Open mike 27/09/2011
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6:00 am, September 27th, 2011 - 55 comments
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- New South Wales travel pause to be lifted tomorrowCOVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says the current travel pause with New South Wales will lift tomorrow – subject to no further significant developments in NSW. “New Zealand health officials met today to conduct a further assessment of the public health risk from the recently identified COVID-19 community cases in Sydney. It has been determined that the risk to public ...1 day ago
- March 15 Collective Impact Board appointedThe voices of those affected by the March 15 mosque attacks will be heard more effectively with the establishment of a new collective impact board, Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan announced today. Seven members of the Christchurch Muslim community have been appointed to the newly established Board, ...2 days ago
- More young Kiwis supported with mental health and addiction servicesNearly quarter of a million more young New Zealanders will have access to mental health and addiction support in their communities as the Government’s youth mental health programme gathers pace. New contracts to expand youth-specific services across the Northland, Waitematā and Auckland District Health Board areas have been confirmed, providing ...3 days ago
- New hospital facilities mean fewer trips to Auckland for NorthlandersNorthlanders will no longer automatically have to go to Auckland for lifesaving heart procedures like angiograms, angioplasty and the insertion of pacemakers, thanks to new operating theatres and a cardiac catheter laboratory opened at Whangārei Hospital by Health Minister Andrew Little today. The two projects – along with a new ...3 days ago
- Fair Pay Agreements to improve pay and conditions for essential workersThe Government is delivering on its pre-election commitment to implement Fair Pay Agreements which will improve wages and conditions, as well as help support our economic recovery, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood announced today. Fair Pay Agreements will set minimum standards for all employees and employers in an ...3 days ago
- Establishment of the new Māori Health Authority takes first big stepSir Mason Durie will lead a Steering Group to provide advice to the Transition Unit on governance arrangements and initial appointments to an interim board to oversee the establishment of the Māori Health Authority. This Group will ensure that Māori shape a vital element of our future health system, Minister ...3 days ago
- Cycle trails move up a gear in CentralWork on new and upgraded cycle trails in Queenstown, Arrowtown and Central Otago is moving up a gear as two significant projects pass further milestones today. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has announced new funding for the Queenstown Trails Project, and will also formally open the Lake Dunstan Trail at Bannockburn ...3 days ago
- Picton ferry terminal upgrade consent fast-trackedThe planned upgrade of the Waitohi Picton Ferry terminal has been approved under the fast-track consenting process. Environment Minister David Parker today welcomed the decision by the expert consenting panel to approve the Waitohi Picton Ferry Precinct Redevelopment Project. The project will provide a significant upgrade to the ferry facilities ...3 days ago
- Quarantine Free Travel with New South Wales pausedCOVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has announced his intention to pause Quarantine Free Travel from New South Wales to New Zealand while the source of infection of the two cases announced in Sydney in the last two days is investigated. Whole genome sequencing has linked the case yesterday to a recent ...3 days ago
- Covid-19 immigration powers to be extendedThe passing of a bill to extend temporary COVID-19 immigration powers means continued flexibility to support migrants, manage the border, and help industries facing labour shortages, Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said. “Over the past year, we’ve made rapid decisions to extend visas, vary visa conditions and waive some application requirements ...4 days ago
- “Supporting a Trade-Led Economic Recovery”Trade Policy Road Show SpeechManukau, Auckland Kia ora koutou – nau mai, haere mai ki Manukau, ki Tāmaki. Good morning everyone, and thank you for this opportunity to discuss with you current global challenges, opportunities and the Government’s strategy in support of a trade-led recovery from the economic ...4 days ago
- Building consent numbers at an all-time highA record 41,028 new homes have been consented in the year ended March 2021 March 2021 consent numbers the highest since the 1940s Record number of new homes consented in Auckland The number of new homes consented is at an all-time high, showing a strong and increasing pipeline of demand ...4 days ago
- Whānau-centred support for parents and tamarikiUp to 60 whānau in Counties Manukau will be supported through the first three years of their parenthood by a new whānau-centred model of care, said Associate Health Minister, Hon Aupito William Sio. “Providing this support to young parents is something we have to get right. It’s a priority both ...4 days ago
- NZ backs moves to improve global access to COVID vaccinesNew Zealand welcomes and strongly supports the announcement made by the United States Trade Representative to work for a waiver of IP protections on COVID-19 vaccines at the WTO, Trade Minister Damien O’Connor said. “New Zealand supports equitable access to COVID vaccines for all. No one is safe from the ...4 days ago
- Tourism communities: support, recovery and re-set planTIHEI MAURI ORA Tuia te whakapono Tuia te tumanako Tuia te aroha Tuia te hunga ora Ki te hunga ora Tihei Mauri ora Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. Thank you, Hilary and thank you, Chris, and everyone at TIA for this ...4 days ago
- Support, recovery and re-set plan for tourism communitiesFive South Island tourist communities targeted for specialist support Pressure on Māori tourism operators and Conservation facilities recognised Domestic and international-facing tourism agencies put on more secure footing Long-term plan to re-set tourism with a focus on sustainability, industry standards and regional economic diversification A plan to ensure the immediate ...4 days ago
- Speech on NZ Rail PlanCheck against delivery E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karanga maha o te wa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Ki ngā mana whenua o Taranaki Whānui anō nei aku mihi ki a koutou. Nōku te hōnore kia haere mai ki te whakanuia tēnei huihuinga whakahirahira. Nō ...4 days ago
- Government hits massive milestone in Violence Prevention & EliminationMinister for Family and Sexual Violence Marama Davidson announced a major milestone at a hui in South Auckland today, with the launch of the national engagement process on the prevention and elimination of family and sexual violence. “There is no room for violence in our lives – there is no ...4 days ago
- Fee waiver extended for conservation tourism businessesTourism businesses operating on public conservation land will have another six months of fees waived to help them adjust to the downturn in international visitors in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Acting Minister of Conservation Dr Ayesha Verrall has announced. "We acknowledge it has been a difficult year for ...4 days ago
- ‘Lua Wave’ to future-proof Pasifika Festivals in AotearoaPasifika festival organisers will receive additional support to adapt to the COVID-19 environment thanks to the Government’s newly launched ‘Lua Wave’ component of the Pasifika Festivals Initiative, Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “This initiative has not only been to support festival organisers to recover from ...4 days ago
- Crown accounts show confidence in Govt economic planThe Government’s financial accounts continue to reflect the resilience of the economy and confidence in the Government’s economic recovery plan. The Crown accounts for the nine months to the end of March 2021 show both OBEGAL and the operating balance remain better than forecast in the Half Year Economic and ...4 days ago
- Energy Trusts of NZ Autumn ConferenceIt’s a pleasure to be here today. Thank you Karen [Sherry] for the introduction and thanks to the Energy Trusts Executive for inviting me to speak at tonight’s event. It is an exciting time to come to speak to trustees of distribution companies. For many decades the electricity industry was ...4 days ago
- New partnership to grow Māori success in STEMA new partnership with the Pūhoro STEM Academy will support thousands more rangatahi Māori to participate and succeed in the fields of science, technology, and innovation, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Since 2016, Pūhoro has worked with Māori students to build their capability and create pathways to employment ...4 days ago
- Rail builds platform for economic recoveryTransport Minister Michael Wood and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Dr David Clark today released the Government’s long term vision for a sustainable rail network that supports our economic recovery. New Zealand Rail Plan lays out how the Government is building a resilient, reliable and safe network, as well as the indicative ...4 days ago
- NZ and UK agree to lift the pace of free trade talksNew Zealand and the United Kingdom have agreed to rapidly lift the tempo of talks, as the two countries enter a new phase in free trade negotiations, Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. “UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss, and I spoke today about ...4 days ago
- Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill passes first readingThe Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill has passed its first reading and will now be considered by Parliament’s Justice select committee. “The Bill updates and improves New Zealand’s counter-terrorism legislation and ensures that the right legislative tools are available to intervene early and prevent harm,” Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi said. “The ...4 days ago
- Statement on The Speaker and Annual Review Debate“The serious issue of alleged sexual assault and harassment at Parliament was poorly managed and inappropriately politicised last night. The tone of the debate did not reflect well on Parliament as a whole,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “Any investigation of claims of sexual assault should be in a manner ...5 days ago
- Govt motoring towards zero-carbon buses and protecting drivers’ conditionsTransport Minister Michael Wood is seeking feedback on options for the next phase of the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) review to better protect bus drivers’ pay conditions, and also achieving the Government’s target of fully decarbonising the public transport bus fleet by 2035. Michael Wood said investing in our ...5 days ago
- Drop in unemployment shows Govt economic plan is workingThe Government’s economic recovery plan continues to be reflected in the labour market, with more people in work and unemployment falling. Stats NZ figures show employment rose by 15,000 in the March quarter, with 14,000 more women in work. The unemployment rate fell from 4.9 percent to 4.7 percent. This ...5 days ago
- Government sets pay and workforce expectations for the Public SectorThe Government’s Workforce Policy Statement issued today sets out its expectations for pay and employment relations in the Public Sector, the Minister of Finance and Minister for the Public Service say. “New Zealand has had an exceptionally successful health and economic response to COVID-19. This has been supported by the ...5 days ago
- Author Ben Brown is New Zealand’s first Te Awhi Rito Reading AmbassadorLyttleton writer Ben Brown (Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Koroki, Ngāti Paoa) will be New Zealand’s first Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador, promoting the value of reading for children and young people, Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti announced today. A poet and award-winning author, Ben Brown writes books, non-fiction and short stories ...6 days ago
- Celebrating New Zealand’s firefighters this International Firefighters’ dayWith two fire stations already complete, and building underway on 16 fire stations around the country, today we celebrate International Firefighters’ Day for the important role firefighters have in keeping communities across the country safe, says Minister of Internal Affairs, Jan Tinetti. The work is progressing due to Government funding ...6 days ago
- Ron Brierley knighthood to goRon Brierley has written to the Clerk of the Executive Council to tender his resignation as a Knight Bachelor. The Queen has been informed. The forfeiture follows the Prime Minister initiating the process to remove his Knighthood. The Clerk of the Executive Council wrote to him on 6 April 2021 ...6 days ago
- Employment boost for rural communitiesThe Government is continuing to create opportunities for at-risk rangatahi overcome barriers to employment, education or training with the next tranche of He Poutama Rangatahi programmes, Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “We’re focused on supporting rangatahi to get what they need to progress in the ...6 days ago
- Pre-Budget speech to Wellington Chamber of CommerceThank you for the invitation to speak today, it is great to be here. I mean that both sincerely and literally. For this equivalent speech last year I took part virtually, beaming in from the Beehive Theatrette with only a socially distanced press gallery bearing silent witness. You are a ...6 days ago
- Budget 2021 reprioritises nearly $1 billionThe Government’s strong pandemic response and the better than expected economic recovery means not all the money allocated in the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund has been spent, Grant Robertson said in his annual pre-Budget speech to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce this morning. “As part of Budget preparation I ...6 days ago
- Speech on Digital Identity Trust FrameworkI'd like to start by thanking Graeme, David and Ben from NZTech and Digital Identity New Zealand for inviting me to speak to you. I’m so sorry I can’t be there in person, but I want to acknowledge those of you who are, including some of this country’s top tech ...6 days ago
- The essential byelection guide to Maungawhau, the ward that saved golf
The Maungawhau subdivision of Albert-Eden encapsulates everything Aucklanders love to get het up about: trains, golf, birds, and trees. As it prepares for an upcoming byelection, we’re bringing back our race briefings to explain what’s going on in the ward. Where’s Maungawhau, exactly?In the heart of the supercity lies a ...23 mins ago - TVNZ is all in online – and planning an ad-free Netflix-style subscription serviceThe state broadcaster is not waiting for the merger to imagine its future, reports Duncan Greive after a wide-ranging interview with TVNZ CEO Kevin Kenrick.TVNZ is planning a major reimagining of its TVNZ OnDemand platform that will ultimately lead it into a post-linear TV future, CEO Kevin Kenrick has revealed ...25 mins ago
- He Puapua – the report dividing Parliament
The recommendations and proposals in He Puapua come from a starting point that “our current systems are not working for Māori’’. ...28 mins ago - How to freeze your support base
Labour's public service pay freeze announcement aimed at Wellington pen-pushers, and hit teachers, nurses and Covid-19 border workers What Grant Robertson thought people would hear – ‘The Government’s clamping down on those Wellington government pen-pushers, about time!’ What people heard – ‘Nurses, teachers, police, border workers, all those who kept us ...28 mins ago - New $2.3b natural health industry’s power stifled by old rules
Nutraceuticals is the country’s fastest-growing food and beverage sector, but it's tired of operating within the constraints of 36-year-old legislation. ...28 mins ago - Govt suspects seven weeks of undetected virus transmission
The Government now says the "leading hypothesis" for the source of the Valentine's Day outbreak involves seven weeks of undetected community transmission. ...28 mins ago - Māori wards change was fast-tracked against official advice
Govt was warned a lack of public consultation could prove controversial and undermine the changes. ...28 mins ago - View from The Hill: a budget for a pandemic, with next year’s election in mind
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Treasurer Josh Frydenberg calls this a “pandemic budget” – one to sustain the economy in times that are still uncertain – but it also has a substantial element of an election budget. That’s not to ...6 hours ago - Bryce Edwards: The public sector worker backlash against Labour
Opinion - Many in the labour movement and the political left are feeling betrayed by the government's announcement this week of a pay freeze for public sector workers, Bryce Edwards writes. ...10 hours ago - Here’s a letter to the editor you might have missed on science and how it should be shaped by the ...
Scimex drew our attention around two weeks ago to news that Māori researchers were calling for a Tiriti-led science-policy approach. A multi-disciplinary group of Māori researchers – most of them from the humanities – had published a report which recommended the appointments of Māori Chief Science Advisors and the development ...14 hours ago - He Puapua report bogged down in 'swamp of politics'Power Play - The He Puapua report on how to better uphold indigenous rights was supposed to chart a new way forward but has become bogged down in the swamp of politics, Meriana Johnsen writes. ...16 hours ago
- Whakatōhea High Court Decision
“We applaud the Whakatōhea High Court case that has now set a precedent for Māori rights and interest in their foreshore and seabed. It’s an outstanding decision because the Court recognises all reclaimed lands with significant and boating traffic” ...16 hours ago - Alarm bells start clanging in the White House as Biden struggles with his legislative programme
President Joe Biden has passed his first 100 days in office, generally popular, but facing increasing challenges. He commands a bare majority in the Congress – six seats in the lower house and 50-50 in the senate. On the international stage he has restored much of America’s prestige and reputation, ...18 hours ago - Long-awaited cervical cancer screening test to be funded by govtA long-awaited cervical screening test that women can do themselves and will reduce the need for smear test will be funded by the government. ...18 hours ago
- Long-awaited cervical screening test to be funded by govtA long-awaited cervical screening test that women can do themselves and will reduce the need for smear test will be funded by the government. ...18 hours ago
- Ardern and Macron to co-chair Christchurch Call leaders' summitPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French president Emmanuel Macron will co-chair a Christchurch Call leaders' summit next week. ...20 hours ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: The Public sector worker backlash against Labour21 hours ago
- An ode for .. Trevor Mallard
New Zealand's demi-official poet laureate Victor Billot composes an ode for Speaker of the House, Trevor Mallard Unchained Mallardy Boomph! MC Trevski drops the mike. Waves his chair. Fights the fight. He’s supposed to be the referee. But now he’s down in the melee. ...23 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Sunday 9 May
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...24 hours ago - Newsroom's daily sudoku, Sunday 9 May
...24 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Sunday 9 May
...24 hours ago - Govt Urged To Speak Out Against Israel’s Ethnic Cleansing Polices & Unbridled Brutality Toward...The Palestine Solidarity Movement Aotearoa has written to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta tonight urging the government to speak out against the imminent ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the Occupied East Jerusalem area of Sheikh ...1 day ago
- Sunday Essay: The vaccinationAuthor and intensive care specialist Alex Kazemi stares out at the world amid and beyond the plague.The Sunday Essay is possible thanks to the support of Creative New ZealandOriginal illustrations by Sarah Wilkins.I didn’t see the needle go in. I just winced slightly. But I wasn’t expecting to feel anything ...1 day ago
- West Coast spirit: How a little distillery is revitalising ReeftonThe historic gold-mining town of Reefton is returning to its former prosperity, thanks to the efforts of some passionate residents, entrepreneurs and a boutique gin distillery. I like to think the people of the West Coast worship the rain gods. After all, is there anything that defines and dictates life more ...1 day ago
- Deprogramme yourself: Author Marilynne Robinson on seeing beauty in everythingAhead of her appearance at the Auckland Writers Festival, the much-loved Gilead author talks to Sam Brooks. I came to Marilynne Robinson after the world seemed to, like walking into mass after the homily. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author had a critically acclaimed hit in the 80s with Housekeeping, but it ...1 day ago
- Recipe: Pickled Jerusalem artichokesThese knobbly tubers appear only in autumn, but here’s a way you can enjoy them year round – preferably with cheese.I ventured out to the back of our garden last weekend and the Jerusalem artichokes have spread noticeably since last year. They stand erect, a dense army of tall slender ...1 day ago
- Drag Race Down Under power rankings: The worst Snatch Game in herstoryThe queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under race to the bottom, and it’s only episode two.Someone does Lindy Chamberlain as their character in Snatch Game. Yes, the Lindy Chamberlain whose baby was tragically taken by a dingo, and who was wrongly convicted of murder, vilified in the press, and ...1 day ago
- A leaked transcript from the JB Hi-Fi Mother’s Day catalogue planning meetingOnce again Emily Writes has been leaked the minutes to a Mother’s Day gift guide focus group, this time for the electronics store JB Hi-Fi. Here she shares the unedited transcript.This post was first published on Emily Writes Weekly.We thought the Farmers catalogue couldn’t be topped. But The Spinoff has again ...1 day ago
- Get used to FPAs, if you are employing staff – and brace yourself to losing control over shaping w...We are tempted on occasion to cry: come back, Winston, all is forgiven. Big chunks of our society would benefit from a tempering influence of the sort exercised by New Zealand First – through its coalition agreement – on Labour-Green policy development and implementation from 2017-20. Yes, they got in ...2 days ago
- Myanmar: If independent media dies, democracy diesANALYSIS: By Phil Thornton As chaos flows in Burma, journalists are being forced to hide in plain sight by the Burmese military, writes senior journalist and Myanmar expert Phil Thornton. Journalists in Myanmar are being hunted and arrested by the country’s military for trying to do their job. Independent ...2 days ago
- PM Spokesperson Comment On US Joining The Christchurch Call“The Prime Minister has welcomed the United States decision to join the Christchurch Call. Their support signals the importance the United States places on this work. The United States has been a constructive, engaged partner on many Call-related issues ...2 days ago
- Ban Live Export AucklandMany organisations and individuals have come together for a Nationwide protest urging the government to ban live export now, not in two years. The Auckland demonstration will meet at the town hall at 12 noon and March down Queen Street to Te Komititanga ...2 days ago
- Murdoch, Maxwell and changing history
Critic's Chair: They were once rivals, but while one is long forgotten the other remains an indelible presence. Guy Somerset reviews two examinations of the lives and legacies of Robert Maxwell and Rupert Murdoch. One of the more unnerving afternoons of my life was spent in the genteel sitting room ...2 days ago - Rabbits: A million holes in one
It’s no secret the rabbit population is taking off - again - in Central Otago and Southland, with some landowners struggling to keep their numbers down. But are government departments the worst offenders? It’s a catchcry all over the rabbit-infested regions of Otago and Southland - that public spaces are ...2 days ago - Short story: One hundred love sonnets, by Himali McInnes
"None of us really believed this virus shit was worth downing tools for": a lockdown story by Sri Lankan-New Zealand writer Dr Himali McInnes Pablo was different to the other builders I worked with. I liked the way he smelled. It made me want to sniff him. That scent of ...2 days ago - Newsroom's daily sudoku, Saturday 8 May
...2 days ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Saturday 8 May
...2 days ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Saturday 8 May
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...2 days ago - No one should die for lack of oxygen
It's hard to take when someone dies unnecessarily - as is the case as thousands run out of oxygen around the world. Dr Stephen Howie takes a look at the oxygen problem, arguing NZ needs to play its role outside its own borders. Most of us have seen the horrific scenes in India, as ...2 days ago - James and Isey is an intimate celebration of life, aroha and kaumātuaA new documentary from the director of Kaikohe Demolition is a visually stunning lesson in patience, writes Charlotte Muru-Lanning, who talks to Florian Habicht about how an almost 100-year-old Northland woman and her son drew him back into a genre he’d given up on.“If you could take one thing from ...2 days ago
- The government’s fair pay agreements plan is a big dealIt’s an economy-shaking move that has been welcomed by unions and rallied against by business groups, but what does the new policy actually entail? Justin Giovannetti explains.The Labour government has unveiled a far-reaching shift in New Zealand’s employment law that could raise wages across the country, empower trade unions and ...2 days ago
- Once a biodiversity basket case, Wellington today is the wind beneath our birds’ wingsWe can stand back as the predators we brought with us wipe out our found-nowhere-else-on-earth island evolution, or do something about it, writes Paul Ward, co-founder of Polhill Protectors.When Covid marooned us in our homes, the traffic stopped. In the silence we noticed the birds. Every morning a tūī provided ...2 days ago
- Frydenberg promises housing breaks in ‘pandemic budget’Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Josh Frydenberg says he will bring down a “pandemic budget” on Tuesday, warning that despite Australia’s strong recovery, there is “still a great deal of uncertainty out there”. The Treasurer points to new strains of ...2 days ago
- Frydenberg says this will be a ‘pandemic budget’ to secure the recovery’Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Josh Frydenberg says he will bring down a “pandemic budget” on Tuesday, warning that despite Australia’s strong recovery, there is “still a great deal of uncertainty out there”. The Treasurer points to new strains of ...2 days ago
- PNG police release EMTV employee detained over buai market videoPacific Media Watch newsdeskPapua New Guinean police have released a detained EMTV staff man, Richard Magei, after he reportedly filmed officers destroying buai markets at 5 Mile in the capital of Port Moresby. An appeal by the television channel for more information was posted on the network’s Facebook page, saying ...2 days ago
- Fiji reports 7 new local covid cases as memory lapses ‘cost us dearly’By Timoci Vula in Suva Fiji has today reported seven new cases of covid-19 and all are locally transmitted cases. These were confirmed after 1349 tests. They are in Lautoka and Nadi in the west of the main island, Viti Levu, and the settlement of Makoi, near the capital Suva. ...2 days ago
- Terrorist tag in West Papua could worsen racism, says rights groupRNZ Pacific Human Rights Watch is urging the Indonesian government to rethink its classification of rebels in West Papua as terrorists. Indonesia has formally designated Papuan independence fighters as “terrorists”, in a move expected to expand the military’s role in civilian policing in Papua. But the NGO has warned that ...2 days ago
- Week in Politics: Don't interfere, China tells New ZealandAnalysis - An obscure report comes under the spotlight as Judith Collins continues to claim the government is on a path to racial segregation, China tells New Zealand to mind its own business, a public service wage freeze doesn't go down well an ...2 days ago
- Vital Signs. The RBA wants to cut unemployment, and nothing — not even soaring home prices — wil...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW Ahead of the definitive official read of the economy from the treasury in the budget on Tuesday, the Reserve Bank has given us two special insights into its own thinking in the space of 14 hours. ...2 days ago
- Iwi leaders tire of political bickering over Māori Health AuthorityIwi leaders say they're "hōhā" (fed up) with the Māori Health Authority being used as "a political football". ...2 days ago
- Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Covid-19: India in contextAnalysis by Keith Rankin. Similar story to last week. Chart by Keith Rankin. India’s Covid19 outbreak is still predominantly in the more prosperous cities, mainly in the west and far north of that country. And it is in the domestic coastal and mountain tourist destinations. The data continue to show ...2 days ago
- Australia’s settler and First Nations histories meet in the wild of the bush in DoggedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liza-Mare Syron, Indigenous Scientia Senior Lecturer, UNSW Review: Dogged, directed by Declan Greene. Griffin Theatre Company in association with Force Majeure. Dingo (Sandy Greenwood, a Gumbaynggirr, Dunghutti and Bundjalung actor) stands facing the audience, dressed in a muddied tracksuit with a dingo-like ...2 days ago
- Man arrested over threats made to MP Simeon BrownA 25-year-old man has been charged over death threats made to National Party MP Simeon Brown. ...3 days ago
- US support for waiving COVID vaccine intellectual property is a huge step. Australia must followSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Gleeson, Associate Professor in Public Health, La Trobe University Yesterday, the US Biden administration declared its support for waiving intellectual property rights, including patents, for COVID-19 vaccines. This decision represents a huge breakthrough in discussions at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ...3 days ago
- VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on the Port of Darwin, India’s second wave, and next week’s budgetSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Michelle Grattan discusses the week in politics with University of Canberra Associate Professor Caroline Fisher. This week the pair discuss India’s second coronavirus wave – and the Australian citizens stranded there. Also discussed is the ...3 days ago
- A NZ startup just got named the world’s best creative agencyGlobal advertising is a highly competitive industry dominated by giant well-resourced conglomerates. But a small independent New Zealand agency is taking them on – and the world is taking notice, reports Michael Andrew. Apart from a significant fee, advertising can often be a thankless task. Despite the ostentatiousness and vibrancy ...3 days ago
- Police Commitments To Strengthening Alternative Resolutions Process...3 days ago
- Government Fair Pay Agreement Proposal Will Harm Workers And ConsumersThe Government’s proposal announced today to impose compulsory industry-wide collective bargaining on employees and employers without their agreement or even their participation will harm everyone but unions,” said Roger Partridge, chair of The New Zealand ...3 days ago
- Fair Pay Agreements = Wage ControlThe New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is warning against the Government’s plan for Fair Pay Agreements , calling the policy a form of wage control. Union spokesman Jordan Williams says, “This is an incredibly backward policy that lets Wellington ...3 days ago
- From baby blue-tongues to elephant doulas: motherhood across the animal kingdomSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Oliver Griffith, Lecturer, Macquarie University With Mother’s Day around the corner, it’s a good opportunity to ask what being a mother looks like across the animal kingdom. Most of us have a solid concept of human motherhood, but in nature maternal care ...3 days ago
- Fair Pay Agreements Good News For Employees – Contractors Need Protection TooCabinet has approved a framework for drafting Fair Pay Agreement legislation, and the Public Service Association says this means low-paid workers can look forward to improved and more consistent working lives. Michael Wood, the Minister for Workplace ...3 days ago
- Let them eat pizza bread: What South Aucklanders think of free school lunchesWith the government set to announce an extension of its free lunches programme to 2023, Justin Latif spoke to parents, teachers and the businesses delivering the service to see if the scheme is hitting the spot. The majority of South Auckland schools have been getting free government-funded lunches for one term ...3 days ago
- Mallard looks like a sitting duck but the Nats may prefer to wait to bag the PM as well
Back in March the NZ Herald carried a report headlined “Mallard mess needs sorting”. It was written by Audrey Young, then the political editor. The Labour Party didn’t heed the warning and now this failure is leaving a bigger mess: on Tuesday night Speaker Trevor Mallard accused a former parliamentary ...3 days ago - Yesterdaze: Rabbits aren't our only pests
Rabbits aren't the only designated pests we can't quite eradicate in this country. James Elliott looks at why we can't shed Colin Craig from the news cycle, and why we can't seem to get Trevor Mallard under control. It’s been a huge news week. Tuesday (May the fourth …) was ...3 days ago - The Friday Poem: Race Riot, by Tusiata AviaA poem from Tusiata Avia’s Ockham-shortlisted collection The Savage Coloniser Book.Race RiotThis is any one of them Redfern or Ferguson or Eden Park or the Pak’nSave carpark. We are gathering anywherein a monastery or a high school or a real-estate agent’s we are planning everywhere and I am still afraid.Everyone ...3 days ago
- Support The People Of Colombia Against State Violence This Sunday 3.30pm, Aotea SquareUnite Union and Global Peace and Justice Aotearoa are calling on Aucklanders to join people from Colombia this Sunday At 3.30pm in Aotea Square, to strongly condemn the brutal repression of the Colombian people exercising their right to freedom of ...3 days ago
- UN Report On Methane Is Not Relevant To New Zealand’s Situation“A UN report calling for big cuts to methane emissions does not mean that the Government’s policy of taxing New Zealand farmers for their livestock methane emissions is warranted.” Robin Grieve of FARM said today. The report highlights concerns ...3 days ago
- E tū Welcomes Next Steps For Fair Pay AgreementsE tū members are pleased to learn today about the next steps in the Government’s plan to implement Fair Pay Agreement legislation in this term of Government. The Government has announced more details about what Fair Pay Agreements will look like, ...3 days ago
- Bus Drivers And Supermarket Workers Will Welcome Fair Pay AgreementsToday’s long-awaited announcement that Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs) are on the way for historically underpaid workforces like bus drivers, supermarket staff, healthcare workers and cleaners is a welcome landmark and could be the beginning of reclaiming ...3 days ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending May 7The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (Faber & Faber, $37)For last-minute Mothers Day shoppers, we have ...3 days ago
- PSA: Open Letter To Minister Chris Hipkins Re Govt Pay RestrictionsTēna koe Minister Government’s pay restrictions A week ago today we wrote to you with our strong concerns about your intention to impose restrictions on public workers’ pay. On Wednesday you issued these restrictions without engaging or responding ...3 days ago
- What’s the Valneva COVID-19 vaccine, the French shot that’s supposed to be ‘variant proof’?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Taylor, Early Career Research Leader, Emerging Viruses, Inflammation and Therapeutics Group, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University A COVID-19 vaccine from French company Valneva has yet to complete clinical trials. But it has caught the eye of governments in the UK, ...3 days ago
- Fair Pay Agreements will ensure working Kiwis get a fair go – Michael WoodThe government has released details around employers and unions setting minimum standards to implement the Fair Pay Agreements. ...3 days ago
- Fair Pay Agreements – Set To Deliver On Real Fairness At WorkThe Council of Trade Unions says the future for working New Zealanders looks much brighter thanks to today’s announcement that Fair Pay Agreements are much closer to becoming a reality. The announcement was made by the Minister of Workplace Relations ...3 days ago
- China retaliates: suspending its Strategic Economic Dialogue with Australia is symbolic, but still a...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Laurenceson, Director and Professor, Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI), University of Technology Sydney After Australia’s foreign minister Marise Payne cancelled the Victorian state government’s memorandum of understanding to participate in China’s “Belt and Road” global infrastructure initiative a fortnight ago, she said ...3 days ago
testing testing
Times?
More “Am I awake?”
I heart this time of year…
Testing what? System upgrades last night, so I am looking for breakages.
One thing broken is some forms of video embedding – see draft post that has been at the top of the queue for a while…
have tried to send emails but nothing seems to occur when send is pressed.
“I have an Android issue. I have a Samsung Galxy Ace.
When viewing The Standard, the page runs fine.
The problem is i cannot post comments.
I enter my name, press next, my email, press next and it goes to the website entry box.
I have no site info to enter but pressing next does not progress to comment/text entry box, hence i cannot go any further.
Is there a way to bypass the website box that I am unaware of?
thankyou in advance for any assistance you can offer
kind regards
freedom
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/10346643/rwc-probably-wont-break-even-key/
So we have recovered some of the additional costs from SCF? = So all is good.
Dear National. We know you’re in the pockets of the road builders and the housing industry but do you really have to make it so obvious? http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10754610
P.S. to Auckland. How do you like being run from Wellington?
Mind you Tigger, if someone like John Banks was Mayor the cooperation would be much more cosy with Central Government’s wishes. (Sarcasm warning.)
Fuck these idiots in NAct. Don’t they understand that we can’t afford massive, sprawling cities?
Yes, that’s a rhetorical question, of course they don’t understand as that would require them to take into account reality.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/5689052/Family-zombies-after-home-invasion
Don’t need to be home invaded to become a zombie if you live in a noisy neighborhood
overnight and during the day (so can’t catch up on sleep).
Peter Blake’s son James I think is undertaking a big row to raise money for an artificial reef near Indonesia. This is such a great idea as climate change adversely affects coral reefs which are important maybe vital part of nurturing and protecting sea life. Some people are already acting by planting coral each day, like in coral gardens, and this will spread the reef area and renew. Really important. If you can afford some pennies please think of a donation as this week’s positive action for the planet.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon
Tue27/9 09:35
James Blake
Sir Peter Blake’s son James Blake explains why he’s planning to row across the Tasman to try raise funds to build the world’s biggest artificial reef. (9′51″)
Download: Ogg Vorbis MP3 | Embed
Interesting tale on Facebooks devious policies on Radionz this morning – see link above. Be-ware, they say that everything you do is being passed on and privacy settings you’ve put in place are realigned to default each time they put in a new policy, or I think that’s what they said. I’m no expert. I do know that I tried to cancel my Facebook arrangement and was asked so many intrusive questions that I didn’t fill out the whole form so apparently invalidated my withdrawal and am still welcomed into the sweet and friendly Facebook family. And this morning’s interviewer said it doesn’t matter anyway they keep the settings and keep checking on what you do. Talk about BIG Brother!
Also in this morning’s radionz news –
NZ bid for Commonwealth Games now likely
The New Zealand Olympic Committee says mounting a bid for a future Commonwealth Games is now more likely to happen. The next possible year is 2022.
We can’t afford to make forward-looking responsible social and environmental moves but there’before the Rugby World Cup is over there is talk about circuses and junkets for the elite and Discretionaries (those with spare money) while the bread part isn’t ensured to go with the circuses.
And in Oz those hopeful young NZs who went to Australia and worked for a better life are now beginning to feel the cold and callous side of OZ that wiped all social welfare benefits to us whether we had worked there, no matter how long, and only if we were granted residency which would be refused as we do, if there were health problems etc., when Helen Clark was in, with hardly a peep from her. They didn’t tighten access to benefits – they wiped them altogether.
One family talked this morning – they’re son was born in Oz and because of medical misadventure is brain damaged and required ongoing care for which they receive nothing from the authorities there although they have worked there for some years I think. Presumably they can sue the hospital. Young Kiwi women are turning to prostitution to survive, and degradation of living conditions causes 40 phone calls daily to a Queensland help line. They can be stranded in Oz by pride, as in the biblical Prodigal Son, or because of lack of money in their extended family to bring them home. There was a song from way back by Gene Pitney with the final line – “And I can never, never, go home again.” This is sad – we should start a compassionate fund for NZ refugees in Australia, that lucky country.
Many ideas in here for FB control choices.
Ideas, as mentioned in the article and the comments, are not necessarily answers.
http://nikcub-cache.appspot.com/logging-out-of-facebook-is-not-enough
Simple lesson DONT USE FARCEBOOK. if you do it’s your own fault!
.
more biting the hands that once fed it…
It was less than a week ago that Jenny had a go at biting Owen Glenn’s hand
Now Darien Fenton’s trying similar class traitor tactics on Sir Peter Leitch.
Was it only yesterday that r0b called for less arrogance and reflexive negativity?
@ Joe Bloggs – Is that Sir Peter Leitch the mad butcher who used his interview on radionz to make an open play of affirmation for John Key, that lovely guy, the man everybody would invite to dinner, especially if he brought the wine to go with the rib-eye steak. For those who can afford it!
Actually many of us are concerned to get a Prime Minister who shows continuing concern and responsibility for advancing the welfare of all NZs socially and through business and employment opportunities and makes achievable promises, not feelgood kissing of cheeks, and showing off his dental work.
What’s the problem here? If Rodney Hide said “I won’t shop at X because Y supports Labour” no one would blink an eye. Personally, I’m with Darien – Mad Butcher isn’t getting my money now. Neither is Car-fe. Free choice. Isn’t that what Slater and his lot get chubbies over?
I’ve been told that The Mad Butcher was the moniker Leitch appropriated for himself following a trip to the US.
Oh JB you’re such a funny troll….class traitor tactics, that’s f’n hilarious but then if slater’s your dictionary reference fair play doing a limbo dance under that bar.
Leitch is the typical working class made good who now wants to pull the ladder up by supporting the policies and folk who do this best.
Low wages/rights/employer friendly rules and most of his shops are the meat equivalient of low rent liquor outlets by the poor quality of product and who they target…..seen any in upmarket suburbs ?
Shop at your local butcher, they need it and you’ll get what you pay for….quality and service.
as for that tosser Ridge…wash your own car.
Sorry – you have the wrong man.
I’m referring to Sir Peter Leitch – you might know of him – he’s a working class man with no pretensions who has given away vast sums of money and more of his time to help those who are worse off .You might have heard of his serial fundraising and the work that he’s done for Christchurch folk
Perhaps you may have heard of the Mad Butcher Suburban Newspapers Community Trust which has raised almost $1.5 million for charity. Or the Butch who supported Helen Clark when she was PM…
…here’s a suggestion – instead of calling for a boycott of Mad Butcher shops simply because Butch dares to dabble with the Dark Side, try earning his support back. Now there’s a novelty.
Meanwhile I’m off to the local Mad Butcher for a dozen sausages, and a bit of brisket for the pooch.
They aren’t the “hand that feeds” but the hand that takes away – capitalism = legalised theft.
Graeme Edgeler has posted a valuable Referendum on Public Address. Intriguing and worth doing even if to just confirm a position.
http://publicaddress.net/system/topic/3229/?p=229846#post229846
RIP Troy Davis
Those of us who are not reliant on mainstream media for our information would have felt saddened by recent events in Savannah, Georgia. In fact some of us have felt quietly outraged at the execution of Troy Davis on September 21, 2011…
What has the mainstream media got to do with this?
I learned about it and how he was more than likely not guilty through the mainstream media?
Have a read of the post Chris, and then tell me the MSM reported half of that information? I found out that he was going to be executed and there were protesters, but there was hardly any reporting in NZ by the MSM about the extent of injustice… But what else is new?
I did and I learnt nothing new:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/5665974/Troy-Davis-executed-after-appeal-fails
I read this on the day that he was being put to death.
There was also this editorial:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10754137
Plus a number of other articles about the case on both these sites.
K Fair enough Chris, I’ve edited the post to more accurately define what I was meaning. You might like to also read the Wikipedia article on Troy Davis as well.
Haha yep now that makes more sense to me now.
This was huge news it was all over the media.
Interesting blog from the Torygraph’s US correspondent Toby Harnden. As Harnden points out, Davis was an unusual case for anti-death penalty campaigners to support, because he was almost certainly guilty of the murder plus two other violent assaults in the minutes before he shot the off duty cop. He certainly wasn’t an innocent man, in any sense of the phrase.
Thanks for the link TVOR
I have to say here, that I am opposed to the death penalty even if the person being executed (murdered) is guilty! Otherwise, if campaigners only oppose the killing of the innocent, whilst they should of course do so, it takes away from the point of opposing capital punishment – which is that human beings, being so flawed, have no right at all to decide who gets killed…
The BBC did have a lot about it, but they are recently too scared of offending the Evil Empire to let rip the way they would have 5 years back.. 🙁
Hero of the Week Award – Clare Curran
Clare Curran has been getting a fair bit of grief from David Farrar and Cameron Slater lately. What these right wing sycophants seem to ignore is that she’s a very switched on political commentator, and indispensable within the New Zealand blogosphere…
Phil Goff has an interesting question No 2, set down for today:
Hon PHIL GOFF to the Attorney-General: Does he agree with the Prime Minister’s statement that “there are at least 40 trials and 50 investigations where those investigations currently – the video surveillance equipment’s been turned off and yeah I don’t think – that will harm those trials in my view”, and in how many of those cases does the prosecution rely on evidence from warrantless filming from private property without the owner’s consent?
Jeez, if it’s not too late for the Jackal’s arsehole of the week, John Key is a serious contender:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10754703
What a fucken muppet.
FFS. The man has no idea at all.
He’s just treading water getting kicks out of standing beside ABs and txting heads of state – I wonder if he’s on the block list of Obama’s blackberry?
See what happens when he slips the minders leash or isn’t given a script with the words in bold at the top ‘VERBATIM OR ELSE’
It’s all ok though – Herald readers have jumped to his defense. (And the Herald has made a story out of its facebook page!)
The man can do no wrong – apparently.
John Key has already won an Asshole Award. I’ll count your vote TVOR as a nomination for John Key to win the Asshole of the Year Award 🙂
Don Brash on Pot
In a speech given on law and order held in Auckland last weekend, Don Brash came out in support of decriminalizing marijuana. It seems strange that he’s promoting decriminalization… and it appears to me that his controversial statements are designed to gain media attention…
Do I understand that under the now non existance Surveillance Bill taxi drivers are not allowed to use their new systems because the law as it stands forbids same without a specific judges agreement ?
Doesn’t sound right to me – the cameras are a safety/security issue and are there with the consent of the drivers (if the passengers don’t see the warning signs), so fall under one of the exemptions to the surreptitious filming legislation.
If the police broke into the vehicle one night and placed their own sneaky cameras, the’d not be able to use the footage as evidence in trivial caes. But they could use the taxi company footage quite easily.
As an aside, I was pretty pissed when I noticed the “privacy policy” for the camera footage in my last taxi trip – along the lines of “camera images are only permitted to be viewed by authorised persons”. No information as to who are authorised, character tests, restrictions on being able to copy files (lest a Queenstown bouncer has access to the archive), or expiry protocols. I’m just glad I don’t habitually wear short skirts and sit in the middle seat.
Absolutely not. In fact you can have covert surveillance pretty well anywhere unless you have to trespass on the person’s property to set the camera up. You can even have it on a tree in a park outside as long as it is not too obtrusive.
This BBC news video is a rather sobering view of the coming economic collapse
“BBC Speechless As Trader Tells Truth The Collapse Is Coming ”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp-MQhssCqI&feature=player_embedded
If your website’s full of arsholes, It’s your fault.
We’re twenty years in to this world wide web thing. Today, I myself celebrate twelve years of writing this blog. And yet those of us who love this medium, who’ve had our lives changed by the possibility of publishing our words to the world without having to ask permission, are constantly charged with defending this wonderful, expressive medium in a way that creators in every other discipline seldom find themselves obligated to do.
Some of this is because the medium is new, of course. But in large part, it’s because so many of the most visible, prominent, and popular places on the web are full of unkindness and hateful behavior.
The examples are already part of pop culture mythology: We can post a harmless video of a child’s birthday party and be treated to profoundly racist non-sequiturs in the comments. We can read about a minor local traffic accident on a newspaper’s website and see vicious personal attacks on the parties involved. A popular blog can write about harmless topics like real estate, restaurants or sports and see dozens of vitriolic, hate-filled spewings within just a few hours.
But that’s just the web, right? Shouldn’t we just keep shrugging our shoulders and shaking our heads and being disappointed in how terrible our fellow humans are?
Not many human beings are like that, the problem is they are the ones that get noticed.
Granny just can’t help herself can she ‘ readers leap to PM’s defense over coalmine joke’ should read ‘we think the sun shines out of JK’s arse and here’s some one sided ‘opinions’ to back it up’…..RIP journalism.
Sideshow showing how unfit for the role he is again isn’t news granny.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.php?c_id=1&objectid=10754740
Odd story. Where was the original outcry about it? As far as I can see that was the Herald http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.php?c_id=1&objectid=10754703. No one is reported as finding the joke troublesome.
So Herald created a ‘stir’ so Key could be defended from it…
Oil Damages DNA
A recently released peer reviewed study entitled Genomic and physiological footprint of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on resident marsh fishes (PDF) and released in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has found that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill has damaged the genetic structure of marsh fish in the effected area…
They didn’t detect DNA damage, what they found were changes in gene expression, which has a whole range of mechanisms other than DNA damage…
And it’s spelled out in the bloody abstract, which if DNA damage was involved, you’d think it’d be mentioned, being a summary of the findings and all that:
So learn 2 science pleez, and check wikipedia/google if you don’t understand something, instead of doing what teh deniers do and post truth claims without reading/understanding teh research.
On Radio NZ tonight they were on about Elizabeth Warren, a US law professor who is standing for senate; the person discussing this suggested the words of her speech as a way of shutting up dicks like farrar.
Enjoy
http://youtu.be/hOyDR2b71ag
I am going to try an experiment soon; I am going to attempt a strategy on someone, a parasite on this forum. I did this once before on another site and it really caused the vermine to be frightened away.
There are hundreds of reasons why young voters should turn up in force and send a strong message to this government on November 26.
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.com/2011/09/national-is-stealing-my-childrens.html