Search Results
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Comment:Protecting poor people: the call for a rent freeze in Auckland
Date published: 9:12 pm, February 6th, 2023I am not sure we can advance this much beyond that. Yes, with serious pain in the offing for a significant minority, progressive change is inevitable. The on-going COVID-19 pandemic and recent weather events offer glimpses into the future of passengers on...
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Comment:Protecting poor people: the call for a rent freeze in Auckland
Date published: 10:18 am, February 6th, 2023https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/using-unmoral-immoral-nonmoral-amoral So, dealing with the underlying poverty is the ultimate solution. Absolutely. And anyone expecting an amoral market to ameliorate poverty will be in for a long wait. Can't ...
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Comment:Protecting poor people: the call for a rent freeze in Auckland
Date published: 9:17 am, February 6th, 2023I think you are over analysing what a market is. Bull market, bear market, black market - willing buyer, willing seller. Human trafficking According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), forced labour alone (one component of human trafficking) ...
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Comment:Protecting poor people: the call for a rent freeze in Auckland
Date published: 11:21 pm, February 5th, 2023So far as regulations for safety belts etc, that is just the government shaping the direction of the market, not interfering in it. That is non-controversial, and exactly the right thing for governments to do. Odd don't you think that both 'ends' of 'the ...
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Comment:Protecting poor people: the call for a rent freeze in Auckland
Date published: 9:26 pm, February 5th, 2023That is why we purchase our red and green peppers in the summer and slice them and freeze them for the winter. Glad you mentioned green/red peppers - do you think there are Kiwis who lack the wherewithal to enter the 'pepper market', even when prices are ...
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Comment:Protecting poor people: the call for a rent freeze in Auckland
Date published: 3:59 pm, February 5th, 2023Absolutely true. But still more efficient than the first-in first-served market that arose due to price controls. Because, in that environment, people who couldn't afford to pay would have still missed out if they weren't far enough up in the queue. At ...
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Comment:Protecting poor people: the call for a rent freeze in Auckland
Date published: 1:07 pm, February 5th, 2023Naomi Klein: how power profits from disaster [6 July 2017] After a crisis, private contractors move in and suck up funding for work done badly, if at all – then those billions get cut from government budgets. Like Grenfell Tower, Hurricane Katrina ...
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Comment:Protecting poor people: the call for a rent freeze in Auckland
Date published: 6:44 pm, February 4th, 2023If someone is running a business renting accommodation – the only income stream s/he has is rent. - Belladonna @5.1.2.3.1.1 (1:15 pm) Maybe. Do you want to tell me what other income stream the landlord has from the property? I'm afraid handwavium doesn't ...
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Comment:A week in the life of Mayor Wayne Brown
Date published: 3:39 pm, February 4th, 2023The fact he's clearly not a politician... Mayor Brown - "clearly not a politician"? A "fact", you say. This Mayor Brown? Wayne Brown (New Zealand politician) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Brown_(New_Zealand_politician)#Public_service_career Maybe "...
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Comment:Protecting poor people: the call for a rent freeze in Auckland
Date published: 1:48 pm, February 4th, 2023If someone is running a business renting accommodation – the only income stream s/he has is rent. Maybe. Are times equally tough for landLords & their income stream tenants? Personally, I like the idea of a cap on the profits of businesses providing basic...
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Comment:Protecting poor people: the call for a rent freeze in Auckland
Date published: 12:42 pm, February 4th, 2023The hard left would agree with you – housing is a basic need, and shouldn't be run for profit – the hard right would disagree. Imho, one would have to be very hard right indeed to maintain that housing isn't a basic need. The centre right to the hard left...
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Comment:Daily review 03/02/2023
Date published: 8:33 am, February 4th, 2023I have no doubt that those of us who won't have to pay such a tax want as much as possible of it transferred to us via the Government! I've been lucky enough in life that I might pay a piddling amount more if a wealth tax was introduced. And I'm lucky ...
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Comment:Open mike 04/02/2023
Date published: 8:15 am, February 4th, 2023Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkmJRJaPBXE Classic example of shifting baseline syndrome. We've been raised with a contemporary idea of what nature is supposed to look like, so we don't realise the natural complexity that's been lost https://www....
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Comment:Daily review 03/02/2023
Date published: 7:57 am, February 4th, 2023Myself I want the Greens wealth tax Me too.
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Comment:Daily review 01/02/2023
Date published: 6:58 pm, February 3rd, 2023If you must indulge in property speculation, here's how you do it Revealed: What former ANZ boss David Hisco paid for Sir John Key's Omaha holiday home [28 August 2019] Metro's Dubious Achievements 2019 [9 January 2020] The Empty Pink Piggy Bank for ...
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Comment:A week in the life of Mayor Wayne Brown
Date published: 5:44 pm, February 3rd, 2023You might imply Brown has a safe pair of hands, but he couldn't possibly comment
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Comment:A week in the life of Mayor Wayne Brown
Date published: 2:32 pm, February 3rd, 2023Is that what we can expect from now on – recorded statements? Given Mayor Brown's recent 'live' utterances, it's probably for the best Trying to see the bright side - the only way is up.
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Comment:National's Brown problem
Date published: 1:22 pm, February 3rd, 2023Watching how the media has behaved this week has been…. enlightening. Yes, they've done their job. Not that I learned anything new about Mayor 'Flush It Down' Brown and his sensitivity to particular publicity – if he had any sense he'd clam up now. Drongo...
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Comment:Protecting poor people: the call for a rent freeze in Auckland
Date published: 12:26 pm, February 3rd, 2023Yes, some tenants had a particularly rough time of it after the ChCh earthquakes. Shelter is a basic human right - if a short (6 month?) rent freeze "only makes the situation worse", then perhaps more drastic measures are needed? Weka's example of long-...
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Comment:Open mike 02/02/2023
Date published: 11:47 am, February 3rd, 2023https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2302/S00003/gordon-campbell-on-extending-the-fuelpublic-transport-subsidies.htm It's odd, don't you think, that the Nats bang on (and on and on) about how the cost of living crisis is hurting 'ordinary' people: "...the ...
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Comment:Daily review 02/02/2023
Date published: 11:27 am, February 3rd, 2023Brown is already infamous for his tally of interview refusals - who'd have guessed... How to avoid threatening to stick photos of journalists to urinals in mayoral interviews [3 Oct 2022] Auckland mayoral candidate Wayne Brown is receiving criticism for ...
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Comment:2023: Year of the Long Grind
Date published: 10:33 pm, February 1st, 2023Appreciated, thanks.
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Comment:Daily review 01/02/2023
Date published: 6:01 pm, February 1st, 2023“What we’ve seen over yesterday and again today, is new leader, same Labour, same old tired ideas.” - opposition leader Luxon "New leader" - tick. Same National - tick. "Same old tired ideas" (tax cuts for the rich, boot camps for the not so rich) - tick....
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Comment:Open mike 01/02/2023
Date published: 11:35 am, February 1st, 2023Thanks Macro for that info/insight.
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Comment:2023: Year of the Long Grind
Date published: 11:25 am, February 1st, 20232020s: Decade of the Long Grind The world is not ready for the long grind to come [FT: 30 January 2023] Demographic changes and deglobalisation will keep inflation higher than policymakers were used to pre-pandemic Will the 2030s be any better?
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Comment:Open mike 01/02/2023
Date published: 10:51 am, February 1st, 2023National announces caucus reshuffle as Napier retreat kicks off Does anyone think that the drop down the ranks of Kuriger and Simpson should be taken as an indication that these two may retire? In Simpson's electorate (Coromandel), Labour's 2020 party ...
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Comment:Open mike 31/01/2023
Date published: 9:47 am, February 1st, 2023Wasn't enough to put him off politics though - that man had (a) nerve. Apparently it was all downhill only after Bridges took away his favourite toy and he had to go digging for holes elsewhere. "an independent advisor"... "acting as a sounding board"... "...
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Comment:Two new polls ...
Date published: 7:03 pm, January 31st, 2023Not looking and/or feeling comfortable in a suit would be a relatable plus in my book - not much of a plus, but a plus is a plus - is Luxon's wardrobe a shambles?
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Comment:Open mike 31/01/2023
Date published: 4:20 pm, January 31st, 2023When is VFF going to get in on the Act of bemoaning the loss of freedums during the current state of emergency. C'mon guys, here's how you do it. Auckland flood closes schools: Diocesan School for Girls principal ‘incredulous’ about communication from ...
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Comment:Jacinda Ardern - How will her five years in power be remembered?
Date published: 9:53 am, January 31st, 2023 -
Comment:Open mike 30/01/2023
Date published: 9:37 am, January 31st, 2023You might want to look in the mirror for your grumpy old man double. Absolutely reject your suggestion that I'm grumpy - I'm simply observing. Auckland floods: Wayne Brown’s text to tennis mates - can’t play because have ‘to deal with media drongos over ...
- Clean energy permitting reform needed to boost economy, protect climate and burn less coal
Originally published by The Hill After decades of failure to pass major federal climate legislation, Congress finally broke through last year with the Inflation Reduction Act and its close to $400 billion in clean energy investments. Energy modeling experts estimated that these provisions would help the U.S. cut its carbon pollution ...5 hours ago - A Sorry State Of Affairs.
Apology Accepted? “I dropped the ball on Friday, I was too slow to be seen …The communications weren’t fast enough – including mine. I’m sorry for that.”– Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown.HOW OFTEN do politicians apologise? Sincerely apologise? Not offer voters the weasel words: “If my actions have offended anyone, then I ...9 hours ago - Aotearoa New Zealand as a “little experiment”. The rights, wrongs & other wrongs of ...
At first blush, Christopher Luxon’s comment at the parliamentary powhiri at Waitangi this year sounded tone deaf. The Leader of the Opposition in talking about the Treaty of Waitangi described New Zealand as “a little experiment”. It seemed to diminish the treaty and the very idea of our nation. Yet ...10 hours ago - Brian Easton: Co-Governance
THE (new) Prime Minister said nobody understands what co-governance means, later modified to that there were so many varying interpretations that there was no common understanding. BRIAN EASTON writes: Co-governance cannot be derived from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It does not use the word. It ...13 hours ago - Waitangi before dawn.
A brief postscript to yesterday’s newsletter…Watching the predawn speeches just now, the reverence of those speaking and the respectful nature of those listening under umbrellas in the dark. I felt a great sadness at the words from Christopher Luxon last evening still in my head. The singing in the dark accompanied ...17 hours ago - Industrial marvel, bought with blood
by Don Franks While on holiday,I stayed a few days in Scotland with a friend who showed me one of the country’s great working-class achievements. It was a few miles out of central Edinburgh, a huge cantilever bridge across the river Forth. The Forth Bridge was the first major structure ...1 day ago - Chris Trotter: Blowing off the froth – why Chris Hipkins must ditch Three WatersTime To Call A Halt: Chris Hipkins knows that iwi leaders possess the means to make life very difficult for his government. Notwithstanding their objections, however, the Prime Minister’s direction of travel – already clearly signalled by his very public demotion of Nanaia Mahuta – must be confirmed by an emphatic and ...1 day ago
- 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #5A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 29, 2023 thru Sat, Feb 4, 2023. Story of the Week Social change more important than physical tipping points 1.5-degree Goal not plausible Photo: CLICCS / Universität Hamburg Limiting global ...2 days ago
- Making It Look Easy.So Long - And Thanks For All The Fish: In the two-and-a-bit years since Jacinda Ardern’s electoral triumph of 2020, virtually every decision she made had gone politically awry. In the minds of many thousands of voters a chilling metamorphosis had taken place. The Faerie Queen had become the Wicked ...2 days ago
- Who's afraid of co-governance?
Look at us here on our beautiful islands in the South Pacific at the start of 2023, we have come so far.Ten days ago we saw a Māori Governor General swearing in our new PM and our first Pasifika Deputy PM, ahead of this year’s parliament where they will be ...2 days ago - Misleading Headlines
The Herald’s headline writers are at it again! A sensible and balanced piece by Liam Dann on the battle against inflation carries a headline that suggests that NZ is doing worse than the rest of the world. Check it out and see for yourself if I am right. Is this ...2 days ago - My weekend reading and listening
Photo by Anna Demianenko on UnsplashTLDR: Here’s my longer reads and listens for the weekend for sharing with The Kaka’s paying subscribers. I’ve opened this one up for all to give everyone a taste of the sorts of extras you get as a full paying subscriber.Subscribe nowDeeper reads and listens ...2 days ago - Something for the long weekend
Hello from the middle of a long weekend where I’m letting the last few days unspool, not ready, not yet, to give words to the hardest of what we heard.Instead, today, here are some good words from other people.Mother CourageWhen I wrote last year about Mum and Dad’s move to ...2 days ago - The people behind Workers Now
Workers Now is a new slate of candidates contesting this year’s general election. James Robb and Don Franks are the people behind this initiative and they are hoping to put the spotlight on working people’s interests. Both are seasoned activists who have campaigned for workers’ rights over many decades. Here is ...2 days ago - Govt is safeguarding Treaty grounds (for $3m) but Hipkins may be embroiled in spat about when he can...
Buzz from the Beehive Politicians keen to curry favour with Māori tribal leaders have headed north for Waitangi weekend. More than a few million dollars of public funding are headed north, too. Not all of this money is being trumpeted on the Beehive website, the Government’s official website. ...3 days ago - The week that was to Feb 4Insurers face claims of over $500 million for cars, homes and property damaged in the floods. They are already putting up premiums and pulling insurance from properties deemed at high risk of flooding. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: This week in the podcast of our weekly hoon webinar for paying subscribers, ...3 days ago
- Cranky Uncle could use your help to learn more languages!Our Cranky Uncle Game can already be played in eight languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. About 15 more languages are in the works at various stages of completion or have been offered to be done. To kick off the new year, we checked with how ...3 days ago
- 2022 updates to model-observation comparisons
Our annual post related to the comparisons between long standing records and climate models. As frequent readers will know, we maintain a page of comparisons between climate model projections and the relevant observational records, and since they are mostly for the global mean numbers, these get updated once ...3 days ago - Co-governance
The (new) Prime Minister said nobody understands what co-governance means, later modified to that there were so many varying interpretations that there was no common understanding.Co-governance cannot be derived from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It does not use the word. It refers to ‘government’ on ...3 days ago - Jump onto the weekly hoon at 5pm
It’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka. Jump on this link for our chat about the week’s news with special guests Auckland Central MP Chloe Swarbrick and Auckland City Councillor Julie Fairey, including:Auckland’s catastrophic floods, which ...3 days ago - Climate Change: The emissions deficit
In March last year, in a panic over rising petrol prices caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the government made a poor decision, "temporarily" cutting fuel excise tax by 25 cents a litre. Of course, it turned out not to be temporary at all, having been extended in May, July, ...3 days ago - Unforced variations: Feb 2023This month’s open thread for climate related topics. Please be constructive, polite, and succinct. The post Unforced variations: Feb 2023 first appeared on RealClimate. ...3 days ago
- Kelvin Davis takes us back to a battle in which the Brits took a beating but we are left bewildered ...Buzz from the Beehive Two fresh press releases had been posted when we checked the Beehive website at noon, both of them posted yesterday. In one statement, in the runup to Waitangi Day, Maori Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis drew attention to happenings on a Northland battle site in 1845. ...3 days ago
- Ask Me Anything about the week to Feb 3It’s that time of the week again when I’m on the site for an hour for a chat in an Ask Me Anything with paying subscribers to The Kaka. Jump in for a chat on anything, including:Auckland’s catastrophic floods, which are set to cost insurers and the Government well over ...4 days ago
- Political Roundup: 3 February 2023
CO-GOVERNANCE, WAITANGI, THREE WATERS Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Blowing Off The Froth: Why Chris Hipkins Must Ditch Three Waters Audrey Young (Herald): What iwi leaders will tell Chris Hipkins about co-governance(paywalled) Michael Neilson (Herald): Waitangi 2023: PM Chris Hipkins and National’s Christopher Luxon to be tested by Māori leaders in ...4 days ago - The stagnant debates in our hermit kingdom of a political economy
Australia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers (left) has published a 6,000 word manifesto called ‘Capitalism after the Crises’ arguing for ‘values-based capitalism’. Yet here in NZ we hear the same stale old rhetoric unchanged from the 1990s and early 2000s. Photo: Getty ImagesTLDR: The rest of the world is talking about inflation ...4 days ago - Lies, damned lies, and political polls.
A couple of weeks ago, after NCEA results came out, my son’s enrolment at Auckland Uni for this year was confirmed - he is doing a BSc majoring in Statistics. Well that is the plan now, who knows what will take his interest once he starts.I spent a bit of ...4 days ago - Weekly Roundup 03-February-2023
Kia ora. What a week! We hope you’ve all come through last weekend’s extreme weather event relatively dry and safe. Header image: stormwater ponds at Hobsonville Point. Image via Twitter. The week in Greater Auckland There’s been a storm of information and debate since the worst of the flooding ...4 days ago - A New Day, a New Cease & Desist
Hi,At 4.43pm yesterday it arrived — a cease and desist letter from the guy I mentioned in my last newsletter. I’d written an article about “WEWE”, a global multi-level marketing scam making in-roads into New Zealand. MLMs are terrible for many of the same reasons megachurches are terrible, and I ...4 days ago - Blowing Off The Froth: Why Chris Hipkins Must Ditch Three Waters.Time To Call A Halt: Chris Hipkins knows that iwi leaders possess the means to make life very difficult for his government. Notwithstanding their objections, however, the Prime Minister’s direction of travel – already clearly signalled by his very public demotion of Nanaia Mahuta – must be confirmed by an emphatic ...4 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #5 2023Open access notables Via PNAS, Ceylan, Anderson & Wood present a paper squarely in the center of the Skeptical Science wheelhouse: Sharing of misinformation is habitual, not just lazy or biased. The signficance statement is obvious catnip: Misinformation is a worldwide concern carrying socioeconomic and political consequences. What drives ...4 days ago
- Universities that punish reading – even of books from their own librariesMark White from the Left free speech organisation Plebity looks at the disturbing trend of ‘book burning’ on US campuses In the abstract, people mostly agree that book banning is a bad thing. The Nazis did us the favor of being very clear about it and literally burning books, but ...4 days ago
- Hipkins has a chance to show he is more effective in getting results than Ardern in his Canberra t...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has undergone a stern baptisim of fire in his first week in his new job, but it doesn’t get any easier. Next week, he has a vital meeting in Canberra with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, where he has to establish ...4 days ago - Gordon Campbell on extending the fuel/public transport subsidies
As PM Chris Hipkins says, it’s a “no brainer” to extend the fuel tax cut, half price public subsidy and the cut to the road user levy until mid-year. A no braoner if the prime purpose is to ease the burden on people struggling to cope with the cost of ...4 days ago - U-turn on fuel taxes could pump up poll support for Hipkins and Co but the poor – perhaps – won...Buzz from the Beehive Cost-of-living pressures loomed large in Beehive announcements over the past 24 hours. The PM was obviously keen to announce further measures to keep those costs in check and demonstrate he means business when he talks of focusing his government on bread-and-butter issues. His statement was headed ...4 days ago
- Mike’s Cracked RecordPoor Mike Hosking. He has revealed himself in his most recent diatribe to be one of those public figures who is defined, not by who he is, but by who he isn’t, or at least not by what he is for, but by what he is against. Jacinda’s departure has ...5 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: Chris Hipkins hires a lobbyist to run the BeehiveNew Zealand is the second least corrupt country on earth according to the latest Corruption Perception Index published yesterday by Transparency International. But how much does this reflect reality? The problem with being continually feted for world-leading political integrity – which the Beehive and government departments love to boast about ...5 days ago
- Pick o’ the links: Brown vs Fish; Brown vs everyone
TLDR: Including my pick of the news and other links in my checks around the news sites since 4am. Paying subscribers can see them all below the fold.In Aotearoa’s political economyBrown vs Fish Read more ...5 days ago - Pick o’ the links: Brown vs Fish; Brown vs everyoneTLDR: Including my pick of the news and other links in my checks around the news sites since 4am. Paying subscribers can see them all below the fold.In Aotearoa’s political economyBrown vs Fish Read more ...5 days ago
- Dawn Chorus: Classic middle class welfare to win 'Ford Ranger Man'In other countries, the target-rich cohorts of swinging voters are given labels such as ‘Mondeo Man’, ‘White Van Man,’ ‘Soccer Moms’ and ‘Little Aussie Battlers.’ Here, the easiest shorthand is ‘Ford Ranger Man’ – as seen here parked outside a Herne Bay restaurant, inbetween two SUVs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / ...5 days ago
- Dawn Chorus: Classic middle class welfare to win 'Ford Ranger Man'In other countries, the target-rich cohorts of swinging voters are given labels such as ‘Mondeo Man’, ‘White Van Man,’ ‘Soccer Moms’ and ‘Little Aussie Battlers.’ Here, the easiest shorthand is ‘Ford Ranger Man’ – as seen here parked outside a Herne Bay restaurant, inbetween two SUVs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / ...5 days ago
- Government confirms a light rail rethink possibleTransport Minister and now also Minister for Auckland, Michael Wood has confirmed that the light rail project is part of the government’s policy refocus. Wood said the light rail project was under review as part of a ministerial refocus on key Government projects. “We are undertaking a stocktake about how ...5 days ago
- Why Nicola Willis is door-knocking in JohnsonvilleSometime before the new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced that this year would be about “bread and butter issues”, National’s finance spokesperson Nicola Willis decided to move from Wellington Central and stand for Ohariu, which spreads across north Wellington from the central city to Johnsonville and Tawa. It’s an ...5 days ago
- “With great power comes great responsibility”: we’ve all heard that, but stepping up to it is ...
They say a week is a long time in politics. For Mayor Wayne Brown, turns out 24 hours was long enough for many of us to see, quite obviously, “something isn’t right here…”. That in fact, a lot was going wrong. Very wrong indeed. Mainly because it turns ...5 days ago - The escalator rises againOne of the most effective, and successful, graphics developed by Skeptical Science is the escalator. The escalator shows how global surface temperature anomalies vary with time, and illustrates how "contrarians" tend to cherry-pick short time intervals so as to argue that there has been no recent warming, while "realists" recognise ...5 days ago
- Dusk Chorus: ‘Bread and butter’ chosen over cutting emissions
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Here’s a quick roundup of the news today for paying subscribers on a slightly frantic, very wet, and then very warm day. In Aotearoa’s political economy today Read more ...5 days ago - Dusk Chorus: ‘Bread and butter’ chosen over cutting emissionsPhoto: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Here’s a quick roundup of the news today for paying subscribers on a slightly frantic, very wet, and then very warm day. In Aotearoa’s political economy today Read more ...5 days ago
- We never get to feel one thing at a time, us grownups
Tomorrow we have a funeral, and thank you all of you for your very kind words and thoughts — flowers, even.Our friend Michèle messaged: we never get to feel one thing at a time, us grownups, and oh boy is that ever the truth. Tomorrow we have the funeral, and ...5 days ago - Garrick Tremain’s view…
... 5 days ago - Isn't this the rainy day we're supposed to be saving up for?Lynn and I have just returned from a news conference where Hipkins, fresh from visiting a relief centre in Mangere, was repeatedly challenged to justify the extension of subsidies to create more climate emissions when the effects of climate change had just proved so disastrous. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The ...5 days ago
- Isn't this the rainy day we're supposed to be saving up for?Lynn and I have just returned from a news conference where Hipkins, fresh from visiting a relief centre in Mangere, was repeatedly challenged to justify the extension of subsidies to create more climate emissions when the effects of climate change had just proved so disastrous. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The ...5 days ago
- Much excitement as Hipkins gets down to business – but can he defeat inflation with his devotion t...A new Prime Minister, a revitalised Cabinet, and possibly revised priorities – but is the political and, importantly, economic landscape much different? Certainly some within the news media were excited by the changes which Chris Hipkins announced yesterday or – before the announcement – by the prospect of changes in ...5 days ago
- E-bike incentives workCurrently the government's strategy for reducing transport emissions hinges on boosting vehicle fuel-efficiency, via the clean car standard and clean car discount, and some improvements to public transport. The former has been hugely successful, and has clearly set us on the right path, but its also not enough, and will ...6 days ago
- Hipkins’ need to strengthen focus on “bread and butter” issues suggests the Ardern team was lo...Buzz from the Beehive Before he announced his Cabinet yesterday, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced he would be flying to Australia next week to meet that country’s Prime Minister. And before Kieran McAnulty had time to say “Three Waters” after his promotion to the Local Government portfolio, he was dishing ...6 days ago
- 24,000 employed under LabourThe quarterly labour market statistics were released this morning, showing that unemployment has risen slightly to 3.4%. There are now 99,000 people unemployed - 24,000 fewer than when Labour took office. So, I guess the Reserve Bank's plan to throw people out of work to stop wage rises "inflation", and ...6 days ago
- February Stars.
Another night of heavy rain, flooding, damage to homes, and people worried about where the hell all this water is going to go as we enter day twenty two of rain this year.Honestly if the government can’t sell Three Waters on the back of what has happened with storm water ...6 days ago - Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Hipkins’ bread and butter reshuffle* Dr Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Chris Hipkins continues to be the new broom in Government, re-setting his Government away from its problem areas in his Cabinet reshuffle yesterday, and trying to convince voters that Labour is focused on “bread and butter” issues. The ministers responsible for unpopular ...6 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: Hipkins’ bread and butter reshufflePrime Minister Chris Hipkins continues to be the new broom in Government, re-setting his Government away from its problem areas in his Cabinet reshuffle yesterday, and trying to convince voters that Labour is focused on “bread and butter” issues. The ministers responsible for unpopular reforms in water and DHB centralisation ...6 days ago
- The Neverending Curse of MLMs
Hi,It’s weird to me that in 2023 we still have people falling for multi-level marketing schemes (MLMs for short). There are Netflix documentaries about them, countless articles, and last year we did an Armchaired and Dangerous episode on them.Then you check a ticketing website like EventBrite and see this shit ...6 days ago - Dusk Chorus: Mahuta and Little demotedNanaia Mahuta fell the furthest in the Cabinet reshuffle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: PM Chris Hipkins unveiled a Cabinet this afternoon he hopes will show wavering voters that a refreshed Labour Government is focused on ‘bread and butter cost of living’ issues, rather than the unpopular, unwieldy and massively centralising ...6 days ago
- Dusk Chorus: Mahuta and Little demotedNanaia Mahuta fell the furthest in the Cabinet reshuffle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: PM Chris Hipkins unveiled a Cabinet this afternoon he hopes will show wavering voters that a refreshed Labour Government is focused on ‘bread and butter cost of living’ issues, rather than the unpopular, unwieldy and massively centralising ...6 days ago
- We just need the Wayne to stop
Shortly, the absolute state of Wayne Brown. But before that, something I wrote four years ago for the council’s own media machine. It was a day-in-the-life profile of their many and varied and quite possibly unnoticed vital services. We went all over Auckland in 48 hours for the story, the ...6 days ago - 2023 More Reading: January (+ Old Phuul Update)
Completed reads for January Lilith, by George MacDonald The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (poem), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Christabel (poem), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, by Anonymous The Lay of Kraka (poem), by Anonymous 1066 and All That, by W.C. Sellar and R.J. ...6 days ago - Is Britain doomed (again)?
Pity the poor Brits. They just can’t catch a break. After years of reporting of lying Boris Johnson, a change to a less colourful PM in Rishi Sunak has resulted in a smooth media pivot to an end-of-empire narrative. The New York Times, no less, amplifies suggestions that Blighty ...6 days ago - After The Deluge.On that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth.Genesis 6:11-12THE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS that dumped a record-breaking amount of rain on Auckland this anniversary weekend will reoccur with ever-increasing frequency. The planet’s atmosphere is ...6 days ago
- Minister of Education (who might be replaced later today) left it to his ministry to apologise for i...Buzz from the Beehive There has been plenty to keep the relevant Ministers busy in flood-stricken Auckland over the past day or two. But New Zealand, last time we looked, extends north of Auckland into Northland and south of the Bombay Hills all the way to the bottom of the ...7 days ago
- The other ‘big one’: How a megaflood could swamp California’s Central ValleyThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters When early settlers came to the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers before the California Gold Rush, Indigenous people warned them that the Sacramento Valley could become an inland sea when great winter rains came. The storytellers described water filling the ...7 days ago
- Tuesday's pick o' the links: Wayne Brown's WTF moment
Wayne Brown managed a smile when meeting with Remuera residents, but he was grumpy about having to deal with “media drongos”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: In my pick of the news links found in my rounds since 4am for paying subscribers below the paywall:Wayne Brown moans about the media and ...7 days ago - Tuesday's pick o' the links: Wayne Brown's WTF momentWayne Brown managed a smile when meeting with Remuera residents, but he was grumpy about having to deal with “media drongos”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: In my pick of the news links found in my rounds since 4am for paying subscribers below the paywall:Wayne Brown moans about the media and ...7 days ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: The gamechanger PM and pollsDr Bryce Edwards writes – Last night’s opinion polls answered the big question of whether a switch of prime minister would really be a gamechanger for election year. The 1News and Newshub polls released at 6pm gave the same response: the shift from Jacinda Ardern to Chris Hipkins ...7 days ago
- Dawn Chorus: Why 2023 will be a year of indecision & delayHipkins’ aim this year will be to present a ‘low target’ for those seeking to attack Labour’s policies and spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Anyone dealing with Government departments and councils who wants some sort of big or long-term decision out of officials or politicians this year should brace for ...7 days ago
- Dawn Chorus: Why 2023 will be a year of indecision & delayHipkins’ aim this year will be to present a ‘low target’ for those seeking to attack Labour’s policies and spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Anyone dealing with Government departments and councils who wants some sort of big or long-term decision out of officials or politicians this year should brace for ...7 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: The Gamechanger PM and pollsLast night’s opinion polls answered the big question of whether a switch of prime minister would really be a gamechanger for election year. The 1News and Newshub polls released at 6pm gave the same response: the shift from Jacinda Ardern to Chris Hipkins has changed everything, and Labour is back ...7 days ago
- After the deluge – initial thoughts on the Auckland floodsOver the last few years, it’s seemed like city after city around the world has become subject to extreme flooding events that have been made worse by impacts from climate change. We’ve highlighted many of them in our Weekly Roundup series. Sadly, over the last few days it’s been Auckland’s ...7 days ago
- Ever Get the Feeling You've Been Cheated?
And so the first month of the year draws to a close. It rained in Auckland on 21 out of the 31 days in January. Feels like summer never really happened this year. It’s actually hard to believe there were 10 days that it didn’t rain. Was it any better where ...7 days ago
- Waitangi Day – a time to reflect and learn
Kia ora e te whānau. Today, we mark the anniversary of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi - and our commitment to working in partnership with Māori to deliver better outcomes and tackle the big issues, together. ...20 hours ago - Greens call on the government to end perpetual leases
The Green Party calls on the Government to end perpetual leases over Māori land so that Māori landowners can directly control their lands. ...3 days ago - Thousands more homes under LabourWe’ve just announced a massive infrastructure investment to kick-start new housing developments across New Zealand. Through our Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, we’re making sure that critical infrastructure - like pipes, roads and wastewater connections - is in place, so thousands more homes can be built. ...3 days ago
- Time for Labour to deliver on No New MinesThe Green Party is today welcoming reports of Government progress towards having no new mines on conservation land. ...4 days ago
- Time for Labour to deliver on No New MinesThe Green Party is today welcoming reports of Government progress towards having no new mines on conservation land. ...4 days ago
- Greens join call for immediate rent freeze after floodsThe Green Party is joining more than 20 community organisations to call for an immediate rent freeze in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, after reports of landlords intending to hike rents after flooding. ...4 days ago
- Extra cost of living support for New ZealandersWhen Chris Hipkins took on the job of Prime Minister, he said bread and butter issues like the cost of living would be the Government’s top priority – and this week, we’ve set out extra support for families and businesses. ...4 days ago
- Greens not on board with fossil fuel subsidyThe Green Party is calling on the Government to provide direct support to low-income households and to stop subsidising fossil fuels during a climate crisis. ...5 days ago
- Urgent action needed to support familiesThe tools exist to help families with surging costs – and as costs continue to rise it is more urgent than ever that we use them, the Green Party says. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party writes to new Prime MinisterThe Green Party has written to Prime Minister Chris Hipkins outlining a plan for a fairer Aotearoa. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party looks forward to working with Chris HipkinsThe Green Party welcomes Chris Hipkins as the sole nominee for leader of the Labour Party, and the next Prime Minister of Aotearoa New Zealand. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens recognise Prime Minister Ardern’s serviceThe Green Party is today acknowledging Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s service to Aotearoa. ...3 weeks ago
- Advancing our relationship in India
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for India tomorrow as she continues to reconnect Aotearoa New Zealand to the world. The visit will begin in New Delhi where the Foreign Minister will meet with the Vice President Hon Jagdeep Dhankar and her Indian Government counterparts, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and ...2 days ago - Government Northland housing investment to spark transformational changeOver $10 million infrastructure funding to unlock housing in Whangārei The purchase of a 3.279 hectare site in Kerikeri to enable 56 new homes Northland becomes eligible for $100 million scheme for affordable rentals Multiple Northland communities will benefit from multiple Government housing investments, delivering thousands of new homes for ...3 days ago
- Battle of Ohaeawai rememberedA memorial event at a key battle site in the New Zealand land wars is an important event to mark the progress in relations between Māori and the Crown as we head towards Waitangi Day, Minister for Te Arawhiti Kelvin Davis said. The Battle of Ohaeawai in June 1845 saw ...4 days ago
- More Police deployed to the frontlineMore Police officers are being deployed to the frontline with the graduation of 54 new constables from the Royal New Zealand Police College today. The graduation ceremony for Recruit Wing 362 at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua was the first official event for Stuart Nash since his reappointment as Police ...4 days ago
- Further support for upper North Island regions hit by significant weatherThe Government is unlocking an additional $700,000 in support for regions that have been badly hit by the recent flooding and storm damage in the upper North Island. “We’re supporting the response and recovery of Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Northland, and Bay of Plenty regions, through activating Enhanced Taskforce Green to ...5 days ago
- The Princess Royal to visit New ZealandPrime Minister Chris Hipkins has welcomed the announcement that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, will visit New Zealand this month. “Princess Anne is travelling to Aotearoa at the request of the NZ Army’s Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, of which she is Colonel in Chief, to ...5 days ago
- Government and horticulture sector target $12b in exports by 2035A new Government and industry strategy launched today has its sights on growing the value of New Zealand’s horticultural production to $12 billion by 2035, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said. “Our food and fibre exports are vital to New Zealand’s economic security. We’re focussed on long-term strategies that build on ...5 days ago
- Cost of living support extended for families and businesses25 cents per litre petrol excise duty cut extended to 30 June 2023 – reducing an average 60 litre tank of petrol by $17.25 Road User Charge discount will be re-introduced and continue through until 30 June Half price public transport fares extended to the end of June 2023 saving ...6 days ago
- More Kiwis in work as rising wages match inflationThe strong economy has attracted more people into the workforce, with a record number of New Zealanders in paid work and wages rising to help with cost of living pressures. “The Government’s economic plan is delivering on more better-paid jobs, growing wages and creating more opportunities for more New Zealanders,” ...6 days ago
- Government boosts fund for Auckland floodingThe Government is providing a further $1 million to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced today. “Cabinet today agreed that, given the severity of the event, a further $1 million contribution be made. Cabinet wishes to be proactive ...6 days ago
- New Cabinet focused on bread and butter issuesThe new Cabinet will be focused on core bread and butter issues like the cost of living, education, health, housing and keeping communities and businesses safe, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. “We need a greater focus on what’s in front of New Zealanders right now. The new Cabinet line ...6 days ago
- Prime Minister to meet with PM AlbanesePrime Minister Chris Hipkins will travel to Canberra next week for an in person meeting with Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. “The trans-Tasman relationship is New Zealand’s closest and most important, and it was crucial to me that my first overseas trip as Prime Minister was to Australia,” Chris Hipkins ...6 days ago
- Government makes first payment to Auckland Flooding fundThe Government is providing establishment funding of $100,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “We moved quickly to make available this funding to support Aucklanders while the full extent of the damage is being assessed,” Kieran McAnulty ...1 week ago
- Government steps up to assist Auckland during floodingAs the Mayor of Auckland has announced a state of emergency, the Government, through NEMA, is able to step up support for those affected by flooding in Auckland. “I’d urge people to follow the advice of authorities and check Auckland Emergency Management for the latest information. As always, the Government ...1 week ago
- Poroporoaki: Titewhai Te Huia Hinewhare HarawiraKa papā te whatitiri, Hikohiko ana te uira, wāhi rua mai ana rā runga mai o Huruiki maunga Kua hinga te māreikura o te Nota, a Titewhai Harawira Nā reira, e te kahurangi, takoto, e moe Ka mōwai koa a Whakapara, kua uhia te Tai Tokerau e te kapua pōuri ...2 weeks ago
- Enhanced Task Force Green Approved following Cyclone HaleCarmel Sepuloni, Minister for Social Development and Employment, has activated Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG) in response to flooding and damaged caused by Cyclone Hale in the Tairāwhiti region. Up to $500,000 will be made available to employ job seekers to support the clean-up. We are still investigating whether other parts ...2 weeks ago
- General Election to be held on 14 October 2023The 2023 General Election will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “Announcing the election date early in the year provides New Zealanders with certainty and has become the practice of this Government and the previous one, and I believe is best practice,” Jacinda ...3 weeks ago
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces resignationJacinda Ardern has announced she will step down as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. Her resignation will take effect on the appointment of a new Prime Minister. A caucus vote to elect a new Party Leader will occur in 3 days’ time on Sunday the 22nd of ...3 weeks ago
- Kalsakau wants Melanesian staff to work at MSG secretariat
By Hilaire Bule, RNZ Pacific Vanuatu correspondent in Port Vila Vanuatu’s prime minister has stressed any future employment within the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Secretariat must be from MSG member countries. Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau, who is also chair of the MSG Secretariat, made the statement following the recruitment of ...28 mins ago - Yamin Kogoya: The fate of Papua’s governor Enembe – where is he now?SPECIAL REPORT: By Yamin Kogoya On Friday 10 February 2023, it will be one month since the Papua Governor Lukas Enembe was “kidnapped” at a local restaurant during his lunch hour by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and security forces. The crisis began in September 2022, when Governor Enembe was ...1 hour ago
- Tongan politician, democracy reformer and scholar Dr Sitiveni Halapua diesBy Kālino Lātū, editor of Kaniva News Dr Sitiveni Halapua, former deputy leader of Tonga’s Democratic Movement, has died aged 74. Born on February 13, 1949, he was a respected academic, a pioneer of Tonga’s democratic reforms and pioneer of a conflict resolution system based on traditional practices. Halapua earned ...1 hour ago
- NZ’s Waitangi Day 2023 – why Article 3 of the Treaty deserves more attention in the age of ‘c...ANALYSIS: By Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato; Claire Breen, University of Waikato, and Valmaine Toki, University of Waikato The heated (and often confused) debate about “co-governance” in Aotearoa New Zealand inevitably leads back to its source, Te Tiriti o Waitangi. But, as its long-contested meanings demonstrate, very little in the ...1 hour ago
- Richard Naidu: It’s your freedom – so speak up and step upCOMMENTARY: By Richard Naidu in Suva Five weeks on from Christmas Eve, I think most of us are still a bit stunned at what has happened in Fiji. A new government came to power in dramatic circumstances. It took not one but two Sodelpa management board meetings to change it, ...1 hour ago
- Gallery: After Auckland’s flash floods, it’s community clean-up timeBy Red Tsounga Another house done, and onto the next . . . Volunteers working in Mount Roskill community over the past few days helping those suffering from Auckland’s flash flood devastation have done us proud. Tremendous work by everybody. Here are some random photos of our volunteer teams on ...1 hour ago
- Lidia Thorpe’s defection from the Greens will make passing legislation harder for LaborSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Mick Tsikas/AAP Senator Lidia Thorpe announced on Monday that she would be leaving the Greens. Thorpe had split with the ...5 hours ago
- Beyond spy balloons: here are 7 kinds of intelligence spies want, and how they get itSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dennis B. Desmond, Lecturer, Cyberintelligence and Cybercrime Investigations, University of the Sunshine Coast The news of a so-called “Chinese spy balloon” being shot down over the US has reignited interest in how nation-states spy on one another. It’s not confirmed that the ...5 hours ago
- Te Pāti Māori Announces Takutai Moana Kemp As Candidate For Tāmaki Makaurau For The 2023 Election
Today, at a Waitangi ki Waititi concert hosted by Te Whānau o Waipareira at Hoani Waititi Marae, West Auckland; Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp was officially announced as Te Pāti Māori Candidate for Tāmaki Makaurau for the 2023 Election. Hailing ...7 hours ago - View from The Hill: Lidia Thorpe quits Greens, going to crossbench to promote ‘Blak Sovereign Move...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Daniel Pockett/AAP Victorian Indigenous Senator Lidia Thorpe has defected from the Greens to sit on the crossbench, declaring she wants to fully represent the “Blak Sovereign Movement” in parliament. The announcement by ...7 hours ago
- View from The Hill: Lydia Thorpe quits Greens, going to crossbench to promote ‘Blak Sovereign Move...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Daniel Pockett/AAP Victorian Indigenous Senator Lidia Thorpe has defected from the Greens to sit on the crossbench, declaring she wants to fully represent the “Blak Sovereign Movement” in parliament. The announcement by ...7 hours ago
- ‘Per my last email’ and other ways to be passive aggressive at work – in Māori
Sure, Scotty Morrison’s Māori At Work is a wonderful resource for Aotearoa’s collective te reo Māori journey. But is it judgemental enough for the modern office environment? First published September 12 2019 The growing strength of te reo is palpable across Aotearoa, with record numbers of people participating in Mahuru ...7 hours ago - With the training to diagnose, test, prescribe and discharge, nurse practitioners could help rescue ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Mills, Professor and Dean La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University Shutterstock It can be tough to access front-line health care outside the cities and suburbs. For the seven million Australians living in rural communities there are significant ...8 hours ago
- Did China’s balloon violate international law?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Donald Rothwell, Professor of International Law, Australian National University Chad Fish/AP Was the balloon that suddenly appeared over the US last week undertaking surveillance? Or was it engaging in research, as China has claimed? While the answers to these ...8 hours ago
- Scams, deepfake porn and romance bots: advanced AI is exciting, but incredibly dangerous in criminal...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Walker-Munro, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The generative AI industry will be worth about A$22 trillion by 2030, according to the CSIRO. These systems – of which ChatGPT is currently the best known – can write ...9 hours ago
- What’s the safest seat on a plane? We asked an aviation expertSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Doug Drury, Professor/Head of Aviation, CQUniversity Australia Shutterstock When booking a flight, do you ever think about which seat will protect you the most in an emergency? Probably not. Most people book seats for comfort, such as leg room, ...9 hours ago
- As it happened: Hundreds gathered in dark for Waitangi Day commemorations
Politicians spoke at Te Whare Runanga as hundreds gathered in the dark before it on the Waitangi Treaty grounds. ...12 hours ago - Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Waitangi Day welcomes less politics, more commemorationPrime Minister Chris Hipkins has described this morning's Waitangi dawn service as moving and says he welcomes the shift away from a focus on politics. ...13 hours ago
- ‘I approached writing a TV series the same way I approached writing my Tinder profile’Screenwriter Dana Leaming’s debut comedy series Not Even is out now on Prime and Neon. This is the out the gate story of how it got there. Kia ora, Hi, What up? Up to? U up? …I’m Dana. I wrote and co-directed (with Ainsley Gardiner) the TV show Not Even ...14 hours ago
- Albanese’s Newspoll ratings drop but Labor maintains big leadSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Mick Tsikas/AAP A federal Newspoll, conducted February 1-4 from a sample of 1,512, gave Labor a 55-45 lead, unchanged on ...15 hours ago
- New Zealanders need a better understanding of the word ‘racism’, these reports revealThe Human Rights Commission, Te Kāhui Tika Tangata, last week released two reports on racism and the impact of colonialism in Aotearoa. Among their many insights was the necessity of a wider understanding of how racism manifests itself. I was honoured to accept an invitation by Te Kāhui Tika Tangata ...16 hours ago
- The war in Tauranga, which pretends history never happened thereVincent O’Malley reviews a history of the battle of Gate Pā. First published February 5, 2019 Head up Cameron Road, one of Tauranga’s main arterial routes, a few kilometres out of the city centre and you drive over one of New Zealand’s most important historical sites. The road, named after ...16 hours ago
- How much has support for the Voice fallen? It depends on how you askSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Murray Goot, Emeritus Professor of Politics and International Relations, Macquarie University Support for embedding an Indigenous Voice to parliament in the Constitution has fallen. The polls provide good evidence once you work out how to find it. However, the voters who have ...16 hours ago
- Which seat on a plane is the safest? We asked an aviation expertSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Doug Drury, Professor/Head of Aviation, CQUniversity Australia Shutterstock When booking a flight, do you ever think about which seat will protect you the most in an emergency? Probably not. Most people book seats for comfort, such as leg room, or ...17 hours ago
- 200 experts dissected the Black Summer bushfires in unprecedented detail. Here are 6 lessons to heedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Libby Rumpff, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne David Crosling/AAP The Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20 were cataclysmic: a landmark in Australia’s environmental history. They burnt more than 10 million hectares, mostly forests in southeast Australia. Many of our most ...17 hours ago
- You can’t fix school refusal with ‘tough love’ but these steps might helpSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Grové, Fulbright Scholar and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Monash University Anete Lusina/Pexels School attendance levels in Australia are a massive issue according to Education Minister Jason Clare. As he told reporters last week, he hopes to talk to state colleagues ...17 hours ago
- How to save $4 billion a year: reform a fuel tax credit scheme with no real rationaleSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, Grattan Institute Revising the generous fuel tax credits given to businesses should be a priority for the Albanese government, because keeping them would conflict with two other pressing priorities: reducing carbon emissions and repairing the ...17 hours ago
- Duncan Greive on stepping down as CEO of The SpinoffFor nine years he steered the ship he built, but last week Duncan Greive announced his surprise resignation as CEO of The Spinoff. He joins guest host, Jane Yee, to discuss how doing things differently took The Spinoff from an irreverent TV blog to a respected online magazine, and why ...17 hours ago
- Ranginui Walker: Te Tiriti and the abyss of meaningThree decades ago one of the giants of New Zealand thinking and writing, Ranginui Walker, published Ka Whawhai Tonu Mātou, Struggle Without End. The book, originally released in 1990 and revised in 2004, is a history of Aotearoa from a Māori perspective. It had a profound influence and today remains ...17 hours ago
- On the Māori cannibalism novel
A review for Waitangi weekend The bestselling novel Kāwai: For Such a Time as This by Monty Soutar feels like the story Matua Monty has been working toward telling his entire life. It aims for the loftiest mountain peak in a valiant attempt at the fabled Great New Zealand ...19 hours ago - Flood undermines multi-storey housing plan
Unfortunately the great flood of January 27 was not a one-off but a precursor to more emergencies likely to strike the city because of environmental effects of climate change. While the Auckland floods are proving devastating, costly and far-reaching, they have also had the strange effect of revealing Tamaki Makaurau's original landscape. ...19 hours ago - Time has come for free access to GPs and dentists
Health inequities between Pākehā and Māori are often framed as complex and difficult to change. But making access to GPs and dentists free will not only save money for whānau using these services, it will also save money for the health system and ensure Māori rights to good governance and equity ...19 hours ago - Young quick scores tricks from new Ferns coach
One of New Zealand's most promising fast bowlers, Molly Penfold, was surprised to get the call-up for the T20 World Cup, but she has a great support team around her, Merryn Anderson reports. She's only played one T20 for the White Ferns, and she's yet to take a wicket, but Molly ...19 hours ago - The political debate National and Labour can't agree on
Labour and National’s leaders came to Waitangi agreed on which areas need more investment in election year. But as political editor Jo Moir writes, the country is going to see a big debate on how Māori should benefit from it Prime Minister Chris Hipkins used his speech at Sunday’s pōwhiri ...19 hours ago - Live: Hundreds gather in dark for Waitangi Day commemorationsTe Whare Runanga is lit up as hundreds gather in the dark before it on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. ...19 hours ago
- Climate justice and the right to housing are the same fight
Securing the right to housing will require us to challenge the very systems and ideologies that are doing such harm to our planet. Opinion: The images of rivers running down our streets, cars floating down the motorway, houses flooded and half-submerged buses ferrying people across the causeway, will stick with ...20 hours ago - Daily crossword, Monday 6 February
...21 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 6 February
Loading...(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...21 hours ago - What the party leaders said at WaitangiIt is hard to separate the politics from Waitangi, but the day party leaders were welcomed on to Te Whare Rūnanga was largely free of inflammatory rhetoric and political point scoring. ...1 day ago
- Magic people: Te Pāti Māori and the power of symbolismRheive Grey pays tribute to one political party’s unapologetic commitment to markers of Māori identity, from hei tiki to waiata to tikitiki. I’m proud to be Māori. If you’re like me, it’s hard to read that sentence without singing it in your head. That’s either the power of good campaigning, ...1 day ago
- The Sunday Essay: You can’t hide your prying eyesWhen I was a man my dick was only average size, but learning how to tuck it out of sight is a steep learning curve for a girl on a budget. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Illustrations: Sloane Hong The dick ...1 day ago
- Higher interest rates, falling home prices and real wages, but no recession: top economists’ forec...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND Australia’s Reserve Bank is set to push up rates once again at its first meeting for the year on Tuesday, according to all but ...1 day ago
- Papuan journalist award-winner Victor Mambor targeted for his reportsBy David Robie When Papuan journalist Victor Mambor visited New Zealand almost nine years ago, he impressed student journalists from the Pacific Media Centre and community activists with his refreshing candour and courage. As the founder of the Jubi news media group, he remained defiant that he would tell the ...1 day ago
- Mariameno Kapa-Kingi Poised To Take The Tai Tokerau Seat In The 2023 General ElectionToday, Te Pāti Māori officially announced Mariameno Kapa-Kingi as their candidate for the Te Tai Tokerau electorate in this year’s General Election. The announcement was part of the pōwhiri for MPs at Te Whare Rūnanga o Waitangi. “Making the announcement ...1 day ago
- Watch: Pōwhiri for parliamentarians at WaitangiPoliticians have been welcomed onto Te Whare Runanga on the treaty grounds at Waitangi today, with leaders of political parties making statements. ...1 day ago
- A spectacular fall from grace: the story of Charles MackayPaul Diamond’s book about the 1920s scandal that shocked Whanganui is on the longlist for the Ockhams (in the hotly contested General Non-Fiction category). Victor Rodger reviews. A closeted mayor with huge ambitions. A handsome, young, returned soldier with ambiguous motivations. A scandalous shooting that leads to a spectacular ...1 day ago
- Watch live: Pōwhiri for parliamentarians at WaitangiPoliticians are now being welcomed onto Te Whare Runanga on the treaty grounds at Waitangi. Watch a live stream of the pōwhiri here. ...2 days ago
- Recipe: Ginger-spiked plum jamAn easy, low sugar jam that tastes even better than the sickly-sweet stuff. Often jam recipes call for much more sugar that I think is necessary, resulting in a cloyingly sweet jam whose flavour sadly becomes lost. Where some recipes will call for equal measures of fruit and sugar, this ...2 days ago
- Auckland’s emergency: a lesson in geography
Professor John Morgan offers a 'lesson plan' for Auckland children returning to school to help them understand what's going on in their city after the floods When Auckland schools go back, there’s a case to be made that geography teachers take over lessons for a day or two. Auckland’s ‘state of emergency’ ...2 days ago - SailGP pulls controversial dolphin deterrent
An acoustic 'harassment' device won’t be used to keep dolphins from high-speed boats, reports David Williams. Organisers of a super-fast boat race have scrapped plans to use an underwater noise device to scare dolphins in a marine mammal sanctuary. SailGP’s consultants, Enviser, lodged an application with the Department of Conservation (DoC) ...2 days ago - Reports on racism raise challenges in election year
Two reports on racism in New Zealand released by the Human Rights Commission land at a time when political rhetoric around racism is escalating again. Aaron Smale reports. The Human Rights Commission has released two reports that make a number of significant recommendations for confronting white supremacy and institutional racism. But ...2 days ago - View from the edge: Ground Zero in Paturoa Bay
Flooding and land slides at her home in Titirangi have Zoe Hawkins sleeping in her running gear in case she has to flee. She shares her concern for others even more affected - and questions what the future brings. A week ago we lived on the edge of paradise. Our forever home ...2 days ago - Enshrining the Voice gives best chance for Closing the Gap, Albanese saysSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Enshrining a constitutional Voice to parliament will bring better practical outcomes and give the best chance for Closing the Gap, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will say in a major address on the referendum on Sunday. ...2 days ago
- Iwi leaders warn Hipkins not to bow over Three Waters co-governanceBy Jamie Tahana, RNZ News Te Ao Māori journalist at Waitangi, and Russell Palmer, digital political journalist Iwi leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand have accused opposition parties National and ACT of “fanning the flames of racism”, urging the prime minister to be brave and not walk away from partnership on Three ...2 days ago
- PNG’s Education Minister slams UPNG ‘discrimination’ against Filipino studentBy Phoebe Gwangilo in Port Moresby Higher Education Minister Don Polye has condemned a decision by the administration of the University of Papua New Guinea to treat a PNG-born and bred grade 12 school leaver as an “international” student. Roselyn Alog, 19, whose parents are Filipinos, was born and raised ...2 days ago
- Anti-corruption agency probes Fiji’s ex-elections chiefRNZ Pacific Fiji’s former Elections Supervisor Mohammed Saneem is under investigation by the country’s anti-corruption agency for alleged abuse of office and has been stopped from fleeing the country. The Fijian Elections Office (FEO) said Saneem was alleged to have “on numerous occasions . . . unlawfully authorised payments of ...2 days ago
- Waitangi: Political leaders appear to get go-ahead to speak at pōwhiriLabour's position has alternated over the past few days: first Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would speak, then he wouldn't, and then he would again. ...2 days ago
- Greens demand end of perpetual leases on Māori landThe Greens are demanding the end of perpetual leases on Māori land, labelling them an outdated and unjust colonial weapon. ...2 days ago
- Te Pāti Māori announce military neutrality as new transformative defence policyTe Pāti Māori Co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer are announcing a transformative defence and foreign affairs policy which asserts the Mana Māori Motuhake and Tino Rangatiratanga of tangata whenua in Aotearoa at their Party’s ...2 days ago
- PM will now speak at Waitangi after communication chaos
The Prime Minister once again has a speaking slot at the pōwhiri in Waitangi after earlier on Saturday saying he would respect the wishes of the trust organisers by not doing so The Waitangi National Trust has given the green light for Chris Hipkins and other political leaders to speak ...2 days ago - PM won't speak at Waitangi, respects organisers' wishesThe Prime Minister will no longer speak at Waitangi commemorations after the organising trust moved the political leaders to a panel away from the main event The Waitangi National Trust wrote to political parties last month saying they didn’t want political leaders to speak at the pōwhiri held on the eve ...2 days ago
- Rewatching Seven Sharp’s very first episode, 10 years onIt’s been exactly a decade since Seven Sharp first appeared on our screens. Remember the first episode? We’ve unearthed the tapes. On this day in 2013, a bombshell was thrown into the New Zealand television landscape. “Time for us to make way, because you’re here to see what everyone’s talking ...3 days ago
- The weatherman caught in the eye of the stormMetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris has fronted endless media requests and live crosses this week. Is he getting it right? Lewis Ferris is trying to find his weather map. “This week’s been so insane” he mutters as he closes multiple tabs on the three screens across his Wellington desk. He’s ...3 days ago
- ‘It’s important for Pride to be political’: Max Tweedie bids farewell to the festivalAfter four years, executive director Max Tweedie has stepped down from Auckland Pride. He tells Sam Brooks about shepherding the festival through a tumultuous few years, and where he’s going from here. This year’s Auckland Pride Festival is set to be the biggest one yet. Over the course of more ...3 days ago
- The communications machine broke down in the floods. How can we fix it?A flailing mayor was only the public face of a multifaceted flooding communications failure. Duncan Greive examines the mess, and asks what can be done to improve it. It’s a chilling timeline. Stuff’s Kelly Dennett catalogued, beat-by-beat, the 12 hours in which Auckland was pummelled by a catastrophic deluge, interspersing ...3 days ago
- Green Party Announces Candidate For Dunedin ElectorateThe Dunedin branch of the Green Party has selected Francisco Hernandez as its candidate for the Dunedin electorate in this year’s general election. Francisco Hernandez was the Otago University Students Association President in 2013. He has held a number ...3 days ago
- Fresh fighting over MPs' speaking rights at Waitangi
Waitangi organisers are trying to push political leaders to the side at Sunday's pōwhiri, but Labour's deputy leader says it's not for them to decide who speaks. Te Tai Tokerau MP and Labour’s deputy leader, Kelvin Davis, says the Prime Minister will speak at Sunday’s pōwhiri at Waitangi, in defiance of local ...3 days ago - The Week in Detail: Floods, eggs, and Carmel Sepuloni
Every weekday, The Detail makes sense of the big news stories. This week, we spoke to an aid worker who had made the trip to the war zone in Ukraine, looked at why Carmel Sepuloni was picked to be the new deputy prime minister, visited the flood-torn streets of Titirangi in West ...3 days ago - Another crisis, another responsibility for schools
Schools play an integral but often unrecognised and unacknowledged role in helping communities respond to and recover from disasters Opinion: Schools in Auckland and other flood-affected areas are about to re-open after a delayed start to the new school year. Students will return to school having experienced wide-ranging impacts. While some ...3 days ago - The pā is a lonely place
A very short story for Waitangi weekend The pā is a lonely place nowadays. Gorse has marched on it like the British troops of old, consuming the hills and leaving the marae looking a bald patch on the head of the earth mother herself. Even the roads have worn thin, ...3 days ago - The Detail's Long Read: The School Away From School
This is The Detail's Long Read - one in-depth story read by us every weekend. This week, it's The School Away From School written by Bill Morris and published in NZ Geographic's January/February 2023 issue. You can find the entire article, with photos from Lottie Hedley, on the NZ Geographic website. One hundred years since its ...3 days ago - Kayt Davies: AI will take media jobs but will free up time for fun stuffCOMMENTARY: By Kayt Davies in Perth I wasn’t good at French in my final year of high school. My classmates had five years of language studies behind them. I had three. As a result of my woeful grip on the language, I wrote a terribly bad essay in my final ...3 days ago
- Papua’s Jubi chief editor awarded Indonesian Pogau prize for courageRNZ Pacific Journalist Victor Mambor, who is the chief editor of the West Papuan newspaper and website Jubi, has received the Oktovianus Pogau Award from the Indonesian-based Pantau Foundation for courage in journalism. The foundation’s Andreas Harsono said Mambor’s decision to return to his father’s homeland and defend the rights ...3 days ago
- Medicare reform is off to a promising start. Now comes the hard partSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Breadon, Program Director, Health and Aged Care, Grattan Institute There was a lot of build-up to today’s National Cabinet meeting. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler has long said Medicare is in the worst shape it has ever been, and the premiers ...3 days ago
- NZ Greens back call for rent controls after Auckland flash floodsRNZ News Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick is brushing off concerns a temporary rent freeze in flood-hit Auckland would just see landlords hike rents even more when the controls were lifted — arguing they should stay permanently. More than 20 organisations have signed a letter urging Minister for Auckland Michael ...3 days ago
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