Suscribe to Granny where Soper can tell you we're '…one covid case away from catastrophe..' and the Hosk wants ..'an apology..'
The piece on Pharmac being fit for purpose by Matt Nippert could be worthy however opinions are not journalism which is the bulk of what granny pushes as 'news'.
Another day of barking opinions from Grannys stable of keyboard warriors. In their own media bubble being owned and tiresome all at once.
I assume you are talking about the NZ Herald when you say "Granny". I have to agree, there is very little worth while reading in there these days, and like you say, it's mostly opinion pieces not news. I find Stuff just as bad as well.
I'm not entirely sure why but I have lost my sense of humour towards the Herald and it's right wing shills, they seem to me to be Trumpian in their dishonesty and malice. I hope that they suffer sufficient ill fortune, pain and misery to have an epiphany related to their abysmal conduct and actions.
I think their business plan is looking bad . numbers of paid subscribers,(hard copy and web) probably arent that great. why pay for crappy opinion pieces when stuff is free? expect granny to gradually back away from paywall as it repells more than it attracts. their advertisers will NOT be happy.
A request for a Covid patient to be airlifted to Auckland's Middlemore Hospital on Tuesday, thought to be that of a World Health Organisation official, was turned down with hospitals in the city arguing they didn't have the capacity.
More likely, didn't want to have the capacity to deal with the risk the patient would pose to this poorly vaccinated country.
Clearly NZ didn't want to be seen airlifting officials for specialist treatment over ordinary Fijian people. Imagine the precedent!
A decent journalist might have at least suggested it.
News just in: Fiji national now being transported to NZ for treatment.
Pacific health leader Dr Collin Tukuitonga said he understood that the Covid patient has the highly dangerous Delta variant of the virus.
If New Zealand really wanted to help, more medical staff should be sent to Fiji to help train and support those on the ground dealing with the situation there – not bringing the patient to New Zealand.
"We're trying to keep the risk out. We can't totally predict what the Delta variant will do. I think it's unacceptable."
The decision to bring the person to New Zealand for treatment also now sets a precedent.
"I understand he is a Fijian national…why is he being singled out over the many other equally deserving people there?
"How do we then decide who to accept who to take and who not to take?"
Called it. Local Pacific health leader not happy. Can't imagine the people of Fiji are either.
"I understand he is a Fijian national working for the World Health Organisation. Why is he being singled out over the many other equally deserving people there?
Someone who has chosen to work for WHO has pre- accepted the conditions and situations he may find himself in.
It is not New Zealand’s role to bail out here. Better to have sent the equipment needed there.
UNBELIEVABLE given the fact that NZ has not vaccinated its own yet.
I have seen footage of the conditions in Fiji's main hospital. I am not surprised that a person needs to be transported to another country for treatment.
Looking to the future on having the medical technology and clinicians to avoid a person being transported is important.
The headline of the day is the Hosking one about the Government owing us an apology for the vaccine "mess." A useless prick writing about useful pricks?
Just had my first shot. Smooth operation and very good staff in a massive space vacated by The Warehouse a few months back. The large space works well – separate processing areas and walkways. Clear communication from the staff. People doing useful work – the opposite of Hosking.
I thought we'd figured out selling off core services wasn't a good idea… Lets send more ratepayer money into offshore pockets and I'll bet as soon as the deal is done the squeeze will go on the staff to maximize profits…
Will be interesting to see what comes out of this study in to the duopoly of the grocery market. I wouldn't hold your breath for cheaper prices or much to happen at all. After the inquiry in to the petrol prices and being told we are paying too much for petrol, we are now paying even more for petrol, so cant see the supermarkets changing too much.
I suspect the Supermarkets will get hit with a big stick re treatment of suppliers given they have been hammering them to increase profit margins. But that won't end in cheaper prices for the consumer.
My old company used to sell to both Foodstuffs and Woolworths Australia (Countdown) chains. They are both very hard negotiators and if you want to be on their shelves, you must play by their rules which are very demanding (rebates, discounts, advertising etc). They were far harder to deal with than the likes of The Warehouse and other customers.
I have some idea of ALDI's business model; it relies on two aspects.
One is a hyper efficient logistics model, a slimmed down core food and grocery line and then an eclectic selection of 'middle aisle' goods they rotate around all their stores very rapidly. It's an interesting mix of predictable and novel that makes for an efficient and pleasant shopping experience.
All of their stores follow a similar layout and styling and are much smaller than the big box shops of the duopoly. You can easily get around to filling a trolley in 10min if you stay focused. And the cost of that trolley will be under $200, compared to not much change out of $300 for the same thing elsewhere. (Incidentally it's surprising how many of their line items are NZ sourced.)
The downside for this model is that it requires a lot of shops to be efficient. A regional city like Ballarat of 110,000 people had 5 of them last I was there. They build them very fast and efficiently, the one I watched went from dirt to open day in around 5 months.
I can well imagine however ALDI's management looking at NZ and realising that everything about the place is stacked against them. A long skinny country that reduces the efficiency of their logistics model, and high land and building costs that impact heavily on their building side. Plus they can rely on the established duopoly to pull any lever they can to make life hard for them to get established.
That article quotes several times that "ALDIs is the one everybody wants in NZ" – sadly unless the govt can find a way to make it possible it isn't going to happen soon.
Cheaper prices as such shouldn't be the aim. Fairer prices should – fairer to the consumer and to the producer and less super-profits for the supermarkets.
I doubt more competition will help producers and in the end, if producers cannot thrive by producing stuff in environmentally and socially sustainable ways that harms us all.
Perhaps we could do this with the Power companies. Demand that the Government sell all their shares in all but one power supplier?
And we could split up Air New Zealand and get rid of the Government controlled monopoly?
I find these stories being run in the Herald and Stuff to be rather a joke. Didn't these organisations try and combine a little while ago so that they could have a monopoly on printed news?
you have a point about the media, but whataboutism is a very poor way to debate the subject . you could have, should have, mentioned the short term attempt by the warehouse to get into the supermarket biz, and how quickly that was bought by one of the big two . you also should have mentioned the fact that the free market is a myth , especially in small societies, as even blind freddie can see that there are very limited competitors in all the big tick businesses, food,media,insurance,energy, telecom,etc.dig into the ownership of most bigname comps and its interesting-disappointing to see how many are owned by two-three companies. if, and its a big IF ,we get another competitor in the supermarket biz in nz, expect it to be quickly bought out by one of the big two.
My preferred solution – which I doubt is likely in neoliberal NZ – is for the government to start a Cooperative supermarket chain. Owned by the employees and consumers, such chains are not uncommon internationally, e.g. in Japan , USA and Europe. The hard part is the initial capital and organisation – that is where the government could help.
Already exists with Farmlands. Mainly farm supplies, but a small selection of grocery items. They could expand to full supermarket or use their knowledge to set up a similar organisation doing the supermarket thing.
Good idea though, I’m a Farmlands member and would be into a similar thing for general groceries.
Aroha and respect to the Prime Minister for having the courage and decency to agree to be seen getting publicly vaccinated on camera yesterday.
(On a personal note a good friend of mine who was vaccine hesitant, said she got great comfort in seeing the Prime Minister get her shot and has now booked to get hers).
It is my hope, that soon the Prime MInister will be able to announce to the country and the world, that not just the ruling party, but the whole of New Zealand parliament are fully vaccinated.
….inside a hospital grappling with Delta and vaccine hesitancy
Oliver Laughland in Memphis and Jessica Glenzain in New York
Sat 24 Jul 2021 16.45 BST
….the Delta variant now tearing its way through unvaccinated Americans and inoculation rates plateauing in Tennessee amid a dangerous conservative political backlash against vaccines……..
…..Unpicking the forces behind vaccine hesitancy is complex and multifaceted; from pervasive disinformation online, to skepticism tied to systemic medical failures and historic abuse on American communities of color.
……..the political situation in Tennessee has undoubtedly exacerbated the issue and left many beleaguered healthcare workers frustrated and perplexed. Tennessee’s Republican governor, Bill Lee, received his vaccine earlier in the year, but did not do so in public, mirroring a vaccine dog whistle initiated by Donald Trump.
The political polarisation over vaccination may not be as extreme in this country as it is in the US.
But a recent Colmar Brunton poll on vaccine hesitancy, listed those groups with high support for getting the covid vaccine. Labour Party members made the list with 80% support. The Colmar Brunton poll did not list the level of support for getting the covid vaccine by National Party members. So we don’t know what National Party members support for getting the vaccine is. But we do know that it was too low to be on the Colmar Brunton list for high support.
Colmar Brunton
The groups of voters who are more likely than average (76%) to say they would definitely or probably get
vaccinated include:
Those aged 70+ (90%)
Males aged 55+ (88%)
Those with an annual household income of between $100,001 and $150,000 (83%)
New Zealand Europeans (80%)
Labour party supporters (80%).
Those groups of voters who are more likely than average (17%) to say they would definitely not or probably
not get vaccinated include:
Those living in Gisborne or the Hawke’s Bay (30%)
Māori (26%)
While a large percentage of those who were against getting the vaccine were worried about side effecfs more were against getting the vaccine because they didn't think it was necessary 55%
The Colmar poll is interesting, in that it revealed that more than half of those opposed to getting the vaccine thought it wasn't necessary, 55%. (the same viewpoint of covid-19 deniers).
The big stand out of those who would definitely not the get the vaccine are Maori 26%. This may somewhat mirror the bad experience for Maori from the health system, that American communities of color report. This figure may also be a result of the influence of covid deniers like Billy Tekahika who has a following among Maori.
Having an independant Maori Party in parliament, if both Maori Party MPs, alongside the rest of parliament, get the vaccine and publicly declare it, it might go some way to overcoming this hesitancy amongst Maori.
The same for the National Party, if the National Party MPs, publicly declare that they have all been vaccinated it might go some way to overcoming vaccine hesitancy among conservatives.
Ashley Blomfield say he hopes for 90% vaccination coverage by the end of the year.
If achieved this would be a world first for a medium sized country. Possibly putting us on track for achieving herd immunity. Another world first.
Love is but a song we sing.
Fear is the way we die.
We can make the mountains ring, or make the angels cry…..
……Republican areas where the refusal to take a safe, free, effective vaccine has allowed the Delta variant to catch fire and thwarted a US victory over the pandemic that was almost within reach.
…..House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, said mask guidance rooted in science that shows Delta's deadly spread was not actually "based on science" and accused liberals of wanting to live in a "perpetual pandemic state."
Of course, if everyone in the House were vaccinated, masks might not be needed. But more than 90 Republican members have refused to reveal their status, presumably because if they have had the shots, it might clash with their desire to cast doubt on anti-Covid measures to please their voters.
To demonstrate that we are better than this, our government need to reach across the aisle to our opponents.
If all the parliamentarians that can get vaccinated agreed and got vaccinated, and the Prime Miniser was able to announce this fact to the country and the world, this might be the sort of united lead needed to overcome the vaccine hestitancy that may "thwart" the victory over the virus that is in reach here.
It is my opinion that to build public trust in our public institutions, politics, (like justice), not only needs to be done it needs to be seen to be done.
If our government can form a grand coalition in times of war, My hope is that our government and loyal opposition* can do the same again andcan get their heads together and agree to publicly form a united front around getting vaccinated. In affect to agree to publicly speak with one voice on this one issue, not just in words but in deeds.
*Loyal opposition is one of democracy’s grandest terms. Once used to shield the party out of power from accusations of treason, it now describes the institutionalization of opposition, most famously Great Britain’s elevation of the minority party leadership to a shadow cabinet. Termed the “greatest contribution of the nineteenth century to the art of government,”…..
The Herald online has an article about anti-vaccine protestors handing out flyers outside schools. Nothing illegal is going on, the people are protesting on public property. The Herald says. "… distributing vaccine misinformation to students."
Why have the faces of those in the protest been pixelated? A person is holding sign saying "Questioning vaccine safety doesn't make you anti-vaxxer."
To use that thinking,"Clearly depicting protestors outside a school doesn't make you anti anti-vaccine protestors or their message, it makes you a reporter of facts."
Covid-19 vaccines for children: hypothetical benefits to adults do not outweigh risks to children
Given this low incidence, the fact that covid-19 is generally asymptomatic or mild in children, and the high rate of adverse events in those vaccinated (e.g. in Pfizer’s trial of 12-15 year olds, 3 in 4 kids had fatigue and headaches, around half had chills and muscle pain, and around 1 in 4 to 5 had a fever and joint pain), a comparison of quality-adjusted life-years in the trial would very much favour the placebo group.
The rush to give this novel and experimental 'vaccine' to school children is bordering on the obscene. What kind of society is happy to risk the future health of their youth?
It is just over a year since the first trials in adults commenced for the Pfizer jab, and unfortunately any long term effects for those in the vaccine groups cannot be properly monitored because of the problematic un-blinding of the study group and the offering of the vaccine to the placebo group.
Loss of data
Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Center for Health Research, told The BMJ that the FDA could have demanded that companies use the blinded crossover design for them to win full approval for their vaccines. She said that failure to do that meant the loss of future reliable data, which is especially concerning given that preliminary data are insufficient to determine efficacy.
“I’m especially concerned that Pfizer’s vaccine trials included only five people aged 75 and older who were diagnosed with covid-19, with an unspecified number of those defined by Pfizer as severe cases,” she said. “That makes it impossible to determine how effective the vaccine is for frail elderly patients.”
Although the FDA has granted the vaccines emergency use authorisation, to get full licence approval two years of follow-up data are needed. The data are now likely to be scanty and less reliable given that the trials are effectively being unblinded.
Goodman wants all companies to be held to the same standard and says they should not be allowed to make up their own rules about unblinding. He told The BMJ that, while he was “very optimistic” about the vaccines, “blowing up the trials” by allowing unblinding “will set a de facto standard for all vaccine trials to come.” And that, he said, “is dangerous.”
I've been listening to some information behind a paywall at Peak Prosperity. Frankly I'd like to see all mRNA vaccines pulled at this point for all but those with high risk factors.
Wave power generation looks a very promising technology. I know there has been some talk previously about tidal generation in NZ where cost is raised as the main barrier. Also generation at 2MW per unit in the link below is much less than our hydro dams. However, as pointed out in the video link the tide is entirely predictable. No need to worry about low rainfall, no wind or not enough sun.
Doctor quits NZ after a year because…he couldn't buy a house.
"They weren't going to get an invitation to lodge an expression of interest and so they weren't going to get their residency, which meant they couldn't buy a house."
– Ōtaki Medical Centre chief executive Kiwa Raureti
Well, boohoo. Millions of Kiwis can't buy a house. Join the club which rents while you wait, Dr Richards.
If you read the whole story I think you’ll find the key message concerns residency limbo and no clear direction from the relevant minister where this is heading.
Small town NZ loses a doctor and the surgery has closed its books to new patients. You may be ok with that. I’m not.
No he can't buy a house, because he can not get a permanent residency.
Otaki lost a skilled physician because Immigration simply failed him. NO ifs and buts about it.
But then, surely we can find some Kiwi to do that, right? Right? Plenty of Kiwi doctors happy to go live rural? right? We just need to pay them more? Lol. And they can buy a house, right?
From the link above:
” A regional medical practice has been forced to close its doors to new patients due to the loss of a beloved GP, who left New Zealand after a year in limbo in the residency queue.
Due to Covid’s impact on the immigration office, the Government suspended Expressions of Interest (EOI) selections for the skilled migrant category (SMC) in 2020.
Ōtaki GP Dr Harding Richards, originally from Wales, left New Zealand last month, while waiting for the invitation to lodge an Expression of Interest.”
nah, its all good. Who needs doctors anyways, don’t these rural people know that they should live in towns if they want doctors, or at least be able to go to Emergency department if they need a doctor.
Meh. He didn't stick around for long. He seems like a mercenary for hire to be honest. How do we know he just didn't like New Zealand? He did ditch us at the earliest opportunity.
So the WiSpa flashpoint might be sparking again on Saturday in LA (though it'll be next month before the news reaches us in Aotearoa), hopefully not though; with the increasing COVID rates in LA. But if the transphobes are going to be there, so will counter-protestors, and the police. Still no charges for knife attacks in the first protest (July 3rd), despite; police presence, multiple witnesses, and video. LAPD have been a bit evasive about the necessariness of their force (2nd protest – July 17th), but that's hardly news:
According to Chief Moore, officer’s from the LAPD Rampart Division had arrested 41 people, 40 individuals who were cited for failure to disperse after an unlawful assembly was declared and one for possession of illegal or prohibited items at a protest. He said LAPD officers recorded firing projectiles 10 times and striking people with batons nine times according to body cam footage.
Multiple videos were shared on social media that showed confrontations with the LAPD, several protestors depicted were allegedly injured by officers and on the videos claimed that they posed no threat.
The Chief told the Board of Commissioners his department would investigate all allegations of misconduct, he emphasized that those videos posted on social media only showed certain perspectives and alleged that activists were “essentially shopping clips and snippets” online that distort facts.
The massive media attention resulted in two weekends of chaotic rallies in LA this month, in which anti-trans and trans-rights protesters fought in the streets, and women carrying “protect female spaces” signs paraded alongside members of the far-right Proud Boys.Trans counter-protesters and their supporters described being Maced, stabbed and chased by rightwing demonstrators, as well as injured by police…
I've just read the long Guardian article, and it seems apparent to me that the wording is very careful…
Misinformation about Wi Spa, a Korean spa in Los Angeles, quickly spread around the world. Since then, trans women in LA have faced violence and online abuse
On 24 June, a woman claimed on Instagram that a Korean spa in Los Angeles had allowed a “man” to expose himself to women and girls in the women’s section.
IF you believe that self-ID as a woman is all that is necessary, then you can then be reassured that a 'man' was not present. It can also be true that someone exposed their body complete with male genitalia in the changing room. Nowhere in the article does it state this is a fabrication.
We are back in the strange world of (mis)appropriation of existing language to cry discrimination.
It also seems as if it is the TA responses that generate pushback. There are levers being pulled without regard for others. including the safety of trans people.
The article is indeed very careful not to allege that Cubana Angel was flat out lying; Molly. Though whilst reading, you must have seen this bit which certainly indicates the possibility, and more importantly that the spa was operating legally even if the undemonstrated presence was fact. But any protest this weekend is more likely to be using that as pretext, rather than reason anymore.
It is unclear whether a trans woman was actually present.
There was no footage of anyone inside the changing room and no other witnesses have sincespoken out to corroborate the account. A local LGBTQ+ paper reported that a spa employee said there were no trans patrons with appointments that day, leading some to question whether the incident was staged. An LA police department (LAPD) spokesperson initially told the Guardian in early July that the police were not investigating the spa incident because “there was no crime reported”. On 26 July, after news outlets had highlighted questions about the initial allegations the month before, LAPD said the department was now investigating “a report of anindecent exposure at a spa” on 23 June.
In California, businesses have long been required to let trans patrons use facilities that match their gender. The spa, where customers are often naked, has not confirmed whether a trans customer was present, and has repeatedly defended its policies as simply in compliance with California’s non-discrimination law.
It is the slow motion train-wreck of it all that I find fascinating. Apparently the 10th and 24th were no shows for transphobes. It just seems to have more of a fortnightly rhythm for some reason. But even if no one gets bludgeoned to death this time, the Californian infection rates seem likely to give the next occurrence a body count.
"It is unclearwhether a trans woman was actually present.
There was no footage of anyone inside the changing room and no other witnesses have sincespoken out to corroborate the account. '
and… "In California, businesses have long been required to let trans patrons use facilities that match their gender."
So…
Despite accusations to the contrary, she may have been accurate with her account of someone with male genitalia exposing themselves in the changing rooms.
That accuracy cannot be corroborated by camera footage from within the changing rooms (which I thought was illegal, but hey, no evidence!)
People who identify as female – with male genitalia are legally entitiled to use female changing rooms anyway. So even if she is telling the truth, its legal, so what's the problem?
This kind of shifting thinking allows for a myriad number of justifications for avoiding a conversation about the impact on women and children who are used to having changing and toilet facilities separate to those with male genitalia, and the consequent alarm and vulnerability they feel when that expectation is not met.
Women are being asked to adjust immediately, without consultation or even being permitted a voice, in this change which may not seem radical to some, but is to many women. Women are being asked to relinquish their safe spaces without regard for why they are there in the first place.
"But even if no one gets bludgeoned to death this time, the Californian infection rates seem likely to give the next occurrence a body count."
The Wi Spa incident that I saw, shows a woman making a complaint to reception about someone exposing a penis in a women's changing room. She did not ask for violence, she asked that they remove that person from that space.
I didn't see any incitement to violence in that original recording. The violence that occurs after the situation is ramped up cannot be laid at her door.
Resulting conflicts seem to be deliberately escalated by bad actors on both sides of the debate. This is easier to do, when no discussion is allowed on the topic, and people are shut down from raising their concerns.
And that is it, is it not, the issue with 'any man being able to identify as female' and thus gain access to spaces that previously had been of limits to men. It is no good for biological women and trans women.
I can see this being such a bad thing for any women from a conservative background, be that muslima, jewish orthodox, christian orthodox (all of the flavours) etc, or even just women who have experienced trauma and who will now have another place that they won't go to.
But maybe that is the expected and requested result. Make biological women stay home again.
It surprises me that those championing the inclusion of self-identified females into women's spaces use the criticism that women are treating such people as if they are predators by denying them that space.
Personally, I probably not even notice transitioned transwomen into that space, and would hope they would feel comfortable there, for it would not cause distress to any of the other users of that space, including – as you mention, those women whose culture or beliefs prohibit them from sharing space with biological males.
However, the conflation of self-id biologically male intact people being permitted to enter and use those spaces is a different story.
Apart from the aforementioned issues regarding privacy and culture, this inclusion does actually provides a mechanism for those that may wish to cause harm – whether anyone likes it or not. The offence then has to occur before the complaint can be laid, when previously those spaces where women were vulnerable and in states of undress were not even able to be accessed before self-id. We are going backwards in terms of protection of women.
If those who disagree think this is unlikely, I am sure that there are those who can see the possibilities for harassment under the self-id laws and will play it out. The cost of this will be borne by women, once again.
It surprises me that those championing the inclusion of self-identified females into women's spaces use the criticism that women are treating such people as if they are predators by denying them that space.
Why does it surprise you? these are the same people that call a lesbian or a straight guy who does not want a relationship or a quicky with a transwomen a transphobe. They call gay men who do not want a relationship with a transman a transphobe.
They just want access to the spaces, and once that is gained they have won. Thus we go from single sex spaces to mixed only spaces, and the more you look the less you will find women in these spaces. Biological and transwomen. I left a comment on the 'Sex we need to talk thread' about some transmen and their observations. You might enjoy the read, and fwiw, i tend to agree with them. The issue never was and never will be Transwomen who present as female. The issue is with the male that don't present as women, don't want to present as women, but who want access to females spaces. They simply sign a paper, and thus voila, they can now do as they please when they please and until some poor women, child, or t trans person gets harmed nothing will be done, in fact our concerns will be poo poo'ed but then what else is new in the world? Womens concerns have been poo poo'ed since time keeping began.
Queensland has recorded one new case of COVID-19 in a person in hotel quarantine, as genome sequencing confirms a man in a Brisbane backpacker hostel acquired
Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said the sequencing confirmed the man had the Alpha variant and did not contract COVID-19 while in hotel quarantine.
[…]
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said further contact tracing was underway after it was discovered the infected traveller had flown to Western Australia after completing quarantine in Queensland.
"When he got out of hotel quarantine here in Brisbane, he'd done his 14 days and has three negative tests, he then on-travelled to Western Australia," Dr Young said.
"They turned him around, they put him in a hotel for two days until there was a suitable flight, and then he was placed on that flight and returned to Queensland."
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
Rongotai MP Julie Anne Genter has apologised in Parliament after National accused her of intimidating and attacking one of its ministers in the House. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Prime Minister and state and territory leaders met on Wednesday as the national cabinet to discuss a crisis gripping Australia – the horrific number of women murdered this year. The killings have shocked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Radhika Raghav, Teaching Fellow, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Otago Netflix Indian director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known for his big-budget Bollywood production, featuring grand sets, star casts, meticulously choreographed dance sequences and lavish costumes, jewellery and furnishings. ...
Sir Robert devoted his life to disability rights after living in institutions in his younger years, says Kaihautū Tika Hauātanga | Disability Rights Commissioner Prudence Walker. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University Violence against women is not a women’s problem to solve, it is a whole of society problem to solve; and men in particular have to take responsibility. Those were the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Allen, Senior Lecturer in Chemical and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of Newcastle Snapshot freddy/ShutterstockPlans to revive an old coal-fired power station using bioenergy are being considered in the Hunter region of New South Wales. Similar plans for the station ...
Responding to the long-awaited release of judges’ special allowances, including free air travel and hotels for spouses, generous sabbaticals, and access to limousines, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Alex Murphy said: “In what world does your employer ...
Analysis - The United States has unveiled plans to boost the weapons trade with Australia and the UK, on the same day that Winston Peters is expected to sketch NZ's position on AUKUS. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Carson, Professor of Political Communication, Department of Politics, Media and Philosophy, La Trobe University Since Australia’s First Nations Voice to Parliament referendum in October 2023, diverse commentaries have sought to explain why it failed. But what does an analysis of media ...
Lawyers representing two iwi as well as the Māori Women’s Welfare League on Wednesday asked the Court of Appeal to overturn last week’s High Court decision on the Waitangi Tribunal’s decision to summons Children’s Minister Karen Chhour. The Tribunal is currently investigating the Government’s decision to repeal section 7AA of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will introduce legislation to ban deepfake pornography and provide more funding for the eSafety Commission to pilot age-assurance technologies. The contribution of internet sites to gender-based violence was one major issue ...
Average ordinary time hourly earnings, as measured by the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES), increased 5.2 percent in the year to the March 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. Annual wage cost inflation, as measured by the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dimitrios Salampasis, FinTech Capability Lead | Senior Lecturer, Emerging Technologies and FinTech, Swinburne University of Technology Clem Onojeghuo/Unsplash In the digital era, the job market is increasingly becoming a minefield – demanding and difficult to navigate. According to the Australian Bureau ...
As of the March 2024 quarter, we can now look back on 20 years of data related to youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET), as collected by the Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS), according to figures released by Stats NZ today. "The ...
Thousands of workers attended public events in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch today to celebrate International Workers’ Day (May Day), but union representatives are urging caution and vigilance over the Government’s blatantly "anti-worker" ...
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in the March 2024 quarter, compared with 4.0 percent in the previous quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
The PSA is warning the Government that the sensitive information of New Zealanders held by various agencies will fall into the wrong hands if the latest round of proposed cuts goes ahead. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Talitha Best, Professor of Psychology, CQUniversity Australia Victoria Rodriguez/Unsplash How do sugar rushes work? – W.H, age nine, from Canberra What a terrific question W.H! Let’s explore this, starting with some of the basics. What is sugar? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karinna Saxby, Research Fellow, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne MART PRODUCTION/Pexels Increasing income support could help keep women and children safe according to new work demonstrating strong links between financial insecurity and domestic violence. ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark A Gregory, Associate Professor, School of Engineering, RMIT University The telecommunications industry faces a major shakeup following the release of the post-incident report on last November’s 12-hour Optus outage. Telecommunications companies will have to share more information with customers during future ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Eden Denyer, bookseller at Unity Books Auckland.Weirdest question/request you’ve had on the shop floorA mother came in looking for anything we might have on Alaskan bison as that was her little boy’s ...
NZCTU Economist Craig Renney said new data released by Statistics New Zealand shows the need for Government to act now, with unemployment rising from 3.4% to 4.3%. ...
The outpouring of anger over Maiki Sherman’s hyperbolic presentation of this week’s ‘nightmare’ poll is itself an overreaction, argues Stewart Sowman-Lund. Politicians love nothing more than to pretend they don’t care about polls. This week, deputy prime minister Winston Peters said he didn’t give a “rat’s derriere” about a TVNZ ...
Asia Pacific Report Ngāti Kahungunu in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Hawkes Bay region has become the first indigenous Māori iwi (tribe) to sign a resolution calling for a “ceasefire in Palestine”, reports Te Ao Māori News. Reporter Te Aniwaniwa Paterson talked to Te Otāne Huata, who has been organising peace rallies ...
By Dale Luma in Port Moresby “We want grants and not concessional loans,” is the crisp message from Papua New Guinea businesses directly affected by the Black Wednesday looting four months ago. The businesses, which lost millions after the January 10 rioting and looting, say they need grants as part ...
Happy May Day. Join a union. Q: What’s worse than a staff break room where the only place to sit and have a cup of tea is on a teetering stack of old pornography magazines? A: Your boss replacing the magazine stacks with chairs that are “heartily encrusted with ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor Former opposition leader Matthew Wale has been announced as the second prime ministerial candidate ahead of the election in Solomon Islands tomorrow. He will face off against former foreign affairs minister Jeremiah Manele, who was announced by the Coalition for National Unity and Transformation ...
We get but one birthday a year – why not make it last as long as possible by scheduling as many meals with friends and family as you can? This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. How do you celebrate your birthday? Do you celebrate at ...
A Koi Tū discussion paper released today proposes sweeping changes to New Zealand’s media industry. The principal’s key author, Gavin Ellis, explains how journalists have a key role to play in making others value their role in society. This is an abridged version of a piece first published on knightlyviews.com ...
The Government’s spending cuts are again targeting support for Māori with proposed reform of the agency charged with advising on Māori wellbeing and development. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Douglas, Honorary Senior Lecturer, UNSW Aviation., UNSW Sydney The history of budget jet airlines in Australia is a long road littered with broken dreams. New entrants have consistently struggled to get a foothold. Low-cost carrier Bonza has just become the industry’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rosalind Dixon, Director, Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, UNSW Sydney Australia is finally having a sustained conversation about violence against women and what we can do about it. It is more than time. Australian women and girls continue to experience ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne stockfour/Shutterstock Preliminary bulk billing data released this week shows a 2.1% rise in bulk billing up to March. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Schulz, Senior Lecturer, University of Adelaide Australia is once again grappling with how we can stop gendered violence in our country. Protests over the weekend show there is enormous community anger over the number of women who are dying and National ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University AnastasiaDudka/Shutterstock What if the government was doing everything it could to stop thieves making off with our money, except the one thing that could really work? That’s how it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harrington, Senior Lecturer in English and Cultural Studies, University of Canterbury The Conversation It seems to be a time of old favourites. This month our experts have recommended two new seasons – the second season of Alone Australia (although ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland A bright Eta Aquariid meteor photobombed this photo of comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) in May 2020.Jonti Horner Meteors – commonly known as shooting stars – can be seen on any night of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Flannery, Honorary fellow, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock Current concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in Earth’s atmosphere are unprecedented in human history. But CO₂ levels today, and those that might occur in coming decades, did occur millions of years ago. ...
Winston Peters has been keen to dismiss speculation on our involvement in Aukus but will give a speech tonight on the direction of our foreign policy, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Usmar, Lecturer in Critical Media Literacies, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images With the coalition government’s ban of student mobile phones in New Zealand schools coming into effect this week, reaction has ranged from the sceptical (kids will just get ...
Hospitals around the country are not allowed to make a single hiring decision without the approval of Te Whatu Ora's head office, including for cleaners and administration staff. ...
A new report on protecting journalism and democracy in New Zealand recommends a levy be charged on global platforms like Facebook and Google to fund media firms undertaking public interest reporting. It also calls for the reinstatement of a powerful Broadcasting Commission to distribute public funding for journalism and other ...
On International Workers' Day, also known as May Day, the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi and the wider union movement are celebrating the proud history of the labour movement during a tough time for working people. ...
From bills to beards, a walk through the former Green co-leader’s time in politics. After close to a decade in politics, James Shaw is preparing to bid farewell to parliament. Tonight will see the former minister deliver his valedictory address, certain to be a speech filled with Shaw’s trademark wit ...
Two months ago, MPs unanimously voted to give themselves a week off in Efeso Collins’ honour. On Tuesday, most were too busy to give even an hour of their time. The day Fa’anānā Efeso Collins died, parliament felt different. In a building that operates at a breakneck pace, everyone stopped ...
India’s election involves hundreds of millions of people and is a months-long affair. Here’s how voting works and what’s at stake.The biggest-ever election in world history started on April 19, with more than 10% of the world’s population eligible to vote. Elections in India, the world’s most populous country ...
After the Christchurch earthquake, the then-national civil defence boss compared his experience to “putting a team on the rugby field who have never ever played together before”. Now, eight years later – and following a damning inquiry into the emergency response of cyclones Gabrielle, Hale and the Auckland anniversary weekend floods – ...
“I had just come off the end of a major robbery case which I had been working on for six months when I got a call on the afternoon of September 1, 1992, that some remains had been found at a building site in Devonport, so I drove over with ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 1 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Comment: Journalists are very good at telling other people’s stories, but they fall well short when writing about their own profession. Perhaps that is why it is so undervalued. Every successive poll on the public’s attitude toward journalism is more alarming than the last. In the last month we have ...
Opinion: A young Māori woman and her Pacific partner arrive at their local hospital by ambulance. She has gone into labour at just under 24 weeks, but the couple haven’t recognised the symptoms – and don’t know the risks of premature birth for their baby. By the time they arrive, ...
Behind closed doors, NZ First will be arguing fiercely against any watering down of the ministerial decision-making powers in the Bill The post Bishop backtracks after fast-track backlash appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Emotional scenes played out in the Invercargill courthouse on the first two days of the coronial inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones, in which the boy’s mother was accused of disposing of her son’s body. The second season of Newsroom’s award-nominated podcast The Boy in the Water ...
Opinion: The impression from the carpark is very inviting. The area is well fenced but barred so there is easy visibility of loved ones. Inside, the spaces are welcoming and clean and staff are friendly and clearly comfortable. I am greeted by ‘Kim’. She has worked here for three years, ...
Suscribe to Granny where Soper can tell you we're '…one covid case away from catastrophe..' and the Hosk wants ..'an apology..'
The piece on Pharmac being fit for purpose by Matt Nippert could be worthy however opinions are not journalism which is the bulk of what granny pushes as 'news'.
Another day of barking opinions from Grannys stable of keyboard warriors. In their own media bubble being owned and tiresome all at once.
I assume you are talking about the NZ Herald when you say "Granny". I have to agree, there is very little worth while reading in there these days, and like you say, it's mostly opinion pieces not news. I find Stuff just as bad as well.
I'm not entirely sure why but I have lost my sense of humour towards the Herald and it's right wing shills, they seem to me to be Trumpian in their dishonesty and malice. I hope that they suffer sufficient ill fortune, pain and misery to have an epiphany related to their abysmal conduct and actions.
It must be ratings time as I have just been offered (again) a 4 week free subscription to both online and delivered Herald. I won’t bother thank you.
I think their business plan is looking bad . numbers of paid subscribers,(hard copy and web) probably arent that great. why pay for crappy opinion pieces when stuff is free? expect granny to gradually back away from paywall as it repells more than it attracts. their advertisers will NOT be happy.
+
Mr. Stupidity-Allan says:
Clearly NZ didn't want to be seen airlifting officials for specialist treatment over ordinary Fijian people. Imagine the precedent!
A decent journalist might have at least suggested it.
News just in: Fiji national now being transported to NZ for treatment.
Called it. Local Pacific health leader not happy. Can't imagine the people of Fiji are either.
Still, Mr Stupidity-Allan got his way…
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-positive-patient-from-fiji-being-allowed-into-new-zealand-for-hospital-care/V7IAEC6IJ3DUW6NPJM7E7C5BGE/
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-positive-patient-from-fiji-being-allowed-into-new-zealand-for-hospital-care/V7IAEC6IJ3DUW6NPJM7E7C5BGE/
"I understand he is a Fijian national working for the World Health Organisation. Why is he being singled out over the many other equally deserving people there?
Someone who has chosen to work for WHO has pre- accepted the conditions and situations he may find himself in.
It is not New Zealand’s role to bail out here. Better to have sent the equipment needed there.
UNBELIEVABLE given the fact that NZ has not vaccinated its own yet.
I have seen footage of the conditions in Fiji's main hospital. I am not surprised that a person needs to be transported to another country for treatment.
Looking to the future on having the medical technology and clinicians to avoid a person being transported is important.
Not likely to happen but needs to happen.
The headline of the day is the Hosking one about the Government owing us an apology for the vaccine "mess." A useless prick writing about useful pricks?
The RWNJs are complaining about 16,000 people being vaccinated in South Auckland this weekend.
Totally bizarre.
Hasn’t happened yet has it?
Just had my first shot. Smooth operation and very good staff in a massive space vacated by The Warehouse a few months back. The large space works well – separate processing areas and walkways. Clear communication from the staff. People doing useful work – the opposite of Hosking.
had my first shot in levin on tuesday, no stress, no kick in the face or whatever overused phrase badly trained scribes resort to.
Is he still relevant ?
Serious Question. A ex National Party Shrill.
I'm working my way through the Michael Cullen autobiography "Labour Saving".
More policy focused than usual, it shows the massive moves they made in 3 terms.
I'd recommend it.
I would be interested on what Cullen has to say about housing on all levels.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300160059/reserve-bank-fuelling-housing-boom-with-printed-money-says-former-finance-minister-michael-cullen
I'll be forever grateful to the man for kiwisaver
I thought we'd figured out selling off core services wasn't a good idea… Lets send more ratepayer money into offshore pockets and I'll bet as soon as the deal is done the squeeze will go on the staff to maximize profits…
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-council-planning-to-privatise-business-unit-but-guarantees-future-jobs-for-320-staff/YROQNQRGALPXSXIKF7O5XXPPCM/
Will be interesting to see what comes out of this study in to the duopoly of the grocery market. I wouldn't hold your breath for cheaper prices or much to happen at all. After the inquiry in to the petrol prices and being told we are paying too much for petrol, we are now paying even more for petrol, so cant see the supermarkets changing too much.
Commerce Commission supermarket competition inquiry: Draft findings released today – NZ Herald
I suspect the Supermarkets will get hit with a big stick re treatment of suppliers given they have been hammering them to increase profit margins. But that won't end in cheaper prices for the consumer.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/125882108/new-world-store-owner-spoke-of-trying-to-break-people-says-suppliers-body
My old company used to sell to both Foodstuffs and Woolworths Australia (Countdown) chains. They are both very hard negotiators and if you want to be on their shelves, you must play by their rules which are very demanding (rebates, discounts, advertising etc). They were far harder to deal with than the likes of The Warehouse and other customers.
They created the duopoly and locked out Aldi, Sainsburys and others looking to enter at that time.
A report from them is bus ticket fodder IMO as they've effectively made NZ a much less competitive market in many areas.
"locked out Aldi, Sainsburys and others".
When did this happen and how did they do it? Can you provide some links that tell this story?
I have some idea of ALDI's business model; it relies on two aspects.
One is a hyper efficient logistics model, a slimmed down core food and grocery line and then an eclectic selection of 'middle aisle' goods they rotate around all their stores very rapidly. It's an interesting mix of predictable and novel that makes for an efficient and pleasant shopping experience.
All of their stores follow a similar layout and styling and are much smaller than the big box shops of the duopoly. You can easily get around to filling a trolley in 10min if you stay focused. And the cost of that trolley will be under $200, compared to not much change out of $300 for the same thing elsewhere. (Incidentally it's surprising how many of their line items are NZ sourced.)
The downside for this model is that it requires a lot of shops to be efficient. A regional city like Ballarat of 110,000 people had 5 of them last I was there. They build them very fast and efficiently, the one I watched went from dirt to open day in around 5 months.
I can well imagine however ALDI's management looking at NZ and realising that everything about the place is stacked against them. A long skinny country that reduces the efficiency of their logistics model, and high land and building costs that impact heavily on their building side. Plus they can rely on the established duopoly to pull any lever they can to make life hard for them to get established.
That article quotes several times that "ALDIs is the one everybody wants in NZ" – sadly unless the govt can find a way to make it possible it isn't going to happen soon.
Another NEOLIBERAL DECISION.
Commerce Commission created this mess, obviously some serious backhanders were paid, as the NZ Consumers have been well and truly shafted.
Cheaper prices as such shouldn't be the aim. Fairer prices should – fairer to the consumer and to the producer and less super-profits for the supermarkets.
I doubt more competition will help producers and in the end, if producers cannot thrive by producing stuff in environmentally and socially sustainable ways that harms us all.
simply legislate that no one group can hold more than 25% of the market.
force them to sell the part of each group which exceeds that 25% mark.
free market will sort that out…..
Perhaps we could do this with the Power companies. Demand that the Government sell all their shares in all but one power supplier?
And we could split up Air New Zealand and get rid of the Government controlled monopoly?
I find these stories being run in the Herald and Stuff to be rather a joke. Didn't these organisations try and combine a little while ago so that they could have a monopoly on printed news?
you have a point about the media, but whataboutism is a very poor way to debate the subject . you could have, should have, mentioned the short term attempt by the warehouse to get into the supermarket biz, and how quickly that was bought by one of the big two . you also should have mentioned the fact that the free market is a myth , especially in small societies, as even blind freddie can see that there are very limited competitors in all the big tick businesses, food,media,insurance,energy, telecom,etc.dig into the ownership of most bigname comps and its interesting-disappointing to see how many are owned by two-three companies. if, and its a big IF ,we get another competitor in the supermarket biz in nz, expect it to be quickly bought out by one of the big two.
My preferred solution – which I doubt is likely in neoliberal NZ – is for the government to start a Cooperative supermarket chain. Owned by the employees and consumers, such chains are not uncommon internationally, e.g. in Japan , USA and Europe. The hard part is the initial capital and organisation – that is where the government could help.
Already exists with Farmlands. Mainly farm supplies, but a small selection of grocery items. They could expand to full supermarket or use their knowledge to set up a similar organisation doing the supermarket thing.
Good idea though, I’m a Farmlands member and would be into a similar thing for general groceries.
Aroha and respect to the Prime Minister for having the courage and decency to agree to be seen getting publicly vaccinated on camera yesterday.
(On a personal note a good friend of mine who was vaccine hesitant, said she got great comfort in seeing the Prime Minister get her shot and has now booked to get hers).
It is my hope, that soon the Prime MInister will be able to announce to the country and the world, that not just the ruling party, but the whole of New Zealand parliament are fully vaccinated.
The political polarisation over vaccination may not be as extreme in this country as it is in the US.
But a recent Colmar Brunton poll on vaccine hesitancy, listed those groups with high support for getting the covid vaccine. Labour Party members made the list with 80% support. The Colmar Brunton poll did not list the level of support for getting the covid vaccine by National Party members. So we don’t know what National Party members support for getting the vaccine is. But we do know that it was too low to be on the Colmar Brunton list for high support.
The Colmar poll is interesting, in that it revealed that more than half of those opposed to getting the vaccine thought it wasn't necessary, 55%. (the same viewpoint of covid-19 deniers).
The big stand out of those who would definitely not the get the vaccine are Maori 26%. This may somewhat mirror the bad experience for Maori from the health system, that American communities of color report. This figure may also be a result of the influence of covid deniers like Billy Tekahika who has a following among Maori.
Having an independant Maori Party in parliament, if both Maori Party MPs, alongside the rest of parliament, get the vaccine and publicly declare it, it might go some way to overcoming this hesitancy amongst Maori.
The same for the National Party, if the National Party MPs, publicly declare that they have all been vaccinated it might go some way to overcoming vaccine hesitancy among conservatives.
Ashley Blomfield say he hopes for 90% vaccination coverage by the end of the year.
If achieved this would be a world first for a medium sized country. Possibly putting us on track for achieving herd immunity. Another world first.
To demonstrate that we are better than this, our government need to reach across the aisle to our opponents.
If all the parliamentarians that can get vaccinated agreed and got vaccinated, and the Prime Miniser was able to announce this fact to the country and the world, this might be the sort of united lead needed to overcome the vaccine hestitancy that may "thwart" the victory over the virus that is in reach here.
It is my opinion that to build public trust in our public institutions, politics, (like justice), not only needs to be done it needs to be seen to be done.
If our government can form a grand coalition in times of war, My hope is that our government and loyal opposition* can do the same again andcan get their heads together and agree to publicly form a united front around getting vaccinated. In affect to agree to publicly speak with one voice on this one issue, not just in words but in deeds.
The Herald online has an article about anti-vaccine protestors handing out flyers outside schools. Nothing illegal is going on, the people are protesting on public property. The Herald says. "… distributing vaccine misinformation to students."
Why have the faces of those in the protest been pixelated? A person is holding sign saying "Questioning vaccine safety doesn't make you anti-vaxxer."
To use that thinking,"Clearly depicting protestors outside a school doesn't make you anti anti-vaccine protestors or their message, it makes you a reporter of facts."
The Herald article about the flyer handouterers, and the earlier one heralding the event at the Whanganui school targeting children and their whanau.
In spite of the hype…
Covid-19 vaccines for children: hypothetical benefits to adults do not outweigh risks to children
Given this low incidence, the fact that covid-19 is generally asymptomatic or mild in children, and the high rate of adverse events in those vaccinated (e.g. in Pfizer’s trial of 12-15 year olds, 3 in 4 kids had fatigue and headaches, around half had chills and muscle pain, and around 1 in 4 to 5 had a fever and joint pain), a comparison of quality-adjusted life-years in the trial would very much favour the placebo group.
The rush to give this novel and experimental 'vaccine' to school children is bordering on the obscene. What kind of society is happy to risk the future health of their youth?
It is just over a year since the first trials in adults commenced for the Pfizer jab, and unfortunately any long term effects for those in the vaccine groups cannot be properly monitored because of the problematic un-blinding of the study group and the offering of the vaccine to the placebo group.
Loss of data
Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Center for Health Research, told The BMJ that the FDA could have demanded that companies use the blinded crossover design for them to win full approval for their vaccines. She said that failure to do that meant the loss of future reliable data, which is especially concerning given that preliminary data are insufficient to determine efficacy.
“I’m especially concerned that Pfizer’s vaccine trials included only five people aged 75 and older who were diagnosed with covid-19, with an unspecified number of those defined by Pfizer as severe cases,” she said. “That makes it impossible to determine how effective the vaccine is for frail elderly patients.”
Although the FDA has granted the vaccines emergency use authorisation, to get full licence approval two years of follow-up data are needed. The data are now likely to be scanty and less reliable given that the trials are effectively being unblinded.
Goodman wants all companies to be held to the same standard and says they should not be allowed to make up their own rules about unblinding. He told The BMJ that, while he was “very optimistic” about the vaccines, “blowing up the trials” by allowing unblinding “will set a de facto standard for all vaccine trials to come.” And that, he said, “is dangerous.”
Very dangerous.
I've been listening to some information behind a paywall at Peak Prosperity. Frankly I'd like to see all mRNA vaccines pulled at this point for all but those with high risk factors.
Here is another reason why – ADE, jump to 8:55mins to find out what that should result in
https://rumble.com/vkfz1v-the-vaccine-causes-the-virus-to-be-more-dangerous.html
Wave power generation looks a very promising technology. I know there has been some talk previously about tidal generation in NZ where cost is raised as the main barrier. Also generation at 2MW per unit in the link below is much less than our hydro dams. However, as pointed out in the video link the tide is entirely predictable. No need to worry about low rainfall, no wind or not enough sun.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57991442
Doctor quits NZ after a year because…he couldn't buy a house.
– Ōtaki Medical Centre chief executive Kiwa Raureti
Well, boohoo. Millions of Kiwis can't buy a house. Join the club which rents while you wait, Dr Richards.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-young-regional-gp-with-1300-patients-leaves-new-zealand-following-residency-limbo/PB7I2SWONUF6ZHOJUZF7HYQLKQ/
If you read the whole story I think you’ll find the key message concerns residency limbo and no clear direction from the relevant minister where this is heading.
Small town NZ loses a doctor and the surgery has closed its books to new patients. You may be ok with that. I’m not.
I read the whole story. That was my take away. Get over it.
No he can't buy a house, because he can not get a permanent residency.
Otaki lost a skilled physician because Immigration simply failed him. NO ifs and buts about it.
But then, surely we can find some Kiwi to do that, right? Right? Plenty of Kiwi doctors happy to go live rural? right? We just need to pay them more? Lol. And they can buy a house, right?
From the link above:
” A regional medical practice has been forced to close its doors to new patients due to the loss of a beloved GP, who left New Zealand after a year in limbo in the residency queue.
Due to Covid’s impact on the immigration office, the Government suspended Expressions of Interest (EOI) selections for the skilled migrant category (SMC) in 2020.
Ōtaki GP Dr Harding Richards, originally from Wales, left New Zealand last month, while waiting for the invitation to lodge an Expression of Interest.”
nah, its all good. Who needs doctors anyways, don’t these rural people know that they should live in towns if they want doctors, or at least be able to go to Emergency department if they need a doctor.
Meh. He didn't stick around for long. He seems like a mercenary for hire to be honest. How do we know he just didn't like New Zealand? He did ditch us at the earliest opportunity.
Neither am I.
INZ dropped the ball here, to the detriment of that doctor, his family and the Ōtaki community.
This is not good for the health consumers who use the medical centre, they would have built up trust with the GP.
Immigration NZ could have done more. A category for rural GPs which works.
Built up trust? He's only been there a year, now he's off to another adventure.
Next!
So the WiSpa flashpoint might be sparking again on Saturday in LA (though it'll be next month before the news reaches us in Aotearoa), hopefully not though; with the increasing COVID rates in LA. But if the transphobes are going to be there, so will counter-protestors, and the police. Still no charges for knife attacks in the first protest (July 3rd), despite; police presence, multiple witnesses, and video. LAPD have been a bit evasive about the necessariness of their force (2nd protest – July 17th), but that's hardly news:
https://www.losangelesblade.com/2021/07/20/lapd-under-scrutiny-for-excessive-force-in-wi-spa-confrontation/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/28/anti-trans-video-los-angeles-protest-wi-spa
https://ktla.com/news/california/our-projections-are-sobering-california-considers-new-measures-amid-covid-surge/
I've just read the long Guardian article, and it seems apparent to me that the wording is very careful…
IF you believe that self-ID as a woman is all that is necessary, then you can then be reassured that a 'man' was not present. It can also be true that someone exposed their body complete with male genitalia in the changing room. Nowhere in the article does it state this is a fabrication.
We are back in the strange world of (mis)appropriation of existing language to cry discrimination.
It also seems as if it is the TA responses that generate pushback. There are levers being pulled without regard for others. including the safety of trans people.
The article is indeed very careful not to allege that Cubana Angel was flat out lying; Molly. Though whilst reading, you must have seen this bit which certainly indicates the possibility, and more importantly that the spa was operating legally even if the undemonstrated presence was fact. But any protest this weekend is more likely to be using that as pretext, rather than reason anymore.
It is the slow motion train-wreck of it all that I find fascinating. Apparently the 10th and 24th were no shows for transphobes. It just seems to have more of a fortnightly rhythm for some reason. But even if no one gets bludgeoned to death this time, the Californian infection rates seem likely to give the next occurrence a body count.
From your response.
"It is unclear whether a trans woman was actually present.
There was no footage of anyone inside the changing room and no other witnesses have since spoken out to corroborate the account. '
and… "In California, businesses have long been required to let trans patrons use facilities that match their gender."
So…
This kind of shifting thinking allows for a myriad number of justifications for avoiding a conversation about the impact on women and children who are used to having changing and toilet facilities separate to those with male genitalia, and the consequent alarm and vulnerability they feel when that expectation is not met.
Women are being asked to adjust immediately, without consultation or even being permitted a voice, in this change which may not seem radical to some, but is to many women. Women are being asked to relinquish their safe spaces without regard for why they are there in the first place.
"But even if no one gets bludgeoned to death this time, the Californian infection rates seem likely to give the next occurrence a body count."
The Wi Spa incident that I saw, shows a woman making a complaint to reception about someone exposing a penis in a women's changing room. She did not ask for violence, she asked that they remove that person from that space.
I didn't see any incitement to violence in that original recording. The violence that occurs after the situation is ramped up cannot be laid at her door.
Resulting conflicts seem to be deliberately escalated by bad actors on both sides of the debate. This is easier to do, when no discussion is allowed on the topic, and people are shut down from raising their concerns.
And that is it, is it not, the issue with 'any man being able to identify as female' and thus gain access to spaces that previously had been of limits to men. It is no good for biological women and trans women.
I can see this being such a bad thing for any women from a conservative background, be that muslima, jewish orthodox, christian orthodox (all of the flavours) etc, or even just women who have experienced trauma and who will now have another place that they won't go to.
But maybe that is the expected and requested result. Make biological women stay home again.
It surprises me that those championing the inclusion of self-identified females into women's spaces use the criticism that women are treating such people as if they are predators by denying them that space.
Personally, I probably not even notice transitioned transwomen into that space, and would hope they would feel comfortable there, for it would not cause distress to any of the other users of that space, including – as you mention, those women whose culture or beliefs prohibit them from sharing space with biological males.
However, the conflation of self-id biologically male intact people being permitted to enter and use those spaces is a different story.
Apart from the aforementioned issues regarding privacy and culture, this inclusion does actually provides a mechanism for those that may wish to cause harm – whether anyone likes it or not. The offence then has to occur before the complaint can be laid, when previously those spaces where women were vulnerable and in states of undress were not even able to be accessed before self-id. We are going backwards in terms of protection of women.
If those who disagree think this is unlikely, I am sure that there are those who can see the possibilities for harassment under the self-id laws and will play it out. The cost of this will be borne by women, once again.
Why does it surprise you? these are the same people that call a lesbian or a straight guy who does not want a relationship or a quicky with a transwomen a transphobe. They call gay men who do not want a relationship with a transman a transphobe.
They just want access to the spaces, and once that is gained they have won. Thus we go from single sex spaces to mixed only spaces, and the more you look the less you will find women in these spaces. Biological and transwomen. I left a comment on the 'Sex we need to talk thread' about some transmen and their observations. You might enjoy the read, and fwiw, i tend to agree with them. The issue never was and never will be Transwomen who present as female. The issue is with the male that don't present as women, don't want to present as women, but who want access to females spaces. They simply sign a paper, and thus voila, they can now do as they please when they please and until some poor women, child, or t trans person gets harmed nothing will be done, in fact our concerns will be poo poo'ed but then what else is new in the world? Womens concerns have been poo poo'ed since time keeping began.
A week in a backpackers swanning about in central Brisbane? Not going to end well.
Queensland has recorded one new case of COVID-19 in a person in hotel quarantine, as genome sequencing confirms a man in a Brisbane backpacker hostel acquired
Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said the sequencing confirmed the man had the Alpha variant and did not contract COVID-19 while in hotel quarantine.
[…]
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said further contact tracing was underway after it was discovered the infected traveller had flown to Western Australia after completing quarantine in Queensland.
"When he got out of hotel quarantine here in Brisbane, he'd done his 14 days and has three negative tests, he then on-travelled to Western Australia," Dr Young said.
"They turned him around, they put him in a hotel for two days until there was a suitable flight, and then he was placed on that flight and returned to Queensland."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-29/queensland-coronavirus-cases-update-covid/100331784
Sir Bob Jones on why he's taken a $10,000 bet that Labour will lose the next election
WHY THE GOVERNMENT WILL FALL IN 2023 | No Punches Pulled
He reads political inevitability like Marx or Castells or some other loony long wave proponent.
The local government elections next year will have some indicators.
[removed spurious letter from e-mail address]