Received an email from Better Public Media with results of a new poll conducted in early December showing support for the RNZ/TVNZ merger is far higher 60% to 40% than the Taxpayer Curia poll of October showed. Don't knows were about 30%.
NO. There have been enough of them over recent years to demonstrate they are slanted in the direction of the Right. It is easy to do by way of the wording of the questions and choosing the demographic more favourable to right-wing political parties.
I also get the Better Public Media emails and it is frustrating that the truth about the merger is out there, but is being twisted and distorted by those who oppose the merger which is the majority of the right-wing 'tabloid' media (who among other things are answerable to the commercial advertisers) and NACT who are donkey deep with the advertisers.
Having said that, I have to say the government has thus far done a poor job of explaining the merger and the rationale behind it.
As much as we can trust any polling, yes. These organisations often ask a question designed to solicit a particular response. If you look at the actual question asked by the Better Public Media poll, you will get an idea of how it was framed to get exactly the outcome they wanted.
On 29.12.2022, the prosecutors of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Central Structure together with police officers from the Bucharest Organized Crime Brigade implemented 5 home search warrants in a case in which investigations under the aspect of committing the crimes of constituting an organized criminal group, human trafficking and rape.
In the case, it was noted that, at the beginning of 2021, 4 suspects (two British citizens and two Romanian citizens) constituted a criminal group organized in order to commit on the territory of Romania, but also of other countries, such as the United States of America and Great Britain, of the crime of human trafficking. Victims were recruited by British citizens by misrepresenting their intention to enter into a marriage/cohabitation relationship and the existence of genuine feelings of love (the loverboy method). They were later transported and housed in buildings in Ilfov county where, by exercising acts of physical violence and mental coercion (through intimidation, constant surveillance, control and invoking alleged debts), they were sexually exploited by group members by forcing them to perform demonstrations pornographic for the purpose of producing and disseminating through social media platforms material having such a character and by submitting to the execution of a forced labor,
So far, 6 injured persons have been identified who were sexually exploited by the organized criminal group.
With regard to the crime of rape, it was noted that, in March 2022, an injured person was forced, on two different occasions, by a suspect through the exercise of physical violence and psychological pressure to have sexual relations.
At the headquarters of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Central Structure, 4 people who are reasonably suspected of being involved in criminal activity were taken for questioning. Following the hearings, the prosecutors of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Central Structure ordered the 4 persons to be detained for a period of 24 hours.
The activities were also attended by police officers from the Ilfov Organized Crime Service and the Service for Combating Human Trafficking, as well as gendarmes from the Special Intervention Brigade of the Gendarmerie.
We make it clear that during the entire criminal process, the investigated persons benefit from the procedural rights and guarantees provided by the Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as the presumption of innocence.
the industry had ten fucking years to think it through. The current situaion isn't about an ideological policy, it's about factory farming not giving a shit and doing the mahi of transitioning.
Calling farmers silly and lazy is silly and lazy. I haven’t seen that, but I can imagine it’s part of the rhetoric on sm. This is why I talked about the industry, not individual farmers. I don’t think farmers are lazy. I think the block is more that many farmers and those in the industry have a major philosophical/values difference from people wanting an end to animal cruelty. Thus the industry doesn't have enough skills, knowledge, or people to enable transition. Like with dairying and other industrial ag, the advice farmers are given is bad in terms of sustainability.
The article evidences this: a big chunk of the industry chose colony cages instead of barns or free range. If one doesn’t care about animal welfare and/or one thinks economics are more important, then of course the industry will chose the easiest and most obviously economic option. I don’t know why colony cages were included as an option but I’ll hazard a guess it’s for the same reason industrial farming is being enabled to drag the chain on climate.
The author clearly doesn’t value animal welfare and prioritises economics. Hence his argument that Europe going with colony cages means NZ should too.
Despite the argument in the piece about colony cages, the left parties and the supermarkets, it’s been obvious for a long time that NZ society was becoming more progressive on animal welfare. Again, if one doesn’t value animal welfare then one is unlikely to pay attention to these changes. It’s a values conflict.
Good on the farmers that went to barns and free range. Steps in the right direction. Some farmers got it. Many farmers want to do the right things, and government and industry isn’t very good at enabling those ones. To me it looks like not a problem with the policy, but that there is a chunk of farmers and industry people that just weren’t on board with the point: animal welfare. But policy makers are also often mainstream, so I see it more being on voters 😉
Hickman points to interest on loans for land. Can’t have it both ways. If you support neoliberal capitalism you will have problems with costs.
Likewise the price of grains. None of what the industry was doing is sustainable. It’s like they haven’t heard of food security and future proofing. None of what is happening with our current crises is news to many of us that have been working on sustainability.
The author clearly doesn’t value animal welfare and prioritises economics. Hence his argument that Europe going with colony cages means NZ should too.
You seem to be reading intent well beyond his actual words from the article:
Barn systems weren’t well known in New Zealand at the time and moving to free-range would require massive amounts of land, so despite the cost colonies were seen as the logical next step.
Animal welfare groups did not like this development, as far as they were concerned a cage is a cage and one form of factory farming was just being swapped for a slightly better form, this despite colonies being a major method of harvesting eggs in Europe after battery cages were banned a decade ago.
There's also a demand side to this as well. Demand spiked with Christmas and everyone wanting to make a pav for the big day. So some supermarkets bid higher for the finite number of eggs available and got priority. Those that didn't up their bids missed out, these would have been the ones that had low margins on eggs to get customers in the door, hence some supermarkets with empty shelves and the one down the road full but at higher price (maybe)
What the article doesn't cover is any role supermarket buying behaviour has had on the 20% reduction in egg production. There's certainly plenty of examples of producers in other fields giving it away because of the behaviour of the two supermarket chains.
yeah it was that last paragraph. Maybe there is another way to read that, but I took it as him saying colony cages where an acceptable form of farming. I also took him to be saying that because Europe was using them, this mean they were better. Or something. Didn't see anything about concern for the hens.
btw, from a sustainability design pov, there's a big opportunity here. People have been organising to buy the chickens from the factories. What we could be doing is putting the resources in place to enable households and communities to start keeping laying hens and producing eggs.
Two things will happen immediately from that: one is that more people will understand how much it costs to produce food. Two is that it builds resiliency, which is exactly what we need for climate and the cost of living crises.
From that comes sustainability and regenerative practice (how to do small scale egg production affordable).
And no, I didn't just say everyone should grow their own eggs.
We had 24 hens twice a year. Two dozen day old chicks would arrive. Half of them were grown for the pot, along with pullet and hen eggs. My job was to mix the mash. Mum had a mincer, and used to mince up left over veg which went into the mash as well. Cabbage leaves and outside lettuce leaves were always attacked with gusto by the hens. They needed grit wheat and corn, and would scratch and chortle when content.
I have happy childhood memories of "Cluck" who lives for 5 years raising brood after brood.
They are work, and rat dog cat weasel and stoats thunder and lightning could frighten them to death. Putting an extra fence round the coop kept pests at bay, long enough for the chickens to roost high.
Their greatest joy was scratching and bug catching in the garden. Their flight feathers have to trimmed to allow short flights but not escape. They need dust baths and a water trough. They are dirty so straw is needed, but that makes great replenishment for the garden.
We had black and white hens, renowned for egg laying . B&W Orpingtons? from memory. A simpler time.
My parents kept rabbits for the pot. When a rabbit disappeared I was told they had gone to live with someone else. It wasn't until I was well into my teens before I learnt I had tucked into them the night before. 😮
Everyone buying bags of wheat (and the pellets of God-knows what hort and ag byproducts) from the supermarket to turn into eggs. Sustainable?
Not even healthy. On the label – Do not feed to ruminants! Animals get the stuff sausage makers reject.
Who really has sufficient kitchen scraps to maintain chickens laying. So, do you starve your animals to be ideologically pure, or go out hunting for food so your egg provision suddenly became a job. I collected flax, acorns, wild grass seed, windfalls, rubbish… Dumpster diving for your chooks. It's all the rage.
What about water, medications, dust baths, shelter, shade, what about noise pollution and irate neighbours. What about faeces, feathers? What about worms, mites, scale, vets bills.
Chooks in orchard and food forest systems reduce pest problems out by taking windfalls (the first windfalls are typically host of insect pests) at very few birds per acre. That works well, but they won't lay like egg producers want. They do OK… In an urban setting, a section, with a coop on it someplace, ideology can take a flying leap I guess – you'll need grains/pellets.
Now geese eat grass…
If we were to shift the market toward being sustainable (empty shelves simply are not), we should have thought about what we're actually doing. Explore many options. By slowly introduced alternate eggs, and chefs on TV and the web to pimp them out.
Ecological literacy is sorely required whenever pushing environmental ideology.
Labour made mistakes, National made mistakes, industry made mistakes, supermarkets made mistakes…
most people will rely on grains and won't understand the problems with that. Most people don't have ecological literacy, or the systems thinking that would tie the egg crisis into neighbourhood regenerative transition and food security.
Most MPs don't have ecological literacy either. Not policy makers. It's really the biggest problem with face right now.
I expect some of the new at home egg production to harm hens. But I also think this is less harmful than caged hens, and it can be lessened if 'we' do the mahi around that.
I do think some neat systems will come of all this, meanwhile industry and consumers aren't finding much neat about the balls-up.
Patricia has some good stuff to say about chooks for sure.
I'm not sure of the volume of our hort industries wastes potentially for feeding chooks I reckon it'd be substantial. Also other organic matter as you can run good layer flocks on composting systems and make highly desirable compost in the process. Then you've got birds, eggs and compost as products.
These systems can be as simple as a chicken tractor dealing with a farms waste:
I have two pear trees so by rights should have had two…but no.
I have a new plum though and the books say to reduce the crop, does this really mean the remaining plum has to be sacrificed. I have eaten one already.
Really I am asking for a friend.
There is learning going on though about moving the plum to shelter before bud and flower time as wind caught it. I would have really had a problem had all the little plums come to something!
ETA I thought the days from Christmas started before 25/12 so that at 25/12 you got the whole lot……I thought I was going to have trouble with the geese but the possible egg shortage has meant I was able to sell those on TM at enormous profit.
It turns out that at least as far back as Catherine the Great, Russians see Crimea as being their ancient Greece, and that they have an ancient lineage back to Greek culture, essentially making them more European than the Europeans, crazy as it seems.
All based on an elaborate and highly tenuous line of logic the Russians have constructed over the years.
The upshot is that Crimea is a core component of Russian identity, and so losing Crimea may not be great for Putin for his longevity, or could end up being a motivation for Russia going to total war, resulting in full mobilisation of Russia.
Vexler is a great source on the Russian philosophy side of things, himself being a Russian living in Great Britain now. Lots of much deeper insights than those of us on the outside would have.
Reading Janet Wilson's column in the Waikato Times this morning (also on the Stuff website) and managing not to choke on my cup of tea, I did wonder if she was deliberately being disingenuous or does suffer from (selective) amnesia. Ye Gods, it was her beloved National Party – John Key in particular who overturned the Clark Government's ditching of the old Honours sytem in favour of our own home grown version so he could become a Knight of the Realm when he retired!!! https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/130878733/janet-wilson-make-honours-system-standalone-and-free-of-political-influence
PS – congratulations Sir Ashley Bloomfield, an honour well deserved, along with Dame Farah Palmer and Dame Miranda Harcourt.
This Danish journalist kicked out of both Russia and Ukraine stood up for journalistic integrity.Makes one wonder how other journalists survive in this war zone .
Dunno what I've done wrong, but I can't get any of mickey savages posts for the past week or so, only the comments. Also today open Mike says there are 26 comments, but when I call it up it then says and displays only 4 comments.
If you have a cure please explain in old fart terms.
Strange New Year's eve on the outskirts of Queenstown. We're beside SH6 about 20km east of Queenstown and the road is exceptionally quiet, like quieter than a normal weekday, and the bulk of traffic seems to be heading out of town. Normally NYE is a constant stream of cars in fully party mode from early evening.
I ran across a recent essay from The Brothers Krynn, which attempts to map common horror monsters onto the Seven Deadly Sins: https://canadianculturecorner.substack.com/p/horror-monsters-and-vice My interest, however, is not in the meat of the piece, but rather the opening paragraph: It is an interesting fact that in recent decades, Vampires have ...
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 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 ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
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 ...
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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, ...
Received an email from Better Public Media with results of a new poll conducted in early December showing support for the RNZ/TVNZ merger is far higher 60% to 40% than the Taxpayer Curia poll of October showed. Don't knows were about 30%.
.https://www.betterpublicmedia.org.nz/news1/poll-shows-support-rnztvnz-merger
This calls into question in my mind the validity of the Taxpayer poll with a result showing low support for Three Waters. https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/three_waters_poll
The Taxpayer Union poll for the media merger was similar. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/130662484/majority-of-people-dont-want-rnz-and-tvnz-to-merge-survey-says
Can we trust Taxpayer/Curia polls?
Can we trust Taxpayer/Curia polls?"
NO. There have been enough of them over recent years to demonstrate they are slanted in the direction of the Right. It is easy to do by way of the wording of the questions and choosing the demographic more favourable to right-wing political parties.
I also get the Better Public Media emails and it is frustrating that the truth about the merger is out there, but is being twisted and distorted by those who oppose the merger which is the majority of the right-wing 'tabloid' media (who among other things are answerable to the commercial advertisers) and NACT who are donkey deep with the advertisers.
Having said that, I have to say the government has thus far done a poor job of explaining the merger and the rationale behind it.
No. End of story.
They are pure cheerleaders for Nat/Act Parties and purport to be fair lol
As much as we can trust any polling, yes. These organisations often ask a question designed to solicit a particular response. If you look at the actual question asked by the Better Public Media poll, you will get an idea of how it was framed to get exactly the outcome they wanted.
Hopefully the toxic prick is properly fucked.
https://twitter.com/DrJessTaylor/status/1608847716909740037
https://twitter.com/julianrouth/status/1608677270943850496
On 29.12.2022, the prosecutors of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Central Structure together with police officers from the Bucharest Organized Crime Brigade implemented 5 home search warrants in a case in which investigations under the aspect of committing the crimes of constituting an organized criminal group, human trafficking and rape.
In the case, it was noted that, at the beginning of 2021, 4 suspects (two British citizens and two Romanian citizens) constituted a criminal group organized in order to commit on the territory of Romania, but also of other countries, such as the United States of America and Great Britain, of the crime of human trafficking.
Victims were recruited by British citizens by misrepresenting their intention to enter into a marriage/cohabitation relationship and the existence of genuine feelings of love (the loverboy method). They were later transported and housed in buildings in Ilfov county where, by exercising acts of physical violence and mental coercion (through intimidation, constant surveillance, control and invoking alleged debts), they were sexually exploited by group members by forcing them to perform demonstrations pornographic for the purpose of producing and disseminating through social media platforms material having such a character and by submitting to the execution of a forced labor,
So far, 6 injured persons have been identified who were sexually exploited by the organized criminal group.
With regard to the crime of rape, it was noted that, in March 2022, an injured person was forced, on two different occasions, by a suspect through the exercise of physical violence and psychological pressure to have sexual relations.
At the headquarters of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Central Structure, 4 people who are reasonably suspected of being involved in criminal activity were taken for questioning. Following the hearings, the prosecutors of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Central Structure ordered the 4 persons to be detained for a period of 24 hours.
The activities were also attended by police officers from the Ilfov Organized Crime Service and the Service for Combating Human Trafficking, as well as gendarmes from the Special Intervention Brigade of the Gendarmerie.
We make it clear that during the entire criminal process, the investigated persons benefit from the procedural rights and guarantees provided by the Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as the presumption of innocence.
https://www-diicot-ro.translate.goog/mass-media/3829-comunicat-de-presa-29-12-2022?_x_tr_sl=ro&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
edit:
press release about Tate’s arrest in April
https://diicot-ro.translate.goog/mass-media/3506-comunicat-de-presa-12-04-2022?_x_tr_sl=ro&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Yes – in about 48 hours his carbon footprint has been reduced to nearly zero. Good work Greta!
Greta Thunberg brought down
a manthe epitome of toxic masculinity with a single tweet.A legend is born.
She totally burned him Greta Thunberg ends year with one of the greatest tweets in history
$10 for the cheapest dozen eggs in the supermarket. !!
This ball started rolling in 2012, this should highlight how carefully any ideological policy to improve farming needs to thought trough.
(This doesn't mean I condone squalid battery hen farming btw)
the industry had ten fucking years to think it through. The current situaion isn't about an ideological policy, it's about factory farming not giving a shit and doing the mahi of transitioning.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/130887548/egg-shortage-isnt-because-nzs-farmers-are-silly-and-lazy
Or you could put ypur big person pants on ,and realise it's far more complicated.
And my point isn't that the people who the policy directly affected didn't respond un the way that was hoped.
It's that the policy makers didn't see the problem in the making and factor that in, it's supposedly why we elect them .
Calling farmers silly and lazy is silly and lazy. I haven’t seen that, but I can imagine it’s part of the rhetoric on sm. This is why I talked about the industry, not individual farmers. I don’t think farmers are lazy. I think the block is more that many farmers and those in the industry have a major philosophical/values difference from people wanting an end to animal cruelty. Thus the industry doesn't have enough skills, knowledge, or people to enable transition. Like with dairying and other industrial ag, the advice farmers are given is bad in terms of sustainability.
The article evidences this: a big chunk of the industry chose colony cages instead of barns or free range. If one doesn’t care about animal welfare and/or one thinks economics are more important, then of course the industry will chose the easiest and most obviously economic option. I don’t know why colony cages were included as an option but I’ll hazard a guess it’s for the same reason industrial farming is being enabled to drag the chain on climate.
The author clearly doesn’t value animal welfare and prioritises economics. Hence his argument that Europe going with colony cages means NZ should too.
Despite the argument in the piece about colony cages, the left parties and the supermarkets, it’s been obvious for a long time that NZ society was becoming more progressive on animal welfare. Again, if one doesn’t value animal welfare then one is unlikely to pay attention to these changes. It’s a values conflict.
Good on the farmers that went to barns and free range. Steps in the right direction. Some farmers got it. Many farmers want to do the right things, and government and industry isn’t very good at enabling those ones. To me it looks like not a problem with the policy, but that there is a chunk of farmers and industry people that just weren’t on board with the point: animal welfare. But policy makers are also often mainstream, so I see it more being on voters 😉
Hickman points to interest on loans for land. Can’t have it both ways. If you support neoliberal capitalism you will have problems with costs.
Likewise the price of grains. None of what the industry was doing is sustainable. It’s like they haven’t heard of food security and future proofing. None of what is happening with our current crises is news to many of us that have been working on sustainability.
You seem to be reading intent well beyond his actual words from the article:
There's also a demand side to this as well. Demand spiked with Christmas and everyone wanting to make a pav for the big day. So some supermarkets bid higher for the finite number of eggs available and got priority. Those that didn't up their bids missed out, these would have been the ones that had low margins on eggs to get customers in the door, hence some supermarkets with empty shelves and the one down the road full but at higher price (maybe)
What the article doesn't cover is any role supermarket buying behaviour has had on the 20% reduction in egg production. There's certainly plenty of examples of producers in other fields giving it away because of the behaviour of the two supermarket chains.
yeah it was that last paragraph. Maybe there is another way to read that, but I took it as him saying colony cages where an acceptable form of farming. I also took him to be saying that because Europe was using them, this mean they were better. Or something. Didn't see anything about concern for the hens.
btw, from a sustainability design pov, there's a big opportunity here. People have been organising to buy the chickens from the factories. What we could be doing is putting the resources in place to enable households and communities to start keeping laying hens and producing eggs.
Two things will happen immediately from that: one is that more people will understand how much it costs to produce food. Two is that it builds resiliency, which is exactly what we need for climate and the cost of living crises.
From that comes sustainability and regenerative practice (how to do small scale egg production affordable).
And no, I didn't just say everyone should grow their own eggs.
The much asked for (by the offspring) chicken coop will be getting built as soon as economically viable I tell you.
😎
I'm tempted but probably not in my reach atm.
We had 24 hens twice a year. Two dozen day old chicks would arrive. Half of them were grown for the pot, along with pullet and hen eggs. My job was to mix the mash. Mum had a mincer, and used to mince up left over veg which went into the mash as well. Cabbage leaves and outside lettuce leaves were always attacked with gusto by the hens. They needed grit wheat and corn, and would scratch and chortle when content.
I have happy childhood memories of "Cluck" who lives for 5 years raising brood after brood.
They are work, and rat dog cat weasel and stoats thunder and lightning could frighten them to death. Putting an extra fence round the coop kept pests at bay, long enough for the chickens to roost high.
Their greatest joy was scratching and bug catching in the garden. Their flight feathers have to trimmed to allow short flights but not escape. They need dust baths and a water trough. They are dirty so straw is needed, but that makes great replenishment for the garden.
We had black and white hens, renowned for egg laying . B&W Orpingtons? from memory. A simpler time.
My parents kept rabbits for the pot. When a rabbit disappeared I was told they had gone to live with someone else. It wasn't until I was well into my teens before I learnt I had tucked into them the night before. 😮
I was the same with "Granny's lamb". Happy 2023 Anne.
Best wishes for you and 'him indoors' for 2023. When you get to our age it takes on a new meaning.
Chickens eat grain and meat.
Everyone buying bags of wheat (and the pellets of God-knows what hort and ag byproducts) from the supermarket to turn into eggs. Sustainable?
Not even healthy. On the label – Do not feed to ruminants! Animals get the stuff sausage makers reject.
Who really has sufficient kitchen scraps to maintain chickens laying. So, do you starve your animals to be ideologically pure, or go out hunting for food so your egg provision suddenly became a job. I collected flax, acorns, wild grass seed, windfalls, rubbish… Dumpster diving for your chooks. It's all the rage.
What about water, medications, dust baths, shelter, shade, what about noise pollution and irate neighbours. What about faeces, feathers? What about worms, mites, scale, vets bills.
Chooks in orchard and food forest systems reduce pest problems out by taking windfalls (the first windfalls are typically host of insect pests) at very few birds per acre. That works well, but they won't lay like egg producers want. They do OK… In an urban setting, a section, with a coop on it someplace, ideology can take a flying leap I guess – you'll need grains/pellets.
Now geese eat grass…
If we were to shift the market toward being sustainable (empty shelves simply are not), we should have thought about what we're actually doing. Explore many options. By slowly introduced alternate eggs, and chefs on TV and the web to pimp them out.
Ecological literacy is sorely required whenever pushing environmental ideology.
Labour made mistakes, National made mistakes, industry made mistakes, supermarkets made mistakes…
We mere mortals pay.
most people will rely on grains and won't understand the problems with that. Most people don't have ecological literacy, or the systems thinking that would tie the egg crisis into neighbourhood regenerative transition and food security.
Most MPs don't have ecological literacy either. Not policy makers. It's really the biggest problem with face right now.
I expect some of the new at home egg production to harm hens. But I also think this is less harmful than caged hens, and it can be lessened if 'we' do the mahi around that.
I do think some neat systems will come of all this, meanwhile industry and consumers aren't finding much neat about the balls-up.
Patricia has some good stuff to say about chooks for sure.
I'm not sure of the volume of our hort industries wastes potentially for feeding chooks I reckon it'd be substantial. Also other organic matter as you can run good layer flocks on composting systems and make highly desirable compost in the process. Then you've got birds, eggs and compost as products.
These systems can be as simple as a chicken tractor dealing with a farms waste:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbE4HEnSkC0
To a dedicated compost facility with flock/s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWChH9MHkHg
Thank you DB Happy New Year from "Him indoors and me!
I'm a fan of the Lawtons.
A lot of potential with various chicken-integrated into whole systems. These people seem to be doing good things within the mainstream ag field.
https://www.greenhenz.co.nz/
6th day of Christmas today. Did you get 6 geese a laying?
We have a pear tree out the back but it seems the partridge got away. 🙁
I have two pear trees so by rights should have had two…but no.
I have a new plum though and the books say to reduce the crop, does this really mean the remaining plum has to be sacrificed. I have eaten one already.
Really I am asking for a friend.
There is learning going on though about moving the plum to shelter before bud and flower time as wind caught it. I would have really had a problem had all the little plums come to something!
ETA I thought the days from Christmas started before 25/12 so that at 25/12 you got the whole lot……I thought I was going to have trouble with the geese but the possible egg shortage has meant I was able to sell those on TM at enormous profit.
what would be our equivalent of a partridge? Pukeko? 😈
I think eating pukeko (they're a bit scrawny) would be like my Aunt and her idea of cooking ducks. old story.
Pluck etc
Put in large saucepan with several packets of Raro made up with water (that takes you back) and an old leather boot.
Boil gently for hours
Drain, throw the duck away
Serve and eat the leather boot.
the pūkeko soup recipe is similar except it features a pukeko and a stone. You eat the stone.
Duck however is very tasty and excellent.
I'm not into Pukeko very much
see my comment 28 December 2022 at 10:41 am
Sir Ashley Bloomfield:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/new-year-honours-dr-ashley-bloomfield-who-led-covid-19-response-in-pandemic-knighted-to-become-sir/5DHS2FSB6NAALO5MP5T4MQPCOY/
Couldn't be more deserved.
Fully agree Anne. He is a New Zealander we can all be immensely proud of.
Currently in NSW. All the issues making headlines in NZ in recent times are also replicated here. Cost of living, housing, pot holes ……
Agree.
Last day of 2023.
Doesnt time go fast.
Congratulations to Sir Ashley.
"Last day of 2023".
Really?
Ok, last day of 2022.
Gee Millsy, you are wishing the years away lol Last day of 2022, and may we have a better 2023. All the best to Standard folk.
All the very best of health and happiness in 2023 to you Patricia. See what the new year brings for us to chew on.
Take very good care and stay safe.
Cheers
Mary
Thanks mary-a, all the best to you and yours.
For those who want to delve into some batshit crazy Russian thinking…
In this video, philosopher and historian Vlad Vexler delves into why Crimea is so important to the Russians.
It turns out that at least as far back as Catherine the Great, Russians see Crimea as being their ancient Greece, and that they have an ancient lineage back to Greek culture, essentially making them more European than the Europeans, crazy as it seems.
All based on an elaborate and highly tenuous line of logic the Russians have constructed over the years.
The upshot is that Crimea is a core component of Russian identity, and so losing Crimea may not be great for Putin for his longevity, or could end up being a motivation for Russia going to total war, resulting in full mobilisation of Russia.
Vexler is a great source on the Russian philosophy side of things, himself being a Russian living in Great Britain now. Lots of much deeper insights than those of us on the outside would have.
So nothing to do with its military strategic value ?
Just those silly old Russians with their outlandish fairy tale notions.
https://www.csis.org/blogs/post-soviet-post/crimeas-strategic-value-russia
Reading Janet Wilson's column in the Waikato Times this morning (also on the Stuff website) and managing not to choke on my cup of tea, I did wonder if she was deliberately being disingenuous or does suffer from (selective) amnesia. Ye Gods, it was her beloved National Party – John Key in particular who overturned the Clark Government's ditching of the old Honours sytem in favour of our own home grown version so he could become a Knight of the Realm when he retired!!! https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/130878733/janet-wilson-make-honours-system-standalone-and-free-of-political-influence
PS – congratulations Sir Ashley Bloomfield, an honour well deserved, along with Dame Farah Palmer and Dame Miranda Harcourt.
This Danish journalist kicked out of both Russia and Ukraine stood up for journalistic integrity.Makes one wonder how other journalists survive in this war zone .
https://theintercept.com/2022/12/29/matilde-kimer-ukraine/
Dunno what I've done wrong, but I can't get any of mickey savages posts for the past week or so, only the comments. Also today open Mike says there are 26 comments, but when I call it up it then says and displays only 4 comments.
If you have a cure please explain in old fart terms.
Have a good year people, and travel well.
it's a bug that the sysop is working on.
Are you on a phone or ipad/tablet? Any info you can share about your device would be helpful.
Hey, thanks for your response. I live on my boat and am currently in the mahurangi harbour, due to jobs needing done on my son's boat.
My communication with the outside world is; cell phone, VHF and SSB. Cell phone is a bit marginal up here ( 2 bars is a good day).
I really value The Standards repartee and thoughtful posts. But who is this sysops guy, perhaps he needs controlling (sarc).
I'm amazed and thankful that people are so giving of their time to operate a site like this.
Travel well.
Sounds like something that I'm looking at (and making no headway on).
Congratulations to Dr Sir Ashley Bloomfield. A well deserved honour.
Agree 100%. Mary. But get ready for the moaners and whingers.
Anyone still paying attention?
https://twitter.com/checklarry/status/1608879300060798977
Yup.
https://twitter.com/fitterhappierAJ/status/1608954781481193472
thanks. I'll save that one for a few days time so I can enjoy the transition to 2023.
A new year and NZ in a cleft stick….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo8NPwWQiSg
Aligned with the west and reliant on China…decisions decisions.
I'm sorry, but no level of research is going to make anyone who saw Jaws feel any less anxiety about Great White Sharks.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/research-project-will-help-public-feel-less-anxiety-about-great-white-sharks/5L44RQZWMNJHNWQC5MUNNXZB54/
It may be fiction, but it's embedded in our psyche….
Bloody terrifying movie! I went on the Universal Studio tour in LA a few years back – which includes a 'live' experience – screams galore.
Strange New Year's eve on the outskirts of Queenstown. We're beside SH6 about 20km east of Queenstown and the road is exceptionally quiet, like quieter than a normal weekday, and the bulk of traffic seems to be heading out of town. Normally NYE is a constant stream of cars in fully party mode from early evening.
people prioritising time with family? avoiding covid?
Dunno, it's eerily quiet, almost like lockdown. Not one Goron, unless they all got EarPods and Teslas for Christmas.
Might be some sorry hospo types in the media n Monday morning
https://twitter.com/StefSimanowitz/status/1605490447547351040
I hope I don't have to scroll past so much twitter in 2023…
I hope for less formatted text..
Happy New Year folks. I am in the Bay of Islands. Gotta get away from teh intarwebz
Ki te aha Whano we wish you all a Prosperous new year.
https://youtu.be/aMfE_gkU3Rs
Kia Kaha
Ka kite Ano.