Thank goodness for online grocery shopping. It means we can stay in the warm, and we will let the delivery person know how grateful we are not to have to venture out into this weather at age 79.
'Young said despite his hopes, even over the past year, not much had changed.
"Unfortunately, there's no evidence of a real improvement.
"There's no evidence of going backwards either.
"We know there's been increasing recognition of the concerns with fresh water systems over the last 10 years or so, and there is a lot of action going on.
"But there's no evidence of an improvement yet, so that suggests more effort and more time required to make those benefits show up."
He said it could take some years if not decades before improvements would be seen.'
Just shows…dont let the nats back…even any fake blue/green ones. Jacquie Dean….
Anyway let their own words speak :
“They’re gone by lunchtime,” the party’s agriculture spokesman David Bennett said in a Facebook Live last night, talking about the water policy.
His leader, Judith Collins, was critical of what she saw as bureaucrats in Wellington making all the rules when it comes to farmers, particularly in Southland.
She was sick of these people “bossing everyone else around”.
The history shows that the primary sector simply keeps taking until there is nothing left. It has only ever been intervention that has stopped the plunder. Every. Single. Time.
This is the evidence and the history.
The primary sector (and their reps the National Party) cannot be trusted.
And Labour does seem to get it…(I could have said finally).
Anyway, I couldnt imagine anyone in the nats saying this?
'Mr Parker told the meeting he had a fondness for Central Otago and the Manuherikia catchment was vitally important to the region’s people.
"This is about everyone coming together to stop the degradation and undo the damage of the past.
"The Manuherikia rises in the Hawkdun ranges and flows through some of New Zealand’s most stunning landscapes that inspired the paintings of Grahame Sydney and the poems of Brian Turner."
The river was under pressure, with water quality declining and over-allocation of water reducing the minimum flow needed for ecological processes, such as providing habitat for wildlife, and for recreational use, he said.'
The Cost of Resistance
by CHRIS HEDGES, Sept. 22, 2020
Two of the rebels I admire most, Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks publisher, and Roger Hallam, the co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, are in jail in Britain. That should not be surprising. You can measure the effectiveness of resistance by the fury of the response. Julian courageously exposed the lies, deceit, war crimes and corruption of the ruling imperial elites. Roger has helped organized the largest acts of mass civil disobedience in British history, shutting down parts of London for weeks, in a bid to wrest power from a ruling class that has done nothing, and will do nothing, to halt the climate emergency and our death march to mass extinction.
The governing elites, when truly threatened, turn the rule of law into farce. Dissent becomes treason. They use the state mechanisms of control – intelligence agencies, police, courts, black propaganda and a compliant press that acts as their echo chamber, along with the jails and prisons, not only to marginalize and isolate rebels, but to
psychologically and physically destroy them. The list of rebels silenced or killed by ruling elites runs in a direct line from Socrates to the Haitian resistance leader Toussaint L'Ouverture, who led the only successful slave revolt in human history and died in a
frigid French prison cell of malnutrition and exhaustion, to the imprisonment of the socialist Eugene V. Debs, whose health was also broken in a federal prison. Rebel leaders from the 1960s, including Mumia Abu Jamal, Sundiata Acoli, Kojo Bomani Sababu, Mutulu Shakur and Leonard Peltier, remain, decades later, in U.S. prisons. Muslim activists, including those who led the charity The Holy Land Foundation and Syed Fahad Hashmi, were arrested, often at the request of Israel, after the hysteria following 9/11, and given tawdry show trials. They also remain incarcerated.
Resistance, genuine resistance, exacts a very, very high price. Those in power drop even the pretense of justice when they face an existential threat. …
It's quite remarkable how the world's corporate media is ignoring the Assange case, and Matt Kennard in this short 10 minute interview outlines some of the measures being taken by the state and the conflicts of interest.
If you get to the end, the result sounds depressingly familiar to many of the social welfare policies and stupendously huge budget allocations of this government including benefit levels, child poverty, Oranga Tamariki, and mental health:
Domestic violence budget line got $320 million in the 2019 budget, and
$250 million in the COVID19 response.
That's over half a billion dollars, with no result.
The biggest attack line Nation should be using against this government is simply this:
Not quite. Hard to tell exactly what has happened there until the documents are released, but lots of conflict between the people wanting transformational, the people resisting that, Logie being given the responsibility but not the authority to act and so on. I'll wait until the documents are released and analysed before forming an opinion on whether the plan was unworkable in reality, or was too radical, or a combination of both. Am really curious to see if the plan doesn't work for Pākehā or how it works was missed.
Reading between the lines, my guess is that Labour will take over the project, water it down and implement something that makes some improvements but fails the agreement of transformation.
It's pretty hard to see a Green MP keeping it that's for sure. Logie was clear that she just didn't have the seniority to effectively push it – a curious admission.
If the Greens get in and want a serious portfolio outside of plants, they could always propose someone for Minister of Social Welfare, and Minister for Children. Clearly the big program changes and big budget moves need more heft at Cabinet beyond budget allocations.
Question is, should they be in the position to ask: if it's beyond Jan Logie, who in the Green caucus would want it?
"Logie was clear that she just didn't have the seniority to effectively push it – a curious admission."
How so? Wouldn't it have been Ardern who decided that she should be an under secretary and thus have limited authority? And hence the oversight from the Labour and NZF Ministers.
"Question is, should they be in the position to ask: if it's beyond Jan Logie, who in the Green caucus would want it?"
I'm not clear yet that it was beyond Logie, as opposed to being a poor set up with substantial conflicts, and then covid.
That's over half a billion dollars, with no result.
The biggest attack line Nation should be using against this government is simply this:
Failure to execute.
Bugger the attack line. That’s for headline writers in MSM, for the Party spin-doctors, for the National Party’s Meme Working Groups on Facebook, and for lazy commenters on SM who want to score easy points. They don’t do anything to help solve problems. Where’s National’s viable and realistic alternative that has been costed (but not by Paora)? Which party has a compelling policy platform to deliver and do anything better?
Has that half a billion dollar been all spent? Has it absolutely nothing to show for it? Where has it gone? Should we expect quick and easy solutions?
The Stuff article is in-depth and nuanced and it goes into much background context. It would be great if the author could follow up with an analysis of National Party policy to tackle family violence in Aotearoa-New Zealand. As far as I can tell, National is framing it as a Law & Order issue and treats it like it treats crime instead of approaching it as a social-cultural issue. They are bloody dinosaurs when it comes to complex social inequalities and inequities. In fact, their outmoded thinking has no place in Government.
Nope. This is where the government is held to account.
If I wanted to do the National Party social welfare policy, I would. As would Stuff.
It always amazes me how the tiniest piece of criticism of the Greens requires a wall of self-righteous defence, no matter how irrational.
It's an election: that time where you evaluate performance, to help figure out if parties are worth another go or not.
Whereas Labour and NZF Ministers take it on the chin. They reform, or they get fired, or they get their funding taken. Even Shane Jones figured that out.
Seriously if the Greens can't figure out how to get critiqued and improve, and on as easy a topic as domestic violence, rather than ranting with rhetorical questions and doing another turn of Whataboutthemism, then maybe politics just isn't for them.
Referring to the “biggest attack line Nation [sic] should be using against this government” is engaging in attack and negative antagonistic opposition, not holding the Government to account. Personally, I think this is mind-numbingly stupid 🙁
In an election campaign, Parties present their policies and engage in a contest of ideas. If you want to suggest an attack line to and for National to attack this Coalition Government with then you should at least mention the other side of the coin too.
It's an election: that time where you evaluate performance, to help figure out if parties are worth another go or not.
There you go. If they (as in Labour, NZF, and the Greens) are not worth another go then we need to look at and know Plan B, don’t we? This is not holding the Government to account but really about making choices (i.e. electing) for the next one.
If you insist on framing this as a criticism of the Greens per se then knock yourself out with that. I did not take it as such from the Stuff article nor from your comment @ 6 and to me it comes across as unnecessary needling of Green Party supporters on this site but hey, whatever floats your boat 🙂 However, if you think my comment @ 6.3 was intended as a defence of the Greens, in general or against you, then you need to take remedial reading lessons ASAP.
I rather liked the National leader's attack on Jacinda about looking out for the poorest. Though she should have out-skirted her. Anyone who thinks on the social democratic side despise this govt for talking but not doing for the neediest.
Domestic/family violence, ACC settlement compensation for sexual assaults, settlement compensation of abuse (sexual, physical and psychological) in state or religious faith based care, this is all a priority. The cost is enormous and a timely response is required so as to not re abuse the claimant.
Housing to go to and be safe is imited, so is no cost counselling and addiction services and legal services may also be required. Clients accessing a service or several services, advocates who know what they are doing are required.
Children who are exposed to poverty and any form of abuse and violence also require the appropriate intervention, care or service.
Those already in the system, the system is failing many.
I have had to do this link in long hand. It is an example of how sick ACC legislation is for an historical childhood sexual assault case. I was aware of this.
Out dated unfit for purpose legislation which disadvantages children who were sexually assaulted prior to their 18th birthday because they did not make a complaint or did not seek treatment for their injury.
National had been trying to push a more gentle side to Collins. They know they can't out-kindness Labour's Jacinda Ardern, but they thought a few soft Labour voters could be tempted back to supporting National if Collins could only smooth off some of those sharp corners.
I think Collins scrapped that strategy about 7.36pm on Tuesday evening. Throughout the debate, she steadily brought back the snark. She had the Muldoon grin going and was peacocking in the post-debate interviews.
He captured the left/right banality thing nicely in a couple of sentences:
There was no blue sky thinking. The debate perfectly exposed Labour and National's total lack of courageous policy when it comes to addressing some of our biggest issues.
So 44% definitely would, plus 32% likely makes three-quarters of the nation willing to sacrifice themselves as guinea pigs in the cause of science & public health.
Definitely not comes in at 10%, but with another 11% unlikely, we have one person in five willing to gamble on nature alone.
Nature? Everything with humans is perception – the prejudiced's 'idea' of nature is what they pay attention to plus their idea of them being exceptional and anyone who disagrees is part of a giant conspiracy against the 'sensitives' or'more informed'.
Personally have no problem taking a vaccination for it, but would quietly prefer if it was a year or two after released for other people, given how fast it will hopefully come through compared to other medicinal.
Just so I can see if people taking it start growing an extra arm, having fits, or their bits fall off etc (joke, but would prefer a larger testing sample)
sacrifice themselves as guinea pigs in the cause of science & public health.
Nope. The people who do that are the ones who participate in the clinical trials. Getting a vaccine post-trial is lower-risk than waiting to catch the disease.
That is an excellent article. Collins claiming to speak on behalf of 'farmers' is just not true. Federated Farmers are a lobby group but Fonterra and all those other companies are the business leaders in rural NZ, and they are looking forward not back.
Yip if your the ag minister forget about the fed farmers, talk to the CEOs of Fonterra ,Silver fern farms and alliance,they have the power to drive change., probably wasting your time with the talley owned affco though.
Well spotted Robert. Thanks. If only some of the non-laggard could get a platform to explain their forward momentum. As for the destructive Collins and Federated Farmers, expose the blighters!
As with farming and water standards, it shows the difference between working with business who want to move forward and pandering to backward-looking, loud lobby groups, whether fringe farmers or bad landlords.
If you read the article, it is very clear that changes implemented now can have a huge lag in their impact, i.e. improving water quality. Similarly, much crap, literally, is working its way through the ecosystem, which means we could see things actually getting worse, because of past polluting behaviours, despite our (best?) efforts at present. This is a problem with setting policy and selling it to stakeholders and the general public in order to get it initiated and actioned but then to keep following up and persevering over a prolonged period of time. The further out the ‘reward’ the less one can rely on the ‘instant gratification’ mechanism of people to comply. If this is not acknowledged and communicated clearly and properly from the outset then these policies will lack the required resilience to be sustainable in the long-term and they end up being ineffective. A further consequence is that they could end up being counter-productive because they could (be used to) turn public and political ‘sentiment’ against future efforts to make meaningful changes. It is the proverbial one-step-forward-two-steps-backward scenario.
If this is not acknowledged and communicated clearly and properly from the outset then these policies will lack the required resilience to be sustainable in the long-term and they end up being ineffective.
Quite specifically, we'd have National get in power, point to reports like this, say that its not working and drop them all. And thing's would just get worse.
Quite specifically, we’d have National get in power, point to reports like this, say that its not working and drop them all. And thing’s would just get worse. [my italics]
We watched these rivers being degraded in our lifetimes, and it is reasonable to expect that they be restored within the same period, however inconvenient that might be for politicians who prefer not to act meaningfully, if they must act at all. If we wait, and let these lazy troughers get away with doing nothing, nothing is all we will have to show for it. One would expect that significant risks to ecosystem health would stimulate prudent and timely responses. Experience teaches us otherwise.
It's often only a matter of a bit of planting and some aeration to speed up breakdown of organics and prevent rivers going anaerobic.
We are headed for a collision with the consequences of our environmental delinquency – and to avoid collisions you take early and substantial action. Does “hard and early” ring a bell?
We don't have time to 'fluff' about, the kinds of change that made Oz's fire season are still rolling along. Likely we'll need to make substantial changes to farming, fishing, and water supply, with a sporting chance of needing to accommodate or support Pacific climate refugees in place.
This is not the time to go demonstrating the fungibility of neolib 'policy' in hopes of a few donations.
Early & substantial action is from navigation – but the parallel holds. If an intervention is warranted, it is more effective to intervene earlier rather than later. Same holds with ecology – the best time to plant trees was ten years ago – now is only second best.
Frittering away our time with bullshit gameplaying is a luxury more suited to the halcyon days before the anthropocene got the bit between its teeth. When Parker set a nitrate level eight times higher than China's, he should have accompanied it with his resignation – since he had decided not to do his job.
Except if there's a delayed response between input and measurement, you end up "chasing the gauges" (a flight control term), overcorrecting each time, and pile into the ground.
Not to mention the fact that no policy should be considered in isolation. That's why the government had a good covid response, but didn't follow every single MoH recommendation to the letter.
I mean, we could just shoot hundreds of thousands of cows to help solve the problem, but that would have unexpected [figurative] downstream effects on society in the regions.
Well there's certainly no danger of an overshoot at the levels Parker set. Cancer, and infant deaths maybe, but no overreaction.
We are so privileged to live under a government so backward it promises generational change so slow it cannot even be measured. At which point there is no reason to assume that there is any change contemplated at all – which would be par for the course from these career neolibs.
I don’t think anyone was calling for mass culling of cattle – though moving some to other catchments might be appropriate if they blow nitrate levels out – bit of a straw man really.
Perhaps we can worry about over correction somewhat after there is evidence that there has been any correction at all.
You know what? We are privileged/lucky to have this government. Look around the world. Yes, things need improving, in so many areas. But by and large this government is doing pretty bloody well. I'm not going to gnash my teeth and demand resignations just because I think I could run things better.
They are not doing well on freshwater – or Mike Joy & Dr Death wouldn't be condemning their actions.
They have done well on Covid, but there are a lot of other issues. This is one that they have handled particularly badly, and polling has consistently shown rivers to be the public's leading environmental concern.
They need to be reminded of this by ordinary members of the public, because the current opposition is not fit for the purpose.
demand resignations just because I think I could run things better
Setting nitrate levels eight times higher than the WHO recommendations doesn't seem prudent to me. And I suspect Parker is not sufficiently expert to rebut them on any objective grounds.
I think that nobody really knew what ‘hard and early’ meant in reality but people dropping like flies in Lombardy and Wuhan was a good incentive to doing something. That sense of immediacy is missing from water quality or anything environmental for that matter with the possible exception of the measures to prevent the spreading of Kauri disease.
It's a general principle for some kinds of response, but of course the unique circumstances of each required intervention are very different. I imagine historians of futurity, if we have one, will have a task explaining to students quite how difficult it was to make such a decision over Covid, with political consequences on one side, and public health on the other, even with the relatively abundant examples (compared to those other countries had when they were forced to choose) at our disposal.
There have been a number of expositions of NZ's level process, and the clarity it generated for the public, when health services were, behind the scenes, in a state of flux as they conformed to meet a threat for which they had few treatment options. The verdict has been very positive, with minor errors like the stance on masking, and some frankly odd attitudes among testing authorities noted, but not diluting the overall positive perception and the compliance it generated contributing to the strong result.
A hard and early response to water quality would mean different things in different catchments, with restrictions likely in oversubscribed and rapidly nitrifying areas like south Canterbury. But it need not be introduced in a draconian fashion, it can be phased in over a reasonable period as it is expected is happening with emissions, allowing farmers time to weigh mitigation options, or possibly limit some types of intensification on a regional or catchment basis.
What it should not have done was to allow lobbying to get across the objective part of regulations – the nitrate levels, because these are set on a physiological basis, and, like any other physical constants, they do not make allowances for the human capacity for self or habitat destruction.
As has been noted elsewhere, the standard broadly adopted internationally, 1mg/l, will become a customer expectation, and willing or not, NZ farmers will be obliged to meet it, or suffer a price and a reputational loss in the market.
Better then to lay that out clearly at the beginning, and put efforts into supporting the transition, than to prop up a poor standard that will ultimately need to be revised, but will still incur the price and reputational and ecological and public health cost.
I agree with all that. My point is that for many (but not all!) people there’s no greater motivator than death knocking on your door at any moment. People are also scared shitless of stuff they don’t understand such as a killer virus, just think of the many Hollywood movies featuring runaway viruses and diseases decimating the human population and turning survivors into monstrous zombies. Turds floating in rivers or streams just don’t have the same impact on people’s minds and behaviours.
The idea of Covid testing before getting on a flight has often been suggested as a means of improving border control. Dubai in the UAE already requires it. One of our latest cases detected in managed isolation had transited through Dubai, so would have required a clean test before being allowed on that flight.
Which illustrates the point: pre-flight screening would do nothing to change what needs to be done on the ground here, and just adds another layer of complexity and expense to the whole border control situation.
One person arrived on a flight from Germany on 21 September via the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia.
All passengers travelling to Dubai from any destination, including passengers connecting in Dubai, must have a printed negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate to be accepted on the flight.
The test must be taken a maximum of 96 hours before departure.
The certificate must be for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Other test certificates including antibody tests and home testing kits are not accepted in Dubai.
Bring an official, printed certificate to check-in – SMS and digital certificates are not accepted. Without a printed negative test certificate, you will not be accepted on the flight.
Yes, but extra the testing probably isn't there to protect the people but as another form of profit making. Because you can be sure that it will be private enterprise that's doing it and, if National get in and puts in place legislation requiring such testing before coming to NZ then you can be sure that they will require testing on the way out and they will have private enterprise doing it.
Its the same for many uneconomic actions that exist in society. They produce more profit and more jobs and so getting rid of them then becomes impracticable, as far as the capitalists and government are concerned, to remove them.
Probably already exists. After all, even laser printers are cheap these days and its not as if such a business would need a commercial grade printer capable of printing hundreds of thousands a day.
As I say above, such requirements are there just for the profit opportunities that it generates.
Family member travelling back from UK soon. She is required to take a test 3 days prior to departure she’s flying Etihad. She quite worried about being able to get the test done and completed on time as UK cases surge. Adding a lot of stress for her as she tried to get home in March and flight canceled. She is unwell so not at all easy.
I understand the rationale for the pre flight tests and it may help passengers like who stay safe, but as we all know it’s no guarantee passengers are covid free.
good to see the likes of the conservative party and regress NZ party showing up in polls. want to see them get another 2 or 3 % of votes yet. that way when combined with TOP and NZF it will guarantee a Labour lead govt even if the greens don't make it in. I wonder if conservative voters realise that as things stand every 1 out of 2 conservative votes will go to Labour
apparentley not all is well in the conspiracy party (advance,nzpp). many of their members and candidates are walking away in disgust. splitters! hah!so the judean peoples front and the peoples front of judeah cant agree. , many of the tin hit brigade are yet again, wandering in the wilderness, looking for another conspiracy.
Will Billy's nose-pokey-outey refusal to mask-up properly on board Flight 666 to Nowhere endear him to his flock of flockers, or will they see through his charade and shift their voting preference to the Eminently More Sensible "New Conservatives"???
think some will follow brian,sorry, billy all the way down the rabid hole, some will drift off to new cons, some to maori party, most will probably not vote cause its just a government plot to harvest and store their dna!
Hate speech. Labors new law they'd propose to govern hate speech. Where can i find info on exactly what it will be that the labor government might propose?. This proposal is a bit worrying, i feel. Will freedom of speech be soon to be deemed to be hate speech. Will it?. How will labor intend to decide?. Will it be soon to become hate speech for Dennis Gates to be saying what he does in this following article https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/09/top-lawyer-compares-gloriavale-s-leadership-to-islamic-state.html
I'm certainly interested to see some sort of rock solid detail before i make my decision up on who i'd vote for.
Yeah i agree that certain limits should apply. But how would we decide what limits would allow. And who would decide. And how can we make sure that these limits wouldn't suppress discussion what should need to take place, even if somebody might interpret this discussion as being hateful. The way like what i suspect that some gloriavale citizen might interpret Dennis Gates opinion to be. I hope that labor government might enter into discussion about this subject more before final date of election. Citizen should have a right to know. Hopefully the other parties might begin to push labor into discussing this matter more
And how can we make sure that these limits wouldn't suppress discussion what should need to take place, even if somebody might interpret this discussion as being hateful.
Ask a linguist or three?
The way like what i suspect that some gloriavale citizen might interpret Dennis Gates opinion to be.
I figure that he's pointing out similarities and if they don't like that then their only option is to become better.
But the most important point is that he's not actually stirring up hatred against them.
Yeah. Hate speech. We should be free to spout hate, whenever, wherever. I too am concerned that Big Government is anti-hate! Give hate a chance, I say! #sarc
Sarc can have its place. But hey, its a reasonable question to think about. At what point should freedom of speech be deemed to be hate speech. How would you decide. And who should be the one who'd get to decide. Can you actually provide an answer to those question?. Or is sarc about all you'd be able to come up with. I'd love to see you answer
That's interesting Incognito. I'm fairly certain i saw Jacinda promising that she would intend to strengthen hate speech law if Labor government is re-elected . I'm not exactly sure what she had meant by this. Perhaps it might just be to strengthen law against inciting hate speech what could lead to acts of violence. Which i feel would be fair enough. But exactly what her intention would be, i really don't know
Is there deliberate creation of confusion and misinformation employed when using terms like 'hate speech' to create an assumption that freedom of speech under the Bill of Rights is being taken away?
It's election time and a newer 'falsehood' is thrown out there fuelled by Seymour.
There is NO current new law Labour is passing. Since 2019 a review has been underway, scheduled since 2018. There is an outdated set of laws needing inspection and people's rights to be safe need strengthening.
The Justice Ministry has looked at relevant aspects of laws that already exist – the Human Rights Act, the Harmful Digital Communications Act, and sections of the Crimes Act to see what laws may need to be changed or added. A REVIEW by the Human Rights has been underway, including Section61 constructed some years back to see if it is fit for purpose; particularly needed with the fast paced development of social media and the current section61 not protecting all people.
Seymour last Friday, took words from Jacinda's mouth, invented a sinister twist omitting any fuller information on the day. Jacinda was unveiling the plaque at the mosque on Friday. It wasn't coincidental timing, there is no " hate speech" NEW law per say. Seymour was playing to ignorance of the existing laws and unfounded fears.
" By law in the Bill of Rights Act, everyone in New Zealand has the right to freedom of expression, including the "freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form".
IMO Seymour is rallying to a hard core of haters having choosen that day specifically as JA spent time with Muslim victims. The timing of Seymour's rant was despicable as he drew the media and public attention away from NZers and the Muslim community commemorating victims of a massacre.
What the public are now led to assume in advance of an election from Seymour's release is that your freedoms are being denied. The exact fear effect ACT was hoping to instil has been uptaken. MSM happily disseminated this also in a shallow, click bait way.
" Existing law makes no explicit reference to hate speech, but under Section 61 of the Human Rights Act, it’s unlawful to broadcast, publish or distribute material that is “threatening, abusive or insulting” and “likely to excite hostility against, or bring into contempt, any group of persons in New Zealand on the ground of colour, race, or ethnic or national origins”. The Christchurch shooter under this law could arguably say what he liked about "Islam" or gays, or any disabled person he likes in any manner.
Under current law, unjustly so, there are vulnerable groups NOT protected. What was being reviewed as mentioned by Jacinda was that the current law does NOT give protection from hate that incites 'hostility' towards people in categories of genderidentity, sexualorientation, religion or disability.
The Human Rights Commission review was, as mentioned, not only to look at lack of all vulnerable person's protections but to see if that older law needed changes to encompass modern developments.
The HR review tribunal consultations etc. were put on hold with Covid19 's emergence; Andrew Little believes those findings when completed should be dealt with post election as an issue for the new parliament. Rightly so.
Facebook's stance had rules updated in 2018, New Zealand has not updated with the times.
" Facebook, which recently adopted stricter controls on what users can post online, uses more specific criteria. Its policy targets direct attacks on people’s “protected characteristics” such as race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, serious disability or disease."
Janet Anderson-Bidois, the HR commission’s chief legal adviser has talked of the confusion of people around issues , confusing hate speech with hate crime and freedom of expression just as Seymour has done with his deliberate misinformation mash up.
"Anderson-Bidois insists that the commission isn’t bent on rewriting the laws governing hate speech. All it’s doing, she says, is suggesting they should be reviewed to ensure they’re still “fit for purpose" …
"New Zealand has become culturally far more diverse since the Human Rights Act was passed and the internet was then still in its infancy. Anomalieshavearisen, she says."
"Of course freedom of speech comes into it, “but with rights come responsibilities. Peoplealsohavea right to be safe. "
A person's right to exercising free speech, even if extremely offensive, is still upheld by NZ law. An example of this was the Human Rights Commission not ruling in favour of Louisa Wall's case she brought over racist cartoons published by Fairfax. In other words the cartoonist's right to freedom of expression were upheld not Wall's feelings of taking offence.
Unlike Seymour's supposition on his FB page, ideas can still be freely attacked and even offensive opinion expressed.
The HRC review will also hopefully bring clarity in helping " to distinguish attacks on people from attacks on ideas and beliefs?"
In 2018 Labour’s Duncan Webb, who was a lawyer and legal academic before entering Parliament, "
says he’s acutely aware of the tension between freedom of expression and hate speech, but he doesn’t think the free-speech defence can be applied in cases where speech is calculated to injure or terrorise people."…
" But there’s a real danger of confusing honestly held opinion with attacks on people, and by lumping it all into this category of hate speech they conflate targeted speech, aimed at destroying or bullying people, with honest expression of opinion.”
There is a scenario to help illustrate when a line is crossed, the difference between hate speech and free speech in the Listener at the time of Lauren Southern's and Stefan Molyneux's NZ visit.
" Wellington business consultant Dave Moskovitz brought a touch of levity to the proceedings, describing himself as a “walking bullseye” for purveyors of hate speech: “middle aged, Pākehā, cis, hetero, male, geek, property owner, investor, company director, immigrant, American, religious, Jew, and – wait for it – Zionist”.
But the tone turned serious when Moskovitz told of a New Zealand white nationalist blogger who published an online guide to “Zionists in your neighbourhood” and included a photo of Moskovitz’s house. The blogger went on to say that Jews were a slap in the face to the human race and were not welcome in this country.
Moskovitz said the same man later said in a newspaper interview that Jews should have been exterminated – “and that’s where the line was crossed. Saying you do not like a group of people, while repugnant, is exercising free speech. Implying that they should all have been killed is quite another thing. That borders on incitement.”
Currently the hate speech laws in New Zealand make it illegal to "excite hostility against or bring into contempt any group of persons … on the ground of the colour, race, or ethnic or national origins".
But that protection doesn't extend to gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or disability.
"I think everyone would agree no one should be discriminated against for their religion," Ardern said.
Ooooh, give him a few favourable polls and Rimmer starts getting all coq-y. He better be careful. If he gets too mouthy, that cuppa tea in Remmers might not happen next time he needs it.
Im really looking forward to the new parliament. with act's very chequered history of having m.p.s resign in disgrace, not resigning but staying in disgrace, commiting fraud, going to jail etc, as well as having general sc*mbags as m.p.s. seymour will be busy holding hands, putting ot fires, etc. wonder who the first act m.p. will be that carries on this proud tradition.
"Alongside National, the poll's other casualty is New Zealand First. It's on 1.9 percent down 0.1 points. Despite leader Winston Peters' best attention grabs, NZ First is goneburger."
Always revealing to see the difference between hype and reality.
"Advance", the anti-lockdown mob. No support whatsoever. Maybe their rants shouldn't be headline news, given they represent fewer people than the NZ underwater hockey community.
"Immigration New Zealand says three German yachties treated New Zealand's Covid 19 laws with contempt and have to face the consequences of their actions."
I don't get it with these claims that the cyclone season is such a hazard to be feared. It appears that even during an El Nino season, Tahiti and northwest from there are very low risk, possibly lower risk than New Zealand.
For the coming summer, it appears most likely that it will be La Nina or slightly less likely neutral, with only a very low probability of El Nino conditions.
Allegedly they were last at Taiohae, which is well to the northeast of Tahiti and even further out of the way of likely cyclone tracks, as far as I can tell.
Dead right. There are normally plenty of E.U. yachts that spend the summer cyclone season in French Polynesia on the way west and many that are based there for years. In a La Nina, French Poly is probably safer than NZ as cyclones are more common further west and with climate change more are spinning off down NZs way. I think the yachtie outrage thing is overblown MSM nonsense and most yachties originally intending to keep going will just spend a lovely time floating around in the tropics instead. The MoH has made the right decision to exclude non NZ yachts. If they can be allowed to get in, what about the rest of the Pacific islands? Living in a home built vale is not much fun with a cyclone bearing down!
CEO Shaun Maloney says Seequent’s software solutions are being used on hundreds of projects around the world to enable a clear view of groundwater and contaminants. “Users such as the Water Replenishment District, the largest groundwater agency in the state of California, can readily communicate to end clients, regulators, and the general public with 3D models of groundwater systems and contaminated sites in a fully auditable data-driven approach across the entire lifecycle of site management."
Sure hope NZTE is finding ways to support these guys.
The National Part’s agricultural policy will pacify the angriest of Federated Farmers’ members who believe townies and the Labour-led government are trying to drive them out of business. Or to”oblivion,” as Judith Collins, party leader, said as she launched the policy on the campaign trail on Thursday.
But the policy will dismay any farmer, processor or marketer who knows what’s going on out in the real world where our food is sold. Out there, the best of our competitors are working hard and fast to make farming and food deeply sustainable. They are intently focused on revolutionising their businesses to meet the demands of consumers and the environment.
But all National knows is how to cut regulations. So if a National-led government simply fiddled with farming, our competitors would delight in telling their customers, from individuals to huge supermarket chains, how superior their practices and products were to ours.
Plamondon expected laws drafted in anticipation of recreational cannabis being legal would eventually change to allow cheaper, imported products.
He said New Zealand was his company’s first export target market…
A Nelson-based medical cannabis firm, Medical Kiwi has already sold its first two years of production to Hektares, a global player in the medical cannabis industry, equating to $30 million for 2021, and $60 million in 2022.
It recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $2 million to get production underway in Christchurch and help fund its Nelson development and technology purchases.
Co-founder and chair, Aldo Miccio, said Plamondon’s statement was interesting, especially around Thai product being potentially a tenth of the cost of New Zealand cannabis.
“There are reasonably good margins involved – which is why a lot of people are investing, but we aim with our pricing to be way cheaper than products imported at the moment.”
Miccio said cannabis grown outdoors, such as that at grown at tropical altitudes in Thailand was certainly cheaper to produce, but only indoor-grown product would pass the scrutiny of pharmaceutical standards.
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 28 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
As a young gymnast, Aimee Didierjean was always conscious of making sure her underwear wasn’t showing on the competition floor. A peek of a bra strap, or briefs if a leotard rode up, would cost a gymnast points in her routines. “When I was growing and going through puberty, it ...
Jubi/West Papua Daily Repeated cases of Indonesian military (TNI) soldiers torturing civilians in Papua have been evident, as seen in the viral video depicting the torture of civilians in the Puncak Regency allegedly done by soldiers of Raider 300/Brajawijaya Infantry Battalion. There is a pressing need for stringent law enforcement ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In 2023, Anthony Albanese was shooting for the moon, his eyes on the Voice referendum. On one view, he looked like the idealist reflecting his left-wing roots. In 2024, we’re seeing a pragmatic, determined, ...
The House - The principle that all MPs are honourable and that they should be taken at their word has been tested multiple times this week in Parliament. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Dickinson, Professor, Public Service Research, UNSW Sydney Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Since the review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) released its recommendations in December, there has been a series of Town Hall events to discuss them around the country ...
Asia Pacific Report Two of the global Freedom Flotilla ships are being prepared in Turkey and almost ready for the upcoming humanitarian mission to Gaza. It is expected that the flotilla will include a New Zealand medical team. Kia Ora Gaza is a member of the international Freedom Flotilla Coalition ...
Thank goodness for online grocery shopping. It means we can stay in the warm, and we will let the delivery person know how grateful we are not to have to venture out into this weather at age 79.
Even after 10 Years…
'Young said despite his hopes, even over the past year, not much had changed.
"Unfortunately, there's no evidence of a real improvement.
"There's no evidence of going backwards either.
"We know there's been increasing recognition of the concerns with fresh water systems over the last 10 years or so, and there is a lot of action going on.
"But there's no evidence of an improvement yet, so that suggests more effort and more time required to make those benefits show up."
He said it could take some years if not decades before improvements would be seen.'
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/427008/water-quality-of-rivers-and-streams-not-improving-study-shows
Just shows…dont let the nats back…even any fake blue/green ones. Jacquie Dean….
Anyway let their own words speak :
“They’re gone by lunchtime,” the party’s agriculture spokesman David Bennett said in a Facebook Live last night, talking about the water policy.
His leader, Judith Collins, was critical of what she saw as bureaucrats in Wellington making all the rules when it comes to farmers, particularly in Southland.
She was sick of these people “bossing everyone else around”.
“We should just boss out those regulations.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12359810
(And yes I do note Urban Streams too…: (
National's attitude to clean water is simply disgusting.
https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/l/f/i/z/s/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.1240×700.1lfi0o.png/1504501119377.jpg
Hmmm…that definitely needed an Advisory heads up : )
Look at the evidence.
The history shows that the primary sector simply keeps taking until there is nothing left. It has only ever been intervention that has stopped the plunder. Every. Single. Time.
This is the evidence and the history.
The primary sector (and their reps the National Party) cannot be trusted.
And Labour does seem to get it…(I could have said finally).
Anyway, I couldnt imagine anyone in the nats saying this?
'Mr Parker told the meeting he had a fondness for Central Otago and the Manuherikia catchment was vitally important to the region’s people.
"This is about everyone coming together to stop the degradation and undo the damage of the past.
"The Manuherikia rises in the Hawkdun ranges and flows through some of New Zealand’s most stunning landscapes that inspired the paintings of Grahame Sydney and the poems of Brian Turner."
The river was under pressure, with water quality declining and over-allocation of water reducing the minimum flow needed for ecological processes, such as providing habitat for wildlife, and for recreational use, he said.'
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/central-otago/funding-boost-manuherikia-river-work
I still think Labour needs the Greens…to remind
The Cost of Resistance
by CHRIS HEDGES, Sept. 22, 2020
Two of the rebels I admire most, Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks publisher, and Roger Hallam, the co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, are in jail in Britain. That should not be surprising. You can measure the effectiveness of resistance by the fury of the response. Julian courageously exposed the lies, deceit, war crimes and corruption of the ruling imperial elites. Roger has helped organized the largest acts of mass civil disobedience in British history, shutting down parts of London for weeks, in a bid to wrest power from a ruling class that has done nothing, and will do nothing, to halt the climate emergency and our death march to mass extinction.
The governing elites, when truly threatened, turn the rule of law into farce. Dissent becomes treason. They use the state mechanisms of control – intelligence agencies, police, courts, black propaganda and a compliant press that acts as their echo chamber, along with the jails and prisons, not only to marginalize and isolate rebels, but to
psychologically and physically destroy them. The list of rebels silenced or killed by ruling elites runs in a direct line from Socrates to the Haitian resistance leader Toussaint L'Ouverture, who led the only successful slave revolt in human history and died in a
frigid French prison cell of malnutrition and exhaustion, to the imprisonment of the socialist Eugene V. Debs, whose health was also broken in a federal prison. Rebel leaders from the 1960s, including Mumia Abu Jamal, Sundiata Acoli, Kojo Bomani Sababu, Mutulu Shakur and Leonard Peltier, remain, decades later, in U.S. prisons. Muslim activists, including those who led the charity The Holy Land Foundation and Syed Fahad Hashmi, were arrested, often at the request of Israel, after the hysteria following 9/11, and given tawdry show trials. They also remain incarcerated.
Resistance, genuine resistance, exacts a very, very high price. Those in power drop even the pretense of justice when they face an existential threat. …
Read more…
https://scheerpost.com/2020/09/22/chris-hedges-the-cost-of-resistance/
Thank you Morrissey.
A really interesting article.
It's quite remarkable how the world's corporate media is ignoring the Assange case, and Matt Kennard in this short 10 minute interview outlines some of the measures being taken by the state and the conflicts of interest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVWJbHcVXcA
A very articulate man
thanks AJ
He expresses the whole bizarre nightmarish scenario so well
It is entirely predictable how the world's corporate media is ignoring the Assange case.
You just have to look at who owns them.
https://www.webfx.com/blog/internet/the-6-companies-that-own-almost-all-media-infographic/
"In fact, the milquetoast offerings of National are a window into their soul – and it is disappointing viewing."
Milquetoast indeed but said with aggression and steely eyes beneath lowered eyebrows sound so credible.
Link please, Robert!
https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/4/y/n/z/f/8/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.1240×700.215ynv.png/1601125780112.jpg?format=pjpg&optimize=medium
haha
Really interesting self-acknowledged failure from Green MP jan Logie here on her delegated field of domestic violence:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300116850/strategy-to-transform-family-violence-written-off-as-too-mori
If you get to the end, the result sounds depressingly familiar to many of the social welfare policies and stupendously huge budget allocations of this government including benefit levels, child poverty, Oranga Tamariki, and mental health:
Domestic violence budget line got $320 million in the 2019 budget, and
$250 million in the COVID19 response.
That's over half a billion dollars, with no result.
The biggest attack line Nation should be using against this government is simply this:
Failure to execute.
Not quite. Hard to tell exactly what has happened there until the documents are released, but lots of conflict between the people wanting transformational, the people resisting that, Logie being given the responsibility but not the authority to act and so on. I'll wait until the documents are released and analysed before forming an opinion on whether the plan was unworkable in reality, or was too radical, or a combination of both. Am really curious to see if the plan doesn't work for Pākehā or how it works was missed.
Reading between the lines, my guess is that Labour will take over the project, water it down and implement something that makes some improvements but fails the agreement of transformation.
It's pretty hard to see a Green MP keeping it that's for sure. Logie was clear that she just didn't have the seniority to effectively push it – a curious admission.
If the Greens get in and want a serious portfolio outside of plants, they could always propose someone for Minister of Social Welfare, and Minister for Children. Clearly the big program changes and big budget moves need more heft at Cabinet beyond budget allocations.
Question is, should they be in the position to ask: if it's beyond Jan Logie, who in the Green caucus would want it?
"Logie was clear that she just didn't have the seniority to effectively push it – a curious admission."
How so? Wouldn't it have been Ardern who decided that she should be an under secretary and thus have limited authority? And hence the oversight from the Labour and NZF Ministers.
"Question is, should they be in the position to ask: if it's beyond Jan Logie, who in the Green caucus would want it?"
I'm not clear yet that it was beyond Logie, as opposed to being a poor set up with substantial conflicts, and then covid.
The admission was in the article provided.
why is it curious?
Winston vetoed any cabinet positions for Greens.
Hard to tell if Ad is blaming Logie for that 😉
Somehow I can sense Winston's sticky little fjngers in this mess
Because that's easier than holding your own party responsible for their own work.
Bugger the attack line. That’s for headline writers in MSM, for the Party spin-doctors, for the National Party’s Meme Working Groups on Facebook, and for lazy commenters on SM who want to score easy points. They don’t do anything to help solve problems. Where’s National’s viable and realistic alternative that has been costed (but not by Paora)? Which party has a compelling policy platform to deliver and do anything better?
Has that half a billion dollar been all spent? Has it absolutely nothing to show for it? Where has it gone? Should we expect quick and easy solutions?
The Stuff article is in-depth and nuanced and it goes into much background context. It would be great if the author could follow up with an analysis of National Party policy to tackle family violence in Aotearoa-New Zealand. As far as I can tell, National is framing it as a Law & Order issue and treats it like it treats crime instead of approaching it as a social-cultural issue. They are bloody dinosaurs when it comes to complex social inequalities and inequities. In fact, their outmoded thinking has no place in Government.
Nope. This is where the government is held to account.
If I wanted to do the National Party social welfare policy, I would. As would Stuff.
It always amazes me how the tiniest piece of criticism of the Greens requires a wall of self-righteous defence, no matter how irrational.
It's an election: that time where you evaluate performance, to help figure out if parties are worth another go or not.
Whereas Labour and NZF Ministers take it on the chin. They reform, or they get fired, or they get their funding taken. Even Shane Jones figured that out.
Seriously if the Greens can't figure out how to get critiqued and improve, and on as easy a topic as domestic violence, rather than ranting with rhetorical questions and doing another turn of Whataboutthemism, then maybe politics just isn't for them.
Bollocks!
Referring to the “biggest attack line Nation [sic] should be using against this government” is engaging in attack and negative antagonistic opposition, not holding the Government to account. Personally, I think this is mind-numbingly stupid 🙁
In an election campaign, Parties present their policies and engage in a contest of ideas. If you want to suggest an attack line to and for National to attack this Coalition Government with then you should at least mention the other side of the coin too.
There you go. If they (as in Labour, NZF, and the Greens) are not worth another go then we need to look at and know Plan B, don’t we? This is not holding the Government to account but really about making choices (i.e. electing) for the next one.
If you insist on framing this as a criticism of the Greens per se then knock yourself out with that. I did not take it as such from the Stuff article nor from your comment @ 6 and to me it comes across as unnecessary needling of Green Party supporters on this site but hey, whatever floats your boat 🙂 However, if you think my comment @ 6.3 was intended as a defence of the Greens, in general or against you, then you need to take remedial reading lessons ASAP.
I hope you’re enjoying watching the MMA.
I rather liked the National leader's attack on Jacinda about looking out for the poorest. Though she should have out-skirted her. Anyone who thinks on the social democratic side despise this govt for talking but not doing for the neediest.
Domestic/family violence, ACC settlement compensation for sexual assaults, settlement compensation of abuse (sexual, physical and psychological) in state or religious faith based care, this is all a priority. The cost is enormous and a timely response is required so as to not re abuse the claimant.
Housing to go to and be safe is imited, so is no cost counselling and addiction services and legal services may also be required. Clients accessing a service or several services, advocates who know what they are doing are required.
Children who are exposed to poverty and any form of abuse and violence also require the appropriate intervention, care or service.
Those already in the system, the system is failing many.
I have had to do this link in long hand. It is an example of how sick ACC legislation is for an historical childhood sexual assault case. I was aware of this.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/dreadful-acc-loophole-preventing-child-sexual-abuse-victims-qualifying-weekly-compensation
Out dated unfit for purpose legislation which disadvantages children who were sexually assaulted prior to their 18th birthday because they did not make a complaint or did not seek treatment for their injury.
Watched the Q&A this morning. What a pity Jack didn't get to be the one to ask his quality questions in the Leaders Debate.
Focussed questions versus Woolley questions.
He seems to have developed an aversion to bland: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12368210
He captured the left/right banality thing nicely in a couple of sentences:
The Centre doesn't have courageous policy either. There is some courageous policy on the left though.
Had a skype with an old female friend this morning, sharing views on other old friends who succumbed to new-age mystique in the '90s and are now hooked on conspiracy theories. We both declared that we'd do a covid vaccine, which puts us in the largest population category – but still a minority: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/most-kiwis-would-likely-get-covid-19-vaccine-if-one-becomes-available-1-news-poll
So 44% definitely would, plus 32% likely makes three-quarters of the nation willing to sacrifice themselves as guinea pigs in the cause of science & public health.
Definitely not comes in at 10%, but with another 11% unlikely, we have one person in five willing to gamble on nature alone.
Nature? Everything with humans is perception – the prejudiced's 'idea' of nature is what they pay attention to plus their idea of them being exceptional and anyone who disagrees is part of a giant conspiracy against the 'sensitives' or'more informed'.
Personally have no problem taking a vaccination for it, but would quietly prefer if it was a year or two after released for other people, given how fast it will hopefully come through compared to other medicinal.
Just so I can see if people taking it start growing an extra arm, having fits, or their bits fall off etc (joke, but would prefer a larger testing sample)
Nope. The people who do that are the ones who participate in the clinical trials. Getting a vaccine post-trial is lower-risk than waiting to catch the disease.
"Because National listens to laggards not leaders, it is setting itself up for a mighty fall."
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/rod-oram-why-national-is-no-longer-the-party-of-business
That is an excellent article. Collins claiming to speak on behalf of 'farmers' is just not true. Federated Farmers are a lobby group but Fonterra and all those other companies are the business leaders in rural NZ, and they are looking forward not back.
Yip if your the ag minister forget about the fed farmers, talk to the CEOs of Fonterra ,Silver fern farms and alliance,they have the power to drive change., probably wasting your time with the talley owned affco though.
Well spotted Robert. Thanks. If only some of the non-laggard could get a platform to explain their forward momentum. As for the destructive Collins and Federated Farmers, expose the blighters!
This article shows a similar approach – even Barfoot & Thompson realise healthy homes are a good thing:
Group letter on healthy homes
As with farming and water standards, it shows the difference between working with business who want to move forward and pandering to backward-looking, loud lobby groups, whether fringe farmers or bad landlords.
The problem with expecting instant results AKA impatience.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/427008/water-quality-of-rivers-and-streams-not-improving-study-shows
how so?
If you read the article, it is very clear that changes implemented now can have a huge lag in their impact, i.e. improving water quality. Similarly, much crap, literally, is working its way through the ecosystem, which means we could see things actually getting worse, because of past polluting behaviours, despite our (best?) efforts at present. This is a problem with setting policy and selling it to stakeholders and the general public in order to get it initiated and actioned but then to keep following up and persevering over a prolonged period of time. The further out the ‘reward’ the less one can rely on the ‘instant gratification’ mechanism of people to comply. If this is not acknowledged and communicated clearly and properly from the outset then these policies will lack the required resilience to be sustainable in the long-term and they end up being ineffective. A further consequence is that they could end up being counter-productive because they could (be used to) turn public and political ‘sentiment’ against future efforts to make meaningful changes. It is the proverbial one-step-forward-two-steps-backward scenario.
Quite specifically, we'd have National get in power, point to reports like this, say that its not working and drop them all. And thing's would just get worse.
Exactly!
We watched these rivers being degraded in our lifetimes, and it is reasonable to expect that they be restored within the same period, however inconvenient that might be for politicians who prefer not to act meaningfully, if they must act at all. If we wait, and let these lazy troughers get away with doing nothing, nothing is all we will have to show for it. One would expect that significant risks to ecosystem health would stimulate prudent and timely responses. Experience teaches us otherwise.
Stuart M +100
Entropy. It's easier to destroy things than rebuild them.
It's often only a matter of a bit of planting and some aeration to speed up breakdown of organics and prevent rivers going anaerobic.
We are headed for a collision with the consequences of our environmental delinquency – and to avoid collisions you take early and substantial action. Does “hard and early” ring a bell?
We don't have time to 'fluff' about, the kinds of change that made Oz's fire season are still rolling along. Likely we'll need to make substantial changes to farming, fishing, and water supply, with a sporting chance of needing to accommodate or support Pacific climate refugees in place.
This is not the time to go demonstrating the fungibility of neolib 'policy' in hopes of a few donations.
I'm no expert in water ecology, but I'm not sure an ideal pandemic response would be an ideal response to every dire situation we face.
Early & substantial action is from navigation – but the parallel holds. If an intervention is warranted, it is more effective to intervene earlier rather than later. Same holds with ecology – the best time to plant trees was ten years ago – now is only second best.
Frittering away our time with bullshit gameplaying is a luxury more suited to the halcyon days before the anthropocene got the bit between its teeth. When Parker set a nitrate level eight times higher than China's, he should have accompanied it with his resignation – since he had decided not to do his job.
Except if there's a delayed response between input and measurement, you end up "chasing the gauges" (a flight control term), overcorrecting each time, and pile into the ground.
Not to mention the fact that no policy should be considered in isolation. That's why the government had a good covid response, but didn't follow every single MoH recommendation to the letter.
I mean, we could just shoot hundreds of thousands of cows to help solve the problem, but that would have unexpected [figurative] downstream effects on society in the regions.
Well there's certainly no danger of an overshoot at the levels Parker set. Cancer, and infant deaths maybe, but no overreaction.
We are so privileged to live under a government so backward it promises generational change so slow it cannot even be measured. At which point there is no reason to assume that there is any change contemplated at all – which would be par for the course from these career neolibs.
I don’t think anyone was calling for mass culling of cattle – though moving some to other catchments might be appropriate if they blow nitrate levels out – bit of a straw man really.
Perhaps we can worry about over correction somewhat after there is evidence that there has been any correction at all.
So go hard, but not that hard, huh?
You know what? We are privileged/lucky to have this government. Look around the world. Yes, things need improving, in so many areas. But by and large this government is doing pretty bloody well. I'm not going to gnash my teeth and demand resignations just because I think I could run things better.
They are not doing well on freshwater – or Mike Joy & Dr Death wouldn't be condemning their actions.
They have done well on Covid, but there are a lot of other issues. This is one that they have handled particularly badly, and polling has consistently shown rivers to be the public's leading environmental concern.
They need to be reminded of this by ordinary members of the public, because the current opposition is not fit for the purpose.
demand resignations just because I think I could run things better
Setting nitrate levels eight times higher than the WHO recommendations doesn't seem prudent to me. And I suspect Parker is not sufficiently expert to rebut them on any objective grounds.
"Ordinary members of the public" do not look up WHO nitrate recommendations.
I think that nobody really knew what ‘hard and early’ meant in reality but people dropping like flies in Lombardy and Wuhan was a good incentive to doing something. That sense of immediacy is missing from water quality or anything environmental for that matter with the possible exception of the measures to prevent the spreading of Kauri disease.
It's a general principle for some kinds of response, but of course the unique circumstances of each required intervention are very different. I imagine historians of futurity, if we have one, will have a task explaining to students quite how difficult it was to make such a decision over Covid, with political consequences on one side, and public health on the other, even with the relatively abundant examples (compared to those other countries had when they were forced to choose) at our disposal.
There have been a number of expositions of NZ's level process, and the clarity it generated for the public, when health services were, behind the scenes, in a state of flux as they conformed to meet a threat for which they had few treatment options. The verdict has been very positive, with minor errors like the stance on masking, and some frankly odd attitudes among testing authorities noted, but not diluting the overall positive perception and the compliance it generated contributing to the strong result.
A hard and early response to water quality would mean different things in different catchments, with restrictions likely in oversubscribed and rapidly nitrifying areas like south Canterbury. But it need not be introduced in a draconian fashion, it can be phased in over a reasonable period as it is expected is happening with emissions, allowing farmers time to weigh mitigation options, or possibly limit some types of intensification on a regional or catchment basis.
What it should not have done was to allow lobbying to get across the objective part of regulations – the nitrate levels, because these are set on a physiological basis, and, like any other physical constants, they do not make allowances for the human capacity for self or habitat destruction.
Think of nitrogen in a river like it's alcohol in our bloodstream. Setting a nitrogen limit at the toxicity level is like setting the drink-driving limit at the toxicity level. You're not dealing with all the bad things that happen before you've been poisoned.
As has been noted elsewhere, the standard broadly adopted internationally, 1mg/l, will become a customer expectation, and willing or not, NZ farmers will be obliged to meet it, or suffer a price and a reputational loss in the market.
Better then to lay that out clearly at the beginning, and put efforts into supporting the transition, than to prop up a poor standard that will ultimately need to be revised, but will still incur the price and reputational and ecological and public health cost.
I agree with all that. My point is that for many (but not all!) people there’s no greater motivator than death knocking on your door at any moment. People are also scared shitless of stuff they don’t understand such as a killer virus, just think of the many Hollywood movies featuring runaway viruses and diseases decimating the human population and turning survivors into monstrous zombies. Turds floating in rivers or streams just don’t have the same impact on people’s minds and behaviours.
A man's flesh is his own; the water belongs to the tribe. Fremen custom.
Variety is the spice of life.
The idea of Covid testing before getting on a flight has often been suggested as a means of improving border control. Dubai in the UAE already requires it. One of our latest cases detected in managed isolation had transited through Dubai, so would have required a clean test before being allowed on that flight.
Which illustrates the point: pre-flight screening would do nothing to change what needs to be done on the ground here, and just adds another layer of complexity and expense to the whole border control situation.
Test requirements for Dubai:
Yes, but extra the testing probably isn't there to protect the people but as another form of profit making. Because you can be sure that it will be private enterprise that's doing it and, if National get in and puts in place legislation requiring such testing before coming to NZ then you can be sure that they will require testing on the way out and they will have private enterprise doing it.
Its the same for many uneconomic actions that exist in society. They produce more profit and more jobs and so getting rid of them then becomes impracticable, as far as the capitalists and government are concerned, to remove them.
I question Malaysia as having good controls generally. Anyone know enough to rate them?
Their measures seem not too different to our own, albeit complicated by their geography and mix of cultures. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7293423/
They had it under control by June/July, but a second wave has them on about 1000 active cases at present. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/malaysia/
That seems reasonably professional.
And how long before a negative certificate printing industry springs up to cater for the businessperson in a hurry.
Probably already exists. After all, even laser printers are cheap these days and its not as if such a business would need a commercial grade printer capable of printing hundreds of thousands a day.
As I say above, such requirements are there just for the profit opportunities that it generates.
good to see the likes of the conservative party and regress NZ party showing up in polls. want to see them get another 2 or 3 % of votes yet. that way when combined with TOP and NZF it will guarantee a Labour lead govt even if the greens don't make it in. I wonder if conservative voters realise that as things stand every 1 out of 2 conservative votes will go to Labour
All those split+redistributed votes give me a warm feeling all over.
apparentley not all is well in the conspiracy party (advance,nzpp). many of their members and candidates are walking away in disgust. splitters! hah!so the judean peoples front and the peoples front of judeah cant agree. , many of the tin hit brigade are yet again, wandering in the wilderness, looking for another conspiracy.
Will Billy's nose-pokey-outey refusal to mask-up properly on board Flight 666 to Nowhere endear him to his flock of flockers, or will they see through his charade and shift their voting preference to the Eminently More Sensible "New Conservatives"???
think some will follow brian,sorry, billy all the way down the rabid hole, some will drift off to new cons, some to maori party, most will probably not vote cause its just a government plot to harvest and store their dna!
Hate speech. Labors new law they'd propose to govern hate speech. Where can i find info on exactly what it will be that the labor government might propose?. This proposal is a bit worrying, i feel. Will freedom of speech be soon to be deemed to be hate speech. Will it?. How will labor intend to decide?. Will it be soon to become hate speech for Dennis Gates to be saying what he does in this following article https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/09/top-lawyer-compares-gloriavale-s-leadership-to-islamic-state.html
I'm certainly interested to see some sort of rock solid detail before i make my decision up on who i'd vote for.
Freedom of speech should not be carte blanche to say anything you please. There are limits.
Probably not.
Yeah i agree that certain limits should apply. But how would we decide what limits would allow. And who would decide. And how can we make sure that these limits wouldn't suppress discussion what should need to take place, even if somebody might interpret this discussion as being hateful. The way like what i suspect that some gloriavale citizen might interpret Dennis Gates opinion to be. I hope that labor government might enter into discussion about this subject more before final date of election. Citizen should have a right to know. Hopefully the other parties might begin to push labor into discussing this matter more
Ask a linguist or three?
I figure that he's pointing out similarities and if they don't like that then their only option is to become better.
But the most important point is that he's not actually stirring up hatred against them.
Yeah. Hate speech. We should be free to spout hate, whenever, wherever. I too am concerned that Big Government is anti-hate! Give hate a chance, I say! #sarc
Sarc can have its place. But hey, its a reasonable question to think about. At what point should freedom of speech be deemed to be hate speech. How would you decide. And who should be the one who'd get to decide. Can you actually provide an answer to those question?. Or is sarc about all you'd be able to come up with. I'd love to see you answer
Labour Party: No policies found
https://policy.nz/topic/community-and-inclusion#Free%20expression%20and%20hate%20speech
That's interesting Incognito. I'm fairly certain i saw Jacinda promising that she would intend to strengthen hate speech law if Labor government is re-elected . I'm not exactly sure what she had meant by this. Perhaps it might just be to strengthen law against inciting hate speech what could lead to acts of violence. Which i feel would be fair enough. But exactly what her intention would be, i really don't know
Is there deliberate creation of confusion and misinformation employed when using terms like 'hate speech' to create an assumption that freedom of speech under the Bill of Rights is being taken away?
It's election time and a newer 'falsehood' is thrown out there fuelled by Seymour.
There is NO current new law Labour is passing. Since 2019 a review has been underway, scheduled since 2018. There is an outdated set of laws needing inspection and people's rights to be safe need strengthening.
The Justice Ministry has looked at relevant aspects of laws that already exist – the Human Rights Act, the Harmful Digital Communications Act, and sections of the Crimes Act to see what laws may need to be changed or added. A REVIEW by the Human Rights has been underway, including Section61 constructed some years back to see if it is fit for purpose; particularly needed with the fast paced development of social media and the current section61 not protecting all people.
Seymour last Friday, took words from Jacinda's mouth, invented a sinister twist omitting any fuller information on the day. Jacinda was unveiling the plaque at the mosque on Friday. It wasn't coincidental timing, there is no " hate speech" NEW law per say. Seymour was playing to ignorance of the existing laws and unfounded fears.
" By law in the Bill of Rights Act, everyone in New Zealand has the right to freedom of expression, including the "freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form".
IMO Seymour is rallying to a hard core of haters having choosen that day specifically as JA spent time with Muslim victims. The timing of Seymour's rant was despicable as he drew the media and public attention away from NZers and the Muslim community commemorating victims of a massacre.
What the public are now led to assume in advance of an election from Seymour's release is that your freedoms are being denied. The exact fear effect ACT was hoping to instil has been uptaken. MSM happily disseminated this also in a shallow, click bait way.
" Existing law makes no explicit reference to hate speech, but under Section 61 of the Human Rights Act, it’s unlawful to broadcast, publish or distribute material that is “threatening, abusive or insulting” and “likely to excite hostility against, or bring into contempt, any group of persons in New Zealand on the ground of colour, race, or ethnic or national origins”. The Christchurch shooter under this law could arguably say what he liked about "Islam" or gays, or any disabled person he likes in any manner.
Under current law, unjustly so, there are vulnerable groups NOT protected. What was being reviewed as mentioned by Jacinda was that the current law does NOT give protection from hate that incites 'hostility' towards people in categories of gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or disability.
The Human Rights Commission review was, as mentioned, not only to look at lack of all vulnerable person's protections but to see if that older law needed changes to encompass modern developments.
The HR review tribunal consultations etc. were put on hold with Covid19 's emergence; Andrew Little believes those findings when completed should be dealt with post election as an issue for the new parliament. Rightly so.
Facebook's stance had rules updated in 2018, New Zealand has not updated with the times.
" Facebook, which recently adopted stricter controls on what users can post online, uses more specific criteria. Its policy targets direct attacks on people’s “protected characteristics” such as race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, serious disability or disease."
Janet Anderson-Bidois, the HR commission’s chief legal adviser has talked of the confusion of people around issues , confusing hate speech with hate crime and freedom of expression just as Seymour has done with his deliberate misinformation mash up.
"Anderson-Bidois insists that the commission isn’t bent on rewriting the laws governing hate speech. All it’s doing, she says, is suggesting they should be reviewed to ensure they’re still “fit for purpose" …
"New Zealand has become culturally far more diverse since the Human Rights Act was passed and the internet was then still in its infancy. Anomalies have arisen, she says."
"Of course freedom of speech comes into it, “but with rights come responsibilities. People also have a right to be safe. "
A person's right to exercising free speech, even if extremely offensive, is still upheld by NZ law. An example of this was the Human Rights Commission not ruling in favour of Louisa Wall's case she brought over racist cartoons published by Fairfax. In other words the cartoonist's right to freedom of expression were upheld not Wall's feelings of taking offence.
Unlike Seymour's supposition on his FB page, ideas can still be freely attacked and even offensive opinion expressed.
The HRC review will also hopefully bring clarity in helping " to distinguish attacks on people from attacks on ideas and beliefs?"
In 2018 Labour’s Duncan Webb, who was a lawyer and legal academic before entering Parliament, "
says he’s acutely aware of the tension between freedom of expression and hate speech, but he doesn’t think the free-speech defence can be applied in cases where speech is calculated to injure or terrorise people."…
" But there’s a real danger of confusing honestly held opinion with attacks on people, and by lumping it all into this category of hate speech they conflate targeted speech, aimed at destroying or bullying people, with honest expression of opinion.”
There is a scenario to help illustrate when a line is crossed, the difference between hate speech and free speech in the Listener at the time of Lauren Southern's and Stefan Molyneux's NZ visit.
" Wellington business consultant Dave Moskovitz brought a touch of levity to the proceedings, describing himself as a “walking bullseye” for purveyors of hate speech: “middle aged, Pākehā, cis, hetero, male, geek, property owner, investor, company director, immigrant, American, religious, Jew, and – wait for it – Zionist”.
But the tone turned serious when Moskovitz told of a New Zealand white nationalist blogger who published an online guide to “Zionists in your neighbourhood” and included a photo of Moskovitz’s house. The blogger went on to say that Jews were a slap in the face to the human race and were not welcome in this country.
Moskovitz said the same man later said in a newspaper interview that Jews should have been exterminated – “and that’s where the line was crossed. Saying you do not like a group of people, while repugnant, is exercising free speech. Implying that they should all have been killed is quite another thing. That borders on incitement.”
https://www.noted.co.nz/currently/currently-social-issues/free-speech-hate-speech-where-should-we-draw-line
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12367481
Currently the hate speech laws in New Zealand make it illegal to "excite hostility against or bring into contempt any group of persons … on the ground of the colour, race, or ethnic or national origins".
But that protection doesn't extend to gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or disability.
"I think everyone would agree no one should be discriminated against for their religion," Ardern said.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/121922974/hate-speech-law-stalled-until-after-election–no-support-yet-from-nz-first
Thanks PaddyOT . Very helpful . Great information. Cheers
House shook @ 4.50pm – quakes in New Plymouth are rare. Wonder how soon it'll show up here: https://earthquaketrack.com/p/new-zealand/recent
According to Geonet, it was a 5.2 roughly halfway between Mt Taranaki and Mt Ruapehu.
I barely felt it here in Titirangi. I wonder what's going on with the drama queen somewhere in Mt Albert that reported it as "extreme" shaking.
Thanks, somewhat less power rating here: https://earthquaketrack.com/quakes/2020-09-27-03-47-26-utc-4-7-35
Reaction from the 'Naki to the loss of a lump of wood?
Barrett-less Taranaki. Playmakers win games. Lack of depth. Analogy to Labour comes to mind, eh? Yeah, okay, analogy to National even more evident.
best anology would be taranaki lost because they couldnt decide what game plan to use. too centrist, non commital .
Ooooh, give him a few favourable polls and Rimmer starts getting all coq-y. He better be careful. If he gets too mouthy, that cuppa tea in Remmers might not happen next time he needs it.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300117874/election-2020-david-seymour-tells-voters-to-skip-the-knockoff-cover-band-and-choose-act-over-national
Wonder if we should inform him that ACT was originally Labour.
Im really looking forward to the new parliament. with act's very chequered history of having m.p.s resign in disgrace, not resigning but staying in disgrace, commiting fraud, going to jail etc, as well as having general sc*mbags as m.p.s. seymour will be busy holding hands, putting ot fires, etc. wonder who the first act m.p. will be that carries on this proud tradition.
No evident difference to CB! Neocons edging above NZF. Greens looking safe for now.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/09/nz-election-2020-newshub-reid-research-poll-shows-labour-governing-alone-as-national-languishes-in-the-20s.html
"Alongside National, the poll's other casualty is New Zealand First. It's on 1.9 percent down 0.1 points. Despite leader Winston Peters' best attention grabs, NZ First is goneburger."
Tempting fate?
Always revealing to see the difference between hype and reality.
"Advance", the anti-lockdown mob. No support whatsoever. Maybe their rants shouldn't be headline news, given they represent fewer people than the NZ underwater hockey community.
Nope, not a parody account.
https://twitter.com/StateDept/status/1309938304268279811
"Immigration New Zealand says three German yachties treated New Zealand's Covid 19 laws with contempt and have to face the consequences of their actions."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/427031/german-yachties-had-blatant-disregard-for-new-zealand-law-immigration-nz
Certainly
I don't get it with these claims that the cyclone season is such a hazard to be feared. It appears that even during an El Nino season, Tahiti and northwest from there are very low risk, possibly lower risk than New Zealand.
https://www.bwsailing.com/cyclones-in-french-polynesia/
For the coming summer, it appears most likely that it will be La Nina or slightly less likely neutral, with only a very low probability of El Nino conditions.
https://public.wmo.int/en/our-mandate/climate/el-ni%C3%B1ola-ni%C3%B1a-update
were they sailing from Tahiti?
Allegedly they were last at Taiohae, which is well to the northeast of Tahiti and even further out of the way of likely cyclone tracks, as far as I can tell.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12368207
Dead right. There are normally plenty of E.U. yachts that spend the summer cyclone season in French Polynesia on the way west and many that are based there for years. In a La Nina, French Poly is probably safer than NZ as cyclones are more common further west and with climate change more are spinning off down NZs way. I think the yachtie outrage thing is overblown MSM nonsense and most yachties originally intending to keep going will just spend a lovely time floating around in the tropics instead. The MoH has made the right decision to exclude non NZ yachts. If they can be allowed to get in, what about the rest of the Pacific islands? Living in a home built vale is not much fun with a cyclone bearing down!
🥶
OK this is the kind of thing I just love discovering.
A New Zealand company, based in Christchurch, is now one of four global partners to Microsoft about water quality and conservation.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2009/S00473/seequent-and-microsoft-partner-in-global-water-sustainability-commitments.htm
CEO Shaun Maloney says Seequent’s software solutions are being used on hundreds of projects around the world to enable a clear view of groundwater and contaminants. “Users such as the Water Replenishment District, the largest groundwater agency in the state of California, can readily communicate to end clients, regulators, and the general public with 3D models of groundwater systems and contaminated sites in a fully auditable data-driven approach across the entire lifecycle of site management."
Sure hope NZTE is finding ways to support these guys.
Nice little news piece linked on MSN
“Why National is no longer the party of business”
by Rod Oram
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/why-national-is-no-longer-the-party-of-business/ar-BB19scRQ?li=BBqdg4K
This story is a good read and I love the quote of “National listens to laggards not leaders” in the story.
Surely not. Undercut by foreign imports on this?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/427029/thai-cannabis-company-says-projected-economic-benefits-won-t-materialise
Plamondon expected laws drafted in anticipation of recreational cannabis being legal would eventually change to allow cheaper, imported products.
He said New Zealand was his company’s first export target market…
A Nelson-based medical cannabis firm, Medical Kiwi has already sold its first two years of production to Hektares, a global player in the medical cannabis industry, equating to $30 million for 2021, and $60 million in 2022.
It recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $2 million to get production underway in Christchurch and help fund its Nelson development and technology purchases.
Co-founder and chair, Aldo Miccio, said Plamondon’s statement was interesting, especially around Thai product being potentially a tenth of the cost of New Zealand cannabis.
“There are reasonably good margins involved – which is why a lot of people are investing, but we aim with our pricing to be way cheaper than products imported at the moment.”
Miccio said cannabis grown outdoors, such as that at grown at tropical altitudes in Thailand was certainly cheaper to produce, but only indoor-grown product would pass the scrutiny of pharmaceutical standards.