PM's US trip: Jacinda Ardern's plane breaks down in Washington, PCR tests for all after Covid cases
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's trip to the United States has hit another logistical pothole after the RNZAF Boeing carrying the delegation broke down in Washington DC.
Fortunately, the breakdown was on the last stop of the tour – it was due to fly Ardern back to San Francisco for a commercial flight home after her meeting tomorrow with US President Joe Biden.
I doubt the paying customers would appreciate their ride being hijacked by the PM.
Reading, with horror, the 'management' of air-travel within Europe at the moment (most of the coverage we're reading has been UK, but I know that Greece, Italy and the Netherlands have also been affected – so probably pretty widespread)
I doubt the paying customers would appreciate their ride being hijacked by the PM.
A rather unnecessary way of expressing the circumstance?
I'm sure the PM would love to spend a few days/weeks in a luxury hotel in Los Angeles (where-ever) swimming and sunbathing while she waited her turn to ride home on an Air NZ jet. But I don't think the tax-payers would be so delighted.
Btw, I think that is the same RNZAF 747 that plied the skies 30 years ago when I used to weather-brief their crews. Its my understanding the this government has ordered a replacement aircraft which is not before time.
The rather tongue-in-cheek suggestion was that a Dreamliner be diverted from LAX to collect her in Washington D.C. Presumably from a scheduled service (they don't have them sitting around on the ground at one of the busiest airports in the US).
Like the people that let down the tyres of 4wd vehicles (the tyre extinguishers?), this sort of dumb action will just turn more people against climate change.
That's be most of the planet 'against climate change'. I agree it's uncalled for to deface art, but people are beginning to fight for their lives. And it's just beginning. If you were familiar with the science you might be a tad more upset at governments and corporations rather than being upset at some hapless cake smearer communicating their frustration.
Because when it comes to pointlessness – destroying this incredible planet so a few absolute pricks can get filthy rich… Hand me some of that cake, I'mm'a throw it at them.
You are dividing in order to weaken, Belladonna, imo. ""Real" activists .v. "activists-who-are-not-real".
It is not so exact a science.
The "Mona Lisa-eat-this" person wasn't reported as having made a clear argument on climate change – quelle surprise! You seem to have a great deal of confidence in the media to accurately report the statements of activists. I admire your naive confidence.
I expect the fact that we don't know exactly what they stand for, and why, is not the fault of the activist.
People who already pointlessly drive 4wd's are already giving climate change the middle finger..so fuck them and let all their tyres down at every opportunity…in-fact it is your public duty to do so.
Please dont let down the tyres on my 4wd Adrian its useful to me in multiple ways .Im happy though to make up for its " gas guzzling ' rep by being part of a carless days scheme in fact im surprised there's nothing official along those lines happening already .
No offence but i think its delusional to imagine letting down someones tyres is a good way of addressing cc its just gonna get peoples backs up and instead of being with you they're against you .
Since the bulk of our greenhouse gases come from agriculture shouldnt we focus on the worst things first ?
Doing something about it might seem like its taking a long time but it is happening .The electric revolution is here and probably half our cars on the road will be electric within ten years or less .
Heavy trucks consume as much as 150 cars and transport firms are doing their bit too .Hydrogen fuel infrastructure is being rolled out across nz right now and that technology will be a game changer for the movement of freight in a cc friendly manner .
The world already is a far cleaner place than when i was a kid , back then for ex every bus on the road was a bedford with a giant petrol motor in it burning leaded fuel and boy were they thirsty !!!Ditto all the cars an a good percentage of the trucks ! We've come a long way since then .
Letting peoples tyres down is not changing anything imo its an admission of failure .
"Letting peoples tyres down is not changing anything imo its an admission of failure"…no you are quite wrong…letting down tyres on pointless innercity 4wd's at this moment in history is exactly the correct response.
"back then for ex every bus on the road was a bedford with a giant petrol motor in it burning leaded fuel and boy were they thirsty !!!Ditto all the cars an a good percentage of the trucks ! We've come a long way since then "
Wrong again….car ownership is at the highest numbers recorded..and your beloved 4wd's are being sold as fast as they can be imported…and just remember that so called sophisticated vehicle you are driving today is in-fact using essentially exactly the same technology that Karl Benz delivered to the world in 1885…exploding a fuel/air mixture under extreme compression.
If that is all it takes for someone to Vote Act then they can't be helped, so fuck them….you would think we were talking about slashing tyres and not just letting the goddam air out of them FFS…all this ridiculous clutching pearls over the most passive of direct actions only exposes the complete lack of depth at the heart of what many people are prepared to do or how little they are prepared to really change their lifestyles in response to climate change….like most Centrist Liberals on each and all important topics of radical change, all talk…
OK. So engaging on this one from my actual knowledge of a real incident.
A friend had her tyres let down on her SUV on 3 occasions. She lives in Mt Albert – and no, not all people living in that suburb are 'rich pricks'.
In her instance, she has a disabled daughter who uses a wheelchair – and needs the larger vehicle to be able to transport her family safely around.
The unthinking (and uncaring) protesters – caused a great deal of unnecessary stress and cost for her (on a fairly limited budget – you try having a disabled family member and watch the money trickle out the door).
She has a disability label, presented prominently on the car, so they have zero excuse for 'not knowing'.
If *anyone* imagines that this action has increased her support (or the support of anyone who knows her) for climate change action – then they are dreaming.
All wars depend on the support (either active or tacit) of the civilian population.
If you fail to engage that support, your war will fail.
Do the climate change activists want popular support for change (which will ensure it actually happens) or do they want to brandish their ‘more righteous than you’ credentials – and alienate the rest of the population?
For many, the latter seems to be the preferred option.
That's shocking. I feel for your friend. What's more shocking is Adrian's comment at 2.5.2.1. She's just "collateral damage" so no sympathy there. Bloody terrible attitude supporting people who purposely damage property.
Well, Roger Halham (XR) predicted this kind of thing would happen, and worse. Along the lines of: heed the peaceful protestors, because if you don't, the violent ones will follow. And if you don't listen to them, worse will follow. And so on.
The so-far-benign school-age climate activists are going to change their approach, imo, and our jaws will drop in response. A wise PM will know this. There's a chance Jacinda will/does. There is zero chance that Luxon ever could.
Spell it out – what do you mean by 'jaw dropping'?
Extremists who believe their cause is so important that it justifies any means to achieve it invariably create nothing but misery, suffering and sometimes utter catastrophe.
i wish!!!…..i wonder where money could come from to really help folks who cant afford them even with a subsidy and high gas prices…..i do 120km round trip each day….a small battery leaf won't cut it
A larger Leaf with a 30 kw/h battery as I have should cut it.
120 km per day is 30,000 km annually. (5 days a week). EV fuel would be $1200 + $1200 annually to put towards a replacement battery. An ICE might be $7800 annually in petrol, so you have a $5000 annual saving. That goes a long way towards affording a more expensive car. My Leaf cost $19,000 two years. Is that expensive in today's world?You can also charge your battery at the end of you first leg of your round trip if you get a cheaper small battery Leaf? Worth looking harder at the figures.
i hear ya but this electric bizzo is set up mainly for "cities"….i live in a small town…..i would have to spend 20k plus set up home charging and have no facilities if i have to at work to charge……not everyone wants to borrow to buy a car….then in 10 years max its stuffed ….
My daughter worked and saved up for a year knowing she would be studying in Auckland, along with her brother. She cleaned out those savings purchasing a 2016 Nissan Leaf 30kWh for $19,000. Similar to mac1.
The round trip where she drops off her brother at Auckland Uni, and then goes on to Unitech, then does the reverse to return home is about 122km.
Although she was hoping for a cheaper 24kW option, the seller persuaded her that this one would have the buffer needed. Despite the Covid impact, so far, so good. Slow charging at home at night improves the longevity of the battery, and she hasn't had to fast charge at all. Still has a buffer of 20-35km depending on traffic and heat of the day.
Savings in terms of fuel and/or public transport costs were factored in alongside the purchase cost. The time savings are also immense for them both, although they have to coordinate timetables and wait for each other at various times.
So far, the battery health level in bars is the same as purchase.
Don't count your chickens Adrian. Hernandez (who is 77) could take it on the second round. Most of the right wing votes will go to him.
It's interesting that Bogota and all of the surrounding areas support the Right….the rest of the country supports Petro.
The most telling comment in the article is that 39% of Colombians earn only US$89 a month or less. I spent four months travelling around Colombia 10 years ago and can attest to that. It makes NZ income look pretty good.
"Don't count your chickens Adrian. Hernandez (who is 77) could take it on the second round. Most of the right wing votes will go to him"…could do, have to wait and see I guess…let's just hope the US don't meddle in their election process…which they seem addicted to doing, all over the World but especially in South America.
England keeps pissing off the EU and relations increasingly sour, scotland and wales vote for independence, cut ties with London and over the course of a few years, their sovereign states seek closer ties with Brussels.
England, isolated because of it's hard-line nationalist government, claim those identifying with the crown in the former Kingdom seek protection from abuse, and launch a special military operation to secure peace and not at all have anything to do with reclaiming what's left of it's once proud empire.
Sanctions on Boris and military aid to Nicola and Tom Jones?
If you are going to let down the tyres on SUVs, and I agree they are a tad exessive, you will need to let down the tyres on station wagons, as SUVs are the new SWs and have replaced station wagons in most car company lineups except the European ones who are generally more sensible, see Skoda, Fiat/Alfa, Peugeot etc . Banning SUVs means an extended family, i.e elderly grandparents, disabled members and sports/tramping etc gear, would need two cars or two trips to move the family about. Hmmm, a bit counterproductive I would think.
I think large SUVs are ridiculous in cities simply because of the driveability problems, but if the owner does all or some of the above they would need a second car, again, counterproductive.
People movers seem more suited to the task of large families. I thought they needed them trucks because they're the new ute…
They're the new something.
I don't think we should attack any private property. It's a selfish way to make a point and only generates adversity from potential allies. Similar to throwing paint on people. A total dick move.
Go for the corporations and politicians holding their planet burning practices up. They are the ones who need deflating.
Every action has its counter-productive aspect. In desperate times (these and those coming) those "counterproductive" effects will be ignored, because no action is free of them and desperation generates and demands action.
Rather than focussing on the flip-side to every protest action, we need to dive into the substance of the matter. If we keep what-abouting, (did the protesters drive here in a fossil-fuel-powered vehicle, do they use a laptop te mea te mea ad nauseam.) we will fail to progress.
National MP, Mark Mitchell will meet with Police Commissioner, Andrew Coster, this afternoon.
This is a very important meeting in my opinion. Should Mitchell come out of said meeting and say '' it had been very productive,'' you can be assured the crime curve will continue to rise upwards under a National government, with innocent Kiwis as collateral damage.
However, should Mitchell say the National government has put the commissioner on notice, many votes from frightened Kiwis will be coming their way.
We haven't got a National government so how can he put the commissioner on notice? If he did try such a strategy in his capacity as National's spokesperson, I suspect he would be put politely but firmly in his place.
Mitchell was granted permission by the Minister, Poto Williams, on his second attempt to meet with Coster. He’d be stupid to be blow it and use it for ‘pontificating’, for want of a better word.
I agree. Now is not the time for ‘pontificating.’, Talking straight and telling the commissioner what he can expect under a National government, is. For starters, it's a courtesy and good manners.
For those who find MSM is not what it used to be (white and male or behind a Herald paywall) there is the The Platform – Maori and feminists should avoid.
What I was trying to show you with my comments was a Maori worldview.
I was also trying to show you that there are two New Zealands. European are oblivious to the Maori NZ and it's kaupapa. Hence me not coming back to this post and trying to explain further. You weren't interested. You were too busy taking the piss and giving me the run around. But, of course, I knew you would be back to dig this bone up, hence the link I saved.
Then there is 3 Waters which won’t be cheap. According to DIA:
“The investment needed to fix our failing systems and to build and maintain the required infrastructure in the future has been estimated at between $120 billion and $185 billion over the next 30 years.”
If 3 Waters is axed – as it presumably will be under National – that will be a big spend that could be used elsewhere. Then of course there is increasing the age of eligibility for superannuitants. Then there’s the jobs tax which will cost billions, although MBIE isn’t sure exactly how much it will cost. That doesn’t bode well for taxpayers.
I wouldn’t be worried about National’s ability to generate a tax cut. It will be easily achieved. And simply adjusting the tax brackets will see anyone earning over $14000 better off.
[lprent: Personally I’d prefer that you read the post and actually responded to that – rather than making up silly stories unrelated to what is in your links. 3 waters is a charged system just like water is now. Yet you appear to think it will be free of charge. I have no idea what a “jobs tax” is? PAYE? Or just some ignorant bullshit about a mythical compulsory tax that you simply made up – based on a discussion document?.
If you want to start your own topic where you can enthusiastically wank illiterate garbage – then start it on OpenMike or better still start up your own site. This is your only warning. ]
[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.]
Ah yes the dog whistling practice of 'gone by lunchtime' nact love to throw out there with zero details on how, why, what comes next, what's that cost etc.
They've hinted similar on Maori health etc to a lapdog media who wags the tail, copy/pastes the rhetoric and doesn't apply any critical objective analysis.
"If 3 Waters is axed – as it presumably will be under National – that will be a big spend that could be used elsewhere."
Yes but we will still have people being poisoned by their local water supply and Wellington will continue to pour sewage into the harbour.
And I hate to break it to you but there is no headroom for a significant tax cut. Something will have to give. Cuts will have to be made. Which is why National should come clean and say what it will cut.
Yes but we will still have people being poisoned by their local water supply and Wellington will continue to pour sewage into the harbour.
The wellington city council argued for some hours over the increased spend of 5m to wgtn water.The next day without debate they allowed funding of 5M for a skate park.
Immigration is not likely to be the solution nor the cause of the productivity challenges facing Aotearoa New Zealand.
The relationship between productivity and immigration requires a balance of trade-offs between government objectives, and a consideration of short‑run and long‑run impacts.
Immigration has played an important part in New Zealand’s economic development.
On average, immigration is not driving down wages nor displacing local workers.
The use of Labour Market Tests, Skill Shortage Lists and tying migrants to employers can suppress wages and productivity.
The supply of infrastructure is less responsive to population growth now than in the past.
Two recommendations of particular interest to me are the recommendation to stop tying migrants to employers (I absolutely agree with this), and to remove the permanent resident visa, and revert to a variation of the old system in which residency has to be maintained (every 6 years is the proposal). That was well-canvassed in 2006-9 when the (current) Immigration Act 2009 was being drafted and then passed, so will be interesting to see how that discussion goes.
NZ has been "enjoying" a per capita immigration rate roughly five times that which triggered Brexit. A few subjective submissions and suddenly it's gold stars all round.
Hard to get at the truth when your researchers aren't even looking.
are the recommendation to stop tying migrants to employers (I absolutely agree with this)
Support you 100% – there have been some shocking cases of what is effectively slavery, enabled by the fact that the employees have nowhere else to go under the terms of their visa.
From the report
On average, immigration is not driving down wages nor displacing local workers.
It's the 'on average' which is the kicker here. I think there is no doubt that in certain fields and jobs, immigration (either temporary or permanent) has absolutely driven down wages.
I'm more on the fence about skill shortage lists. I think there are some employment areas which absolutely don't warrant jobs being on the skill shortage list (e.g. hairdressers and chefs) – where NZ can absolutely be expected to grow our own (either through training or apprenticeships).
There are others where we have a short-medium term deficit, and there is no capacity in NZ to grow the replacement workforce within a reasonable timeframe (thinking of medical professionals, vets, engineers, etc.) – and that we really do want to encourage immigration by individuals with that skillset on a preferential basis. I doubt that this immigration is at all likely to drive down wages….
However, and I don't think that the report is strong enough here all job categories on the Skills shortage list should (I would say must) be accompanied by a plan for resolving this shortage internally within the medium term: i.e. increased numbers of training within that speciality – I'm looking at you doctors (Auckland and Otago med schools); and vets (Massey).
We cannot keep relying on importing Doctors from India and nurses from the Philippines – to keep our health system running.
I don't think we can reliably fill all shortages locally for the main reason that young NZers will always want to travel on the great OE as they have done for the past however many decades, and can also just move to Australia without applying for visas at all, and Australia and other countries will happily import trained and skilled NZers.
Not to say that we shouldn't do better in training (there is a lot of work being done in that area but more is always good), but even if we doubled our training in doctors and surgeons, for example, some graduates will still move overseas, especially if there are more trainees than jobs. If there is a global shortage of something, that's even more pronounced.
I agree that there will always be mobility in this area – however, the percentages going overseas for a period and returning, and those going and not returning are roughly known.
However, setting aside all of that mobility, we are not even training replacements for the workforce we *know* are hitting retirement age in the next 10 years. We have a critical lack of GPs – let alone specialists in a range of medical areas. There is little chance that we're going to have more trainees than jobs.
Doubling the doctor-training is nothing like enough. We need to double the intake of doctors every year for the next 5 years. Same with vets. And then maintain at that level. There is no good reason why the med schools of Auckland and Otago can't be instructed to do this, by the government.
Note, I'm not recommending lowering qualification standards, just dropping the artificially high bar for entry.
The senior and specialist medical professionals are running a guild system, to restrict the number of newly qualified professionals, and reduce the overseas intake by requiring onerous professional accreditation – which, of course, keeps their salaries high.
If we don't expand our medical training to meet the current and foreseeable need, then we're relying on overseas countries to train the people to staff our health system. We're a drain on their economies and on their health systems, which is neither fair nor equitable.
As far as I can see, there is very little work being done to drastically ramp up medical education, training and qualifications in NZ. In fact, I can't think of a single specific initiative.
There is no good reason why the med schools of Auckland and Otago can't be instructed to do this, by the government.
I can think of a few.
What do you think of allowing international students entering NZ med schools?
As far as I can see, there is very little work being done to drastically ramp up medical education, training and qualifications in NZ. In fact, I can't think of a single specific initiative.
There has been a strong push for and an even stronger push-back against a third medical school in Waikato.
Personally not particularly in favour of overseas students in NZ med schools.
Would rather be training our own. Not permanently opposed, at some time in the future. But with severely limited places, and a drastic local shortage of doctors, they should go to Kiwis first.
The Waikato option appears to have pros and cons – I'd have thought expanding existing intakes at Auckland and Otago would be a much easier (and quicker) option, than setting up a new medical school from scratch.
I don't buy Little's argument.
“The problem we have is the ability to get them supervision for their first and second postgraduate years,” he said.
Again, it's a matter of directing the hospitals/DHBs to find the placements (and the supervising staff). Junior doctors are massively (ridiculously and even dangerously) overworked in hospitals – so the need for more of them is highly evident. The supervision seems to consist of joining a senior doctor on his rounds/patient interviews (there is little supervision evident when the residents are on duty alone in the middle of the night in the ED) – and being 'on call' for emergencies. It shouldn't be that hard to expand it….if the will is there.
Even the CMO at Middlemore (which has to have been the hospital hardest hit by the Covid crisis) has strongly indicated that they have capacity to supervise more staff.
“I think if Covid’s shown us anything,” he said, “There’s smarter ways to working in many respects… which may allow us to be more confident that we can train more doctors.”
I don’t buy Little’s argument either because it ignores the fact that training of doctors is a pipeline and a rather long one for that. It is almost as if he’s looking for a reason not to provide extra funding to the existing med schools to increase intake over the next 6 years. However, even that won’t double the numbers, which is what you asked for @ 11.2.1.1.
TBH – at this stage everyone in the health system is screaming 'crisis'.
It's bad now (looking at the news reports of critically overloaded hospital waiting rooms – and we're only in the first days of winter). Yes it's 'always' been a problem in winter – but it's just getting worse every year.
I want to see some practical action taken to radically increase the training pathways in the whole spectrum of medical professions.
Yes, it won't fix the crisis now, but it will make strides towards fixing the crisis in the future.
I just don't see that reforming the health infrastructure (DHB replacement) is the highest health priority that the government can have. None of those health reforms will put one extra doctor, nurse or radiologist in a hospital ward.
I just can't figure out why the Government seem completely unwilling to tackle the medical guild system head-on.
I'm not a great fan of the overseas elective scheme – the damning coverage of the way it was abused by Kiwis using it to get a nice holiday, rather than actually working, makes me equally worried about how it works in practice here in NZ.
I'd be more inclined to offer those final year med students accelerated immigration to NZ – with a 10 year bond to work in NZ before leaving (for Oz – as they'll be tempted to do).
It's not my preference (I think that we have to urgently stop raiding other countries to staff our health system) – but if we need to do it for 5-10 years while we get ourselves out of the mess we're in, I could live with that.
'Paramount/Skydance’s Top Gun: Maverickhas beaten Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End fair and square for the Memorial Day opening 4-day record (+ previews) at the domestic box office with $156M.'
The tide is well and truly starting (only starting unfortunately) to change.
Dr Who as it currently stands is well and truly dead, The Marvel movies are a pale imitation of what they once were, Star Wars doesn't realise its dying and Star Trek hasn't been Star Trek since Abrams and Kurtzman get their grubby little paws on it.
Top Gun: Maverick, Spider-Man: No Way Home (basically a Sony movie), Ghostbusters: Afterlife (well received), Reacher (tv series) are all proof that what the paying public want is not what the cultural overloads want us to watch
Change is coming and some people are going to find themselves out of work and I can't wait
Or in the words of a well-known (in her circle) comic book writer, yes she really said it:
Star Trek hasn't been Star Trek since Abrams and Kurtzman get their grubby little paws on it.
Did you miss the original series featuring a white 'jack the lad' American skipper leading a diverse crew he treats and regards as equals, interacting with an infinite number of equally valid and worthy configurations of life, righting wrongs, fighting plague, pestilence, natural disasters and despots, bringing peace and prosperity to the Universe on behalf of the woke AF Federation?
Star Trek hasn't been Star Trek SINCE Abrams and Kurtzman get their grubby little paws on it.
SINCE
Meaning Star Trek, Deep Space Nine, The Next Generation even Enterprise were better than the Star Trek tv series and movies we get now
Its worse because Abrams and Kurtzman clearly don't understand what made the original Star Trek great.
'Did you miss the original series featuring a white 'jack the lad' American skipper leading a diverse crew he treats and regards as equals, interacting with an infinite number of equally valid and worthy configurations of life, righting wrongs, fighting plague, pestilence, natural disasters and despots, bringing peace and prosperity to the Universe on behalf of the woke AF Federation?'
I miss that hopeful, positive and well written Star Trek, instead now we get crying space jesus.
ST: Brave New Worlds and ST: Lower Decks are worth a watch. ST: Discovery is trash, but with flashy SFX
Dave Filoni created a gem from the rubble of Star Wars, with The Mandalorian. Nothing much else since the original trilogy is worth it. The new "Obi-Wan" series is uneven, but OK so far.
Marvel is good at producing shiny new baubles of little substance. The Captain America stuff holds up, probably because of the lack of gimmicks and he's actually a decent person.
Everything Everywhere All At Once was a great standalone movie. More of this original storytelling please!
Let's hope Aldi comes to NZ! Big enough to make a major inroad into the supermarket shopping scene. A smaller player could struggle to get established.
Latest poll has Labour ahead. Good to see.
Had phone conversation yesterday with Healthline re being a Covid household contact. I cannot speak too highly about the whole process, from registering with the Ministry of Health, quick email response, phone follow up, call from GP, and call to myself. Plus daily nurse phone call. I complimented Healthline on their excellent service and said to the caller that people always loudly complain publicly if things don't always go right but don't publicly give thanks to a good service. The caller was very appreciative as they must get some horrible people to deal with at times.
Thanks for the further info, I've found an article referencing it, here: – can't find the actual poll results itself – just a comment that it was leaked.
This poll, which was leaked on Tuesday and confirmed by Stuff, was run from April 29 to May 10.
Note, that the polling period ceased before the budget, so in that context the TVNZ/Kantar poll is more 'current' since it incorporates the post-budget period.
However, typically polls have an error rate of +/-3% so really too close to call, pegging at even-stevens (as I said in reference to the TVNZ/Kantar poll)
NB: I’m highly surprised at the 4% for NZF in the Talbot Mills poll – this seems way too high in comparison to recent polling for that party.
Looking at that, it doesn't reference the poll size (which is a really standard piece of data), so I suspect whoever added it is relying on the leaked results, rather than an actual published poll. The link from the table is back to a newspaper article, rather than an actual publication.
[Also the dates are wrong, it’s Apr 29-May10, not May 31]
I don't discount private polling, necessarily, but leaked results always make me wonder what hasn't been released…. No doubt, my cynical nature… 😉
Just looking here at the summary of poll results, it seems as though Talbot Mills (though they don't release regular results) seem to fairly consistently 'over inflate' NZF results in comparison to all other pollsters.
So, withdraw my surprise, it seems to be a feature of their methodology.
"In this super-narrative, the structures set forth in He Puapua to secure tino rangatiratanga, will actually ensure the exclusion of the vast majority of New Zealanders from the key locations of power."
I try not to get irritated at Chris Trotter, but this takes the cake.
The 'key locations of power' are actually found in the trusts and boardrooms of our 1%. They are held, overwhelmingly, by white males. These white males are most certainly well qualified since they are exceptionally well educated and on average have had resource shunted their way since birth. Unlike Maori such 1%-ers are not at the furthest remove of power, where Maori are statistically speaking far more likely to be in jail, sick, underqualified, poor, arrested, beaten or otherwise victimised by crime, and in gangs.
It is going to take more and more public and private institutions influenced by Maori to show the kind of difference Maori can make in the 'key locations of power'.
The repulsive scaremongering about Nanaia Mahuta going on right now is most likely because she is seeking to choke off power from agribusiness in the form of water management, and agribusiness is the pinnacle of the white male 'key location of power'.
I am sure Mahuta expects the slurs and attacks to continue until the power shift really takes place and is irreversible.
Of all this government's Ministers, Mahuta alone is seeking to actually shift power.
Well said Ad and all power to her. To be driving this and foreign affairs says a lot about her strength and determination. One would think that Trotter would understand power dynamics. If Mahuta is successful with 3 waters she will have made a huge leap for co governance and honouring the Treaty.
Of all this government's Ministers, Mahuta alone is seeking to actually shift power.
But where to?
In this super-narrative, the structures set forth in He Puapua to secure tino rangatiratanga, will actually ensure the exclusion of the vast majority of New Zealanders from the key locations of power. The only positive consequence of which will be a common struggle for political and economic equality in which non-elite Māori and Pakeha will have every incentive to involve themselves.
Well maybe I'm not so much as dumb as ill-informed. I was quite unaware that this Labour govt had proposed that the only alternative to Three Waters was going to be a mass privatisation.
Keep it in local control – indebted councils that cannot afford to invest to maintain water quality can privatise. I am sure National is well aware of that, why you do not is another matter.
I find it interesting you once thought the reforms were a good solution to realise the necessary investment, until informed about partnership with Maori.
I have been quite clear on this. Technical and operational consolidation is highly desirable. Handing control of the asset to private iwi elites does not seem necessary to achieve this however.
That’s the whole pain point! Instead of the placating and tokenism that we have seen for years it is about genuine meaningful participation. The form & style of what that entails and looks like is still to be determined through public submissions, among other things. Ownership in the legal meaning has been ruled out.
I don’t particularly like some of the noises coming from certain quarters in Wellington and it could easily end up being an unmitigated disaster. Equally, it could be the conception of a whole new paradigm for relationships in Aotearoa-New Zealand and a first in the World. Actually, conception is the wrong word, because it has already been experimented with and happening on a smaller scale for years.
Except there is no evidence 3Waters will deliver results. In fact if it was such a winner, the government would not be having to force it through after promising it would be voluntary.
We've been here before. If 3Waters is the answer, actually list the results it will achieve that integrated water providers, modelled in Watercare, cannot achieve more efficiently and without the added costs.
BTW:
“There could also be added reason for caution in adopting a Scottish model, based on a BBC article two months ago titled “Scotland’s growing sewage spill problem”.
New Scottish Water data showed the number of recorded sewage spills in the nation’s rivers and seas had increased by 40 percent over the past five years; the equivalent of 47,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of waste released through 3697 Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), including 12,725 “spill events” last year.
The article noted that Scottish Water was “only required to monitor less than 3 percent of these CSOs for pollution, so the true scale of how much water waste is discharged is unknown”. It also stated that the data provided in a Freedom Of Information response didn’t indicate which bodies of water were being polluted by each spill, and there was no volume data provided for just over half of the spill events.
3 Waters is not about providing more efficient or effective water services. It never was. It is about co-governance, pandering to tribal elites and jobs for whanau.
You are not commenting in good faith. After falsely claiming there is "no evidence" now you are attacking something that doesn't even exist yet.
Fearmongering about governance is pandering to racism.
And you're politicising a much needed infrastructure upgrade in the face of a climate crisis and decaying neglected water systems. So that National can swoop in and continue the failing status quo, or worse, sell off everything to China.
You're wrong. When I claimed there was no evidence I thought you would read that in good faith, that the lack of evidence was concrete. The 'evidence' you claim exists for 3 waters is illusory.
“And you’re politicising a much needed infrastructure upgrade”
That is the response of a fool. I am not questioning the need for an ‘upgrade’, in fact I have commented on the need for more investment. The politicisation of this is at the feet of this government, who have been slippery on 3Waters from the outset.
The following export product groups categorize the highest dollar value in global shipments from New Zealand during 2021. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from New Zealand.
Dairy, eggs, honey: US$12.4 billion (28.5% of total exports)
Machinery including computers: $1.1 billion (2.6%)
Aluminum: $996.2 million (2.3%)
You have to get down to No 9 and 10 before you to anything non-primary industry related. So if you want to choke off dairy by constraining its access to water – anything you replace it with is likely to be primary as well and ultimately encounter similar environmental objections.
And as Poisson notes below, the idea that the tribal elites who are so heavily invested in agriculture are going to undermine their own cash cow seems unlikely in my view.
The repulsive scaremongering about Nanaia Mahuta going on right now is most likely because she is seeking to choke off power from agribusiness in the form of water management, and agribusiness is the pinnacle of the white male 'key location of power'.
What a lot of twaddle,Maori business is now worth over 45b$,a substantive part being Agriculture ( the largest suppliers in Taranaki to Fonterra are Iwi,both in their investments and managed collective units.
Your crude, unconvincing framing is really gonna have to become a damn sight more adept if you hope to win over even the slimmest of majorities for your inherently elitist, profoundly undemocratic desires. Whatever else you are (& obviously that’s going to include highly privileged Corporate Manager) … you’re no social democrat.
Yeah, retaining assets in public ownership and ensuring greater level of investment to deliver results to New Zealanders (rather than a path to privatisation and rewards to shareholders) is not that of a social democrat government … because of Maori.
When those on the left, oppose a reform to secure public ownership (when there is need for investment and local councils have debt pressures), the neo-liberal right apprise themselves of the opportunities this avails for graft and corruption with on-sale to global corporates.
Courtesy should apply to each of us and unwarranted sarcasm quite frankly is not attractive. There is not always much reason to come to this site but there are enough tolerant people still posting!
Your also history shows that you’re a judgemental codger with regard to Posts and comments by Authors as well as of many others here
I have no idea how you got away with the above, but in future you can expect Mod notes from me
If you need help with replying and/or linking on an iPad all you need to do is ask. If not, expect unpleasant and sarcastic responses from me in the Mod notes
PS I volunteer a lot of my time here, in between my many other commitments and obligations, so forgive me if I get a bit short with some repeat offenders here
iPad users need to turn off Javascript (Settings > Safari > Advanced) in order to reply to comment threads. Seems to be a bug in the comment widget for those devices. Otherwise they can only add new comments at the root level as Reality here is doing.
The cure for bad attitude and failing to add links is not so straightforward.
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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, Friday 29 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
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, Thursday 28 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Far out. While the humour level is up there, so is the embarrassment one.
Maybe she can beg Biden to lend her one.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/pms-us-trip-jacinda-arderns-plane-breaks-down-in-washington-pcr-tests-for-all-after-covid-cases/M5RGMZFFCGKPIBNXXH7LOOW6IM/
Isn't the chap who runs AirNZ with the PMs mob in the USA ?
Why not just fly an AirNZ dreamliner into DC from LA or San Francisco.
I doubt the paying customers would appreciate their ride being hijacked by the PM.
Reading, with horror, the 'management' of air-travel within Europe at the moment (most of the coverage we're reading has been UK, but I know that Greece, Italy and the Netherlands have also been affected – so probably pretty widespread)
https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/travel/why-flights-cancelled-easyjet-tui-ba-flight-cancellations-explained-uk-travel-airports-1659116
A rather unnecessary way of expressing the circumstance?
I'm sure the PM would love to spend a few days/weeks in a luxury hotel in Los Angeles (where-ever) swimming and sunbathing while she waited her turn to ride home on an Air NZ jet. But I don't think the tax-payers would be so delighted.
Btw, I think that is the same RNZAF 747 that plied the skies 30 years ago when I used to weather-brief their crews. Its my understanding the this government has ordered a replacement aircraft which is not before time.
Might be wrong there 😳 . Its the Boeing 757. They look the same but about 10 years less old. Still time to update to a new model.
That would probably make it one of the newer ones. Planes tent to last a very long time with proper upkeep.
Nah. You are right. 757
Inside view
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/travel/2021/11/inside-the-rnzaf-boeing-757-used-by-jacinda-ardern.html
[Please don’t change your e-mail address; only one is allowed here – Incognito]
Mod note
Sorry.
I got a bit confused. My fault. I normally use the second on here and accidently used the other. Totally my mistake.
Won't happen again.
On other threads I will stick to using the kiwi one.
[This is the 2nd time and it will be the last one too – Incognito]
Mod note
Aha, you be right. Got the wrong model but the right age. Thanks Chris T.
The rather tongue-in-cheek suggestion was that a Dreamliner be diverted from LAX to collect her in Washington D.C. Presumably from a scheduled service (they don't have them sitting around on the ground at one of the busiest airports in the US).
"it was due to fly Ardern back to San Francisco for a commercial flight home after her meeting tomorrow with US President Joe Biden.
She will now take a commercial flight instead"
Embarrassing Air Force breakdown reignites calls for new planes and an end to VIP transport
"The breakdown of Prime Minister John Key's military plane in Australia is the latest in a series of Air Force incidents"
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/embarrassing-air-force-breakdown-reignites-calls-for-new-planes-and-an-end-to-vip-transport/PFSHFIKQVU66MK3CIFIAMTOVFY/
Like the people that let down the tyres of 4wd vehicles (the tyre extinguishers?), this sort of dumb action will just turn more people against climate change.
Watch: Mona Lisa smeared with cake by climate change activist (msn.com)
"Turn people against Climate Change"
That's be most of the planet 'against climate change'. I agree it's uncalled for to deface art, but people are beginning to fight for their lives. And it's just beginning. If you were familiar with the science you might be a tad more upset at governments and corporations rather than being upset at some hapless cake smearer communicating their frustration.
Because when it comes to pointlessness – destroying this incredible planet so a few absolute pricks can get filthy rich… Hand me some of that cake, I'mm'a throw it at them.
Let them eat cake!
Reading the coverage, it just looks like a narcissist who wants attention. No actual argument for climate change was presented.
The 'real' activists (like XR) make sure their message is front and centre in any protest.
You may not agree with them, but you know exactly what they stand for, and why.
You are dividing in order to weaken, Belladonna, imo. ""Real" activists .v. "activists-who-are-not-real".
It is not so exact a science.
The "Mona Lisa-eat-this" person wasn't reported as having made a clear argument on climate change – quelle surprise! You seem to have a great deal of confidence in the media to accurately report the statements of activists. I admire your naive confidence.
I expect the fact that we don't know exactly what they stand for, and why, is not the fault of the activist.
The protective glass was smeared with cake.
Yawn.
DB Brown said:
"… people are beginning to fight for their lives. And it's just beginning."
Here in NZ, we have the Tyre Extinguishers.
More to come, I'm betting.
Imagine how angry conservative people will be who've swallowed the whole 'controversial' bloviation – when they finally see light of day.
They'll go racing past the lines of protestors brandishing weapons.
The worst part, for me, has been watching this coming for decades – and being treated like a cake smearing lunatic for mentioning it.
Touché
People who already pointlessly drive 4wd's are already giving climate change the middle finger..so fuck them and let all their tyres down at every opportunity…in-fact it is your public duty to do so.
Please dont let down the tyres on my 4wd Adrian its useful to me in multiple ways .Im happy though to make up for its " gas guzzling ' rep by being part of a carless days scheme in fact im surprised there's nothing official along those lines happening already .
No offence but i think its delusional to imagine letting down someones tyres is a good way of addressing cc its just gonna get peoples backs up and instead of being with you they're against you .
Since the bulk of our greenhouse gases come from agriculture shouldnt we focus on the worst things first ?
Doing something about it might seem like its taking a long time but it is happening .The electric revolution is here and probably half our cars on the road will be electric within ten years or less .
Heavy trucks consume as much as 150 cars and transport firms are doing their bit too .Hydrogen fuel infrastructure is being rolled out across nz right now and that technology will be a game changer for the movement of freight in a cc friendly manner .
The world already is a far cleaner place than when i was a kid , back then for ex every bus on the road was a bedford with a giant petrol motor in it burning leaded fuel and boy were they thirsty !!!Ditto all the cars an a good percentage of the trucks ! We've come a long way since then .
Letting peoples tyres down is not changing anything imo its an admission of failure .
"Letting peoples tyres down is not changing anything imo its an admission of failure"…no you are quite wrong…letting down tyres on pointless innercity 4wd's at this moment in history is exactly the correct response.
"back then for ex every bus on the road was a bedford with a giant petrol motor in it burning leaded fuel and boy were they thirsty !!!Ditto all the cars an a good percentage of the trucks ! We've come a long way since then "
Wrong again….car ownership is at the highest numbers recorded..and your beloved 4wd's are being sold as fast as they can be imported…and just remember that so called sophisticated vehicle you are driving today is in-fact using essentially exactly the same technology that Karl Benz delivered to the world in 1885…exploding a fuel/air mixture under extreme compression.
"There were almost 4.4 million motor vehicles in New Zealand in 2019—the highest ever number "
https://www.ehinz.ac.nz/indicators/transport/motor-vehicles-2/#:~:text=There%20were%20almost%204.4%20million,fleet)%20(Figure%201).
SUV Sales surge
"The top five spots were all filled by SUV-style vehicles"
https://nz4wd.co.nz/article/suv-sales-surge-mitsubishi-ascends-january
Let Them Down!!!
Let them down etc ….just gonna drive all those people straight into the arms of nact/act isnt it ?
If that is all it takes for someone to Vote Act then they can't be helped, so fuck them….you would think we were talking about slashing tyres and not just letting the goddam air out of them FFS…all this ridiculous clutching pearls over the most passive of direct actions only exposes the complete lack of depth at the heart of what many people are prepared to do or how little they are prepared to really change their lifestyles in response to climate change….like most Centrist Liberals on each and all important topics of radical change, all talk…
Adrian T has a point.
We have made vehicles slightly cleaner and more fuel-efficient, but ruined it all by mass-producing them and putting billions of them on the roads.
Why else could we possibly have congestion problems?
And we are, overall, burning more fuel than we ever have before.
Stupid is stupid, and we humans are just that.
How do you feel about them letting down the tyres on an electric SUV which they have been doing?
OK. So engaging on this one from my actual knowledge of a real incident.
A friend had her tyres let down on her SUV on 3 occasions. She lives in Mt Albert – and no, not all people living in that suburb are 'rich pricks'.
In her instance, she has a disabled daughter who uses a wheelchair – and needs the larger vehicle to be able to transport her family safely around.
The unthinking (and uncaring) protesters – caused a great deal of unnecessary stress and cost for her (on a fairly limited budget – you try having a disabled family member and watch the money trickle out the door).
She has a disability label, presented prominently on the car, so they have zero excuse for 'not knowing'.
If *anyone* imagines that this action has increased her support (or the support of anyone who knows her) for climate change action – then they are dreaming.
Massive own-goal.
Sorry for your friend…however this is a war on climate change, and as in all wars there is collateral damage…that's just how it is.
All wars depend on the support (either active or tacit) of the civilian population.
If you fail to engage that support, your war will fail.
Do the climate change activists want popular support for change (which will ensure it actually happens) or do they want to brandish their ‘more righteous than you’ credentials – and alienate the rest of the population?
For many, the latter seems to be the preferred option.
That's shocking. I feel for your friend. What's more shocking is Adrian's comment at 2.5.2.1. She's just "collateral damage" so no sympathy there. Bloody terrible attitude supporting people who purposely damage property.
Well, Roger Halham (XR) predicted this kind of thing would happen, and worse. Along the lines of: heed the peaceful protestors, because if you don't, the violent ones will follow. And if you don't listen to them, worse will follow. And so on.
The so-far-benign school-age climate activists are going to change their approach, imo, and our jaws will drop in response. A wise PM will know this. There's a chance Jacinda will/does. There is zero chance that Luxon ever could.
Spell it out – what do you mean by 'jaw dropping'?
Extremists who believe their cause is so important that it justifies any means to achieve it invariably create nothing but misery, suffering and sometimes utter catastrophe.
Which often is their true purpose.
I get 8.5 ltrs per 100kms diesel out of my ute
That's not bad
At $2.71 a litre that's $23.
I get 100 km for 13 kw/h in the Leaf, costing $4-that's not bad. Admittedly not a ute, but different (4-) strokes for different folks.
Its about 2.50 a ltr where I am but theres no way I'd get my dogs in a Leaf (well I could but the back seats would be destroyed very quickly)
i wish!!!…..i wonder where money could come from to really help folks who cant afford them even with a subsidy and high gas prices…..i do 120km round trip each day….a small battery leaf won't cut it
A larger Leaf with a 30 kw/h battery as I have should cut it.
120 km per day is 30,000 km annually. (5 days a week). EV fuel would be $1200 + $1200 annually to put towards a replacement battery. An ICE might be $7800 annually in petrol, so you have a $5000 annual saving. That goes a long way towards affording a more expensive car. My Leaf cost $19,000 two years. Is that expensive in today's world?You can also charge your battery at the end of you first leg of your round trip if you get a cheaper small battery Leaf? Worth looking harder at the figures.
i hear ya but this electric bizzo is set up mainly for "cities"….i live in a small town…..i would have to spend 20k plus set up home charging and have no facilities if i have to at work to charge……not everyone wants to borrow to buy a car….then in 10 years max its stuffed ….
My daughter worked and saved up for a year knowing she would be studying in Auckland, along with her brother. She cleaned out those savings purchasing a 2016 Nissan Leaf 30kWh for $19,000. Similar to mac1.
The round trip where she drops off her brother at Auckland Uni, and then goes on to Unitech, then does the reverse to return home is about 122km.
Although she was hoping for a cheaper 24kW option, the seller persuaded her that this one would have the buffer needed. Despite the Covid impact, so far, so good. Slow charging at home at night improves the longevity of the battery, and she hasn't had to fast charge at all. Still has a buffer of 20-35km depending on traffic and heat of the day.
Savings in terms of fuel and/or public transport costs were factored in alongside the purchase cost. The time savings are also immense for them both, although they have to coordinate timetables and wait for each other at various times.
So far, the battery health level in bars is the same as purchase.
Looking good for the Left-Wing alliance in Columbia….an excellent result in the right direction, away from the US backed Narco/Right….
The right-wing is out of the presidential election, can the Colombian left-wing take power?
https://www.breakinglatest.news/world/the-right-wing-is-out-of-the-presidential-election-can-the-colombian-left-wing-take-power-teller-report/
Chavismo hopes to improve relations with Colombia after the election of president
https://pledgetimes.com/chavismo-hopes-to-improve-relations-with-colombia-after-the-election-of-president/
Don't count your chickens Adrian. Hernandez (who is 77) could take it on the second round. Most of the right wing votes will go to him.
It's interesting that Bogota and all of the surrounding areas support the Right….the rest of the country supports Petro.
The most telling comment in the article is that 39% of Colombians earn only US$89 a month or less. I spent four months travelling around Colombia 10 years ago and can attest to that. It makes NZ income look pretty good.
"Don't count your chickens Adrian. Hernandez (who is 77) could take it on the second round. Most of the right wing votes will go to him"…could do, have to wait and see I guess…let's just hope the US don't meddle in their election process…which they seem addicted to doing, all over the World but especially in South America.
England keeps pissing off the EU and relations increasingly sour, scotland and wales vote for independence, cut ties with London and over the course of a few years, their sovereign states seek closer ties with Brussels.
England, isolated because of it's hard-line nationalist government, claim those identifying with the crown in the former Kingdom seek protection from abuse, and launch a special military operation to secure peace and not at all have anything to do with reclaiming what's left of it's once proud empire.
Sanctions on Boris and military aid to Nicola and Tom Jones?
When Tony Abbott's advising you on how to deal with refugees the optics appear pretty clear as to their direction.
16 ounces to the pound, 14 pound to the stone, God knows how many yards to the mile . . . (1760!)
If ever I heard of a backward step, this has got to be it!
A little Boris Bark, a dog whistle for the die hard tory Brexiteers and inner racist red wall waverers.
"We might have taken your jobs, homes, nhs and futures but we'll never let them take your furlongs".
Mel Gibson as BJ in Bravehair.
Federal United Celtic Kingdom?
If you are going to let down the tyres on SUVs, and I agree they are a tad exessive, you will need to let down the tyres on station wagons, as SUVs are the new SWs and have replaced station wagons in most car company lineups except the European ones who are generally more sensible, see Skoda, Fiat/Alfa, Peugeot etc . Banning SUVs means an extended family, i.e elderly grandparents, disabled members and sports/tramping etc gear, would need two cars or two trips to move the family about. Hmmm, a bit counterproductive I would think.
I think large SUVs are ridiculous in cities simply because of the driveability problems, but if the owner does all or some of the above they would need a second car, again, counterproductive.
People movers seem more suited to the task of large families. I thought they needed them trucks because they're the new ute…
They're the new something.
I don't think we should attack any private property. It's a selfish way to make a point and only generates adversity from potential allies. Similar to throwing paint on people. A total dick move.
Go for the corporations and politicians holding their planet burning practices up. They are the ones who need deflating.
Luddites smashed machinery. They had a point since they were concerned about jobs. Modern Luddites seem concerned about climate change.
Every action has its counter-productive aspect. In desperate times (these and those coming) those "counterproductive" effects will be ignored, because no action is free of them and desperation generates and demands action.
Rather than focussing on the flip-side to every protest action, we need to dive into the substance of the matter. If we keep what-abouting, (did the protesters drive here in a fossil-fuel-powered vehicle, do they use a laptop te mea te mea ad nauseam.) we will fail to progress.
National MP, Mark Mitchell will meet with Police Commissioner, Andrew Coster, this afternoon.
This is a very important meeting in my opinion. Should Mitchell come out of said meeting and say '' it had been very productive,'' you can be assured the crime curve will continue to rise upwards under a National government, with innocent Kiwis as collateral damage.
However, should Mitchell say the National government has put the commissioner on notice, many votes from frightened Kiwis will be coming their way.
I won't be holding my breath.
We haven't got a National government so how can he put the commissioner on notice? If he did try such a strategy in his capacity as National's spokesperson, I suspect he would be put politely but firmly in his place.
Don't worry yourself about such trifles.
Is Mitchell so untrustworthy that he could do as you suggest?
If so, Coster should cancel the meeting.
Mitchell was granted permission by the Minister, Poto Williams, on his second attempt to meet with Coster. He’d be stupid to be blow it and use it for ‘pontificating’, for want of a better word.
I agree. Now is not the time for ‘pontificating.’, Talking straight and telling the commissioner what he can expect under a National government, is. For starters, it's a courtesy and good manners.
Oh, you meant threatening not pontificating!
I get it.
No more hugs & cuddles, little Andrew, or you have to have time-out on the naughty step!
When is your next run at the police commissioner role planned?
For those who find MSM is not what it used to be (white and male or behind a Herald paywall) there is the The Platform – Maori and feminists should avoid.
Laws, Plunket, Devlin and Leanne Malcolm.!!!! White and bright.
Home, sweet home.
Reality based opinion. Lucky they aren't on the airways otherwise ZB and AM would be losing listeners bigtime.
"Lucky they aren't on the airways "
Hey! Point of agreement!!
Odd exaltation for a Māori fella …
Blade sails under the Tinorangatiratanga flag?
IIRC
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-02-05-2022/#comment-1885788
What I was trying to show you with my comments was a Maori worldview.
I was also trying to show you that there are two New Zealands. European are oblivious to the Maori NZ and it's kaupapa. Hence me not coming back to this post and trying to explain further. You weren't interested. You were too busy taking the piss and giving me the run around. But, of course, I knew you would be back to dig this bone up, hence the link I saved.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300579688/whats-the-price-to-pay-for-trampling-marae-tikanga-during-antimandate-protests
Who’s taking the piss here? It seems you are with your irrelevant rant.
I was checking that my reply to Robert Guyton was factually correct.
I have zero interest in debating anything with you here at the moment.
If you want to start a separate discussion then do so or start your own blog, as Lprent would say.
Don’t waste my time with your false victimhood.
Of course, if I was on the gravy train, I may think differently. Hold on, there's hope. I received this email a few weeks back titled:
Ngāti Tūwharetoa entities and Taupō District Council give the green light to build the new Taupō Civic Administration Building
As a member of the Trust board, who knows what goodies await my bank account.
Personally I’d be more concerned about this Government’s spending.
https://thefacts.nz/economy/government-debt-doubles-in-3-years/
Then there is 3 Waters which won’t be cheap. According to DIA:
“The investment needed to fix our failing systems and to build and maintain the required infrastructure in the future has been estimated at between $120 billion and $185 billion over the next 30 years.”
If 3 Waters is axed – as it presumably will be under National – that will be a big spend that could be used elsewhere. Then of course there is increasing the age of eligibility for superannuitants. Then there’s the jobs tax which will cost billions, although MBIE isn’t sure exactly how much it will cost. That doesn’t bode well for taxpayers.
I wouldn’t be worried about National’s ability to generate a tax cut. It will be easily achieved. And simply adjusting the tax brackets will see anyone earning over $14000 better off.
https://www.mbie.govt.nz/dmsdocument/18666-a-new-zealand-income-insurance-scheme-a-discussion-document
https://www.dia.govt.nz/three-waters-reform-programme-frequently-asked-questions#what-will-this-cost-to-fix
[lprent: Personally I’d prefer that you read the post and actually responded to that – rather than making up silly stories unrelated to what is in your links. 3 waters is a charged system just like water is now. Yet you appear to think it will be free of charge. I have no idea what a “jobs tax” is? PAYE? Or just some ignorant bullshit about a mythical compulsory tax that you simply made up – based on a discussion document?.
If you want to start your own topic where you can enthusiastically wank illiterate garbage – then start it on OpenMike or better still start up your own site. This is your only warning. ]
[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.]
Ah yes the dog whistling practice of 'gone by lunchtime' nact love to throw out there with zero details on how, why, what comes next, what's that cost etc.
They've hinted similar on Maori health etc to a lapdog media who wags the tail, copy/pastes the rhetoric and doesn't apply any critical objective analysis.
"If 3 Waters is axed – as it presumably will be under National – that will be a big spend that could be used elsewhere."
Yes but we will still have people being poisoned by their local water supply and Wellington will continue to pour sewage into the harbour.
And I hate to break it to you but there is no headroom for a significant tax cut. Something will have to give. Cuts will have to be made. Which is why National should come clean and say what it will cut.
The wellington city council argued for some hours over the increased spend of 5m to wgtn water.The next day without debate they allowed funding of 5M for a skate park.
Mihi Forbes asked the question and got the full range of answers.
https://twitter.com/Mihi_Forbes/status/1530983485413785600?cxt=HHwWgICg0crXkr8qAAAA
…and Wellington will continue to pour sewage into the harbour.
But…but… I thought the anti- vax, anti Semite, misogynist, racist river of filth had been cleared from Parliament grounds and flushed out of town?
See my moderation note.
Western media and diplomats have been excluded from the trial of artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and rapper Maykel Osorbo which began today.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220530-dissident-cuban-artists-disorder-trial-begins
https://artistsatriskconnection.org/story/luis-manuel-otero-alcantara
https://artistsatriskconnection.org/story/joint-statement-condemning-the-detention-of-musician-and-activist-maykel-osorbo
Last day for consultation on the future of Working For Families: https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/work-programmes/welfare-overhaul/public-consultation-on-working-for-families-tax-credits.html to make a submission. Submissions can be full written submissions or via a survey, so it's easy to have a say.
Productivity report on immigration settings has been released today: https://www.productivity.govt.nz/inquiries/immigration-settings/
Main findings:
Two recommendations of particular interest to me are the recommendation to stop tying migrants to employers (I absolutely agree with this), and to remove the permanent resident visa, and revert to a variation of the old system in which residency has to be maintained (every 6 years is the proposal). That was well-canvassed in 2006-9 when the (current) Immigration Act 2009 was being drafted and then passed, so will be interesting to see how that discussion goes.
Seems a bit self-congratulatory.
NZ has been "enjoying" a per capita immigration rate roughly five times that which triggered Brexit. A few subjective submissions and suddenly it's gold stars all round.
Hard to get at the truth when your researchers aren't even looking.
Support you 100% – there have been some shocking cases of what is effectively slavery, enabled by the fact that the employees have nowhere else to go under the terms of their visa.
From the report
It's the 'on average' which is the kicker here. I think there is no doubt that in certain fields and jobs, immigration (either temporary or permanent) has absolutely driven down wages.
I'm more on the fence about skill shortage lists. I think there are some employment areas which absolutely don't warrant jobs being on the skill shortage list (e.g. hairdressers and chefs) – where NZ can absolutely be expected to grow our own (either through training or apprenticeships).
There are others where we have a short-medium term deficit, and there is no capacity in NZ to grow the replacement workforce within a reasonable timeframe (thinking of medical professionals, vets, engineers, etc.) – and that we really do want to encourage immigration by individuals with that skillset on a preferential basis. I doubt that this immigration is at all likely to drive down wages….
However, and I don't think that the report is strong enough here all job categories on the Skills shortage list should (I would say must) be accompanied by a plan for resolving this shortage internally within the medium term: i.e. increased numbers of training within that speciality – I'm looking at you doctors (Auckland and Otago med schools); and vets (Massey).
We cannot keep relying on importing Doctors from India and nurses from the Philippines – to keep our health system running.
I don't think we can reliably fill all shortages locally for the main reason that young NZers will always want to travel on the great OE as they have done for the past however many decades, and can also just move to Australia without applying for visas at all, and Australia and other countries will happily import trained and skilled NZers.
Not to say that we shouldn't do better in training (there is a lot of work being done in that area but more is always good), but even if we doubled our training in doctors and surgeons, for example, some graduates will still move overseas, especially if there are more trainees than jobs. If there is a global shortage of something, that's even more pronounced.
I agree that there will always be mobility in this area – however, the percentages going overseas for a period and returning, and those going and not returning are roughly known.
However, setting aside all of that mobility, we are not even training replacements for the workforce we *know* are hitting retirement age in the next 10 years. We have a critical lack of GPs – let alone specialists in a range of medical areas. There is little chance that we're going to have more trainees than jobs.
Doubling the doctor-training is nothing like enough. We need to double the intake of doctors every year for the next 5 years. Same with vets. And then maintain at that level. There is no good reason why the med schools of Auckland and Otago can't be instructed to do this, by the government.
Note, I'm not recommending lowering qualification standards, just dropping the artificially high bar for entry.
The senior and specialist medical professionals are running a guild system, to restrict the number of newly qualified professionals, and reduce the overseas intake by requiring onerous professional accreditation – which, of course, keeps their salaries high.
If we don't expand our medical training to meet the current and foreseeable need, then we're relying on overseas countries to train the people to staff our health system. We're a drain on their economies and on their health systems, which is neither fair nor equitable.
As far as I can see, there is very little work being done to drastically ramp up medical education, training and qualifications in NZ. In fact, I can't think of a single specific initiative.
I can think of a few.
What do you think of allowing international students entering NZ med schools?
There has been a strong push for and an even stronger push-back against a third medical school in Waikato.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/04/17/nz-needs-more-locally-trained-doctors-medical-school-professor/
Personally not particularly in favour of overseas students in NZ med schools.
Would rather be training our own. Not permanently opposed, at some time in the future. But with severely limited places, and a drastic local shortage of doctors, they should go to Kiwis first.
The Waikato option appears to have pros and cons – I'd have thought expanding existing intakes at Auckland and Otago would be a much easier (and quicker) option, than setting up a new medical school from scratch.
I don't buy Little's argument.
Again, it's a matter of directing the hospitals/DHBs to find the placements (and the supervising staff). Junior doctors are massively (ridiculously and even dangerously) overworked in hospitals – so the need for more of them is highly evident. The supervision seems to consist of joining a senior doctor on his rounds/patient interviews (there is little supervision evident when the residents are on duty alone in the middle of the night in the ED) – and being 'on call' for emergencies. It shouldn't be that hard to expand it….if the will is there.
Even the CMO at Middlemore (which has to have been the hospital hardest hit by the Covid crisis) has strongly indicated that they have capacity to supervise more staff.
“I think if Covid’s shown us anything,” he said, “There’s smarter ways to working in many respects… which may allow us to be more confident that we can train more doctors.”
I don’t buy Little’s argument either because it ignores the fact that training of doctors is a pipeline and a rather long one for that. It is almost as if he’s looking for a reason not to provide extra funding to the existing med schools to increase intake over the next 6 years. However, even that won’t double the numbers, which is what you asked for @ 11.2.1.1.
Some gaps could be filled by international students (e.g. https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/fmhs/study-with-us/fmhs-international/overseas-electives-scheme.html).
There are other constraints than those hospital places. The statement of the Middlemore CMO was weak as piss and as non-committal as they come.
TBH – at this stage everyone in the health system is screaming 'crisis'.
It's bad now (looking at the news reports of critically overloaded hospital waiting rooms – and we're only in the first days of winter). Yes it's 'always' been a problem in winter – but it's just getting worse every year.
I want to see some practical action taken to radically increase the training pathways in the whole spectrum of medical professions.
Yes, it won't fix the crisis now, but it will make strides towards fixing the crisis in the future.
I just don't see that reforming the health infrastructure (DHB replacement) is the highest health priority that the government can have. None of those health reforms will put one extra doctor, nurse or radiologist in a hospital ward.
I just can't figure out why the Government seem completely unwilling to tackle the medical guild system head-on.
I'm not a great fan of the overseas elective scheme – the damning coverage of the way it was abused by Kiwis using it to get a nice holiday, rather than actually working, makes me equally worried about how it works in practice here in NZ.
I'd be more inclined to offer those final year med students accelerated immigration to NZ – with a 10 year bond to work in NZ before leaving (for Oz – as they'll be tempted to do).
It's not my preference (I think that we have to urgently stop raiding other countries to staff our health system) – but if we need to do it for 5-10 years while we get ourselves out of the mess we're in, I could live with that.
But it's only a stop-gap. Not a solution.
Politics is downstream from culture.
https://deadline.com/2022/05/top-gun-maverick-box-office-1235034420/
'Paramount/Skydance’s Top Gun: Maverick has beaten Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End fair and square for the Memorial Day opening 4-day record (+ previews) at the domestic box office with $156M.'
The tide is well and truly starting (only starting unfortunately) to change.
Dr Who as it currently stands is well and truly dead, The Marvel movies are a pale imitation of what they once were, Star Wars doesn't realise its dying and Star Trek hasn't been Star Trek since Abrams and Kurtzman get their grubby little paws on it.
Top Gun: Maverick, Spider-Man: No Way Home (basically a Sony movie), Ghostbusters: Afterlife (well received), Reacher (tv series) are all proof that what the paying public want is not what the cultural overloads want us to watch
Change is coming and some people are going to find themselves out of work and I can't wait
Or in the words of a well-known (in her circle) comic book writer, yes she really said it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKO2er0NPHY
Did you miss the original series featuring a white 'jack the lad' American skipper leading a diverse crew he treats and regards as equals, interacting with an infinite number of equally valid and worthy configurations of life, righting wrongs, fighting plague, pestilence, natural disasters and despots, bringing peace and prosperity to the Universe on behalf of the woke AF Federation?
You missed my point.
I'll repeat it for you.
Star Trek hasn't been Star Trek SINCE Abrams and Kurtzman get their grubby little paws on it.
SINCE
Meaning Star Trek, Deep Space Nine, The Next Generation even Enterprise were better than the Star Trek tv series and movies we get now
Its worse because Abrams and Kurtzman clearly don't understand what made the original Star Trek great.
'Did you miss the original series featuring a white 'jack the lad' American skipper leading a diverse crew he treats and regards as equals, interacting with an infinite number of equally valid and worthy configurations of life, righting wrongs, fighting plague, pestilence, natural disasters and despots, bringing peace and prosperity to the Universe on behalf of the woke AF Federation?'
I miss that hopeful, positive and well written Star Trek, instead now we get crying space jesus.
ST: Brave New Worlds and ST: Lower Decks are worth a watch. ST: Discovery is trash, but with flashy SFX
Dave Filoni created a gem from the rubble of Star Wars, with The Mandalorian. Nothing much else since the original trilogy is worth it. The new "Obi-Wan" series is uneven, but OK so far.
Marvel is good at producing shiny new baubles of little substance. The Captain America stuff holds up, probably because of the lack of gimmicks and he's actually a decent person.
Everything Everywhere All At Once was a great standalone movie. More of this original storytelling please!
The Mandalorian was ok at best (it seems better in comparison to everything else at the moment)
As soon as I saw this I knew how trash Obi-Wan would be but it is another good example of bait and switch (who really is the main character in this):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mim2M4O0578
Marvel was good but since Disney took over (like Star Wars) its just gone downhill
'Everything Everywhere All At Once was a great standalone movie. More of this original storytelling please!'
Yes absolutely agree
Let's hope Aldi comes to NZ! Big enough to make a major inroad into the supermarket shopping scene. A smaller player could struggle to get established.
Latest poll has Labour ahead. Good to see.
Had phone conversation yesterday with Healthline re being a Covid household contact. I cannot speak too highly about the whole process, from registering with the Ministry of Health, quick email response, phone follow up, call from GP, and call to myself. Plus daily nurse phone call. I complimented Healthline on their excellent service and said to the caller that people always loudly complain publicly if things don't always go right but don't publicly give thanks to a good service. The caller was very appreciative as they must get some horrible people to deal with at times.
Which poll are you referring to? Or is this Australia?
No Belladonna, not Australia. Talbot Mills poll out today.
Why don’t you include a link then??
Thanks for the further info, I've found an article referencing it, here: – can't find the actual poll results itself – just a comment that it was leaked.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/128816767/prebudget-political-poll-shows-labour-slightly-ahead-of-national
Note, that the polling period ceased before the budget, so in that context the TVNZ/Kantar poll is more 'current' since it incorporates the post-budget period.
However, typically polls have an error rate of +/-3% so really too close to call, pegging at even-stevens (as I said in reference to the TVNZ/Kantar poll)
NB: I’m highly surprised at the 4% for NZF in the Talbot Mills poll – this seems way too high in comparison to recent polling for that party.
Here it is, and a few more interesting pieces of info from the same poll:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_New_Zealand_general_election
Snap! Almost to the minute 😉
Looking at that, it doesn't reference the poll size (which is a really standard piece of data), so I suspect whoever added it is relying on the leaked results, rather than an actual published poll. The link from the table is back to a newspaper article, rather than an actual publication.
[Also the dates are wrong, it’s Apr 29-May10, not May 31]
I don't discount private polling, necessarily, but leaked results always make me wonder what hasn't been released…. No doubt, my cynical nature… 😉
sample size = 1,002
Think that's the Kantar one, not the Talbot Mills.
Blast! You’re correct and I got the wrong link ☹
Correct link to Talbot-Mills poll: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/new-poll-has-labour-one-point-ahead-of-national-and-suggests-the-gap-could-widen/WV5C6O7B5T2LNWY6EHJU6XTVKQ/
My apologies.
Thanks Incog…good site to see rolling average of polls….I hope the trend doesn't continue.
Just looking here at the summary of poll results, it seems as though Talbot Mills (though they don't release regular results) seem to fairly consistently 'over inflate' NZF results in comparison to all other pollsters.
So, withdraw my surprise, it seems to be a feature of their methodology.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_New_Zealand_general_election
A bit sad really. I had hoped that the Kantar Poll was fraudulent but the Talbot Mills Poll give a very similar result. Damn.
"In this super-narrative, the structures set forth in He Puapua to secure tino rangatiratanga, will actually ensure the exclusion of the vast majority of New Zealanders from the key locations of power."
Bowalley Road: Nanaia Mahuta’s Super-Narrative.
I try not to get irritated at Chris Trotter, but this takes the cake.
The 'key locations of power' are actually found in the trusts and boardrooms of our 1%. They are held, overwhelmingly, by white males. These white males are most certainly well qualified since they are exceptionally well educated and on average have had resource shunted their way since birth. Unlike Maori such 1%-ers are not at the furthest remove of power, where Maori are statistically speaking far more likely to be in jail, sick, underqualified, poor, arrested, beaten or otherwise victimised by crime, and in gangs.
It is going to take more and more public and private institutions influenced by Maori to show the kind of difference Maori can make in the 'key locations of power'.
The repulsive scaremongering about Nanaia Mahuta going on right now is most likely because she is seeking to choke off power from agribusiness in the form of water management, and agribusiness is the pinnacle of the white male 'key location of power'.
I am sure Mahuta expects the slurs and attacks to continue until the power shift really takes place and is irreversible.
Of all this government's Ministers, Mahuta alone is seeking to actually shift power.
Well said Ad and all power to her. To be driving this and foreign affairs says a lot about her strength and determination. One would think that Trotter would understand power dynamics. If Mahuta is successful with 3 waters she will have made a huge leap for co governance and honouring the Treaty.
Agreed, Subliminal.
Of all this government's Ministers, Mahuta alone is seeking to actually shift power.
But where to?
How involved would anyone be if the water assets were in private sector ownership?
What is your point?
I cannot predict WHEN you choose to play dumb RL.
But obviously once assets are sold, private citizen involvement in decision-making is over.
The organisation structure proposed (with continued public ownership) is about delivering results to the public not shareholders.
Well maybe I'm not so much as dumb as ill-informed. I was quite unaware that this Labour govt had proposed that the only alternative to Three Waters was going to be a mass privatisation.
It's National's alternative – they have no plans to tax and invest in public assets.
I do not see any mention of this privatisation policy on their site.
Keep it in local control – indebted councils that cannot afford to invest to maintain water quality can privatise. I am sure National is well aware of that, why you do not is another matter.
I find it interesting you once thought the reforms were a good solution to realise the necessary investment, until informed about partnership with Maori.
I have been quite clear on this. Technical and operational consolidation is highly desirable. Handing control of the asset to private iwi elites does not seem necessary to achieve this however.
Partnership is not control and private iwi elites would have no ownership stake.
The current use of the word 'partnership' is so open ended and vague as to be meaningless.
That’s the whole pain point! Instead of the placating and tokenism that we have seen for years it is about genuine meaningful participation. The form & style of what that entails and looks like is still to be determined through public submissions, among other things. Ownership in the legal meaning has been ruled out.
I don’t particularly like some of the noises coming from certain quarters in Wellington and it could easily end up being an unmitigated disaster. Equally, it could be the conception of a whole new paradigm for relationships in Aotearoa-New Zealand and a first in the World. Actually, conception is the wrong word, because it has already been experimented with and happening on a smaller scale for years.
Except there is no evidence 3Waters will deliver results. In fact if it was such a winner, the government would not be having to force it through after promising it would be voluntary.
"No evidence" is the claim made by the lazy and prejudiced who like to announce their reckons free of the encumbrance of inconvenient facts.
three waters reform programme national evidence base – dia.govt.nz
We've been here before. If 3Waters is the answer, actually list the results it will achieve that integrated water providers, modelled in Watercare, cannot achieve more efficiently and without the added costs.
BTW:
“There could also be added reason for caution in adopting a Scottish model, based on a BBC article two months ago titled “Scotland’s growing sewage spill problem”.
New Scottish Water data showed the number of recorded sewage spills in the nation’s rivers and seas had increased by 40 percent over the past five years; the equivalent of 47,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of waste released through 3697 Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), including 12,725 “spill events” last year.
The article noted that Scottish Water was “only required to monitor less than 3 percent of these CSOs for pollution, so the true scale of how much water waste is discharged is unknown”. It also stated that the data provided in a Freedom Of Information response didn’t indicate which bodies of water were being polluted by each spill, and there was no volume data provided for just over half of the spill events.
“A total of 654 CSOs which do not have adequate screening to retain sewage debris are classified as unsatisfactory by Scottish Water. Some 192 of them have been in this state since before the creation of the publicly-owned firm in 2003.””
https://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/editorial/opinion/20211001/scottish-water-model-a-red-flag/
Meanwhile, others have picked apart the basis of the WICS analysis.
3 Waters is not about providing more efficient or effective water services. It never was. It is about co-governance, pandering to tribal elites and jobs for whanau.
You are not commenting in good faith. After falsely claiming there is "no evidence" now you are attacking something that doesn't even exist yet.
Fearmongering about governance is pandering to racism.
And you're politicising a much needed infrastructure upgrade in the face of a climate crisis and decaying neglected water systems. So that National can swoop in and continue the failing status quo, or worse, sell off everything to China.
Disgraceful
You're wrong. When I claimed there was no evidence I thought you would read that in good faith, that the lack of evidence was concrete. The 'evidence' you claim exists for 3 waters is illusory.
“And you’re politicising a much needed infrastructure upgrade”
That is the response of a fool. I am not questioning the need for an ‘upgrade’, in fact I have commented on the need for more investment. The politicisation of this is at the feet of this government, who have been slippery on 3Waters from the outset.
Hopefully stopping the dairy industry esp Fonterra choking our country to death
New Zealand’s Top 10 Exports
You have to get down to No 9 and 10 before you to anything non-primary industry related. So if you want to choke off dairy by constraining its access to water – anything you replace it with is likely to be primary as well and ultimately encounter similar environmental objections.
And as Poisson notes below, the idea that the tribal elites who are so heavily invested in agriculture are going to undermine their own cash cow seems unlikely in my view.
What a lot of twaddle,Maori business is now worth over 45b$,a substantive part being Agriculture ( the largest suppliers in Taranaki to Fonterra are Iwi,both in their investments and managed collective units.
As is fishing,and beef and lamb across NZ.
Ad (15)
Your crude, unconvincing framing is really gonna have to become a damn sight more adept if you hope to win over even the slimmest of majorities for your inherently elitist, profoundly undemocratic desires. Whatever else you are (& obviously that’s going to include highly privileged Corporate Manager) … you’re no social democrat.
Yeah, retaining assets in public ownership and ensuring greater level of investment to deliver results to New Zealanders (rather than a path to privatisation and rewards to shareholders) is not that of a social democrat government … because of Maori.
When those on the left, oppose a reform to secure public ownership (when there is need for investment and local councils have debt pressures), the neo-liberal right apprise themselves of the opportunities this avails for graft and corruption with on-sale to global corporates.
Well Incognito, guess my skills don't match yours! An IPad is not a laptop.
Fine, then point us in the direction of where you saw the poll and/or where we can see it for ourselves. Surely, you can do that, at least?
You have these superior skills of course. Perhaps we all have different abilities.
The poll results were published in the Herald at 12.48pm.
Not sure why you bring up my skills again. It’s common courtesy here to provide links and most commenters are more than happy to oblige.
I don’t sit at my device all day twiddling my thumbs, but here it is: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/latest-poll-no-budget-bump-for-labour-nats-hold-steady/O34WCS6JLM5GCY77ATTBRMJQ6U/
Courtesy should apply to each of us and unwarranted sarcasm quite frankly is not attractive. There is not always much reason to come to this site but there are enough tolerant people still posting!
WTF are you rambling about?
Hopefully to stopping the dairy industry from choking our country to death.
"Rambling" about your unpleasant and sarcastic responses, which you are fond of doing if posters are not suitably submissive to your "wisdom".
‘kay. And here I was thinking that I had directed any of my unpleasant and sarcastic responses to you
Here’s something you may like: learn to link and learn to use the Reply button (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-31-05-2022/?replytocom=1891344#respond)
As far as I can tell you’ve made 612 comments here over more than 7 years and not a single one contained a link. Not a single one!! You’ve been moderated for this twice by weka: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19-10-2020/#comment-1760747 and here (https://thestandard.org.nz/willie-on-the-unions/#comment-1296748), both for not providing a link
Since this comment (https://thestandard.org.nz/national-crashes-select-committee-meeting/#comment-1582837) on 13 Feb 2019 you’ve only once used the Reply button, which was ironically in a reply to me (8 May 2022)
Your also history shows that you’re a judgemental codger with regard to Posts and comments by Authors as well as of many others here
I have no idea how you got away with the above, but in future you can expect Mod notes from me
If you need help with replying and/or linking on an iPad all you need to do is ask. If not, expect unpleasant and sarcastic responses from me in the Mod notes
PS I volunteer a lot of my time here, in between my many other commitments and obligations, so forgive me if I get a bit short with some repeat offenders here
iPad users need to turn off Javascript (Settings > Safari > Advanced) in order to reply to comment threads. Seems to be a bug in the comment widget for those devices. Otherwise they can only add new comments at the root level as Reality here is doing.
The cure for bad attitude and failing to add links is not so straightforward.
Thanks and acknowledged.
No further comment from me.