Reason #73 why charter schools are wrong: they teach creationism

Written By: - Date published: 11:46 am, July 31st, 2018 - 78 comments
Categories: child abuse, education, national, same old national, schools, Simon Bridges - Tags: ,

So it appears that one reason the right is so keen on charter schools that do not have properly qualified teachers or the need to comply with a state curriculum is so they can teach all sorts of things. Like creationism.

From Farah Hancock at Newsroom:

A former student of a Villa Education Trust private school claims creationism was taught as a preferred theory of how the world began in science classes he attended.

The student from Mt Hobson Middle School said Darwinism was taught as an unproven theory and students were shown a video purporting to show science had found proof of God’s existence.

His impression was the school backed the concept of creationism “100 percent”.

The science teacher was Rachel O’Connor, sister of National Party leader Simon Bridges and wife of National MP Simon O’Connor.

Of course the trust denies it.

Alwyn Poole, a board member of Villa Education Trust and principal of Mt Hobson Middle school, said all the trust’s schools stick to the New Zealand Curriculum which includes Darwin’s theory of natural selection and does not teach other theories.

In 2013 RNZ reported South Auckland Middle School planned to teach a number of theories about the origins of life.

Poole described questions asked by Newsroom as “a big red herring”.

The Mt Hobson student said in 2016 a Year 10 class of 13 and 14-year-old students was shown a video in a science lesson. The video was entitled Science Has Found Proof of the Existence of God.

“They [O’Connor] said, we’re going to watch a video. They didn’t tell us anything about it, they just started showing it. What followed was a documentary of twisted quotes trying to prove how scientists had discovered God.

And here is the video:

Is this the reason for National’s newly found preference for charter schools? So that the religious fundamentalists in the party can ensure that creationism is taught as a serious subject?

78 comments on “Reason #73 why charter schools are wrong: they teach creationism ”

  1. greywarshark 1

    Question – Why do they teach creationism children?
    Answer – Because they can if they want.

    There is too much opportunity for charter schools to go off on any path they wish
    and cover it up with words that sound as if they are on track.

    And further there is too much opportunity for ordinary state schools to reflect board members’ fixations – religious for example.

    This should be looked at – the emphasis should be on factual stuff generally acceptable by educated people and some time for discussion of matters to encourage thinking, which parents can join in. It is good to know what your children are being taught, and could be useful to parents of limited experience.

    • Sacha 1.1

      “Because they can if they want.”

      Nope. A private school like the subject of the article can, but the charter ones run by the same people cannot.

      “MacGregor-Reid said no current charter school is allowed to teach creationism or intelligent design in a science class as a preferred theory: “… in terms of science class they must teach to the curriculum in their contracts.”

      • Sacha 1.1.1

        From Russell Brown’s twitter:

        “Curiously, the website of Mt Hobson Middle School says it teaches “exactly the same curriculum” as its Villa Education *charter school* sibling South Auckland Middle School.”

        • mickysavage 1.1.1.1

          Thanks looks like two of the schools run by VET are charter schools but two including the one that I refer to are not.

          I think the concern is still valid. The entity is being funded by Government money.

          • Enough is Enough 1.1.1.1.1

            It might be best to change the very misleading title to your post then

  2. indiana 2

    From Farah’s article:

    “The mother of the student is a trained secondary teacher. She said she was shocked the video had been shown in a science class.”

    Why was this child sent to a charter school in the first place? Was this school providing something more than trained qualified teachers at a state school?

    • In fact all of the NZ Charter schools teach the NZ Curriculum …. and in most cases they employ registered teachers. There are very few situations where non registered teachers are used. Vanguard Military School for example uses ex Forces trades people such as ‘aircraft engineers’ to teach their students technology.

    • Sacha 2.2

      It’s a private school, not a charter.

  3. Cinny 3

    So I listened to the full clip…

    Because of the delicate balance of nature and complexities of DNA, SOME scientists question if in fact a ‘higher being’ could have created us and the universe.

    SOME scientists believe in the big bang theory… ie there was nothing then a big bang and there was the beginnings of life etc.

    The makers of the above video, take this information and claim that they too believe there was nothing, then the beginnings of life and that everything was created by a higher being; so of course it must be god.

    Then at the end of the clip it’s all about Jesus.

    Could in fact their higher being, be an alien, or a super computer? If they want to go down that road…. but no, no, it must be god.

    Handpicked facts and pretty graphics make for compelling propaganda, in the end it’s nothing more than a religion conversion film.

    Students should not be shown just ONE point of view, they should be shown MANY. Unless we want a nation of people unable to think for themselves. Hmm maybe some national party people do…. lololz

    Religion is a form of control. I betcha they don’t show the kids a zeitgeist film.

    “Religion the Greatest Story Ever SOLD”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWNBz6HZTgs

  4. SpaceMonkey 4

    As far as the creation of this universe goes, I always thought most major religions and the big bang theory were in alignment – the difference was in the telling. Except Hinduism and it’s off shots appear to describe this universe as just one cycle of many. The key ingredient seems to be the injection of time and the foundations are frequencies in the form of sound and light. But I digress.

    It’s a tricky path for schools to teach any of these stories as fact for we may never fully know. The reality may well be beyond the capacity of the human mind to ever understand.

    • RedLogix 4.1

      Exactly. Fundamentally reality must have a coherent unity, therefore when you get both the science and religion correct, they will be in harmony.

      The useful contribution of postmodernism, is the realisation that there is a limitless number of ways of interpreting reality, but all can be broadly grouped as being rooted either in the material or spiritual domains.

      What binds them is consciousness.

  5. Rosemary McDonald 5

    But, but, it was Slartibartfast and his mates who created the Earth!

    Humans eh? Always asking why? Who? How? When?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aboZctrHfK8

    • halfcrown 5.1

      I liked that Rosemary but not as good as the original TV series. I remember Marvin had such a pessimistic face. I thought this version of it was pathetic

      • Rosemary McDonald 5.1.1

        Oh god…Marvin the Paranoid android. “Brain the size of a planet and they have me parking….”

        I’ve not actually seen the version above…I just googled that particular scene.

        You’re right..the original telly series was good. Brilliant in fact. The books even better.

        Adams certainly had a novel take on life, the universe etc etc.

        I most especially liked the bit planning the evacuation of Golgafrincham.

        https://fordprefecthitchhikersguide.wordpress.com/2016/12/12/golgafrincham/

        • Halfcrown 5.1.1.1

          Yeah great books Rosemary, brings back memories of better times when everybody got a fair go.

          Getting back to this teaching creationist rubbish, why don’t they teach Pratchett s Disc World
          Just as valid and a lot science theory there on the Big Bang theory and in the last novel I read the sex of the gaint turtle discworld is on.had not been determined
          Not good science but just as valid as this creationist rubbish and a lot more funnier

          • halfcrown 5.1.1.1.1

            Can I correct that? The original I wrote on my new TAB A useless. Too fat fingers and slow. So have written it again and corrected my bad grammar on my PC.

            Yeah great books Rosemary, brings back memories of better times when everybody got a fair go.
            Getting back to this teaching creationist rubbish, why don’t they teach Pratchett’s Disc World? Just as valid and a lot of scientific theory there on the Big Bang theory and in the last novel I read, the sex of the giant turtle GREAT A’Tuin that Discworld is on, had not been established. Not good science but just as valid as this creationist rubbish and a lot more funnier

      • Draco T Bastard 5.1.2

        The original Deep Thought was awesome

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZLtcTZP2js

  6. Tricledrown 6

    Job creationists for their fundamentalist mates.
    Simple Simon lives up to his moniker

  7. millsy 7

    Charter school are more or less a trojaan horse for US style evangilical protestants to infiltrate the school system. They see the bottom brown 20% tail as plump picking for a radicalized church congregation. Science is under threat in this country.

    • NZJester 7.1

      The evangelicals using them as a trojan horse to push their ideas is just a secondary problem with them in the US. The primary reason they were created in the US was to get teachers in environments where they could prevent them from joining unions and to allow large amounts of public money to be funneled to donors as well as politicians own pockets through investments in the companies running them.

  8. SPC 8

    Hilarious conclusion to the “science” video – basically nothing new on the creation proves creator line of scholaticism, that this creator would want to communicate with us, is known to us as Jesus Christ, and he does so via the bible word.

    It’s not science, it’s a theist argument, that a religious authority on earth based on heavenly agency exists and is supreme to our own democratic/sovereign governments. It results in end time Kingdom come faith common in the USA and id destructive to their society well-being, end our human dominion and reign over us – man created by the “chosen of God” bowing down to these overlords of Zion.

    Who will save us from the moneychangers of the Temple/capitalists of mammon/imperial coin paying for the stormtrooper occupation…?

    Just how a universe comes out of nothing is ignored. E = MC2 after all. What was surmised before the bible was that energy came from the balls of a god (Egypt) or the egg of a goddess (China), today in our modern globalism collequially summed up as a big bang – invitation to real scientists to witness the consummation of a marriage and its consequences.

  9. I don’t have a problem with Christian versions of science being taught in schools, – primarily because evolution was only ever a ‘ theory’ to begin with. A theory. Not the gospel truth or solid facts.

    And it is poor science in itself to simply settle for a theory when it has been successfully challenged. Crazy as that may seem regards the theory of evolution.

    For more than one hundred years whole streams of education , well paying academic careers have been devoted to what amounts to just a theory. A whole myriad of industry’s have built up around this theory. As well as political careers.

    And yet it remains ,… just a theory.

    I do however have a problem just with charter schools as it is one way of consolidating the neo liberal agenda of privatization , – with dire results for the poorer sectors of society. I also resent the fact that neo liberal ideology purports to support the idea of private concerns not needing handouts or concessions from the govt when in actual fact they do. And that’s called hypocrisy.

    When even scientists are met with inexplicable facts that deny , challenge and contradict their firmly held beliefs the classic approach is usually to try to tear down and drown out those facts or to quietly adopt a policy of deliberately ignoring them.

    Here is one such:

    Polystrate Fossils – Examining the Evidence for Evolution – YouTube
    Video for Polystrate Fossils – Examining the Evidence for Evolution you tube▶ 8:55
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmb3CGH0pcc

    • SPC 9.1

      An intended irony with “gospel truth”?

    • Draco T Bastard 9.2

      I don’t have a problem with Christian versions of science being taught in schools, – primarily because evolution was only ever a ‘ theory’ to begin with. A theory.

      Your ignorance and stupidity are showing.

      https://www.dictionary.com/browse/theory

      1. a coherent group of tested general propositions, commonly regarded as correct, that can be used as principles of explanation and prediction for a class of phenomena: Einstein’s theory of relativity.
      2. a proposed explanation whose status is still conjectural and subject to experimentation, in contrast to well-established propositions that are regarded as reporting matters of actual fact.
      3. Mathematics. a body of principles, theorems, or the like, belonging to one subject:

      Darwin’s theory of evolution fits number 1.

      Creationism doesn’t even get to number 2. It’s been tested and proved wrong.

      Of course, wrong information is still valid so Creationism should be taught at school with the proviso that the kids are told that it’s completely and totally wrong.

      • Monty 9.2.1

        Don’t worry world, DTB who tho thinks we can just print money and nothing happens. (DTB is a fucking idiot)

        DTB would be the person at the gulag turning the valve on the special showers to happily cleanse anyone who didn’t fit DTB’s world view. (Fucking evil authoritarian)

        DTB refuses to accept any other ideas unless it his fucked in the head ideas.

        I picture DTB as a miserable loser who is jealous as he has failed at life and has no friends and potentially is so repressed that DTB thinks he has purpose in life. (DTB reminds every one that idiots exist)

        DTB was always the last selected in any team and the laughing stock and has now proven that a complete joke exists.

        DTB i have heard that nylon rope provides better results. You should Give it a go. It may save you from those extreme ideas that the majority prefer.

        • corodale 9.2.1.1

          Hey Monty,
          let me guess; do your religous beliefs find opposition to quantitative easying anti-semitic? Pull-your-head-in regarding that sleazy ignorance on finance.

          • Monty 9.2.1.1.1

            so what do you know about finance. W

            I have no religious views, please explain how religion comes into this or are you just stupid.

        • Draco T Bastard 9.2.1.2

          Typical RWNJ ad hom attack as they’ve got no argument.

          • Monty 9.2.1.2.1

            We have had this before. I am not RW I just believe your ideas are evil and should be challenged.

            But go on use a label to defend your retarded ideas. Please produce a situation when your ideas have worked and not lead to mass killings and repression of people.

            • Draco T Bastard 9.2.1.2.1.1

              We have had this before. I am not RW I just believe your ideas are evil and should be challenged.

              You’re a RWNJ who’s never challenged my ideas and has always done an ad hom attack as you did above.

              It is capitalism that is evil. Capitalism has destroyed more throughout history than any other form of governance and instituted huge amounts of oppression.

              Please produce a situation when your ideas have worked and not lead to mass killings and repression of people.

              Many civilisations throughout history (Debt: The first 5000 years). Go read a bit of it.

              • Monty

                Please show me where I have shown to be RW. Moments other the. Thinking your evil.

                Unless. as I said unless people have to agree with you, anything else is RW. Which shows how much of a idiot you are. So if you don’t agree with DTB you are a RWNJ.

                My god what sort of world do you want.

        • KJT 9.2.1.3

          No one, including DTB, ever said nothing happens. For example, in the 1950‘s and 60’s, “printing money produced thousands of State houses. While in the 2010’s banks, printing money for existing houses, has simply inflated house prices.

          I know which I would prefer.

          • Monty 9.2.1.3.1

            DTB has constantly said the govt can just create money to pay for what DTB wants.

            That has never worked and lead to
            Misery, death and failure.

            • Draco T Bastard 9.2.1.3.1.1

              ?

              DTB has constantly said the govt can just create money to pay for what DTB wants.

              Oh look – the RWNJ lied.

              I’ve never said that. I’ve said that the government can create money and spend it into the economy to utilise the countries resources. It can do this because it already owns those resources.

              That has never worked and lead to
              Misery, death and failure.

              Actually, it’s always worked and has never led to misery death and failure (the Money Masters).

              On the other, whenever the private banks create money it always fails and leads to mass poverty, death and failure. Exactly what’s happening now around the world in fact.

              • Monty

                How do governments create money.

                Convince me it can happen.

                As how you have suggested and implied is about printing money in how I view your views.

                • corodale

                  Treasury could borrow money from our central bank, but this is against orthodox Basal banking norms, and against NZ’s own laws. Therefore the international rating agencies would sentence the NZD to death. Low unemployment rates are only a slight problem, as structural employment adjustments are realistic in NZ’s well educated workforce, which is over employed in service sector.

                  The restriction on Social Credit is an ugly risk reduction from international finance and industry.
                  But without a solution to this debt crisis, and peace in the Middle East, then all dreams like carbon neutrality, or prosperity, etc. are all just dreams.

                  Welcome to the politics of globalisation vs decentralisation. It would seem that UN and Agenda 21 etc are just hollow, finance controlled, austerity. But hope may remain in decentralised regional developement, and simple stuff like nitrogen limits to promote agricultural diversification via organic farming.

                  (We mention god knowledge (and neo-pagan-semitism), as this is the topic of the article above, and it’s also one of the control mechanisms which the banking class of Israelites (including Jesuits and Masons) use to maintain their power. Though I don’t say this critically, as I’m not saying that these Babylonian Bankers are any different to the UN or other contenders for global power, as global power is corrupt by nature, thus decentralised resiliance, especially economic and financial, is the healthy way forward.

              • Monty

                Do you believe in punching a far right person

                • corodale

                  Yeah, the left are brainwashed by political science degrees, that “forget” to mention that the left-right thing died 50 years ago. Divide and conquer is the tool, and PC-crap vs RW-power is the way it is done, but who cares, lets just fix our own backyards, and see how it goes.

        • Sacha 9.2.1.4

          Monty, that is a disgusting attack on another commenter. How about sticking to actual arguments rather than personal smears.

          • Monty 9.2.1.4.1

            In most cases I have, but with commenters like DTB I will call a spade a spade. so I suggest you go back and look at DTB’S personal attacks on other commenters then make judgement on me.

            As soon as DTB doesn’t like what the person says, instantly DTB attacks them as RW. No thought, no ability to have discussion or debate. Unless you agree with DTB your wrong and RW.

      • WILD KATIPO 9.2.2

        Well for starters, mate , you’ve messed up on the first qualifier because evolution cant even explain the missing link in any coherent fashion. Their still looking for him / her.

        But we’ve got some nice humanoid looking apes bones along the way.

        Now I don’t go along with Loyd Pye about aliens from planet whatever coming here to mine gold and whatnot and making a hybrid race to do all the sweaty stuff while they get to sit around drinking rum and cokes and watching the football but it seems hes got some pretty good points in regards the quackery of the theory of evolution and some of the ridiculous assumptions made thereof…

        Lloyd Pye Everything You Know Is Wrong – YouTube
        Video for lloyd pye youtube▶ 1:58:35
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5qJYwfAju8

        Number two pretty much states what I’ve just been saying so that hardly changes things.

        And as far as I am concerned what you wrote is only your subjective opinion. Like a lot of the other scientists who’s assertions are baseless because their theory holds water like a sieve. People, even academics including scientist’s only believe what they want to believe. Especially if it suits their govt funded salary’s to do so.

        At one time what passed for scientists , – believed the earth was flat and if you sailed too far you’d sail off the edge. So which group / era of scientists do you mean?. A 19th century bloke called Darwin who recanted on his theory laying on his deathbed and declared it was just a theory ? .Well , we’ve traveled a long way since then , – split the atom, fired men off to the moon , discovered the existence of DNA and supposedly even invented a better mouse trap. Just ask DOC.

        And they still haven’t found that dastardly missing link. But what they have found is human footprints alongside dinosaur ones. Fossilized ones . But most choose not to make a big fuss out of that and instead keep looking for that blasted missing link… ” Its there! , we know its there !! , – it’ll turn up if we just keep digging !!! ”… Id say that takes a whole lot more faith than simply believing there’s a ‘God’ in my book.

        And as for number three , – well math is math and is an abstract theory converted into tangible and practical use ie: measurements to make rocket ships to fire men off to the moon and design better mousetraps, – but the difference is it doesn’t have a missing link problem like evolution and thus is more like a pot than a sieve and actually holds water.

        Don’t worry mate, … when I was 12 years old, I too , … believed in evolution. But as I got older I started to realize some scientists, – particularly evolutionists ,- had a nasty habit of stretching the truth a bit to suit their purposes. And some of them came up with some real whoppers. And continued to receive that handsome govt funded salary just for doing so.

        But scientists did achieve the monumental task of inventing and then building a better mousetrap and that’s whats really important.

        Just ask DOC.

      • One Two 9.2.3

        Draco, all you’ve achieved is validating what WK had already stated…

        ‘Evolution’ = creation..

        It is ALL creation…whichever theory one subscribes to…

        ‘Ignorance and Studpidity’…

    • KJT 9.3

      You are misunderstanding the use of the word “theory” in science.
      The word you are looking for is hypothesis.
      A “theory” is something that is proven, so far as we can tell with the current state of our knowledge.

      Evolution is apparent all around us. The only scientific doubt is exactly how the mechanism works. New research on genetic inheritance for example.

      Creationism is pure bullshit.

      • WILD KATIPO 9.3.1

        Yeah mate and I’ll believe evolution when a horse decides to turn into a frog.

        Provided that in the process we see legitimate examples of the thousands and thousands of ‘missing links’ required during that process.

        But be my guest mate, – carry on believing in the primordial soup and that one day a tadpole decided it’d had enough of the swamp , swam its little fishy tail up onto the beach and decided on a course of action that included morphing into a Lemur (and dodging the dinosaurs in the meantime ) with the view to one day becoming a renowned Wall Street Stock Exchange executive instead.

        Oh , and btw … you can bang on all day about specific word meanings that no one but a dry as toast English language Professor in some musty library would care about but frankly most of us don’t need our hands held to understand plain-speak and whats patently obvious to even the least educated among us.

        • KJT 9.3.1.1

          If you are claiming to talk about science, at least enough knowledge of basic science concepts is required.

          This is primary school level.

          • WILD KATIPO 9.3.1.1.1

            Yeah funny that.

            Seems DTB seems to have had the same problem .

            Went along with the whole deal about theory’s as opposed to ‘hypothesis’.

            But finding the correct words when writing a post to always placate the sensibility’s of one oh – so knowledgeable and enlightening , – who at the same time is more concerned with diversionary tactics , points scoring and in offering up pithy one liners to back up ones ‘ intolerance, bigotry and denial of reality ‘ instead of focusing on the issue at hand maturely and looking at all of the facts is kinda Primary school level all in itself.

            Wouldn’t you agree?

  10. Zack Brando 10

    I believe the Earth is young, I believe science agrees. I challenge evolutionists to watch the following 4 part presentation on YouTube:

    https://youtu.be/uJGairhrPGc

  11. Yeah , I knew Id get a visit from DTB firing off on all cylinders.

    The tolerant left.

    Complete with some beautiful put downs. The real problem with a ‘ God’ however is that ‘God’ may require something from us . That troubles some of us. The other is a convenient excuse for pinning mankind’s murderous excesses on the same. Yet still others are that ‘God’ may require a certain code of behavior that may be seen to curb ones activity’s.

    Oh well.

    • KJT 11.1

      I don’t see how superstitious rubbish moderates behaviour.
      Evidently, it makes for intolerance, bigotry and denial of reality.

      For example, research shows that children bought up in a religious faith, have less empathy for others.

      • WILD KATIPO 11.1.1

        [ ” I don’t see how superstitious rubbish moderates behaviour . Evidently, it makes for intolerance, bigotry and denial of reality ” ].

        ——————————–

        Yeah , neither do I. And that’s exactly my point , – evolution theory does tend to make for intolerance, bigotry and denial of reality.

        I’m glad we see eye to eye on this and cleared that one up.

        Cheers.

        Oh,… just a little confused as to your statement regarding ”children bought up in a religious faith, have less empathy for others ”.

        I dunno about you bud, – but I don’t think Pol Pot expressed any particular religious faith, likewise Idi Amin and a fair swag of all the other genocidal mass murdering dictators.

        • KJT 11.1.1.1

          Clever. But most of our current problems are people who disregard evidence, and rely on “reckons”.

          Disregarding the evidence for evolution, anthropogenic global warming, the effectiveness of vaccination. And denying the evidence against charter schools, trickle down”, lower Government spending, and, of course a whole lot of others, “because God, Milton Friedman, Trump or the flying sphagetti monster said”. Pick your guru of choice.

          • WILD KATIPO 11.1.1.1.1

            [ ” But most of our current problems are people who disregard evidence, and rely on “reckons ” ]

            And I reckon your right. Bang on , mate!

            And that’s just the problem . Too many Tom Dick and Harry’s running around reckoning things. I reckon it has something to do with fervently reckoning that all we are , – are nothing but glorified tadpoles reconstituted. Last time I heard tadpoles had no morals. They are amoral. Do anything. Eat your smaller brother . And if your still hungry nibble on the tail of your sister. Hell , – she wont need it. She’ll be a frog soon anyways!

            Waddaya reckon ?

  12. corodale 12

    Some of that “Proof of God” video was quite good, but to end with the neo-pagan-semitic measage; “OMG, it was Jesus Christ!!!”, that was a bit of a fizz.

    Yeah, I’m open to our kids hearing alternatives. Wasn’t Darwinism modelled on market competition in industrial Victorian England?

    • Gabby 12.1

      Neo pagan?
      Classic corry!

    • [ ” Wasn’t Darwinism modelled on market competition in industrial Victorian England?”]

      Survival of the fittest.

      Sounds about right. The Nazi’s and the Austrian school of economics basically had that same idea. So too did a bloke called Thomas Robert Malthus :

      [ ” Of the relationship between population and economics, Malthus wrote that …. as to why he refuses to donate to the poor and destitute: “If they would rather die they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population” ].

      Thomas Robert Malthus – Wikipedia
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Robert_Malthus

      Charles Darwin was a great reader of Malthus apparently…

  13. Now this is an article about charter schools and not necessarily ones faith in whether God does or does not exist.

    However it would be wrong to try and use the secular versus faith science debate to try and inhibit what that school chooses to teach. Especially in this age of so called tolerance.

    But I would like to clarify something I typed about Darwin – it appears he never recanted his theory. So my mistake. Now just to show there’s a lot of good material out there regarding secular science and faith based science , there’s this:

    ( Its a massive site but you can see the articles by clicking on the ‘about us’ thingy on the first page.)

    Answers in Genesis
    https://answersingenesis.org/

  14. the other pat 14

    in the beginning there was nothing………………then…………….you were born!!!!!……all the rest is hype for the sheeple………everything is made from stardust and that’s where we end up……….anything after that is a nice surprise….or not.
    donations welcome!

    • [ ” everything is made from stardust ” ]

      Including charter schools.

      But hopefully our children wont end up there as we already have state owned schools instead that may have the good fortune under this govt to receive adequate funding, – unlike under the last National government.

  15. Lucy 15

    I would have thought that someone would have asked about the fact that the charter school was staffed by the wife of a Cabinet Minister (then) and the sister of the now leader of the opposition. This appears the most problematic for me as the charter schools seem to be filling staff with people who would get them influence in Government – not necessarily teachers who can teach.

  16. One Two 16

    The insidious relationships and family trees require deeper investigation…

    Politics…sport…business…

    Inside or outside…it’s a stich up

  17. KJT 17

    https://thestandard.org.nz/the-real-aims-of-nationals-education-policy/

    “When you see that the real goal is to commercialise public education………….

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    It’s Friday again. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week on Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered at the government looking into a long tunnel for Wellington. On Wednesday we ran a post from Oscar Simms on some lessons from Texas. AT’s ...
    3 hours ago
  • Jack Vowles: Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  The data is from February this ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 hours ago
  • Clearing up confusion (or trying to)
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 hours ago
  • How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log iPhone Without Computer
    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A StepbyStep Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and thirdparty applications. So, lets dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. Thats why they introduced the Recently Deleted folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Heres how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the Recents tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on Edit. Select Show Recently Deleted. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose Recover to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Heres how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose Erase All Content and Settings. Follow the onscreen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose Restore from iCloud Backup during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore ThirdParty Apps (with Caution): ...
    8 hours ago
  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
    15 hours ago
  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    16 hours ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    16 hours ago
  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    16 hours ago
  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    16 hours ago
  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    16 hours ago
  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    16 hours ago
  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    16 hours ago
  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    17 hours ago
  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    18 hours ago
  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    19 hours ago
  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    19 hours ago
  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    19 hours ago
  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    19 hours ago
  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    20 hours ago
  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    23 hours ago
  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    23 hours ago
  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    23 hours ago
  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    1 day ago
  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    1 day ago
  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago
  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    1 day ago
  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    3 days ago
  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    3 days ago
  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    3 days ago
  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    3 days ago
  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    4 days ago
  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
    5 days ago
  • Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts

    Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...

    5 days ago
  • Or is that just they want us to think?
    Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...
    6 days ago
  • Arguing over a moot point.
    I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    Turning Point: What has turned me away from the mainstream news media is the very strong message that its been sending out for the last few years.” “And what message might that be?” “That the people who own it, the people who run it, and the people who provide its content, really don’t ...
    6 days ago
  • Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
    No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago
  • Sad tales from the left
    Michael Bassett writes –  Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • In Whose Best Interests?
    On The Spot: The question Q+A host, Jack Tame, put to the Workplace & Safety Minister, Act’s Brooke van Velden, was disarmingly simple: “Are income tax cuts right now in the best interests of lowering inflation?”JACK TAME has tested another MP on his Sunday morning current affairs show, Q+A. Minister for Workplace ...
    6 days ago
  • Don’t Question, Don’t Complain.
    It has to start somewhereIt has to start sometimeWhat better place than here?What better time than now?So it turns out that I owe you all an apology.It seems that all of the terrible things this government is doing, impacting the lives of many, aren’t necessarily ‘bad’ per se. Those things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Government backing mussel spat project
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