So Europe+UK have energy bill spikes, long term drought and food production collapse, refugee floods, war, inflation, export decreases through power shortages, looming deep recession into the remainder of 2020s …
Umm. Wasn't this the industry that picked tetraethyl lead technology in petrol, leading to millions of premature deaths and human illness?
……putting lead, a deadly heavy-metal neurotoxin, into gasoline; releasing ozone-destroying Freon into the stratosphere; and unleashing the scourge of chlorofluorocarbons, implicated in aerosols and just about every piece of foamed plastic choking the world’s landfills and waterways. Once upon a time—with the aid of an aggressive and sustained public-relations program funded by a trio of mighty corporations…
Come to think of it Elected governments should be a toothless advisory bodies to leave business alone to run the country and decide the future, isn't this how all right thinking, right wing, vested interest groups think?
Oh No! governments spoil the party with regulations. How can this be? Governments shouldn't be choosing the technology. Why didn't they just give us targets?
Countries Ban Leaded Gasoline
In August 2021, Algeria was officially the last country to ban leaded gasoline. There has been a long-lasting humanitarian struggle to ban leaded gasoline throughout different countries. The first country to ban leaded gasoline was Japan in the 1980s. Then, other developed countries had followed, including Austria, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and the United States. During the 2000s until the 2020s, 117 more countries, developed and developing, pushed to ban leaded gasoline.
Bribes, Finance and the Holdouts for Ban on Leaded Gasoline
Some countries, such as Indonesia, were guilty of receiving bribes from leaded gasoline oil industries. However, Indonesia finally banned leaded gasoline.
“By 2016 only Algeria, Yemen, and Iraq were holdouts," said National Geographic.
…..Leaded gasoline companies were reportedly sending bribes to countries to encourage them to continue using leaded gasoline. It is clear to see why some countries took much longer to ban leaded gasoline than other countries.
Ban of Leaded Gasoline Everywhere is a Huge Win
There are an estimated 1.2 million people who die from leaded gasoline each year. The hospital rates are even higher. Now that there is a ban on leaded fuel, “The fuel’s elimination will save $2.45 trillion a year, UNEP estimates, reflecting the economic side of lives and nature saved,” said Geneva Solutions Inger Andersen,
So says climate change minister James Shaw, telling Stuff he’d recommend the policy to new transport minister Michael Wood as an “anti-dumping measure” as well as for environmental reasons.
Shaw earlier outlined the Green Party’s proposed ban but has brought it forward for consideration with the UK aiming to ban all new ICE cars by 2030.
However, Shaw isn’t certain a ban on ICE imports will get Cabinet’s OK…..
Shaw isn’t certain a ban on ICE imports will get Cabinet’s OK.
Of course it won't.
Daring to suggest regulation of industry inside cabinet is blasphemy to neo-liberal economic theory. Climate change has no Minister in cabinet to keep out any blasphemous talk of regulating industry.
God forbid. Where would we be if government started interfering in business?
"Trevor Mallard is widely regarded as the worst Speaker of Parliament the country has ever had."
He goes on to show that he is one of those people who subscribe to what I believe is an erroneous view. I have watched a good deal of the Speaker's work in the House and found Trevor Mallard to be a very good Speaker, unafraid to do what he could to rein-in unimpressive behaviour by MPs during Question Time.
Apologies if this has already been covered here on TS.
David Carter – words fail me. I attended an event at which he spoke. I thought, "Is this a set-up? Should we applaud his clever performance? – Spoof, right??"
I had known that he had signalled his wish very early on that this term would be his last and then formalised his resignation, possibly when the Ireland posting came up.
The violent end to the protest was writ in stone much before the sprinklers etc. In my view from the moment the group refused to on and put up the tents. And who can forget the frightening snarling face of the protester Brett Power as he was led away. When you have groups espousing the overthrow of Parliament/lynching/killing of many public figures, a refusal to move on, it more or less called out for the Police response to move them on, just as the similar protest in Ottawa did.
Tolerance? In fact an attempt was made by elements of the protest to invade parliament on the 7th of February (day 2). That was the basis for the trespass notices, basically recognising that allowing the protest to camp out on the lawn made it very difficult for parliament to function. On the 10th Police already attempted to remove the encampment and arrested people who had been camped there illegally (since the 7th).
The sprinklers were left on on the 11th by which time the protest was clearly entrenched and had well prior made its first attempt at January 6th storming.
…..an attempt was made by elements of the protest to invade parliament on the 7th of February (day 2)….
Do you have a confirmation of that assertion Nic?
Unfortunately I have tried googling this, but couldn't find anything to back it up.
I have tried several versions of 'Anti mandate protesters attempt to invade 'parliament 7/02/2022' with and without quotations and could find nothing.
I have tried using the date as you have written it '7th of February' I have replaced anti-mandate with 'anti-vaxxer'.
Of course I also remember it being reported at the time as well.
Accuracy is important.
What you remember and what was reported are two different things.
Especially when emotions are running high.
I can understand your hatred. The antivaxxers views and behaviour are/were despicable, appalling. And though there was an attempt, "to push through a fence outside Parliament" There is no report of an actual attempt made to invade parliament, at least not in this wikipedia entry.
Nic, the wikipedia entry you supplied, confirmed my recollection of the events, which was that police forcibly attempted to remove the antivaxxer protesters from the grounds of parliament. (a public space).
On the order of Trevor Mallard.
I argued at time that this heavy handed approach was counter productive, and that this confrontation is just what the far right element among the protesters wanted.
Trevor Mallard is a hothead with a history of violent assault, inside the parliament building.
Bryce Edwards is a Left academic with a coherent Left world outlook.
Trevor Mallard, an alumnus of the Neo liberal Lange/Douglas administration, is an impulsive hothead and bully with no coherent recorded Left outlook.
I stand by my statement that Trevor Mallard was the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Some could argue he always has been.
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
……protesters attempted to push through a fence outside Parliament but were stopped by Police, who formed a ring around the entrance to the Parliament Buildings. Three men were arrested and issued with trespass notices. One of those arrested was the conspiracy theorist Brett Powers, who unsuccessfully attempted to arrest Minister of Health Andrew Little for alleged culpability in vaccine deaths.[68][69] Police also issued orders for protesters to remove their tents and marquees from Parliament grounds. The attempt to breach the police line outside Parliament may have sparked tensions between the original organisers (who advocated calm) and Counterspin (who pushed for the storming of Parliament).[68] [65]
Police attempted to forcibly remove the protesters from Parliament grounds on the 10th February…..
"What you remember and what was reported are two different things."
Actually they are not two different things, I wasn't there so all I am remembering is what was reported. All I'm saying here is that what is written in that wiki entry basically describes the same events which I also saw reported. It appears your building some sophistic argument based off your fallacy interpreting my comment. If that is to be your mode of discussion you can fuck right off! You also appear to agree that the description via wiki is basically a reasonable description of events.
"I can understand your hatred."
What hatred is that? All I've attempted to do is described what is known about what individuals involved did at the time. If there is any hatred which might need to be reviewed it appears to be emanating from your comments.
Now back to the point. You challenged the statement "an attempt was made by elements of the protest to invade parliament on the 7th of February (day 2)" and claimed that this didn't occur.
So far you have conceded that attempts were made to push through a barrier (which was in front of parliament) and 3 people were arrested (many more than 3 were participating in the push) and one of those arrested was Brett Powers who was attempting to 'arrest' Andrew Little in their attempt. Andrew Little was inside parliament.
Given the demands from the protest camp that politicians be arrested and tried (and the posts on social media describing kidnapping politicians, or other parliamentary staff) it seems entirely reasonable that after breaching the barriers these elements would further try to enter parliament.
So I submit this confirmation of just what I said in my statement.
As far as Trevor Mallards actions (on day 5) go this is clearly irrelevant. The protesters were clearly camped out from day 1 and the police were needed in numbers from day 2 already, trespass (on the grounds of the camping, which is against parliaments rules) was discussed from day 2 and any other speaker would have done the same in similar circumstances.
The anti-mandate protesters, (whether it is true or not), maintain that only a tiny minority were violent and Far Right extremists.
A bull in a china shop.
When we needed a deft hand, instead we had, an impulsive and intolerant authoritarian with a proven history of violence used to having his own way. Who instead of exercising restraint in a tense situation. From the very outset appeared intent on escalating and inflaming the situation.
In effect driving the moderate protesters into the arms of extremists.
Just what the extremists wanted.
This giant egotist has set a precedent for how protesters blockading polluters or union pickets against scabbing will be treated by the police force.
All I can say is thank goodness Trevor Mallard wasn't calling the shots at Rugby Park Hamilton in 1981.
Since those days and since the Urewera police raids, the police have taken a more softly softly approach to protesters.
This doesn't challenge what I said. I only claimed elements attempted to invade parliament. It was day-2 and this attempt caused a major split in approach between protest organisers.
But considering your knowledge that Brett Powers was tackled behind the barricades and your insight that he was not attempting to cross the line (and enter parliament). Have you considered replacing Ian Foster as ABs coach?
This giant egotist has set a precedent for how protesters blockading polluters or union pickets against scabbing will be treated by the police force.
That’s another long bow by you, but I dread the use of awful music and sprinklers instead of water cannons as future crowd dispersion tactics by NZ Police inspired by Mallard; it will be a new textbook entry.
All I can say is thank goodness Trevor Mallard wasn't calling the shots at Rugby Park Hamilton in 1981.
All I can say is, here’s a challenge for your cognitive ability to reconcile fact with your prejudice and confirmation bias:
The guinea-pigs put Mr Mallard, a protest veteran himself, in mind of his own days as an activist, which included being hauled out of the public galleries of Parliament during an anti-SIS bill demonstration and being arrested during the 1981 Springbok tour.
Bryce Edwards is a Left academic with a coherent Left world outlook.
He has consistently been a perfect adherent to one party, New Labour. It was dissolved 21 years ago.
The gum that his political viewpoint was created with has lodged with appears to have become yellow and quite stiffened with age. The only consistent message I have heard from him over the decades is that he doesn’t like the New Zealand Labour party. At various phrases he has been enthusiastic about other parties like Mana and other unsuccessful and usually now dissolved parties.
In my view the only thing that I am sure about with his coherence is that he is a consistent picker of parties, people, and policy that haven’t had any electoral support either here or worldwide. Consequently none of things that in his “coherent Left world outlook” have come to pass.
I tend to view him as a negative prophet. An incompetent critic who is happy to criticise but fails to actually suggest anything that is viable because his criticism lacks suggestions about alternatives. basically a Mrs Grundy too concerned about what the neighbours are being active about to ever do any work himself about how to change what he complains about.
If you want to see how useful criticism should be done, then read Gordon Campbell at Werewolf or No Right Turn. They not only point what they perceive to be to the problems with the NZLP, but also to specific solutions and policy changes some of which might actually work.
That is a grossly unfair claim from Edwards. As speaker, I thought he was surprisingly adept, and uncommonly balanced. The previous speaker, Carter, was pathetic in getting ministers to "address" questions.
OTOH, Trev as a guy is a complete boofhead, but that's by the by.
I watched so much of Speaker Carter and was appalled knowing that at the end of his stint, after his dismal performance he would be knighted.
Every time Mallard peed off the National and ACT supporters I relished the thought of him too being knighted and how that would rile them more.
It was especially funny seeing dumbo efforts from the likes of David Bennett and Paul Goldsmith who were too thick in basic comprehension to understand the rules, what they'd said and how to get back on track. Being brought into line by the rough and ready Mallard who grasped they didn't have a grasp was fun.
Edwards: "Trevor Mallard is widely regarded as the worst Speaker of Parliament the country has ever had."
Me: "Donald Trump is widely regarded as a brilliant man, the best person to be President of the United States and in fact the best President the country has ever had."
Well because the NZRFU are collectively insane we may well have Ian Foster as coach for the World Cup – for the sake of New Zealand, Labour must have the next election before the World Cup quarter finals as being bundled out early in a humiliating manner will result in countrywide need to punish someone and you don't want to be the incumbent in an election after that!
"Real change would mean decentralisation of decision-making, progressive taxation, wealth tax, significantly higher levels of investment in free access to education, health, social housing and other key public services, dealing with the impact of colonisation on Maori, working with other governments to regulate international flows of capital, power-sharing in business enterprises, building an economy that is international in outlook while producing more onshore and on and on"
Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick, who submitted the Alcohol Harm Minimisation member's bill, told Morning Report she was frustrated by the political inaction shown by the government.
"I am frustrated and I think that this is indicative of why the New Zealand public get frustrated at politics, we have health agencies, we have overwhelming evidence.
"We even have two reports that the government commissioned in the last term of Parliament which said get on with these recommendations from 2014 and from 2010 and 2011, which have subsequently been ignored by the bogey man of the alcohol industry."
The proposed bill had received the most widespread support out of any members bills ever that had yet to reach its first reading, she said.
South Auckland's top public health expert "crossed the line of political neutrality" by supporting a Green MP's alcohol harm reduction bill, Health Minister Andrew Little says.
…
Director of Population Health in Counties Manukau Dr Gary Jackson wrote to a number of MPs in July, using a Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand letterhead.
He expressed concern about children's exposure to alcohol advertising and urged MPs to support Auckland Central MP Chlöe Swarbrick's alcohol harm minimisation bill.
Dr Jackson has since retracted the letter but in it said the legislation would give communities the power to decide alcohol availability in their local areas and protect children who watch broadcast sport.
"Children in New Zealand see alcohol advertising everywhere, especially promoted by their sporting heroes. The Bill proposes to take action on alcohol harm by restricting alcohol sports sponsorship and advertising," the letter said.
"We have a vision of unborn peepi, tamariki and rangatahi growing up free from the harms of alcohol. People should be able to live, work, play and socialise in communities free from the harms of alcohol. With your help, we can make real progress towards achieving this vision."
Yep. The carnage and collateral damage this completely legal drug causes NZ…shocking. Of course the alcohol drug pushers/lobbyists….have great power.. and will fight hard to retain it.
About a third of the people seen by Dr Peter Jones at Auckland City Hospital are there because of alcohol.
The emergency medicine specialist says alcohol is largely ignored by medical staff as a reason people turn up at hospital because it is so common. The same attitude is seen in the media and the general public.
"Everyone is really hot on P, a year ago it was Fantasy. All of these drugs are minuscule in cost compared to alcohol," Dr Jones says.
Economist Brian Easton, in a report last year, estimated that $655 million was spent each year on public health as a result of alcohol misuse.
In its annual report for 2002, the Alcohol Advisory Council says the estimated cost of alcohol-related deaths is $5.5 billion a year, while alcohol-related injury and illness is estimated to cost $6.6 billion. Productivity losses, including absenteeism, is estimated at $1.8 billion a year.
One of the last acts of the Dirty Politics saga came to a dramatic end in court on Wednesday with lobbyist Carrick Graham apologising to three public health advocates for his actions in spreading defamatory statements about them.
That dr jones must be delusional, p has caused chaos in my family, and it's only got a grip on 3 of them , most of my mob drink regularly,and at times excessively. Yet still function .
A proposed member’s bill that addresses a power imbalance preventing communities taking steps to develop public health measures around alcohol use could potentially bypass the ballot process.
That would be if 61 non-executive members of parliament agreed to it, but going on past form – in which New Zealand MPs have been reluctant to legislate against the burgeoning promotion and provision of alcohol in his country – there’s no guarantee.
Our drinking landscape has changed considerably over the last 30 years. We have seen dramatic increases in the number of places selling alcohol, the affordability and types of alcoholic products available, and use of innovative marketing strategies to advertise them.
Today, there are over 11,000 places that sell alcohol:
Go on, actually watch all the valid points she makes to the Health Select Committee (theres a link within the article) speaking as a doctor of 34 years specializing in public health, rather than the snippets of propaganda you've got from stuff.
Haven’t looked at the details, but firstly youth crime is down, and surely there isn’t room in the National caucus for all those who can’t be reformed?
“Foreign Secretary Truss, for example, with her promise of a growth boom and tax cuts across the board, doesn’t seem to realize — or simply doesn’t care — that these policies will probably lead to a massive inflationary spiral over and above the double-digit price hikes the U.K. is already suffering from. Former Conservative Chancellor Nigel Lawson warned this could be the case earlier this month, stating that former Prime Minister Edward Heath’s similar policies in the 1970s crippled the British economy and put millions out of work. “
Liz Truss as PM looks like a disaster in the making. Apart from her problems with the cost of living issue, which may well make the poll tax riots look like a tea party, she is threatening to trigger article 16 of the Brexit agreement within days of becoming PM. The EU will them counter trigger article 16 and who knows where that will end.
A "hard" border between NI and Ireland? A return to the "Troubles"?
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Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
The world has been experiencing a productivity slowdown, from which New Zealand has not been exempt. COVID-19 temporarily boosted labour productivity, but more recently, productivity has retreated. The overall trend since 2007 has been one of slow productivity ...
What’s more wasteful than spending $315k on syrup and machine maintenance? Trying to drum up a controversy about it.Cast your mind back to the pre-pandemic idylls of 2019. A “rat” was a disgusting rodent and not a self-administered plague test; the sixth Labour government was in power; and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Monash University Ken stocker/Shutterstock In the wake of numerous killings of women allegedly by men’s violence in 2024, thousands of Australians have joined rallies across the country to demand action ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Cutler, Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University Oleg Ivanov IL/Shutterstock Waiting times for public hospital elective surgery have been in the news ahead of this year’s federal budget. That’s the type of non-emergency surgery ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne Amna Artist/Shutterstock One of the earliest descriptions of someone with cancer comes from the fourth century BC. Satyrus, tyrant of the city of Heracleia on the Black Sea, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Rose, Professor of Sustainable Future Transport, University of Sydney LanaElcova/Shutterstock Electric vehicles are often seen as the panacea to cutting emissions – and air pollution – from transport. Is this view correct? Yes – but only once uptake accelerates. Despite the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giselle Natassia Woodley, Researcher and Phd Candidate, Edith Cowan University There is widespread agreement Australia needs to do better when it comes to gender-based violence. Anger and frustration at the numbers of women being killed saw national rallies over the weekend and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Graham, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney Mark and Anna Photography/Shutterstock As home ownership moves further out of reach for many Australians, “rentvesting” is being touted as a lifesaver. Rentvesting is the practice of renting one property to live ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sukhmani Khorana, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW Sydney Netflix The new season of Heartbreak High is garnering mixed reviews. Critics are writing about the racy story lines, comparing it to other coming-of-age series about teenage relationships and ...
Bob Carr intends to launch legal action against Winston Peters and Julie Anne Genter is facing a second allegation of bullying. Both sucked the air out of an announcement on education, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
In 1995, Sally Clark went out on her own in a bold and unorthodox attempt to join an illustrious group of equestrian riders conquering the world. In the days of glovebox road maps, brick cell phones, and the hit song How Bizarre, Clark refused to follow Sir Mark Todd, Blyth ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Beaglehole, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago niphon/Getty Images The number of people accessing medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Aotearoa New Zealand increased significantly between 2006 and 2022. But the disorder is still under-diagnosed and ...
To celebrate the start of New Zealand music month, we look back at the best local tuneage that managed to weasel its way into Hollywood productions. There’s nothing quite like the thrilling zap of recognition when New Zealand weasels its way into a glamorous Hollywood production. Crack open a Tui ...
People trust other people more than institutions. So how can the media gain that trust through journalists without losing what’s important about the institution? Anna Rawhiti-Connell reflects on two years of curating the news for The Bulletin.Amonth ago, armed cops descended on my neighbourhood as calls to “lock your ...
NONFICTION 1 The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour & Jude Dobson (Allen & Unwin, $37.99)’ This is the hottest book in New Zealand, number one with a bullet in its first week, selling more than any overseas title, and demand is so huge that it’s already been reprinted. A ...
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A warning – suicide is discussed in this podcast New Zealand’s own long-running soap Shortland Street doesn’t hesitate to kill off its much-loved characters. But would TVNZ dare to kill off our favourite soap? That’s the fear as times get tough in television – even though it’s been pointed out ...
Essay: If the Crown harms children, how do you hold it accountable? Analysis by Aaron Smale in light of the Waitangi Tribunal court decision. The post The Crown versus Māori Children appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are a class of thousands of man-made chemicals used widely in everyday consumer items such as textiles, packaging, and cookware, popular for their water, grease and stain-repellent properties. However, the very properties that make PFAS so attractive to manufacturers are also what ...
Asia Pacific Report A West Papuan resistance leader has condemned the United Nations role in allowing Indonesia to “integrate” the Melanesian Pacific region in what is claimed to be an “egregious act of inhumanity” on 1 May 1963. In an open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Organisasi Papua Merdeka-OPM ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A key part of the Albanese government’s political strategy is to fill the news cycle with its presence and messaging. Ministers are deployed to the maximum, even when they’ve little to say. This week ...
Recent extreme weather events showed the importance of a well-functioning insurance system, says Commerce and Consumer Affairs minister Andrew Bayly. ...
By Jo Moir, RNZ News political editor, and Craig McCulloch, deputy political editor New Zealand’s Labour Party is demanding Winston Peters be stood down as Foreign Minister for opening up the government to legal action over his “totally unacceptable” attack on a prominent AUKUS critic. In an interview on RNZ’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Brakenridge, Postdoctoral research fellow at Swinburne University, Centre for Urban Transitions, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute The Conversation, Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock People have a pretty intuitive sense of what is healthy – standing is better than sitting, exercise is great for overall ...
The Wellington-based Reserve Force soldier is now almost three years into his New Zealand Army career with 5th/7th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. ...
"The Government needs to release the review immediately as this reckless approach to change risks disjointed decision making and creates more distress and uncertainty for staff," Fitzsimons said. ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor Jeremiah Manele has been elected Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, polling 31 votes to 18 over rival candidate and former opposition leader Mathew Wale with one abstention. The final result of the election by secret ballot was announced by the Governor-General, Sir David Vunagi, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Priestley Habru, PhD candidate, public diplomacy, University of Adelaide Former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele has been elected the next prime minister of Solomon Islands, defeating the opposition leader, Matthew Wale, in a vote in parliament. The result is a mixed bag for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shaun Eaves, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Jamey Stutz, CC BY-SA How often do mountains collapse, volcanoes erupt or ice sheets melt? For Earth scientists, these are important questions as we try ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Flood, Professor of Sociology, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock Most young adult men in Australia reject traditional ideas of masculinity that endorse aggression, stoicism and homophobia. Nonetheless, the ongoing influence of those ideas continues to harm men and the people ...
The NZQA proposal released to staff today would involve a net loss of 35 roles. There are 66 roles being disestablished with 13 of those currently vacant, and 31 new roles proposed, said Fleur Fitzsimons Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga ...
Alex Casey talks to Loren Taylor, the writer, director and star of new film The Moon is Upside Down, about assembling her dream ensemble cast, toilet paper pads and turning literal dreams into reality. There’s a moment in The Moon is Upside Down where frazzled anaesthetist Briar (Loren Taylor) gets ...
Renters and realtors are upset with a government decision to scrap a bill meant to regulate property managers over concerns about unethical and unlawful behaviours. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassy Dittman, Senior Lecturer/Head of Course (Undergraduate Psychology), Research Fellow, Manna Institute, CQUniversity Australia With winter sports swinging into action, adults around the country have volunteered or been volunteered by others (humorously known as being “volun-told”) to coach junior sports teams. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karleen Gribble, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University richardernestyap/Shutterstock Parents are often advised to burp their babies after feeding them. Some people think burping after feeding is important to reduce or prevent discomfort crying, or to ...
Workers at a major ASB contact centre in Auckland have voted to take strike action and withdraw their labour following disappointing pay negotiations with the employer and an "offer" to workers that would leave them worse off than the previous year. ...
As the government tries to get the country back on track with a school phone ban, Tara Ward has an idea for where they should turn their attention to next.New Zealand students returned to school on Monday morning, but their cellphones did not. The government’s new phone ban began ...
The Labour Party is demanding Peters be stood down, saying "he's embarrassed the country" with a "totally unacceptable" attack on a prominent AUKUS critic. ...
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance, whose members were victims of a China-backed cyber attack, is discussing forming a standing committee to deal with foreign influence. ...
The PSA is concerned that the voluntary redundancies being offered to staff by Stats NZ will impact on the agency’s ability to deliver on its core functions. ...
Results ranged from surprisingly yum to soul-destroying. I love cooking. The kitchen is a hearth of culinary creation, of sensory delights, of gastronomic poetry. I also can’t afford anything nice. Why does a pack of instant noodles and some milk cost ten bucks? I love you, Aotearoa, but I miss ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor Police in Solomon Islands are on high alert ahead of the election of the prime minister today. The two candidates for the top job are former foreign affairs minister Jeremiah Manele at the head of the Coalition for National Unity and Transformation, which is ...
He’s fine but it feels like I’m losing a friend and it’s making me bitter. How do I say ‘enough is enough’? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzHey Hera,I’ve recently moved in with a girlfriend, her partner Steve, and his friend. We all live in a lovely little house. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Chartres, Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Sydney shutterstockAhmet Misirligul/Shutterstock You go to the gym, eat healthy and walk as much as possible. You wash your hands and get vaccinated. You control your health. This is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacqueline Hendriks, Research Fellow and Lecturer, Curtin University Children and young people may be seeing news headlines about men murdering women or footage of people rallying to call for action. Perhaps they or their friends have even gone to the protests. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Balanzategui, Senior Lecturer in Media, RMIT University ABC “Bluey mania” shows no sign of abating. Bluey’s season finale, The Sign, was the most viewed ABC program of all time on iView. A “hidden” follow-up episode, aptly named The Surprise, created ...
So Europe+UK have energy bill spikes, long term drought and food production collapse, refugee floods, war, inflation, export decreases through power shortages, looming deep recession into the remainder of 2020s …
… but no current changes in policy direction.
That's going to take a lot of riot Police.
Something will really have to change.
Debacle after debacle. The Tories should be gone for a generation.
https://twitter.com/LBC/status/1563118241483931654
https://twitter.com/MartinSLewis/status/1563106544669315072
There is a very big message here for NZ.
Do not import the narrative from Europe,in how to manage change to systems and infrastructure,transport or the rewriting of the Thesaurus.
https://twitter.com/chigrl/status/1563624187037728770?cxt=HHwWhIC-6bz6jbMrAAAA
why do the English hate Labour so much though.
Murdoch+ press. Propaganda is effective. Easy to tap into the auld feelings of imperial superiority?
Generations of forelock tugging.
Why can’t we cut our greenhouse gas emissions?
“Governments should pick targets, not technologies.
In one sentence vested interest polluters define the farcical Zero Carbon by 2050 act, and why emissions keep going up.
Zero enforcement.
Just how the polluters like it
Party, party, party.
Umm. Wasn't this the industry that picked tetraethyl lead technology in petrol, leading to millions of premature deaths and human illness?
Come to think of it Elected governments should be a toothless advisory bodies to leave business alone to run the country and decide the future, isn't this how all right thinking, right wing, vested interest groups think?
Oh No! governments spoil the party with regulations. How can this be? Governments shouldn't be choosing the technology. Why didn't they just give us targets?
The Prime Minister has said that climate change is this generation's nuclear free moment.
Yeah right. Maybe David Lange instead of banning nuclear ship visits should just have set targets and politely informed the nuclear powers of them.
Shaw isn’t certain a ban on ICE imports will get Cabinet’s OK.
Of course it won't.
Daring to suggest regulation of industry inside cabinet is blasphemy to neo-liberal economic theory. Climate change has no Minister in cabinet to keep out any blasphemous talk of regulating industry.
God forbid. Where would we be if government started interfering in business?
Bryce Edwards writes:
"Trevor Mallard is widely regarded as the worst Speaker of Parliament the country has ever had."
He goes on to show that he is one of those people who subscribe to what I believe is an erroneous view. I have watched a good deal of the Speaker's work in the House and found Trevor Mallard to be a very good Speaker, unafraid to do what he could to rein-in unimpressive behaviour by MPs during Question Time.
Apologies if this has already been covered here on TS.
https://democracyproject.nz/2022/08/26/bryce-edwards-mallards-diplomatic-appointment-lacks-integrity/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bryce-edwards-mallards-diplomatic-appointment-lacks-integrity
For Bryce Edwards to be balanced in his writing he would to became blind in his one remaining eye.
Perhaps he is impartial – and just recently had a significant brain injury which has robbed him of all memory of David Carter.
David Carter – words fail me. I attended an event at which he spoke. I thought, "Is this a set-up? Should we applaud his clever performance? – Spoof, right??"
Nope. He was what he was.
Agreed Barfly on Edwards and Carter. Both atrocious.
Sir David Carter (!!) was the worst speaker I have seen in terms of bias.
The tractor, the dismissal of the women MP's stories, Etc!!!!
Trevor Mallard has never been noted for his tolerance.
In my opinion the violent scenes at Parliament could possibly have been avoided, if Trevor Mallard had taken a less belligerent approach.
Mallard was the wrong man, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and lost his job, because of it.
Bad behaviour shouldn't be tolerated.
Trevor's not responsible for the violent scenes on Parliament's lawn.
I wasn't aware that he had lost his job?
I had known that he had signalled his wish very early on that this term would be his last and then formalised his resignation, possibly when the Ireland posting came up.
The violent end to the protest was writ in stone much before the sprinklers etc. In my view from the moment the group refused to on and put up the tents. And who can forget the frightening snarling face of the protester Brett Power as he was led away. When you have groups espousing the overthrow of Parliament/lynching/killing of many public figures, a refusal to move on, it more or less called out for the Police response to move them on, just as the similar protest in Ottawa did.
To lay this on one man is naive in my view.
Or biased …
He wasn't biffed out (subtle joke).
Many of us knew last Xmas that Trev was off to Dublin. Nothing at all to do with the February mob attack.
Tolerance? In fact an attempt was made by elements of the protest to invade parliament on the 7th of February (day 2). That was the basis for the trespass notices, basically recognising that allowing the protest to camp out on the lawn made it very difficult for parliament to function. On the 10th Police already attempted to remove the encampment and arrested people who had been camped there illegally (since the 7th).
The sprinklers were left on on the 11th by which time the protest was clearly entrenched and had well prior made its first attempt at January 6th storming.
Do you have a confirmation of that assertion Nic?
Unfortunately I have tried googling this, but couldn't find anything to back it up.
I have tried several versions of 'Anti mandate protesters attempt to invade 'parliament 7/02/2022' with and without quotations and could find nothing.
I have tried using the date as you have written it '7th of February' I have replaced anti-mandate with 'anti-vaxxer'.
A little help here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Wellington_protest#First_week
Of course I also remember it being reported at the time as well.
Accuracy is important.
What you remember and what was reported are two different things.
Especially when emotions are running high.
I can understand your hatred. The antivaxxers views and behaviour are/were despicable, appalling. And though there was an attempt, "to push through a fence outside Parliament" There is no report of an actual attempt made to invade parliament, at least not in this wikipedia entry.
Nic, the wikipedia entry you supplied, confirmed my recollection of the events, which was that police forcibly attempted to remove the antivaxxer protesters from the grounds of parliament. (a public space).
On the order of Trevor Mallard.
I argued at time that this heavy handed approach was counter productive, and that this confrontation is just what the far right element among the protesters wanted.
Trevor Mallard is a hothead with a history of violent assault, inside the parliament building.
Bryce Edwards is a Left academic with a coherent Left world outlook.
Trevor Mallard, an alumnus of the Neo liberal Lange/Douglas administration, is an impulsive hothead and bully with no coherent recorded Left outlook.
I stand by my statement that Trevor Mallard was the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Some could argue he always has been.
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
"What you remember and what was reported are two different things."
Actually they are not two different things, I wasn't there so all I am remembering is what was reported. All I'm saying here is that what is written in that wiki entry basically describes the same events which I also saw reported. It appears your building some sophistic argument based off your fallacy interpreting my comment. If that is to be your mode of discussion you can fuck right off! You also appear to agree that the description via wiki is basically a reasonable description of events.
"I can understand your hatred."
What hatred is that? All I've attempted to do is described what is known about what individuals involved did at the time. If there is any hatred which might need to be reviewed it appears to be emanating from your comments.
Now back to the point. You challenged the statement "an attempt was made by elements of the protest to invade parliament on the 7th of February (day 2)" and claimed that this didn't occur.
So far you have conceded that attempts were made to push through a barrier (which was in front of parliament) and 3 people were arrested (many more than 3 were participating in the push) and one of those arrested was Brett Powers who was attempting to 'arrest' Andrew Little in their attempt. Andrew Little was inside parliament.
Given the demands from the protest camp that politicians be arrested and tried (and the posts on social media describing kidnapping politicians, or other parliamentary staff) it seems entirely reasonable that after breaching the barriers these elements would further try to enter parliament.
So I submit this confirmation of just what I said in my statement.
As far as Trevor Mallards actions (on day 5) go this is clearly irrelevant. The protesters were clearly camped out from day 1 and the police were needed in numbers from day 2 already, trespass (on the grounds of the camping, which is against parliaments rules) was discussed from day 2 and any other speaker would have done the same in similar circumstances.
Nic no matter how you twist things to fit your pro-authoritarian narrative.
That no attempt was made to invade parliament is a fact. Some barriers erected on parliament grounds were knocked down. So what?
It wasn't the first time.
This doesn't challenge what I said. I only claimed elements attempted to invade parliament. It was day-2 and this attempt caused a major split in approach between protest organisers.
But considering your knowledge that Brett Powers was tackled behind the barricades and your insight that he was not attempting to cross the line (and enter parliament). Have you considered replacing Ian Foster as ABs coach?
That’s another long bow by you, but I dread the use of awful music and sprinklers instead of water cannons as future crowd dispersion tactics by NZ Police inspired by Mallard; it will be a new textbook entry.
All I can say is, here’s a challenge for your cognitive ability to reconcile fact with your prejudice and confirmation bias:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/fond-memories-of-a-trouble-maker/ITQDV6HPMKMCK4DXHNCXBU6A5E/
You mean sprinklers and ‘earworm’ music instead of water cannons and tear gas? You seem prone to exaggeration and hyperbole.
He has consistently been a perfect adherent to one party, New Labour. It was dissolved 21 years ago.
The gum that his political viewpoint was created with has lodged with appears to have become yellow and quite stiffened with age. The only consistent message I have heard from him over the decades is that he doesn’t like the New Zealand Labour party. At various phrases he has been enthusiastic about other parties like Mana and other unsuccessful and usually now dissolved parties.
In my view the only thing that I am sure about with his coherence is that he is a consistent picker of parties, people, and policy that haven’t had any electoral support either here or worldwide. Consequently none of things that in his “coherent Left world outlook” have come to pass.
I tend to view him as a negative prophet. An incompetent critic who is happy to criticise but fails to actually suggest anything that is viable because his criticism lacks suggestions about alternatives. basically a Mrs Grundy too concerned about what the neighbours are being active about to ever do any work himself about how to change what he complains about.
If you want to see how useful criticism should be done, then read Gordon Campbell at Werewolf or No Right Turn. They not only point what they perceive to be to the problems with the NZLP, but also to specific solutions and policy changes some of which might actually work.
That is a grossly unfair claim from Edwards. As speaker, I thought he was surprisingly adept, and uncommonly balanced. The previous speaker, Carter, was pathetic in getting ministers to "address" questions.
OTOH, Trev as a guy is a complete boofhead, but that's by the by.
I'm with you, Roy.
Mallard though, did destroy Whaleoil (on a bicycle).
That's epic/mythologic.
I watched so much of Speaker Carter and was appalled knowing that at the end of his stint, after his dismal performance he would be knighted.
Every time Mallard peed off the National and ACT supporters I relished the thought of him too being knighted and how that would rile them more.
It was especially funny seeing dumbo efforts from the likes of David Bennett and Paul Goldsmith who were too thick in basic comprehension to understand the rules, what they'd said and how to get back on track. Being brought into line by the rough and ready Mallard who grasped they didn't have a grasp was fun.
Bryce Edwards is the most impressively credentialed appeasement figure in NZ. Though that may be unkind to appeasement figures.
Contexts and truths:
Edwards: "Trevor Mallard is widely regarded as the worst Speaker of Parliament the country has ever had."
Me: "Donald Trump is widely regarded as a brilliant man, the best person to be President of the United States and in fact the best President the country has ever had."
Well because the NZRFU are collectively insane we may well have Ian Foster as coach for the World Cup – for the sake of New Zealand, Labour must have the next election before the World Cup quarter finals as being bundled out early in a humiliating manner will result in countrywide need to punish someone and you don't want to be the incumbent in an election after that!
"Real change would mean decentralisation of decision-making, progressive taxation, wealth tax, significantly higher levels of investment in free access to education, health, social housing and other key public services, dealing with the impact of colonisation on Maori, working with other governments to regulate international flows of capital, power-sharing in business enterprises, building an economy that is international in outlook while producing more onshore and on and on"
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/300670053/no-easy-fixes-in-inequality-debate
"This is a huge and radical agenda. But only policy on this scale will deal with what Piketty identifies as the core of the income inequality problem.
I cannot see this happening soon in any democratic nation."
Despite widespread support from councils and interest groups, Chlöe Swarbrick's Alcohol Harm Minimisation bill is encountering resistance as it works its way through parliament:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/472602/swarbrick-frustrated-by-deputy-pm-not-backing-alcohol-harm-minimisation-bill
Today the it's the turn of the Health Minister:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/473646/minister-rebukes-health-leader-over-alcohol-bill-support
Perhaps the 'learnings' from this could be that this is a popular and needed bill and the government should support its passing.
Yep. The carnage and collateral damage this completely legal drug causes NZ…shocking. Of course the alcohol drug pushers/lobbyists….have great power.. and will fight hard to retain it.
Chloe Swarbrick. Is so on to it. Cmon Labour….LEAD !
"Everyone is really hot on P, a year ago it was Fantasy. All of these drugs are minuscule in cost compared to alcohol," Dr Jones says."
Minuscule.
MINISCULE.
Worth emphasising 🙂
That dr jones must be delusional, p has caused chaos in my family, and it's only got a grip on 3 of them , most of my mob drink regularly,and at times excessively. Yet still function .
Hanging p dealers is not to extreme umho.
Hmmm…
When it's personal, we can lose perspective, for sure.
Your mob might not appear quite so functional from an outsider's perspective.
Oh ?
Chloe…keep the fight on with this. hard going…I KNOW. But Keep on.
Useful brief thread of tweets – click on the first to see the others:
https://twitter.com/ConanMcKegg/status/1563417337880948737
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-body-elections/129677583/antimandate-doctor-running-for-wellington-city-council
Stuff needs to be applauded ,this is about the 4th article today ,shing a light on the dangerous and delusional infiltrating the halls of power.
She "loathes" stuff.
X
Agreed-well done Stuff.
Dr. Ate Moala should be struck off for spreading misleading health advice that could lead to many deaths.
Go on, actually watch all the valid points she makes to the Health Select Committee (theres a link within the article) speaking as a doctor of 34 years specializing in public health, rather than the snippets of propaganda you've got from stuff.
https://phys.org/news/2022-08-efficient-carbon-dioxide-reduction-visible.html
Mostly gidderish to my untrained brain but this is the stuff that will help save us,
Well, it gives … "scientists at Tokyo Tech hope in the fight against global warming.", so it must be good, right?
🙂
Availability is all that stops p topping the physical stats,, its addictive qualities out way alcohol by miles,
P destroys all basic decency makes good people dirt bags of the highest order.
Yes, it does.
Luxon announces crackdown on youff crime!
Haven’t looked at the details, but firstly youth crime is down, and surely there isn’t room in the National caucus for all those who can’t be reformed?
Luxon is aiming to be buzzword compliant – say 'crackdown' often enough and he reckons it will get votes /ugh
Luxon?
Crack-up!
Cracked record
change the leader! Surely a record number now?
This is the road that National could take us down if left unchecked.
https://www.politico.eu/article/britains-conservative-party-is-suffering-from-a-talent-vacuum/
“Foreign Secretary Truss, for example, with her promise of a growth boom and tax cuts across the board, doesn’t seem to realize — or simply doesn’t care — that these policies will probably lead to a massive inflationary spiral over and above the double-digit price hikes the U.K. is already suffering from. Former Conservative Chancellor Nigel Lawson warned this could be the case earlier this month, stating that former Prime Minister Edward Heath’s similar policies in the 1970s crippled the British economy and put millions out of work. “
Liz Truss as PM looks like a disaster in the making. Apart from her problems with the cost of living issue, which may well make the poll tax riots look like a tea party, she is threatening to trigger article 16 of the Brexit agreement within days of becoming PM. The EU will them counter trigger article 16 and who knows where that will end.
A "hard" border between NI and Ireland? A return to the "Troubles"?
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/aug/26/liz-truss-may-trigger-article-16-days-after-becoming-pm-amid-brexit-row