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Comment: Shaw stands down as Greens co-leader
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 9:34 am, January 31st, 2024
'consensus politics does work' Agreed, and in fact it's the only approach that will work, give our MMP system and the nature of NZers in avoiding anything radical. Hopefully whoever replaced Shaw as co-leader will realise this. The good thing is that now ...Comment: Shaw stands down as Greens co-leader
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 1:53 pm, January 30th, 2024
Of course it is. But who the messenger is, and how they work with other people, is what gets it through from being just a policy to an actual change in real life. Hopefully the members elect someone who knows how to do more than just shout and stamp their ...Comment: Shaw stands down as Greens co-leader
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 12:51 pm, January 30th, 2024
I've voted for the Greens more often than I have for any other party, over the decades, despite some of the lunatic fringe that comes with that. The reason for that was that they were the only party that did anything for the environment, even if they ...Comment: Economy improves dramatically thanks to Labour
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 8:47 pm, January 28th, 2024
That Mickey says ‘debt is under control’ just shows the delusional thinking of hidebound Labourites. Fine if you’re a person with no children, like Clark or Robertson, but if you have a lasting legacy in this planet’s future and hope your great grand ...Comment: Economy improves dramatically thanks to Labour
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 6:45 pm, January 28th, 2024
Robertson is unelectable as a PM. He is completely unrelatable to the common man or woman. You may as well try resurrect Helen Clark. And if he wanted the job, he should have put his hand up when Ardern bailed. True leaders know when to act - they get the ...Comment: Economy improves dramatically thanks to Labour
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 5:15 pm, January 28th, 2024
Agreed. The NZ economy is pretty much totally driven by international factors. That’s just how things go when you are an exporting nation that relies on largely agricultural produce to pay for things. NZ is a price-taker not a price-maker.Comment: Mood of the smokoroom – fearful
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 8:42 pm, January 18th, 2024
Possibly I missed this detail in the post, but my questions would be: 1. How many of the 50,000 'randomly selected' replied, and were surveyed to get the 2,000 responses? 2. How many people are on the total CTU list? 3. Why was the full list not surveyed? ...Comment: Why does National hate EVs?
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 6:19 pm, January 18th, 2024
So, typically you're complaining that the new govt does the opposite of, or undoes, what Labour did, and now you're complaining that they shouldn't have done what Labour had planned? And as regards hybrids, they are a transition product, which is pivotal ...Comment: Why does National hate EVs?
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 6:14 pm, January 18th, 2024
Lol The NZ Labour Party is anything but teal, and none of them can think or act independently. Teal seems to be the name for those who are both capitalists (or at least understand that bills do need to be paid) and those who value the environment. Who in ...Comment: Why does National hate EVs?
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 8:27 pm, January 17th, 2024
RUC will come to petrol cars too, as they should - it's just a matter of timeComment: Why does National hate EVs?
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 6:38 pm, January 17th, 2024
Correct - and I think anyone who did their research would know this. I did, and got a PHEV which works well for my situation. It would help if the funds gathered from RUC were ring-fenced and demonstrated to be spent on maintaining infrastructure, but ...Comment: Open mike 28/12/2023
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 7:30 pm, December 28th, 2023
I don't think anyone is remotely interested in an "opportunity to negotiate mutually acceptable outcomes"... That would mean that people ended up happy, and then there would be no need for political parties.Comment: Wanaka Has No Crime
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 6:33 pm, December 28th, 2023
Links please?Comment: Open mike 23/12/2023
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 1:05 pm, December 23rd, 2023
Yep, and so obvious. Except for those in denial, or with vested interests. I think the Ardern years were a dead cat bounce for Labour, as they say in the markets. They’ve been struggling for decades now, and look to have handed the socialist vote to the ...Comment: Open mike 20/12/2023
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 7:12 pm, December 20th, 2023
Which is why we should be putting the environment first, and not worry so much about the Left vs Right debate constantly - maybe one day this country will grow up, but probably not in my lifetime, sadly.Comment: Political comeback – Getting the sequencing right
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 6:02 pm, December 15th, 2023
Speaking of naval gazing, there's plenty of jobs going in the forces. https://newsroom.co.nz/2023/12/15/defence-force-personnel-crisis-extremely-concerning-says-minister/Comment: Political comeback – Getting the sequencing right
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 5:51 pm, December 15th, 2023
Burnout? Labour had more MPs than they knew what to do with! Could have shared the work around, but chose to concentrate the attention on a few. Basic management skills lacking.Comment: Open mike 14/12/2023
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 7:02 pm, December 14th, 2023
Singapore was taken from a swamp to a place that people flock to, in 50 years. Warsaw was rebuilt brick by brick using old photographs as the plans. Hadrian's Wall took 6 years. And you claim a couple keels, nearly being laid, in 3 years, is an achievement ...Comment: Open mike 14/12/2023
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 5:58 pm, December 14th, 2023
Looks to me like yet another overblown, over consulted and under costed project that the previous government used for publicity as long as it could, but was always doomed to failure. Time for a reset. No idea whether a three party coalition can solve this ...Comment: Shame Jones
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 5:44 pm, December 14th, 2023
But nothing has changed since I said it last time - the absence of action following a sensible suggestion doesn't invalidate the logic of the suggestion. I really feel for James - he's sadly doomed to never achieve for the environment what he could have.Comment: Shame Jones
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 5:20 pm, December 14th, 2023
All this could have been avoided of course, if James Shaw had been offered, and accepted, the Climate Change ministership. One day this country will pull its big boy pants on and think further than next week - but today is not that day....Comment: Shame Jones
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 5:15 pm, December 14th, 2023
Yes, but who's voting for them.... Oh yeah, the kiwi publicComment: About the Te Papa protest
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 8:22 pm, December 12th, 2023
No, it's not good enough. What's needed is a single, unifying document that people do agree on. Clearly that's the only way forward if we want lasting peace. Unfortunately, with all the vested interests on all sides, I don't think that's possible. Best to ...Comment: Open mike 10/12/2023
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 7:34 pm, December 10th, 2023
Remind me again how climate change and child poverty are working out? Words are cheap, what matters is delivery. Labour had the first majority since MMP started but did sweet FA - cowards. [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being ...Comment: Open mike 10/12/2023
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 4:29 pm, December 10th, 2023
It would have been an interesting move by Luxon to offer Shaw the Climate Change minister role, and with the budget that Labour suddenly pulled from Shaw without telling him, restored. If Shaw declined, then the Greens would get questions about how much ...Comment: Open mike 10/12/2023
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 3:32 pm, December 10th, 2023
Can someone explain please, what the value add would have been by having dedicated governance positions for Māori? Was the belief that this would improve the quality of the result, and if so, how?Comment: Open mike 09/12/2023
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 8:22 pm, December 9th, 2023
My pick is that no-one will correct the systemic failures that give rise to a country with 90% renewable energy having to subsidise its citizens’ power bills. And that’s not just the latest crowd, that’s your beloved lefty parties too. All the power for ...Comment: Open mike 09/12/2023
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 6:47 pm, December 9th, 2023
Yes, Lake Onslow, but it wasn’t a confirmed project as such yet. Just one of the many infrastructure projects around the country that was log jammed in consultation.Comment: Open mike 09/12/2023
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 6:38 pm, December 9th, 2023
Ok, sure, while you pontificate on the perfect solution, and resist until that arrives, the world burns. But you kept your principles intact aye, so all good.Comment: Open mike 09/12/2023
Written By: Chess Player - Date published: 6:35 pm, December 9th, 2023
There’s only one right wing party in parliament in NZ and that’s ACT. And they’re about as far right as a mild Republican in the US, I’d say.
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- This is why we have juries
Back in October 2022, Restore Passenger Rail hung banners across roads in Wellington to protest against the then-Labour government's weak climate change policy. The police responded by charging them not with the usual public order offences, but with "endangering transport", a crime with a maximum sentence of 14 years in ...6 days ago - Luxon’s economy focus at odds with voters
Luxon’s popularity continues to fall, and a new survey shows voters rank fixing the health system as the top priority. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesLong stories shortest in Aotearoa’s political economy this morning: National’s pollster finds Christopher Luxon has fallen behind Chris Hipkins as preferred PM for the first ...6 days ago - Tuesday 11 March
The CTU is calling for an apology from Nicola Willis after her office made a false characterisation of CTU statements, which ultimately saw him blocked from future Treasury briefings. New data shows that Māori make up 83% of those charged under new gang laws. Financial incentives are being offered to ...6 days ago - Protected: Fight Back Together May Day 2025 Resources
This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: The post Protected: Fight Back Together May Day 2025 Resources appeared first on NZCTU. ...6 days ago
- Australia needs to prevent cybercrime, not just react to it
Australia’s cyber capabilities have evolved rapidly, but they are still largely reactive, not preventative. Rather than responding to cyber incidents, Australian law enforcement agencies should focus on dismantling underlying criminal networks. On 11 December, Europol ...6 days ago - The National Hurricane Center set an all-time record for forecast accuracy in 2024
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters Finally, there’s some good news to report from NOAA, the parent organization of the National Hurricane Center, or NHC: During the highly active 2o24 Atlantic hurricane season, the NHC made record-accurate track forecasts at every time interval (12-, ...6 days ago - Societal resilience is the best answer to Chinese warships
The Australian government has prioritised enhancing Australia’s national resilience for many years now, whether against natural disasters, economic coercion or hostile armed forces. However, the public and media response to the presence of Chinese naval ...6 days ago
- Upper Habour Bus change a step towards rapid transit
It appears that Auckland Transport is finally set to improve Auckland’s busiest non-frequent bus route, the 120. As highlighted in my post a month ago on Auckland’s busiest bus routes, the 120 is the busiest route that doesn’t already run frequently all day/week and carries more passengers than many other ...6 days ago - Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Stubborn Refusal To Invest For Growth
Economists have earned their reputation for jargon and tunnel vision, but sometimes, it takes an someone as perceptive as Simplicity economist Shamubeel Eaqub to identify something simple and devastating. As he pointed out recently, the coalition government is trying to attract foreign investment here to generate economic growth, while – ...7 days ago - 5 Extraordinary Revelations From Deloitte’s Health NZ Review
Opinion & AnalysisSimeon Brown, left, and Deloitte partner David LovattIn September 2024, Deloitte Partner David Lovatt, was contracted by the National Government to help National ostensibly understand “the drivers behind HNZ’s worsening financial performance”.1 i.e. deficit.The report shows the last version was dated December 2024.It was formally released this week ...7 days ago - All the Toey Horses
This cobbled-together government was altogether more the beneficiary of Labour getting turfed out than anything it managed to do itself. Even the worthless cheques they were writing didn't buy all that much favour.How’s it all looking now?Shall we take a look at a Horizon poll?The Government’s performance is making only ...1 week ago - Aotearoa should sign the Disappearance Convention
There's horrible news from the US today, with the Trump regime disappearing Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student, for protesting against genocide in Gaza. Its another significant decline in US human rights, and puts them in the same class as the authoritarian dictatorships they used to sponsor in South ...1 week ago
- Judging their own case
Yesterday National announced plans to amend the Public Works Act to "speed up" land acquisition for public works. Which sounds boring and bureaucratic - except its not. Because what "land acquisition" means is people's homes being compulsorily acquired by the state - which is inherently controversial, and fairly high up ...1 week ago
- Leadership Problems.
Contenders: The next question after “Will Luxon really go?” is, of course, “Will that work?” The answer to that question lies not so much in the efficacy of Luxon’s successor as it does in the perceived strength of the Centre-Left alternative.AT LEAST TWO prominent political commentators are alluding publicly to the ...1 week ago - It’s Only Natural
Ice will melt, water will boilYou and I can shake off this mortal coilIt's bigger than usYou don't have to worry about itIt's circumstantialIt's nothing written in the skyAnd we don't even have to trySongwriters: Neil Finn / Tim Finn.Preparing for the future.Many of you will be familiar with the ...1 week ago - On the way ahead
In my post last Thursday I offered some thoughts on changes that should be initiated by the government in the wake of the Governor’s surprise resignation. (Days on we still have no real explanation as to why he just resigned with no notice, disappearing out the door and (eg) leaving ...1 week ago - Chinese navy transit: opinions in The Strategist
In late February a Chinese navy flotilla including a cruiser, a frigate and a replenishment ship began to circle Australia, conducting a live fire exercise in the Tasman Sea along the way. The Strategist featured ...1 week ago
- China’s navy sends a steady drumbeat of ships around Australia
China’s deployment of a potent surface action group around Australia over the past two weeks is unprecedented but not unique. Over the past few years, China’s navy has deployed a range of vessels in Australia’s ...1 week ago
- Owners of compulsorily acquired non-iwi land to be stripped of appeal rights
Long stories shortest in Aotearoa’s political economy this morning: Within months and before Parliamentary approval is obtained, the Government plans to strip non-Maori landowners of the right to use the Environment Court to stop compulsory acquisition for fast-track projects and big new motorways.The Government also wants to buy off landowners ...1 week ago - The Last Video Shop
Hi,When I was 16 (pimples, braces, painfully awkward) — I applied for a job at Video Ezy.It’s difficult to describe how much I wanted this job. Video Ezy was my local video shop in Tauranga, and I’d spend hours of my teenage life stalking through those aisles, looking at the ...1 week ago - 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #10
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 2, 2025 thru Sat, March 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. We are still interested ...1 week ago
- Thinking about life in a nuclear armed crowd.
The title of this post comes from Albert Wohlstetter’s 1976 seminal essay Moving Towards Life in a Nuclear Armed Crowd. In that essay he contemplated a world in which several nations had nuclear weapons, and also the strategic logics governing their proliferation, deployment and use (mainly as a deterrent). For ...1 week ago - A soliloquy for the week to March 9
Adrian Orr resigned unexpectedly and immediately on Wednesday, giving no explanation for departing three years before the end of his second term. File Photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories shortest in our political economy this week: David Seymour’s lunch programme came under increasing scrutiny;Adrian Orr resigned unexpectedly after clashing with Nicola Willis ...1 week ago - On Sunday
You've got to live, lady liveDo the tongue rollGive me joyBut don't kiss me too fastSong: Th’ Dudes.Good morning, all. After another heavy week of less-than-positive news, it’s time for something silly: the old standby of memories and questions.I can’t face writing about any more terrible people this week. I usually ...1 week ago - Fact brief – Is Greenland losing land ice?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Greenland losing land ice? Data from satellites and expeditions confirm Greenland has been losing land ice at an accelerating rate for decades. ...1 week ago
- A letter
After the Reserve Bank’s appearance on 20 February at the Finance and Expenditure Committee (the Governor, his macro deputy Karen Silk, and his chief economist Paul Conway) on the previous day’s Monetary Policy Statement, I wrote a post here about it, focused on a number of areas in which Orr, ...1 week ago
- Australia’s defences must be ready in two years. Here’s what to do
Beijing deployed a naval task group to the waters around Australia for three related reasons. First, to demonstrate the reach and potency of Chinese sea power and to put Australia on notice that it is ...1 week ago
- True Faith
That's the price that we all payAnd the value of destiny comes to nothingI can't tell you where we're goingI guess there was just no way of knowingSongwriters: Bernard Sumner / Gillian Lesley Gilbert / Peter Hook / Stephen Eric Hague / Stephen Paul David Morris.What an eventful week it’s ...1 week ago - Trump’s speech to Congress: America First in trade and alliances
In what might have been the longest presidential address to Congress in American history—an hour and forty minutes without intermission—President Donald Trump delivered a performance on Tuesday night that was simultaneously grandiose, confrontational, optimistic and ...1 week ago
- Can We Ignore the Environment?
Peter Frankopan’s The Earth Transformed: An Untold History is a compelling account of the interaction between humans and the environment. We would be unwise to ignore it. The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Oxford professor of history Peter Frankopan was initially widely admired. But critics point ...1 week ago - A loss in Europe is a loss in the Indo-Pacific
The United States shocked the world last week with President Donald Trump’s very public rift with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This was followed by a US pause on military aid and some intelligence sharing with ...1 week ago
- International Women’s Day 2025: progress and possibilities
International Women’s Day (IWD) serves as both a celebration of progress and a reminder of the ongoing challenges women face worldwide. Across national security, diplomacy, human rights and digital spaces, women continue to break barriers. ...1 week ago
- Bernanke on inflation targeting
Former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors (and FOMC), Ben Bernanke, was yesterday the first of two keynote speakers at the Reserve Bank’s conference to mark 35 years of inflation targeting, which first became a formalised thing here in New Zealand. He indicated that he’d be speaking about ...1 week ago
- From home to horror: the association between domestic violence and terrorism
Domestic violence is an under-recognised early indicator of terrorism. It is not a reliable solitary indicator, but when observed alongside risk factors, it can prompt authorities to take a closer look at a potential terrorist. ...1 week ago
- You say socialist like it’s a bad thing
1. The Government is bringing back what to Health New Zealand?a. Buckb. Sexyc. The arrangement they dumped nine months ago2. Patient advocate and health campaigner Malcolm Mulholland said Commissioner Levy's time would be remembered as what?a. The Good Placeb. The Bad Placec. Absolute havoc and mayhem3. The government also announced ...1 week ago - Submit!
The Justice Committee has called for submissions on the Term of Parliament (Enabling 4-year Term) Legislation Amendment Bill. Submissions are due by 1:00pm Thursday, 17 April 2025 (note unusual time!), so in practice you need to get it done by 16 April. You can submit at the link above. If ...1 week ago
- Want change? Don’t vote Labour
The current National government is one of the worst in Aotearoa's history. And because of this, its also one of the most unpopular. A war on Māori, corrupt fast-track legislation, undermining the fight against climate change, the ferry fiasco, the school lunch disaster... none of these policies are making friends. ...1 week ago
- The Quad can help Australia monitor China’s naval behaviour
Australia should enlist partners in the Quad to help address China’s increasingly assertive naval behaviour in the Indo-Pacific. The Quad may be slow in moving into security roles, but one militarily useful function that it ...1 week ago
- How Australia is advancing gender equality in the Indo-Pacific
Women’s rights and protections are regressing on the international stage, from the Taliban’s erasure of women from public life to US President Donald Trump’s misogynistic rhetoric and decision to suspend USAID. Against this backdrop, Australia’s ...1 week ago
- Friday 7 March
E tū, representing many of NZME’s journalists, says it is “deeply worried” by a billionaire’s plans to take over its board. They are also concerned that NZ Post call centre jobs are gradually shifting to the Philippines as a cost-cutting measure. APEX have announced that more than 850 lab staff ...1 week ago
- Weekly Roundup 6-March-2025
The first Friday of March, and it’s definitely been madder on the transport network this week. Here’s some things we saw this week that were interesting. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday Connor did a deep dive into Auckland’s speed limit reversals. For Tuesday saw Connor follow ...1 week ago
- As Trump sacks scientists, Australia should hire them. US drain is our brain gain
US President Donald Trump, his powerful offsider Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are slashing public spending in an effort to save US taxpayers anywhere between US$500 billion and US$2 trillion. Caught ...1 week ago
- Truth Is a Beautiful Thing
Miles and miles on my ownWarm with shame, I follow onA language to find hard to hearNot to understand, just disappearCould you take my place and stand here?I do not think you'd take this painYou'll be on your knees and struggle under the weightOh, the truth would be a beautiful ...1 week ago - Winston taunts Luxon: ‘I made him PM’
“I made him the Prime Minister”, said Winston Peters, leaning into his “kingmaker” role. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories shortest in Aotearoa’s political economy this morning: Winston Peters believes he made Christopher Luxon PM and therefore didn’t have to tell him about sacking Phil Goff, which Luxon ...1 week ago - Luxon’s Untenable Grasp
Yesterday, after kids got “steam burns” from hot school lunches, came the news of a kid in Gisborne who suffered “second degree burns” after opening one of the school lunches and accidentally splashing some on their leg.The student had to be rushed to A&E at the hospital, but it’s horrific ...2 weeks ago - The Hoon around the week to March 7
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and Elaine Monaghan on the week in geopolitics, including Donald Trump’s wrecking of the post-WW II political landscape; and, on ...2 weeks ago - Trump’s UN vote a defining act that points to day of reckoning for NZ
Of all the headline-making, world-reshaping actions of the second Trump administration thus far, perhaps the most defining is the United States’ vote against the resolution condemning Moscow’s invasion and supporting Ukraine’s territorial authority. The US has used its security council veto and superpower heft in questionable ways before, but this ...2 weeks ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #10 2025
Open access notables Snow Mass Recharge of the Greenland Ice Sheet Fueled by Intense Atmospheric River, Bailey & Hubbard, Geophysical Research Letters: Atmospheric rivers (ARs) have been linked with extreme rainfall and melt events across the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS), accelerating its mass loss. However, the impact of AR-fueled snowfall has ...2 weeks ago
- If Trump’s US abandons liberal idealism, others must pick up the baton
Donald Trump’s description of himself during last week’s excruciating Oval Office meeting as a ‘mediator’ between Russia and Ukraine was revealing even by the standards of the past six weeks. It showed an indifference to ...2 weeks ago
- Trump is making the mistake that FDR shunned
In April 1941, Charles Lindbergh, the America First Committee’s most prominent leader, outlined his position that Nazi Germany’s victory was inevitable, that the United States should stay neutral and that Britain was ‘a belligerent nation’ ...2 weeks ago
- Canadian Billionaire James Jim Grenon launches NZME Board Takeover
National Business Review has this scoop todayLet’s not belabour it.He wants all NZME directors to be replaced by himself, three new nominees, and one existing NZME Director.Grenon’s link to publications such as Centrist and News Essentials are note worthy.Those publications for all intensive purposes present a very alt-right view of ...2 weeks ago - The value of Ukraine’s critical minerals is overstated
Anyone involved in Australia’s critical minerals industry would be rolling their eyes at the transaction still reported to be under consideration between Ukraine and the United States. US President Donald Trump was initially asking for ...2 weeks ago
- Today’s fake news
Collins Unveils Very Special FrigateJudith Collins today announced a bold plan to address the navy’s billion dollar headaches.We’re so short of sailors that we’ve had to tie up half the fleet, and as if that wasn’t enough, our allies have been heavying us to upgrade the boats. Well, that would ...2 weeks ago - Many Reasons Adrian Orr Resigned
ANALYSIS / OPINION -Why Central Bankers MatterI remember the day that Lehman Brothers fell. LB was a global financial services behemoth. Fourth largest investment bank in the world. Founded in 1850. The brand smelt of prestige and calibre.But their demise in 2018 - caused by shoddy risk management practices and ...2 weeks ago - Trump’s upending of US intelligence: implications for Australia
Australia has no room for complacency as it watches the second Trump Administration upend the US Intelligence Community (USIC). The evident mutual advantages of the US-Australian intelligence partnership and of the Five Eyes alliance more ...2 weeks ago
- Thursday 6 March
Port workers in Lyttleton are warning that a proposal to cut jobs at the port will lead to more workplace deaths. The Government is doubling the number of nurse practitioners able to train in GP clinics, to 120 every year. They have also announced plans to lower the age for ...2 weeks ago
- Indonesia steps up defence relationships, but stays non-aligned
Indonesia has recognised that security affairs in its region are no longer business as usual, though it hasn’t completely given up its commitment to strategic autonomy. Its biggest step was a Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) ...2 weeks ago
- Trump has cut funding for transgender mice. The only problem? The mice aren’t transgender.
What a world we live in. It sounds like a satire piece, or perhaps a headline for some alternative universe where Stuart Little was a documentary. Source: TransVitaeSadly, it’s not. It’s a stunning indictment that the leader of the free world either can’t, or doesn’t, read. Yesterday in Congress, Donald ...2 weeks ago - Adrian Orr Jumps
I hate to break it to you babe, but I'm not drowningThere's no one here to saveWho cares if you disagree?You are not meWho made you king of anything?So you dare tell me who to be?Who died and made you king of anything?Songwriters: Sara Beth Bareilles.It’s hard to be surprised ...2 weeks ago - Britain’s cut to foreign aid undermines threat prevention
Britain’s decision to cut foreign aid to fund defence spending overlooks the preventive role of foreign aid. It follows the pause and review of USAID activities and is an approach to foreign aid that Australia ...2 weeks ago
- $11 billion and out
I’d been thinking last week of writing a post looking ahead to the end of Adrian Orr’s term (due to have run until March 2028) and offering some thoughts on structural changes the government should be looking to make, to complete and refine the Reserve Bank reform programme kicked off ...2 weeks ago
- Defence, not more assertive cyber activity, is the right response to Salt Typhoon
The ongoing Salt Typhoon cyberattack, affecting some of the United States’ largest telecoms companies, has galvanised a trend toward more assertive US engagement in the cyber domain. This is the wrong lesson to take. Instead, ...2 weeks ago
- Time of Use charging progresses – but will it actually lead anywhere?
On Tuesday the long awaited Land Transport Management (Time of Use Charging) Amendment Bill passed its first reading in parliament and now heads off to select committee for public submissions. This is the legislation that enables Time of Use charging schemes – what’s typically known as congestion pricing – to ...2 weeks ago
- Will Adrian Orr’s replacement unleash a new mortgage war?
RBNZ governor Orr is now gone and using up his leave before the formal end of his employment, but does this mean we might see a new 2004-style ‘unbeatable’ mortgage war and another credit-fuelled housing price boom? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong story short: Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr ...2 weeks ago
- Gordon Campbell On Why GP Practices Are In Crisis
In a week when PM Christopher Luxon and Health Minister Simeon Brown have been blowing their own trumpets about how supportive they are of GPs, and how they are offering “all New Zealanders” more “choice” in how they access primary health care blah blah blah…. Can we please have some ...2 weeks ago
- Climate Adam: Protecting our Planet from President Trump
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy and climate communicator Becky Hoag. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). In just a few weeks President Donald Trump has done everything he can ...2 weeks ago
- Trump’s challenge to international order
US President Donald Trump has cast serious doubts on the future of the postwar international order. In recent speeches and UN votes, his administration has sided with Russia, an aggressor that launched a war of ...2 weeks ago
- When dealing with China, Australia must prioritise security over economics
China’s economic importance cannot be allowed to supersede all other Australian interests. For the past couple of decades, trade has dominated Australia’s relations with China. This cannot continue. Australia needs to prioritise its security interests ...2 weeks ago
- No-one knows what he’ll do next
Troubling times, surreal times. So many of us seem to be pacing our exposure to it all to preserve our sanity. I know I am.A generous dose of history podcasts and five seasons in a row of The Last Kingdom have been a big help. Good will hand evil a ...2 weeks ago - A recipe for waste
With the Trump regime in the US causing growing global instability, the government is banging the drum about increasing defence spending. And this morning we have a bunch of defence lobbyists pushing to double the size of the navy to four frigates, at a cost of $8 billion. Which sounds ...2 weeks ago
- School meals as human capital investment.
Although I do not usually write about NZ politics, I do follow them. I find that with the exception of a few commentators, coverage of domestic issues tends to be dominated by a fixation on personalities, scandals, “gotcha” questioning, “he said, she said” accusations, nitpicking about the daily minutia of ...2 weeks ago
- Australia’s Pandemic Exceptionalism
That’s the title of a 2024 book by a couple of Australian academic economists, Steven Hamilton (based in US) and Richard Holden (a professor at the University of New South Wales). The subtitle of the book is “How we crushed the curve but lost the race”. It is easy ...2 weeks ago
- Overseas investment is getting riskier. The government needs to step up
Australian companies operating overseas are navigating an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape where economic coercion, regulatory uncertainty and security risks are becoming the norm. Our growing global investment footprint is nationally important, and the Australian government ...2 weeks ago
- A Few Sandwiches Short Of A Picnic
You're like MarmiteFickle to meMixed receptionNo one can agreeStill so saltyDarkest energyThink you're specialBut you're no match for meSong by Porij.Morena, let’s not beat about the bush this morning, shall we? You and I both know we’re not here to discuss cornflakes, poached eggs, or buttered toast. We’re here for ...2 weeks ago - Luxon trusts Seymour & Trump
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- Cyclone Alfred to cost budget $1.2 billion, hit growth and push up inflation: Chalmers
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Cyclone Alfred will cost the March 25 budget at least A$1.2 billion, hit growth and put pressure on inflation, Treasurer Jim Chalmers says. In a Tuesday speech previewing the budget, Chalmers will also say that ...16 hours ago - PM arrives in India with trade delegation
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his travelling delegation has touched down in New Delhi, greeted by the heat and a colourful cultural display. ...18 hours ago - Former US envoy slams air attacks on Houthis – NZ protesters recite poetry
Asia Pacific Report A former US diplomat, Nabeel Khoury, says President Donald Trump’s decision to launch attacks against the Houthis is misguided, and this will not subdue them. “For our president who came in wanting to avoid war and wanting to be a man of peace, he’s going about it ...19 hours ago
- Associate Education Minister David Seymour accuses school lunch programme critics of ‘nitpicki...
The Associate Education Minister told Q+A the programme had "shown two sides of New Zealand". ...23 hours ago
- Former Filipino Duterte’s arrest by the ICC – 20 journalists killed during his presidency
Pacific Media Watch Paris-based global media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has recalled that 20 journalists were killed during the six-year Philippines presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, a regime marked by fierce repression of the press. Former president Duterte was arrested earlier this week as part of an International Criminal ...23 hours ago
- Media Statement From Coalition Of Ministers Supporting Israel
Unilateral moves by the UN will not solve this conflict; only sincere negotiations between the affected parties will. We must call for dialogue and negotiation, not sanction. ...23 hours ago - Guam at decolonisation ‘crossroads’ with resolution on US statehood
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan in Hagatna, Guam Debate on Guam’s future as a US territory has intensified with its legislature due to vote on a non-binding resolution to become a US state amid mounting Pacific geostrategic tensions and expansionist declarations by the Trump administration. Located closer to Beijing than Hawai’i, Guam ...1 day ago
- Luxon reaffirms NZ’s support for Ukraine after ‘Coalition of the Willing’ call wit...
The Prime Minister attended a virtual summit to discuss the potential deployment of peacekeepers in Ukraine. ...1 day ago
- When the PM claps, is it applause or agreement?
Analysis: Not many saw it.But when applause built at a Unity Week hui on the anniversary of the Christchurch terror attack, and Prime Minister Chistopher Luxon joined in, it seemed photo-worthy.Abdur Razzaq, of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ), introduced Luxon to the hui by noting the ...1 day ago - The House: Urgency and fudging budgets
This week, Parliament began with a secret bill and ended with a debate on coping with climate change. Between the two the word "growth" bloomed. ...1 day ago
- Why student loan debt is going to get more expensive
If you are paying interest on your student loan, your bill is about to get bigger. ...1 day ago
- An Ode to … King Luxon
Do BetterKing Luxon saddled his mighty war steed TitanicAnd rode out to inspect his realm.The King passed by the Mayoress of King’s LandingSitting on a burst water pipe.“Lame-O”, scoffed the King.The King passed by a pile of burning offalSurrounded by weeping school urchins.“Get a Marmite sandwich,” snorted the King.The King ...1 day ago
- Dan McGarry: Marc Neil-Jones is dead. His legacy lives on.
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – In Bislama, they say, “Wan nambanga i foldaon“. A great tree has fallen. The nambanga, or banyan tree, is the centrepiece of many a Vanuatu village. Its massive network of boughs provides shade, shelter and strength. I’ve only ever seen ...2 days ago
- No apologies over fabricated terror plot from pollies or lobby groups
COMMENTARY: By Greg Barns When it comes to antisemitism, politicians in Australia are often quick to jump on the claim without waiting for evidence. With notable and laudable exceptions like the Greens and independents such as Tasmanian federal MP Andrew Wilkie, it seems any allegation will do when it comes ...2 days ago
- Dramatic growth of NZ’s Māori economy highlights new report
By Emma Andrews, RNZ Henare te Ua Māori journalism intern Māori contributions to the Aotearoa New Zealand economy have far surpassed the projected goal of “$100 billion by 2030”, a new report has revealed. The report conducted by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) and Te Puni Kōkiri, ...2 days ago
- Govt belatedly backs ‘world class’ offshore wind farms
A global renewable energy developer backing one of New Zealand’s last standing offshore wind farm proposals says it would be “difficult” to cohabit with seabed mining.Danish developer Michael Hannibal, a partner in Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, is visiting New Zealand for the Government’s infrastructure investment summit. His firm and the NZ ...2 days ago
- David Parker on what Trump and a whiplash world mean for New Zealand
A wide-ranging conversation with the opposition spokesperson on foreign affairs. Even before the second Trump term began, the world was a volatile place. But since January 20, across eight whiplash weeks, the pace of change has been astonishing. Donald Trump’s America First geopolitics, melding expansionist and isolationist instincts, has created ...2 days ago - Why marking March 15 is helpful and healing
Surviving terror can be isolating, trauma expert Jo Dover says.Dover – a Brit who is in New Zealand to hold resilience workshops with the Muslim community, speak publicly, and meet government officials – has supported people affected by terrorism, conflict and war for almost three decades. She arrived in Christchurch ...2 days ago
- Deal or no deal? Christopher Luxon’s India trip puts trade promise to the test
Two trade experts based in Delhi expressed some mild optimism about Luxon's chances, but with a major caveat: NZ would have to abandon hope of including dairy in any deal.. ...2 days ago
- The Secret Diary of … Winston Peters
MONDAYAt precisely 0300 hours I gave last-minute instructions to a team of crack troops who had sworn their allegiance in the war against woke left-wing social engineering and diversity targets in the public sector. They assembled in the basement bunker at the Beehive. It was built to withstand nuclear radiation. ...2 days ago
- From terror attack to hope far away, with Project 51
It’s been six years since a lone gunman opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch, killing 51 people, shattering the country’s innocence and changing lives forever.Now a young Afghan-Kiwi couple, who were praying in another mosque in the Garden City that fateful day, is releasing a film in remembrance of ...2 days ago
- Reading Bridget Jones’s Diary as a thirty-something
Gabi Lardies for now, Mad Chapman next week. Despite allegations they’re filled with shit books, I cannot pass by a little library without having a peek inside. Two weeks ago, stretching my legs from a hard morning sitting on my non-ergonomic wheely chair, I spied two curious spines in the ...3 days ago
- Why I won’t write about swimming
Poet Kate Camp learned to swim late in life. Now it’s a defining component of her identity. But why won’t she write about it? I learned to swim in a 15 metre pool in the backyard of Mandi’s place in Paraparaumu. That’s not true. I learned to swim in a ...3 days ago
- The Spinoff Essay: All my daughter’s daddies
The highs, lows and silver linings of single-parenting a toddler. He lay there prone, unmoving, his dark eyes glassy and fixed on the ceiling above. My daughter looked at him, then at me. “Is that… Daddy?” I sighed. “No, darling, that’s not Daddy.” I grabbed the man to whom her ...3 days ago
- ‘It was the worst’: Dominic Ona-Ariki’s musical howler on Shortland Street
The star of Secrets at Red Rocks takes us through his life in television, including being duped by the Goodnight Kiwi and botching a song on Shortland Street. Whether he’s musing over a murder mystery as a cop in One Lane Bridge or in the midst of a surprise tandem ...3 days ago
- Short story: The Passenger, by John Prins
With the passenger seat withdrawn like this, for extra leg room, it occurs to Llew that someone has been having sex in this car. He and Nancy haven’t had sex since Waiheke. Barely even a kiss. Nancy shields her nipples with a forearm now out of the shower and Llew’s ...3 days ago
- A professional at 17 and making her presence felt
With five regular season games remaining, the Wellington Phoenix women are still in with a great chance of finishing in the top six of the A-League and making the business end of this season’s competition.This Saturday night, they travel across the Tasman to face bottom of the table Sydney FC, ...3 days ago
- Marshall Islands: How the Rongelap evacuation changed the course of history
SPECIAL REPORT: By Giff Johnson, editor of the Marshall Islands Journal and RNZ Pacific correspondent in Majuro The late Member of Parliament Jeton Anjain and the people of the nuclear test-affected Rongelap Atoll changed the course of the history of the Marshall Islands by using Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior ship to ...3 days ago
- Simeon Brown rejected officials’ advice to have lower bowel screening age for Māori, Pasifika
Health Minister Simeon Brown rejected advice from officials to lower the bowel screening age to 58 for the general population and 56 for Māori and Pacific people, just-released documents show. ...3 days ago
- Labour sets out investment non-negotiables
Much was made in the build-up about the bipartisan spirit of the summit, with both government and opposition aware of the need to see through projects beyond election cycles. ...3 days ago
- Gavin Ellis: Canadian billionaire must explain his designs on NZME – now
COMMENTARY: By Gavin Ellis New Zealand-based Canadian billionaire James Grenon owes the people of this country an immediate explanation of his intentions regarding media conglomerate NZME. This cannot wait until a shareholders’ meeting at the end of April. Is his investment in the owner of The New Zealand Herald and ...3 days ago
- How often should I wash my exercise clothes?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carolina Quintero Rodriguez, Senior Lecturer and Program Manager, Bachelor of Fashion (Enterprise) program, RMIT University Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock When you come home from a run or a sweaty gym session, do you immediately fling your clothes into the washing machine for a hot ...3 days ago
- After 30 years on the outer, unions could soon return to the Pilbara. Here’s why that’s a big de...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexis Vassiley, Lecturer, School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University Aussie Family Living/Shutterstock A battle is underway on the mine sites in Western Australia’s remote Pilbara region. Unions are keen to get back into the iron ore industry after decades ...3 days ago
- Prime Minister confirms he will join world leaders in ‘coalition of the willing’ phone c...
"It will be a chance, really, for an update as to the different lines of diplomatic efforts that are going in across securing peace in Ukraine," Luxon said. ...3 days ago
- Luxon closes infrastructure summit
Companies who between them control around $6 trillion worth of funds have made their way to Auckland for the summit. ...3 days ago
- Saturn now has 274 moons – but exactly what makes something a moon remains unclear
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Nicole Driessen, Postdoctoral Researcher in Radio Astronomy, University of Sydney Dione, one of Saturn’s 274 moons, viewed with Saturn and its rings in the background. NASA / JPL / Space Science Institute Earlier this week, Saturn gained a whopping 128 new ...3 days ago
- An artificial heart may save your life. But it can also change you in surprising ways
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pat McConville, Lecturer in Ethics, Law, and Professionalism, School of Medicine, Deakin University Master1305/Shutterstock This week, doctors announced that an Australian man with severe heart failure had left hospital with an artificial heart that had kept him alive until he could ...3 days ago
- Not just bees and butterflies: beetles and other brilliant bugs are nature’s unsung pollinators
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tanya Latty, Associate Professor, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney Mircea Costina/Shutterstock About 90% of flowering plants rely on animals to transfer their pollen and optimise reproduction, making pollination one of nature’s most important processes. Bees are usually ...3 days ago
- Watch live: Luxon closes infrastructure summit
Companies who between them control around $6 trillion worth of funds have made their way to Auckland for the summit. ...3 days ago
- Undermining Democratic Process
A first step of good faith would be the reinstatement of a Social Sector Budget lockup for Budget 2025, inviting a cross-section of organisations representing the diversity of our population to hear key Budget messages firsthand. ...3 days ago
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