
Have a read of the Bishop interview in the Listener and Bishop freely admits that he has no self-awareness and little in the way of a moral compass when he details the many, many times that he has allegedly supported National Party positions on issues he reckons he does not agree with on the grounds he has to show “ unity “, or as the rest of the world would call it, hypocrisy.
Yes Northland lumped in with Auckland is quite disappointing when you realise that Warkworth is part of the Auckland area not Northland. There are no cases in Northland and the sensible place to hold a border would be Te Hana – with just a short strip to police to stop Aucklanders getting to Mangawhai through the back roads.
If you want people to comply – and they have already loosened up around me here near Whangarei- then realistic borders need to be considered or there will be no respect which means poor compliance.
They did say that Northland won’t always be lumped with Auckland necessarily, only this time.
If people want some of their relative freedoms back, they could start with simple things such as scanning. That will give the officials and authorities the confidence that they can relax the rules.
This is a two-way thing, for our own benefit. Why do people find this so hard to get their heads around?
So a clear why would help to make it understandable… Is the Aucklanders that they say ran to their baches, is it to stop drug running , is it not enough scanning in, is it not enough police to control a north border as well as a south border. What is it ?
The PM said in the 3pm-er that it was because of the case in Warkworth and the concern that people traveling through there could have taken it further north. It is only a few more days to be sure it no make it to paradise.
If we have limited vaccine supply and Auckland has to shoulder this, the nationwide vaccine rollout should be halted forthwith and all vaccines diverted to Auckland for the foreseeable future. 😉
As of 24th August NZ rate of vaccination for covid placed us 74th. The US was 35th. Countries with small populations in the 10's of thousands can achieve a very high vaccination rate in a very short time because obviously there are fewer people to organise to be vaccinated.
I admire your self-awareness. Has the lockdown given you time for introspection and reflection and helped you to internalise a really complicated situation in your head? It is starting to show and pay off.
Have to confess a slight irritation myself – Owen would "love to hear from you", several times an hour apparently. Maybe all those sound-bite public opinions are newsworthy. Who isn't a sucker for instant polls these days – one born every minute?
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I'm going, I'm goingWhere the water tastes like wineI'm going where the water tastes like wineWe can jump in the waterStay drunk all the timeI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayAll this fussing and fighting, man, you know I sure ...
Waitangi Day is a time to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and stand together for a just and fair Aotearoa. Across the motu, communities are gathering to reflect, kōrero, and take action for a future built on equity and tino rangatiratanga. From dawn ceremonies to whānau-friendly events, there are ...
Subscribe to Mountain Tūī ! Where you too can learn about exciting things from a flying bird! Tweet.Yes - I absolutely suck at marketing. It’s a fact.But first -My question to all readers is:How should I set up the Substack model?It’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask since November ...
Here’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s political economy on politics and in the week to Feb 3:PM Christopher Luxon began 2025’s first day of Parliament last Tuesday by carrying on where left off in 2024, letting National’s junior coalition partner set the political agenda and dragging ...
The PSA have released a survey of 4000 public service workers showing that budget cuts are taking a toll on the wellbeing of public servants and risking the delivery of essential services to New Zealanders. Economists predict that figures released this week will show continued increases in unemployment, potentially reaching ...
The Prime Minister’s speech 10 days or so ago kicked off a flurry of commentary. No one much anywhere near the mainstream (ie excluding Greens supporters) questioned the rhetoric. New Zealand has done woefully poorly on productivity for a long time and we really need better outcomes, and the sorts ...
President Trump on the day he announced tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, unleashing a shock to supply chains globally that is expected to slow economic growth and increase inflation for most large economies. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 9 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 3Politics: New Zealand Government cabinet meeting usually held early afternoon with post-cabinet news conference possible at 4 pm, although they have not been ...
Trump being Trump, it won’t come as a shock to find that he regards a strong US currency (bolstered by high tariffs on everything made by foreigners) as a sign of America’s virility, and its ability to kick sand in the face of the world. Reality is a tad more ...
A listing of 24 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 26, 2025 thru Sat, February 1, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
What seems to be the common theme in the US, NZ, Argentina and places like Italy under their respective rightwing governments is what I think of as “the politics of cruelty.” Hate-mongering, callous indifference in social policy-making, corporate toadying, political bullying, intimidation and punching down on the most vulnerable with ...
If you are confused, check with the sunCarry a compass to help you alongYour feet are going to be on the groundYour head is there to move you aroundSo, stand in the place where you liveSongwriters: Bill Berry / Michael Mills / Michael Stipe / Peter Buck.Hot in the CityYesterday, ...
Shane Jones announced today he would be contracting out his thinking to a smarter younger person.Reclining on his chaise longue with a mouth full of oysters and Kina he told reporters:Clearly I have become a has-been, a palimpsest, an epigone, a bloviating fossil. I find myself saying such things as: ...
Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is global warming ...
Our low-investment, low-wage, migration-led and housing-market-driven political economy has delivered poorer productivity growth than the rest of the OECD, and our performance since Covid has been particularly poor. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty this ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As far as major government announcements go, a Three Ministers Event is Big. It can signify a major policy development or something has gone Very Well, or an absolute Clusterf**k. When Three Ministers assemble ...
One of those blasts from the past. Peter Dunne – originally neoliberal Labour, then leader of various parties that sought to work with both big parties (generally National) – has taken to calling ...
Completed reads for January: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson The Black Spider, by Jeremias Gotthelf The Spider and the Fly (poem), by Mary Howitt A Noiseless Patient Spider (poem), by Walt Whitman August Heat, by W.F. Harvey Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White The Shrinking Man, by Richard Matheson ...
Do its Property Right Provisions Make Sense?Last week I pointed out that it is uninformed to argue that the New Zealand’s apparently poor economic performance can be traced only to poor regulations. Even were there evidence they had some impact, there are other factors. Of course, we should seek to ...
Richard Wagstaff It was incredibly jarring to hear the hubris from the Prime Minister during his recent state of the nation address. I had just spent close to a week working though the stories and thoughts shared with us by nearly 2000 working people as part of our annual Mood ...
Odd fact about the Broadcasting Standards Authority: for the last few years, they’ve only been upholding about 5% of complaints. Why? I think there’s a range of reasons. Generally responsible broadcasters. Dumb complaints. Complaints brought under the wrong standard. Greater adherence to broadcasters’ rights to freedom of expression in the ...
And I said, "Mama, mama, mama, why am I so alone"'Cause I can't go outside, I'm scared I might not make it homeWell I'm alive, I'm alive, but I'm sinking inIf there's anyone at home at your place, darlingWhy don't you invite me in?Don't try to feed me'Cause I've been ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ star is on the rise, having just added the Energy, Local Government and Revenue portfolios to his responsibilities - but there is nothing ambitious about the Government’s new climate targets. Photo: SuppliedLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
It may have been a short week but there’s been no shortage of things that caught our attention. Here is some of the most interesting. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt took a look at public transport ridership in 2024 On Thursday Connor asked some questions ...
The East Is Red: Journalists and commentators are referring to the sudden and disruptive arrival of DeepSeek as a second “Sputnik moment”. (Sputnik being the name given by the godless communists of the Soviet Union to the world’s first artificial satellite which, to the consternation and dismay of the Americans, ...
Hi,Back on inauguration day we launched a ridiculous RFK Jr. “brain worms” tee on the Webworm store, and I told you I’d be throwing my profits over to Mutual Aid LA and Rainbow Youth New Zealand. Just to show I am not full of shit, here are the receipts. I ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump over Gaza and Ukraine.Health expert and author David Galler ...
In an uncompromising paper Treasury has basically told the Government that its plan for a third medical school at Waikato University is a waste of money. Furthermore, the country cannot afford it. That advice was released this week by the Treasury under the Official Information Act. And it comes as ...
Back in November, He Pou a Rangi provided the government with formal advice on the domestic contribution to our next Paris target. Not what the target should be, but what we could realistically achieve, by domestic action alone, without resorting to offshore mitigation. Their answer was startling: depending on exactly ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guest David Patman and ...
I don't like to spend all my time complaining about our government, so let me complain about the media first.Senior journalistic Herald person Thomas Coughlan reported that Treasury replied yeah nah, wrong bro to Luxon's claim that our benighted little country has been in recession for three years.His excitement rose ...
Back in 2022, when the government was consulting internally about proactive release of cabinet papers, the SIS opposed it. The basis of their opposition was the "mosaic effect" - people being able to piece together individual pieces of innocuous public information in a way which supposedly harms "national security" (effectively: ...
With The Stroke Of A Pen:Populism, especially right-wing populism, invests all the power of an electoral/parliamentary majority in a single political leader because it no longer trusts the bona fides of the sprawling political class among whom power is traditionally dispersed. Populism eschews traditional politics, because, among populists, traditional politics ...
I’ve spent the last week writing a fairly substantial review of a recent book (“Australia’s Pandemic Exceptionalism: How we crushed the curve but lost the race”) by a couple of Australian academic economists on Australia’s pandemic policies and experiences. For all its limitations, there isn’t anything similar in New Zealand. ...
Mr Mojo Rising: Economic growth is possible, Christopher Luxon reassures us, but only under a government that is willing to get out of the way and let those with drive and ambition get on with it.ABOUT TWELVE KILOMETRES from the farm on the North Otago coast where I grew up stands ...
You're nearly a good laughAlmost a jokerWith your head down in the pig binSaying, 'Keep on digging.'Pig stain on your fat chinWhat do you hope to findDown in the pig mine?You're nearly a laughYou're nearly a laughBut you're really a crySongwriter: Roger Waters.NZ First - Kiwi Battlers.Say what you like ...
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Climate denial is dead. Renewable energy denial is here. As “alternative facts” become the norm, it’s worth looking at what actual facts tell us about how renewable energy sources like solar and wind are lowering the price of electricity. As ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
Jon Kroll and Aimee McCammon have been appointed to the New Zealand Film Commission Board, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “I am delighted to appoint these two new board members who will bring a wealth of industry, governance, and commercial experience to the Film Commission. “Jon Kroll has been an ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hailed a drop in the domestic component of inflation, saying it increases the prospect of mortgage rate reductions and a lower cost of living for Kiwi households. Stats NZ reported today that inflation was 2.2 per cent in the year to December, the second consecutive ...
Two new appointed members and one reappointed member of the Employment Relations Authority have been announced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today. “I’m pleased to announce the new appointed members Helen van Druten and Matthew Piper to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and welcome them to ...
Pacific Media Watch President Donald Trump has frozen billions of dollars around the world in aid projects, including more than $268 million allocated by Congress to support independent media and the free flow of information. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has denounced this decision, which has plunged NGOs, media outlets, and ...
Otago University professor of international relations Robert Patman says New Zealand should provide a robust response to Donald Trump's Gaza plan, and also "should stop tip-toeing" around Trump. ...
The new minister of transport has opened the door for public consultation on at least some of the speed limit changes the government said would be automatic. ...
Officially, they’re called ‘memecoins,’ but Kōura Wealth founder Rupert Carlyon says the crypto world has another name for them: ‘shitcoins’.In digital finance, that phrase is used for tokens that have no true value – in essence, a money-grab.A few days before his inauguration, US President Donald Trump launched his own ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. Guy Williams has made a whole show off the joke that he is a “volunteer” journalist. So getting publicly owned by David Seymour while trying to act as a journalist is a good and timely reminder not to underestimate the nuance and ...
Many of Sāmoa’s beloved dishes are the result of cultural collaboration, writes Madeleine Chapman. All photos by Jin FelletIf you ever find yourself at a barbecue in a Sāmoan home, there’s 99% chance that sapasui (chop suey) will be on the table. For the past century, sapasui has ...
The funnyman takes us through his life in television, including Jono and Ben mayhem, live Telethon flubs, and funnelling all those experiences into his new comedy Vince. There’s an inciting incident in Three’s new comedy Vince where morning television presenter Vince Walters (Jono Pryor) is visiting sick kids in hospital ...
People often claim they just want Waitangi Day to be a celebration. At Waitangi, away from the headlined political acrimony and the marae ātea, celebrating is what most people are doing. The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous ...
Is there anything more fashionable than a Māori get together? One of the best things about Northland is that nobody cares what they look like — probably because they’re all naturally more stylish than the rest of us, famously. Māori from the Far North, especially. In 27 degree heat, wearing ...
Books of Mana: 180 Māori-Authored Books of Significance, edited by Jacinta Ruru, Angela Wanhalla and Jeanette Wikaira has just been released by Otago University Press. In this essay, Books are Taonga, Jeanette Wikaira explores her personal relationship to books and their value.For me, books are taonga. The knowledge ...
I’ve been in love with him since last July, but it’s only now in this tepid hotel room that I find myself wondering why. The first thing he does when we arrive is smoke a cone in the bathroom – he emerges, hacking up a lung, fists thrust into his ...
MONDAY“Name,” barked a representative of the lower orders.I regarded him with a look of stern disapproval, and told him from up high, “May I remind you that I have name suppression. I shall also thank you to ask with more respect as befits a former president of the Act Party, ...
Get to know Tara, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Tara’s human for their support! Dog name: Tara Age: Two Breed: Mostly Border Collie and a little bit Catahoula Leopard dog If dog ...
Health NZ's CEO has resigned, but frontline healthworkers are sceptical that installing new leadership will make any difference to a system grappling with problems. ...
Health NZ's CEO has resigned, but frontline healthworkers are sceptical that installing new leadership will make any difference to a system grappling with problems. ...
Gail Duncan, Chairperson of the St Peter’s on Willis Social Justice Group, one of the organisations invited to submit on the Bill, says the Government’s actions are unprecedented. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amani Kasherwa, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, The University of Queensland In late January, a rebel group that has long caused mayhem in the sprawling African nation of Democratic Republic of Congo took control of Goma, a major city of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yee-Fui Ng, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Monash University An ad falsely depicting independent candidate Alex Dyson as a Greens member.ABC News/Supplied The highly pertinent case of a little-known independent candidate in the Victorian seat of Wannon has exposed a gaping ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland Nik/Unsplash You might have heard that eating too many eggs will cause high cholesterol levels, leading to poor health. Researchers have examined the science behind this myth again, and ...
Everything you missed from the third day of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard four hours of oral submission. Read our recaps of day one of the hearings here, and day two here. Parliament was quiet on Friday for the third day of hearings on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Jeffries, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, Western Sydney University Tijana Simic/Shutterstock The news last week that three people in Sydney were hospitalised with botulism after receiving botox injections has raised questions about the regulation of the cosmetic injectables industry. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jens Blotevogel, Principal Research Scientist and Team Leader for Remediation Technologies, CSIRO Mino Surkala, Shutterstock Lithium-ion batteries are part of everyday life. They power small rechargeable devices such as mobile phones and laptops. They enable electric vehicles. And larger versions store ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edith Jennifer Hill, Associate Lecturer, Learning & Teaching Innovation, Flinders University Netflix Netflix’s new limited series, Apple Cider Vinegar, tells the story of the elaborate cancer con orchestrated by Australian blogger Annabelle (Belle) Gibson. The first episode opens with Gibson’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dee Ninis, Earthquake Scientist, Monash University Greece’s government has just declared a state of emergency on the island of Santorini, as earthquakes shake the island multiple times a day and sometimes only minutes apart. The “earthquake swarm” is also affecting other ...
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 Western Australian state election will be held on March 8. A Newspoll, conducted January 29 to February 4 from a sample ...
She’s back behind the wheel, and this time, she wants to find out what it is that makes us tick. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. After a prolific career on stage and screen, 83-year-old Miriam Margolyes is on the road again. ...
A new poem by Jordan Hamel. Real Poet Every word earned its place and so did he, so should you. Real poet lives in the capital but writes himself into the Mackenzie country golden hour, man of the paper land, he neglects to mention his pollen ...
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 Understanding Te Tiriti by Roimata Smail (Wai Ako Press, $25) No better time to get ...
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https://thespinoff.co.nz/science/27-08-2021/siouxsie-wiles-ignore-the-uninformed-windbags-lockdowns-really-do-work/
RNZ had one of the blowhards Siouxsie Wiles describes in the above piece, on Morning Report today–their mantra, repeated ad naseum, is “lockdowns don’t work, elimination is impossible”.
Yet, the numbers in NZ so far still do not support that “case”.
Elimination is impossible. Heavily vaccinated countries such as Iceland and Israel have learnt that. We are slow learners.
Lockdowns are expensive, not just financially. Future generations are in for a tough time.
Indeed. And 'elimination' is actually not 'elimination'.
"Elimination does not necessarily mean zero COVID. It means zero-tolerance for cases of COVID. We will stamp it out and continue to try to stamp it out," Prof Skegg told the committee.
And 'elimination' is actually not 'elimination'.
Zero tolerance is meaningless. Presumably the Government has zero tolerance for suicides, but there were 654 suicide deaths in the year to June 2020. There were 685 deaths the previous year. Sadly, many who commit suicide are aged under 25.
If the Government can accept suicide deaths despite zero tolerance, there is no logical reason why it cannot accept deaths from other causes, including Covid-19.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/122519593/suicide-rate-shows-slight-drop-after-recordhigh-year
The govt doesn't accept suicide deaths. It just doesn't know how to prevent every single suicide.
But the answer to stopping people from dying from infectious diseases is to stop the infections. This is possible with covid.
We could stop all suicides by monitoring every single person 24/7 and intervening. Of course it's not a viable strategy. It seems to me stopping all infections of Covid is simply not practically possible unless we become a fortress.
Nope. 24/7 monitoring doesn't stop suicides. Had a mate die in psych services while he was on suicide watch.
We don't need to be a "fortress". Cruise ships don't mount beach assaults.
But the answer to stopping people from dying from infectious diseases is to stop the infections
Yes, that works very well with the flu. Despite the existence of a flu vaccine, we see 500-600 flu deaths each year.
Does the NZ Government or any government in the world have an elimination strategy for influenza?
You really don’t get this thread, do you?
Well, not every year. Last year, for some reason, we had a 99.8% drop in flu cases (and a corresponding drop in deaths).
Some times resistance isn't futile.
Let me help you with your ignorance.
For your edification: https://gh.bmj.com/content/6/8/e006810
"Yeah, it sounds like a journey with small children …"
I would like to know more than when we are going to arrive. I would like to know what the destination looks like, whether the driver actually is following a map, and how many stops we're going to have to endure along the way.
In times of uncertainty it's natural to crave certainty, and so our leaders seek to soothe and comfort with certain promises, e.g. Freedom Day.
I'd be skeptical of those claiming "to know what the destination looks like" "and how many stops we're going to have to endure along the way."
I'll settle for honesty and evidence-based planning to help as many Kiwis through this pandemic as possible – and sooner rather than later, of course, but it is what it is.
Certainty? Of course not. But a general overview of the destination, surely? Put another way, the government is following a clear strategy (they call elimination) which currently involves hard and fast lockdown as soon as Covid appears in the community. All good. But what is the long game? Clearly Covid is mutating, so high vaccination rates are helpful, but not a definitive response. So what is the long term plan?
Well, obviously global eradication is off because other governments insist on their populations acting as petrie dishes for new cultivating variants.
So we'll probably find a sweet spot of vaccine efficacy and decreasing virulence, at which point business leaders lobbying to exchange an unkown number of dead NZers for the hope of more revenue for their businesses (or using immigrants for lower wage costs) will finally get their way.
If you want a calendar, you're shit out of luck. The govt is pretty clearly avoiding further stress to the health system from community outbreaks.
Unless that changes, the "long game" is pretty obvious. There are only a few variables: vaccine efficacy, virulence, infectiousness, ICU beds and mortality.
All good points. I would just like to see more from government outlining how they see the factors you outline in your final paragraph playing out, and potentially how we need to adapt. After all, we haven't eliminated either measles or influenza, so having to live with covid in one form or another is the most likely scenario.
sigh
We have an elimination strategy for measles, not for influenza.
Being eliminated does not mean there won’t be new cases sprouting up ever again; it is the default state of zero infections that is the goal and [the process of] elimination is the sum-total of all the measures and interventions required to achieve that goal.
I have explained this so many times now!!
I feel your frustration and disappointment at the lack of a certain long-term plan. Try relaxation techniques and patience – works for me.
I'll take your advice and do some deep breathing. Meanwhile the national debt my children will be required to support gets bigger every day.
Some kids are (and will be) alright, and that's great.
https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-relief-breathing-techniques
Unite against COVID-19
https://covid19.govt.nz/
As a passenger, I don’t pretend to drive or control the car or know better than the driver. I trust the driver has a valid licence and good driving experience. I trust that the car has a WOF and won’t break down. I can check on the gauge if there’s enough fuel. I trust that the GPS will warn of traffic accidents or jams ahead and re-route, if necessary. I trust that we have options between the fastest route, and various other ones, including scenic D-tours, if we choose to. I’ll go along for the ride and try and enjoy it without getting motion sickness. I might listen to music on the radio, have a conversation with others in the car, or just stare out of the windows and take in the scenery.
After what has unfolded in recent weeks, I’m having difficulty trusting the driver.
I give the government and government agencies kudos for the approach last year. And the current lockdown is the right move. But there are a lot of questions over our preparedness for this current outbreak that are making plenty of people question whoever is driving.
Sure, but there’s only one driver. In 2023, we can swap drivers if we wish, and hope that we don’t go off-road. Meanwhile, we all can make sure that the driver stays focussed, sharp, and safe so that we all stay safe.
Remember only one occasion when driver behaviour caused me to change cars, but over the years many many NZers have 'changed cars', for the usual reasons. Our MIQ centres are now chockablock with them.
Countries that thought 60% vaccination is enough and "opened up" do not "prove" anything of the sort.
Delta is the game changer.
A July report from the Israel Ministry of Health found that Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine is just 39% effective in Israel, where the Delta variant is the dominant strain but still provides strong protection against severe illness and hospitalization.
We've got a long way to go before we understand the best response to this.
If you analyse Israels numbers. From someone who does know what they are talking about. The percentage in your link is misleading.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/science/26-08-2021/siouxsie-wiles-what-we-know-about-covid-vaccines-effectiveness-and-boosters/
“If we convert those raw numbers to per 100,000 then we get a rate of 16.4 cases per 100,000 unvaccinated people versus 5.3 cases per 100,000 vaccinated people. In other words, the rate of severe disease is three times higher in unvaccinated than vaccinated people.”
Hardly only 39% effective.
Our response worked. First time around. Going by the rapid reduction in close contacts with level four and a constant number, rather than exponential increase, in daily cases, our response is also working with Delta.
The 39% is based on a study by the Israel Ministry of Health. The article specifically addresses the rate of severe disease, but the study clearly goes beyond just that single metric.
“According to the report, the vaccines still work very well in preventing severe cases, demonstrating 88% effectiveness against hospitalization and 91% effectiveness against severe illness. But this is still is a steep decline from the earlier estimate of 64% efficacy rate released on July 5, and steeper still from the initial 95% efficacy rate Israel published in May, based on records from Jan. 24 to April 3, 2021.”
Our response (a hard lockdown) will always stop spread, but only of that outbreak. It won't achieve elimination, unless our borders are permanently closed. The Skegg report claimed that based on the then border settings, a breach was inevitable. We have choices to make, and none of them easy.
+100
Permanent elimination, I think you mean.
My view is permanent elimination (as in no covid ever) is not practical.
Can't put that ‘genie’ back in its bottle? Why not give Collins a go?
Maybe she could ‘pray the Covid away’
No thanks.
"now is not the time, imho."
No argument form me. Before that time we have to have a much higher vaccination rate, and have developed strategies to deal with the possibility of periodic outbreaks that move beyond hard lock downs.
Not with other countries being run by sociopaths or morons, no.
But periodic elimination is, and then when we are fully vaccinated and the virus itself has self-selected to become less virulent (less severe symptoms because the surviving viruses don't kill their host as quickly), we should be able to open the borders again without parking tents and freezer trucks outside our hospitals.
After having a good think about whether we really want to go back to the old days of mass tourism.
I'm not I see 'Periodic elimination' in the same light as elimination. But I hear what you're saying.
There will always be some disease that someone can bring in. We can eliminate them from NZ, like polio, but even during L4 we have people coming into the country.
But that doesn't mean we'll all need to go into level 4 every time there's a community covid case. That depends on our vaccine coverage (and boosters if needed) and how virulent it is, how likely it is to swamp hospitals and kill people.
Personally, I'd like to see a 3-day MIQ for all arrivals as a long term policy, but good luck getting that past the $$-at-all-costs brigade (despite how many less harmful but still damaging outbreaks of colds and flu it might catch).
Polio, measles?
Polio, measles?
"As of 24 February 2020, there had been 2,194 cases of measles reported throughout New Zealand since 1 January 2019."
If our strategy is to eliminate measles, it isn't working. But I imagine that successive governments have decided we can live with measles.
As for polio, there are still cases in some countries.
The pandemic is part of the problem. In March, WHO ordered a pause to all polio eradication campaigns to make sure vaccinators going door to door weren't unwittingly contributing to the spread of COVID-19. That order was lifted over the summer, but "as a result, 30 to 40 countries have not conducted mass immunization campaigns," Zaffran says. "During that period, up to 80 million children have been left unprotected against polio."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%932020_New_Zealand_measles_outbreak
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/10/30/929080692/the-campaign-to-wipe-out-polio-was-going-really-well-until-it-wasnt
[Stop showing off your ignorance and educate yourself before you comment here.
Last night, I replied to your comment here with a useful link: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27-08-2021/#comment-1811896.
I also warned you to back-up your claims of fact or face Moderation again: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27-08-2021/#comment-1811895. Consider this now a Moderation request.
I also left several other instructive comments here under this post for others to inform themselves.
And yet, here we are again. Your refusal to inform yourself and take heed of warnings was your undoing last time, although you tried hard and many times to bypass your well-deserved and justified ban. NB you have been given back your commenting privileges only 11 days ago!
If you don’t improve your comments, you know how this will end. And please don’t argue with Moderators about Moderation, as is clearly explained in this site’s Policy – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 8:21 am.
Good point about Polio, however even though we don't have Polio in NZ, surprisingly it still not been eradicated globally. However the only two countries where polio remains endemic are Pakistan and Afghanistan, and our tourism and migration with those countries would be minimal? However, this is worth noting: Until poliovirus transmission is interrupted in these countries, all countries remain at risk of importation of polio, especially vulnerable countries with weak public health and immunization services and travel or trade links to endemic countries.
Unless Covid was eradicated from all countries we have travel links with, it is near impossible to eradicate it from NZ.
I'm not sure what you mean by measles? We still have measles in NZ, despite a vaccination program.
NZ does not have a Covid-19 eradication strategy, it has an elimination strategy.
NZ has an elimination strategy for measles, mainly through vaccination, as you know, and it is also a notifiable infectious disease, just as Covid-19 is. NB influenza is not a notifiable infectious disease in NZ, but non-seasonal influenza is.
"NZ does not have a Covid-19 eradication strategy, it has an elimination strategy."
Fair comment. I'm wrongly using the terms interchangeably – my bad.
To be clear, I don't believe we can eliminate Covid for anything other than short bursts, unless we completely isolate ourselves from the rest of the world.
The difference between measles and covid is that the measles virus doesn't mutate "in a comparable way".
The authors conclude that there is a near-zero probability for the natural emergence of a new measles virus capable of evading vaccine-induced immunity.
In this mornings Herald, Professor Graham Mellsop wrote this:
"Our team of 5 million needs to be told both to committ to the preservation of good community vaccination levels and that our future includes Covid infections with brief illnesses, some hospitalisations and relatively uncommon deaths".
I tend to think he's right.
Nope, an elimination strategy relies on measures to keep it at zero and stomp it out ASAP when there are flare-ups. It requires constant vigilance.
It is a strategy, a process, with a specific goal.
NZ successfully eliminated Covid-19 before, notwithstanding the ones that came in at the border and caught in MIQ, and can do it again.
It is explained in that link I’ve shared a few times now.
Few Kiwis would support continuing strict border controls, with level 4 lockdowns in response to delta (or worse) outbreaks, for years, but I do wonder about the motivation(s) of those who are agitating for a ‘sooner rather than later’ relaxation of these prudent protective measures on day 11 of our current level 4 lockdown.
There will absolutely be a time and place to let our Covid guard down. With ~23% of NZers fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and the global number of active cases set to exceed the previous January 2021 peak (18.6 million), now is not the time, imho.
‘Covid thrill-seekers‘ have the rest of the world to choose from – please leave us sleepy hobbits be a little while longer.
Yeah, it sounds like a journey with small children in the back of the car asking 5 min into the trip and then at regular and increasingly shorter intervals “are we there yet?”
Elimination is not eradication. Yes elimination is possible in a particular area, but difficult to maintain. Israel did not attempt to eliminate the virus – they wrongly relied on ""herd immunity"" – and then a variant of the virus appeared which was more infectious and they learned that the vaccine did not give personal immunity. Presumptions by politicians do not always predict science or future reality.
Ya reckon?? I reckon nz proved that if humans were as intelligent as we think, we could have wiped covid from the plant in 6 weeks , but oh no we had right from the get go fucktsrds clutching there Pearl's and screaming my economy, and then there a the countries so poverty stricken and usually run by true scum that the daily grind means that they have to go out daily to survive
And yet we eradicated polio and smallpox, and almost got rid of measles until the anti vaxx movement came along
roblogic,
With effective vaccinations you can hold these diseases at bay and it may look like eradication but it is not. Polio is on the up.
Smallbox on the other hand would almost qualify except for some labs still hold the virus.
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/10/30/929080692/the-campaign-to-wipe-out-polio-was-going-really-well-until-it-wasnt
Vaccine-derived polio is a strain of the virus that originated as part the oral polio vaccine but has managed to circulate, reproduce and regain strength in places with poor sanitation. Vaccine-derived polio is caused by remnants of earlier versions of the live virus used in the oral polio vaccine.
Incorrect!
Smallpox has been successfully eradicated.
You’re conflating eradication and extinction.
Is that a fact or your opinion?
Either way, you may want to back that up before I start moderating you, yet again.
Interesting interview….https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018809952/covid-19-uk-based-critic-on-new-zealand-s-exit-strategy
…is this the one you're referring to?
Yes Rosemary, that's the interview I heard this morning.
Elimination is possible depending on government action and public will.
Best results achieved with contained small outbreaks, it could even still be done in the u.s, the UK and other overrun nations, but highly unlikely after numerous previous failures to contain and eliminate.
Unless you are suggesting that no one ever enters and leaves NZ, elimination is unfortunately not possible. Getting people vaccinated is a prerequisite to open the borders not just in NZ but countries from where people travel from.
Admittingly, the government has made a big tactical error by not getting in to high gear a year ago of procuring the vaccine and getting it distributed whilst we were still on level 1 without the travel bubble, which incidentally was the biggest mistake in my book. Far too early, no one vaccinated, flying on a hope and prayer. Everybody I talked to about travel was saying that it is just a matter of time until we see level 4 again. And here we are.
Elimination, especially with a relatively small outbreak is entirely possible, as proved by the first and second times we had community spread in NZ and got rid of it, giving many months of normality.
Now what happens between outbreaks is the debate you might want to have, but that won't change any of the above being true with regards to containment and elimination.
You don’t seem to know what “elimination” is/means.
It might surprise you that NZ has successfully followed and is still following an elimination strategy.
This has been recommended by experts, e.g., Prof. Skegg, and it is still the recommendation. Indeed, Skegg has said that this outbreak was and should have been expected although not the exact size and date, of course.
This lockdown may fail to contain the Delta outbreak, but definitely worth a try imho.
What's disappointing is the certainty of 'fail blowhards' – takes all kinds I guess.
Why is Collins bleating about "more certainty"? Her future is certain enough.
Surely Codger knows that certainty is inimical to capitalism.
“People do need certainty”
And here I was thinking business was 'agile' and 'innovative', that it could move 'at pace' and 'make decisions' and 'bring clarity' in 'fast-paced environments' that are 'challenging' and require 'insight', judgment and 'flawless execution'. Surely not much certainty is needed when you have this array of talents? Or have I been looking at too many Seek job ads?
And I had thought that requiring an impossible certainty was an endearing but thankfully temporary trait that we observe in our children – or, less endearingly, in some behavioural disorders. Just shows how wrong I was.
I'm certain that you are not wrong AB
A little gallows humour on ‘First Up,’ RNZ this morning:
“This covid thing is a scam – anyone who’s been to Auckland knows it hasn’t got 400 places of interest!”
Good line for a T-Shirt.
of course there is a future burden for young people out of this pandemic, but that would be true for all countries.
one of the many benefits of following an elimination strategy is it preserves our very precious health workforce. The Uk for example have lost many Drs and nurses to covid
Good points, but Hipkins has rightly identified Delta as a potential game changer.
The Uk for example have lost many Drs and nurses to covid…
The BMJ has a memorial.
Also the Nursing Times
thanks for posting Rosemary. Very, very sad.
Satire Anker. Somebody down country is introducing a bit of humour by having a dig at Auckland. Nothing to do with Covid and strategies.
Did I not read something properly? I was responding to Ross.
I hope you are going ok Anne as you wait for your surgery.
Hi Anker
Yes. Ross was reporting a bit of humour at Auckland's expense.
It looks like Auckland is in for 2 more weeks of L4 at the least. We know its the right thing to do but it is hard going. We Jafas have had more than our fair share of these debilitating lockdowns.
NZ managed to eliminate the virus in previous lockdowns.
We have had cases for as long as I can remember. Indeed, I recall a gentleman from Australia allegedly bringing Covid to Wellington in June. Before that I recall a woman in the Coromandel testing positive after visiting numerous places. There are and have been any number of cases in MIQ. The idea the virus has been eliminated is wrong.
Some people might have thought that vaccination would prevent lockdowns but that doesn't seem to be the case. We will continue to have lockdowns. That will only change with the political will to do so.
Anker, 3
As history tells us, science is one thing, human behavior quite something else. So perhaps this should be approached with science and common sense. Opening a travel bubble without having the population in NZ vaccinated and allowing people from known delta virus countries to enter the country with test results that no one can verify….come on, human behavior + a bit of stupidity = super spread. I mean this is not so difficult to figure out. Unless political correctness has no dampened our survival instinct.
After reading following Guardian Article this morning:
‘It’s really hit us now’: Newquay becomes England’s Covid capital
I understand that not all the 5,000 COVID cases in Cornwall are necessarily directly linked to the festival. There are probably cases outside of Cornwall linked to the festival. Anyway, lets assume this festival caused 5,000 COVID cases, which means with current UK numbers:
I would like to see the world-wide news headlines, the public outrage, if you would have those numbers linked to a terrorist attack at a music festival!
To announce "Freedom Day" and "Let COVID rip" through the country without sufficient protection should be called "mass-murder".
If even '5 dead' pans out then it should make one think about the ‘price’ of Freedums.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/uk/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/26/attempt-to-force-release-of-johnsons-messages-on-covid-in-care-homes-fails
New Zealand is running over 300 dead and over 4,000 injured a year just for operating a road network.
We do campaigns to mitigate.
New Zealand is running 2,200 lung cancer registrations and about 1,800 lung cancer deaths per year.
We do campaigns to mitigate.
Back in 2016 we had AIDS outbreaks, all sorts of fear and loathing broke out.
We do campaigns to mitigate.
A bunch of lunatics flew planes into key buildings on the US East Coast.
Globally we generated travel protocols to mitigate, and still fly just fine.
COVID will end up being the same:
Just another set of protocols, another set of new medical interventions, another social marketing campaign.
Yep, "COVID will end up being the same", but we're not there yet, imho. There's a time and a place for everything, 'Covid freedums' included.
https://inews.co.uk/opinion/covid-freedom-uk-after-lockdown-rules-ignore-protocols-1162538
This is true of course – in a general sense.
But of your comparators, only one is an infectious disease (AIDS) and in comparison to COVID-19, AIDS is really not very infectious at all. The other examples are a bit silly: one traffic accident does not cause another three accidents. It is the exponential growth in a completely immune-naive population that makes COVID so different and completely justifies the response to date. At the right time and once we have good information, we will move cautiously to a different approach.
All are systemic risks we have learnt to live with.
Polio outbreak was another. As was measles. All previously deadly.
What do you mean?
Millions if not billions of dollars are spent each year to keep death tolls due to those causes under control and even to bring them down further. Once you open flood gates mitigation is pretty much all you can do within (economic) reason. The big difference with Covid-19 is that so far we have managed to control it and keep a lid on it (only 26 deaths so far). Once we remove the elimination measures, we will be likely having to accept the consequences in terms of severe illness and death, despite vaccination, and live with it; in all likelihood, it will be worse and more severe than influenza.
Sounds like you’re saying that it is “when” not “if” and if that’s the case, you fundamentally change the debate to “when” and “how”. Unfortunately, some pundits only focus on the “when” and think the “how” is somebody else’s problem, usually the Government’s.
BTW, polio and measles have been eliminated and can possibly be eradicated.
As I said above just 2 points above, we generate mitigation plans and live with it.
Polio was controlled in NZ with armed guards at each city border. It took many years to control. A few around still remember it.
We've struggled to 'control' TB in Possums getting into our dairy herds – for five decades.
We can't even eliminate Mycoplasma Bovis in cows despite rigorous herd testing and DNA tracing – and spending $800 million.
Soon as we can get to every 5-year-old getting a double shot before they first start school, the better.
Cell and gene therapy will be our next medical capacity nightmare.
Good governments are already communicating how to live with it.
Some 'good' governments have no good choices left. From a health PoV, Freedum Day was both a classic blunder and a miscommunication.
So, on the 40th day of Freedum: 38,281 new cases and 140 new deaths
Meanwhile, in the US of A: 169,953 new cases and 1,215 new deaths
And, in Aussie (getting on top of it?): 954 new cases and 2 new deaths
[Worldometer links current on 27 August 2021]
Fortunately for Kiwis, our government and health experts (epidemiologists, virologists, vaccinologists) have been singing from the same songbook, and so we still have good choices after 10 days of lockdown and 70 new cases.
Kiwis might yet rush in and snatch defeat from the jaws of this victory, so winning the 'sympathy' of powerful 'allies', but we don't have to – we really don’t.
Given our essential workers are at highest risk, why aren't we insisting their employers provide them with N95 masks which actually provide best protection?
Bishflap gets his Gingrich on.
https://twitter.com/rugbyintel/status/1430370295785811968
#NationalNotFitToGovern
barking
https://twitter.com/nealejones/status/1431094146995875845
#NationalNotFitToGovern
I wondered where our resident hand wringer David was getting his talking points from. Doesn’t surprise me it’s from Matt King. Cindy's not the Messiah, she's just a naughty girl. A la Monty Python
I hope someone's checking in on Mattking from time to time, just to see if he's all right.
Have a read of the Bishop interview in the Listener and Bishop freely admits that he has no self-awareness and little in the way of a moral compass when he details the many, many times that he has allegedly supported National Party positions on issues he reckons he does not agree with on the grounds he has to show “ unity “, or as the rest of the world would call it, hypocrisy.
Tragicomedy – do you think he learnt it from his dear old dad?
Do we know what time the announcement is today?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/450177/covid-19-update-70-new-community-cases-as-lockdown-decision-looms
Cheers arkie
I’ve found these well-being Twitter threads helpful. This one is about managing lockdown stress including frustration over lockdown not lifting.
https://twitter.com/sarb/status/1431001808848101376?s=21
He’s been writing good pieces for quite some time.
Auckland & Northland still in L4 🙁
I'd settle for a mochachino and a cheese scone right now.
Yes Northland lumped in with Auckland is quite disappointing when you realise that Warkworth is part of the Auckland area not Northland. There are no cases in Northland and the sensible place to hold a border would be Te Hana – with just a short strip to police to stop Aucklanders getting to Mangawhai through the back roads.
If you want people to comply – and they have already loosened up around me here near Whangarei- then realistic borders need to be considered or there will be no respect which means poor compliance.
It may be intended to protect police from the thundering herds of utes n boats heading upnorth.
One is left wondering if there is an undisclosed reason for this …. maybe drug runners and the self excluded Aucklanders.
They did say that Northland won’t always be lumped with Auckland necessarily, only this time.
If people want some of their relative freedoms back, they could start with simple things such as scanning. That will give the officials and authorities the confidence that they can relax the rules.
This is a two-way thing, for our own benefit. Why do people find this so hard to get their heads around?
So a clear why would help to make it understandable… Is the Aucklanders that they say ran to their baches, is it to stop drug running , is it not enough scanning in, is it not enough police to control a north border as well as a south border. What is it ?
The PM said in the 3pm-er that it was because of the case in Warkworth and the concern that people traveling through there could have taken it further north. It is only a few more days to be sure it no make it to paradise.
You can watch it here and inform yourself.
PM explains why Northland joining Auckland at Alert Level 4
https://play.stuff.co.nz/details/_6269727712001 [1 minute and 18 seconds of your time]
The settings for Northland will be reviewed on Monday, as the PM said in the same Press Stand-up.
If we have limited vaccine supply and Auckland has to shoulder this, the nationwide vaccine rollout should be halted forthwith and all vaccines diverted to Auckland for the foreseeable future. 😉
"Auckland has to shoulder this"
No, the whole country is affected. The other MIQ's don't have the issues that Auck. keep having, why?
"limited vaccine supply"
No, the program is romping along, and I'm looking forward to getting my first shot Sept. 10
Sure, we’ve got a world class vaccine rollout …
We sure have, aren't we fortunate we've been served so well.
Nact would have us suffering like the UK at the very least, "free" to kill and maim .
Aren't we 120th in the OECD?
Sure looks good from where I'm sitting, certainly can't see any great advantage gained by the other 119.
If you plant a row of seedlings, no use just looking at one to see how they're all growing.
As of 24th August NZ rate of vaccination for covid placed us 74th. The US was 35th. Countries with small populations in the 10's of thousands can achieve a very high vaccination rate in a very short time because obviously there are fewer people to organise to be vaccinated.
Vaccine supply is not the limiting factor, or at least not the only one.
Lisa Owen can't understand why we can't do everything at once as a madder of extreme urgency.
Lisa Hosking is it? She makes me nauseous, I don't listen to Shitpoint any more.
Lisa Owen's bumptious and sarcastic style has irritated me and many others for several years…
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-25-05-2019/#comment-1620604
Anyone can tell the age of a person by looking at their bonsai, surely..
[link deleted; next time, use an emoji 😀 ]
Well, that comes as a surprise: media personality irritates Morrissey because of her style. Tell us something new, next time.
She's gedding more irridading by the minute Incognido.
I admire your self-awareness. Has the lockdown given you time for introspection and reflection and helped you to internalise a really complicated situation in your head? It is starting to show and pay off.
Have to confess a slight irritation myself – Owen would "love to hear from you", several times an hour apparently. Maybe all those sound-bite public opinions are newsworthy. Who isn't a sucker for instant polls these days – one born every minute?
Fair comment, and thanks.
I think many of us are perhaps a little more irritable than usual.
I can see it in my responses to some comments that really grate me more than usual.
If I were a better person, I’d rise above it …
Cheers. Too late for me, but you're not sunk yet!
Treading water though …
btw, it’s ok to be grumpy😀
Thanks, and it is, but slightly different standards are to be upheld by Authors and Moderators on this site, IMHO.