Following up on a couple of recent comments, a lucid interview with Helen Joyce has just been posted on YouTube regarding her journey from The Economist to author of
so so good. She's always on form and this was no exception. He was interesting too, haven't seen his podcast before.
I could write 20 posts off that 1 hour. Every new theme they talk about is spot on. I'd start with the hands and strength differential. Or the stats one, and how many things get broken once the initial false premise is accepted.
Had to laugh when Gold talked about wanting to be a woman for a few days, and it turns out he meant having tits and a vagina and it's about being attracted to oneself (good on him for being honest). Then Joyce pointing out that women don't think about themselves like they (because are a woman), and what's with thinking woman = tits and a vagina anyway.
It does relate to a couple of posts talking about the dynamics involved in political conversations at the moment, not just on issues of gender ideology.
She interviews well, and noticeably listens and considers before answering.
yes, I particularly appreciated the differentiation between liberal values and progressive politics. Her point that liberal values can be shared by conservatives and progressives is something often missed. Her framing of conservative as good when it's about conserving good things, juxtaposed with the regressive/progressive dynamic.
Clear communication from Helen Joyce of the issues while mowing the lawns yesty.
In regards the Economic Institute of London debate, the way Helen described Freda's demeanour and appearance in a recent meeting was insightful. Not until she pointed out the aggressive and overtly sexual behaviour was male in it's nature did it click with me.
The narrative seems to be shifting, John Boyne, a couple of months back apologised to Graham Linehan.
"Once again, grassroots women organised — despite efforts by LGBT Labour to silence, even expel them — while MPs like Tonia Antoniazzi, Shabana Mahmood and Diana Johnson told Sir Keir Starmer that unless Labour dropped self-ID, every election interviewer would ask him what percentage of women have a penis."
That's an absolutely incredible piece. Hell hath no fury like a woman who sees her rights being stripped away. The conclusion at the end is one of the most hopeful things I've read in a while.
"In a complex world, though, such simplicities lack conviction for all but the most ideologically minded. Most New Zealanders find themselves in a sceptical middle ground, mistrusting the fanatics and looking for leadership that avoids the extremes."
An observation that reflects those with whom I interact
It may however be based on an erroneous assumption (and it may not, difficult to know)
"MMP was supposed to deliver this kind of outcome, a balance of powers that thwarts political excesses."
I recall my own motivation (s) for supporting MMP and they were to redress the (to me) obvious unfairness of a Gov elected with less votes than the opposition and the marginal representation of a party (Social Credit, 2 seats) that attracted over 20% of the vote….political extremism never entered the equation, indeed I recall those 2 facts being widely promoted as the raison d'etre for the reform.
"According to the origin stories, these first settlers were driven from their homelands or went exploring to see what was across the horizon. Often their home societies were relatively hierarchical, and some left to make new lives for themselves and their families.
Much the same is true of the settlers who arrived from Europe some 600 years later. They also came from homelands with plants, animals, climates and landscapes very different from those in New Zealand, and had to adapt in ways based on ancestral precedents, but in response to new challenges and conditions."
While acknowledging some commonality of adaptation, Dame Anne misses a key difference….Maori retained their hierarchical culture whereas the pakeha were in the main seeking to escape such hierarchies, hence our egalitarian philosophy (whether real in practice or not)….and further neglects the fact that over a quarter of our population are recent arrivals whose motivation could largely be described as 'economic refugees'.
"As a New Year’s resolution for a new Prime Minister, it would be great to see evidence of good outcomes the key driver for policy in New Zealand. Most Kiwis want a peaceful, creative and prosperous country; flourishing waterways and landscapes, and infrastructure and institutions that work well, not radical disparities of wealth and power, divisive posturing and populist rhetoric."
It is difficult to disagree with such sentiment, but I fear that in a world of overshoot we are destined to behave as the rest of the world's societies are indicating….after all, folk are folk.
Every culture faces the challenge, but different cultures respond differently – have we (our culture) responded in a life-promoting, or a life-denying way, do you think?
That will depend upon how you determine 'our culture'….the problem is global and the responses myriad, both between and within cultures.
You are living proof Robert….you exist within a culture that operates at odds with your own philosophy, as do others within their own.
The question I ask you is do you think you should be required to conform with the (currently) dominant culture on pain of exclusion/penalty…or in extreme cases banishment or death?
The word democracy is a broad term/concept. What do you mean by it when you use it?
In addition, do you think we’ve identified and properly considered all the possible and alternative variants of democracy as we know it (as in: tried and experienced)?
Democracy (to my mind) is the ability to (s)elect our representatives on a one person, one vote basis….the only exclusion which I believe permissible is on the basis of age, though personally i'd advocate no age restriction.
As to possible alternatives , obviously all possible alternatives have neither been identified or tested, however those that have been are inferior (in totality) imo.
That is a challenge/opportunity for us to create…..but should one be so created it would need to be accepted by democratic means and not imposed.
May be a growth-related evolutionary glitch – wishing you and yours a happy 2024.
Half of ‘critical’ carbon-cutting policies are off track [12 Dec 2023]
Our response, and this applies to the global response, and the response being debated at Cop28, is a response set within the confines of not interrupting economic growth.
…
There is no official recognition of the fact that it’s our persistent economic growth that’s destroying our biosphere, our life support system.
Consider just two adaptive behaviors that Homo sapiens shares with all other species. Humans have an innate propensity to consume available resources – often to depletion – and a parallel drive to invade and colonize all accessible habitats. https://greattransition.org/gti-forum/population-rees
Yes they may, just as occurs now in certain circumstances….however once a child is capable of filing their own ballot they have the same freedom of secret ballot as everyone else.
Very serious….are children not also citizens?…and ones likely to be more impacted by the future?
Not only does it ingrain a sense of belonging and civics it would also likely increase voter participation and political engagement long term…and the argument that they are 'too young to understand' can be applied at any age.
If they’re old enough to do Jury Service, sit on Citizens’ Assemblies, and procreate and independently raise their offspring, for example, then I’d say they’re old enough to vote.
Id suggest that parental voting on behalf would largely reflect the proportion of vote uin any case…but once a child can physically mark and place their ballot in the box there is no need for parental/caregiver assistance….remembering this is the ability to vote, not the requirement…there would be no element of compulsion, but Id suggest most children would take the opportunity.
It could be perhaps the case that you could vote at the next election but one from your birth, that would essentially make the youngest eligible voter around 4 years old with current term.
and the argument that they are 'too young to understand' can be applied at any age.
Only if you don't understand the basics of human growth and development. I suspect you do, because nearly everyone knows the difference between a new born and a teenager in terms of the ability to think and parse meaning.
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 ...
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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. ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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. ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
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Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
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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 ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. 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 ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
Following up on a couple of recent comments, a lucid interview with Helen Joyce has just been posted on YouTube regarding her journey from The Economist to author of
TRANS: When Ideology Meets Reality
https://www.amazon.com.au/TRANS-When-Ideology-Meets-Reality/dp/0861540492
https://youtu.be/scYnh_e4cwE?si=jyjOSlbPL8qUJ7GE
so so good. She's always on form and this was no exception. He was interesting too, haven't seen his podcast before.
I could write 20 posts off that 1 hour. Every new theme they talk about is spot on. I'd start with the hands and strength differential. Or the stats one, and how many things get broken once the initial false premise is accepted.
Had to laugh when Gold talked about wanting to be a woman for a few days, and it turns out he meant having tits and a vagina and it's about being attracted to oneself (good on him for being honest). Then Joyce pointing out that women don't think about themselves like they (because are a woman), and what's with thinking woman = tits and a vagina anyway.
It does relate to a couple of posts talking about the dynamics involved in political conversations at the moment, not just on issues of gender ideology.
She interviews well, and noticeably listens and considers before answering.
yes, I particularly appreciated the differentiation between liberal values and progressive politics. Her point that liberal values can be shared by conservatives and progressives is something often missed. Her framing of conservative as good when it's about conserving good things, juxtaposed with the regressive/progressive dynamic.
Thanks Molly, that was awesome.
Helen Joyce always is worth the time.
Thanks Molly.
Clear communication from Helen Joyce of the issues while mowing the lawns yesty.
In regards the Economic Institute of London debate, the way Helen described Freda's demeanour and appearance in a recent meeting was insightful. Not until she pointed out the aggressive and overtly sexual behaviour was male in it's nature did it click with me.
The narrative seems to be shifting, John Boyne, a couple of months back apologised to Graham Linehan.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/09/05/author-john-boyne-apologises-to-graham-linehan-trans-debate/#:~:text=Author%20John%20Boyne%20has%20apologised,right%2C%20I%20was%20wrong.%E2%80%9D
It has been a good year.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/4df3b3eb-27c5-4f22-95f0-36f1d505c877?shareToken=9c79f16bfae71900ad0c3e5d2861a6cf
"Once again, grassroots women organised — despite efforts by LGBT Labour to silence, even expel them — while MPs like Tonia Antoniazzi, Shabana Mahmood and Diana Johnson told Sir Keir Starmer that unless Labour dropped self-ID, every election interviewer would ask him what percentage of women have a penis."
So, bullying.
He could just answer, "I don't know".
That'd hang in the air…
since when does journalists asking the person who wants to be PM topical questions constitute bullying?
Or were you referring to women working on women's rights issues as bullying?
That's an absolutely incredible piece. Hell hath no fury like a woman who sees her rights being stripped away. The conclusion at the end is one of the most hopeful things I've read in a while.
Archive.ph link. Token no longer working:
https://archive.ph/y7CsP
Metro headline writer doesn't hold back.
https://metro.co.uk/2023/12/28/man-made-billions-death-killing-dies-age-94-20033355/
Does "Māori" need to be defined?
Does, "New Zealand's Constitution"?
Does "man"
Does "woman"?
no
yes
no
no*
(*except it does for the people that are currently confused about biological reality)
Dame Anne Salmond with a new year's wish (?)
"In a complex world, though, such simplicities lack conviction for all but the most ideologically minded. Most New Zealanders find themselves in a sceptical middle ground, mistrusting the fanatics and looking for leadership that avoids the extremes."
An observation that reflects those with whom I interact
It may however be based on an erroneous assumption (and it may not, difficult to know)
"MMP was supposed to deliver this kind of outcome, a balance of powers that thwarts political excesses."
I recall my own motivation (s) for supporting MMP and they were to redress the (to me) obvious unfairness of a Gov elected with less votes than the opposition and the marginal representation of a party (Social Credit, 2 seats) that attracted over 20% of the vote….political extremism never entered the equation, indeed I recall those 2 facts being widely promoted as the raison d'etre for the reform.
"According to the origin stories, these first settlers were driven from their homelands or went exploring to see what was across the horizon. Often their home societies were relatively hierarchical, and some left to make new lives for themselves and their families.
Much the same is true of the settlers who arrived from Europe some 600 years later. They also came from homelands with plants, animals, climates and landscapes very different from those in New Zealand, and had to adapt in ways based on ancestral precedents, but in response to new challenges and conditions."
While acknowledging some commonality of adaptation, Dame Anne misses a key difference….Maori retained their hierarchical culture whereas the pakeha were in the main seeking to escape such hierarchies, hence our egalitarian philosophy (whether real in practice or not)….and further neglects the fact that over a quarter of our population are recent arrivals whose motivation could largely be described as 'economic refugees'.
"As a New Year’s resolution for a new Prime Minister, it would be great to see evidence of good outcomes the key driver for policy in New Zealand. Most Kiwis want a peaceful, creative and prosperous country; flourishing waterways and landscapes, and infrastructure and institutions that work well, not radical disparities of wealth and power, divisive posturing and populist rhetoric."
It is difficult to disagree with such sentiment, but I fear that in a world of overshoot we are destined to behave as the rest of the world's societies are indicating….after all, folk are folk.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2023/12/30/anne-salmond-in-praise-of-the-middle-ground/
"folk are folk"
Is it in our nature, to be this way, or in our culture?
There's nowt so queer as folk….
Lol…aint that the truth
Considering it spans culture it must be inherent
Every culture faces the challenge, but different cultures respond differently – have we (our culture) responded in a life-promoting, or a life-denying way, do you think?
That will depend upon how you determine 'our culture'….the problem is global and the responses myriad, both between and within cultures.
You are living proof Robert….you exist within a culture that operates at odds with your own philosophy, as do others within their own.
The question I ask you is do you think you should be required to conform with the (currently) dominant culture on pain of exclusion/penalty…or in extreme cases banishment or death?
Yes.
So do some authoritarians/ fascists….let us hope they (and you) never end up running things.
Democracy appears the best method (though not infallible) for ensuring that.
I will never, so, all good!
But only "some"?
What about the others?
Actually, I meant, "no".
Of course you did Robert….nevermind.
The word democracy is a broad term/concept. What do you mean by it when you use it?
In addition, do you think we’ve identified and properly considered all the possible and alternative variants of democracy as we know it (as in: tried and experienced)?
Democracy (to my mind) is the ability to (s)elect our representatives on a one person, one vote basis….the only exclusion which I believe permissible is on the basis of age, though personally i'd advocate no age restriction.
As to possible alternatives , obviously all possible alternatives have neither been identified or tested, however those that have been are inferior (in totality) imo.
That is a challenge/opportunity for us to create…..but should one be so created it would need to be accepted by democratic means and not imposed.
May be a growth-related evolutionary glitch – wishing you and yours a happy 2024.
"though personally i'd advocate no age restriction."
Liking this from Pat!
There's a natural "pinch point" where young people won't vote. However, their parents might like to dummy-vote on their behalf 🙂
Yes they may, just as occurs now in certain circumstances….however once a child is capable of filing their own ballot they have the same freedom of secret ballot as everyone else.
A child may be capable, at age 2, of ticking a box, but "filing their own ballot", Pat?
Are you serious??
Very serious….are children not also citizens?…and ones likely to be more impacted by the future?
Not only does it ingrain a sense of belonging and civics it would also likely increase voter participation and political engagement long term…and the argument that they are 'too young to understand' can be applied at any age.
Sure, but who will cast their vote, is my question…
I voted for 16 year olds to vote in local body elections. Others didn't.
If they’re old enough to do Jury Service, sit on Citizens’ Assemblies, and procreate and independently raise their offspring, for example, then I’d say they’re old enough to vote.
Id suggest that parental voting on behalf would largely reflect the proportion of vote uin any case…but once a child can physically mark and place their ballot in the box there is no need for parental/caregiver assistance….remembering this is the ability to vote, not the requirement…there would be no element of compulsion, but Id suggest most children would take the opportunity.
It could be perhaps the case that you could vote at the next election but one from your birth, that would essentially make the youngest eligible voter around 4 years old with current term.
Only if you don't understand the basics of human growth and development. I suspect you do, because nearly everyone knows the difference between a new born and a teenager in terms of the ability to think and parse meaning.
Do we preclude the mentally impaired, drug affected, those with dementia?
Part of human growth and development is understanding and participating in the world we live in
Incarcerated psychopaths would be sure to vote ACT.