Search Results
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Comment:Open mike 26/09/2023
Date published: 6:45 pm, September 26th, 2023non sporting 5 shot firearms Simple enough to bring in larger magazines. Hell it isn't even that hard to manufacture your own magazines. And that is before you consider the possibilities of 3d printing with metal or plastic. Basically a magazine is a ...
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Comment:There is no recession in New Zealand
Date published: 3:48 pm, September 26th, 2023Yes and No. No because the depth and years of political and parliamentary experience (like previous ministerial roles) count for far far more in any given parliamentary role. Any experience gained before getting into parliament pales in comparison for ...
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Comment:Even Mike Hosking thinks that a National-Act-NZ First coalition would be an absolute disaster
Date published: 3:03 pm, September 26th, 2023I find myself astonished. I agree with Mike Hosking about what I call the potential "Coalition of the Incompatible" Act - National - NZ First is a coalition would be a ungoverning mess. It'd be fun to harpoon and lambast.
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Comment:There is no recession in New Zealand
Date published: 7:34 pm, September 22nd, 2023Formal qualifications aren't the useful an indicator a lot of the time. What is actually useful is the training in how to think and how to learn. I have a couple of completed degrees. Neither of them have anything to do with the work I have been doing full...
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Comment:Seymour's bad faith Treaty policy
Date published: 6:54 am, September 21st, 2023What I tend to find amusing in a dark humour way is that the same people are usually opposed to anyone apart from themselves of having any real rights at all when push comes to shove. That point is always when you point out a basic structural societal ...
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Comment:Seymour's bad faith Treaty policy
Date published: 6:40 am, September 21st, 2023Yeah right, and I notice that you didn't dispute any of the points I raised about your level of ignorance about the Treaty, history, basic law in this country or that I think that you are a just a simple-minded racist and Act is a party pandering to them. ...
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Comment:Seymour's bad faith Treaty policy
Date published: 1:21 pm, September 20th, 2023Exactly what are these worries in reality? That racial bigotry will get a bad name? Because that is exactly what Act and you sound like to me. Insofar as 'properties' includes ownership of people, it cannot and should not be enforced. The treaty doesn't ...
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Comment:Seymour's bad faith Treaty policy
Date published: 1:05 pm, September 20th, 2023It is getting increasingly different hard to see a difference between David Seymour and Winston Peters except that Peters has ministerial experience. The difference between Act and NZF policy appears to be solely about who gets taxed and how what parts of ...
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Comment:Understanding the New Zealand General Election 2023: Historical trends and perspectives.
Date published: 11:23 am, September 20th, 2023Labour was on a death spiral for 9 years prior to Jacinda Ardern... I presume you're looking at leadership ? Rather like the same "death spiral" that National has been since 2017. Bill English -> Simon Bridges -> Judith Collins -> Todd Muller -> Chris ...
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Comment:Understanding the New Zealand General Election 2023: Historical trends and perspectives.
Date published: 11:01 am, September 20th, 2023Also I corrected Boldger to Bolger
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Comment:Labour's Women's Manifesto
Date published: 3:54 pm, September 18th, 2023Imagine the uproar if Labour brought out a Māori manifesto*. They usually do and yes there usually is an rather silly uproar. Because it is almost exactly the same kind of thing at the policy you're lauding about. It looks at medical, educational, and ...
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Comment:Labour's Women's Manifesto
Date published: 3:39 pm, September 18th, 2023That was an accident. I was trying to respond to the same question you answered. Had to remove it and copy the reply to the relevant comment.
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Comment:Labour's Women's Manifesto
Date published: 3:35 pm, September 18th, 2023but she is actually pointing to the culture around this not the legislated rules No, Susan Levy stated what she thought the conventions and rules should be. She was completely wrong. In addition, she lied about the actions and the motivations of the ...
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Comment:Open mike 18/09/2023
Date published: 2:36 pm, September 18th, 2023Damn good idea. Personally I run a number of UPS'es here at the end of Ponsonby Road because the power tends to be somewhat flaky both in voltage and blackouts. I run workstations and servers in my apartment. But the system shows no real signs of getting ...
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Comment:Labour's Women's Manifesto
Date published: 2:16 pm, September 18th, 2023How frightening to see Labour candidates trying to censor public debate on what is a arguably a significant issue. Complete lying bullshit. You should be ashamed of yourself misrepresenting what the candidates wrote. What I read in the response e-mails ...
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Comment:Labour's Women's Manifesto
Date published: 1:47 pm, September 18th, 2023I'd point out that all of the issues (apart from gender pay equity) are specific to woman at a medical level or as a identifiable social inequity. The latter policies are similar to policies on racial inequities in the justice system for exactly the same ...
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Comment:Open mike 17/09/2023
Date published: 10:04 pm, September 17th, 2023Concrete Blonde - "Tomorrow Wendy" Hard to get out of my head while coding at present. https://youtu.be/6jfNc2PZuiU Ummm. I see that the youtube in comments has turned off. Adds to list
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Comment:My Way or the Huawei
Date published: 9:41 pm, September 17th, 2023I can't see Chine letting the top end gear it can produce go into consumer goods, no matter how good the propaganda value. When they are shoring up their defensive systems.. You'd be surprised. Most military computer systems that I am aware of actually ...
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Comment:My Way or the Huawei
Date published: 7:11 pm, September 17th, 2023It makes a pretty good entry level package for this year. The Kirin 9000S SOC is 7nm die, which is approx 2017 generation from TMSC. The jump from 14nm to 7nm is pretty good, but is quite old innovation wise. As this assessment out of Singapore says.. To ...
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Comment:Open mike 06/09/2023
Date published: 8:19 pm, September 13th, 2023Seems to be set to NZ. But I seldom use the dictionary functions, and really don't care what spelling I use. I'm a programmer. So functional legibility and being able to compile /link are about the limits of what I get concerned about whilst writing. ...
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Comment:The silver lining of last night's poll
Date published: 4:57 pm, September 12th, 2023Wrong assumption. Always assume that NZF gets roughly between 1-3% above pre-election polling, until about a week before the election - when it tends to firm up. For them 4.9% and 3.9% probably means that they get well over 5%. From wikipeda poll pages and...
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Comment:Open mike 06/09/2023
Date published: 11:40 pm, September 8th, 2023This is how I look at it... After being on social networks since 1980 while I was using the Waikato uni internal messaging. Since then I have been on local and global BBSes, usenet, blogs, work networks, and the current social media. It has always been my ...
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Comment:Open mike 08/09/2023
Date published: 1:31 pm, September 8th, 2023Yes. A brief search gave me for doctors.. 2022 https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/477506/understaffed-hospitals-lose-radiology-accreditation-but-keep-accepting-patients 2014 https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/loss-training-right-blow-hospital However I ...
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Comment:Open mike 08/09/2023
Date published: 1:17 pm, September 8th, 2023Then he grinningly tells Luxon to leave Seymour out of the tent as a bottom line for getting NZF support. Seymour is then in a constant state of spewing with resentment – which would be fun in a grim sort of way. I suspect that is NACT can't get over the ...
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Comment:Open mike 07/09/2023
Date published: 11:13 am, September 7th, 2023Usually around election time, posts will still just have 10s of comments per post. However this year we are short of people writing posts. There are only one every day at best outside of OpenMike/Daily Review. This is pretty obvious when you look at the ...
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Comment:Open mike 06/09/2023
Date published: 3:04 pm, September 6th, 2023They weren't coercive measures. They were public health measures exactly like stopping people crapping on a footpath, street, public place, or into a waterway used for drinking water. Or for that matter, on the floor in a office. Do you approve of people ...
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Comment:Open mike 05/09/2023
Date published: 1:58 pm, September 5th, 2023I would, but there was only a shrivelled apple and a mandarin with a green-blue blemish. I didn't have time to shop on the weekend because of work, and my partner was finishing a course before heading offshore with her dad.
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Comment:Open mike 05/09/2023
Date published: 1:55 pm, September 5th, 2023You have about as much of relationship with "truth" as Trump does. What are you worried about? I simply did what you asked for. Banned you on your request after I'd dealt with you spurting spam on my site. Being a ignorant sexual fetishist isn't a problem....
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Comment:Open mike 05/09/2023
Date published: 12:32 pm, September 5th, 2023Mostly amusement.
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Comment:Open mike 05/09/2023
Date published: 12:07 pm, September 5th, 2023There is a power outage where my server is. I just shifted to a different UPS. Depends on Vector about how long the outage takes to deal with. In the meantime, I have involuntary lunch time. What can I have without power...
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Comment:This press release was brought to you on behalf of National's sponsors
Date published: 9:15 am, August 23rd, 2023I call it "crony capitalism". In business it is what you do if you can't handle a free market. It is a characteristic of supporters of Act and National.
- Weekly Roundup 29-September-2023
Welcome to Friday and the last one for September. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt highlighted at the latest with the City Rail Link. On Tuesday, Matt covered the interesting items from Auckland Transport’s latest board meeting agendas. On Thursday, a guest post from Darren Davis ...3 hours ago - Protest at Parliament: The Reunion.
Brian’s god spoke to him. He, for of course the Lord in Tamaki’s mind was a male god, with a mighty rod, and probably some black leathers. He, told Brian - “you must put a stop to all this love, hope, and kindness”. And it did please the Brian.He said ...4 hours ago - Labour cuts $50m from cycleway spending
Labour is cutting spending on cycling infrastructure while still trying to claim the higher ground on climate. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Labour Government released a climate manifesto this week to try to claim the high ground against National, despite having ignored the Climate Commission’s advice to toughen ...4 hours ago - The Greater Of Two Evils.
5 hours ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #39 2023
Open access notables "Net zero is only a distraction— we just have to end fossil fuel emissions." The latter is true but the former isn't, or not in the real world as it's likely to be in the immediate future. And "just" just doesn't enter into it; we don't have ...14 hours ago - Chris Trotter: Losing the Left
IN THE CURRENT MIX of electoral alternatives, there is no longer a credible left-wing party. Not when “a credible left-wing party” is defined as: a class-oriented, mass-based, democratically-structured political organisation; dedicated to promoting ideas sharply critical of laissez-faire capitalism; and committed to advancing democratic, egalitarian and emancipatory ideals across the ...17 hours ago - Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...18 hours ago - Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary SchoolIt is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...18 hours ago
- Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary SchoolIt is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...18 hours ago
- Hipkins fires up in leaders’ debate, but has the curtain already fallen on the Labour-led coalitio...
Labour’s Chris Hipkins came out firing, in the leaders’ debate on Newshub’s evening programme, and most of the pundits rated him the winner against National’s Christopher Luxon. But will this make any difference when New Zealanders start casting their ballots? The problem for Hipkins is that voters are all too ...19 hours ago - Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a di...
Buzz from the Beehive Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...19 hours ago - MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
The D&W analysis Michael Grimshaw writes – Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this year’s general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...21 hours ago - FROM BFD: Will Winston be the spectre we think?Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes- Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...23 hours ago
- California’s climate disclosure bill could have a huge impact across the U.S.This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...1 day ago
- Untangling South East Queensland’s Public TransportThis is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...1 day ago
- Try A Little Kindness.
My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...1 day ago - What makes NZFirst tick
New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...1 day ago - September AMA
Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...1 day ago - Bludgers lying in the scratcher making fools of us all
The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...2 days ago - More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements. There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...2 days ago
- ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spendingAlex Holland writes – In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...2 days ago
- If not now, then when?
Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...2 days ago - THE FACTS: 77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more dividedThe Facts has posted – KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...2 days ago
- Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policiesThe centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...2 days ago
- Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so criticalNew research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...2 days ago
- Old habits
Media awareness about global warming and climate change has grown fairly steadily since 2004. My impression is that journalists today tend to possess a higher climate literacy than before. This increasing awareness and improved knowledge is encouraging, but there are also some common interpretations which could be more nuanced. ...2 days ago - Bennie Bashing.
If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...2 days ago - The kindest cutsLabour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...2 days ago
- Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...2 days ago - At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...3 days ago
- How could this happen?
Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...3 days ago - Always Be Campaigning
The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...3 days ago - STEPHEN FRANKS: Press seek to publicly shame doctor – we must push backThe following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I don’t like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...3 days ago
- Competing on crueltyThe right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...3 days ago
- Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of...Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website. Another – a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...3 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: The Vested interests shaping National Party policiesAs the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...3 days ago
- Labour may be on way out of power and NZ First back in – but will Peters go into coalition with Na...Voters are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris Hipkins’ valiant rearguard action. So where are they heading? Clearly not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that the outcome will be “close”. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a few weeks ago was ...3 days ago
- GRAHAM ADAMS: Will the racists please stand up?Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out. Graham Adams writes – With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...3 days ago
- Gordon Campbell on whether Winston Peters can be a moderating influenceAs the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. That’s why yesterday’s Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...3 days ago
- Tuesday’s Chorus: RBNZ set to rain on National's victory paradeANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...3 days ago
- After a Pittsburgh coal processing plant closed, ER visits plummetedThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...3 days ago
- September-23 AT Board MeetingToday the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...3 days ago
- Electorate Watch: West Coast-Tasman
Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...3 days ago - Big money brings Winston backNational leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...3 days ago
- 20 days until Election Day, 7 until early voting begins… but what changes will we really see here?
As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...4 days ago - A night out
Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...4 days ago - A pallid shade of Green IIIClearly Labour's focus groups are telling it that it needs to pay more attention to climate change - because hot on the heels of their weaksauce energy efficiency pilot programme and not-great-but-better-than-nothing solar grants, they've released a full climate manifesto. Unfortunately, the core policies in it - a second Emissions ...4 days ago
- A coalition of racism, cruelty, and chaosToday's big political news is that after months of wibbling, National's Chris Luxon has finally confirmed that he is willing to work with Winston Peters to become Prime Minister. Which is expected, but I guess it tells us something about which way the polls are going. Which raises the question: ...4 days ago
- More migrant workers should help generate the tax income needed to provide benefits for job seekersBuzz from the Beehive Under something described as a “rebalance” of its immigration rules, the Government has adopted four of five recommendations made in an independent review released in July, The fifth, which called on the government to specify criteria for out-of-hours compliance visits similar to those used during ...4 days ago
- Letter To Luxon.
Some of you might know Gerard Otto (G), and his G News platform. This morning he wrote a letter to Christopher Luxon which I particularly enjoyed, and with his agreement I’m sharing it with you in this guest newsletter.If you’d like to make a contribution to support Gerard’s work you ...4 days ago - LINDSAY MITCHELL: Alarming trend in benefit numbersLindsay Mitchell writes – While there will not be another quarterly release of benefit numbers prior to the election, limited weekly reporting continues and is showing an alarming trend. Because there is a seasonal component to benefit number fluctuations it is crucial to compare like with like. In ...4 days ago
- BRIAN EASTON: Has there been external structural change?A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase. Brian Easton writes – Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was ...4 days ago
- CRL Progress – Sep-23It’s been a while since we looked at the latest with the City Rail Link and there’s been some fantastic milestones recently. To start with, and most recently, CRL have released an awesome video showing a full fly-through of one of the tunnels. Come fly with us! You asked for ...4 days ago
- Monday’s Chorus: Not building nearly enoughWe are heading into another period of fast population growth without matching increased home building or infrastructure investment.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Labour and National detailed their house building and migration approaches over the weekend, with both pledging fast population growth policies without enough house building or infrastructure investment ...4 days ago
- Game on; Hipkins comes out punchingLabour leader Chris Hipkins yesterday took the gloves off and laid into National and its leader Christopher Luxon. For many in Labour – and particularly for some at the top of the caucus and the party — it would not have been a moment too soon. POLITIK is aware ...4 days ago
- Tax Cut Austerity Blues.
The leaders have had their go, they’ve told us the “what?” and the “why?” of their promises. Now it’s the turn of the would be Finance Ministers to tell us the “how?”, the “how much?”, and the “when?”A chance for those competing for the second most powerful job in the ...5 days ago - MIKE GRIMSHAW: It’s the economy – and the spirit – Stupid…Mike Grimshaw writes – Over the past 30-odd years it’s become almost an orthodoxy to blame or invoke neoliberalism for the failures of New Zealand society. On the left the usual response goes something like, neoliberalism is the cause of everything that’s gone wrong and the answer ...5 days ago
- 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #38A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 17, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 23, 2023. Story of the Week Opinion: Let’s free ourselves from the story of economic growth A relentless focus on economic growth has ushered in ...5 days ago
- The End Of The World.
Have you been looking out of your window for signs of the apocalypse? Don’t worry, you haven’t been door knocked by a representative of the Brian Tamaki party. They’re probably a bit busy this morning spruiking salvation, or getting ready to march on our parliament, which is closed. No, I’ve ...6 days ago - Climate Town: The Brainwashing Of America's ChildrenClimate Town is the YouTube channel of Rollie Williams and a ragtag team of climate communicators, creatives and comedians. They examine climate change in a way that doesn’t make you want to eat a cyanide pill. Get informed about the climate crisis before the weather does it for you. The latest ...7 days ago
- Has There Been External Structural Change?
A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase. Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was similar to the May Budget BEFU, ...7 days ago - Another Labour bullyBack in June, we learned that Kiri Allan was a Parliamentary bully. And now there's another one: Labour MP Shanan Halbert: The Labour Party was alerted to concerns about [Halbert's] alleged behaviour a year ago but because staffers wanted to remain anonymous, no formal process was undertaken [...] The ...7 days ago
- Climate Change: Ignoring our biggest problemIts that time in the election season where the status quo parties are busy accusing each other of having fiscal holes in a desperate effort to appear more "responsible" (but not, you understand, by promising to tax wealth or land to give the government the revenue it needs to do ...7 days ago
- JERRY COYNE: A good summary of the mess that is science education in New ZealandJERRY COYNE writes – If you want to see what the government of New Zealand is up to with respect to science education, you can’t do better than listening to this video/slideshow by two exponents of the “we-need-two-knowledge-systems” view. I’ve gotten a lot of scary stuff from Kiwi ...7 days ago
- Good news on the GDP front is accompanied by news of a $5m govt boost for Supercars (but what about ...Buzz from the Beehive First, we were treated to the news (from Finance Minister Grant Robertson) that the economy has turned a corner and New Zealand never was in recession. This was triggered by statistics which showed the economy expanded 0.9 per cent in the June quarter, twice as much as ...7 days ago
- The Scafetta SagaIt has taken 17 months to get a comment published pointing out the obvious errors in the Scafetta (2022) paper in GRL. Back in March 2022, Nicola Scafetta published a short paper in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) purporting to show through ‘advanced’ means that ‘all models with ECS > ...7 days ago
- Friday's Chorus: Penny wise and pound foolishTL;DR: In the middle of a climate emergency and in a city prone to earthquakes, Victoria University of Wellington announced yesterday it would stop teaching geophysics, geographic information science and physical geography to save $22 million a year and repay debt. Climate change damage in Aotearoa this year is already ...7 days ago
- CHRIS TROTTER: Calling the big dog’s bluffFor nearly thirty years the pundits have been telling the minor parties that they must be good little puppies and let the big dogs decide. The parties with a plurality of the votes cast must be allowed to govern – even if that means ignoring the ...1 week ago
- The electorate swing, Labour limbo and Luxon-Hipkins two-step
Another poll, another 27 for Labour. It was July the last time one of the reputable TV company polls had Labour's poll percentage starting with a three, so the limbo question is now being asked: how low can you go?It seems such an unlikely question because this doesn't feel like the kind ...1 week ago - A Womance, and a Nomance.
After the trench warfare of Tuesday night, when the two major parties went head to head, last night was the turn of the minor parties. Hosts Newshub termed it “the Powerbrokers' Debate”.Based on the latest polls the four parties taking part - ACT, the Greens, New Zealand First, and Te ...1 week ago - When The Internet Rushes To Your Defense
Hi,You can’t make this stuff up.People involved with Sound of Freedom, the QAnon-infused movie about anti-child trafficker Tim Ballard, are dropping like flies. I won’t ruin your day by describing it here, but Vice reports that footage has emerged of executive producer Paul Hutchinson being inappropriate with a 16-year-old trafficking ...1 week ago - Doubts about Robertson’s good news dayThe trading banks yesterday concluded that though GDP figures released yesterday show the economy is not in recession, it may well soon be. Nevertheless, the fact that GDP has gone up 0.8 per cent in the latest quarter and that StatsNZ revised the previous quarter’s figure to show a ...1 week ago
- The Votes That Media Dare Not Speak Its Name
.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work..A recent political opinion poll (20 September) on TV1 presented what could only be called bleak news for the Left Bloc:National: 37%, down two points equating to 46 seatsLabour: 27%, down one point (34 ...1 week ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #38 2023Open access notables At our roots Skeptical Science is about cognition of the results of climate science research in the minds of the entire human population. Ideally we'd be perfectly communicating understanding of Earth's climate, and perfectly understood. We can only approximate that, but hopefully converging closer to perfection. With ...1 week ago
- Failing To Hold Back The Flood: The Edgy Politics of the Twenty-First Century.Coming Over The Top: Rory Stewart's memoir, Politics On The Edge, lays bare the dangerous inadequacies of the Western World's current political model.VERY FEW NEW ZEALANDERS will have heard of Rory Stewart. Those with a keen eye for the absurdities of politics may recognise the name as that of the ...1 week ago
- Policy Announcements: Law & Order and Justice, Courts & Corrections
New Zealand First Policy Announcement: Law and Order New Zealand First believes that keeping society safe should be the priority of law-and-order policies. Every New Zealander deserves to feel safe, secure, and have their person and property respected. That is why New Zealand First continues to fix the flaws in ...20 hours ago - Labour's Dirt Campaign Exposed With Media HelpIn last night’s leaders debate Labour Leader Chris Hipkins referred to a quote without giving any explanation of its content, which was about the ‘disease of co-governance’ that is perpetuated by the Māori elite, and he said it was racist. Then, without even examining the content, National leader Christopher Luxon agreed with ...20 hours ago
- Labour's Dirt Campaign Exposed With Media HelpIn last night’s leaders debate Labour Leader Chris Hipkins referred to a quote without giving any explanation of its content, which was about the ‘disease of co-governance’ that is perpetuated by the Māori elite, and he said it was racist. Then, without even examining the content, National leader Christopher Luxon agreed with ...20 hours ago
- Chris Hipkins: Speech Progressing Together
Today, Chris Hipkins delivered a speech about Labour’s relationship with and ongoing commitment to Māori. ...24 hours ago - Release: National out of ideas on law and order, copies Labour’s policies and costingsAfter years of criticising the Government on law and order, National have embarrassed themselves by conceding they have no new ideas and instead copied Labour’s Police policy announced three weeks ago, Labour Police spokesperson Ginny Andersen says. ...2 days ago
- Release: Labour releases balanced, costed and credible fiscal planLabour’s fiscal plan will continue its focus on carefully managing the books while protecting critical public services like health and education and investing to deliver high wage jobs and a low carbon economy. ...2 days ago
- Policy Announcement: Capped Time-Period For Job Seeker BeneficiariesNew Zealand First today is announcing a policy on adjusting the rules and restrictions around access to the Job Seeker Benefit. New Zealand First’s policy is to introduce a capped time-period for any person to access the Job Seeker Benefit during their lifetime. Any individual will have the ability to access the Job Seeker ...3 days ago
- Policy Announcement: Capped Time-Period For Job Seeker BeneficiariesNew Zealand First today is announcing a policy on adjusting the rules and restrictions around access to the Job Seeker Benefit. New Zealand First’s policy is to introduce a capped time-period for any person to access the Job Seeker Benefit during their lifetime. Any individual will have the ability to access the Job Seeker ...3 days ago
- Green Party will end child poverty
The Green Party will double the Best Start payment and make it available for every child under three years of age - and it will be paid for with a fair tax system. ...3 days ago - Release: Labour pledges billion-dollar medicines boostLabour will fund more medicines for more New Zealanders by investing over $1 billion of new funding into Pharmac if re-elected, Chris Hipkins announced today. ...3 days ago
- National's welfare policy is cruelThe National Party’s job seeker policy announced today is heartless. ...3 days ago
- Labour's PHARMAC Policy A PlaceboLabour has just announced a policy to increase Pharmac funding by $1billion over four years to fund additional medicines. With the current Pharmac budget of $1.2billion per year and needing a further $213million, by Minister Verrall’s own admission, just to keep up with current costs - then this is nothing ...3 days ago
- Labour's PHARMAC Policy A PlaceboLabour has just announced a policy to increase Pharmac funding by $1billion over four years to fund additional medicines. With the current Pharmac budget of $1.2billion per year and needing a further $213million, by Minister Verrall’s own admission, just to keep up with current costs - then this is nothing ...3 days ago
- Re: The Call For Corporate Manslaughter LegislationThis matter begins with the Pike River investigation being inadequate, inexplicably lengthy, and after millions of dollars, the evidence that should have been placed before the public still has not been. We have always believed that Pike River is a crime scene, and that a proper investigation would have come to that conclusion. Blue ...4 days ago
- Re: The Call For Corporate Manslaughter LegislationThis matter begins with the Pike River investigation being inadequate, inexplicably lengthy, and after millions of dollars, the evidence that should have been placed before the public still has not been. We have always believed that Pike River is a crime scene, and that a proper investigation would have come to that conclusion. Blue ...4 days ago
- Release: Labour releases New Zealand’s first climate manifestoNew Zealand faces a stark choice this election – vote for Labour to continue to confront the climate emergency with eyes wide open or bury your head in the sand alongside Christopher Luxon. ...4 days ago
- Green voice crucial for climate actionThe Green Party is today welcoming Labour’s climate manifesto, but is clear that much more will need to be done to tackle the climate crisis. ...4 days ago
- Speech: Chris Hipkins – Wellington Rally, 24 September...5 days ago
- People need a government that will build many more homesLabour’s plan to build more homes is a welcome step forward, but it lacks ambition. ...5 days ago
- Release: Supercharging public housingLabour is supercharging its plan to solve the public housing shortfall created by National, promising another 6,000 homes on top of what has already been committed says Labour Housing spokesperson Dr Megan Woods. ...5 days ago
- Release: New Super Visa for migrants’ parents and rights for Dawn Raid victimsLabour will back migrant working families by introducing a 10-year multiple-entry parents’ and grandparents’ Super Visa, and make good on the Dawn Raids apology by providing a one-off visa for overstayers who have been in the country ten years or more, Labour’s Immigration Spokesperson Andrew Little says. ...6 days ago
- Only the Greens will deliver a fair amnesty for overstayersThe Green Party is today welcoming Labour coming to the table to ensure an amnesty for overstayers, but only the Greens will ensure immigration settings actually reflect the reality of people who have been failed by our immigration system. ...6 days ago
- Climate future of communities on the line this electionGreen Party co leader James Shaw attended a South Dunedin Future street meeting today to discuss local responses to climate change. ...6 days ago
- Green Party calls for stronger action by Auckland Council to protect urban trees and native forestThe Green Party is calling on Auckland Council to do more to protect urban trees and housing developer Aedifice Property Group to restore and replant the native forest it cleared, and protect all the remaining trees on Ngahere Road in Pukekohe after a significant number of native trees were cut ...7 days ago
- Release: Ram Raids drop to two-year lowLatest Police data shows monthly ram raids have hit a two-year low, laying waste to Christopher Luxon’s false claim that there are two ram raids a day says Labour’s Police Spokesperson Ginny Andersen. ...7 days ago
- Every party needs to step up on school lunchesLabour has finally said it would continue free school lunches - and the Green Party is calling on every party to step up. ...7 days ago
- Release: School lunches on the line this electionFree and healthy school lunches will be here to stay if Labour is re-elected, guaranteeing food for our kids who need it most and significant cost saving for parents. ...7 days ago
- Release: Labour commits to a new hospital for the people of Hawke’s BayThe next Labour Government will build a new hospital in Hawke’s Bay, Labour leader Chris Hipkins and Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall announced. ...1 week ago
- Govt changes fall short of what’s needed for migrant protectionThe Green Party will keep up the fight to support exploited migrant workers, including pushing to end single employer visas, after the government picked up Green recommendations to improve immigration settings. ...1 week ago
- Clean Power Payment the smartest way forward to reduce emissions and billsGreen Party co leader James Shaw visited a home in Auckland today that has been upgraded with a wide range of energy improvements, similar to those that would be supported through the Green Party’s Clean Power Payment. ...1 week ago
- Foreign Minister's Action – A Contempt For “Caretaker Government” ConventionThe Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta’s presence in New York today at the United Nations General Assembly is a contempt of New Zealand’s “caretaker government” convention. Despite the long-standing caretaker convention, Minister Mahuta is today at the UN to sign a highly contentious “Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement”, delivering a ...1 week ago
- Back To Black ResponsiblyThe Pre-Election Fiscal Update Changes Everything Within an hour of this speech there is going to be a debate between the political parties that the media, under MMP, still think are the only parties that matter in this campaign. Both of those parties are riddled with inexperience, as evidenced by ...1 week ago
- Stop the cuts before they start – Labour launches new TV adNational and ACT's tax plans don't add up, and that means deep cuts to the public services New Zealanders rely on, says Labour Campaign Chair Megan Woods. ...1 week ago
- Free school lunches paid for with a wealth taxThe Green Party will expand free school lunches and pay for it with a fair tax system. ...1 week ago
- The Pacific Reset & the Blue ContinentThank you for your invitation to speak with you this afternoon about New Zealand Foreign Policy. After offering one or two general thoughts about the nature of foreign policy, the focus today will be the Pacific Reset and why its goals remain even more important today as when they were ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Huge hole in National’s climate budgetNational’s plan to cut policies that are reducing New Zealand’s climate emissions will result in a huge gap in the country’s emissions budgets and could see Kiwis paying significantly more at the petrol pump as a result of Christopher Luxon hiking the ETS price. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens would push Labour much further on solar powerLabour’s plan to support rooftop solar is a step in the right direction, but falls short of what could be achieved through the Green Party’s Clean Power Payment. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Doubling rooftop solar to reduce bills & emissionsLabour will double the number of houses with rooftop solar in New Zealand, lowering household power bills, reducing emissions and boosting renewable electricity generation. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour will advance women’s health, careers, and legal protectionsA re-elected Labour Government will continue its proud tradition of advancing women’s health, employment, and legal rights Spokesperson for Women Jan Tinetti said. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party confirms plan for five weeks annual leaveSpeaking at the E Tū Election Launch in Auckland today, Green Party co leader Marama Davidson outlined the Green Party’s manifesto commitment to ensure everyone has five weeks of annual leave. ...2 weeks ago
- New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...24 hours ago - Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilienceThe Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...1 day ago
- Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solarThe largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...2 days ago
- Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...3 days ago
- Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefitRegions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...5 days ago
- Immigration settings updatesJudicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...6 days ago
- Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga HohepaTangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...7 days ago
- Renewable energy fund to support community resilience40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...7 days ago
- COVID-19 funding returned to GovernmentThe lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...7 days ago
- Appointment of District Court JudgeSusie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today. Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...7 days ago
- Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilienceThe Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...1 week ago
- Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-upAnother $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...1 week ago
- Taupō Supercars revs up with Government supportThe future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...1 week ago
- There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarterThe economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...1 week ago
- Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springsThe Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today. “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...1 week ago
- More support for victims of migrant exploitationTemporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...1 week ago
- Strong export boost as NZ economy turns cornerAn export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...1 week ago
- Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te KarakaThe Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...1 week ago
- Further business support for cyclone-affected regionsThe Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...1 week ago
- New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underwayDefence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...1 week ago
- Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General AssemblyForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...1 week ago
- Midwives’ pay equity offer reachedAround 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand provides support to MoroccoAotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...2 weeks ago
- Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilienceThe Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...2 weeks ago
- Government invests in Greymouth’s futureThe Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouth’s CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. “It will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...2 weeks ago
- Nanaia Mahuta to attend PIF Foreign Ministers’ MeetingForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealand’s regional counterparts. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,” ...2 weeks ago
- PREFU shows no recession, growing economy, more jobs and wages ahead of inflationEconomy to grow 2.6 percent on average over forecast period Treasury not forecasting a recession Inflation to return to the 1-3 percent target band next year Wages set to grow 4.8 percent a year over forecast period Unemployment to peak below the long-term average Fiscal Rules met - Net debt ...2 weeks ago
- New cancer centre opens in ChristchurchPrime Minister Chris Hipkins and Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall proudly opened the Canterbury Cancer Centre in Christchurch today. The new facility is the first of its kind and was built with $6.5 million of funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group scheme for shovel-ready projects allocated in 2020. ...2 weeks ago
- Government invests in top of the south’s roading resilience$12 million to improve the resilience of roads in the Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman regions Hope Bypass earmarked in draft Government Policy Statement on land transport $127 million invested in the top of the south’s roads since flooding in 2021 and 2022 The Government is investing over $12 million to ...3 weeks ago
- New Zealanders continue to support the revitalisation of te reo as we celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Mā...Ko tēnei te wiki e whakanui ana i tō tātou reo rangatira. Ko te wā tuku reo Māori, e whakanuia tahitia ai te reo ahakoa kei hea ake tēnā me tēnā o tātou, ka tū ā te Rātū te 14 o Mahuru, ā te 12 o ngā hāora i te ahiahi. ...3 weeks ago
- New Wildlife Act to better protect native speciesThe 70-year-old Wildlife Act will be replaced with modern, fit-for-purpose legislation to better protect native species and improve biodiversity, Minister of Conservation Willow-Jean Prime has announced. “New species legislation is urgently needed to address New Zealand’s biodiversity crisis,” Willow-Jean Prime said. “More than 4,000 of our native species are currently ...3 weeks ago
- Further safety initiatives for Auckland City CentreCentral and Local Government are today announcing a range of new measures to tackle low-level crime and anti-social behaviour in the Auckland CBD to complement Police scaling up their presence in the area. “Police have an important role to play in preventing and responding to crime, but there is more ...3 weeks ago
- Election 2023: ACT Party would amend Inquiries Act to allow public submissions on Covid-19 inquiry
It is "wrong" that the government gets to set the term of reference of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into its Covid-19 response, the ACT Party says. It is "wrong" ...51 mins ago - Election 2023: Māori leaders call on politicians to condemn racismIn an open letter, Māori and community leaders are calling for an end to a "divisive style of politics", and asking National leader Christopher Luxon to condemn race-baiting by NZ First and ACT. ...57 mins ago
- Media And Police Attribute Success Of Operation Dickinson To The Firearms Registry
The Sporting Shooters Association of New Zealand (SSANZ) is concerned about the political neutrality of New Zealand Police in the leadup to the 2023 General Election. We also have concerns about the media’s understanding of the Firearms Registry ...2 hours ago - A search for links between two of the universe’s most spectacular phenomena has come up empty – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eric Howell, OzGrav Associate Investigator; Adjunct Research Fellow in Astrophysics, The University of Western Australia Carl Knox / OzGrav, CC BY Every so often, astronomers glimpse an intense flash of radio waves from space – a flash that lasts only ...2 hours ago - Lions to roar or Magpies to soar? It’s a remarkable revival story either way on grand final daySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Saturday’s premiership tussle between Collingwood and Brisbane features the two top-ranked teams from 2023. Hopefully, unlike last year’s final, it will be a gripping match. The 2023 finals series has so ...2 hours ago
- Handkerchief or tissue? Which one’s better for our health and the planet?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Shutterstock Maybe you have hay fever, COVID, a cold or the flu, and are reaching for a tissue or handkerchief. But which one’s better ...2 hours ago
- ‘You’re constantly worrying’: pregnant women, bushfire smoke and the impossibility of safetySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Lou Rasmussen, Professor, School of Sociology, Australian National University Smoke covered large swathes of Australia during the catastrophic summer fires of 2019-2020. You could see the plumes from space. Over 20% of Australia’s forests went up in smoke and flame. ...2 hours ago
- Michael Woodhouse is prepared to lose in Dunedin one last time
The former cabinet minister withdrew from National’s list after implying the party had valued his experience below the need for diversity. Shanti Mathias speaks to him in Dunedin as he contemplates what comes after 15 years in politics. Michael Woodhouse is always repping – both Otago and the National Party. ...2 hours ago - Michael Woodhouse is prepared to lose in Dunedin one last timeThe former cabinet minister withdrew from National’s list after implying the party had valued his experience below the need for diversity. Shanti Mathias speaks to him in Dunedin as he contemplates what comes after 15 years in politics. Michael Woodhouse is always repping – both Otago and the National Party. ...2 hours ago
- Boos and strong language mark forum on housingPolitical candidates have heard the plight of renters at a forum in Wellington, with all promising to continue funding tenant services. ...2 hours ago
- ACT climate policy could see NZ Paris Agreement pledge walked backThe ACT Party has raised the possibility it would renege on New Zealand's international climate pledge under the Paris Agreement. ...3 hours ago
- Public sector headcount rises in last pre-election recruitment drive
The public administration and safety sector takes on 2,300 new workers in a month ...3 hours ago - Weet-bix case shows size of mountain supermarket challengers need to climbIt’s just one product, in one chain of stores. But few stories symbolise the ongoing power of the supermarket duopoly as well as The Warehouse’s Weet-bix situation, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...3 hours ago
- Election 2023: All the latest developments on 29 SeptemberThe National Party is set to reveal its fiscal plan today after much controversy over how viable its foreign buyer's tax is and Labour's release of their fiscal plan on Wednesday. ...3 hours ago
- Try queen almost quit her Black Ferns dream
A prolific try-scorer in any team she makes, Martha Mataele is looking to cross the try line for the Black Ferns, as she's named in the squad for the first time. Martha Mataele almost gave up on her Black Ferns dream before her call-up came this month. When the Black ...4 hours ago - Short story of a NZ Loyal Party candidate
"They're using cloud seeding to alter the atmosphere!": a NZ Loyal candidate is sadly imagined by Jack Remiel Cottrell, in our series of short stories set in the election campaign "Andy, what you're saying is unhinged." Despite Ethan being one of the sheeple, Andy does appreciate that he visits. ...5 hours ago - Hipkins commits to calling out racism and defending Te TiritiLabour leader Chris Hipkins is continuing to target his political opponents over their rhetoric around Māori, saying it's race-baiting, while those accusing say he's "desperate". ...5 hours ago
- It’s happening: There’s finally construction on Wellington’s Golden Mile The revitalisation of the city centre that Wellington has been debating for years is finally actually happening. Joel MacManus explains what that means. There’s a handful of road cones and some tradies hanging around Grey Street this morning, and it’s possibly the best thing to happen in Wellington since Elijah ...6 hours ago
- It’s happening: There’s finally construction on Wellington’s Golden Mile The revitalisation of the city centre that Wellington has been debating for years is finally actually happening. Joel MacManus explains what that means. There’s a handful of road cones and some tradies hanging around Grey Street this morning, and it’s possibly the best thing to happen in Wellington since Elijah ...6 hours ago
- There’s always another WinstonChristopher Luxon looks like he will have to call Winston Peters on October 15 to form a government. But which Winston will answer the phone? Winston Peters has been booted from parliament on three separate occasions since he first entered in 1979. Every time it has changed him. In 1981 ...6 hours ago
- There’s always another WinstonChristopher Luxon looks like he will have to call Winston Peters on October 15 to form a government. But which Winston will answer the phone? Winston Peters has been booted from parliament on three separate occasions since he first entered in 1979. Every time it has changed him. In 1981 ...6 hours ago
- Road safety loses funding fight as more Waka Kotahi plans off track
Resources have been focused on maintenance because of severe weather ...6 hours ago - Torn apart by war, kept apart by bureaucrats
‘Let these young people have a life’ is the plea from a lawyer for an Afghan teenager living without her parents in New Zealand. She's one of a dozen children who fled here when the Taliban took over who are now forcibly separated from their families. It's not difficult ...6 hours ago - Winston reaches deep in his kete of scaremongering soundbites
Baseless fear and loathing regarding Māori political issues is nothing new, but claims that the sky is falling could decide this election ...6 hours ago - Raw Politics: Act and NZ First grab steering wheel
This week on the Raw Politics podcast: We look at what common wins might await New Zealand First and Act if National needs them both post-election; Plus How good are the Greens in the polls, and do overseas votes count for much? Much of the focus of the political ...6 hours ago - Daily crossword, Friday 29 September
...6 hours ago - NZ cancels final 21.5m Kyoto-era carbon credits
Climate Minister scraps 21m carbon credits left over from the international Kyoto Protocol markets ...6 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 29 September
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. ...7 hours ago - Former Papuan governor Enembe’s corruption trial ends – verdict soonSPECIAL REPORT: By Yamin Kogoya Former Papuan Governor Lukas Enembe has presented his case for the defence, denying the corruption and bribery charges against him, with the end of the controversial and lengthy trial at the Tipikor Court of Jakarta Central District Court this week. The verdict is due on ...11 hours ago
- What causes lithium-ion battery fires? Why are they so intense? And how should they be fought? An ex...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Muhammad Rizwan Azhar, Lecturer, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock Picture this: you’re cruising down the Great Ocean Road in your brand new electric vehicle (EV), the ocean to your left and the wind in your hair. But what if I told ...15 hours ago
- Australian universities have dropped in the latest round of global rankings – should we be worried...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judith Ireland, Education Editor, The Conversation, Australia Every year, Times Higher Education – a global higher education publication – ranks universities around the world. This one of three prominent international ranking systems for universities. Its 2024 list has just been released ...16 hours ago
- Te Pāti Māori candidate tops informal audience poll at chamber eventTe Pāti Māori's first general seat candidate has come out on top in an unscientific audience poll at a business chamber election event in a district held by National since 2008. ...16 hours ago
- Watch: Caucus – What do you do with a problem like Winston?On this week's episode of Caucus, Lisa Owen, Guyon Espiner, Julian Wilcox and Tim Watkin discuss the enigma that is Winston Peters and more as the election campaign races toward its final two weeks. Watch it here. ...16 hours ago
- The green energy surge still isn’t enough for 1.5 degrees. We’ll have to overshoot, adapt and so...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pep Canadell, Chief Research Scientist, Climate Science Centre, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere; Executive Director, Global Carbon Project, CSIRO Shutterstock It was a rare bit of good news on climate. The International Energy Agency this week released its latest net zero ...16 hours ago
- A journey of discovery and identity formation: The Dictionary of Lost Words makes its wonderful stag...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Russell Fewster, Lecturer in Performing Arts, University of South Australia Sam Roberts/State Theatre Company of South Australia The Dictionary of Lost Words follows Esme as she navigates the patriarchal world of Victorian England. While her father and colleagues construct the ...17 hours ago
- Beyond the PwC scandal, there’s a growing case for a royal commission into Australia’s ruthless ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carl Rhodes, Professor of Organization Studies, University of Technology Sydney Shutterstock Accounting and consulting group PwC has been front page news ever since its chief executive Tim Seymour stepped down “effectively immediately” in May, when the firm said it had ...17 hours ago
- ACT announces landlords policy, including 'pet bond'ACT is promising to make it easier for landlords to evict tenants, including if they are in emergency housing. ...18 hours ago
- ACT announces landlords policy, including 'pet bond'ACT is promising to make it easier for landlords to evict tenants, including if they are in emergency housing. ...18 hours ago
- The daily wrapHere are today’s top stories from the election campaign and beyond. The roads around parliament will reopen this afternoon after protesters cleared the area without issue, police have said. The Warehouse facing ‘Weet-Bix situation’ as Sanitarium pulls cereal from stores. The Commerce Commission says it is seeking urgent answers. ...18 hours ago
- Hipkins angered by race ‘one-liners’
The Prime Minister said he feels like progress on Treaty relationships have never been so at risk in his lifetime Prime Minister Chris Hipkins appealed to the Māori community to turn up to the polls today in Kawakawa, in a speech where he railed against racist comments made by his ...18 hours ago - ‘Extremely concerning’ – ComCom wants answers over Sanitarium v The WarehouseThe Commerce Commission says it’s asked Sanitarium why it’s pulling Weet-Bix off the shelves at The Warehouse, as we reported this afternoon. In a statement, the commission’s chair John Small said the claims made by The Warehouse were “extremely concerning” and Sanitarium had been asked to explain. “We are also ...18 hours ago
- Sanitarium won’t explain why Weet-Bix being pulled from The WarehouseSanitarium won’t explain why they are pulling Weet-Bix products from all 88 Warehouse stores this coming weekend, citing commercial sensitivity. The Warehouse said that it won’t be provided with the 1.2kg packs of Weet-Bix it’s been selling from 2021, with Sanitarium blaming supply issues. “As far as we are aware, ...18 hours ago
- Taxpayers’ Union Calls Hipkins’ GST Bluff – Releases The Modelling And Challenges Hipkins To D...Following recent concerns raised by the Taxpayers’ Union that Labour’s GST-exempt policy would leave a revenue hole of up to $411m because, as Labour have claimed, more people may eat fresh fruit and vegetables if they were cheaper, yesterday Chris ...19 hours ago
- https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2309/S00253/.htm...19 hours ago
- Police report no issues at Parliament protestHundreds of people marched through Wellington to Parliament today to protest a wide variety of issues, but police reported no problems from marchers and roads are now reopening. ...19 hours ago
- Police report no issues at Parliament protestHundreds of people marched through Wellington to Parliament today to protest a wide variety of issues, but police reported no problems from marchers and roads are now reopening. ...19 hours ago
- National MP, gang supporters clash in protest on Parliament forecourt – 'Is that a threat...National MP Mark Mitchell got into a heated exchange with a group of gang whānau this morning after refusing to accept their petition protesting anti-gang policies. ...19 hours ago
- National MP, gang supporters clash in protest on Parliament forecourt – 'Is that a threat...National MP Mark Mitchell got into a heated exchange with a group of gang whānau this morning after refusing to accept their petition protesting anti-gang policies. ...19 hours ago
- Wellington roads to reopen after ‘uneventful’ protest of 2,000 peopleThe roads around parliament will reopen this afternoon after protesters cleared the area without issue, police have said. No issues have been reported at the rally, which attracted crowds of about 2,000 people led by Brian Tamaki and members of the freedom movement. “Police maintained a high presence in the ...20 hours ago
- Chris and Chris: The honeymoon endsIn the second leaders’ debate of the campaign, the happy Chris marriage has hit the rocks. It was a real love fest a week ago when Chris Hipkins and Chris Luxon first debated on live television. But on Wednesday night, with Paddy Gower moderating, their relationship took a turn. ...20 hours ago
- 4 ways to support someone with dementia during extreme heatSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nikki-Anne Wilson, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), UNSW Sydney Shutterstock Our ability to adapt our behaviour to changes in temperature takes a significant amount of thought and decision making. For example, we need to identify suitable clothing, increase ...20 hours ago
- A chat with Down For Love’s Leisel and Brayden, the best reality couple of all timeAhead of the return of Down For Love, we caught up with season one’s golden couple: Leisel and Brayden. Last year, a dating show with a difference captured the hearts of New Zealand viewers, and tonight, that unique dating show returns to our screens for a second season. Down For ...20 hours ago
- Aotearoa New Zealand Is Failing Older PeopleOlder people in this country are not being prioritised, and specific action must be taken immediately to better support and value this group now and into the future, the United Nations (UN) has been told. In advance of International Day of Older Persons ...20 hours ago
- Ministry Of Education Still Failing To Deliver For Kiwi KidsResponding to the release of the OECD’s latest Education at a Glance report, Taxpayers’ Union Policy Adviser, James Ross, said: “Since 2018, investment received by the Ministry of Education has increased by nearly 75%. Despite this, outcomes for our ...20 hours ago
- National says anti-gang policies would be enforced in first 100 daysNational would introduce new legislation to target gangs within its first 100 days in office, the party’s police spokesperson Mark Mitchell said. Earlier today, Mitchell met a group of gang members on the parliamentary forecourt to hear their opposition to his party’s views. According to the Herald, it was an ...20 hours ago
- The Warehouse facing ‘Weet-Bix situation’ as Sanitarium pulls cereal from stores‘Supply constraints’ mean The Warehouse won’t be able to sell Weet-Bix products from this weekend – but the retailer is confused as to why they’re seemingly the only ones affected. Stewart Sowman-Lund reports. The Warehouse has headed straight to the Commerce Commission seeking help to resolve a “Weet-Bix situation” after ...21 hours ago
- Sogavare hails ‘new approach’ on West Papua – Wale calls PM ‘Judas’By Charley Piringi in Honiara The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) has adopted a fresh approach in addressing the longstanding and sensitive West Papuan issue, says Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. Upon his return yesterday from the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York last week, he clarified to ...21 hours ago
- Grocery Supply Code Will Drive Food Prices Even HigherCommenting on the Grocery Supply Code of Conduct coming into force, Taxpayers’ Union Policy Adviser, James Ross, said: “The grocery supply code of conduct has completely missed the root causes of New Zealand’s sky-high grocery prices. Lack ...21 hours ago
- Overstayers express concern over Labour's amnesty pledgeThe Labour Party's proposal for an immigration amnesty for people who have overstayed their visa for at least 10 years has sparked mixed reaction among overstayers. ...21 hours ago
- Gone By Lunchtime: Winston Peters? I don’t know herAs Hipkins and Luxon went head-to-head in the second leaders’ debate, the NZ First leader hovered in the rafters. Where did all New Zealand’s mojo go? Turns out Chris Hipkins had stashed it all in a drawer, and mainlined it ahead of the Newshub leaders’ debate. He was dramatically more ...22 hours ago
- NZ Parliament protest: Hundreds march, extra police on patrolRNZ News Hundreds of protesters have marched to Aotearoa New Zealand’s Parliament in Wellington today, where streets were closed and the precinct blocked off in preparation. The march was met by a smaller group of counter protesters from Pōneke Anti-Fascist Coalition. About 600 protesters had gathered at Civic Square before ...22 hours ago
- New Zealand First Policy Announcement: Law And OrderNew Zealand First believes that keeping society safe should be the priority of law-and-order policies. Every New Zealander deserves to feel safe, secure, and have their person and property respected. That is why New Zealand First continues to fix the flaws ...22 hours ago
- Inspectorate Report Examines Women In Prison Who Have Young ChildrenThe Office of the Inspectorate | Te Tari Tirohia has released a report into how pregnant women and those with children under 24 months are managed in New Zealand’s three women’s prisons. “I commissioned this thematic inspection to review the ...22 hours ago
- Freedoms protesters arrive at parliamentThe large crowd of protesters in Wellington have descended on parliament grounds, where they’re effectively hearing a “stump speech” for Brian Tamaki’s Freedoms NZ party, according to our reporter in the capital. Joel MacManus said the crowd, estimated to me be at least 500, has so far remained peaceful. “They ...22 hours ago
- We should use Australia’s environment laws to protect our ‘living wonders’ from new coal and g...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Karoly, Professor emeritus, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock From Kakadu and the Great Barrier Reef in the North, to the Snowy Mountains in the Southeast, and jarrah and marri forests in the Southwest, Australia is home to incredibly diverse ...22 hours ago
- National and Labour go head to head in finance debateNational's finance spokesperson Nicola Willis and Labour's finance spokesperson Grant Robertson have clashed over the value of recent government spending. ...22 hours ago
- Labour’s Dirt Campaign Exposed With Media HelpIn last night’s leaders debate Labour Leader Chris Hipkins referred to a quote without giving any explanation of its content, which was about the ‘disease of co-governance’ that is perpetuated by the Māori elite, and he said it was racist. ...22 hours ago
- Act wants to ‘end war on landlords’, evict unruly state housing tenantsThe Act Party wants to see landlords offered more respect, saying they’ve been “scapegoated” by the current government and blamed for the housing crisis. David Seymour said his party would “end the war on landlords”, pledging to reinstate interest deductibility and see unruly state housing tenants easily evicted. “Labour’s policies ...22 hours ago
- Advocacy group calls on Senator Wong to press Jakarta over latest West Papua atrocities reportAsia Pacific Report An Australian advocacy group supporting West Papuan self-determination has appealed to Foreign Minister Penny Wong to press Indonesia to halt all military operations in the region following new allegations of Indonesian atrocities reported in The Guardian newspaper. In a letter to the senator yesterday, the Australia West ...23 hours ago
- Remember when Tellydots took over our TV screens?Tara Ward looks back on the strange TV phenomenon that was Tellydots. It was October 2000. The new millennium had dawned, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring mania was about to grip New Zealand and Anastacia’s ‘I’m Outta Love’ was the biggest song of the year. ...23 hours ago
- NZ Election 2023: latest poll trends show the left regaining some ground and NZ First as possible ki...Source: 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 Yesterday’s 1News-Verian poll, and the Newshub-Reid Research poll reported earlier in the week, both show flattening trend lines – but they are ...23 hours ago
- Newsletter: September 28 2023 – Items of interest and importance todayNew Zealand Politics Daily is a collation of the most prominent issues being discussed in New Zealand. It is edited by Dr Bryce Edwards of The Democracy Project. NZ Politics Daily: 28 September 2023 NEWSHUB LEADERS’ DEBATE Spinoff: Leaders’ debate #2, election 2023: the verdicts Claire Trevett, Shayne Currie, Audrey Yount and ...23 hours ago
- Nelson candidates debate crime, wealth tax and government spendingAt a public meeting in Nelson Cathedral, candidates made their pitch for the seat currently held by Labour and for 24 years before that by National. ...24 hours ago
- Hundreds prepare to march to parliamentHundreds of protesters have gathered in Wellington’s Civic Square ahead of a planned march to parliament. It’s being led by Brian Tamaki and members of the Freedom and Rights Coalition, though Tamaki told RNZ this morning there were no plans to turn this into another occupation of parliament grounds. He ...24 hours ago
- Dunne's Weekly: Hipkins Will Be Held Responsible, Although Not To BlameChris Hipkins demonstrated enthusiasm borne of desperation in the second leaders' debate this week. After his lack lustre performance in the first debate and on the campaign trail generally, he needed to. But it is still unlikely to be enough to ...1 day ago
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