Yesterday Dr Brash seized control of ACT after rolling leader Rodney Hide in an extraordinary coup that will see him lead the party from outside Parliament till the November 26 election.
So this nasty bit of Act business gets completed in the week that Key is otherwise engaged in an overseas photo-op far from the media pack that for once might start asking some difficult questions. How convenient!
Middle New Zealand is being played by the Key Corporation big time – when will people wake up?.
On the ‘we all have the same opportunities’ theme….
Health inequalities are being shown to affect learning Performance improved 12% when problems with eyesight, hearing and dental care were fixed.
A Linwood College research project â Lane (Literacy and Numeracy Empowerment) â showed that issues with eyesight, hearing and oral health were stopping young people from learning, and leading to behavioural problems in the classroom.
young people were supposed to have their eyesight tested by a GP, but the system was not working to ensure children who needed glasses would get them. The Government was wasting money on numeracy and literacy programmes which would not help those pupils with a health barrier to learning.
Thousands of pupils across the country were most likely also failing academically because of undiagnosed health issues.
and health inequalities are implicated in a increase in skin infections that can no longer contained by individual DHBs
An Otago University study, published in the international journal Epidemiology and Infection, has found the rate of children admitted to hospital with severe skin infections nearly doubled between 1990 and 2007, from about 3 to nearly 5.5 per 1000 children.
About 100 children are now being admitted to hospital every week for severe skin infections.
Associate Professor Michael Baker, one of the study authors, said most children needed intravenous antibiotics and one in three ended up having surgery.
The rates â which are more than twice those in Australia and the United States â had always been bad but were now totally unacceptable, he said.
“young people were supposed to have their eyesight tested by a GP, but the system was not working to ensure children who needed glasses would get them. The Government was wasting money on numeracy and literacy programmes which would not help those pupils with a health barrier to learning.”
When I worked in the Waikowhai Intermediate library in 1996, two women turned up to check the hearing and eyesight of the Form 1 kids. They screeched at me to stop work as I was making too much noise (yeah right!). I in turn queried the fact that they were calling *only* the Maori and Island kids, when they were supposed to test every child!
The Maori tester told me, along with a lot of “colourful metaphors” that she couldn’t give a stuff about white or Asian kids.
Too bad for any white or Asian kids at Waikowhai who had sight or hearing problems and no $$ to go to a GP about it…
(Although on the second day, I did see two white kids, ones I actually knew from our church. They had been summoned because their GP had asked the testers to check them, and because their mother was on the staff of the school, and yes, they did have sight problems!)
Vicky32.
As part of the rationalisation under “Tomorrows Schools” the Hearing and Vision service changed. Rather than all students being tested, it has become the responsibility of the classroom teacher to refer children for monitoring. The weight of hearing problems in your experience had probably been considered to be within the Polynesian children.
You may have enjoyed the luxury as a child of having a considerable amount of health checks through your school life. You may remember every school had its resident Dental Nurse. Now they are an itinerant group and dental care is becoming more random – if a child is absent on the occasions of being called then tough it would seem.
it has become the responsibility of the classroom teacher to refer children for monitoring
Interesting… what a trial for the teachers – 30-odd pupils and they have to work out which ones can’t see or hear properly rather than having learning difficulties or not enough sleep, or… ??? Surely it’s better to just test them all rather than relying on a teacher whom I assume does not have medical/psychology qualifications? Plus the very nature of testing the whole class can be turned into a valuable learning experience appropriate for the age group, I would have thought (e.g biology, public health).
That’s the problem when you allow bean counters to manage and influence education. It was forecast by many in the teaching business when Picot was doing the government’s bidding in the 80’s. Tomorrow’s Schools was only ever about reducing costs. The trouble is that bean counters, moteliers and currency traders are still meddling in the classroom – they went through the education system and are therefore experts. Imagine a teacher telling an accountant how to do his job
Oh yes, I went through all that when my son was about 9 years old, and came off a swing at school, breaking a front tooth. I had to spend a day travelling across Auckland to find a school with a dental nurse, first making an appointment…
I would not have queried any of it if not for what the angry young tester woman said to me about not being interested in any kids who weren’t Maori or Islanders.. the issue being that there were provably non Maori kids in need of her services, and she had to be made to test them!
Last Friday, 11 brave activists occupied the world’s second largest oil rig, the Leiv Eiriksson, which was en route from Turkey to Greenland to begin drilling in Arctic waters. The Greenpeace protestors made their way to a gangway 80ft over the massive vessel’s starboard stern and called for an end to reckless deepwater drilling.
Fizplug You sound like the forces personnel who will carry out any outrage that they are ordered to – because if it’s allowed that’s all right. These protesters are acting as intelligent thinking individuals not unthinking yes-men.
Love the fact that we posted a few hundred blogs yesterday about a fight between a pair of retards for the leadership of a moribund crew of moneyed representatives of a failed ideology. It all added up to little but the pre match warm up at an Ultimate Fight event, us the slavering fans screaming at the manufactured distraction, ignoring the meteor coming through the roof that will terminate round 2.
In case you have not noticed the real fight going on beyond this pathetic tag match is our reliance upon expiring fossil fuels to keep us consuming in order to prop up a finance system deep in the proverbialâŠ.in turn creating the greatest environmental crisis man has ever faced. Seeya Wodders, I have better things to watch.
GASLAND will be screening on SBS1 at 9:35 on Sunday 1st of May. Check it out, it’s really good.
Gasland is a 2010 American documentary film written and directed by Josh Fox. The film focuses on communities in the United States impacted by natural gas drilling and, specifically, a stimulation method known as hydraulic fracturing.
Thanks Todd, real stuff. Quite topical with regard to the environmental risks of resource extraction…just to reassure readers that Petrobras like all drilling / mining companies have the best intentions towards the environment, and can be trusted fully with keeping East Cape pristine.
A very good blog post there Marty Mars… Heaps of detailed info, will be forwarding it onto some interested parties. Here’s a post I wrote on Fracking in NZ:
Water gushed from the earth at the Chesapeake well pad for hours Wednesday. It was all hands on deck to put a stop to the leak of fracking fluid that, according to company officials, spilled thousands and thousands of gallons into nearby land and waterways. Company officials stressed no gas leaked.
You need three hands………actually the reel challenge is getting the line wrapped in equal lengths in the same direction on the spool, and prior to pushing onto the rotor getting the ends out through the holes. The day you manage to do this easily and the stuff runs out quickly on a big job…back to square one.
What do you know that’s what I need to know I think. Line trimme, weed eater, I hope to win my garden/lawn back with that help.. I’ve yet to try but will be following instructions hopefully for success instead of sucks again.
Yes, you ditch the convential line trimmer attachement and by one called “Little Juey”. Easy and it works a lot better without hassles. (www. littlejuey.com)
I bought one at a homeshow 3 years ago and it now does give me the time to blog and stir the pot.
I thought your comments at first referred to politics, Felix, which got me to thinking.
Political weeds needing a free-flowing monofilament.
Brash grass, a monocultural hybrid, promiscuous in growth habits, with a propensity to morph and to colonise other weeds and their patches.
Flourishes with age and is a precursor to invasion by much more shade-loving species. Its genetic material is easily transferred to other weeds.
Banksia is another invasive weed which spreads by piggy-backing on other material and like brash grass will dominate a garden even with a small hold in the soil.
Epsom salts seem to make it flourish even more and it seeks the light of the garden as it detests shade.
Like brash grass, banksia, or Johnâs Worst as it is sometimes known, will colonise readily and changes the very nature of the soil to create right conditions for growth. Slashing it back only encourages regrowth. If left alone, it will colonise all of Auckland, parts of which are ideal country for Banksia spread.
Dancing Rodders, a colourful hybrid with yellow foliage, has been successfully uprooted in the Epsom area and clings to a short period of life in the political garden before transportation to the manure heap where it will again seek to thrive.
There are other weeds in the hothouse of political growth, and further postings will identify and propose how to get rid of them.
heh – yes very persistent that nasty Brash grass, prolific rooter in viagric conditions for such an ugly dessicated weed….toxic companion to more delicate species, particularly keyknockkneedius pansiarsum
Chuck the monofilament away and replace with piano wire or motorbike cable inner – and watch your toes!
Keysia, not be confused with Keynesia, is an opportunistic flourisher which also colonises the centre of the garden in order to allow shadier weeds to infest quietly. It has expensive growth habits, waves gently in the breeze and travels widely as it has developed very efficient dispersal habits using othersâ means of propulsion.
Britannica Williamensis is an interesting plant with a growth habit which has its root system in Otago and Southland but flowers appear only in Wellington.
Gerriensis brownleaf likes to grow near cattle silage pits and needs constant feeding and watering. It has a ferocious growth habit and hates competition which it will banish to allow full access to water. It hates democritas ecan. Gerriensis is a climber and thrives in stairwells where its combative growth habit brooks no rivals. It is morphing into a new species, Gerriensis Rex, and is looking to spread outwards from its Canterbury seeding ground. It is slow to recover in broken or disturbed ground.
These weeds should not be cultivated because they cannot be, never were and never will be. The âsauvageâ or in Latin âferoxâ genus in which these weeds are found is feral, fecund and far-spreading.
They are susceptible to being pulled out by the roots but care must be taken with disposal of the waste material. They will return as their seeds remain dormant until they sense the right conditions.
A good all-purpose dosing with good humours can sometimes negate the toxicity of these weeds though care must be taken as over-application can be hard on the user.
Organic sprays have been tried in the past but the hard carapace of their outer leaves acts as a deterrent as does their unique ability to shed leaves when required in adverse conditions or when threatened. Individuals will even sacrifice themselves for the good of the species eg actus cachus, or dancing rodders, but usually they are transplanted into favourable ground away from the main plot.
They have little social organization so competition between sauvage species tends to restrict their growth as does generations of in-breeding which can give rise to ineffectual strains such as the native variety which inhabits the littoral and unitus futurus var. dunn., a solitary growing plant with a distinctive top display.
The best method however is liberal use of suffragium generalis around mid to late November. That should see the pests go to ground for at least three years.
I gave up and just bought the thickest line I could get from the warehouse. The really thick stuff breaks much less often, and cuts through most grass just as well as the thinner types.
Well people, Don Brash (70) will be crowned as ACT leader this weekend. John Banks (64) will probably be signed up as ACT’s Epsom candidate, and Roger Douglas (73) will prossibly decide that his grandson’s cricket matches may have to wait another couple of seasons, after all, who would pass up an opputunity to work with one of neo-liberalism’s high preists. I’m waiting for them to dust Ruth Richardson off. We might have our very own Gang of Four.
You thought that visiting the doctor was expensive? You wait till it costs the same as visiting the dentist. Taxes too high? Just wait till you have to have to pay sky high health insurance premiums and dedictibles, or ever increasing school fees for your children, or road tolls to get to work – remember Maurice Williamson’s $5 charge to use Auckland’s motorways?
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
John Key has pretty much ruled out Don Brash for Finance, or Deputy PM, but he is a dangerous man whatever portfolio he will have, even if he was Associate minister for youth affairs he would find some way to make huge cuts to the standard of living of most New Zealanders — those in the middle would find themselves living like beneficiaries, and those at the bottom, well, you only need look at the USA for their fate.
You want a reason to vote Labour. Well, this may be a pretty flimsy reason, but fuck, if we are going to preserve the tiny bit of the New Zealand we all know and love, we are just going to have to bite the bullet and choose the lesser evil, That is a fact. We need to swing in behind the Labour Party. Even if Goff is the leader. There is too much at stake now.
Don brash lied when he said govt debt puts us up with Portugal, Greece, Ireland.
Unlike those countries its not our public govt debt that’s the problem.
Why did Brash lie? Will he continue to be inept about the state of the economy?
Will someone please tell him we’re nothing like Portugal, Greece, Ireland,
our debt problem is held by privately.
Just look at the âsuccessâ in NZ, Ireland the UK and USA. All four are failing rapidly while the Western European countries with socialist mixed economies are doing much better.
NZ. 4% rise in GDP since 1980 while the OECD had 28%.
83% rise in labour productivity with only 15% rise in average wages. Median family incomes dropped in the same period.
Manufacturers out of business as the âlong past its use by dateâ Reserve bank ACT makes the $NZ rise to suit speculators.
Wages for skilled people as against financial jugglers dropped 40%.
2/3 drop in business investment in NZ because savvy business people know that low waged economies cannot support business.
Huge loss of skilled people to Australia which did not get totally taken by voodoo economics.
Balance of payments permanently in deficit except when the voodoo causes a recession.
Socialised losses cause even more problems as we have to bail out failed financiers and buy back essential infrastructure when it is asset stripped into the ground.
60% of everything produced now flows offshore as interest.
I could go on, but that should be enough.
We need Labour to wake up so we have an alternative!
kjt Perhaps we should go Green with a salad dressing of Mana with Hone providing some chile pepper sharpness. Labour makes good porridge, but bit stodgy however may have advantage over others for long term nutrition. Flights of fancy – are the thing today!
Goff lies a weeny bit left of Key in the political garden I would suggest plenty of their compost for the nutrition of the Greens – – -Oh no second thoughts – – I forgot the Keysia is a toxic weed I wonder if it has cross polinated with Goffius Laberanthium!!!!!!
Two days ago I just wrote to Chromium Hidercide to ask him to keep his promise of putting a cap on rates (Local Bodies) above the rate of inflation.
Remember? Because he’s been turning yellow!!!!
The Selwyn District Council, propose to put the rates of my community (Lake Coleridge) up 15% on top of 20% last year.
Here a question for you lot; will he be able to answer my letter?
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Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund â When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayersâ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund â and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 âredesign of the welfare stateâ â which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty â various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being âWorking for Familiesâ, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing âon why Melissa is muteâ. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Leeâs ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from âserious populist discontentâ. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring âhard-working peopleâ. ...
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 yearâs 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, Labourâs 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 countryâs 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 Governmentâs Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a âget out of jail freeâ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
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 Zealandâs good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National governmentâs 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. ...
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 TÄmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Governmentâs democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Governmentâs proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change thatâs great for the planet and great for consumers after her memberâs bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the countryâs books after Teanau Tuionoâs membersâ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his memberâs bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Todayâs advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Governmentâs newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealandâs urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealandâs hydrogen future, with the opening of the countryâs first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. âI 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 Zealandâs own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealandâs 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. âThe report shows that New Zealandâs emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,â Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where heâll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Governmentâs work to restore law and order. âAttending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealandâs human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the worldâs largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. âThe reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealandâs 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  NgÄ 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. âOur 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 Zealandâs overseas missions.  âOur diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealandâs interests around the world,â Mr Peters says.  âI 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. Â âOver 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. âIt 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. âOur coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
âChina remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,â 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. âRecently 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 Teachersâ 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.  âThe 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. âScience, 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 todayâs 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. âThe Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in TaupĆ as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the TaupĆ International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. âAnticipation for the ITM TaupĆ 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. âThe 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. âThis project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sectorâs productivity,â Mr Jones says. âThe project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Governmentâs plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. âBenefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Governmentâs commitment to doubling New Zealandâs 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 Zealandâs 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. âOur 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. âNew 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 Governmentâs intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. âThe introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Todayâs announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Governmentâs plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. âInflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sectorâs role in the export-led recovery of the economy. âI am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Governmentâs support for the revitalisation the sector.  "New Zealandâs wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. âThe inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. âMy meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singaporeâs outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.  Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpartâs almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During todayâs meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Professor specialising in Internet law, Bond University Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer âyesâ to this question should perhaps also ask ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni E Ferreira, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney Last week in a post on X, owner of the platform Elon Musk recommended people look into disc replacement if theyâre experiencing severe neck or back pain. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University anek.soowannaphoom/Shutterstock NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey caught the headlines yesterday, courtesy of a blistering speech condemning the latest GST carve-up. New South Wales, he claimed, would be A$11.9 billion worse off over the ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived at Kokoda Station, Northern province, at the start of his state visit to Papua New Guinea. Both Albanese and Prime Minister James Marape will meet with the locals and the Northern Provincial government before they begin their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Professor, School of Politics Economics & Society, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra Shutterstock An important principle was invoked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week in defence of the governmentâs Future Made in Australia industry ...
A poll last August found that just 16% of New Zealanders oppose bringing back the âThree Strikesâ law. The nationwide poll of 1,000 New Zealanders was commissioned by Family First NZ and carried out by Curia Market Research. ...
The solo show from Ana Scotney is both sprawling and intimate, and a must-see, writes Mad Chapman. In the opening moments of Scattergun: After the Death of RĆ«aumoko, writer and performer Ana Scotney lays out the groundwork, literally. Silently moving around the square stage, Scotney is not so much dancing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Burridge, Professor of Linguistics, Monash University Who makes the words? Why are trees called trees and why are shoes called shoes and who makes the names? – Elliot, age 5, Eltham, Victoria Good question Elliot! Letâs start with ...
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 at amRawpixel.com/Shutterstock Roles of health professionals are still unfortunately often stuck in the past. That is, before the ...
COMMENTARY:By Malcolm Evans Last weekâs leaked New York Times staff directive, as to what words can and cannot be used to describe the carnage Israel is raining on Palestinians, is proof positive, since those reports are published verbatim here in New Zealand, that our understanding of the conflict is ...
In the case of New Zealand, the results confirm that there is no popular support for the vicious austerity program being imposed by the National Party-led government, which is backed in all fundamental respects by the opposition Labour Party. ...
The âVampireâ singer has never visited our part of the world, but that might all be about to change. We assess the evidence.Olivia Rodrigoâs Guts World Tour is pulling in massive crowds as it whips around the US and Europe, even helping to catapult regular supporting act Chappell Roan ...
Testing of drinking water in rural Canterbury over the weekend by Greenpeace revealed that several public town supplies were reaching levels of nitrate above 5 mg/L - the threshold which a growing body of scientific evidence has linked to increased ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rohan Fisher, Information Technology for Development Researcher, Charles Darwin University It may come as a surprise to hear 2023 was Australiaâs biggest bushfire season in more than a decade. Fires burned across an area eight times as big as the 2019â20 Black ...
Responding to the Governmentâs announcement of changes to resource management laws, Taxpayersâ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said: âThese changes are a step in the right direction in terms of removing ideological and unworkable ...
More than two years after the Human Rights Council called for the establishment of a national human rights commission, such a body has yet to be formed. ...
Comment:An emergency management system with wide variations in performance, significant capability gaps, funding shortfalls and above all a setup that is not meeting the needs of New Zealanders at times of crisis. The Governmentâs inquiry into the response to Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events in the North ...
Welcome to the whirring wonders of one brain trying to align its actions with its beliefs within a system it thinks is evil. My brain has been spiralling in a woke conundrum ever since I found out a bookshop Iâve never been to was shutting down. Good Books, a bookshop ...
We repeat our call for criminal justice policy to be based on evidence, something the three strikes regime neglects to recognise â with no evidence that it either reduces crime or assists with rehabilitation. ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara With only four more seats in the 50-member Parliament yet to be officially declared, there is no outright winner in the Solomon Islands elections. As of Monday, the two largest blocs in the winnerâs circle, independents and the incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh ...
Two/fiftyseven is a multi-purpose space hidden in the heart of Wellington that is paving a way for sustainable building and responsible landlording in Aotearoa and beyond.By 2060 the world is predicted to double its entire building stock, which equates to building an entire New York City every 34 days, ...
Popstars wasnât just a reality television revolution, it was also a huge moment for Y2K fashion.Itâs 25 years since girl group TrueBliss was formed on New Zealand national television, breaking new ground for both the reality television industry and the shiny clothing industry. With the first episode on NZ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Pepping, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology, Griffith University Marvin / Shutterstock Are all single people insecure? When we think about people who have been single for a long time, we may assume itâs because single people have insecurities that make ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William Geary, Lecturer in Quantitative Ecology & Biodiversity Conservation, The University of Melbourne Trismegist san, Shutterstock Landscapes that have escaped fire for decades or centuries tend to harbour vital structures for wildlife, such as tree hollows and large logs. But these ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher, Lecturer in Marine Science, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Shutterstock/S Curtis Why are we crossing ecological boundaries that affect Earthâs fundamental life-supporting capacity? Is it because we donât have enough information about how ecosystems respond to change? Or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Crocker, PhD Student in Economics, Deakin University Hereâs something for the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia to ponder as it meets next month to set interest rates. It has pushed up rates on 13 occasions since it began its ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a charity director outlines how sheâs saving for retirement and buying secondhand. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 45 Ethnicity: PÄkehÄ Role: Charity director, mum of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sophie Yates, Research Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Many Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late last year. Now a ...
Itâs been called a failed experiment and a judicial straightjacket but the government says the revised three strikes law will be a more workable regime, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Three ...
New Zealandâs Palestinian community and Palestinian Youth Aotearoa are voicing alarm and disappointment with the lack of factual rigour present during the Israeli Ambassadorâs appearance as a guest on TVNZâs Q+A With Jack Tame Sunday (21/04). ...
Both ACT leader David Seymour, who played a key role in drawing up the assisted dying law, and hospice leaders say it's time the legislation was changed. ...
Public submissions on proposed gang control laws are being heard today. Rising gang membership has been cited as rationale for a crackdown â but what do we actually know about how many people belong to gangs in New Zealand?Whatâs all this then?A rise in the number of gang ...
Climate activists are setting their sights on an unpopular target, and hoping to bring lots of the public with them. Itâs hard to miss the Majestic Princess: the enormous cruise ship, docked at Aucklandâs Princeâs Wharf, looms over the nearby buildings. The ship, which can fit nearly 6,000 people, ...
Opinion: Weâve kicked the tyres on the perception NZâs economy is in a parlous state compared to Australia. We take a quick tour of relative trends in GDP, housing markets, labour markets, trade, the fiscal situation, and the outlooks for inflation and interest rates. We find the cyclical positions of ...
Opinion: Making sure developers, local and central government, and landowners are all on the same page makes sense The post A new kind of city deal appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],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, Tuesday 23 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The following korero between NgÄhuia te AwekĆtuku, author of the newly published memoir Hine Toa, one of the year’s most important books, and Dale Husband from e-tangata, was first published in October. It traverses her involvement with the activist group NgÄ Tamatoa at Auckland University in the early 1970s, her ...
In the 16 years since it was bought by the government for $690 million, KiwiRail has had several overhauls and turnaround plans worth billions of dollars. Its ambitions as a successful, profitable operator of tourism, freight and ferries have often been derailed by disasters from earthquakes to cyclones, mine explosions ...
By Russell Palmer, RNZ News digital political journalist New Zealandâs Foreign Minister Winston Peters is putting off recognition of Palestine as a state, despite opposition Labourâs formal request that he make the move. Peters said diplomatic recognition of Palestine was a matter of âwhen not ifâ, but doing so now ...
The opposition has laid into the government's plan to reintroduce a "three strikes" regime, saying it's inequitable and there's very little evidence it works. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Nicholls, Senior research associate, University of Sydney Australiaâs eSafety Commissioner has ordered social media platform âXâ (formerly known as Twitter) to remove graphic videos of the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in Sydney last week from the site. The incident ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Turnbull, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Sydney John Turnbull, CC BY-NC-ND In past bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef, the southern region has sometimes been spared worst of the bleaching. Not this time. This yearâs intense underwater heat has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Austin, Lecturer in Theatre, The University of Melbourne Darren Gill/Mackey, Darling & Collaborators The relationship between witchcraft and teenage girls has been the subject of many books, films and television shows. Over time, the traditional image of witch as crone ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. 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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Becky Freeman, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, University of Sydney Andres Siimon/Unsplash There are no silver bullets, magic tricks or secret hacks to solving complex public health problems. Taking on the global tobacco industry and reducing the devastating consequences of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam B. Watts, Research Associate in galaxy evolution, The University of Western Australia ESO/A. Watts et al., CC BY We breathe oxygen and nitrogen gas in our atmosphere every day, but did you know that these gases also float through space, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Nielsen, Professor and Deputy Director, Monash Addiction Research Centre, Monash University Maxime Bhm/Unsplash A new group of drugs called nitazenes has been detected in Australia. They have been sold as heroin as well as other drugs like ketamine. Concerns ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Twomey, Professor emerita, University of Sydney Image from Bradlow + Bock campaign Can the job of being a federal member of parliament be shared by two or more persons? Two prospective candidates for the inner-Melbourne federal seat of Higgins, Lucy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zoe Rathus, Senior Lecturer in Law, Griffith University Shutterstock In October 2023, the federal parliament passed major changes to how childrenâs cases are decided under the Family Law Act, which kick in next month. Among other things, they repeal a ...
By Salwa Amor in Istanbul Palestine solidarity activists are preparing a flotilla to deliver urgently needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, vowing to break Israelâs blockade of the Palestinian territory on board the Akdeniz, a seven-deck passenger ship. Currently docked in Istanbul, the ship will carry 800 people from more than ...
The Government is putting at risk the defences of our land and sea borders against organised crime, and our online defences against child exploitation, terrorism and online crime with cuts to critical frontline roles at Customs and Internal Affairs. ...
We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you love a good cry: All of Us Strangers (Disney+)Itâs the dreamlike, emotional film that had viewers running from the cinema in floods of tears, and ...
The foreign minister says diplomatic recognition of Palestine is a matter of "when not if", but doing so now could impede progress towards a two-state solution. ...
A new reason not to vote National.
“…a natural coalition partner.”
As if we needed another reason.
It’s amazing what money can do.
The poll on the Stuff page. đ
So this nasty bit of Act business gets completed in the week that Key is otherwise engaged in an overseas photo-op far from the media pack that for once might start asking some difficult questions. How convenient!
Middle New Zealand is being played by the Key Corporation big time – when will people wake up?.
There’s truble at mill!
Founding members of ACT are peeved at the way Brash has gone about things…
On the ‘we all have the same opportunities’ theme….
Health inequalities are being shown to affect learning Performance improved 12% when problems with eyesight, hearing and dental care were fixed.
and health inequalities are implicated in a increase in skin infections that can no longer contained by individual DHBs
The rates â which are more than twice those in Australia and the United States â had always been bad but were now totally unacceptable, he said.
“young people were supposed to have their eyesight tested by a GP, but the system was not working to ensure children who needed glasses would get them. The Government was wasting money on numeracy and literacy programmes which would not help those pupils with a health barrier to learning.”
When I worked in the Waikowhai Intermediate library in 1996, two women turned up to check the hearing and eyesight of the Form 1 kids. They screeched at me to stop work as I was making too much noise (yeah right!). I in turn queried the fact that they were calling *only* the Maori and Island kids, when they were supposed to test every child!
The Maori tester told me, along with a lot of “colourful metaphors” that she couldn’t give a stuff about white or Asian kids.
Too bad for any white or Asian kids at Waikowhai who had sight or hearing problems and no $$ to go to a GP about it…
(Although on the second day, I did see two white kids, ones I actually knew from our church. They had been summoned because their GP had asked the testers to check them, and because their mother was on the staff of the school, and yes, they did have sight problems!)
Vicky32.
As part of the rationalisation under “Tomorrows Schools” the Hearing and Vision service changed. Rather than all students being tested, it has become the responsibility of the classroom teacher to refer children for monitoring. The weight of hearing problems in your experience had probably been considered to be within the Polynesian children.
You may have enjoyed the luxury as a child of having a considerable amount of health checks through your school life. You may remember every school had its resident Dental Nurse. Now they are an itinerant group and dental care is becoming more random – if a child is absent on the occasions of being called then tough it would seem.
Interesting… what a trial for the teachers – 30-odd pupils and they have to work out which ones can’t see or hear properly rather than having learning difficulties or not enough sleep, or… ??? Surely it’s better to just test them all rather than relying on a teacher whom I assume does not have medical/psychology qualifications? Plus the very nature of testing the whole class can be turned into a valuable learning experience appropriate for the age group, I would have thought (e.g biology, public health).
That’s the problem when you allow bean counters to manage and influence education. It was forecast by many in the teaching business when Picot was doing the government’s bidding in the 80’s. Tomorrow’s Schools was only ever about reducing costs. The trouble is that bean counters, moteliers and currency traders are still meddling in the classroom – they went through the education system and are therefore experts. Imagine a teacher telling an accountant how to do his job
Oh yes, I went through all that when my son was about 9 years old, and came off a swing at school, breaking a front tooth. I had to spend a day travelling across Auckland to find a school with a dental nurse, first making an appointment…
I would not have queried any of it if not for what the angry young tester woman said to me about not being interested in any kids who weren’t Maori or Islanders.. the issue being that there were provably non Maori kids in need of her services, and she had to be made to test them!
The week that was – 22 to 29 April
http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/04/week-that-was-22-to-29-april.html
Last Friday, 11 brave activists occupied the world’s second largest oil rig, the Leiv Eiriksson, which was en route from Turkey to Greenland to begin drilling in Arctic waters. The Greenpeace protestors made their way to a gangway 80ft over the massive vessel’s starboard stern and called for an end to reckless deepwater drilling.
how is this NOT an illegal boarding?
Fizz, get the picture. What the hell would be the point of a protest by boarding the rig legally…who would take any notice?
Get the other half of the picture..if the drillers have the law on their side what the hell else can you do but break it?
Obey it?
And????? Dont you get that you do what you need to do?
Fizplug You sound like the forces personnel who will carry out any outrage that they are ordered to – because if it’s allowed that’s all right. These protesters are acting as intelligent thinking individuals not unthinking yes-men.
As Don and John are such good buddies they might want to visit this site:
http://philanderring.com/
Don Johns anyone?
Love the fact that we posted a few hundred blogs yesterday about a fight between a pair of retards for the leadership of a moribund crew of moneyed representatives of a failed ideology. It all added up to little but the pre match warm up at an Ultimate Fight event, us the slavering fans screaming at the manufactured distraction, ignoring the meteor coming through the roof that will terminate round 2.
In case you have not noticed the real fight going on beyond this pathetic tag match is our reliance upon expiring fossil fuels to keep us consuming in order to prop up a finance system deep in the proverbialâŠ.in turn creating the greatest environmental crisis man has ever faced. Seeya Wodders, I have better things to watch.
GASLAND will be screening on SBS1 at 9:35 on Sunday 1st of May. Check it out, it’s really good.
Gasland is a 2010 American documentary film written and directed by Josh Fox. The film focuses on communities in the United States impacted by natural gas drilling and, specifically, a stimulation method known as hydraulic fracturing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasland
Thanks Todd, real stuff. Quite topical with regard to the environmental risks of resource extraction…just to reassure readers that Petrobras like all drilling / mining companies have the best intentions towards the environment, and can be trusted fully with keeping East Cape pristine.
Gasland trailer and some more links about hydraulic fracturing,natural gas prospecting, shale gas and the inconvenient facts.
My post on fracking here, for those interested
http://mars2earth.blogspot.com/2011/03/frack-off-exploiters.html
A very good blog post there Marty Mars… Heaps of detailed info, will be forwarding it onto some interested parties. Here’s a post I wrote on Fracking in NZ:
http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/02/about-fracking.html
An incident earlier this month.
Water gushed from the earth at the Chesapeake well pad for hours Wednesday. It was all hands on deck to put a stop to the leak of fracking fluid that, according to company officials, spilled thousands and thousands of gallons into nearby land and waterways. Company officials stressed no gas leaked.
Fuck me has anyone ever figured out how to string up a line-trimmer so it auto feeds the monofilament as it goes?
Sick of this shit. Srsly.
You need three hands………actually the reel challenge is getting the line wrapped in equal lengths in the same direction on the spool, and prior to pushing onto the rotor getting the ends out through the holes. The day you manage to do this easily and the stuff runs out quickly on a big job…back to square one.
What do you know that’s what I need to know I think. Line trimme, weed eater, I hope to win my garden/lawn back with that help.. I’ve yet to try but will be following instructions hopefully for success instead of sucks again.
By line trimmer, do you mean ‘goat’?
If not, then no.
Haha đ
lolz đ
Yes, you ditch the convential line trimmer attachement and by one called “Little Juey”. Easy and it works a lot better without hassles. (www. littlejuey.com)
I bought one at a homeshow 3 years ago and it now does give me the time to blog and stir the pot.
Oh that does look good, thanks.
I thought your comments at first referred to politics, Felix, which got me to thinking.
Political weeds needing a free-flowing monofilament.
Brash grass, a monocultural hybrid, promiscuous in growth habits, with a propensity to morph and to colonise other weeds and their patches.
Flourishes with age and is a precursor to invasion by much more shade-loving species. Its genetic material is easily transferred to other weeds.
Banksia is another invasive weed which spreads by piggy-backing on other material and like brash grass will dominate a garden even with a small hold in the soil.
Epsom salts seem to make it flourish even more and it seeks the light of the garden as it detests shade.
Like brash grass, banksia, or Johnâs Worst as it is sometimes known, will colonise readily and changes the very nature of the soil to create right conditions for growth. Slashing it back only encourages regrowth. If left alone, it will colonise all of Auckland, parts of which are ideal country for Banksia spread.
Dancing Rodders, a colourful hybrid with yellow foliage, has been successfully uprooted in the Epsom area and clings to a short period of life in the political garden before transportation to the manure heap where it will again seek to thrive.
There are other weeds in the hothouse of political growth, and further postings will identify and propose how to get rid of them.
heh – yes very persistent that nasty Brash grass, prolific rooter in viagric conditions for such an ugly dessicated weed….toxic companion to more delicate species, particularly keyknockkneedius pansiarsum
Chuck the monofilament away and replace with piano wire or motorbike cable inner – and watch your toes!
Keysia, not be confused with Keynesia, is an opportunistic flourisher which also colonises the centre of the garden in order to allow shadier weeds to infest quietly. It has expensive growth habits, waves gently in the breeze and travels widely as it has developed very efficient dispersal habits using othersâ means of propulsion.
Britannica Williamensis is an interesting plant with a growth habit which has its root system in Otago and Southland but flowers appear only in Wellington.
Gerriensis brownleaf likes to grow near cattle silage pits and needs constant feeding and watering. It has a ferocious growth habit and hates competition which it will banish to allow full access to water. It hates democritas ecan. Gerriensis is a climber and thrives in stairwells where its combative growth habit brooks no rivals. It is morphing into a new species, Gerriensis Rex, and is looking to spread outwards from its Canterbury seeding ground. It is slow to recover in broken or disturbed ground.
I never would have guessed that my simple outburst of frustration with the garden tools would lead to such cleverness, Mac1. Brilliant.
How about Hughsia pedolisium – prone to parasitically exploiting members of the same species.
Thats very clever Mac1
As a gardener seconded, fantastic. What weed killer do you use Mac1?
Weed control.
These weeds should not be cultivated because they cannot be, never were and never will be. The âsauvageâ or in Latin âferoxâ genus in which these weeds are found is feral, fecund and far-spreading.
They are susceptible to being pulled out by the roots but care must be taken with disposal of the waste material. They will return as their seeds remain dormant until they sense the right conditions.
A good all-purpose dosing with good humours can sometimes negate the toxicity of these weeds though care must be taken as over-application can be hard on the user.
Organic sprays have been tried in the past but the hard carapace of their outer leaves acts as a deterrent as does their unique ability to shed leaves when required in adverse conditions or when threatened. Individuals will even sacrifice themselves for the good of the species eg actus cachus, or dancing rodders, but usually they are transplanted into favourable ground away from the main plot.
They have little social organization so competition between sauvage species tends to restrict their growth as does generations of in-breeding which can give rise to ineffectual strains such as the native variety which inhabits the littoral and unitus futurus var. dunn., a solitary growing plant with a distinctive top display.
The best method however is liberal use of suffragium generalis around mid to late November. That should see the pests go to ground for at least three years.
love it
đ đ very, very clever.
Not possible!
I gave up and just bought the thickest line I could get from the warehouse. The really thick stuff breaks much less often, and cuts through most grass just as well as the thinner types.
Well people, Don Brash (70) will be crowned as ACT leader this weekend. John Banks (64) will probably be signed up as ACT’s Epsom candidate, and Roger Douglas (73) will prossibly decide that his grandson’s cricket matches may have to wait another couple of seasons, after all, who would pass up an opputunity to work with one of neo-liberalism’s high preists. I’m waiting for them to dust Ruth Richardson off. We might have our very own Gang of Four.
You thought that visiting the doctor was expensive? You wait till it costs the same as visiting the dentist. Taxes too high? Just wait till you have to have to pay sky high health insurance premiums and dedictibles, or ever increasing school fees for your children, or road tolls to get to work – remember Maurice Williamson’s $5 charge to use Auckland’s motorways?
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
John Key has pretty much ruled out Don Brash for Finance, or Deputy PM, but he is a dangerous man whatever portfolio he will have, even if he was Associate minister for youth affairs he would find some way to make huge cuts to the standard of living of most New Zealanders — those in the middle would find themselves living like beneficiaries, and those at the bottom, well, you only need look at the USA for their fate.
You want a reason to vote Labour. Well, this may be a pretty flimsy reason, but fuck, if we are going to preserve the tiny bit of the New Zealand we all know and love, we are just going to have to bite the bullet and choose the lesser evil, That is a fact. We need to swing in behind the Labour Party. Even if Goff is the leader. There is too much at stake now.
Don brash lied when he said govt debt puts us up with Portugal, Greece, Ireland.
Unlike those countries its not our public govt debt that’s the problem.
Why did Brash lie? Will he continue to be inept about the state of the economy?
Will someone please tell him we’re nothing like Portugal, Greece, Ireland,
our debt problem is held by privately.
Just look at the âsuccessâ in NZ, Ireland the UK and USA. All four are failing rapidly while the Western European countries with socialist mixed economies are doing much better.
NZ. 4% rise in GDP since 1980 while the OECD had 28%.
83% rise in labour productivity with only 15% rise in average wages. Median family incomes dropped in the same period.
Manufacturers out of business as the âlong past its use by dateâ Reserve bank ACT makes the $NZ rise to suit speculators.
Wages for skilled people as against financial jugglers dropped 40%.
2/3 drop in business investment in NZ because savvy business people know that low waged economies cannot support business.
Huge loss of skilled people to Australia which did not get totally taken by voodoo economics.
Balance of payments permanently in deficit except when the voodoo causes a recession.
Socialised losses cause even more problems as we have to bail out failed financiers and buy back essential infrastructure when it is asset stripped into the ground.
60% of everything produced now flows offshore as interest.
I could go on, but that should be enough.
We need Labour to wake up so we have an alternative!
kjt Perhaps we should go Green with a salad dressing of Mana with Hone providing some chile pepper sharpness. Labour makes good porridge, but bit stodgy however may have advantage over others for long term nutrition. Flights of fancy – are the thing today!
I wish.
Part of the Shock Doctrine.
Why did Brash lie? You mean why DOES Brash lie and then ask why DOES Key lie, English lie, Brownlee lie,…..
You could also ask – where does Goff lie?
Goff lies a weeny bit left of Key in the political garden I would suggest plenty of their compost for the nutrition of the Greens – – -Oh no second thoughts – – I forgot the Keysia is a toxic weed I wonder if it has cross polinated with Goffius Laberanthium!!!!!!
Two days ago I just wrote to Chromium Hidercide to ask him to keep his promise of putting a cap on rates (Local Bodies) above the rate of inflation.
Remember? Because he’s been turning yellow!!!!
The Selwyn District Council, propose to put the rates of my community (Lake Coleridge) up 15% on top of 20% last year.
Here a question for you lot; will he be able to answer my letter?