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Comment: Tana is waka jumped
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 5:46 pm, October 18th, 2024
Groan.Comment: Twelve months of this Government
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 4:12 pm, October 14th, 2024
I don't know if you noticed the repositioning of NZ First at their conference at the weekend. WP's speech spent half of it attacking Labour, and clearly targeting Labour voters. Add to that his invitation to the FIRST Union secretary Dennis Maga, who spoke ...Comment: Where’s the “Oomph”?
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 4:03 am, October 8th, 2024
What you said Erin. Thanks and thanks Mountain Tui for being open.Comment: Where’s the “Oomph”?
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 10:58 am, October 7th, 2024
I would too ; but public sector unions are bound in the most part about speaking out under various laws. Private Sector Unions like E Tu, FIRST etc do their best, and I know they will on 23rd, but most of their members will be at work, or sleeping because ...Comment: The Hospital Dunedin needs?
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 3:27 pm, September 29th, 2024
1000 locals marched in Westport; Where was Maureen Pugh who is now the local MP?Comment: The New Zealand left are in the worst place in a century
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 10:45 am, September 24th, 2024
How do you know there aren't? I know for a fact there is collaboration between these parties in Parliament. It starts with the leaders.Comment: The New Zealand left are in the worst place in a century
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 10:44 am, September 24th, 2024
Thank you Tiger. I am not giving up on collectivism however! Loved your comment about Pataka Kai. That is community in action. I am also impressed with the activism of the CTU ; 23 October coming up!Comment: The New Zealand left are in the worst place in a century
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 10:36 am, September 24th, 2024
Didn't think it would be long before someone used the UK Labour Party Conference and dear old Jezza. Sure, I don't like the winter fuel payment being removed and there are protestors about Gaza outside. But I am a huge fan of Angela Rayner : working class, ...Comment: On Labour’s Enduring and Unrelenting Historic Role
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 2:53 pm, September 22nd, 2024
I was at the LP conference where these rule changes were debated. It was the most divisive conference I ever attended and was driven by a pro Cunliffe group and anti Shearer opposition. I remember well Helen Kelly coming to speak with affiliated unions and ...Comment: Unions are still relevant
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 4:01 am, September 9th, 2024
Good post. Interesting to see US unions are growing. Like the song says I’m gonna be union til the day I die.Comment: About David Parker’s and Labour’s debate about taxation
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 5:36 am, September 1st, 2024
Engaging members first is what is needed. That is happening right now with discussion going on all over the motu.Comment: About David Parker’s and Labour’s debate about taxation
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 5:28 am, September 1st, 2024
Patricia : Labour had a CGT in its policy for 2011 and 2014 - we lost both elections. It was pulled by Jacinda after 2017 when she couldn't get NZ First to vote for it. Chippy's Captain's Call was, I think, an attempt to neutralise National et al's attacks ...Comment: About David Parker’s and Labour’s debate about taxation
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 12:28 pm, August 31st, 2024
What snarky comments Ad and Muttonbird. Nigel is a great thinker and has contributed years to the Labour movement even before his involvement as LP Prez. I welcome the debate and his contribution.Comment: Where Does Labour Rebuild?
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 5:59 pm, August 26th, 2024
At a first glance, I agree with your comment.Comment: Culture wars are a diversion from addressing class struggles
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 4:04 pm, August 25th, 2024
I agree.Comment: Is a Transformational Left-Wing Leadership of the NZ Labour Party Possible?
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 5:54 pm, August 19th, 2024
No people didn't vote for him in large enough numbers to win the government benches. It is simple really and to suggest it was a jackup by Labour at the time is suggesting that all of those Labour people in the UK who supported him, who campaigned for him ...Comment: Is a Transformational Left-Wing Leadership of the NZ Labour Party Possible?
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 9:32 am, August 19th, 2024
As long as I can remember we have had a Socialist Workers Party in some form. I don't think they contest elections any more. Yep there was the Alliance, and the meltdown that happened but I would hardly call that radical left. The Greens do well in middle ...Comment: Chhour needs to go
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 9:20 am, August 17th, 2024
Yes, her, and Nicole (gun lady) McKee, Casey (love tobacco) Costello, Todd (big pharm man) Stephenson; and all those unknowns who crept in on ACT's and NZ First list with a mission funded by Business interests. And of course Seymour and Chris Topher- and ...Comment: Gender Essentialists Hate the Olympics
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 5:08 am, August 11th, 2024
+1. I so agree LPrent. Well put.Comment: Gender Essentialists Hate the Olympics
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 2:27 pm, August 10th, 2024
1 laat paragraph.Comment: Gender Essentialists Hate the Olympics
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 2:17 pm, August 10th, 2024
Ohhh we are not debating this AGAIN! Along with Winston Peters who couldn't help climbing in. I am so pleased Imane won a gold. Others like tWIG have explained the IOC rules. Read them please.Comment: Don’t give me culture, I’m not hearing you Chris
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 4:25 pm, August 7th, 2024
+1. It's all about how we learn, which is different for many kids. They don't all fit into a square box. I was hopeless at maths, but got my letters in Music. Music and arts open the brain. But Luxon probably never experienced the beauty with his pathetic ...Comment: About Karen Chhour’s future
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 12:40 pm, August 3rd, 2024
I agree parliamentary debate should be respectful. It's just hard to swallow coming from an ACT Minister whose party last week complained of racism when a couple of Select Committee members opposed ACT MP Laura Trask leading a subcommittee on Section 7aa, ...Comment: Act plays the race card and the victim card
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 11:07 am, August 1st, 2024
Then tears at bedtime for TV last night from Karen Chhour who said Parliament is toxic and isn't a safe place for her. I mean, really? She is a Minister and member of the Executive with huge power, staffing and resources, salary and all kinds of protection ...Comment: Will he stay or will he go
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 11:02 am, July 21st, 2024
1Comment: Trump shot
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 5:41 am, July 15th, 2024
Violence begets violence and we should condemn it. I hope everyone including Trump keeps cool heads and reflects on the reasons why this is happening. Disinformation is rife on social media and Trump will become a martyr for the Proud Boys et al. I hope he ...Comment: Conflict what conflict?
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 3:58 am, July 13th, 2024
Sunny K has called for dairy owners to be able to defend themselves. With guns.Comment: Sham consultation – sham contracting
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 5:48 pm, July 8th, 2024
Have a look at the actions on 1 July around 65,000 care and support workers. PSA/NZNO/Etū, coming together on the huge injustice of their pay inequity. That imho opinion is a front of political organising underway and includes the PSA. Sometimes we are a ...
Sham consultation – sham contracting
Written By: darien fenton - Date published: 10:59 am, July 7th, 2024
Minister for Workplace Relations and Health & Safety Brooke van Velden hasn’t met with the CTU Te Kauae Kaimahi since November last year. Apparently not with Business NZ either. Though to be fair, she did manage to get to the Biz NZ cocktail party and ...
Categories: act, Unions, workers' rights
Tags:Comment: United Kingdom election watch
Written By: Darien Fenton - Date published: 10:26 am, July 7th, 2024
You said it. What, after all is a "successful career?" Does this mean anyone who isn't a business corporate and making huge amounts of money is unsuccessful? What a sorry outlook.
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- 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
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- 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
2 weeks ago - In case we forgot, Typhoon attacks remind us of China’s cyber capability—and intent
Australians need to understand the cyber threat from China. US President Donald Trump described the launch of Chinese artificial intelligence chatbot, DeepSeek, as a wake-up call for the US tech industry. The Australian government moved ...2 weeks ago
- Meeting the government’s new PT fare revenue targets
It appears that Auckland Transport have finally realised the trouble the public transport system faces with the proposed requirements from the NZTA to hike how much public transport funding comes from users and other PT related revenue. In November a discussion document was released that focused on setting new higher ...2 weeks ago
- The Child Psychologist Who Loved Compliance
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- Letter to Minister Van Velden; re Destiny Church & response
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The Australian government’s underreaction to China’s ongoing naval circumnavigation of Australia is a bigger problem than any perceived overreaction in public commentary. Some politicisation of the issue before a general election is natural in a ...2 weeks ago
- As ordinary as they come
Oh hi, Chris Luxon here, just touching base to cover off an issue about Marie Antoinette.Let me be clear. I never said she ate Marmite sandwiches and I honestly don’t know how people get hold of some of these ideas. I’m here to do one thing and one thing only: ...2 weeks ago - Southeast Asia grapples with AI influence on elections
Artificial intelligence is becoming commonplace in electoral campaigns and politics across Southeast Asia, but the region is struggling to regulate it. Indonesia’s 2024 general election exposed actual harms of AI-driven politics and overhyped concerns that ...2 weeks ago
- Tuesday 4 March
The Commerce Commission is investigating Wellington Water after damning reports into its procurement processes. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says parents who are dissatisfied with the new school lunch programme should “make a marmite sandwich and put an apple in a bag”. Health Minister Simeon Brown says overseas clinicians may be ...2 weeks ago - The Politics of Ostracism.
Ruled Out: The AfD, (Alternative für Deutschland) branded “Far Right” by Germany’s political mainstream, has been ostracised politically. The Christian Democrats (many of whose voters support the AfD’s tough anti-immigration stance) have ruled out any possibility of entering into a coalition with the radical-nationalist party.THAT THERE HAS BEEN A SHIFT towards the ...2 weeks ago - The Marmite Sandwich Video
School lunches plagued with issues as Luxon continues to defend Seymour Today, futher reports on “an array of issues” with school lunches as the “collective nightmare” for schools continues. An investigation is underway from the Ministries of Primary Industries after melted plastic was consumed by kids in Friday’s school lunches ...2 weeks ago
- Meet Dr. Christopher Luxon
Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis tour a factory. Photo: NZMEMountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Last week, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Mike Hoskings that nurses could easily replace general practitioners (GPs) - a ...2 weeks ago - A complete fiasco
When National cancelled the iRex ferry contract out of the blue in a desperate effort to make short-term savings to pay for their landlord tax cuts, we knew there would be a cost. Not just one to society, in terms of shitter ferries later, but one to the government, which ...2 weeks ago
- China is on course for a prolonged recession
The risk of China spiralling into an unprecedentedly prolonged recession is increasing. Its economy is experiencing deflation, with the price level falling for a second consecutive year in 2024, according to recent data from the ...2 weeks ago
- Hands of Love
You know he got the cureYou know he went astrayHe used to stay awakeTo drive the dreams he had awayHe wanted to believeIn the hands of loveHands of loveSongwriters: Paul David Hewson / Adam Clayton / Larry Mullen / Dave Evans.Last night, I saw a Labour clip that looked awfully ...2 weeks ago - Cuts to U.S. weather and climate research could put public safety at risk
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson One month into the new Trump administration, firings of scientists and freezes to U.S. research funding have caused an unprecedented elimination of scientific expertise from the federal government. Proposed and ongoing cuts to agencies like the National ...2 weeks ago
- An administered, unnecessary & counter-productive inflation shock
Counter-productive cost shifting: The Government’s drive to reduce public borrowing and costs has led to increases in rates, fees and prices (such as Metlink’s 43% increase for off-peak fares) that in turn feed into consumer price inflation. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, my top six news items ...2 weeks ago - For a faster solution to nearby maritime threats, look to the Australian Army
China’s not-so-subtle attempt at gunboat diplomacy over the past two weeks has encountered various levels of indignation in Australia and throughout the region. Many have pointed out that the passage of a three-ship naval task ...2 weeks ago
- Guide: Actions you can take on the speed limit increases
This Currently, the government is moving into the implementation phase of its disastrous decision to reverse speed limit reductions across the country, in most cases regardless of whether communities want to do so. In Auckland, it’s a Kafkaesque nightmare, with perverse outcomes all over the map. Meanwhile, communities, schools, and ...2 weeks ago
- The Campaign The Left Need To Run
The left — or the center left, in more fragmented multi-party systems like New Zealand — are faced with what they feel is an impossible choice: how to run a campaign that is both popular enough to be voted on, while also addressing the problems we face? The answer, like ...2 weeks ago - Gordon Campbell On Why Having Elections Less Often Is A Bad Idea
Are we feeling the country is in such capable hands, that we can afford to take a longer break between elections? Outside the parliamentary bubble and a few corporate boardrooms, surely there are not very many people who think that voters have too much power over politicians, and exert it ...2 weeks ago
- Trump, political partisanship, and world peace
2 weeks ago- United States of betrayal II
Like everyone else outside Russia, I watched Saturday morning's shitshow between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in horror. Sure, the US had already thrown Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's theft of land - but there's a difference between that, and berating someone in front of the ...2 weeks ago- To avoid a Ukraine-style quid pro quo, Australia needs to work with the US on critical minerals
With Donald Trump back in the White House, Washington is operating under a hard-nosed, transactional framework in which immediate returns rather than shared values measure alliances. For Australia, this signals a need to rethink its ...2 weeks ago- Seein’ double with the wrong one
Poor Bangladesh. Life is not easy there. One in five of its people live below the poverty line. Poor Bangladesh. Things would surely be even tougher for them if one billion dollars were disappear from their government’s bank deposits.In 2016, it very nearly happened. Perhaps you've heard of the Lazarus ...2 weeks ago- Economic Bulletin January/February 2025
Welcome to the January/February 2025 Economic Bulletin. In the feature article Craig surveys the backwards steps New Zealand has been making on child poverty reduction. In our main data updates, we cover wage growth, employment, social welfare, consumer inflation, household living costs, and retail trade. We also provide analysis of ...2 weeks ago- Amusing ourselves to death
Forty years ago, in a seminal masterpiece titled Amusing Ourselves to Death, US author Neil Postman warned that we had entered a brave new world in which people were enslaved by television and other technology-driven ...2 weeks ago- An inappropriate candidate
Last month I dug into the appointment of fossil-fuel lobbyist John Carnegie to the board of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority. Carnegie was rejected as a candidate in two appointment rounds, being specifically not recommended because he was "likely to relitigate board decisions, or undermine decisions that have been ...2 weeks ago- Canadian billionaire linked to right wing websites buys a near 10% of NZME shares
James “Jim“ Grenon, a Canadian private equity investor based in Auckland, dropped ~$10 million on Friday to acquire 9.321% of NZME.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Grenon owns one of the most expensive properties in New ...2 weeks ago- The US is gone—Europe must replace it
Donald Trump and JD Vance’s verbal assault on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office will mark 28 February 2025 as an infamous moment in US and world history. The United States is rapidly ...2 weeks ago- What Are We Defending?
Following Our Example: Not even the presence of Chinese warships in the Tasman Sea will generate the sort of diplomatic breach the anti-China lobby has been working so assiduously for a decade to provoke. Too many New Zealanders recall the occasions when a New Zealand frigate has tagged along behind ...2 weeks ago- A Mixed Bag of Media.
Well you can't get what you wantBut you can get meSo let's set out to sea, love'Cause you are my medicineWhen you're close to meWhen you're close to meSongwriters: Damon Albarn / Jamie Hewlett.Morena, I’m a little out of the loop when it comes to current news stories, which is ...2 weeks ago- Or not
“Time has come for a four-year term of govt”, or so declared the editorial in yesterday’s Sunday Star-Times. I voted against the idea in the 1990 referendum, and would do so in any conceivable future referendum. If history is anything to go by, a four-year parliamentary term seems a ...2 weeks ago- House of cards: northern Australia’s liquid fuel resilience
Northern Australia’s liquid fuel infrastructure is the backbone of defence capability, national resilience, and economic prosperity. Yet, it faces mounting pressure from increasing demand, supply chain vulnerabilities and logistical fragilities. Fuel security is not just ...2 weeks ago- Monday 3 March
A new survey of health staff released by the PSA outlines the “immeasurable pain” of restructuring and cost cutting at Health New Zealand, including cancelled surgeries, exploding wait lists and psychologists working reception. Treasury Secretary Iain Rennie has issued a stark warning: New Zealand needs to get its public finances in ...2 weeks ago- The battle for the internet
Democracies and authoritarian states are battling over the future of the internet in a little-known UN process. The United Nations is conducting a 20-year review of its World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), a ...2 weeks ago- Fixing the Kafkaesque speed rule impacts in Auckland
Last week, Auckland Transport released the list and map showing which streets and roads must have their speed limits increased due to the new Setting of Speed Limits 2024 rule from central government. As things currently stand, none of these changes will be consulted with the communities they impact. And ...2 weeks ago- Why the housing market is just not firing up
There is an ongoing standoff between sellers who don’t want to take less than top dollar and buyers cautious about overpaying, while at the same time rental property investor demand is sliding. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, my top six news items in Aotearoa’s political economy around ...2 weeks ago- 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #09
A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 23, 2025 thru Sat, March 1, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...2 weeks ago- Brothers in Arms.
Now the sun's gone to hellAnd the moon riding highLet me bid you farewellEvery man has to dieBut it's written in the starlightAnd every line in your palmWe're fools to make warOn our brothers-in-armsWritten by Mark Knopfler.“Where are the adults when you need them?” I thought. “Shouldn’t there be adults?”It ...2 weeks ago- A soliloquy for the week to March 2
The Electricity Authority has proposed forcing the big four gentailers to offer the same hedging contracts and prices for wholesale electricity to their smaller competitors as they offer their own retailing arms internally. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things that stood out to me ...2 weeks ago- What Can We Do Again?
What America Can Teach Us Here Yesterday Trump and his Peter Thiel affiliated Vice President, J.D Vance, berated Ukrainian President Zelensky in the White House.This came weeks after lying about Zelensky - claiming among other lies, that Ukraine started the war with Russia. It did not.Zelensky lamented that Trump was ...2 weeks ago- It should take about a month
The great problem you’re facing this month is very often not the one you’ll be worrying about a year from now.I find this notion reassuring. I lean upon it. But lately, given what the hell has been going on in the world, not so much.Perversely yesterday’s White House spectacle reinstated ...2 weeks ago- Fact brief – Are high CO2 levels harmless because they also occurred in the past?
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. Are high CO2 levels harmless because they also occurred in the past? While the Earth adapted to high carbon dioxide levels in the ...2 weeks ago- 2025 Reading List: February (+ Writing Update)
Completed reads for February: He Who Shrank, by Henry Hasse The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus The Maracot Deep, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Poseidon’s Paradise: The Romance of Atlantis, by Elizabeth Birkmaier The Hairy Monster, by Neil Miller The Spider, by Arthur Edward Chapman The Canterville Ghost, by ...2 weeks ago- Forty years of floating
Last year there was interesting new book out made up of 29 collected short papers by (more or less) prominent economists given at a 2023 conference to mark Floating Exchange Rates at Fifty. The fifty years related to the transition back to generalised floating of the major developed world currencies ...2 weeks ago- Hyundai back in running to build two new Cook Strait Interislander ferries – after Willis canc...
Quick update here on the ferries cancellation saga, now led by Winston Peters.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.RNZ:The giant Korean ship builder Hyundai could be back in the running to build two new Cook Strait ...2 weeks ago- China wins from Australian overreaction to warship presence
The deployment of a Chinese naval task group in our region is clearly aimed at sending a message and testing Australia’s responses—not only on the military front, but socially and politically. The worst misstep would ...2 weeks ago- Dawn chorus for Saturday, March 1
Pans to replace development contributions with pre-set development levies and to give councils powers to set targeted rates won’t be finalised until well into 2026. Meanwhile, the Waikato District Council has stopped accepting new building consents for Pokeno because of wastewater infrastructure shortages. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories ...2 weeks ago- Independence under Merz is entirely possible
Could 23 February 2025 become known as Europe’s Independence Day? It might as well be if the winner of Germany’s election, Friedrich Merz, has his way. It was striking that Merz, the quintessential German Atlanticist ...2 weeks ago- Marjen van den Belt – Pollute and Pay
Marjen is an ecological economist with 28 years' experience gained through research, teaching, advising, consulting, management, enterprising and governance in settings ranging from local to global. She is a ministerial appointment to the Lincoln University Council and a member of the Edmund Hilary Fellowship and a previous Chief Economist for ...3 weeks ago- Trump’s AI strategy puts the Indo-Pacific at a crossroads
The United States’ refusal to sign the recent AI Action Summit declaration should be seen as a strategic shift rather than a diplomatic snub to the rest of the world. AI is as much about ...3 weeks ago- The Cult of Generic Management
As Lady Bracknell almost said, ‘to lose one may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness.’ And so a second Government Statistician has made a hasty exit, The official reason in each case was the management of the population census but the cult of generic management ...3 weeks ago- I cannot live with this man I cannot live without him what even is this life
Questions 1. What French expression best characterises this weeks’ intimate encounter between Old Mate Grabaseat and Mike Answer-the-fricken-question-for-the-love-of-me Hoskinga. Ménage à Trumpb. Folie à deuxc. Amour foud. None of the above all of the above I cannot live with this man I cannot live without him what even is this ...3 weeks ago- States vulnerable to foreign aggression embrace the cloud: lessons from Taiwan
Taiwan is among nations pioneering the adoption of hyperscale cloud services to achieve national digital resilience. The island faces two major digital threats: digital isolation, in which international connectivity is intentionally severed or significantly degraded ...3 weeks ago- What does David Seymour have against kids?
Newsroom’s Fox Meyer wrote a good piece yesterday on the Compass school lunches contract, unveiling its terms, and revealing the government stumped up an extra $8.9m “bonus” to meet requirements.This means the per school lunch cost is now a minimum of just under $4 - excluding the large number of ...3 weeks ago- Mogami class offers strong technical advantages in Australia’s frigate competition
Japan’s Mogami class is clearly the best choice for Australia’s general-purpose frigate program. Compared with its very capable competitor, the Meko A-200 from Germany, the Mogami design needs a smaller crew, offers deeper magazines and ...3 weeks ago- The geography of American power
The United States is a secure power. Situated in a hemispheric citadel, and protected by wide oceans, the US could comfortably withdraw from being the arbiter of the geopolitical fate of Eurasia and still enjoy ...3 weeks ago- Govt eyes big new infrastructure levies, but no value-capture rates
Will a Government-set and regulated system of infrastructure levies replace council-set development contributions and open up new land supply for housing? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things that stood out to me in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February ...3 weeks ago- Friday 28 February
The Government is set to announce a levy system and new rules around housing infrastructure aimed at making housing developments and transport corridors more financially attractive to councils. The job market is potentially showing signs of recovery according to more positive advertising data which shows the rate of decline has ...3 weeks ago- Meta’s Waterworth cable project is about geopolitics and geoeconomics
Announced on 14 February, Meta’s Project Waterworth is not just proposed to be the world’s longest submarine cable but reflects ever-shifting geopolitical and geoeconomic landscapes. It presents a great opportunity for Australia to collaborate more ...3 weeks ago- Weekly Roundup 28-February-2025
It’s Friday and we’re are the end of February already meaning here comes March Madness. Here too are some of the things that caught our attention this week. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered parts of a fantastic speech by Chris Bishop. Tuesday had Matt ...3 weeks ago- The Glowing Light of You, the Reader
Hi,Because the Webworm community is consistently a glowing light in my life, I wanted to share a few insights readers shared about Franks Ogilvie, the feral law firm that sent a threatening legal letter to Kiwi health professionals.(A lot of you asked for a copy of the original threatening letter, ...3 weeks agoNo feed items found.No feed items found.- Three years after Russia’s invasion, a global online army is still fighting for Ukraine
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olga Boichak, Senior Lecturer in Digital Cultures, Australian Research Council DECRA fellow, University of Sydney More than three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a 30-day ceasefire between the two warring countries may be imminent. But much more needs to happen ...1 day ago - Australia’s next government may well be in minority. Here’s how that can be a good outcome for t...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shamit Saggar, Executive Director, Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success and Professor of Public Policy, Curtin University Two months out from an Australian federal election, the polling is pointing to a very tight race between the two major parties. This means, ...1 day ago
- How long will you live? New evidence says its much more about your choices than your genes
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock One of the most enduring questions humans have is how long we’re going to live. With this comes the question of how much of our lifespan is shaped by our environment and choices, ...1 day ago
- Whatever happens to Star, the age of unfettered gambling revenue for casinos may have ended
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charles Livingstone, Associate Professor, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University Casino operator Star Entertainment has been under financial pressure for some time. The company’s share price has tanked, and the business, with its three casino properties, has been bleeding ...1 day ago
- Chinese only introduced a feminine pronoun in the 1920s. Now, it might adopt a gender-inclusive one
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janet Davey, PhD Candidate, Australian Centre on China in the World, Australian National University Andra C Taylor Jr/Unsplash Including pronouns in introductions, your email signature or your social media bio may seem like a minor detail. Pronouns are just small words ...1 day ago
- Luxon’s epic unpopularity in one chart
Comparing our current prime minister’s net favourability to the first terms of Helen Clark, John Key and Jacinda Ardern shows the extent to which new depths are being plumbed. Everyone knows Christopher Luxon is unpopular. National’s polling is poor, and his preferred prime minister rating is now below that of ...1 day ago - When is workplace chat ‘just gossip’ and when is it ‘sharing information’? It depends who’...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Greenslade-Yeats, Research Fellow in Management, Auckland University of Technology THEBILLJR/Shutterstock When two junior employees bump into each other in the corridor and start chatting about their manager’s overbearing manner, it’s typically considered gossip. But what about when two managers have ...1 day ago
- ‘It’s broken me’: How online gambling ruined a woman’s life
Her addiction began with a single email. It ended when she was caught stealing $300k from her employer. ...1 day ago - After 20 years in and out of the saddle, Winston Peters’ latest foreign rodeo has potential to...
Analysis - Peters' trip to meet his counterpart in Washington DC comes during a period of international volatility, where rules seem to be constantly changing. ...1 day ago
- Brown not backing down on bowel cancer screening
News that the health minister went against official advice will likely only amplify the calls for lower screening ages for Māori and Pasifika, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Brown went against official advice Health minister Simeon ...1 day ago
- Labour’s fast-changing public-private partnerships message
Analysis: Barbara Edmonds attended the infrastructure summit to bring certainty; instead investors were coming up to saying they were confused The post Labour’s fast-changing public-private partnerships message appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago - Touchdown in Delhi: Christopher Luxon fires starting gun on trade talks with India
Both countries agree to start free trade negotiations, a decade after the last effort stalled. ...1 day ago
- Engineered stone ban: ‘People just tend to think there’s no problem’
Employers, unions and health and safety advocates are calling for engineered stone to be banned, a day before consultation on regulations for the material closes. ...1 day ago
- Young stroke survivors need better support – advocates
Nearly a third of the thousands of New Zealanders who suffer strokes every year are aged under 65 - and support for younger patients is limited. ...1 day ago
- Surprise on day one of Luxon’s India trip: free trade talks agreed
Christopher Luxon’s big ol’ trip to India has started with a bang.The Prime Minister hadn’t even started walking down the stairs of the Airforce Boeing 757 when the traditional Rajasthani folk dancers began their spirited dance in front of an enormous billboard bearing the beaming faces of Luxon and his ...1 day ago
- New Zealand and Gaza: Confronting and not confronting the unspeakable
New Zealand has been firm in its stance against Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, yet has been silent on the United States’ enabling of it, argues Robert Patman. The National-led coalition government’s policy on Gaza seems caught between a desire for a two-state diplomatic ...1 day ago
- More than 150 jobs cut and one campus closed as Te Pūkenga disestablishment looms
Jobs, courses and a campus are on the chopping block as the first tranche of cuts reaches Aotearoa’s polytechs and training institutes. At least 154 roles, one campus and multiple courses across 10 institutes of technology and polytechnics (ITPs) have been cut as the government prepares to disestablish the nation’s ...1 day ago
- No free lunch in overseas investment (not even a late or inedible one)
Comment: The Government invites investment ram-raids rather than mutually beneficial trades The post No free lunch in overseas investment (not even a late or inedible one) appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Slight rebound expected for latest GDP reading
Business & investing: This week’s GDP figures expected to show a positive reading for the first time in almost a year The post Slight rebound expected for latest GDP reading appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 17 March
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 17 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Top MfE official played down water urgency, lawyer says
A senior public servant has been criticised for de-emphasising statements about the essential need to clean-up freshwater in court evidence.Martin Workman, chief of staff at the Ministry for the Environment, was the first Crown witness in the Ngāi Tahu case being heard in the Christchurch High Court. Te Rūnanga o ...2 days ago
- Daily crossword, Monday 17 March
The post Daily crossword, Monday 17 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Invincible Ayris bounces back from pole snap
When an athlete goes through a spell of feeling like they’re wearing an invincibility cloak, they believe they can fly.Pole vaulter Imogen Ayris has literally been flying – relishing a superwoman sensation throughout the European indoor season, setting two new personal bests in three days in France.“I felt invincible leading ...2 days ago
- Niche but relatable – the film festival where the theme is fraud
Next Monday in Wellington, some 150 people will attend the Roxy Cinema for a niche documentary film festival. But they won’t be the usual film festival crowd of movie buffs – they’ll be lawyers, police officers, bankers, and anyone else whose work deals with scams or fraud.The Fraud Film Festival, ...2 days ago
- Dairy price pain for consumers with more ‘sticker shock’ ahead
Latest Stats NZ figures show the average price of 2L of milk was $3.94 in February 2024, and $4.55 in February this year The post Dairy price pain for consumers with more ‘sticker shock’ ahead appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Luxon takes spotlight at India’s ‘noisy’ international summit
Why the PM is speaking at an Indian conference known for its unpredictability The post Luxon takes spotlight at India’s ‘noisy’ international summit appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Fomison: portrait of the artist as a doomed alcoholic
The story so far: Tony Fomison was made artist in residence at the Rita Angus Cottage in Wellington in 1985. In his new biography of the great painter, Mark Forman traces his journey from Christchurch as fame, genius and alcoholism follow him north…In preparation for the shift from his Christchurch ...2 days ago
- Aid groups: Hike, don’t slash climate funding
As rising tides threaten the Pacific, the fate of NZ’s billion-dollar support is up in the air The post Aid groups: Hike, don’t slash climate funding appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- 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 ...2 days 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. ...2 days 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 ...2 days 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". ...2 days 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 ...2 days 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. ...2 days 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 ...2 days 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. ...2 days 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 ...2 days 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. ...2 days 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. ...2 days 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 ...2 days ago
- United States of betrayal II
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