In the pink corner we have a Rainbow, in the blue corner a Minto. They have adopted opposing moral stands. Venerable protestor Minto is running a media operation in support of Palestinians. Political chameleon Rainbow feels that's a naughty thing to do.
“This sort of action has the risk of a ripple effect which may cause harm in the community.
Minto promptly dismissed such paranoia:
Responding to Rainbow’s comments, PSNA chairman John Minto called it a “disingenuous message” from the Commission, and said the hotline did not target all Israeli and Jewish people in New Zealand. “This campaign is about Israeli soldiers coming here for rest and recreation after a campaign of industrial-scale killing of Palestinians in Gaza." “To imply it is about Jews is deeply disgusting and despicable.”
Oh, is that what he did? Lapsed into whataboutism? Yet surely public intellectuals ought to use such rhetorical flourishes to justify their existence! Being performative is de riguer for opinion leaders. He's got Winston on his side too, who on Morning Report just now said Minto had been a bludger for 5 decades.
He's [Rainbow's] got Winston on his side too, who on Morning Report just now said Minto had been a bludger for 5 decades.
Five decades! John Minto co-founded Halt All Racist Tours (HART), so his views on the 1981 Springbok tour of NZ are no mystery, but what was the now deputy PM's position on the 1981 tour? It's no use asking our former PM Sir John Key – he could barely recall his own position. [Edit: channeling “Schrodinger’s Cat“]
Harawira off to South Africa [10 Dec 2013]
Meanwhile, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters described the official party [to attend Nelson Mandela's funeral] as unbalanced and said it should have included anti-apartheid protest leaders from the 1980s.
Mr Peters told Radio New Zealand's Morning Report programme on Tuesday that the Prime Minister should attend, but there should be two or three members from the protest movement, such as Trevor Richards or John Minto.
True activists have the luxury of maintaining a principled stance, whereas politicians must be more pragmatic and 'flexible' to sustain a political career – Beehive to survive
Appealing to solidarity in a moral stance – Israeli soldiers aren't welcome here, due to the genocide they are doing in Palestine. I agree with Minto on that point.
Also in his assertion of a moral right to object in person. It is actually offensive for the govt to allow such people into the country. Lux will object that its a Schrodinger's Cat situation and nobody can prove that a particular tourist is an Israeli soldier. Bystanders will applaud his intellectual expertise. No, I got those two sentences wrong – that will never happen. Lux may offer the opinion that the rights & wrongs of the reciprocal genocides are due to both sides being Semites, thereby accidentally becoming the first person to ever tell the truth about the situation. Nah, he's not capable of it.
As I stated yesterday, there is the Hind Rajab Foundation, which was specifically created by a group of lawyers in Belgium with the express purpose of documenting and building cases against individual Israeli Defense Force personnel and politicians.
These cases mostly fall into two categories, individuals with dual passports and those holding only Israeli passports.
Duals will have their cases built over the medium to long term. The aim will be to eventually bring their cases to trial in the country of their second citizenship.
The singles are a different case. They can only be brought to trial in countries they travel in outside of Israel. So their cases need to be ready to go and applied as soon as they set foot or even when they plan a trip.
It will be this second group of sole Israeli passport holders that PSNA will be primarily interested in. Speed is of the essence and an early tipoff will be invaluable.
There has already been some close calls with Israel sending emergency military extraction flights to Cyprus and Brazil.
The cases are ready to go. This is exactly how SS were targeted post WWll.
Okay, the long arm of the law. Whether it secures a suitable outcome could depend on more than due process though. Costs of prosecution paid by who? If a govt is disinclined to fund the process, international law doesn't mean much…
Otoh if wealthy folks are sufficiently humanitarian it becomes feasible. Perhaps the viability is contingent on that, huh?
It is the State that must pick up the case as with anything to do with international law. It is a matter of continnually building pressure. As I'm sue you are aware, nthng comes easy for Palestine.
Perhaps it is time to ban Israeli citizens from NZ, or at least revoke the visa free status they now enjoy so INZ can work out who is who before they enter.
The point has been made several times by several people that all Israeli citizens are or have been military in some form. That's what happens when you create a pariah ethno-state where religious supremacy and expansionism have been allowed to flourish.
The UN and the ICJ state Israel's occupation of and actions in Palestine are illegal so why does NZ turn a blind eye to that?
While it might seem unfair because not all Israeli people agree with the actions of their supremacist government (and a lot of non-Israeli people in NZ do), they have to be held accountable for the actions of their supremacist government until the country votes otherwise (and we have to continue to put up with Israeli supremacists here).
They'll apply for visas but INZ can then make a determination and decline a visa on character grounds under one of these assessments:
you have been involved in terrorist activities, or belonged to or supported any organisation involved in terrorist activities
it is believed you are associated with an organisation or group that has criminal objectives or is engaged in criminal activities
Being associated with a gang or criminal organisation can raise red flags regarding character.
This could be for any serving soldier on a post-war O.E, or particularly to prevent Israelis citizens who may have been involved in war crimes or illegal settlement activities.
I must have missed the bit where the NZ government designated the IDF a terrorist organisation. Or did you mean that INZ should make its own moral judgements without regard for government foreign policy and positions?
"Or did you mean that INZ should make its own moral judgements…….."
Please NO. INZ is a big enough stuff up under the aegis of that bugger's muddle known as MoBIE ( a Stephen Choice/Coalman vanity project ) since the day it gave birth)
How it has survived past gummints I'll never know but it's been CEO''d by Masters of the Universe and wannabe Masters of the Universe since the day it began.
And when truly incompetent [micro]-managerialists stuff up so badly they become an embarrassment, they simply move on to anothert gig. I'd be watching ACC as the next example.
It's terrible, isn't it? That young people in Israel have to make the decision to support an illegal occupation, or go to jail, or leave the county.
Israeli is a disaster and the whole idea should be revisited. Their 'treaty' was signed 100 years after ours and several thousand people die there every year.
I think some people forget what activism is. Change doesn't happen without bold people fighting for the downtrodden and persecuted. Sometimes it’s ugly but the powerful don’t move unless they are made to with direct action. You should have some sympathy for this as a climate and GC activist.
NZ could really make a statement here by saying no to a country which has been classed as an illegal occupier by both the UN and the ICJ.
If you don't support those institutions then there's not much hope.
colonisation generally is a disaster too. I understand the motivation here MB, what I'm objecting to is the strategy and actions.
What is being done to Palestine is unconscionable and reprehensible. NZ should be taking a stronger stand. Likewise Afghanistan, but I notice this no longer the cause du jour for liberals. Funny that.
Also concerning is the number of progressives who think that undermining convention is a good thing to do. Activism isn't just about acting against oppression, it's about understanding dynamics and having effective tactics and strategy.
Banning Israelis from travel to NZ will have consequences, including aiding the dismantling of democracy (which is how our most pressing problem). Looking at those consequences is an inherent aspect of developing effective strategy.
Likewise, putting out social media to track down and report Israeli soldiers travelling in NZ. Not only is this against NZ values, it plays right into the hands of the protofascists who love a good meme about the left and commies rounding up wrong thinkers.
Worse, it doesn't take much imagination to see how the right would make use of such tactics if they were normalised.
Likewise Afghanistan, but I notice this no longer the cause du jour for liberals. Funny that.
Whataboutism is an effective strategy used to derail or shut down an argument. I heard Brian Ridge do exactly this when speaking to Green Party MP Ricardo MM on the 1ZB radio just after 5:00pm. Ridge used the incident where Mariameno Kapa-Kingi said to Karen Chhour at a select committee that ‘she'd forgotten what it is to be Maori’ in order to attack Ricardo MM for speaking out about the racist comments in parliament by Jones and Peters. The inference was that because Ricardo MM would not denounce a robust challenge from one Maori woman to another, then he could not speak out against naked racist rhetoric from NZF.
The tone of the rest of your comment suggests, and I'm sure you don't intentionally mean this, that activists should not rock the boat, let alone upturn it, in case the powerful retaliate even harder.
How does this work in domestic violence situations where I'm sure women are told by some around them to go easy on the abusive husband, he's just misunderstood and will come right. Don’t piss him off, wouldn't want to ruin everything.
The point is, soft and overly conciliatory direct action is not action at all. Boldness is important even if ugly. In this case, the PSNA have highlighted what they claim is a really concerning issue, that IDF soldiers pick NZ for their sabbaticals, and they have decided to get ugly about it, but that ugliness is a very small fraction of what those soldiers are part of.
If Israeli passport holders are banned from NZ, then why not Qatar or Afghanistan?
Or more to the point in this case, why not the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany? The Berlin regime is being prosecuted in Geneva by Nicaragua, which successfully prosecuted another serial human rights violator, the United States, in 1986….
Dr. Arguello: Well, frankly, in court… Let me make two comments on that. Even before the Germans spoke — when we presented our case on Monday, the Germans responded on Tuesday — we’d already made the distinction. We told them, because I think Germany has always been saying that it is their raison d’etre that they have: the defense of Israel.
So one of the things we told them on Monday is that we understand and that it is a praisable situation, a very laudable situation, that they feel responsible for the Holocaust, and the barbarities that were committed in the Second World War against the Jewish people. But a distinction should be made, Israel is not the Jewish people. What they’re helping is a state that is committing genocide.
That’s one point and a very important distinction. But in the long run, what they are doing is, they are going against the Jewish people, because Israel is causing enormous prejudice to the Jewish [court], the world around. It’s incredible. Frankly, I don’t know how we can understand that position of Germany. If they’re really worried about what they did, or what happened, of their ancestors or the Nazis, or whatever we want to call them. Well, I think the first thing should be, their heart should tell them that they should be helping the Palestinians in this situation. I mean, those are the guys that are suffering. I mean, Israel is not suffering. If they want to really have compassion, or they feel compassion to those that are suffering, Israel is not suffering. Israel is a superpower. ….
There will be 'a referendum on extending the parliamentary term at the next general election’. And ‘in the coming weeks…legislation [to] establish the mechanism to extend the term. The National-ACT coalition agreement sets out that such legislation should be passed within 15 months of the term.'
Goodness, Luxon is either a useful fool/tool, or agrees with 90% of ACT's "Project 2023 NZ", (or both).
Er, no…Act lucked in via a prize nonce PM with minimal political skills or instinct, who could not negotiate his way out of an Air NZ sick bag.
Act does have a significant cheerleader and funder team from Atlas to NZ Initiative and organisations such as Groundswell and Taxpayers Union and many more.
Remove the visa waiver for Israelis and let Customs and Immigration and the Police do their job, preferably without Ministerial interference, but Minto essentially encouraging NZ civilians to run around spying on people on the suspicion that they might be war criminals because of who they are and where they're from feels instinctively a bridge to far to me. And why just Israelis? Why not anyone with an Eastern European accent who might be a Russian spy? Why not Americans who might have voted for Trump? Cry slippery slope if you like, but stoking the tendency for any kind of paranoia is bad for society.
Ad why do you think many in the anti-war movement are supporters of one group over another? Rather than seeing one group being a fubar as the other – because of power?
I struggle to take moral advice from an anarchist like Hedges who can't see what has changed in the last year across Israel, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iran, and who in his own words refuses to see beyond who is or is not oppressed the most.
I would just love it if everyone would behave with empathy. Face to face and person to person. It's Islamic and Christian and Jewish in its finest forms.
But what we have is instead a series of outcomes that have altered the entire realm of what is possible on the above countries. In the Israel-Hamas situation that set of outcomes is actually a carefully calibrated and weighed measurement of a precise number of Palestinian captives in exchange for a precise number of Israeli captives dead or alive.
Hedges just isn't in the diplomatic statecraft game that is occurring now.
Hedges just isn't in the diplomatic statecraft game that is occurring now.
State the obvious – do you need reminding he's a journalist.
The reality is the warmongering crowd have the debate where they want it – More war, More violence, More killing.
And they will keep warmongering whilst people put up dumb arguments like – "who wants to house a Hamas fighter here"
Hence my, take a step back and think of the moral implications of how dumb the west has been to support war, violence, and killing in this 100 year war.
I can, while of the SAL (Victoria University 1981), whose hero was Steve Biko black African consciousness PAC, not the statist, now corporate friendly, ANC (their SUP – Bill and Ken here).
I found the obsession with their beloved country, rather than our own, a sad projection and transference given our own nations past.
A little real-politic lesson for you – sanctions did not break apartheid. It was the end of the Cold War, de Klerk rolled Pita Botha because they were no longer protected by the ANC's links to Moscow.
Any Minto supporter who wants to house a Hamas fighter here, put your hand up.
Who would not be proud of housing a resistance hero? Real resistance heroes, who break out of death camps like those guys did on 7 Oct. 2023, that is, or the Houthi fighters who continue to stymie the aggression of Israel and its supporters; not the sad Democratic Party "Resistance" of 2016-20 which did nothing other than dream up lame nicknames like "Cheeto Von Tweeto" and "Darth Cheddar" and marinate in the even lamer Russiagate conspiracy theory.
Disgraced Aus 'war hero' spotted in NZ after war crimes trial
[15 June 2023]
Australia's most decorated soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has been spotted leaving Queenstown — weeks after a judge found claims he committed war crimes were substantially true.
Given NZ First is implacably opposed to privatisation any privatisation program would require National and ACT to gain at least 51-52% of the popular vote next year. Since privatisation is not a vote winner (neither is extending the term of parliament, a project beloved of liberal and technocratic elites who wish for more unfettered power but rightly regarded with great cynicism by the voters) and they didn't manage that vote share in a "change" election in 2023 this is very improbable. Therefore Luxon has allowed – yet again – David Seymour to set his policy agenda and then cast the privatisation debate in the most far-right, toxic terms imaginable for a policy he can't possibly deliver. This seems to be a bit of a Luxon thing, since it is exactly how he has allowed himself to be played by Seymour over the treaties principles bill. Getting saddled with blame for unpopular policies pushed by minor coalition partners is really, really bad politics. Just look how Labour paid for the Green's Sue Bradford's hijacking of the agenda with her attempt at an elite coup over the child smacking legislation – it basically gave us nine years of John Key.
One can only conclude Luxon is a fool who will be rolled the minute the polls consistently put them behind Labour.
That's Luxon's weakness. ACT are not particularly effective unless they have a vacuum to move into. Seymour has all the appeal of a wet sock.
And they're not making social change, they're appealing to the ugliness that was always there.
they're appealing to the ugliness that was always there.
ACT are riding the international populist wave, it's utterly about social change and shifting not just the Overton Window but the deeper values in our society. It's the most dangerous thing I've seen in politics in NZ in my 40 years of voting. It's building on FJK years of course, the dirty politics government was the set up.
I doubt he'd ever be PM but he doesn't have to be. And if you strip away the repugnant politics, he's actually quite good at his job and his personality and way he communicates is attractive to increasing numbers of people.
ACT is the constant floating of right wing policy ideas – to try and normalise a drift in governance to the right, as if that were the world order future of humanity.
Seymour is the most powerful Deputy PM in decades.
Thankfully not for another four months. Wormtongue Seymour – the manipulator, race-baiting in service to Mammon – wants to complete the process of colonisation.
A few days ago I watched the last episode of a 3-part Miriam Margolyes doco series, Impossibly Australian. Quite heartwarming – asking whether Australia offers a fair go, and concluding that ‘the fair go’ is under threat.
Well, Fair Go is going going gone here in NZ The 2-episode doco about Margolyes’ visit to NZ should be worth watching – some video excerpts here.
Miriam Margolyes’ heart-stopping New Zealand moment [12 Jan 2025]
“I’d seen the haka on television, but when it actually happens in front of you, to you, and you are the focus of that, that was very moving,” Margolyes says. “I didn’t know anything about Maori people, but I do now, and I felt so honoured. I felt ashamed, also, when they did me that honour. It was really something.”
The famously outspoken, and by her own admission “potty-mouthed”, 83-year-old is furious about New Zealand MP David Seymour’s proposed changes to the Treaty bill: “What an arsehole!”
Open-source, freely downloadable Deep Seek is being used already to run off-net data analysis. From this comment thread in The Guardian, under
'I have run the DeepSeek model locally on my MacBook meaning no need to update to an expensive computer with a $30,000 Nvidia Chip. I also deal with medical data so being able to run locally, with no leakage to the cloud etc. is essential for us. It's why we were previously banned from using AI embedded in our code…The point is that people will realise that low capex and opex is possible with only a minor deterioration in performance. My work cluster is running the full version with no data exiting the cluster (closed system).'
Here seems to be the value of DeepSeek's first open-source offering. Creating and running narrow-focus in-house systems cheaply. The language model stuff is not needed for application in a closed system.
Well while you're peering through windows and going through people's wheelie bins, if you suspect someone of being a war criminal, take it up with the police rather than Minto.
Agree Mike the Lefty, letting IDF soldiers involved in the recent operation know that they are not welcome here is a small thing–the least we can do–to indicate they can run but not hide from their bloody work.
Our Govt. whimped out, or supports Israel, to the extent that ordinary people led by some of our most courageous activists like John Minto have to do it.
According to Times of Israel, NZ Immigration has begun asking for disclosure of military service and involvement in what activities as a visa condition. One person has been rejected so far and a couple in Australia who are doing similar according to the Times.
Which provides balance, the 3 month visa waiver policy adjusted to take into account the possibility of post Gaza tourism by those who might have been involved in war crimes.
That connects to the effort at applying "inter-national" law that subliminal has referred to.
South Africans need a visa to visit NZ right now. From 1996-2016 we had a visa waiver deal, but we ended that in 2016 (because we were being racist). If you ask any white South African who tried to travel during the apartheid era it was extremely difficult, as most countries required visas by the 1990s. Cultural isolation – in sport and travel – was one of the most effective tools in ending apartheid.
Requiring Israeli citizens to apply for a visa with service in the IDF in Gaza or the West Bank since October 2023 as grounds for refusal would be both a cheap (few Israelis make it this far) and powerful message of your pariah status in the global community. The pro-Israel lobby would go berserk, because they know the power of a boycott but IMHO it would send a big message to Israel that the beastly behaviour and war crimes of it's military is not acceptable to New Zealand.
Not allowing Russian soldiers to visit NZ is easy, Putin can't easily wage war on us or threaten trade because Russia and NZ trade isn't particularly important in our economic plans. (The Russians are unreliable payers anyway, as Fonterra found out some years ago).
But the big difference with Israeli soldiers is that the system implicitly backs them, their war hasn't been judged illegal like the Russian-Ukranian war. They have a support base here plus the Trumpismo can start threatening 100% tariffs if we do anything that pisses him or the Israelis off.
That's why the politicians (other than Peters of course who nutted off in his usual manner) have been somewhat coy in replying to questions on this matter.
According to Times of Israel, NZ Immigration has begun asking for disclosure of military service and involvement in what activities as a visa condition. One person has been rejected so far and a couple in Australia who are doing similar according to the Times.
Israel is a visa waiver country. If Israelis are being questioned it must be a directive from INZ an upon arrival in a room at Auckland International Airport having done the NZeTA which is all they are currently required to do.
If INZ authorities are stopping Israelis at the border for questioning this is a good thing.
The Times of Israel can get in the sea to be honest. Wouldn't trust a thing they say.
Israeli is a visa waiver country to NZ. That’s three months here with little oversight, but:
People from visa waiver countries may not be granted entry to New Zealand if they are not considered to be genuine visitors or have been sentenced to imprisonment, deported from any country or suspected of being involved in known criminal or terrorist groups.
So this has now become about longer stays in NZ than three months. How long do young IDF soldiers need in NZ to decompress from the war crimes they may or may not have committed?
The visa waiver policy is for 3 months stay or less.
The issue is whether the visa waiver policy for Israel should continue or be suspended (as per investigations – discovery of IDF soldiers identified as having committed war crimes).
In so far as Gaza and IDF service there since 0ct 2023, this is already the case.
Apparently applied here without making a public display of righteousness about it.
Given we applied no such test over the regime change in Iraq (after its invasion of Kuwait and its blocking of inspectors under the the terns of the cease-fire) and participated in Afghanistan, after a group based there orchestrated the 9/11 action (under right of defence).
Just on the strength of all the proven Israeli spying in NZ, from stolen names sourced from children’s gravestones when Helen Clark and Labour sprung them, political killings in the Gulf states using NZ passports, and the strange episodes around the Christchurch earthquakes which co-incided with a very high level international security meeting and the “ yes there was, no there wasn’t “ bullshit about the 14 different passports in a destroyed Israeli campervan. The only thing I ever credited Key with doing properly was telling the Israeli PM at the time to fuck off when they already had a plane in the air full of ‘ disaster relief ‘ specialists. Yeah right !
I don’t think they should be allowed in the grounds that if any other country had a similar record over decades they wouldn’t be here either.
We spy on other nations as part of Five Eyes, we are in no position to judge all Israelis because Mossad uses false passports. The CIA does as well etc.
It's very bad news for Trump and his psychotic tech billionaire backers.
The launch of DeepSeek-R1 instantly wiped a trillion dollars off the value of US stocks, especially tech companies and the makers of AI chips Nvidia, which lost $593 billion in stock value in a single day, making it the biggest one day loss for a single US company in history.
Analysts have been calling it China’s "Sputnik moment"….
Why the Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme should go ahead.
By Earl Bardsley*
Coalition ministers refer to the Lake Onslow pumped storage scheme concept as having been scrapped. However, a New Zealand government cannot impose energy policy on the opposition.
As a quick reminder, the Onslow scheme’s potential for impact derives from scale. Its capacity is equivalent to a “battery” running at 1000 MW for more than six months. This would make it the world’s largest pumped storage scheme by energy storage measure.
More than $20 million was spent on Onslow investigations by the previous Labour Government. The motivation was to seek a low-emission alternative to fossil fuels for power generation in dry years.
The “pending decision” is whether Labour will include restarting Onslow scheme evaluations as part of its 2026 election energy policy. Clarification will probably come later this year.
Onslow's 'problem' is that it will completely upend the Gentailers' business model of profiting from dry years and generation constraints.
Whoever owns it will have insane market power through total control over peak electricity prices, which would be difficult in private ownership. So it would be State owned, and also require the nationalisation of Contact, or at least Clyde and Roxburgh hydros. Along with this would be quite a slump in the profitability, and share price of the remaining Gentailers. Not something National were prepared to allow.
Onslow, or other pumped hydro, is a good idea that's not going to die easily. It's been on the horizon since Clyde, there's two unused penstocks built into the dam for future pumped hydro utilising peak flows.
Mass use of solar power would allow us to have spare hydro capacity, without Onslow.
That and a bit of battery storage.
While we use hydro as a primary source, it is common elsewhere to use it as a stored back up.
We can do a mix of that, with an increase in other renewables.
The other option was Onslow and offshore wind – also killed off by National Chris Bishop and Shane Jones, with their decision in favour of seabed mining.
The estimated costs for Onslow that I saw a while ago were 17 billion NZ dollars. Probably 19billion now.
I did a back of envelope calculation based on the cost of solar with battery storage attached (both of which have got much cheaper and efficient in the last 5 years) and found this to be much cheaper than Onslow.
Also much of the solAr power would be generated on the NI where it is needed.
Onslow, @ equivalent to a “battery” running at 1000 MW for more than six months, = >4 million MWh capacity.
According to TrinaSolar that cost will total just $400 million. The company clarified to Renew Economy that this $400 million reflects only the first 330MW/1.32GWh stage of the project – but it still appears to set a new low for battery storage project costs in Australia.
It equates to around $300/kWh – substantially lower than the apparent price of the Eraring battery in NSW, and lower than the prices tracked by industry analysts Rystad Energy
Trump proclaimed tariffs loudly, Biden implemented them quietly. The stylistic difference is intended to mask political reality: there are still enough useful idiots around that its still a good idea for the Dems to pretend they're different.
Open AI CEO Sam Altman promised they would build the God of Artifical General Intelligence
That's a sensible move, inasmuch as the commies don't do gods. And a tech variation on the traditionally method of deity creation (collective hallucinating) will impress all materialists watching, regardless their nationality.
American AI companies have a US$600 billion revenue shortfall according to the radical leftists at Sequoia Capital…
An AI bubble is bursting… To borrow the lament of VC Peter Thiel ‘We were promised flying cars but all we got was a chatbot office mate’.
We were, true, but that was when I was a kid & Thiel was pre-corporeal. Putting roads & motorways in the sky turned out to be too difficult.
The ceasefire/pause, you have when you are not having a ceasefire.
The Times of Israel report that despite the ceasefire, the IDF has been "targetting" unarmed civilians in Gaza. We know this because one of the unarmed civilians they killed, was actually an Israeli civilian contractor who because he was dressed in civilian clothes, the IDF mistook him for a Palestinian civilian.
The arrogance of the occupier;
Israeli contractor mistakenly killed by IDF troops in Gaza, army says
Excavator operator Jacob Avitan, 39, misidentified as threat as he arrived at IDF post in civilian clothing; Military Police launches investigation
28 January 2025, 10:42 pm [Today, 29 January at 8:42 am New Zealand time]
According to an initial IDF probe, the contractor arrived in civilian clothing at an army post inside Gaza, in an area where troops were still deployed, and was mistakenly identified as a threat. [as a Palestinian]
……“The IDF once again calls on Palestinian civilians to obey IDF instructions and not approach the forces deployed in the area,”
Tom Petty sang, ‘Don't have to live like a refugee’.
Despite what Trump wants or says, Palestinians in their hundreds of thousands have decided to make their own destiny and have voted with their feet, literally to live or die on the rubble of their destroyed cities and towns rather than become refugees in Egypt or Jordan, or the wider world.
By returning to their capital city, the people of Gaza are a telling Trump and the Israelis, 'Do your worst, we shall not be moved.
We did something
We both know it
We don't talk too much about it
Ain't no real big secret all the same
Somehow we'll get around it
It don't really matter to me
You believe what you want to believe
Don't have to live like a refugee
Somewhere, somehow, somebody
Must have kicked you around some
Tell me why you want to lay there
Revel in your abandon
It don't make no difference to me
Everybody's had to fight to be free
Don't have to live like a refugee
We ain't the first
I'm sure a lot of others been burned
Right now this seems real to you
But it's one of those things
You gotta feel to be true
Somewhere, somehow, somebody
Must have kicked you around some
Maybe you were kidnapped
Tied up, taken away and held for ransom
It don't really matter to me
Everybody's had to fight to be free
Descendants of Jewish Holocaust survivors and living Jewish Holocaust survivors condemn Western politicians that use Holocaust remembrance day to justify genocide in Gaza.
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report shows worsening food poverty and housing shortages mean more than 400,000 people now need welfare support, the highest level since the 1990s. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and ...
You're just too too obscure for meOh you don't really get through to meAnd there's no need for you to talk that wayIs there any less pessimistic things to say?Songwriters: Graeme DownesToday, I thought we’d take a look at some of the most cringe-inducing moments from last week, but don’t ...
Please note: I’ve delayed my “What can we do?” article for this video.The video above shows Destiny Church members assaulting staff and librarians as they pushed through to a room of terrified parents and young children.It was posted to social media last night.But if you read Sinead Boucher’s Stuff, you ...
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Here is a scenario, but first a historical parallel. Hitler and the Nazis could well have accomplished everything that they wanted to do within German borders, including exterminating Jews, so long as they confined their ambitious to Germany itself. After all, the world pretty much sat and watched as the ...
I’ve spent the last couple of days in Hamilton covering Waikato University’s annual NZ Economics Forum, where (arguably) three of the most influential people in our political economy right now laid out their thinking in major speeches about the size and role of Government, their views on for spending, tax ...
Simeon Brown’s Ideology BentSimeon Brown once told Kiwis he tries to represent his deep sense of faith by interacting “with integrity”.“It’s important that there’s Christians in Parliament…and from my perspective, it’s great to be a Christian in Parliament and to bring that perspective to [laws, conversations and policies].”And with ...
Severe geological and financial earthquakes are inevitable. We just don’t know how soon and how they will play out. Are we putting the right effort into preparing for them?Every decade or so the international economy has a major financial crisis. We cannot predict exactly when or exactly how it will ...
Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
Photo by Heather M. Edwards on UnsplashHere’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s politics and economy in the week to Feb 10 below. That’s ahead of live chats on the Substack App and The Kākā’s front page on Substack at 5pm with: on his column in The ...
Is there anyone in the world the National Party loves more than a campaign donor? Why yes, there is! They will always have the warmest hello and would you like to slip into something more comfortable for that great god of our age, the High Net Worth Individual.The words the ...
Waste and fraud certainly exist in foreign aid programs, but rightwing celebration of USAID’s dismantling shows profound ignorance of the value of soft power (as opposed to hard power) in projecting US influence and interests abroad by non-military/coercive means (think of “hearts and minds,” “hugs, not bullets,” “honey versus vinegar,” ...
Health New Zealand is proposing to cut almost half of its data and digital positions – more than 1000 of them. The PSA has called on the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate the cuts due to the potential for serious consequences for patients. NZNO is calling for an urgent increase ...
We may see a few more luxury cars on Queen Street, but a loosening of rules to entice rich foreigners to invest more here is unlikely to “turbocharge our economic growth”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Let us not dance daintily around the elephant in the room. Our politicians who serve us in the present are not honest, certainly not as honest as they should be, and while the right are taking out most of the trophies for warping narratives and literally redefining “facts”, the kiwi ...
A few weeks ago I took a look at public transport ridership in 2024. In today’s post I’m going to be looking a bit deeper at bus ridership. Buses make up the vast majority of ridership in Auckland with 70 million boardings last year out of a total of 89.4 ...
Oh, you know I did itIt's over and I feel fineNothing you could say is gonna change my mindWaited and I waited the longest nightNothing like the taste of sweet declineSongwriters: Chris Shiflett / David Eric Grohl / Nate Mendel / Taylor Hawkins.Hindsight is good, eh?The clarity when the pieces ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 16 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 10The Kākā’s weekly wrap-up of news about politics and the economy is due at midday, followed by webinar for paying subscribers in Substack’s ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 2, 2025 thru Sat, February 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Today, I stumbled across a Twitter Meme: the ending of The Lord of the Rings as a Chess scenario: https://x.com/mellon_heads/status/1887983845917564991 It gets across the basic gist. Aragorn and Gandalf offering up ‘material’ at the Morannon allows Frodo and Samwise to catch Sauron unawares – fair enough. But there are a ...
Last week, Kieran McAnulty called out Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis for their claims that Kāinga Ora’s costs were too high.They had claimed Kāinga Ora’s cost were 12% higher than market i.e. private devlopersBut Kāinga Ora’s Chair had already explained why last year:"We're not building to sell, so we'll be ...
Stuff’s Political Editor Luke Malpass - A Fellow at New Zealand IniativeLast week I half-joked that Stuff / The Post’s Luke Malpass1 always sounded like he was auditioning for a job at the New Zealand Initiative.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. For a limited time, subscriptions are 20% off. Thanks ...
At a funeral on Friday, there were A4-sized photos covering every wall of the Dil’s reception lounge. There must have been 200 of them, telling the story in the usual way of the video reel but also, by enlargement, making it more possible to linger and step in.Our friend Nicky ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is methane the ...
The Government’s idea is that the private sector and Community Housing Providers will fund, build and operate new affordable housing to address our housing crisis. Meanwhile, the Government does not know where almost half of the 1,700 children who left emergency housing actually went. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong ...
Oh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youOh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youSongwriters: Alexander Ebert / Jade Allyson CastrinosMorena,I’m on a tight time frame this morning. In about an hour and a half, I’ll need to pack up and hit the road ...
This is a post about the Mountain Tui substack, and small tweaks - further to the poll and request post the other day. Please don’t read if you aren’t interested in my personal matters. Thank you all.After oohing-and-aahing about how to structure the Substack model since November, including obtaining ...
This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.We’ve announced we are the ‘Yes Government’. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. It’s about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
Hundreds of engineers are losing their jobs and leaving our shores due to infrastructure project delays, creating "significant" risk to our nation's development, says the head of New Zealand's engineering body. ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says the deal with China “complements, not replaces” the relationship with New Zealand after signing it yesterday. Brown said “The Action Plan for Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) 2025-2030” provides a structured framework for engagement between the Cook Islands ...
The government should not set military style academies into youth justice law, the children's commissioner says, despite its first bootcamp getting a glowing report. ...
The infamous over-the-suit T-shirt worn by the PM at a Parliament barbecue has gone on sale to raise funds for children living in poverty, in a TradeMe auction. ...
MONDAYSheriff Seymour rode slowly down the main street of Dodge on his faithful white horse Atlas Network.He liked what he saw.Children were being fed free lunches prepared by kind people who collected the scraps from an offal rendering plant.“Very strongly flavoured liver, such as ox liver, can be soaked overnight ...
Once upon a time it was all about being an astronaut, a firefighter or doctor; but these days kids have their sights set on becoming vloggers or YouTubers.That’s according to a 2019 study by Lego that surveyed 3000 children between the ages of eight to 12 from the US, the ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. From the moment I started high school and realised almost every other girl in my year was at least partially interested in what the boys were up to, I realised that I would be single for life. The feeling wasn’t one of ...
The Pacific profiles series shines a light on Pacific people in Aotearoa doing interesting and important work in their communities, as nominated by members of the public. Today, Selina Alesana Alefosio.All photos by Geoffery Matautia.On a bright Sunday morning from her grandparent’s home in Pito-one, I spoke with ...
The White Lotus star reflects on her life in TV, including the local ad reference that doesn’t work in Australia, and her bananas co-star on Neighbours.Morgana O’Reilly was scrolling her phone next to her sleeping son on an idle Saturday morning when she got the call confirming that she ...
Claire Mabey explores the pros and cons of puff quotes on book covers.In January, Publishers Weekly put out an article by Sean Manning – publisher of Simon & Schuster’s flagship US imprint – in which he said he’d “no longer require authors to obtain blurbs for their books”.The ...
New Zealand’s Entomological Society is hosting its annual bug of the year contest. Here are some of the insects in the running. For some reason – perhaps humans’ inherent competitiveness, the idealisation of democracy, the need to demarcate winners and losers – one of the best ways to get people ...
A journey along the border, with words and illustrations by Bob Kerr.The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous support of our members.The Sunset Limited leaves Union Station New Orleans on time at nine in the morning. We ...
Neville Peat is the 2024 recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in nonfiction. He’s written 56 books, mostly on natural history; this excerpt is from The Falcon and the Lark: A New Zealand High Country Journal, first published in 1992. The falcon wintering on the Rock and ...
It was a light-hearted gesture Greta Pilkington will be forever grateful for – thanks to an Aussie rival who jumped in when the Olympic sailor couldn’t be at her own graduation.Pilkington, then 20, had been leading a double life – while qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics in the ILCA ...
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Ideological spat breaks out: https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/01/28/hrc-calls-for-hotline-to-report-israeli-soldiers-holidaying-in-nz-to-end/
In the pink corner we have a Rainbow, in the blue corner a Minto. They have adopted opposing moral stands. Venerable protestor Minto is running a media operation in support of Palestinians. Political chameleon Rainbow feels that's a naughty thing to do.
Minto promptly dismissed such paranoia:
Oh, is that what he did? Lapsed into whataboutism? Yet surely public intellectuals ought to use such rhetorical flourishes to justify their existence! Being performative is de riguer for opinion leaders. He's got Winston on his side too, who on Morning Report just now said Minto had been a bludger for 5 decades.
Anyone associated with that outlaw regime should be arrested.
https://x.com/MannieMighty1/status/1884210017794154560
https://x.com/MannieMighty1/status/1851242359121436725
Five decades! John Minto co-founded Halt All Racist Tours (HART), so his views on the 1981 Springbok tour of NZ are no mystery, but what was the now deputy PM's position on the 1981 tour? It's no use asking our former PM Sir John Key – he could barely recall his own position. [Edit: channeling “Schrodinger’s Cat“]
Whatever Winston's 'principled' position as a first term National MP, he and Minto haven't always been at loggerheads:
True activists have the luxury of maintaining a principled stance, whereas politicians must be more pragmatic and 'flexible' to sustain a political career – Beehive to survive
https://natlib.govt.nz/visiting/wellington/a-country-divided-1981-springbok-tour/cartoons-springbok-tour
Actually I'm fairly sure Minto's latest brainfart falls abruptly foul of the Harmful Digital Communications Act.
What's the guts? Well, Minto's running an old-style campaign: https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2025/01/28/genocide-hotline-action-that-will-save-palestinian-lives/
Appealing to solidarity in a moral stance – Israeli soldiers aren't welcome here, due to the genocide they are doing in Palestine. I agree with Minto on that point.
Also in his assertion of a moral right to object in person. It is actually offensive for the govt to allow such people into the country. Lux will object that its a Schrodinger's Cat situation and nobody can prove that a particular tourist is an Israeli soldier. Bystanders will applaud his intellectual expertise. No, I got those two sentences wrong – that will never happen. Lux may offer the opinion that the rights & wrongs of the reciprocal genocides are due to both sides being Semites, thereby accidentally becoming the first person to ever tell the truth about the situation. Nah, he's not capable of it.
As I stated yesterday, there is the Hind Rajab Foundation, which was specifically created by a group of lawyers in Belgium with the express purpose of documenting and building cases against individual Israeli Defense Force personnel and politicians.
These cases mostly fall into two categories, individuals with dual passports and those holding only Israeli passports.
Duals will have their cases built over the medium to long term. The aim will be to eventually bring their cases to trial in the country of their second citizenship.
The singles are a different case. They can only be brought to trial in countries they travel in outside of Israel. So their cases need to be ready to go and applied as soon as they set foot or even when they plan a trip.
It will be this second group of sole Israeli passport holders that PSNA will be primarily interested in. Speed is of the essence and an early tipoff will be invaluable.
There has already been some close calls with Israel sending emergency military extraction flights to Cyprus and Brazil.
The cases are ready to go. This is exactly how SS were targeted post WWll.
Ali Abunimah interviews one of the founders here
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AwQFvkbPFXM
Okay, the long arm of the law. Whether it secures a suitable outcome could depend on more than due process though. Costs of prosecution paid by who? If a govt is disinclined to fund the process, international law doesn't mean much…
Otoh if wealthy folks are sufficiently humanitarian it becomes feasible. Perhaps the viability is contingent on that, huh?
It is the State that must pick up the case as with anything to do with international law. It is a matter of continnually building pressure. As I'm sue you are aware, nthng comes easy for Palestine.
Good law-making requires time and effort, not ramming through under urgency.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/01/28/govt-smashes-record-for-laws-passed-without-select-committee-scrutiny/
Democracy requires time, effort, and money.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/01/28/external-consultants-to-analyse-record-treaty-principles-submissions/
The man who loves efficiency and speed allows to drag it out over the best part of a year – won’t he get sick of it?
https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/01/24/im-sick-of-it-luxon-wants-action-on-competition-rma/
Can we please not have a major quake or other big emergency before we have a change of government?
Perhaps it is time to ban Israeli citizens from NZ, or at least revoke the visa free status they now enjoy so INZ can work out who is who before they enter.
The point has been made several times by several people that all Israeli citizens are or have been military in some form. That's what happens when you create a pariah ethno-state where religious supremacy and expansionism have been allowed to flourish.
The UN and the ICJ state Israel's occupation of and actions in Palestine are illegal so why does NZ turn a blind eye to that?
While it might seem unfair because not all Israeli people agree with the actions of their supremacist government (and a lot of non-Israeli people in NZ do), they have to be held accountable for the actions of their supremacist government until the country votes otherwise (and we have to continue to put up with Israeli supremacists here).
do we outright ban any countries?
The problem with what you propose is the slippery slope. If Israeli passport holders are banned from NZ, then why not Qatar or Afghanistan?
And if it's about holding citizens to account for the voting patterns of the whole country, then why not the US?
Or should we have a system where people are let in based on moral assessments? How is that different that Qatar laws around women's right to travel?
Afaik, all Israeli youth have to serve 2 years in the military when they leave school. It's not a choice.
I did have a softer option, remove Israel from the visa waiver list.
Israeli youth do have a choice. Serve in the military, or prison.
sure, and all the people still driving cars could choose not to so we avert the climate catastrophe/
Re the softer option, most of my arguments still apply. Why Israel and not Qatar?
I'm ok if Israel is taken off the waiver list, but they will just apply for visas, right?
They'll apply for visas but INZ can then make a determination and decline a visa on character grounds under one of these assessments:
This could be for any serving soldier on a post-war O.E, or particularly to prevent Israelis citizens who may have been involved in war crimes or illegal settlement activities.
I must have missed the bit where the NZ government designated the IDF a terrorist organisation. Or did you mean that INZ should make its own moral judgements without regard for government foreign policy and positions?
"Or did you mean that INZ should make its own moral judgements…….."
Please NO. INZ is a big enough stuff up under the aegis of that bugger's muddle known as MoBIE ( a Stephen Choice/Coalman vanity project ) since the day it gave birth)
How it has survived past gummints I'll never know but it's been CEO''d by Masters of the Universe and wannabe Masters of the Universe since the day it began.
And when truly incompetent [micro]-managerialists stuff up so badly they become an embarrassment, they simply move on to anothert gig. I'd be watching ACC as the next example.
so many government departments are a disappointment now. Thanks decades of neoliberalism.
Big talk when you don't have to make the choice yourself.
They can always just leave, right?
Again, big talk when you don't have to make the choice yourself.
so you don't really believe it's a choice
It's terrible, isn't it? That young people in Israel have to make the decision to support an illegal occupation, or go to jail, or leave the county.
Israeli is a disaster and the whole idea should be revisited. Their 'treaty' was signed 100 years after ours and several thousand people die there every year.
I think some people forget what activism is. Change doesn't happen without bold people fighting for the downtrodden and persecuted. Sometimes it’s ugly but the powerful don’t move unless they are made to with direct action. You should have some sympathy for this as a climate and GC activist.
NZ could really make a statement here by saying no to a country which has been classed as an illegal occupier by both the UN and the ICJ.
If you don't support those institutions then there's not much hope.
colonisation generally is a disaster too. I understand the motivation here MB, what I'm objecting to is the strategy and actions.
What is being done to Palestine is unconscionable and reprehensible. NZ should be taking a stronger stand. Likewise Afghanistan, but I notice this no longer the cause du jour for liberals. Funny that.
Also concerning is the number of progressives who think that undermining convention is a good thing to do. Activism isn't just about acting against oppression, it's about understanding dynamics and having effective tactics and strategy.
Banning Israelis from travel to NZ will have consequences, including aiding the dismantling of democracy (which is how our most pressing problem). Looking at those consequences is an inherent aspect of developing effective strategy.
Likewise, putting out social media to track down and report Israeli soldiers travelling in NZ. Not only is this against NZ values, it plays right into the hands of the protofascists who love a good meme about the left and commies rounding up wrong thinkers.
Worse, it doesn't take much imagination to see how the right would make use of such tactics if they were normalised.
Whataboutism is an effective strategy used to derail or shut down an argument. I heard Brian Ridge do exactly this when speaking to Green Party MP Ricardo MM on the 1ZB radio just after 5:00pm. Ridge used the incident where Mariameno Kapa-Kingi said to Karen Chhour at a select committee that ‘she'd forgotten what it is to be Maori’ in order to attack Ricardo MM for speaking out about the racist comments in parliament by Jones and Peters. The inference was that because Ricardo MM would not denounce a robust challenge from one Maori woman to another, then he could not speak out against naked racist rhetoric from NZF.
The tone of the rest of your comment suggests, and I'm sure you don't intentionally mean this, that activists should not rock the boat, let alone upturn it, in case the powerful retaliate even harder.
How does this work in domestic violence situations where I'm sure women are told by some around them to go easy on the abusive husband, he's just misunderstood and will come right. Don’t piss him off, wouldn't want to ruin everything.
The point is, soft and overly conciliatory direct action is not action at all. Boldness is important even if ugly. In this case, the PSNA have highlighted what they claim is a really concerning issue, that IDF soldiers pick NZ for their sabbaticals, and they have decided to get ugly about it, but that ugliness is a very small fraction of what those soldiers are part of.
If Israeli passport holders are banned from NZ, then why not Qatar or Afghanistan?
Or more to the point in this case, why not the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany? The Berlin regime is being prosecuted in Geneva by Nicaragua, which successfully prosecuted another serial human rights violator, the United States, in 1986….
Israeli Arabs too, or just the Jews?
Absolutely. They are part of the Israeli democracy which illegally occupies Palestinian Territories. They can apply for visas too.
But I do see what you are doing, combining Israel and Judaism as one for the purposes supporting ethno-supremacism.
Has John Minto ever made any kind of protest against an Israeli Arab?
ACT is chasing a four-year Parliamentary term as part of its coalition agreement.
There will be 'a referendum on extending the parliamentary term at the next general election’. And ‘in the coming weeks…legislation [to] establish the mechanism to extend the term. The National-ACT coalition agreement sets out that such legislation should be passed within 15 months of the term.'
Goodness, Luxon is either a useful fool/tool, or agrees with 90% of ACT's "Project 2023 NZ", (or both).
Whoever is running the plays at ACT deserves a beer.
ACT are by a long way the most effective political party in New Zealand in 2024 and 2025.
Who can best them?
I think that has far more to do with the lack of leadership in post-Key National than anything ACT is doing.
Er, no…Act lucked in via a prize nonce PM with minimal political skills or instinct, who could not negotiate his way out of an Air NZ sick bag.
Act does have a significant cheerleader and funder team from Atlas to NZ Initiative and organisations such as Groundswell and Taxpayers Union and many more.
Funding+ideology+leadership+timing+luck = unbeatable political ACT success
With luck the amount of rope act is getting will lead to it hanging it's self
In a political sense that is
Breaking: Trump to rename Canada to ‘North United States of America’, and Mexico to ‘South United States of America’.
Google Maps to update immediately.
Canadians will be required to chant, “NUSA! NUSA!” at sporting and political events, and Mexicans will be require to chant, “SUSA! SUSA!”
Remove the visa waiver for Israelis and let Customs and Immigration and the Police do their job, preferably without Ministerial interference, but Minto essentially encouraging NZ civilians to run around spying on people on the suspicion that they might be war criminals because of who they are and where they're from feels instinctively a bridge to far to me. And why just Israelis? Why not anyone with an Eastern European accent who might be a Russian spy? Why not Americans who might have voted for Trump? Cry slippery slope if you like, but stoking the tendency for any kind of paranoia is bad for society.
Yup.
Any Minto supporter who wants to house a Hamas fighter here, put your hand up.
It would make the 501 social impact look tiny.
Also Trump has just cut all US aid into Gaza and all US funding for UN agencies into Gaza.
Jordan and Egypt simply state wouldn't helping them be a good idea?
Ad why do you think many in the anti-war movement are supporters of one group over another? Rather than seeing one group being a fubar as the other – because of power?
Maybe this will help it's only 5 minutes.
I struggle to take moral advice from an anarchist like Hedges who can't see what has changed in the last year across Israel, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iran, and who in his own words refuses to see beyond who is or is not oppressed the most.
I would just love it if everyone would behave with empathy. Face to face and person to person. It's Islamic and Christian and Jewish in its finest forms.
But what we have is instead a series of outcomes that have altered the entire realm of what is possible on the above countries. In the Israel-Hamas situation that set of outcomes is actually a carefully calibrated and weighed measurement of a precise number of Palestinian captives in exchange for a precise number of Israeli captives dead or alive.
Hedges just isn't in the diplomatic statecraft game that is occurring now.
State the obvious – do you need reminding he's a journalist.
The reality is the warmongering crowd have the debate where they want it – More war, More violence, More killing.
And they will keep warmongering whilst people put up dumb arguments like – "who wants to house a Hamas fighter here"
Hence my, take a step back and think of the moral implications of how dumb the west has been to support war, violence, and killing in this 100 year war.
Was that your war cry during the Sprinbok tour too?
Or is it just that you cant quite remember what you were doing at the time?
I can, while of the SAL (Victoria University 1981), whose hero was Steve Biko black African consciousness PAC, not the statist, now corporate friendly, ANC (their SUP – Bill and Ken here).
I found the obsession with their beloved country, rather than our own, a sad projection and transference given our own nations past.
A little real-politic lesson for you – sanctions did not break apartheid. It was the end of the Cold War, de Klerk rolled Pita Botha because they were no longer protected by the ANC's links to Moscow.
Any Minto supporter who wants to house a Hamas fighter here, put your hand up.
Who would not be proud of housing a resistance hero? Real resistance heroes, who break out of death camps like those guys did on 7 Oct. 2023, that is, or the Houthi fighters who continue to stymie the aggression of Israel and its supporters; not the sad Democratic Party "Resistance" of 2016-20 which did nothing other than dream up lame nicknames like "Cheeto Von Tweeto" and "Darth Cheddar" and marinate in the even lamer Russiagate conspiracy theory.
If they apply for visas INZ can decline a visa on character grounds
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/preparing-a-visa-application/character-and-identity/good-character
Whether just obeying orders or not, even a decorated soldier can fall from grace.
Given NZ First is implacably opposed to privatisation any privatisation program would require National and ACT to gain at least 51-52% of the popular vote next year. Since privatisation is not a vote winner (neither is extending the term of parliament, a project beloved of liberal and technocratic elites who wish for more unfettered power but rightly regarded with great cynicism by the voters) and they didn't manage that vote share in a "change" election in 2023 this is very improbable. Therefore Luxon has allowed – yet again – David Seymour to set his policy agenda and then cast the privatisation debate in the most far-right, toxic terms imaginable for a policy he can't possibly deliver. This seems to be a bit of a Luxon thing, since it is exactly how he has allowed himself to be played by Seymour over the treaties principles bill. Getting saddled with blame for unpopular policies pushed by minor coalition partners is really, really bad politics. Just look how Labour paid for the Green's Sue Bradford's hijacking of the agenda with her attempt at an elite coup over the child smacking legislation – it basically gave us nine years of John Key.
One can only conclude Luxon is a fool who will be rolled the minute the polls consistently put them behind Labour.
Seymour is the most powerful Deputy PM in decades.
ACT are NZs most effective political party.
They don't even need 20% of the vote to get a full policy and ideological takeover.
Based on what?
Because all the add-ons to the Nats' mirroring the UK Tories privatisation- austerity agenda come from ACT. And we see a new one every week.
That's not ACT effectiveness, though. That's National floundering.
how many policy gains they are making, and how much social change they are making.
That's Luxon's weakness. ACT are not particularly effective unless they have a vacuum to move into. Seymour has all the appeal of a wet sock.
And they're not making social change, they're appealing to the ugliness that was always there.
ACT are riding the international populist wave, it's utterly about social change and shifting not just the Overton Window but the deeper values in our society. It's the most dangerous thing I've seen in politics in NZ in my 40 years of voting. It's building on FJK years of course, the dirty politics government was the set up.
I doubt he'd ever be PM but he doesn't have to be. And if you strip away the repugnant politics, he's actually quite good at his job and his personality and way he communicates is attractive to increasing numbers of people.
– Complete national constitutional leadership
– Dismantling RMA
– Entirely new regulation legislation, and new department to accelerate it
– Total dismantling of Maori-state relationship
– Consistently outplaying the entire National Caucus and PM
– Totally altering what is allowable in media discourse
ACT is the constant floating of right wing policy ideas – to try and normalise a drift in governance to the right, as if that were the world order future of humanity.
Thankfully not for another four months. Wormtongue Seymour – the manipulator, race-baiting in service to Mammon – wants to complete the process of colonisation.
A few days ago I watched the last episode of a 3-part Miriam Margolyes doco series, Impossibly Australian. Quite heartwarming – asking whether Australia offers a fair go, and concluding that ‘the fair go’ is under threat.
Well, Fair Go is going going gone here in NZ
The 2-episode doco about Margolyes’ visit to NZ should be worth watching – some video excerpts here.
Open-source, freely downloadable Deep Seek is being used already to run off-net data analysis. From this comment thread in The Guardian, under
'I have run the DeepSeek model locally on my MacBook meaning no need to update to an expensive computer with a $30,000 Nvidia Chip. I also deal with medical data so being able to run locally, with no leakage to the cloud etc. is essential for us. It's why we were previously banned from using AI embedded in our code…The point is that people will realise that low capex and opex is possible with only a minor deterioration in performance. My work cluster is running the full version with no data exiting the cluster (closed system).'
Here seems to be the value of DeepSeek's first open-source offering. Creating and running narrow-focus in-house systems cheaply. The language model stuff is not needed for application in a closed system.
I think you missed the most important sentence in this article:
Don't get me wrong. If DeepSeek's claims are valid, this represents an absolutely seismic change in the AI market.
But a lot of the heat and noise created by R1 has come from people that don't understand the industry, the technology, or the process.
"Unconscionable" was how the leader of the NZ Jewish Council described John Minto's campaign against Israeli soldiers getting their R and R in NZ.
Not half as unconscionable as the killing and maiming of tens of thousands of innocent civilians that these soldiers have helped to achieve.
And "just following orders " is no more an excuse for their conduct as it was for the Nazi soldiers who did the same to their people 80 years ago.
Well while you're peering through windows and going through people's wheelie bins, if you suspect someone of being a war criminal, take it up with the police rather than Minto.
Agree Mike the Lefty, letting IDF soldiers involved in the recent operation know that they are not welcome here is a small thing–the least we can do–to indicate they can run but not hide from their bloody work.
Our Govt. whimped out, or supports Israel, to the extent that ordinary people led by some of our most courageous activists like John Minto have to do it.
And that's called vigilantism. Would you like some torches and pitchforks to go with that?
And that's called vigilantism.
In this case it's more appropriately called Nazi-hunting.
👍
What was HUAC then?
And what is this?
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2024/0093/latest/LMS1003049.html
The state uses the same measure to suppress the people.
It is hard to protest government suppression, while playing the vigilante.
And who empowered Minto and his mob to hunt said Nazis?
According to Times of Israel, NZ Immigration has begun asking for disclosure of military service and involvement in what activities as a visa condition. One person has been rejected so far and a couple in Australia who are doing similar according to the Times.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-zealand-requires-israelis-to-disclose-idf-service-details-as-condition-for-entry/
Which provides balance, the 3 month visa waiver policy adjusted to take into account the possibility of post Gaza tourism by those who might have been involved in war crimes.
That connects to the effort at applying "inter-national" law that subliminal has referred to.
There might be a disconnect, as to the 3 month visa waiver.
That could be managed by suspending it and requiring a visa check.
Apparently not. They just did not make a public issue about it.
South Africans need a visa to visit NZ right now. From 1996-2016 we had a visa waiver deal, but we ended that in 2016 (because we were being racist). If you ask any white South African who tried to travel during the apartheid era it was extremely difficult, as most countries required visas by the 1990s. Cultural isolation – in sport and travel – was one of the most effective tools in ending apartheid.
Requiring Israeli citizens to apply for a visa with service in the IDF in Gaza or the West Bank since October 2023 as grounds for refusal would be both a cheap (few Israelis make it this far) and powerful message of your pariah status in the global community. The pro-Israel lobby would go berserk, because they know the power of a boycott but IMHO it would send a big message to Israel that the beastly behaviour and war crimes of it's military is not acceptable to New Zealand.
100%
Not allowing Russian soldiers to visit NZ is easy, Putin can't easily wage war on us or threaten trade because Russia and NZ trade isn't particularly important in our economic plans. (The Russians are unreliable payers anyway, as Fonterra found out some years ago).
But the big difference with Israeli soldiers is that the system implicitly backs them, their war hasn't been judged illegal like the Russian-Ukranian war. They have a support base here plus the Trumpismo can start threatening 100% tariffs if we do anything that pisses him or the Israelis off.
That's why the politicians (other than Peters of course who nutted off in his usual manner) have been somewhat coy in replying to questions on this matter.
We have no current en masse block on Russian soldiers, just a few individuals are blocked. They have no 3 month visa waiver. Thus are visa checked.
So why not Israelis?
Have you missed TM's post?
This is consistent with moves to identify those guilty of war crimes and resource nation state decision-making (see subliminal's posts).
Israel is a visa waiver country. If Israelis are being questioned it must be a directive from INZ an upon arrival in a room at Auckland International Airport having done the NZeTA which is all they are currently required to do.
If INZ authorities are stopping Israelis at the border for questioning this is a good thing.
The Times of Israel can get in the sea to be honest. Wouldn't trust a thing they say.
They quote INZ ….
It is about the “visitor” visa.
There is no mention of the form being filled out at an airport in New Zealand.
The visa waiver is apart from that.
Israeli is a visa waiver country to NZ. That’s three months here with little oversight, but:
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/preparing-a-visa-application/your-journey-to-new-zealand/before-you-travel-to-new-zealand/visa-waiver-countries
So this has now become about longer stays in NZ than three months. How long do young IDF soldiers need in NZ to decompress from the war crimes they may or may not have committed?
The visa waiver policy is for 3 months stay or less.
The issue is whether the visa waiver policy for Israel should continue or be suspended (as per investigations – discovery of IDF soldiers identified as having committed war crimes).
In so far as Gaza and IDF service there since 0ct 2023, this is already the case.
Apparently applied here without making a public display of righteousness about it.
Given we applied no such test over the regime change in Iraq (after its invasion of Kuwait and its blocking of inspectors under the the terns of the cease-fire) and participated in Afghanistan, after a group based there orchestrated the 9/11 action (under right of defence).
https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-zealand-requires-israelis-to-disclose-idf-service-details-as-condition-for-entry/
Just on the strength of all the proven Israeli spying in NZ, from stolen names sourced from children’s gravestones when Helen Clark and Labour sprung them, political killings in the Gulf states using NZ passports, and the strange episodes around the Christchurch earthquakes which co-incided with a very high level international security meeting and the “ yes there was, no there wasn’t “ bullshit about the 14 different passports in a destroyed Israeli campervan. The only thing I ever credited Key with doing properly was telling the Israeli PM at the time to fuck off when they already had a plane in the air full of ‘ disaster relief ‘ specialists. Yeah right !
I don’t think they should be allowed in the grounds that if any other country had a similar record over decades they wouldn’t be here either.
Well that's all our main trade partners out then.
We spy on other nations as part of Five Eyes, we are in no position to judge all Israelis because Mossad uses false passports. The CIA does as well etc.
Quite like this non-finance/politics bro analysis of Deepseek
If Mike Pound is right, more red line go down
It's very bad news for Trump and his psychotic tech billionaire backers.
Why are modern economists just a little shit
Why the Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme should go ahead.
By Earl Bardsley*
Coalition ministers refer to the Lake Onslow pumped storage scheme concept as having been scrapped. However, a New Zealand government cannot impose energy policy on the opposition.
As a quick reminder, the Onslow scheme’s potential for impact derives from scale. Its capacity is equivalent to a “battery” running at 1000 MW for more than six months. This would make it the world’s largest pumped storage scheme by energy storage measure.
More than $20 million was spent on Onslow investigations by the previous Labour Government. The motivation was to seek a low-emission alternative to fossil fuels for power generation in dry years.
The “pending decision” is whether Labour will include restarting Onslow scheme evaluations as part of its 2026 election energy policy. Clarification will probably come later this year.
https://www.interest.co.nz/public-policy/131671/earl-bardsley-lake-onslow-pumped-storage-scheme-decision-pending
Comparing the care of Israeli prisoners held by Hamas,
With the care of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Onslow's 'problem' is that it will completely upend the Gentailers' business model of profiting from dry years and generation constraints.
Whoever owns it will have insane market power through total control over peak electricity prices, which would be difficult in private ownership. So it would be State owned, and also require the nationalisation of Contact, or at least Clyde and Roxburgh hydros. Along with this would be quite a slump in the profitability, and share price of the remaining Gentailers. Not something National were prepared to allow.
Onslow, or other pumped hydro, is a good idea that's not going to die easily. It's been on the horizon since Clyde, there's two unused penstocks built into the dam for future pumped hydro utilising peak flows.
Mass use of solar power would allow us to have spare hydro capacity, without Onslow.
That and a bit of battery storage.
While we use hydro as a primary source, it is common elsewhere to use it as a stored back up.
We can do a mix of that, with an increase in other renewables.
The other option was Onslow and offshore wind – also killed off by National Chris Bishop and Shane Jones, with their decision in favour of seabed mining.
The estimated costs for Onslow that I saw a while ago were 17 billion NZ dollars. Probably 19billion now.
I did a back of envelope calculation based on the cost of solar with battery storage attached (both of which have got much cheaper and efficient in the last 5 years) and found this to be much cheaper than Onslow.
Also much of the solAr power would be generated on the NI where it is needed.
Onslow, @ equivalent to a “battery” running at 1000 MW for more than six months, = >4 million MWh capacity.
According to TrinaSolar that cost will total just $400 million. The company clarified to Renew Economy that this $400 million reflects only the first 330MW/1.32GWh stage of the project – but it still appears to set a new low for battery storage project costs in Australia.
It equates to around $300/kWh – substantially lower than the apparent price of the Eraring battery in NSW, and lower than the prices tracked by industry analysts Rystad Energy
https://reneweconomy.com.au/plunging-cost-of-big-batteries-latest-gigawatt-scale-project-may-set-new-price-benchmark/
Subsidies R In! It's a left/right consensus!! All we lack in Aotearoa are politicians who notice what's going on.
Trump proclaimed tariffs loudly, Biden implemented them quietly. The stylistic difference is intended to mask political reality: there are still enough useful idiots around that its still a good idea for the Dems to pretend they're different.
That's a sensible move, inasmuch as the commies don't do gods. And a tech variation on the traditionally method of deity creation (collective hallucinating) will impress all materialists watching, regardless their nationality.
We were, true, but that was when I was a kid & Thiel was pre-corporeal. Putting roads & motorways in the sky turned out to be too difficult.
An AI is just a tool like a can opener. An AI is just a way of getting the beans out of the can quicker.
The Chinese have found a better way to produce can openers, and the can opener market has collapsed.
And an iPad is like a chopping board but easier to clean.
The ceasefire/pause, you have when you are not having a ceasefire.
The Times of Israel report that despite the ceasefire, the IDF has been "targetting" unarmed civilians in Gaza. We know this because one of the unarmed civilians they killed, was actually an Israeli civilian contractor who because he was dressed in civilian clothes, the IDF mistook him for a Palestinian civilian.
The arrogance of the occupier;
Tom Petty sang, ‘Don't have to live like a refugee’.
Despite what Trump wants or says, Palestinians in their hundreds of thousands have decided to make their own destiny and have voted with their feet, literally to live or die on the rubble of their destroyed cities and towns rather than become refugees in Egypt or Jordan, or the wider world.
By returning to their capital city, the people of Gaza are a telling Trump and the Israelis, 'Do your worst, we shall not be moved.
We did something
We both know it
We don't talk too much about it
Ain't no real big secret all the same
Somehow we'll get around it
It don't really matter to me
You believe what you want to believe
Don't have to live like a refugee
Somewhere, somehow, somebody
Must have kicked you around some
Tell me why you want to lay there
Revel in your abandon
It don't make no difference to me
Everybody's had to fight to be free
Don't have to live like a refugee
We ain't the first
I'm sure a lot of others been burned
Right now this seems real to you
But it's one of those things
You gotta feel to be true
Somewhere, somehow, somebody
Must have kicked you around some
Maybe you were kidnapped
Tied up, taken away and held for ransom
It don't really matter to me
Everybody's had to fight to be free
Don't have to live like a refugee
Descendants of Jewish Holocaust survivors and living Jewish Holocaust survivors condemn Western politicians that use Holocaust remembrance day to justify genocide in Gaza.