Search Results
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Comment:Key's baaaack
Date published: 12:18 pm, September 27th, 2021Underlying health conditions increase the risk of both vaccine breakthrough and severe conditions.The Singapore data suggests it does not discriminate as half of the severe cases were vaccinated, invoking the principle of least effort. Vaccination in ...
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Comment:Key's baaaack
Date published: 7:19 pm, September 26th, 2021Key suggested thus. Too often, I hear commentators supporting the North Korean option because they claim that opening up to the rest of the world will introduce the virus, and therefore cost people their lives. International evidence does not support that ...
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Comment:Key's baaaack
Date published: 12:53 pm, September 26th, 2021The economist article is here. https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-estimates The model code (for replication ) is here. https://github.com/TheEconomist/covid-19-the-economist-global-excess-deaths-model The excess death ...
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Comment:Open mike 24/09/2021
Date published: 2:19 pm, September 24th, 2021The Singapore model ( ie the reality of observations) is different from what Jones (an economist) is suggesting. Fatalities are in the realm of arbitrary axioms,so extrapolation of deaths would be best fit (to the curves ) from most European countries.eg ...
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Comment:Open mike 23/09/2021
Date published: 1:42 pm, September 23rd, 2021The facts are based on natural selection,hence the difficulty with the laws of chance.
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Comment:Lockdown decision - which way will it go?
Date published: 3:14 pm, September 20th, 2021Jacinda is still a politician So was Neville Chamberlain,a substantial part of the country will not accept appeasement.
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Comment:Lockdown decision - which way will it go?
Date published: 1:34 pm, September 20th, 2021Read what I said.
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Comment:Lockdown decision - which way will it go?
Date published: 1:15 pm, September 20th, 2021None of which are not grown in the SI.
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Comment:Lockdown decision - which way will it go?
Date published: 11:47 am, September 20th, 2021One of the outbreaks is in dormitory accommodation,a number are in workplaces such as Pfizer with 29 cases,and DHL supply chain with 92 cases. The list of recent locations of interest are in the above link.
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Comment:Lockdown decision - which way will it go?
Date published: 11:33 am, September 20th, 2021In high rise Office blocks or apartments in Auckland,do they have separate AC units for shared work spaces or living space?
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Comment:Lockdown decision - which way will it go?
Date published: 10:25 am, September 20th, 2021Lets look at a jurisdiction where there is heavy vaccination,high quality health care,mandatory mask wearing and miq controls. Here with a similar population to NZ,Singapore has over a 1000 cases for the second day,showing the risk of high density urban ...
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Comment:Open mike 19/09/2021
Date published: 12:34 pm, September 19th, 2021The Brexit shambles continues. More the energy crunch due to large increases in natural gas prices. With the large fertilizer manufacturers shutting production of Nitrogen and ammonia urea,there will be large increases in food costs,and the cost of ...
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Comment:Open mike 18/09/2021
Date published: 4:46 pm, September 18th, 2021The covid numbers vs excess deaths are telling,where due to health interventions such as lockdowns Aus/NZ showed decreases,a number of jurisdictions showed substantial increases. https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-tracker ...
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Comment:No Nukes!
Date published: 6:50 pm, September 17th, 2021After all the trade threats and restrictions Australia has endured from China, it's good they have responded with a strong signal back. China also signalled on Thursday with regard to the CPTPP. Beijing’s new trade minister Wang Wentao submitted a written...
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Comment:Open mike 13/09/2021
Date published: 2:50 pm, September 13th, 2021Well its not cutting the grass that is so problematic,it is wiping the ass. https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1342325491093614592
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Comment:Is this the post Covid world?
Date published: 9:21 pm, September 12th, 2021It's also worth continuing to keep in mind Delta came came to us before there was any significant vaccine coverage anywhere And where there is significant vaccine coverage with all the bells and whistles, public health restrictions get relaxed,and the ...
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Comment:Is this the post Covid world?
Date published: 2:32 pm, September 12th, 2021These are the immunocompromised Which is a significant ethical dilemma,if they are the source for accelerated mutational evolution. Li couldn't believe what they found. "I was shocked," he says. "When I saw the virus sequences, I knew that we were dealing ...
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Comment:Open mike 08/09/2021
Date published: 2:39 pm, September 8th, 2021The ability too communicate effectively,and maintain essential services,has been one of the outcomes of the Covid pandemic,it has also highlighted substantive risks in the supply systems with long chains and JIT models failing. Additionally it has ...
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Comment:Open mike 05/09/2021
Date published: 4:54 pm, September 5th, 2021The paper notes the uncertainty in both alpha and delta variants that were increasing at the time of the paper. A high rate of vaccination is a necessity for NZ to constrain delta and its increasing risk,along with enhanced border controls for border staff...
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Comment:Open mike 02/09/2021
Date published: 12:08 pm, September 2nd, 2021South Island could move to level 2,unfortunately we have direct flights from delta land. https://www.christchurchairport.co.nz/travellers/flights/arrivals-and-departures/
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Comment:MPs should not only follow the rules but follow them with stars
Date published: 1:45 pm, August 31st, 2021Seems we have a case in the waikato,Is this on tomorrows update? https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/126237575/covid19-spring-hill-prison-staff-member-tests-positive-for-virus--commissioner Will going soft and early, south of the border become ...
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Comment:MPs should not only follow the rules but follow them with stars
Date published: 12:54 pm, August 31st, 2021Its airborne.(it travelled 20 metres) In 1906 M.H. Gordon, after gargling a liquid culture of S. marcescens, recited passages from Shakespeare to an audience of agar plates in an empty House of Commons. He had been commissioned to study the atmospheric ...
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Comment:Open mike 30/08/2021
Date published: 2:16 pm, August 30th, 2021When is reductionism no longer reductionism? When entropy is minimal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Boltzmann#/media/File:Zentralfriedhof_Vienna_-_Boltzmann.JPG
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Comment:How Far Ought The State Go In A Pandemic?
Date published: 5:07 pm, August 29th, 2021He lived in NZ under a labour government.
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Comment:How Far Ought The State Go In A Pandemic?
Date published: 5:06 pm, August 29th, 2021Falsification of Poppers premise, of course separates the scientific from the theologic.
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Comment:How Far Ought The State Go In A Pandemic?
Date published: 4:42 pm, August 29th, 2021Utopian dreams become dystopian nightmares. eg Popper. “The Utopian attempt to realize an ideal state, using a blueprint of society as a whole, is one which demands a strong centralized rule of a few, and which is therefore likely to lead to a dictatorship...
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Comment:Open mike 28/08/2021
Date published: 10:14 am, August 29th, 2021I've believe that while it's highly unlikely there will ever be definitive proof either way – the circumstantial or indirect evidence is highly weighted toward the lab leak hypothesis. It will remain an open problem,as there is no absolute truth aside from...
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Comment:Open mike 28/08/2021
Date published: 7:21 pm, August 28th, 2021In the absence of a known animal reservoir,an accidental lab leak is probable. This is the third outbreak of SARS to have been traced to a laboratory: small outbreaks occurred in Taiwan and Singapore last year. “The WHO may call for a containment policy ...
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Comment:Open mike 26/08/2021
Date published: 2:45 pm, August 26th, 2021Gladys soft initial approach,not only impacted Australia but NZ,and there are significant issues in the Doherty model with the wildfire parameter .
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Comment:Open mike 26/08/2021
Date published: 2:39 pm, August 26th, 2021We don't want their weather either with sydney having its coldest day since Bob Hawke was PM. https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/did-sydney-just-have-its-coldest-day-in-37-years/534838
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Comment:Open mike 26/08/2021
Date published: 2:08 pm, August 26th, 2021The Sydney experiment keeps developing,with tent hospitals at ER. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sydney-hospitals-erect-emergency-tents-amid-delta-surge-2021-08-25/
- SkS Analogy 23 – Ferris Wheel Supply Chain
Large-Scale Ocean Circulation Ferris Wheels are large amusement-park rides that carry us high up to provide an unrivaled view of the surroundings. They do no useful work, and are typically driven by one or more electric motors at the base. Around and around they go in a steady, ceaseless motion. ...8 hours ago - Off-Key.
Not Helpful: It is no small thing when a former leader steps forward to criticise the present leadership’s handling of a national crisis. Far from generating unity, such interventions can only intensify divisions – especially when the former leader concerned hails from the Opposition party. On top of the fears ...10 hours ago - Climate Change: Off to the World Court?
Vanuatu is leading a push to take the issue of climate change to the World Court: Vanuatu will ask the International court of justice for an advisory opinion on the rights of present and future generations to be protected from climate change. [...] Ahead of the summit, Vanuatu will ...12 hours ago - Progress in EuropeThere's a lot of votes in Europe today, and the headline after the German election is that the Swiss have voted overwhelmingly for marriage equality in a referendum: Swiss voters have decided by a clear margin to allow same-sex couples to marry, in a referendum that brings the Alpine ...13 hours ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 27 September 2021
Today’s NZPD testimonial from Shamubeel Eaqub, Economist “NZ politics Daily is a great little digest of all the news of the day in one place, including blogs, that provides a wider perspective than just my news subscriptions.” Anyone can sign up to NZPD for free at: https://democracyproject.nz/nz-politics-daily/ Today’s content Govt Covid response, modelling advice ...18 hours ago - 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #39Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, September 19, 2021 through Sat, September 25, 2021 The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: The false promise of massive tree-planting campaigns, Can the economy afford NOT to fight climate change?, Will ...1 day ago
- Maui dolphin declines below 50 individuals
The chances of Maui dolphin avoiding extinction have just got even worse. It was bad enough already, but the latest population estimate shows that there are now fewer than 50 Maui dolphins left in the World. Meanwhile, the Ministry for Primary Industries has just increased the quotas for gillnet and ...1 day ago - Climate Change: Anatomy of a mistakeAt the beginning of the month, the Emissions Trading Scheme turned into a farce, when the government flooded the market with credits in a failed and wasteful attempt to Keep Carbon Prices Low. This cost us a billion dollars while undermining the fundamental purpose of the ETS. So why did ...2 days ago
- To meet America’s Paris pledge, climate policy Avengers must assembleThis is a re-post from the Citizens' Climate Lobby Blog To meet our share of greenhouse gas emissions cuts as part of the Paris target to limit global warming to well below 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels, the United States has committed to cutting emissions by 50–52% below 2005 levels by 2030. ...3 days ago
- Libertarians, Neoliberals, Ordoliberals and Economists.
Not all neoliberals are the same, as a comparison ranging from Don Giovanni to Geneva School ordoliberals shows. Wellington was lucky to get the Wellington Opera Company’s production of Don Giovanni, especially as it missed the NZ Opera Company’s The Marriage of Figaro because of a lockdown. It was staged ...3 days ago - Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Is the Wage Subsidy still transferring massive wealth to the ri...Over $15 billion has been transferred to businesses by the Government via the Wage Subsidy Scheme since Covid hit in 2020. The scheme has turned out to be effective at both keeping businesses afloat and enriching the already wealthy. Now that the scheme is back in operation, and because it’s ...3 days ago
- Sweden one year on
The response to Covid around the world has been highly politicised. This was evident early on with the hostility towards Sweden for not having mandated lockdowns. In Sweden people were encouraged to work from home if they could, and schools were kept open. As someone on Twitter pointed out: First ...4 days ago - Ideational and ideological in the construction of “isms.”
A lot has been made in recent times about the dark and pernicious side of ideology, particularly its ability to incite hate or dispute obvious fact. In that regard there has been much discussion of political ideologies, particularly national populism such as that practiced by the likes of Viktor Orban, ...4 days ago - NZ Politics Daily: 24 September 2021Today’s NZPD testimonial from Ian Powell, Health commentator, former Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists: “When I was Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists I found NZ Politics Daily a highly valuable tool for quickly identifying articles of relevance and developments in the health and ...4 days ago
- Daily Blog Branded Upper-Middle-Class, Pseudo-Left, Imperialists! Who Knew?4 days ago
- Ian Powell: Reputations in tattersOn 19 May 2021 the Democracy Project published an article by me discussing how a ‘very bureaucratic coup’ was successfully undertaken to undermine the district health board with the strongest leadership engagement culture of the 20 DHBs responsible for the provision of health services from community to hospital in New ...4 days ago
- Graham Adams: Going where the media won’tBehind the coverage of David Seymour’s rise in the polls and Maori Language Week lurk inconvenient truths. Graham Adams argues journalists need to be more even-handed to maintain their credibility. In the hullaballoo that followed Curia’s poll results last week, the media focused mainly on the startling fact that ...4 days ago
- Is This What We Want?Heavy Hands: Over the past few days, the centre of Melbourne has witnessed some of the worst political violence in a generation. Police officers have been hospitalised. Rubber bullets have been fired. Hundreds have been arrested. And all because the state government of Victoria is insisting that all construction workers ...4 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #38, 202189 articles by 535 contributing authors Observations of climate change, effects Rainfall regime trends at annual and monthly scales in Catalonia (NE Spain) and indications of CO2 emissions effects Lana et al. Theoretical and Applied Climatology Open Access pdf 10.1007/s00704-021-03773-z Trends and Variability of North American Cool-Season Extratropical Cyclones: 1979–2019 ...4 days ago
- MBIE’s muppetry on carbon pricesA while ago I snarked on Twitter about how awful MBIE's carbon price modelling is: in their Energy in New Zealand 2020 report, they made the following assumption: Apart from the Environmental scenario, carbon prices are assumed to increase from NZD$25 per tonne of carbon dioxide in 2019 to ...4 days ago
- Climate Change: Why are we ignoring nitrogen fertiliser?Synthetic nitrogen fertiliser is a significant source of greenhouse gas emisisons. According to Emissions Tracker, it was responsible for 1.4 million tons of direct CO2-equivalent emissions in 2019, plus an unspecified amount of indirect emissions due to enabling dairy intensification. This is big enough to matter, and you'd expect there ...4 days ago
- DrawnA ballot for seven Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Protection of Journalists’ Sources Bill (Louisa Wall) Plain Language Bill (Rachel Boyack) Public Finance (Prohibition on Providing Public Funds to Gangs) Amendment Bill (Simeon Brown) Improving Arrangements for Surrogacy Bill ...5 days ago
- Hi-Viz Vengeance On Melbourne’s Streets.Fuck The Jab! Are all these protesting Melbourne construction workers right? No, of course not. Covid-19 is not a figment of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ imagination. Nor can one help speculating, just a little, that mixed-in with all this working-class fury there might also be a pretty large dose of ...5 days ago
- Pinpointing the role of climate change in every storm is impossible – and a luxury most countries ...Friederike Otto, University of Oxford and Luke Harrington, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Tropical Storm Ida recently left a path of devastation across the US, capping a summer beset by wildfires, heatwaves and floods which broke records around the world. The inevitable question after each of ...5 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 23 September 2021Today’s NZPD testimonial from Heather Roy, Commentator, former Parliamentarian and Minister “As a political commentator I find the ‘NZ Politics Daily” email extremely useful. It is great having links to up to date topical political issues listed in one place and I’m particularly grateful for the inclusion of blog posts, many ...5 days ago
- The Cost of “Living With The Virus”
I noted in my previous post that the New Zealand media is eagerly pushing the notion that Elimination Has Failed, and that we need to re-open because the Virus is Inevitable. Luke Malpass – the chappie I criticised there – is actually one of the tamer examples. The likes ...5 days ago - Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Why Australia’s nuclear-sub defence plans are unpopular in NZNew Zealand was said to have been sidelined when the trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States was announced a week ago. But very quickly the “Aukus” pact has taken on an unpopularity in this country, with a consensus forming that New Zealand is best ...5 days ago
- Thinking is Power: Don't be fooled… fact check!This is a re-post from the Thinking is Power website maintained by Melanie Trecek-King where she regularly writes about many aspects of critical thinking in an effort to provide accessible and engaging critical thinking information to the general public. Please see this overview to find links to other reposts from Thinking is Power. Post ...5 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: What happened to the dream of a peaceful nuclear-free Pacific?Plans by Anglophone countries to ramp up militarisation in the Asia Pacific region have been welcomed by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. But Bryce Edwards argues that what’s actually needed is strong condemnation of this dangerous drive to war and instability. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is ...5 days ago
- Equality under the law?Twelve days ago New Zealand was shocked to learn that a rich Auckland couple had abused "essential worker" paperwork to break lockdown and fly down to Wanaka for a holiday. But despite multiple criminal offences apparently being committed, they still haven't been charged: At least 20 people have been ...5 days ago
- Member’s DayToday is a Member's Day, and due to the postponement of a lot of business, it consists entirely of first readings. First up is Ricardo Menéndez March's Human Rights (Disability Assist Dogs Non-Discrimination) Amendment Bill, which should easily go to committee. Second is Mark Cameron's Resource Management (Regional Responsibility for ...6 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 22 September 2021Today’s NZPD testimonial from Bernard Hickey, Journalist and commentator “NZ Politics Daily is so useful I think Bryce and his team should charge for it! But it’s great it’s available for all and I hope it gets the financial support it needs. A real-time experiment in whether there is enough of ...6 days ago
- Outdated Views? Andrea Vance On Sean Plunket.Re-Platforming: In the eyes of senior Stuff journalist, Andrea Vance, Sean Plunket’s “dalliances with controversy make it easy to paint him as a two-dimensional character: a right-wing, shock-jock with outdated views on privilege and race.” Dear me! The scorn dripping from those words could fill a large spittoon! Regardless, Plunket’s new ...6 days ago
- Book Review: Saving Us by Katharine HayhoeIn late 2013, my mother went into a hospice for the final time. Her illness had reached a stage where little more could be done. I had to face the fact that she was going to die, and soon, when for the preceding few years of palliative care, there was ...6 days ago
- Legal Beagle: Not too late to make the Counter Terrorism Legislation Bill clearer
The Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill was back from Select Committee last week, and got its second reading today.My submission on the original bill is here. As I often am, I was more reticitent in pushing back that other submitters, largely focussed on asking the Justice Committee to assure itself the new ...6 days ago - Don’t plan on orderly transitionsThe nature, scale, and pace of change is central to futures work. But usually more attention is given to identifying what’s happening rather than what needs to happen. Are we living in fast times? Many futures studies focus on how fast the world is changing now. Partly that seems ...6 days ago
- The Siren Song of Negativity: Luke Malpass on EliminationI must say, I was a bit surprised at the New Zealand Government’s decision to shift Auckland out of Level 4 to Level 3. There are still around 20 daily Delta cases in Auckland (14 today) – a fraction of the earlier peak, but a seriously stubborn tail-end of ...6 days ago
- Why you shouldn’t make a habit of doing a ‘just in case’ wee — and don’t tell your kids to...Jennifer King, University of Sydney We’ve all done a quick “just in case” wee before heading out or because we’re passing the bathroom. If you’re a parent, you might have also told the kids to “do a wee now so we don’t have to find a toilet later.” Doing ...6 days ago
- Let them voteA side effect of the pandemic and resulting closed borders: tens of thousands of overseas kiwis could lose the right to vote: Currently, New Zealanders who are overseas must have visited the country once within the last three years to be allowed to vote - or once in the ...6 days ago
- AUKUS has consequencesLast week Australia announced a new security deal with the UK and US which would see it abandon its plans to buy conventional submarines from France and instead acquire nuclear-powered submarines from one of its new partners. France is pretty pissed about this - they were completely blindsided, and the ...7 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily – 21 September 2021Today’s NZPD testimonial from Ros Rice, Executive Officer Community Networks Aotearoa “Community Networks Aotearoa has been subscribed to NZ Politics Daily for some time now, and it is one of the most regularly read items in the office. It enables us to instantly get feedback on media views on topics of the ...7 days ago
- Can the economy afford NOT to fight climate change?This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Those opposing a fast transition to renewable energy and other aggressive action to fight catastrophic climate change often argue that the economic costs would be too great. Now, with the proliferation of extreme hurricanes, droughts, floods, wildfires, and other disasters linked to a ...1 week ago
- Rest of New Zealand won’t move to Level 1 until threat of Christmas in the Park has passed
Christmas in the Park is a seasonal affliction, but can be particularly tricky to wipe out due to its unpredictable timing, usually occurring at a completely different time to Christmas. While Auckland prepares to move to Alert Level 3 on Wednesday, New Zealanders in the fun part of the country ...1 week ago - Expropriate the house hoardersNorth & South has an in-depth piece on the origins of the housing crisis, and like so much else wrong with Aotearoa, the blame can be laid firmly at the feet of the NeoLiberal regimes of the 80's and 90's, who sold state houses, slashed benefits while imposing market rents, ...1 week ago
- A Coalition Of The Waning.The Sunset Of Anglo-Saxon Imperialism: To join this “Coalition of the Waning”: this AUKUS pact composed of the three military aggressors of the Iraq War; would not only be folly – it would be criminal folly.THE FORMATION OF AUKUS, the new military pact linking Australia, the United Kingdom and the ...1 week ago
- “No Debate!” Means No Democracy.To The Lamp-Post With Them! Revolutionaries, along with the counter-revolutionaries they inevitably call into existence, are not disposed to engage in rational political discussion with their opponents. Their objective is not to change minds, but to crush bodies. Tragically, those who rule out the possibility of debate, almost always end ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 20 September 2021Today’s NZPD testimonial from Hamish Rutherford, Journalist, New Zealand Herald “I find the NZ Daily Politics an important part of my morning, allowing me to scan and access a wide variety of the material published in New Zealand over the previous 24 hours. It often draws my attention to work I would ...1 week ago
- Covax misses its 2021 delivery target – what’s gone wrong in the fight against vaccine nationali...Rory Horner, University of Manchester The latest supply forecast for Covax – the programme for sharing COVID-19 vaccines around the world – suggests that accelerating vaccination in low-income countries looks unlikely. Covax estimates it will have distributed 1.425 billion vaccine doses by the end of 2021, significantly less than ...1 week ago
- Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand could be the big winner of Aukus falloutInternational analyst Geoffrey Miller considers the implications for New Zealand of the new Aukus partnership China’s level of anger at the new Aukus defence pact between Australia, the UK and the US was only to be expected. France’s was not. And Paris’s dramatic recall of its ambassadors to Canberra and ...1 week ago
- 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #38Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, September 12, 2021 through Sat, September 18, 2021 The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: Do high levels of CO2 in the past contradict the warming effect of CO2?, What would it ...1 week ago
- One thousand dead New Zealanders per year?
. . . . . References RNZ: Covid-19 debate – When should New Zealand open up its borders? Worldometer: Coronavirus Cases – United States RNZ: US hospitals ration care amid shortages and Covid-19 surge Reuters: Some U.S. hospitals forced to ration care amid staffing shortages, COVID-19 surge NPR: A COVID ...1 week ago - 1pm health update for Saturday, September 18 2021The following is a summary of today’s 1pm health update from the Ministry of Health Today there are 20 new cases of Covid-19 to report in the community, and 6 new cases of the Ebola virus. Please do not concern yourself with the Ebola; this will probably be fine. Of ...1 week ago
- Reading the Covid Tea-Leaves: 18th September
This past month’s blogging has really turned into an extended rant on the subject of the Coronavirus (primarily because I still haven’t got my hands on The Nature of Middle-earth, and there’s little update on the Amazon series). Auckland is still on Level 4, of course, and the rest ...1 week ago - Experts warn exclusion from AUSUK pact could see New Zealand miss out on future catastrophic warsPICTURED: US President Joe Biden deep in thought as he searches his brain for any memory of the person on screen. New Zealand’s exclusion from a tripartite security pact between the United States, Australia and the UK may not come as a surprise to many kiwis, but experts warn that ...1 week ago
- Big Challenges for the Government
A short review of the policy issues that Labour is facing and the ministers undertaking them. There is a sense that there are two major issues facing any government. One is policy management and the other is political management – not just of policies. As a result New Zealand’s political ...1 week ago - Seymour and Collins
The Herald continues to hitch its wagon to David Seymour’s coat-tails. They don’t seem to realise that Seymour is almost entirely an (inadvertent) creation of Judith Collins. If it weren’t for the fact that Collins is performing so badly as National leader, Seymour would not be noticed. For those interested ...1 week ago - Keep New Zealand Nuclear-Free – Stay Out of AUKUS!1 week ago
- Making the Most of MasksDr Nitasha Rimar, Dr Lucy Telfar Barnard, Dr Amanda Kvalsvig, Lesley Gray, Prof Michael Baker Masks and vaccination have a central role in minimising the health and economic impact of COVID-19, regardless of the long-term strategy we use against the pandemic. These interventions depend on both good performance and high ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 17 September 2021Today’s NZPD testimonial from Simon Bridges, Parliamentarian “NZ Politics Daily is an essential news service for me, enabling me to cut through the constant noise and quickly see what’s going on. Dr Bryce Edwards and NZ politics Daily are a big public good, keeping kiwis, even politicians, better informed.” Anyone can ...2 weeks ago
- The 'team of five million' isn't all of us. Are we doing enough for the others?
The “team of five million” has become a well-worn but still powerful call to arms in the past 18 months as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield have tried to rally a sense of national unity in the fight to save lives in this Covid-19 pandemic. ...2 weeks ago - Covid outreach disaster as online poll sees vaccination bus named ‘the murder wagon’Ashley Bloomfield says he doesn’t want those hesitant about getting the vaccine to “be distracted” by the fact they come out of the murder wagon. The Government is dealing with a Covid outreach debacle today, after the decision to put the naming of New Zealand’s vaccination bus service to a ...2 weeks ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #37, 2021Go with real guilt, or imaginatively hide? This week's New Research includes a couple of interesting papers exploring the confused, noisy marketplace of ideas, volitions and impulses we call "the human mind," in connection with thinking about climate change and our responsibility for causing harm and remedy. We're all (surely?) ...2 weeks ago
- Overlooked and undervalued, New Zealand’s community caregivers have become the ‘invisible’ ess...Katherine Ravenswood, Auckland University of Technology; Amber Nicholson, Auckland University of Technology, and Fiona Hurd, Auckland University of Technology As Auckland enters its fifth week in level 4 lockdown and the rest of New Zealand stays at level 2, spare a thought for the nation’s invisible network of essential ...2 weeks ago
- Gesta Gertrudis: Volume IV
Time for another Gertrude update. Alas, due to personal issues involving the DM, this will be the last update from this campaign for some time. Until then, Gertrude shall be put on ice. Since Dunedin is no longer in lockdown, both these sessions were in-person. Session Seven/Sixty-Three Technically, ...2 weeks ago - Samoa’s opposition should be sworn inOn Monday, in response to a refusal by HRPP MPs to accept the proper process for being sworn in, Samoa's speaker banned them from parliament. Because they'd also called for a mob, he took the unprecedented step of banning the public too. These decisions were reasonable at the time. MPs ...2 weeks ago
- Racist from top to bottomBack in 2019, the government tweaked drug laws to encourage the use of police discretion. So did it work? well, charges are down, but the burden of prosecution is falling even more disproportionately on Māori: A 2019 change to drug laws has led to far fewer people being charged ...2 weeks ago
- Pattern recognitionGovernment defers introducing tougher winter grazing rules - again, RNZ, 26 August 2021: The government has pushed intensive winter grazing rules back by another six months. Intensive winter grazing is when livestock are feed fodder crops - when done poorly it can create a muddy mess leading to animal ...2 weeks ago
- Climate Change: An excuse, not a justificationYesterday the government announced plans to delay its key Emissions Reduction Plan - currently due by law by 31 December - until next year. Its "justification"? Shaw said consultations on the plan would begin in early October. "It is only right to make sure everyone has the chance to ...2 weeks ago
- Bringing woolly mammoths back from extinction might not be such a bad idea — ethicists explainJulian Koplin, The University of Melbourne and Christopher Gyngell, The University of Melbourne US startup Colossal Biosciences has announced plans to bring woolly mammoths, or animals like them, back from extinction and into the frosty landscape of the Siberian tundra. Colossal has received US$15 million in initial funds to ...2 weeks ago
- Lessons learned from a remote blood pressure lowering trial in AotearoaHelen Eyles, Jacqui Grey, Elaine Umali, Cliona Ni Mhurchu Technologies such as smartphone apps, Wi-Fi-enabled data collection devices, and web-based data management systems offer the opportunity to deliver and assess the impact of clinical trials remotely, something which researchers are becoming increasingly drawn to. However, there are drawbacks, and even ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 16 September 2021Today’s NZPD testimonial from Chris Trotter, Political commentator: “NZ Politics Daily has become an invaluable resource for all those who practice, study and/or write about politics in New Zealand. So much so that I can’t remember how I ever did without it.” Anyone can sign up to NZPD for free at: https://democracyproject.nz/nz-politics-daily/ Today’s ...2 weeks ago
- Josh Van Veen: The Ghost of lockdowns PastJudith Collins may have led the New Zealand National Party to a catastrophic defeat in 2020. But the election result was not of her making. The real turning point for National came twelve weeks before Collins’ elevation to the leadership. In those days the Opposition could still boast of having ...2 weeks ago
- Why a domestic NZ COVID ‘passport’ raises hard questions about discrimination, inequality and c...Tim Dare, University of Auckland and Justine Kingsbury, University of Waikato With COVID-19 causing extraordinarily intrusive and expensive lockdowns, vaccine “passports” or certificates are increasingly seen as key to getting out of them. Decision-makers and gatekeepers – from border guards to maître d’s – will have a means of ...2 weeks ago
- The Indiscrete Charmlessness Of Upper-Class Rule-Breakers.Rules Are For Little People: Those who claim that all human-beings are equal have obviously never encountered a man on horseback when they are travelling on foot!THE UPPER-CLASS ABSCONDERS from Auckland’s Level 4 Lockdown have done the rest of New Zealand a favour. They have exposed, in the most dramatic ...2 weeks ago
- Intensifying Covid-19 Control Measures: 5 Measures for Faster Elimination and 5 Measures to Prevent ...Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Julie Bennett, Dr Leah Grout, Dr Jin Russell, Dr Jennifer Summers, Prof Michael Baker Despite some good progress, the persisting Covid-19 outbreak in Auckland still poses risks to health, social wellbeing and the economy. There is a need for accelerated efforts to ensure more rapid ...2 weeks ago
- 5 reasons to get vaccinated
You’ve probably heard a lot about the COVID-19 vaccine lately – and you might be wondering what the big deal is, or why you should bother getting vaccinated. If that’s the case, here are five reasons to roll up your sleeves. ...3 days ago - Kiwis overseas must be allowed to vote next year
New Zealanders stranded overseas should be allowed to vote in next year’s local government elections and the 2023 general election, the Green Party said today. ...6 days ago - Disability-assist dog Bill to have first reading todayAfter being delayed due to lockdown, Ricardo Menéndez March’s Members Bill to ensure that disabled New Zealanders do not face discrimination for having a disability assist dog will have its first reading in Parliament today. ...6 days ago
- Auckland Central MP calls for Government funding to revive the St James Theatre, launches open lette...Green Party MP for Auckland Central, Chlöe Swarbrick, is launching an open letter to the Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Hon Kiritapu Allan, asking for the Government to match the Auckland Council’s contribution of $15 million to revive the St James Theatre. ...6 days ago
- Open letter calling for ACC to cover all birth injuries and trauma reaches 10,000 signaturesIn less than 12 hours, more than 10,000 people have signed on the Green Party’s open letter asking for ACC to cover all birth injuries and trauma. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for all birth injuries to be covered by ACC, launch open letterThe Green Party is launching an open letter to the Minister for ACC asking for all birth injuries and trauma to be covered, and the letter has strong support from the sector. ...2 weeks ago
- Our mihi to the ways te reo Māori can unite and inspire through COVIDKia ora e te whānau, and happy Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori! Yes, it’s Māori Language Week. And even though we’ll be celebrating a little differently this year as we work to stamp out mate korona, there are still plenty of opportunities to embrace this taonga and advance our ...2 weeks ago
- Alert Level 2: Everything you need to knowStamping out COVID-19 isn’t easy, but together, we are stronger than the virus. We’ve made good progress, but the job still isn’t done. We need to stay vigilant to stop the spread. Here’s where you can find the essential information you need to stay safe at Alert Level 2. ...3 weeks ago
- Greens call for immediate student support, launches petitionGreen Party Tertiary Education Spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick has launched a petition calling for immediate, meaningful support for students, saying the Government’s announced boost to the student hardship funds doesn’t go far enough. ...3 weeks ago
- Backing world-class innovation in New Zealand
$12 million Government investment to support cutting-edge R&D in New Zealand by international businesses Dawn Aerospace and Merlin Labs join Innovative Partnership’s Airspace Integration Trials programme MOU signed with Air New Zealand to conduct a nationwide feasibility study into sustainable aviation fuels The Government is propelling cutting-edge innovation through a ...9 hours ago - One-way quarantine free travel dates confirmed for RSE schemeFrom 4 October RSE workers from Vanuatu can begin arriving into New Zealand From 12 October RSE workers Samoa and Tonga from can begin arriving into New Zealand As part of a programme of work to reopen our borders and reconnect with the world, the Government has announced quarantine free ...10 hours ago
- More community grants to support youth mental wellbeingThe Government continues to make more mental health and wellbeing supports available to young people to ensure services are there when and where they need them, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “More than twenty community-led projects have now received a funding boost through The Youth Mental Wellbeing Fund to keep ...10 hours ago
- Self-isolation pilot to start with 150 peopleThe goal of safely re-opening our borders and developing new ways for people to travel will start with a self-isolation pilot, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. “As part of the Reconnecting New Zealanders plan announced in August, the self-isolation pilot will look at self-isolation for vaccinated travellers who ...10 hours ago
- Poroporoaki: Waka Joseph NathanE Waka e, kei hea ra koe, kua ngaro nei i te iwi e, E kawe nei i ngā rongo, i ngā mahara mōu, i ngā wawata i hua mai i a koe. E Waka e, haere ra, kei te tuahu koe o te ati a toa, Kei poho tonu ...11 hours ago
- Canterbury school students get hands-on with food and fibre careersSecondary school students in Canterbury will have the breadth of food and fibre careers showcased to them thanks to a new initiative launched today, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said. Secondary School Employer Partnerships (SSEP) Canterbury is a collaboration between the Ministry for Primary Industries and SmartNZ, a charitable trust that connects ...13 hours ago
- Tuvalu language revival and COVID-19Te Vaiaso o te Gana Tuvalu 2021 - Tuvalu Language Week moves online due to the uncertainty around COVID-19 said the Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio. “However it is a timely reminder of the power of embracing both traditional and new ways of doing things. It has been ...2 days ago
- Strengthened reporting will improve abortion and sterilisation servicesAssociate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall has announced new data and reporting regulations which will help improve abortion and sterilisation services in New Zealand, by painting a clearer picture of the need in our communities. “The Government is committed to ensuring everyone who needs to access abortion services can, ...3 days ago
- United Nations General Assembly: 76th General Debate StatementE ngā Mana, e ngā Reo, Rau Rangatira mā o tēnei Whare Nui o te Ao Prestigious people, Speakers of note, Chiefs one and all of this General Assembly Ngā mihi mahana ki o koutou katoa, mai i toku Whenua o Aotearoa Warm greetings to you all from my home ...3 days ago
- APEC 2021 Women and the Economy Forum prioritises women’s economic empowermentMinister for Women Jan Tinetti today chaired the virtual APEC 2021 Women and the Economy Forum, which is working to address outstanding issues for women and girls across the region as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. The forum brought together Ministers and representatives from 21 economies to discuss gender ...3 days ago
- Government invests in restoring iconic South Canterbury river valleysThe Government is investing up to $18.4 million over four years to create jobs and help restore braided river valleys, alpine and pastoral lands in the South Island as part of its Jobs for Nature programme Land Information Minister, Damien O’Connor announced. Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) ...3 days ago
- Upper Hauraki to move to Alert Level 2Upper Hauraki will move to Alert Level 2 from 11:59pm tomorrow, 25 September, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. After positive cases were detected in the Upper Hauraki area on Sunday, extra Alert Level restrictions were put in place to immediately prevent any wider transmission of the virus. “We’ve ...3 days ago
- Report into Aotearoa New Zealand’s export controls system releasedForeign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta today welcomed the findings of an independent review into Aotearoa New Zealand’s export controls system, which regulates the export of goods to foreign militaries, police forces or paramilitaries. Produced by David Smol, a former Chief Executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the ...4 days ago
- New District Court Judge appointedAttorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Brett Crowley of Wellington as a District Court Judge. He is currently the Wellington Public Defender and started his career as a staff solicitor working in a range of litigation including criminal defence work. He went to the bar in 1999 specialising ...4 days ago
- Mental health stocktake shows strong progressThe first report of the Government’s Implementation Unit has found strong progress has been made since the Mental Health and Addictions Package was announced in 2019. “The report notes most initiatives funded in the Budget 2019 package are on track to deliver what is expected by 2023/24,” Grant Robertson said. ...4 days ago
- Working together to grow the West CoastA project that has been crucial in allowing businesses to continue during the tourism downturn is among a number of initiatives to receive a boost from the Government’s Jobs For Nature programme, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. Sustaining South Westland is an extension of an initiative set up last year ...4 days ago
- Next steps to improve safety in wake of Whakaari White Island tragedyThe Government is moving to improve safety in light of the Whakaari White Island tragedy and has released proposals to reinforce safety standards in registered adventure activities. The package of proposals includes: Strengthening requirements for how operators, landowners and the regulator manage natural hazard risks Improving how risks are monitored, ...4 days ago
- New Zealand donates more COVID-19 vaccines to COVAX and the PacificForeign Affairs Minister Hon Nanaia Mahuta and Associate Health Minister Aupito William Sio announced today that New Zealand is donating additional Pfizer vaccines to the Pacific and AstraZeneca vaccines to the COVAX Facility, to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. “New Zealand is donating 708,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine ...4 days ago
- Speech to the Property Council of New ZealandKia ora koutou katoa Is it a pleasure to be able to speak with you today, and to be able to answer some questions you may have. I would like to acknowledge the organisers of this event, the Property Council. The theme of this year’s conference is City Shapers. Together ...4 days ago
- Additional MIQ for ChristchurchAn additional hotel will be added to our network of managed isolation and quarantine facilities, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “I have approved and Cabinet is in the final stages of signing off The Quality Hotel Elms in Christchurch as a new managed isolation facility,” Chris Hipkins said. ...4 days ago
- NZ COVID-19 response earns another major digital investmentMinister for the Digital Economy and Communications Dr David Clark welcomes Amazon’s Web Services’ (AWS) decision to establish a Cloud Region on New Zealand shores, further boosting New Zealand’s growing digital sector, and providing a vote of confidence in the direction of New Zealand’s economic recovery. “Amazon is the second ...5 days ago
- New Zealand invests in cutting edge cancer R&DScaling up the manufacture of CAR T-cell cancer therapy for clinical trials Advancing New Zealand’s biomedical manufacturing capability Supporting future international scientific collaborations Transforming cancer care with targeted, affordable solutions Research, Science and Innovation Minister Hon Dr Megan Woods has announced that the fight against COVID-19 will not stop the ...5 days ago
- Expert group appointed to lead New Zealand’s future health systemAn outstanding group of people with extensive and wide-ranging governance and health experience have been appointed to lead the Māori Health Authority and Health New Zealand, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “This Government is building a truly national health system to provide consistent, high-quality health services right across the country. This ...5 days ago
- Funding to help clean up contaminated sitesThe Government is supporting the clean-up of contaminated sites in Northland, Dunedin and Southland to reduce risk to people’s health and protect the environment. Environment Minister David Parker said the funding announced today, through the Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund, will help us turn previously hazardous sites into safe, usable public ...5 days ago
- Predator Free apprenticeships open up new job opportunitiesThe expansion of a predator free apprenticeship programme is an opportunity for more people to kick-start a conservation career, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “The Predator Free Apprenticeship Programme is focused on increasing the number of skilled predator control operators in New Zealand through a two-year training programme. “The Trust ...5 days ago
- Further NCEA support confirmed for Auckland studentsThe number of Learning Recognition Credits for senior secondary school students will be increased for Auckland students, Education Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. This recognises the extended time these students will spend in Alert Levels 3 and 4. “It means students in Auckland will have a fair opportunity to attain ...6 days ago
- Long-term pathway next step to better mental wellbeing for New ZealandersThe Government is taking a new approach to support people who experience mental distress, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “Kia Manawanui Aotearoa – Long-term pathway to mental wellbeing (Kia Manawanui) is the first 10-year plan of its kind that targets the cause of mental distress and also sets out how ...6 days ago
- Keeping our Police safe to keep our communities safeThe Government is committed to keeping our frontline police officers safe, so they in turn can keep New Zealanders safe – with one of the largest investments in frontline safety announced by Police Minister Poto Williams at the Police College today. The $45 million investment includes $15.496 million in ...6 days ago
- Clean Vehicles Bill passes first checkpointThe Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill will help New Zealand drive down transport emissions by cleaning up the light vehicle fleet, Transport Minister Michael Wood says. The Bill passed its first reading today and will establish the legislative framework for key parts of the Government’s Clean Car Package, including ...6 days ago
- Funding boost supports ongoing Māori COVID-19 responseThe Government is responding to the need by whānau Māori and Māori Health providers to support their ongoing work responding to COVID-19 and to continue increasing rates of Māori vaccination, Associate Minister for Health (Māori Health), Peeni Henare and Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson announced today. This increased ...6 days ago
- Significant increase to COVID-19 penaltiesPenalties for breaches of COVID-19 orders are set to significantly increase from early November 2021 to better reflect the seriousness of any behaviour that threatens New Zealand’s response to the virus, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “Throughout this Delta outbreak we’ve seen the overwhelming majority of people doing ...6 days ago
- Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill returns to ParliamentThe Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill has returned to Parliament for its second reading in an important step towards giving enforcement agencies greater power to protect New Zealanders from terrorist activity. “The Bill addresses longstanding gaps in our counter terrorism legislation that seek to protect New Zealanders and make us safer,” Justice ...7 days ago
- Joint Statement: New Zealand and Australian Trade MinistersHon Damien O'Connor MP, New Zealand Minister for Trade and Export Growth, and Hon Dan Tehan MP, Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, met virtually on Monday 20 September to advance trans-Tasman cooperation under the Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement (CER). CER is one of the most ...1 week ago
- Prime Minister’s Post Cabinet Press Conference/COVID-19 Update opening statement***Please check against delivery*** E te tī, e te tā, nau mai rā [To all, I bid you welcome] As you will have seen earlier, today there are 22 new community cases to report; three of which are in Whakatiwai in the Hauraki area, and the remainder in ...1 week ago
- Major milestones for Māori COVID-19 vaccine rollout as new campaign launchesWhānau Ora and Associate Health (Māori Health) Minister Peeni Henare acknowledges two major milestones in the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination programme for Māori. “I am very pleased to announce more than 50 percent of eligible Māori have received their first dose and 25 per cent are now fully vaccinated,” ...1 week ago
- Government funding to fight infectious diseases$36 million for research into Covid-19 and other infectious diseases The investment will improve our readiness for future pandemics Research will focus on prevention, control, and management of infectious diseases The Government’s investing in a new Infectious Diseases Research Platform to boost Aotearoa New Zealand’s Covid-19 response and preparedness for ...1 week ago
- Quarantine-free travel with Australia to remain suspended for a further 8 weeksSuspension to be reviewed again mid to late November Decision brought forward to enable access from Australia to first tranche of around 3000 rooms in MIQ Air New Zealand working at pace to put on more flights from Australia from October The suspension of quarantine-free travel (QFT) with Australia has ...2 weeks ago
- Extra support for Ethnic Communities to share vaccination informationExtra support is being made available to Ethnic Communities to help them share COVID-19 vaccination information within their communities, Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities Priyanca Radhakrishnan said. “We know we need to get every eligible person in New Zealand vaccinated. A fund being launched today will allow for ...2 weeks ago
- School holidays remain unchanged for Auckland regionSchool holidays in Auckland will continue to be held at the same time as the rest of the country, starting from Saturday, 2 October, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “I’ve carefully considered advice on the implications of shifting the dates and concluded that on balance, maintaining the status quo ...2 weeks ago
- Government continues crackdown on gangs and organised crimeOperation Tauwhiro extended until March 2022 Since it was launched in February, Operation Tauwhiro has resulted in: 987 firearms seized $4.99 million in cash seized 865 people charged with a firearms-related offence Gangs and organised crime groups will continue to be relentlessly targeted with the extension of Police’s successful ...2 weeks ago
- With MMP the politicians have to decide what Germany has decided
Voters in the German federal election on Sunday had the opportunity to sweep away the detritus of 16 years of compromises from retiring Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Green party led in the opinion polls by a good margin earlier in the year. Only a few days ago, the Guardian ...4 hours ago - The Good Fight: exhilarating entertainment and a grim warning of what the US could become
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dennis Altman, Professorial Fellow in Human Security, La Trobe University Christine Baranski and Audra McDonald in The Good Fight. Scott Free Productions, King Size Productions, CBS All Access Our writers nominate the TV series keeping them entertained during a time of COVID. ...8 hours ago - Judith Collins sinks below David Seymour as preferred PM
ACT leader David Seymour has overtaken National's Judith Collins as preferred prime minister in the latest 1News Colmar Brunton Poll, with both major parties taking a hit. ...8 hours ago - Germans have voted to replace Angela Merkel — here are 7 ways to understand the results so farSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Fitzpatrick, Professor in International History, Flinders University Martin Meissner/AP/AAP On Sunday, Germans went to the polls to decide who will succeed retiring Angela Merkel as chancellor. Read more: From ‘Mädchen’ to ‘Mutti’: as Angela ...8 hours ago
- Linda Evangelista says fat freezing made her a recluse. Cryolipolysis can do the opposite to what’...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Freeman, Dermatologist, Associate Professor, Bond University Linda Evangelista walks down the catwalk wearing Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2008. Photo by Toni Anne Barson Archive/WireImage At the height of her fame in the 1990s, supermodel Linda Evangelista was often quoted as saying ...9 hours ago
- Government announces more details on home isolation pilot schemePrime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced a pilot that will allow those travelling overseas for business to forgo MIQ and isolate at home will be open for expressions of interest on Thursday. ...9 hours ago
- Undersea thriller Vigil is the next must-watch for Line of Duty fans
All your questions about TVNZ’s gripping new submarine-set drama, answered by Tara Ward. This story contains a spoiler for an early scene in episode 1 of VigilI’m so over crime dramas set in an office. I really wish they’d set one under the sea.Grab your snorkel and flippers, because this ...10 hours ago - Not all men’s violence prevention programs are effective: why women’s voices need to be includedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chay Brown, Postdoctoral fellow, Australian National University Dylan Gillis/Unsplash In the opening panel of the National Summit on Women’s Safety 2021, Professor Marcia Langton called for a separate national plan to address violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. ...10 hours ago
- Self-Isolation Trial Positive
Businesses locked in New Zealand or marooned overseas and locked out of MIQ, will leap at the opportunity to be part of a self-isolation travel trial, and welcome an indication of shorter isolation periods and the easing of quarantine-free travel ...10 hours ago - New drives to counter China come with a major risk: throwing fuel on the Indo-Pacific arms raceSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Walker, Vice-chancellor’s fellow, La Trobe University Evan Vucci/AP An accelerating arms race in the Indo-Pacific is all but guaranteed now that China finds itself a target of new security arrangements — AUKUS and the Quad — aimed at containing ...10 hours ago
- https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2109/S00172/.htm...11 hours ago
- Watch live: PM Jacinda Ardern provides post-Cabinet briefingPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern is due to address a media conference at about 4pm after Cabinet met this afternoon. ...11 hours ago
- Extraordinary Council Meeting To Discuss Government's Proposed Three Waters Reform...11 hours ago
- A recipe and giveaway to mark a belated Korean thanksgiving A recipe from the head chef at Waiheke Island restaurant The Shed and a delicious giveaway to celebrate the move to level three in Tāmaki Makaurau.This year, Chuseok (추석) or Korean thanksgiving fell on September 21. One of the biggest and most important holidays in Korea, it’s a time for ...11 hours ago
- DHBs Call For Stronger Action On Alcohol Will Improve Health And EquityAlcohol Healthwatch strongly supports the collective call made by all 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) for New Zealand’s liquor laws to be reviewed. This is the first time the collective heads of the DHBs have joined forces on a singular position ...11 hours ago
- Oliver Hartwich: Germany faces coalition conundrum
Germany’s election results will require some creative coalition-building, writes Oliver Hartwich Germany has voted. The result is not an earthquake, but a landslide. A change of power is looming after 16 years of Christian Democrat-led federal governments. MMP electoral systems can take longer for a new coalition government to emerge. ...11 hours ago - Two thirds of New Zealanders favour border ‘safety first’, says Herald pollPacific Media Watch newsdesk A new poll shows nearly two out of three New Zealanders want the border to remain closed until at least 90 percent of the country is vaccinated. The poll, in partnership with the country’s leading daily newspaper The New Zealand Herald, which is also running a ...11 hours ago
- The Fiji Times: The role of the media – holding power to accountEDITORIAL: By the Fiji Times editor-in-chief Fred Wesley Fiji’s Assistant Minister for iTaukei Affairs Selai Adimaitoga said quite a lot on Friday in her end of week statement on the Media Industry Development Act 2010 in Parliament. She blamed reckless reporting by journalists as “one of the causes of violence ...11 hours ago
- Lawyer Koman calls for inquiry into tragic death of health worker in PapuaAsia Pacific Report newsdesk Papua human rights activist and lawyer Veronica Koman has called for an independent inquiry into the attack on health workers in the Kiwirok district, Star Highlands, Papua, saying there are two versions of how the tragedy happened. A healthcare worker, 22-year-old Gabriella Maelani, was killed during ...11 hours ago
- Doctors rally on phone to help Pasifika families in isolationRNZ Pacific A group of doctors have hit the phones to support Pasifika families who have tested positive for covid-19 and been transferred into managed isolation. The chairperson of the Royal New Zealand College of GPs’ Pasifika chapter, Monica Liva, said about half the people infected with the virus in ...11 hours ago
- NZ reports 16 new community covid cases after drop to single figuresRNZ News New Zealand has 16 community cases of covid-19 today, according to the Ministry of Health. In a statement, the ministry said 13 of today’s 16 cases had been epidemiologically linked to previous cases. There have been 10 unlinked cases in the past fortnight. There was also one historical ...11 hours ago
- Hipkins gets huffy about “hermit” remark while the PM communicates with the UN General Assembly ...
The Minister in charge of the country’s Covid-19 response, Chris Hipkins, was wrong to say former PM John Key’s description of New Zealand as a “smug hermit kingdom” is an insult to New Zealanders. ... 12 hours ago - Auckland’s America’s Cup dream isn’t dead yetWhen the wealthy businessman who’s attempting to fund a cup defence in Auckland – against Team NZ’s wishes – was copied into a controversial email last week, all hell broke loose. Writing for BusinessDesk, Pattrick Smellie lays out the background to the scrap, and what Grant Dalton could do ...13 hours ago
- With the AUKUS alliance confronting China, New Zealand should ramp up its anti-nuclear diplomacySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato New Zealand might not be part of the recently revealed security agreement between the US, Britain and Australia (AUKUS), but it certainly can’t avoid the diplomatic and strategic fallout. Under the pact, Australia stands ...13 hours ago
- Politicians Conveniently Ignore Last Sunday’s World Rivers DayThe New Zealand government and political parties have been taken to task by a New Zealand outdoor recreation advocacy for seemingly ignoring the significance of Sunday (26 September) as World Rivers Day. The Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations ...13 hours ago
- NZ needs to produce its own vaccines
With vaccines the only long-term option to keep New Zealanders safe, building local infrastructure that can produce vaccines capable of backing up international efforts is crucial for our resilience, argues Dr Davide Comoletti As New Zealand emerges from another Covid-19 lockdown and the Northern Hemisphere braces for winter, scientists around the world are ...13 hours ago - Yesterday’s World Rivers’ Day Is NZ’s Rivers Shame DayWorld Rivers Day designated for Sunday 26 September, should be renamed ‘Rivers’ Shame Day' according to the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater Anglers. Federation secretary David Haynes of Nelson, said in New Zealand, politicians, regional councils, ...14 hours ago
- The case for Air NZ focusing more on its freight operations
New Zealand’s vulnerability in terms of air and shipping services has been among the ominous consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. Air NZ has parked its fleet of eight Boeing 777-200 and seven Boeing 777-300 and reckons they will never fly them again. All its international services are based on its ...15 hours ago - Lack Of Access To MIQ Endangers Vets And AnimalsThe New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) is calling on the Government to take action when it comes to prioritising access to MIQ spaces. After sustained but unsuccessful lobbying to achieve a commitment from the Minister for COVID-19 Response to allocate ...15 hours ago
- Where to find heaps of online te reo Māori resourcesBecause every week is Te Wiki o Te Reo, here are some tools to keep you company on your te reo learning journey.Ka taea te whakatika te reo hapa, tē taea te whakatika te reo ngū. You can fix language that is broken but you can’t fix language that is ...15 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – September 27 2021Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. You can sign up to NZ Politics Daily as well as New Zealand Political Roundup columns for free here. Today’s content Govt Covid response, modelling advice Shamubeel Eaqub ...15 hours ago
- How can we help more Māori and Pasifika businesses succeed in contracting?Last December, the government procurement rules were updated, requiring that a minimum of at least 5% of government procurement contracts (by volume) should be awarded to Māori businesses from 2021. This should be celebrated, writes Height founder Warner Cowin.When Māori and Pasifika people self-determine their economic destiny and participate meaningfully ...15 hours ago
- Gross Domestic Product: June 2021 Quarter – CorrectedWe wish to inform you that we have identified and corrected an error in Gross domestic product: June 2021 quarter . There is no impact on headline quarterly GDP (production measure of GDP), which remains at an increase of 2.8 percent for the June 2021 quarter. ...16 hours ago
- Police PropagandaRecent statements attributed to the Commissioner of Police, Andrew Coster, have repeated previous allegations from police that gangs acquire their firearms from licensed firearms owners. That is a significant distortion of the truth and by implication ...16 hours ago
- Mayor Suggests UK-style Arts-sector Insurance SchemeIt’s time New Zealand thought about an arts and events sector insurance scheme, not unlike that in the United Kingdom, says Wellington Mayor Andy Foster. Mayor Foster suggests the insurance scheme in an opinion piece titled ‘WOW... who carries the ...17 hours ago
- 'Take away some of their rights' – Sir John Key on incetivising vaccinationsSir John Key says more young New Zealanders are likely to get vaccinated if their rights to go to nightclubs and take flights are withdrawn. ...17 hours ago
- 'Take away some of their rights' – Sir John Key on incentivising vaccinationsSir John Key says more young New Zealanders are likely to get vaccinated if their rights to go to nightclubs and take flights are withdrawn. ...17 hours ago
- Closed Facebook groups offer respite for stressed-out women. But running them involves yet more unse...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Archer, Senior Lecturer in Strategic Communication; social media researcher, Murdoch University Would you share your most intimate thoughts with strangers? For many women, during the pandemic and associated lockdowns, closed Facebook groups have been a place to do just that. These ...17 hours ago
- ‘It is a big relief for me’: how the welfare provided by madrassas holds a key to fighting the T...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zahid Mumtaz, PHD candidate and casual sessional academic, Australian National University Muhammed Muheisen/AP/AAP The swift reemergence of the Taliban in Afghanistan after a failed 20-year war means we need to look beyond military solutions to extremism. One area policymakers should ...17 hours ago
- What is dust? And where does it all come from?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor Macquarie University, Macquarie University Shutterstock Everything in our homes gathers dust. But what exactly is it? Where does it come from, and why does it keep coming back? Is it ...17 hours ago
- Social media, activism, trucker caps: the fascinating story behind long COVIDSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, leader of the Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, UNSW Sydney, and leader of the UNSW Node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Shutterstock ...17 hours ago
- ‘I want to make sure if something happens to one of my kids, they can come to me’: fathers want ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katy Thomas, PhD Candidate, University of Tasmania Shutterstock In the media, parents can be portrayed as fearful and conservative when it comes to relationships and sexuality education. Parental concern about the appropriateness of such programs at school is often cited ...17 hours ago
- From Bruce Lee to Shang-Chi: a short history of the kung fu film in cinemaSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joyleen Christensen, Senior lecturer, University of Newcastle With action sequences that are being hailed as some of the best in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is shaping up to overtake Black Widow ...17 hours ago
- Jacinda Ardern says fear not part of Covid-19 vaccine rollout strategyPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern denies using fear as a motivator for people to get vaccinated. ...18 hours ago
- Live updates, September 27: Jacinda Ardern v John Key – PM denies ruling ‘hermit kingdom’ by f...Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for September 27, by Stewart Sowman-Lund. Send me thoughts and feelings to stewart@thespinoff.co.nz. Help us keep you informed on Covid-19 – click here to learn how you can join The Spinoff Members. 8.00am: Ardern denies ruling ‘hermit kingdom’ by fear Prime minister Jacinda Ardern does not believe ...19 hours ago
- Why it’s time to change our archaic and unnecessary surrogacy laws In Aotearoa, parents who conceive via a surrogate must formally adopt a baby who was always intended to be theirs. Now, a member’s bill looks set to change a time-consuming, expensive and exhausting process. It’s about time, writes Hannah Gibson.At its essence, surrogacy is about people working together with others, ...19 hours ago
- Toni Street cracks open her past to share a life marked by griefLost and Found is a profound and brave addition to the celebrity memoir canon, writes Sam Brooks.Simply put: Toni Street, who has had a national audience of one kind or another for 15 years, has gone through a lot. It shouldn’t be a surprise. She’s written a memoir, and people ...19 hours ago
- Buy now, pay forever?Calls for buy-now, pay-later providers to be regulated as millions of dollars in late fees are paid annually by New Zealand consumers. Madeleine Chapman writes for The Bulletin.Buy now, pay forever?Consumer NZ is calling for buy-now, pay-later services to be regulated under the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act after ...19 hours ago
- Markets wary as Evergrande fate hangs in balance
Business & Investing: NZX's flat month continues as international markets fluctuate under the threat of collapse of the giant Chinese property company ...21 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 27 September21 hours ago
- Newsroom daily crossword, Monday 27 September21 hours ago
- Facebook’s slow-motion reckoning is about much more than one companyA major newspaper investigation into misinformation and other harms on its platforms shows how enormous the Facebook problem has become, writes Hal Crawford.“The era of social media companies presenting themselves as passive conduits for user speech is coming to an end. The question is what will replace it.” Gilad Edelman, ...21 hours ago
- Who *can’t* get the Covid-19 vaccine?As vaccination rates continue to climb, the advice is clear that almost everyone 12 or over can safely roll up their arm for the Pfizer. But who can’t? Mirjam Guesgen sorts the rumour from the fact.Quick note to start: we’re not doctors. Consult your GP or Healthline for any specific ...22 hours ago
- Putting the brakes on belching cows
Genetic manipulation, toilet training for cows, seaweed feed, vaccines ... millions is being spent on research to reduce the methane emissions from New Zealand's agricultural industry. Millions of dollars is being spent on getting cows and sheep to produce less gas. The projects in train range from genetics experiments, ...22 hours ago - Anne Salmond: The case for nature-based forests
The use of 'permanent' plantations of pine trees solely to build up carbon offsets is solving one harm with another, writes Dame Anne Salmond. There is an alternative. As Argentinian ecologist Sandra Diaz said during the 2021 Nobel Prize Winners Summit: "We have incontestable evidence that the living fabric of ...22 hours ago - Integrity checks causing wage subsidy payment delays, MSD says
NZ businesses have claimed close to $17b from the wage subsidy so far. But increased integrity checks are causing significant delays in processing tens of thousands of subsidy applications. ...22 hours ago - Councils face tough calls on water reforms in pivotal week
More than 30 councils will this week hold meetings that are expected to pour cold water on the Government's reform plans ...22 hours ago - Chickens in NZ writing – an investigation
Ten stories about chickens 1. NADIA LIM AND HER CHICKEN Nadia Lim, chef of the nation, wrote her first children's book last year. Marvellous Marvin (illustrated by Fifi Colston, published by Scholastic) is based on a chick that hatched in a muslin-lined cake tin balanced on a pile of books under ...22 hours ago - Takeaways served for Silver and White Ferns
While both the White Ferns and Silver Ferns lost to England in the past week, they should have gained an insight into what's needed for their World Cup and the Commonwealth Games campaigns, now on the horizon. Netball writer Suzanne McFadden and Canterbury Magicians cricketer Kristy Havill look at what both teams can take from ...22 hours ago - Paediatrician: Covid is not a choice for the sick children I treat, Sir John
A paediatrician feels dismay at John Key's blithe talk of Covid patients 'choices and consequences' ...22 hours ago - For your mental health, pay attention
As Aotearoa slowly emerges from Covid-19 restrictions and we head into Mental Health Awareness Week, Margaret Stanley reflect on the things that got us through this difficult time I was drawn to a career as an ecologist through curiosity and a love for all creatures great and small. My mother was instrumental ...22 hours ago - Brian Tamaki video catches eye of Facebook
A Brian Tamaki video was pulled down by Facebook and investigated by police. ...22 hours ago - The clock is ticking on net-zero, and Australia’s farmers must not get a free passSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Ha, Associate, Grattan Institute Dan Peled/AAP Political momentum is growing in Australia to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050. On Friday, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was the latest member of the federal government to throw his weight behind ...1 day ago
- Agitated Nationals grapple with climate debate, as former minister Chester takes ‘a break’ from ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A tough debate is expected when a highly volatile Nationals parliamentary party meets on Monday, ahead of climate change negotiations between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce to endorse a target of ...1 day ago
- Lemming-like Mental Health Hiring Practices Won’t Solve Mental Health Staffing Issues“A recent Government-commissioned report to assess the progress made on their 2019 $1.9 billion mental health initiative is being hampered by lemming-like beliefs and assumptions that risk tipping the entire $1.9 billion over an ideological cliff,” ...1 day ago
- With vision of a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’, Quad leaders send a clear signal to ChinaSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lavina Lee, Senior lecturer, Macquarie University Evan Vucci/AP The Quad has come a long way since it was resurrected in 2017 as a loose coalition comprising the US, Australia, India and Japan. The face-to-face, leaders summit at the end of ...1 day ago
- Govt wants to plug gaps in safety rules for adventure tourismWorkplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood says he wants to plug gaps in the adventure activities, with tougher rules to mitigate the risks posed by natural hazards. ...1 day ago
- Ranked: All of today’s op-ed columns by Sir John KeyPrime minister for three terms, John Key has only made rare media appearances since leaving office. But today he’s published a number of commentaries across the media. We rank them.4. Sir John Key on Newshub, September 26A big get for Newshub. A long opinion essay by former prime minister Sir ...2 days ago
- An ode for .. Mark Richardson
New Zealand's unsanctioned poet laureate composes an ode for Sir Mark of Richardson A Man Of Our Age Arise Sir Mark! You leave the field with 9,994 hot takes on the Box. Hypnotized were we at your rapier wit, and lofty pronouncements on Matters Of State. You reflected ...2 days ago - Live updates, September 26: Latest case numbers coming and a word from Sir John KeyWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for Sunday September 26, by Madeleine Chapman. Get in touch on info@thespinoff.co.nzThanks for your company today. All our coverage of the Covid response is made possible thanks to Members’ contributions. Help keep the show on the road by joining today.The day ahead There is ...2 days ago
- Our writers are being hung out to dryThe president of the New Zealand Society of Authors wants very much to talk about money. It’s six years since I last bought new knickers. I know this because it’s six years since I earned enough to replace the old ones I’d nursed along for the previous decade. This is the ...2 days ago
- Recipe: Orange, hazelnut and chocolate chunk biscuitsIt’s hard to improve on the simple perfection of a chocolate chip biscuit, but orange zest and hazelnuts’ll do it.It’s a rainy day here in Taranaki and these biscuits served with a hot cup of tea are just the ticket. Though do beware as they are rather moreish, and resisting ...2 days ago
- The Milford Opportunities Project: the myth of a tourism reset
The motivation of a masterplan for tourism in Milford Sound Piopiotahi is unfounded, lacks scientific evidence and is not the solution to New Zealand’s problem of concentrated tourism flows, argues Professor Juergen Gnoth The Milford Sound Opportunities Project (MOP) has emerged as one of the Government’s centrepieces of initiatives to ...2 days ago - I wasn’t fully vaccinated, then I got measles and it changed my lifeIt’s not just the virus, it’s what comes after.I never used to be sick.I assumed my good health was because I’d done all the right things. I exercised, I ate well, I didn’t smoke or drink to excess. If I got sick (rarely), I’d get over it quickly. I’d made ...2 days ago
- The Sunday Essay: The things we keepTwo black pearl necklaces, three generations, 15,000 miles. Christchurch writer Chessie Henry on the objects that bind us. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New ZealandOriginal illustrations by Ahsin AhsinIn April this year I drove in my brother’s car from Auckland to Christchurch. I had just ...2 days ago
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