While calling Russia the most significant and direct threat to itself, NATO said “authoritarian actors” in general were challenging its interests. In particular, China was criticized for allegedly using “its economic leverage to create strategic dependencies and enhance its influence.”
[lprent:
1. You seem to have a problem with adding a video – does the media button not work on comments? All I had to was to remove the anchor link – and lo – it worked! You must be desperate to get people to look at a meaningless video…
2. Pays to add more of an explanation about what you’re asking people to view.
3. Along with the comment you’re responding to – neither appear to relate to the post. ]
Luxon is not doing anything, which is remarkably good use of Taxpayers’ money. However, when he speaks, he talks in platitudes and says very little or shoots off his mouth and those are the more revealing moments of his short political career so far. I can also hardly wait for the next episode of Lamentable Luxon Lost in La La Land – the gift that keeps giving.
@ Lprent: I'd edited the YT link, so I take the blame the credit for buggering it up if that’s what happened. Those inane YT clips drive me up the wall some days.
"And note that arch fantasist/conspiracist, Chantelle Baker, has "liked" Mr O'Connor's comment. So we know where she stands: bodily autonomy for vaccines against a deadly disease, but not bodily autonomy for an unwanted pregnancy, rape, ectopic pregnancy, incest, etc. So much for "sovereign citizenship"."
So we know where she stands: bodily autonomy for vaccines against a deadly disease, but not bodily autonomy for an unwanted pregnancy, rape, ectopic pregnancy, incest, etc.
Macskasy is more than a little OCD about providing references.
I see no reference to substantiate the above claim.
Nothing over-the-top there then. Talk about over-reaction.
Around three quarters of abortions in the USA these days are performed in the first 8 weeks using oral medication. Trying to stop women having the right and choice to have a termination in the USA is akin to Canute trying to control the tides.
Note: Before the attacks start-I entirely oppose what the Supreme Court has done and fully support a woman's right to choose. There will be poor people in particular who will be greatly disadvantaged by the ridiculous SC decision. The 4 SC judges who said that they would not change abortion law to facilitate their elevation to the SC bench should be disbarred.
This vandalism was a lot more pre-meditated than I first realized. Also, the "synagog of Satan" graffiti makes more sense now I know the resident's upbringing:
The police summary of facts said Pattinson was one of four men who planned for weeks to vandalise the building.
It was commonly known that Duckor-Jones was part of the LGBTQ community and raised in a Jewish household, the summary said.
The men allegedly dressed in black clothing, including black hoodies and cloth masks, and went to the property with red spray paint and a black permanent marker at 11pm.
One of the men, who has not yet appeared in court, allegedly took a rainbow pride flag, attached it to a piece of wood and partially burned it. He then stayed in the car as a getaway driver.
Pattinson wrote “dancing Israelies” and a symbol of the Star of David underneath in marker on the wall.
Another man, who has not yet been charged, wrote biblical quotes, anti-Semitic messages and drew crosses.
They left, drove to the back of the Greymouth Aerodrome and changed their clothes.
Yeh, I believe that is a hate crime too! It's good that at least one perp confessed so the events are no longer all "alleged" (e.g. the rainbow flag – maybe it just spontaneously combusted coincidentally like). The sheer number of hate crimes since the police started recording those reported to them drew some comment on Twitter:
Really harmful behaviour from the young men who did this.
The hate crime statistic need more detail. Current police policy on this is predicated on the offense felt, rather than offence given or intended. Hate crimes against people because of the protected characteristic of sex, are not recorded, because sex is not included as a hate crime characteristic.
"A hate crime is an offence perceived by the victim, or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person’s race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or age."
There is a good article on Gloria, co-authored by Duckor-Jones, that shows his work and his goals regarding the Pink Church he has create. The majority of the public seemed to have interacted positively with him while he has been there.
The simplified version may not include the "protected characteristic of sex", but it seems to be covered under the; "such as", in s9(1) (h) referenced in the 2021 data quality review:
that the offender committed the offence partly or wholly because of hostility towards a group of persons who have an enduring common characteristic such as race, colour, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or disability; and
(i)
the hostility is because of the common characteristic; and
(ii)
the offender believed that the victim has that characteristic:
Thanks, but still provides no actual details regarding those stated hate crime statistics, which would give some indication of how many are targeted in different demographics, ie. religion, race, gender identity, sexual orientation etc. Even more informative, would be to know how they were targeted and what action the police took in those cases.
Might be included under "such as" is not the definitive answer that most would accept, but if you do, then well, we'll see how it plays out, in terms of hate crime statistics and hate crimes against women and girls and how they are included in police hate crime policy.
Interesting that gender identity is included, as it is not currently one of the protected characteristics under the Human Rights Act 1993, but it is because those discrimination characteristics don't come from there, but from the Sentencing Act, which has eliminated both sex and marital status, and included gender identity.
A glaring example of a hate crime – what were they 'thinking'? These criminals may have no sense of shame – still, the more sunlight the better, imho.
Um, we really need to think about what instances like this and others mean for any sense of democracy. The anti-vax protests at parliament earlier this year took overt misogyny – hatred of women – and racism to another level. Um I know the Prime Minister’s been particularly impacted by death threats and abuse but so have other MPs and a lot of journalists as well. Then six days ago in Tauranga a building housing a Rainbow Youth and Transgender support service was burnt down after other anti-queer incidents in that district.
– Sue Bradford [29 June 2022, @ 8:40 minutes] https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018847657
Apparently not; DMK, because hate crimes do not yet legally exist as such in Aotearoa. Up at comment 2.1.1, I linked to the Sentencing Act 2002 which appears to guide police understanding of hate crime being "hostility towards a group of persons" as an aggravating factor that: "In sentencing or otherwise dealing with an offender the court must take into account the following aggravating factors to the extent that they are applicable in the case"; alongside mitigating factors that likewise: "In sentencing or otherwise dealing with an offender the court must take into account the following mitigating factors to the extent that they are applicable in the case".
So in the above case of the vandalism of Gloria; the Pink Church. Aggravating factors would seem to be:
(d) the extent of any loss, damage, or harm resulting from the offence:
(h) that the offender committed the offence partly or wholly because of hostility towards a group of persons who have an enduring common characteristic such as race, colour, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or disability
(i) premeditation on the part of the offender and, if so, the level of premeditation involved:
While mitigating factors that must be considered by the court would seem to include:
(a) the age of the offender:
(b) whether and when the offender pleaded guilty:
(c) the conduct of the victim:
(d) that there was a limited involvement in the offence on the offender’s part:
(f) any remorse shown by the offender…
(fa) that the offender has taken steps during the proceedings (other than steps to comply with procedural requirements) to shorten the proceedings or reduce their cost:
(g) any evidence of the offender’s previous good character:
The original Stuff piece as much as says the admitted hostile criminal would have got away scot free if there hadn't been people watching the case and disposed to ask inconvenient questions. And that might still happen, though at least with some public record of his actions:
Pattinson’s defence lawyer, Doug Taffs, said Pattinson accepted the charge and had written a letter to the court.
He said police had initially said they would consider diversion but that had been rescinded “at a national level due to the public interest involved”…
Taffs told the court Pattinson wanted to apply for a discharge without conviction.
Judge Jane Farish said she wanted Pattinson to have a restorative justice conference with Duckor-Jones…
Duckor-Jones said, after court, he was keen to be involved in the restorative justice process.
Ghahraman has some choice words on the topic of our lacking specific hate crime legislation in today's Daalder piece on Newsroom:
For more than a year after the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the March 15 terror attacks first recommended hate crime laws be updated, officials provided no advice to ministers on the project…
The January 2022 briefing shows Ministry of Justice officials have previously considered and rejected changes to hate crime laws.
"When the issue of hate-motivated offending has been raised in the past, Ministry of Justice officials have felt that our current system – dealing with hate motivation as part of sentencing – was a better approach than specific offences. However, following the [Royal Commission] recommendation the Ministry of Justice is revisiting the issue," officials wrote…
"I think what the officials said [in the briefing] is actively misleading, because there isn't a current approach to hate crimes in our justice system. They don't exist," Ghahraman said.
"You can record within the sentencing notes to the judge that, as an aggravating factor of committing an ordinary crime, there was presence of hate. But there is no present system, so that's actively misleading the previous minister.
A note for anyone still interested in the Ukraine war on Russia's latest casual atrocity. Never ascribe to something planned evil when casual evil is just as likely – doubly so with the Russians who governments culturally seem to specialise in dumb and casual cruelty.
The Kh-22 (AS-4 "Kitchen") anti-ship missile used in the outrageous missile strike on the Kremenchuk mall attack is a huge six tonne weapon that was designed sixty years ago as a nuclear armed weapon to attack US Carrier groups in the North Atlantic. It's guidance is a simple gyroscope-stabilised autopilot in conjunction with a radio altimeter. It is hopelessly inaccurate. It has a CEP (Circular Area Probability, i.e. the circle in which it is likely to land) for an unmodified Kh-22 of 5000m(!) Now, if a CEP is 5000m that means 50% of your shots will land within 5000m of the target (more or less grouped around the centre point) but also that 50% of your shots will end up anywhere up to 15000 metres away. Accurate enough if you are firing a half dozen nuclear armed ones at a US carrier battlegroup I suppose, near enough is good enough in that case. Not much use for precision strikes though.
Now the Kremenchuk mall is within 500-1000m of any number of valid targets – a bridge over the Dnipro river, the railway station, or an industrial facility that may be engaged in refurbishing armoured vehicles. So my guess is the Russians were aiming at one of these, but using a missile that is akin to aiming at the Auckland harbour bridge with something that would count itself lucky if it ended up hitting the Auckland zoo.
The recklessness of using these weapons for what is effectively a form of area bombing on heavily built up civilian areas when no existential threat exists to Russia, they possess the ability to end the war at any moment and more accurate weapons are now in existence is astounding and definitely criminal. But also, it shows they are running out of precision guided weapons (sanctions are working) and they are pulling any old shit out of storage and slinging it at the Ukraine out of pure spite.
That sounds entirely feasible Sanc. A horrendous mistake-more collateral damage.
The blanket and unquestioning reporting by the anti-Russian pro-western media irritates me when it says that the Russians deliberately targeted a shopping mall with a 1000 people in it*. The western media loses respect by buying wholesale into what is effectively propaganda. When the Russians come out with propaganda we scorn them.
What a load of crap- noveau riche are annoying everywhere and sometimes brilliant. But to try and somehow blame this farm on the government because it was covered on a public channel shows that there are a lot of people in the rural sector who need to retire and log off.
We can sympathize that rich people buying into where you’re struggling is crap. Gentrification it is called and it is happening all over cities everywhere.
Saying PC or woke is just a sign of people who can’t articulate their real grievance or have a chip on their shoulder about some whole damn other thing.
Get some real rural leaders out front and send Rob’s mob back to the 70s. Opportunity Labour imo.
I feel bad for the kids that lost out but on a bigger picture scale this is good because its situations like this that will wake people up to what is actually happening in todays world
I also don't think that its a coincidence that Lia Thomas said this:
Andrew Little is going to make himself even more unpopular with the public. He'll never win an electorate seat. Seems like all the doctors and nurses that have spoken out are wrong and all is fine at the hospitals because Andrew has said so. Funny how so many health experts working at the coal face can be wrong.
Same as Lees-Galloway saying there's nothing wrong with the ACC system. Difference is that ACC claimants aren't listened to as much as medical practitioners whose job it is to sort us out when we're ill. Still, surprising Little has taken that view, whereas we expect that sort of shit to come out of Lees-Galloway's mouth.
Inflation / cost of living is the most important issue
facing New Zealanders today. After a significant
increase in February (53% vs 31% in Oct ‘21), the
latest Issues Monitor shows 56% of New Zealanders
now rate inflation as a top-3 issue.
Concerns around inflation mean housing is now
relatively less important as an issue, with only 37% of
New Zealanders placing it in their top 3, a
significant decline to its lowest level since Sep ‘20
(37%). However, it remains the second-highest
issue for New Zealanders.
Crime / law (26%) was the other most significant
shift, jumping up to #5 in May ‘22. This was an
increase from 19% in Feb ’22, and the highest level
of concern since tracking began in Feb ‘18.
Healthcare / hospitals (#3 at 29%) and petrol prices / fuel (#4 at 28%) are the other top-5 issues facing New Zealanders.
This survey included women! I don’t know who let them out of the kitchen but there you go lol
Good to see you focusing on the big issues, Micky. Keep up the good work.
Seymour continues to assert that we should be at level Green.
Last time I looked (though I stand to be corrected) I could not find any evidence of his qualifications as an expert in Pandemics and how they should be managed. He has seemed to be driven by which way the wind is blowing (in Remuera) when commenting.
Sooner or later, like a gym bro flexing in the mirror, like a teen rolling their eyes, like a mansplainer patronisingly clearing his throat, the ACT party will start talking about privatisation.In the eyes of David Seymour and his LinkedIn ACTolytes, there's not a thing in this world that cannot ...
Confession: I used to follow US politics and UK politics - never as closely as this - but enough to identify the broad themes.I stopped following US politics after I came to the somewhat painful realisation that my perception was simply that - a perception. Mountain Tui is a reader-supported ...
Life is cruel, life is toughLife is crazy, then it all turns to dustWe let 'em out, we let 'em inWe'll let 'em know when it's the tipping point. The tipping point.Songwriters: Roland Orzabal / Charlton PettusYesterday, we saw the annual pilgrimage to Rātana, traditionally the first event in our ...
The invitation to comment on the proposed Regulatory Standards Bill opens with Minister David Seymour stating ‘[m]ost of New Zealand's problems can be traced to poor productivity, and poor productivity can be traced to poor regulations’. I shall have little to say about the first proposition except I can think ...
My friend Selwyn Manning and I are wondering what to do with our podcast “A View from Afar.” Some readers will also have tuned into the podcast, which I regularly feature on KP as a media link. But we have some thinking to do about how to proceed, and it ...
Don't try to hide it; love wears no disguiseI see the fire burning in your eyesSong: Madonna and Stephen BrayThis week, the National Party held its annual retreat to devise new slogans, impressing the people who voted for them and making the rest of us cringe at the hollow words, ...
Support my work through a paid subscription, a coffee or reading and sharing. Thank you - I appreciate you all.Luxon’s penchant for “economic growth”Yesterday morning, I warned libertarianism had penetrated the marrow of the NZ Coalition agenda, and highlighted libertarian Peter Thiel’s comments that democracy and freedom are unable to ...
A couple of recent cases suggest that the courts are awarding significant sums for defamation even where the publication is very small. This is despite the new rule that says plaintiffs, if challenged, have to show that the publication they are complaining about has caused them “more then minor harm.” ...
Damages for breaches of the Privacy Act used to be laughable. The very top award was $40,000 to someone whose treatment in an addiction facility was revealed to the media. Not only was it taking an age for the Human Rights Review Tribunal to resolve cases, the awards made it ...
It’s Friday and we’ve got Auckland Anniversary weekend ahead of us so we’ve pulled together a bumper crop of things that caught our attention this week. This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers ...
Long stories short, the six things of interest in the political economy in Aotearoa around housing, climate and poverty on Friday January 24 are:PM Christopher Luxon’s State of the Nationspeech in Auckland yesterday, in which he pledged a renewed economic growth focus;Luxon’s focused on a push to bring in ...
Hi,It’s been ages since I’ve done an AMA on Webworm — and so, as per usual, ask me what you want in the comments section, and over the next few days I’ll dive in and answer things. This is a lil’ perk for paying Webworm members that keep this place ...
I’m trying a new way to do a more regular and timely daily Dawn Choruses for paying subscribers through a live video chat about the day’s key six things @ 6.30 am lasting about 10 minues. This email is the invite to that chat on the substack app on your ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on Donald Trump’s first executive orders to reverse Joe Biden’s emissions reductions policies and pull the United States out of ...
The Prime Minister’s State of the Nation speech yesterday was the kind of speech he should have given a year ago.Finally, we found out why he is involved in politics.Last year, all we heard from him was a catalogue of complaints about Labour.But now, he is redefining National with its ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and ...
Aotearoa's science sector is broken. For 35 years it has been run on a commercial, competitive model, while being systematically underfunded. Which means we have seven different crown research institutes and eight different universities - all publicly owned and nominally working for the public good - fighting over the same ...
One of the best speakers I ever saw was Sir Paul Callaghan.One of the most enthusiastic receptions I have ever, ever seen for a speaker was for Sir Paul Callaghan.His favourite topic was: Aotearoa and what we were doing with it.He did not come to bury tourism and agriculture but ...
The Tertiary Education Union is predicting a “brutal year” for the tertiary sector as 240,000 students and teachers at Te Pūkenga face another year of uncertainty. The Labour Party are holding their caucus retreat, with Chris Hipkins still reflecting on their 2023 election loss and signalling to media that new ...
The Prime Minister’s State of the Nation speech is an exercise in smoke and mirrors which deflects from the reality that he has overseen the worst economic growth in 30 years, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff. “Luxon wants to “go for growth” but since he and Nicola ...
People get readyThere's a train a-comingYou don't need no baggageYou just get on boardAll you need is faithTo hear the diesels hummingDon't need no ticketYou just thank the LordSongwriter: Curtis MayfieldYou might have seen Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde's speech at the National Prayer Service in the US following Trump’s elevation ...
Long stories short, the six things of interest in the political economy in Aotearoa around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday January 23 are:PM Christopher Luxon’s State of the Nation speech after midday today, which I’ll attend and ask questions at;Luxon is expected to announce “new changes to incentivise research ...
I’m trying a new way to do a more regular and timely daily Dawn Choruses for paying subscribers through a live video chat about the day’s key six things @ 6.30 am lasting about 10 minues. This email is the invite to that chat on the substack app on your ...
Yesterday, Trump pardoned the founder of Silk Road - a criminal website designed to anonymously trade illicit drugs, weapons and services. The individual had been jailed for life in 2015 after an FBI sting.But libertarian interest groups had lobbied Donald Trump, saying it was “government overreach” to imprison the man, ...
The Prime Minister will unveil more of his economic growth plan today as it becomes clear that the plan is central to National’s election pitch in 2026. Christopher Luxon will address an Auckland Chamber of Commerce meeting with what is being billed a “State of the Nation” speech. Ironically, after ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). 2025 has only just begun, but already climate scientists are working hard to unpick what could be in ...
The NZCTU’s view is that “New Zealand’s future productivity to 2050” is a worthwhile topic for the upcoming long-term insights briefing. It is important that Ministers, social partners, and the New Zealand public are aware of the current and potential productivity challenges and opportunities we face and the potential ...
The NZCTU supports a strengthening of the Commerce Act 1986. We have seen a general trend of market consolidation across multiple sectors of the New Zealand economy. Concentrated market power is evident across sectors such as banking, energy generation and supply, groceries, telecommunications, building materials, fuel retail, and some digital ...
The maxim is as true as it ever was: give a small boy and a pig everything they want, and you will get a good pig and a terrible boy.Elon Musk the child was given everything he could ever want. He has more than any one person or for that ...
A food rescue organisation has had to resort to an emergency plea for donations via givealittle because of uncertainty about whether Government funding will continue after the end of June. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Wednesday, January 22: Kairos Food ...
Leo Molloy's recent "shoplifting" smear against former MP Golriz Ghahraman has finally drawn public attention to Auror and its database. And from what's been disclosed so far, it does not look good: The massive privately-owned retail surveillance network which recorded the shopping incident involving former MP Golriz Ghahraman is ...
The defence of common law qualified privilege applies (to cut short a lot of legal jargon) when someone tells someone something in good faith, believing they need to know it. Think: telling the police that the neighbour is running methlab or dobbing in a colleague to the boss for stealing. ...
NZME plans to cut 38 jobs as it reorganises its news operations, including the NZ Herald, BusinessDesk, and Newstalk ZB. It said it planned to publish and produce fewer stories, to focus on those that engage audience. E tū are calling on the Government to step in and support the ...
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed that inflation remains unchanged at 2.2%, defying expectations of further declines, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “While inflation holding steady might sound like good news, the reality is that prices for the basics—like rent, energy, and insurance—are still rising. ...
I never mentioned anythingAbout the songs that I would singOver the summer, when we'd go on tourAnd sleep on floors and drink the bad beerI think I left it unclearSong: Bad Beer.Songwriter: Jacob Starnes Ewald.Last night, I was watching a movie with Fi and the kids when I glanced ...
Last night I spoke about the second inauguration of Donald Trump with in a ‘pop-up’ Hoon live video chat on the Substack app on phones.Here’s the summary of the lightly edited video above:Trump's actions signify a shift away from international law.The imposition of tariffs could lead to increased inflation ...
An interesting article in Stuff a few weeks ago asked a couple of interesting questions in it’s headline, “How big can Auckland get? And how big is too big?“. Unfortunately, the article doesn’t really answer those questions, instead focusing on current growth projections, but there were a few aspects to ...
Today is Donald J Trump’s second inauguration ceremony.I try not to follow too much US news, and yet these developments are noteworthy and somehow relevant to us here.Only hours in, parts of their Project 2025 ‘think/junk tank’ policies — long planned and signalled — are already live:And Elon Musk, who ...
How long is it going to take for the MAGA faithful to realise that those titans of Big Tech and venture capital sitting up close to Donald Trump this week are not their allies, but The Enemy? After all, the MAGA crowd are the angry victims left behind by the ...
California Burning: The veteran firefighters of California and Los Angeles called it “a perfect storm”. The hillsides and canyons were full of “fuel”. The LA Fire Department was underfunded, below-strength, and inadequately-equipped. A key reservoir was empty, leaving fire-hydrants without the water pressure needed for fire hoses. The power companies had ...
The Waitangi Tribunal has been one of the most effective critics of the government, pointing out repeatedly that its racist, colonialist policies breach te Tiriti o Waitangi. While it has no powers beyond those of recommendation, its truth-telling has clearly gotten under the government's skin. They had already begun to ...
I don't mind where you come fromAs long as you come to meBut I don't like illusionsI can't see them clearlyI don't care, no I wouldn't dareTo fix the twist in youYou've shown me eventually what you'll doSong: Shimon Moore, Emma Anzai, Antonina Armato, and Tim James.National Hugging Day.Today, January ...
Is Rwanda turning into a country that seeks regional dominance and exterminates its rivals? This is a contention examined by Dr Michela Wrong, and Dr Maria Armoudian. Dr Wrong is a journalist who has written best-selling books on Africa. Her latest, Do Not Disturb. The story of a political murder ...
The economy isn’t cooperating with the Government’s bet that lower interest rates will solve everything, with most metrics indicating per-capita GDP is still contracting faster and further than at any time since the 1990-96 series of government spending and welfare cuts. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short in ...
Hi,Today is the day sexual assaulter and alleged rapist Donald Trump officially became president (again).I was in a meeting for three hours this morning, so I am going to summarise what happened by sharing my friend’s text messages:So there you go.Welcome to American hell — which includes all of America’s ...
This is a re-post from the Climate BrinkI have a new paper out today in the journal Dialogues on Climate Change exploring both the range of end-of-century climate outcomes in the literature under current policies and the broader move away from high-end emissions scenarios. Current policies are defined broadly as policies in ...
Long story short: I chatted last night with ’s on the substack app about the appointment of Chris Bishop to replace Simeon Brown as Transport Minister. We talked through their different approaches and whether there’s much room for Bishop to reverse many of the anti-cycling measures Brown adopted.Our chat ...
Last night I chatted with Northland emergency doctor on the substack app for subscribers about whether the appointment of Simeon Brown to replace Shane Reti as Health Minister. We discussed whether the new minister can turn around decades of under-funding in real and per-capita terms. Our chat followed his ...
Christopher Luxon is every dismal boss who ever made you wince, or roll your eyes, or think to yourself I have absolutely got to get the hell out of this place.Get a load of what he shared with us at his cabinet reshuffle, trying to be all sensitive and gracious.Dr ...
The text of my submission to the Ministry of Health's unnecessary and politicised review of the use of puberty blockers for young trans and nonbinary people in Aotearoa. ...
Hi,Last night one of the world’s biggest social media platforms, TikTok, became inaccessible in the United States.Then, today, it came back online.Why should we care about a social network that deals in dance trends and cute babies? Well — TikTok represents a lot more than that.And its ban and subsequent ...
Sometimes I wake in the middle of the nightAnd rub my achin' old eyesIs that a voice from inside-a my headOr does it come down from the skies?"There's a time to laugh butThere's a time to weepAnd a time to make a big change"Wake-up you-bum-the-time has-comeTo arrange and re-arrange and ...
Former Health Minister Shane Reti was the main target of Luxon’s reshuffle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short to start the year in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate: Christopher Luxon fired Shane Reti as Health Minister and replaced him with Simeon Brown, who Luxon sees ...
Yesterday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced a cabinet reshuffle, which saw Simeon Brown picking up the Health portfolio as it’s been taken off Dr Shane Reti, and Transport has been given to Chris Bishop. Additionally, Simeon’s energy and local government portfolios now sit with Simon Watts. This is very good ...
The sacking of Health Minister Shane Reti yesterday had an air of panic about it. A media advisory inviting journalists to a Sunday afternoon press conference at Premier House went out on Saturday night. Caucus members did not learn that even that was happening until yesterday morning. Reti’s fate was ...
Yesterday’s demotion of Shane Reti was inevitable. Reti’s attempt at a re-assuring bedside manner always did have a limited shelf life, and he would have been a poor and apologetic salesman on the campaign trail next year. As a trained doctor, he had every reason to be looking embarrassed about ...
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 12, 2025 thru Sat, January 18, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
After another substantial hiatus from online Chess, I’ve been taking it up again. I am genuinely terrible at five-minute Blitz, what with the tight time constraints, though I periodically con myself into thinking that I have been improving. But seeing as my past foray into Chess led to me having ...
Rise up o children wont you dance with meRise up little children come and set me freeRise little ones riseNo shame no fearDon't you know who I amSongwriter: Rebecca Laurel FountainI’m sure you know the go with this format. Some memories, some questions, letsss go…2015A decade ago, I made the ...
In 2017, when Ghahraman was elected to Parliament as a Green MP, she recounted both the highlights and challenges of her role -There was love, support, and encouragement.And on the flipside, there was intense, visceral and unchecked hate.That came with violent threats - many of them. More on that later.People ...
It gives me the biggest kick to learn that something I’ve enthused about has been enough to make you say Go on then, I'm going to do it. The e-bikes, the hearing aids, the prostate health, the cheese puffs. And now the solar power. Yes! Happy to share the details.We ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Can CO2 be ...
The old bastard left his ties and his suitA brown box, mothballs and bowling shoesAnd his opinion so you'd never have to choosePretty soon, you'll be an old bastard tooYou get smaller as the world gets bigThe more you know you know you don't know shit"The whiz man" will never ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The Numbers2024 could easily have been National’s “Annus Horribilis” and 2025 shows no signs of a reprieve for our Landlord PM Chris Luxon and his inept Finance Minister Nikki “Noboats” Willis.Several polls last year ...
This Friday afternoon, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced an overhaul of the Waitangi Tribunal.The government has effectively cleared house - appointing 8 new members - and combined with October’s appointment of former ACT leader Richard Prebble, that’s 9 appointees.[I am not certain, but can only presume, Prebble went in ...
The state of the current economy may be similar to when National left office in 2017.In December, a couple of days after the Treasury released its 2024 Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HEYFU24), Statistics New Zealand reported its estimate for volume GDP for the previous September 24 quarter. Instead ...
So what becomes of you, my love?When they have finally stripped you ofThe handbags and the gladragsThat your poor old granddadHad to sweat to buy you, babySongwriter: Mike D'aboIn yesterday’s newsletter, I expressed sadness at seeing Golriz Ghahraman back on the front pages for shoplifting. As someone who is no ...
It’s Friday and time for another roundup of things that caught our attention this week. This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers and fans. If you’d like to support our work, you can join ...
Note: This Webworm discusses sexual assault and rape. Please read with care.Hi,A few weeks ago I reported on how one of New Zealand’s richest men, Nick Mowbray (he and his brother own Zuru and are worth an estimated $20 billion), had taken to sharing posts by a British man called ...
The final Atlas Network playbook puzzle piece is here, and it slipped in to Aotearoa New Zealand with little fan fare or attention. The implications are stark.Today, writes Dr Bex, the submission for the Crimes (Countering Foreign Interference) Amendment Bill closes: 11:59pm January 16, 2025.As usual, the language of the ...
Excitement in the seaside village! Look what might be coming! 400 million dollars worth of investment! In the very beating heart of the village! Are we excited and eager to see this happen, what with every last bank branch gone and shops sitting forlornly quiet awaiting a customer?Yes please, apply ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...
The Green Party has welcomed the provisional ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and reiterated its call for New Zealand to push for an end to the unlawful occupation of Palestine. ...
The Green Party welcomes the extension of the deadline for Treaty Principles Bill submissions but continues to call on the Government to abandon the Bill. ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
Jon Kroll and Aimee McCammon have been appointed to the New Zealand Film Commission Board, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “I am delighted to appoint these two new board members who will bring a wealth of industry, governance, and commercial experience to the Film Commission. “Jon Kroll has been an ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hailed a drop in the domestic component of inflation, saying it increases the prospect of mortgage rate reductions and a lower cost of living for Kiwi households. Stats NZ reported today that inflation was 2.2 per cent in the year to December, the second consecutive ...
Two new appointed members and one reappointed member of the Employment Relations Authority have been announced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today. “I’m pleased to announce the new appointed members Helen van Druten and Matthew Piper to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and welcome them to ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has delivered a refreshed team focused on unleashing economic growth to make people better off, create more opportunities for business and help us afford the world-class health and education Kiwis deserve. “Last year, we made solid progress on the economy. Inflation has fallen significantly and now ...
Veterans’ Affairs and a pan-iwi charitable trust have teamed up to extend the reach and range of support available to veterans in the Bay of Plenty, Veterans Minister Chris Penk says. “A major issue we face is identifying veterans who are eligible for support,” Mr Penk says. “Incredibly, we do ...
A host of new appointments will strengthen the Waitangi Tribunal and help ensure it remains fit for purpose, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says. “As the Tribunal nears its fiftieth anniversary, the appointments coming on board will give it the right balance of skills to continue its important mahi hearing ...
Almost 22,000 FamilyBoost claims have been paid in the first 15 days of the year, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The ability to claim for FamilyBoost’s second quarter opened on January 1, and since then 21,936 claims have been paid. “I’m delighted people have made claiming FamilyBoost a priority on ...
The Government has delivered a funding boost to upgrade critical communication networks for Maritime New Zealand and Coastguard New Zealand, ensuring frontline search and rescue services can save lives and keep Kiwis safe on the water, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “New Zealand has ...
Mahi has begun that will see dozens of affordable rental homes developed in Gisborne - a sign the Government’s partnership with Iwi is enabling more homes where they’re needed most, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. Mr Potaka attended a sod-turning ceremony to mark the start of earthworks for 48 ...
New Zealand welcomes the ceasefire deal to end hostilities in Gaza, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Over the past 15 months, this conflict has caused incomprehensible human suffering. We acknowledge the efforts of all those involved in the negotiations to bring an end to the misery, particularly the US, Qatar ...
The Associate Minster of Transport has this week told the community that work is progressing to ensure they have a secure and suitable shipping solution in place to give the Island certainty for its future. “I was pleased with the level of engagement the Request for Information process the Ministry ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour says he is proud of the Government’s commitment to increasing medicines access for New Zealanders, resulting in a big uptick in the number of medicines being funded. “The Government is putting patients first. In the first half of the current financial year there were more ...
New Zealand's first-class free trade deal and investment treaty with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been signed. In Abu Dhabi, together with UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, New Zealand Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, witnessed the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and accompanying investment treaty ...
The latest NZIER Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion, which shows the highest level of general business confidence since 2021, is a sign the economy is moving in the right direction, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “When businesses have the confidence to invest and grow, it means more jobs and higher ...
Events over the last few weeks have highlighted the importance of strong biosecurity to New Zealand. Our staff at the border are increasingly vigilant after German authorities confirmed the country's first outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in nearly 40 years on Friday in a herd of water buffalo ...
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee reminds the public that they now have an opportunity to have their say on the rewrite of the Arms Act 1983. “As flagged prior to Christmas, the consultation period for the Arms Act rewrite has opened today and will run through until 28 February 2025,” ...
Complaints about disruptive behaviour now handled in around 13 days (down from around 60 days a year ago) 553 Section 55A notices issued by Kāinga Ora since July 2024, up from 41 issued during the same period in the previous year. Of that 553, first notices made up around 83 ...
The time it takes to process building determinations has improved significantly over the last year which means fewer delays in homes being built, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “New Zealand has a persistent shortage of houses. Making it easier and quicker for new homes to be built will ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is pleased to announce the annual list of New Zealand’s most popular baby names for 2024. “For the second consecutive year, Noah has claimed the top spot for boys with 250 babies sharing the name, while Isla has returned to the most popular ...
Work is set to get underway on a new bus station at Westgate this week. A contract has been awarded to HEB Construction to start a package of enabling works to get the site ready in advance of main construction beginning in mid-2025, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“A new Westgate ...
Minister for Children and for Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour is encouraging people to use the resources available to them to get help, and to report instances of family and sexual violence amongst their friends, families, and loved ones who are in need. “The death of a ...
Opinion: Architecture has the power to shape our lives, not only in our homes and workplaces but in the public spaces that we all share. Civic architecture – our public libraries, train stations, swimming pools, schools, and other community facilities – is more than just functional infrastructure.These buildings are the ...
Asia Pacific Report A co-founder of a national Palestinian solidarity network in Aotearoa New Zealand today praised the “heroic” resilience and sacrifice of the people of Gaza in the face of Israel’s ruthless attempt to destroy the besieged enclave of more than 2 million people. Speaking at the first solidarity ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Neale Daniher, a campaigner in the fight against motor neurone disease and a former champion Essendon footballer, is the 2025 Australian of the Year, Himself a sufferer from the deadly disease Daniher, 63, who ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Peter Dutton has chosen a dark horse in naming David Coleman for the key shadow foreign affairs portfolio, in a reshuffle that also seeks to boost the opposition’s credentials with women. Coleman has been ...
By Harry Pearl of BenarNews Vanuatu’s top lawyer has called out the United States for “bad behavior” after newly inaugurated President Donald Trump withdrew the world’s biggest historic emitter of greenhouse gasses from the Paris Agreement for a second time. The Pacific nation’s Attorney-General Arnold Loughman, who led Vanuatu’s landmark ...
ACT leader David Seymour is being slammed for his "extreme right-wing policies" after saying Aotearoa needs to get past its "squeamishness" about privatisation. ...
By Moera Tuilaepa-Taylor, RNZ Pacific manager RNZ International (RNZI) began broadcasting to the Pacific region 35 years ago — on 24 January 1990, the same day the Auckland Commonwealth Games opened. Its news bulletins and programmes were carried by a brand new 100kW transmitter. The service was rebranded as RNZ ...
If you believe Prime Minister Chris Luxon economic growth will solve our problems and, if this is not just around the corner, it is at least on the horizon. It won’t be too long before things are “awesome” again. If you believe David Seymour the country is beset by much greater ...
Opinion: New Zealand’s universities are failing to prepare students for the entrepreneurial realities of the modern economy. That is a key finding of the Science System Advisory Group report released Thursday as part of the Government’s major science sector overhaul.The report highlights major gaps in entrepreneurship and industry-focused training. PhD ...
I first met Neve at a house party in Mount Maunganui. She was tall, blonde and tanned. An influencer typecast. She wore a string of pearls and a shell necklace that sat around her collarbones, and a silk dress that barely passed her crotch. Her hair was in tight curls—I ...
The Angry LeftSummer in New Zealand, and what does Christopher Luxon do about it? He goes fishing. Unbelievable.And worse, he does it in a boat. How tone-deaf is that? There he is, fishing, at sea, in a boat that would be better put to some practical use, like housing. How ...
A Complete Unknown may be fictionalised but it gets the key parts right. What is biography for? Especially the biopic, in which years and people and facts must be compressed into a mass-audience-friendly, sub-three-hour format. And what does biography do with an artist as immortal, inimitable and unwilling as Bob ...
The pool is a summery delight for swimmers and a smart move from the mayor. Last week I walked through Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter, commando and braless. After smugly setting off that morning for my second swim at the Karanga Plaza pool, dubbed Browny’s Pool by mayor Wayne Brown, I realised ...
Following his headline act in the Christchurch Buskers Festival, Alex Casey chats to Sam Wills about spending two decades as the elusive Tape Face. It’s a Thursday night at The Isaac Theatre Royal in Ōtautahi, and the fly swats, rubbish bags, and coat hangers littered across the stage make it ...
In my late 50s, I discovered long-distance hiking – and woke up to a new life infused with the rhythms of nature. The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous support of our members.It began innocuously, just before my ...
The comedian and actor takes us through his life in television, including the British sitcom that changed his life and the trauma of 80s Telethons. You may know him best as Murray from Flight of the Conchords, or Stede Bonnet from Our Flag Means Death, but Rhys Darby is taking ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. Nearly every piece of advice or social trend can be boiled down to encouraging people to say “yes” more or “no” more. Dating advice has a foundation of saying yes, putting yourself out there, being open to new people and possibilities. The ...
Asia Pacific Report The Fijians for Palestine Solidarity Network (FPSN) and its allies have called for “justice and accountability” over Israel’s 15 months of genocide and war crimes. The Pacific-based network met in a solidarity gathering last night in the capital Suva hosted by the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and ...
Analysis - There needs to be recognition of the significant risks associated with focusing on mining and tourism, Glenn Banks and Regina Scheyvens write. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Andriana Syvanych/Shutterstock Most of us are fortunate that, when we turn on the tap, clean, safe and high-quality water comes out. But a senate inquiry ...
Analysis: Try as they might, Christopher Luxon and his partners in NZ First have been unable to distance themselves from the division caused by the Treaty Principles Bill, hampering the potential for further progress in areas where the Prime Minister believes the Crown and tangata whenua can collaborate.While the celebration ...
The Treaty Principles Bill continues to dog the National Party despite Luxon's repeated efforts to communicate the legislation will not go beyond second reading. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julia Richardson, Professor of Human Resource Management, Head of School of Management, Curtin University Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock US President Donald Trump has called time on working from home. An executive order signed on the first day of his presidency this week requires all ...
The prime minister says he can mend the relationship with Māori after the bill is voted down, and he would refuse a future referendum in the next election's coalition negotiations. ...
Forest & Bird will continue to support New Zealanders to oppose these destructive activities and reminds the Prime Minister that in 2010, 40,000 people marched down Queen Street, demanding that high-value conservation land be protected from mining. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Glenn Banks, Professor of Geography, School of People, Environment and Planning, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University Getty Images Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s state-of-the-nation address yesterday focused on growth above all else. We shouldn’t rush to judgement, but at least ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Minister for Health and Medical Services has declared an HIV outbreak. Dr Ratu Atonio Rabici Lalabalavu announced 1093 new HIV cases from the period of January to September 2024. “This declaration reflects the alarming reality that HIV is evolving faster than our current services can cater for,” ...
Acting PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons says the ACT proposals would take money from public services and funnel it towards private providers. Privatisation will inevitably mean syphoning money off from providing services for all to pay profits ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claudio Bozzi, Lecturer in Law, Deakin University Shutterstock On his way to the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro in November, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte to officially open a new US$3.6 billion (A$5.8 billion) deepwater ...
That's the sound of imperialisms clashing
War on nature, war on each other.
Imperialism is capitalist competition writ large.
War and climate change have the same economic and political drivers.
If we can’t stop one, we can’t stop the other.
Great to see R Kelly going down for 30 years.
R. Kelly Is Sentenced to 30 Years on Sex Trafficking Charges: Live Updates – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Also Ghislaine Maxwell getting 20 years for sex trafficking.
Let's see who else gets done for assisting them both.
Nearly …Plastic Free July. I'm linking a page to it. Maybe not possible to go plastic free? Well there are plenty of Alternatives…and suggestions.
https://www.facebook.com/PlasticFreeJulyAotearoa/
Because this is what we are faced with….
https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/plastic-problem/plastic-soup/more-plastic-than-fish/
And single use plastic…the worst. So a suggest starter !
https://hempplastic.com/
AS usual there is a solution but unfortunatly is doesn't benefit those that pull the strings.
Hi Bruce. Yes that does look Interesting. And apparently the Hemp uses much less Water than other Alternative Corn as well….
Just wondering..re the Biodgradeble aspect, if it needs a suitable process/conditions? I did see 6 Months…as opposed to 450 YEARS for some plastic !?
Plastic pollution is such a very recent problem (maybe 30 years? )
but Our Planet will bear the consequences for a Thousand years
I did remember hearing about this on RNZ way back…
https://dutchreview.com/culture/innovation/worlds-1st-plastic-free-aisle-in-a-dutch-supermarket/
The NZ supermarket duopoly has massive Greenwash advertising…but they are a major component of the Problem.
Thanks for your Input : )
Gee, the internal polls must be diabolical
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
For some reason it kinda reminds me of this:
[lprent:
1. You seem to have a problem with adding a video – does the media button not work on comments? All I had to was to remove the anchor link – and lo – it worked! You must be desperate to get people to look at a meaningless video…
2. Pays to add more of an explanation about what you’re asking people to view.
3. Along with the comment you’re responding to – neither appear to relate to the post. ]
I think people got the message just fine.
I can't wait for the next thrilling episode of
Our polls are tanking so we're panickingWhats Luxon done nowLuxon is not doing anything, which is remarkably good use of Taxpayers’ money. However, when he speaks, he talks in platitudes and says very little or shoots off his mouth and those are the more revealing moments of his short political career so far. I can also hardly wait for the next episode of Lamentable Luxon Lost in La La Land – the gift that keeps giving.
I heard he once held a door open for a woman…or was it that he didn't, one of the two
Yup, for Judith …
@ Lprent: I'd edited the YT link, so I take
the blamethe credit for buggering it up if that’s what happened. Those inane YT clips drive me up the wall some days.Its all good
Also while the title of the song is the point I'm trying to make its also not a bad song either so you know win-win
You were trying!? Are you going for promotion or a pay-rise?
You wouldn't believe how much I get paid for doing this but its not about the money, its the public service that counts
You lost count at one.
Interesting comment from Frank Macskasy:
"And note that arch fantasist/conspiracist, Chantelle Baker, has "liked" Mr O'Connor's comment. So we know where she stands: bodily autonomy for vaccines against a deadly disease, but not bodily autonomy for an unwanted pregnancy, rape, ectopic pregnancy, incest, etc. So much for "sovereign citizenship"."
https://frankmacskasy.substack.com/p/united-states-moves-closer-to-theocracy
So we know where she stands: bodily autonomy for vaccines against a deadly disease, but not bodily autonomy for an unwanted pregnancy, rape, ectopic pregnancy, incest, etc.
Macskasy is more than a little OCD about providing references.
I see no reference to substantiate the above claim.
Funny that.
Nothing over-the-top there then. Talk about over-reaction.
Around three quarters of abortions in the USA these days are performed in the first 8 weeks using oral medication. Trying to stop women having the right and choice to have a termination in the USA is akin to Canute trying to control the tides.
Note: Before the attacks start-I entirely oppose what the Supreme Court has done and fully support a woman's right to choose. There will be poor people in particular who will be greatly disadvantaged by the ridiculous SC decision. The 4 SC judges who said that they would not change abortion law to facilitate their elevation to the SC bench should be disbarred.
Pretty sure one doesn't have to be Nostradamus to have worked that one out from her other topics.
This vandalism was a lot more pre-meditated than I first realized. Also, the "synagog of Satan" graffiti makes more sense now I know the resident's upbringing:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/129122700/man-admits-antisemitic-and-homophobic-attack-on-west-coasts-pink-church
Yeh, I believe that is a hate crime too! It's good that at least one perp confessed so the events are no longer all "alleged" (e.g. the rainbow flag – maybe it just spontaneously combusted coincidentally like). The sheer number of hate crimes since the police started recording those reported to them drew some comment on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/cjhood71/status/1542099839995252738?s=20&t=ZkgV7jW68YIUUgF-EDjzOA
Really harmful behaviour from the young men who did this.
The hate crime statistic need more detail. Current police policy on this is predicated on the offense felt, rather than offence given or intended. Hate crimes against people because of the protected characteristic of sex, are not recorded, because sex is not included as a hate crime characteristic.
"A hate crime is an offence perceived by the victim, or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person’s race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or age."
https://www.police.govt.nz/advice-services/advice-victims/hate-crime
There is a good article on Gloria, co-authored by Duckor-Jones, that shows his work and his goals regarding the Pink Church he has create. The majority of the public seemed to have interacted positively with him while he has been there.
https://www.renews.co.nz/i-painted-a-church-pink-in-greymouth-a-house-of-queer-worship/
The simplified version may not include the "protected characteristic of sex", but it seems to be covered under the; "such as", in s9(1) (h) referenced in the 2021 data quality review:
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2002/0009/latest/DLM135545.html
https://www.police.govt.nz/about-us/publication/annual-report-police-data-quality-2021
Which I was looking at after reading this from a couple of years back:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/431996/hate-crimes-almost-half-complaints-to-police-wrongly-downgraded
Thanks, but still provides no actual details regarding those stated hate crime statistics, which would give some indication of how many are targeted in different demographics, ie. religion, race, gender identity, sexual orientation etc. Even more informative, would be to know how they were targeted and what action the police took in those cases.
Might be included under "such as" is not the definitive answer that most would accept, but if you do, then well, we'll see how it plays out, in terms of hate crime statistics and hate crimes against women and girls and how they are included in police hate crime policy.
Interesting that gender identity is included, as it is not currently one of the protected characteristics under the Human Rights Act 1993, but it is because those discrimination characteristics don't come from there, but from the Sentencing Act, which has eliminated both sex and marital status, and included gender identity.
A glaring example of a hate crime – what were they 'thinking'? These criminals may have no sense of shame – still, the more sunlight the better, imho.
Apparently not; DMK, because hate crimes do not yet legally exist as such in Aotearoa. Up at comment 2.1.1, I linked to the Sentencing Act 2002 which appears to guide police understanding of hate crime being "hostility towards a group of persons" as an aggravating factor that: "In sentencing or otherwise dealing with an offender the court must take into account the following aggravating factors to the extent that they are applicable in the case"; alongside mitigating factors that likewise: "In sentencing or otherwise dealing with an offender the court must take into account the following mitigating factors to the extent that they are applicable in the case".
So in the above case of the vandalism of Gloria; the Pink Church. Aggravating factors would seem to be:
While mitigating factors that must be considered by the court would seem to include:
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2002/0009/latest/DLM135545.html
The original Stuff piece as much as says the admitted hostile criminal would have got away scot free if there hadn't been people watching the case and disposed to ask inconvenient questions. And that might still happen, though at least with some public record of his actions:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/129122700/man-admits-antisemitic-and-homophobic-attack-on-west-coasts-pink-church
Ghahraman has some choice words on the topic of our lacking specific hate crime legislation in today's Daalder piece on Newsroom:
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/unexplained-year-long-delay-on-hate-crime-reform?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1656559440-1
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/06/30/guest-blog-ian-powell-train-wrecks-and-election-outcomes/
Ian Powell telling it how it is about our health system and how restructuring will do sfa to change this crisis. Try not to get sick people.
Thanks for the link Anker, if what is said is true, it is very disappointing but somehow, not surprising.
We are getting a neo-liberal solution to problems caused by that way of thinking.
Poor old Grant Robertson now has Covid. Lets hope he doesn't get it too bad else Kelvin Davis will be acting PM.
Acting Prime Minister Grant Robertson comes down with Covid-19 | Stuff.co.nz
Oh dear lord no!
Get well quickly Grant, your country needs you!
"Get well quickly Grant, your country needs you!"
A never-to-be-forgotten quote, Pucky!
I'm sure he would be grateful for your genuine support and encouragement. Thank you on his behalf. 👋
PM is overseas, deputy PM has the spicey cough – time for Laura Roslin!
I just that no one on here finds out Luxon squeezes the toothpaste from the middle of the tube
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Will do.
I've also heard rumours he once failed to indicate while he was merging…
Nah, that’s BS, Luxon is always in the Right lane.
Excellent!
Nah, that's the chauffeur's job, as he drives from one side of the street to the other.
Pucky! Incognito and RBO took you to task, elegantly.
You made it too easy.
Thanks though (thumbs-up emoji).
A note for anyone still interested in the Ukraine war on Russia's latest casual atrocity. Never ascribe to something planned evil when casual evil is just as likely – doubly so with the Russians who governments culturally seem to specialise in dumb and casual cruelty.
The Kh-22 (AS-4 "Kitchen") anti-ship missile used in the outrageous missile strike on the Kremenchuk mall attack is a huge six tonne weapon that was designed sixty years ago as a nuclear armed weapon to attack US Carrier groups in the North Atlantic. It's guidance is a simple gyroscope-stabilised autopilot in conjunction with a radio altimeter. It is hopelessly inaccurate. It has a CEP (Circular Area Probability, i.e. the circle in which it is likely to land) for an unmodified Kh-22 of 5000m(!) Now, if a CEP is 5000m that means 50% of your shots will land within 5000m of the target (more or less grouped around the centre point) but also that 50% of your shots will end up anywhere up to 15000 metres away. Accurate enough if you are firing a half dozen nuclear armed ones at a US carrier battlegroup I suppose, near enough is good enough in that case. Not much use for precision strikes though.
Now the Kremenchuk mall is within 500-1000m of any number of valid targets – a bridge over the Dnipro river, the railway station, or an industrial facility that may be engaged in refurbishing armoured vehicles. So my guess is the Russians were aiming at one of these, but using a missile that is akin to aiming at the Auckland harbour bridge with something that would count itself lucky if it ended up hitting the Auckland zoo.
The recklessness of using these weapons for what is effectively a form of area bombing on heavily built up civilian areas when no existential threat exists to Russia, they possess the ability to end the war at any moment and more accurate weapons are now in existence is astounding and definitely criminal. But also, it shows they are running out of precision guided weapons (sanctions are working) and they are pulling any old shit out of storage and slinging it at the Ukraine out of pure spite.
Yep. Pretty much sums up this latest atrocity. Attempts to justify it, because "storing weapons" – easily proven to be BS.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/29/evidence-contradicts-russian-claims-about-kremenchuk-mall-attack
That sounds entirely feasible Sanc. A horrendous mistake-more collateral damage.
The blanket and unquestioning reporting by the anti-Russian pro-western media irritates me when it says that the Russians deliberately targeted a shopping mall with a 1000 people in it*. The western media loses respect by buying wholesale into what is effectively propaganda. When the Russians come out with propaganda we scorn them.
*There seem to be around 50 deaths not hundreds
"A horrendous mistake-more collateral damage."
Not surprising. Seemed to be an odd target from the start. How to ensure the rest of the planet is dead against you.
Gee there’s some confusion out there: hating on the noveau riche and their habits is apparently ‘woke’.
We hate capitalists and free enterprise say farmers and the Herald.
Sorry it’s a link to stuff the next day.
What a load of crap- noveau riche are annoying everywhere and sometimes brilliant. But to try and somehow blame this farm on the government because it was covered on a public channel shows that there are a lot of people in the rural sector who need to retire and log off.
We can sympathize that rich people buying into where you’re struggling is crap. Gentrification it is called and it is happening all over cities everywhere.
Saying PC or woke is just a sign of people who can’t articulate their real grievance or have a chip on their shoulder about some whole damn other thing.
Get some real rural leaders out front and send Rob’s mob back to the 70s. Opportunity Labour imo.
https://nypost.com/2022/06/27/trans-woman-beats-13-year-old-in-womens-skateboarding-contest/
https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/grid.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1918
I feel bad for the kids that lost out but on a bigger picture scale this is good because its situations like this that will wake people up to what is actually happening in todays world
I also don't think that its a coincidence that Lia Thomas said this:
https://apnews.com/article/winter-olympics-sports-college-swimming-united-states-olympic-team-14e7fd8d820a331d7aeb72b34cdc83e6
“It’s been a goal of mine to swim at Olympic trials for a very long time, and I would love to see that through.”
then this happens:
https://apnews.com/article/transgender-swimmers-new-rules-fina-world-governing-body-c17e99d3121fa964336458b57ae266f7
However for those interested I've managed to find a video of the competition:
Andrew Little is going to make himself even more unpopular with the public. He'll never win an electorate seat. Seems like all the doctors and nurses that have spoken out are wrong and all is fine at the hospitals because Andrew has said so. Funny how so many health experts working at the coal face can be wrong.
'An absolute lie': Healthcare workers savage Health Minister's claim hospital demand is 'dissipating' (msn.com)
Same as Lees-Galloway saying there's nothing wrong with the ACC system. Difference is that ACC claimants aren't listened to as much as medical practitioners whose job it is to sort us out when we're ill. Still, surprising Little has taken that view, whereas we expect that sort of shit to come out of Lees-Galloway's mouth.
Labour's internal polling must be appalling. 🙂
This survey included women! I don’t know who let them out of the kitchen but there you go lol
Good to see you focusing on the big issues, Micky. Keep up the good work.
https://www.ipsos.com/en-nz/17th-ipsos-nz-issues-monitor-june-2022
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Comments that argue the irrelevancy of a Post without addressing anything in/of the Post get a short sharp shrift to OM.
Pandemic
Seymour continues to assert that we should be at level Green.
Last time I looked (though I stand to be corrected) I could not find any evidence of his qualifications as an expert in Pandemics and how they should be managed. He has seemed to be driven by which way the wind is blowing (in Remuera) when commenting.