Search Results
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Comment:Open mike 28/01/2022
Date published: 2:47 pm, January 28th, 2022😎 Nice to have you back.
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Comment:Open mike 28/01/2022
Date published: 2:08 pm, January 28th, 2022did the Greens have a plan for Christchurch rail?
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Comment:Open mike 28/01/2022
Date published: 2:05 pm, January 28th, 2022I take that as you wanting The Mess. Just check the name field next time you comment, you will probably have to retype it. Cheers.
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Comment:Open mike 28/01/2022
Date published: 2:02 pm, January 28th, 2022The Mess, can you please let us know if you want to use The Mess as your username going forward, or if you want to revert back to the one you have used on TS in the past?
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Comment:Open mike 28/01/2022
Date published: 1:55 pm, January 28th, 2022probably, but people, the country and the health system being in the best possible position is better than letting covid run free (aka not resisting community spread). We also learn more as time goes on. At some point we may well have to make a different ...
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Comment:Open mike 28/01/2022
Date published: 1:11 pm, January 28th, 2022meanwhile, long covid, and there's been recent more concern about the impacts of any covid infection on human anatomy and physiology. You're very sure of yourself on omicron being relatively harmless, but I've yet to see you address the long covid and ...
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Comment:About the latest Colmar Brunton poll
Date published: 12:57 pm, January 28th, 2022The Maori party have already said they are in interested in working with National. Do you remember where they said that?
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 12:05 pm, January 28th, 2022Aē, I was going to go down that track. We have so much wealth that exists beyond the mainstream economic thinking.
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 12:04 pm, January 28th, 2022some will fuck off. Let them. Others, the ones that actually value NZ, will stay and keep their money here
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 11:14 am, January 28th, 2022fuck, fuckity, fuck, just remembered Robertson has this plan for an employment insurance scheme. Of course Labour are going to look after the well off before the poors.
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 11:12 am, January 28th, 2022I really should wrote a post about the low hanging fruit. They could have done things that nobody would have really noticed. Or things that are more obvious but are opportunities for shifting understanding eg individualising benefits. 'Let's make welfare ...
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 11:09 am, January 28th, 2022it's not like we have debt and no income and no functional wealth. Besides, there are baseline UBI models that a) use the dole and other benefit funding and b) use taxation to take back the UBI from higher income earners. And we could easily be taxing the ...
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 9:15 am, January 28th, 2022makes sense to me. But then why not do the mahi on shifting public perception? Turei move the welfare Overton Window, there's a lot that Labour could have built on in that time. Then covid redunancies made people more sympathetic as well. And there are a ...
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 9:12 am, January 28th, 2022I waver between that and just incompetence because of successive Ministers and who they put in place as senior managers. I've known some really amazing people working at WINZ, including senior people, but for some reason Labour can't seem to make that the ...
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 9:08 am, January 28th, 2022read the post. NZ has a shit load of wealth.
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 6:44 pm, January 27th, 2022worse, they removed Special Benefit from welfare and replaced it with TAS, thus ensuring poverty for long term beneficiaries.
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 6:43 pm, January 27th, 2022I like that idea. I suspect the abatement issue would still need to be solved, but it's a lovely straight forward solution. Apart from trusting Labour and National to not fuck up the actual work provision and voluntary nature.
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 6:40 pm, January 27th, 2022tbf, TOP did improve their UBI policy over time. The original Gareth Morgan one was horrendous. TOP's still has issues last time I looked. UBI with welfare bolted on has some distinct advantages over current welfare. It stops the insane application and ...
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 6:37 pm, January 27th, 2022thankfully Gosman edited that part of his comment out, because it was nonsense (and the opposite of what I say in my posts).
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 6:35 pm, January 27th, 2022That is like saying the UBI should be set at different rates based on the cost of living of where you live. For people that can't work, they need additional assistance. How could one set rate be enough for all people? I don't think it should be based on ...
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 6:13 pm, January 27th, 2022maybe consider how it comes across when you repeatedly post about how great Labour are doing when people criticise them over welfare. It comes across like 'we're doing really well, never mind the poors'. I'm sure you don't mean that, but there's nothing ...
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 6:11 pm, January 27th, 2022it's basically fuck Labour, they're a nicer version of David Shearer.
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 6:10 pm, January 27th, 2022never come across a call back system. I can tell you categorically that wait times at the moment vary from 60 - 90 mins. Probably not all the time, but not unusual. Phone the number yourself at different times of the day. They tell you what the wait time ...
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 5:08 pm, January 27th, 2022If a beneficiary needs to get urgent financial help at the moment there is an hour to hour and half wait on the phone just to get through to the call centre. Sepuloni couldn't or wouldn't even fix such low hanging fruit. There's no actual rationale for the...
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 5:00 pm, January 27th, 2022Labour's inaction on poverty and welfare started in 2017, well before the pandemic. It's ideologically driven, economic ideology according to some, but also ideology around work and welfare. To Labour welfare is a necessary evil. They will pull some people...
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 4:59 pm, January 27th, 2022we can all keep perfectly calm.
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 4:58 pm, January 27th, 2022there is no depression in NZ.
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Comment:Open mike 27/01/2022
Date published: 4:56 pm, January 27th, 2022thanks for the reminder. Which TV?
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 4:55 pm, January 27th, 2022nope. I've written posts about this stuff. If you don't bolt welfare on you have a system that increases poverty and inequality for many people. https://thestandard.org.nz/ubi-what-is-it-good-for/ https://thestandard.org.nz/the-failure-of-tops-youth-ubi-...
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Comment:Open mike 27/01/2022
Date published: 3:32 pm, January 27th, 2022TOP have a new leader https://twitter.com/rafmanji/status/1486479706459631618?s=21
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Comment:Labour has overseen massive inequality increase – Bernard Hickey
Date published: 2:34 pm, January 27th, 2022might as well move straight to a UBI with welfare bolted on in that case. Unless we want to keep all beneficiaries, even the ones that can't work, and their kids, in poverty.
- The Herald’s Principles
The political bias of the Herald’s reporting and commenting has now reached ludicrous proportions. The average reader can no longer ignore the uncomfortable truth. Our supposedly leading news source is now following the dictates of its owners – NZME – who have suborned the Herald to join Newstalk ZB, its ...5 hours ago - Gordon Campbell on our local responses to the global problems of inflation
In the United Kingdom, inflation is running at its highest rate in 30 years. In the US, inflation hit 7% during 2021. You wouldn’t want to be in Estonia, where inflation has just hit 12%. Across the Eurozone – the measurement methods vary – inflation is averaging out at 5%. ...6 hours ago - NZ Politics Daily: 28 January 2022
1News Kantar Public Poll 1 News: Poll: National rises, Ardern’s preferred PM result drops 1 News: Poll: Centre-right voters realign with new-look National Party Maiki Sherman (1 News): Poll: ACT forced to step back as National voters head home 1 News: Full results: 1News Kantar Public Poll January 22-26, 2022 Henry Cooke (Stuff): New poll: ...6 hours ago - Efeso? Yeah, Yeah!
Rebel With A Cause: Efeso Collins promises to be the sort of candidate who can generate genuine excitement among an electorate that usually dismisses local government elections as too boring to bother with. That said, you might think that Labour’s top brass would have fallen to their knees saying “Thank ...9 hours ago - Something In The Water.You’ll Look Better Without It: Authoritarian males admire men of power, enthusiastically replicating their controlling behaviours in their own lives. Big bosses beget little bosses, and bossiness becomes society’s standard operating principle. To be a right-winger is to both embrace and enforce the politics of control.IS THERE SOMETHING in the ...10 hours ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #4 2022
"In the event of an actual climate emergency..." Most of us know the drill for our role as airline passengers. By briefings and inspection, cabin crew give us quick instructions on matters of physics and then make sure our lesson has sunk home, by making sure our safety belts are ...20 hours ago - Hard News: New Drug Harm Index, new problems
The New Zealand Drug Harm Index 2020 just made it into 2021: it was quietly posted on the Ministry of Health website before Christmas. And it contains some startling claims. Not the least of them, that cannabis is New Zealand's most harmful drug – accounting for $626 million in "community ...21 hours ago - Redrawing the lines.
Early this year I was asked by a media outlet to appear and offer predictions on what will happen in world affairs in 2022. That was a nice gesture but I wound up not doing the show. However, as readers may remember from previous commentary about the time and effort ...1 day ago - Road safety is too important to be left to the police
Over the last month we've been hearing more about what a shit job the police are doing on road safety. More ammunition on this has dropped today, in the form of a review of the entire road safety strategy, and it finds that the police just aren't doing what they're ...1 day ago - NZ Politics Daily: 27 January 2022Govt Omicron strategy Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government off to slow start with Omicron, but opposition should be careful(paywalled) Jane Patterson (RNZ): Omicron: Modelling suggests NZ could face peak of 80,000 daily infections RNZ: Health experts warn of risks in phased approach to tackle Omicron outbreak Liam Hehir (Patreon): Tide goes out on Covid response (paywalled) ...1 day ago
- Accidentally Pandering To The Rich – On Purpose.Glad You Liked It! In a nutshell, what Bernard Hickey’s Kaka podcast seems to be saying is that in an unabashedly capitalist nation, a government elected on the strength of middle-class (i.e. homeowners) votes, made sure that the massive transfers of cash required to keep the economy afloat in the ...1 day ago
- Why people believe misinformation and resist correctionThis is a repost from Justin Hendrix on Tech Policy Press published on January 14, 2022. It provides a neat summary of the recently published paper "The psychological drivers of misinformation belief and its resistance to correction" (Ecker et al. 2022). From COVID-19 and vaccine conspiracies to false claims around elections, ...2 days ago
- Apple should pay its fair shareThe Herald reports that Apple made over $1 billion in Aotearoa last year. So given profit margins in the tech industry, you'd expect a pretty hefty tax bill to help support our pandemic response, right? Of course not: they paid only $12.4 million. And they paid it in Australia. How ...2 days ago
- ‘We do all need to change our ways of living’: Interview with David Hall on climate change and d...
Dr David Hall is a political theorist with a research focus on climate change, sustainable finance, and land use. He has a DPhil in Politics from the University of Oxford and currently is Senior Lecturer at the School of Social Sciences and Public Policy, AUT University, and Chair of ...2 days ago - Gordon Campbell on rapid antigen testingNational Party leader Christopher Luxon is being allowed to get away with murder. Luxon is not being challenged over his repeated assertions that the rest of the world has enjoyed ready access to rapid antigen tests (aka RATS) for a year, so why aren’t we? In fact, the reality across ...2 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 26 January 2022Govt Omicron strategy, NZ moves to red traffic light setting Richard Harman (Politik): Revealed; the Government’s three phase Omicron plan (paywalled) RNZ: Next two phases of Omicron response to be revealed Eric Crampton (Offsetting Behaviour): I hate to say I told you so, but well Gordon Campbell (Werewolf): On the ethics of Omicron treatment, plus ...2 days ago
- Killing Adverts on A Phuulish Fellow
After a long time going back and forth on the matter, I have decided to fork out for a wee upgrade to A Phuulish Fellow. You see, one of the banes of having a free wordpress blog is that one’s internet masters foist annoying adverts on you. ...3 days ago - Netsafe’s proposed internet code will silence unpopular views
The Free Speech Union has put out a call for people to oppose new online ‘hate speech’ laws. The new have had very little scrutiny and would hand over censorship rights to the tech giants. The FSU statement: Netsafe, the “online safety organisation”, is asking for feedback on what it’s ...3 days ago - Where Did the Far-Right Come from?Many observers, myself included, have been both concerned and puzzled at the rise of “far-right” movements in democracies across the world. Trump’s America is of course the prime example, but the covid pandemic and the government measures introduced to deal with it have apparently stimulated the rise of similar sentiments ...3 days ago
- Protecting New Zealand children from the developing Omicron outbreakAmanda Kvalsvig, Nick Wilson, Carmen Timu-Parata, Belinda Tuari-Toma, Jennifer Summers, Cheryl Davies, Constanza Jackson, Julie Bennett, and Michael G. Baker* Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) is likely to soon be experiencing widespread community transmission caused by the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In this blog we outline what is needed ...3 days ago
- Omicron and 6% Inflation – May The Saints Preserve Us!3 days ago
- UN report: The world’s farms stretched to ‘a breaking point’This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Almost 10% of the 8 billion people on earth are already undernourished with 3 billion lacking healthy diets, and the land and water resources farmers rely on stressed to “a breaking point.” And by 2050 there will be 2 billion more mouths to ...3 days ago
- Gordon Campbell on the ethics of Omicron treatment, plus a playlistAs the Omicron infection wave prepares to break across New Zealand, the “red” condition is likely to be more of a form of gestural politics, than as a useful shield. Good ideas like masks and social distancing and limits on social gatherings are not going to do much to slow ...3 days ago
- Move Over Christopher?Could it be that confidence in Christopher Luxon’s ability to revive National’s fortunes is, even at this early stage, beginning to fade? Concerns have already been expressed about his failure to build upon the small post-Collins boost in National’s poll ratings and his inability (as the jargon has it) to ...3 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 25 January 2022Govt Omicron strategy, NZ moves to red traffic light setting Chris Trotter (Interest): Omicron has come Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Return to red light shows a lack of New Year resolve Matthew Hooton (Patreon): Why Omicron is more likely to kill you than Delta (paywalled) Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): We’re starting this year with the ...3 days ago
- Omicron Has Come.4 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 24 January 2022Omicron outbreak Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Up to half of NZ population could become infected with Omicron – modeller Ellen O’Dwyer (Stuff): Potentially dozens of undetected Omicron cases, modeller says Keith Lynch (Stuff): Omicron is here. This is what happens next Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Omicron arrives – we’re all over it already (paywalled) Siouxsie Wiles (Spinoff): Reducing ...4 days ago
- Horohoro is my passion – Kataraina GeorgeKataraina George encourages emerging Māori researchers to study a discipline that they love because she says passion will help them overcome the toughest career challenges. Kataraina of Te Arawa is the Environment and Nursery manager at Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kea Ngāti Tuara Trust Horohoro near Rotorua. The Ngāti Kea ...4 days ago
- 2022 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #3Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, January 16, 2022 through Sat, January 22, 2022. The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: The Drip, Drip of Disaster, Antarctica latest research: Doomsday Glacier ice shelf will be gone in ...5 days ago
- The Motueka Omicron Leak and Code Red
As of today, there has been a detection of community Omicron in Motueka – nine people having travelled to a wedding in Auckland in mid-January. The Government has responded by moving the country ... 5 days ago - An Easy GigSo Chris Luxon (and we are assured that there is no ’t’ in either of those names) has at last bestirred himself after a long summer break – but he could hardly be said to have broken a sweat. There can be no easier gig for an opposition politician than ...5 days ago
- The MIQ Saga and Cheating Bastards
So we have an interesting development in Managed Isolation/Quarantine. We have muppets – oh so clever muppets – thinking they’ve found a legal workaround. Currently, in order to enter New Zealand, you need to successfully book a spot in MIQ facilities. Aforementioned muppets have settled on this plan ...6 days ago - Unbiased Reporting?I wonder how many Herald readers realise how all-embracing, unremitting and determined is the Herald’s pushing of the National party barrow? Perhaps it is so much par for the course that it goes unremarked by many readers. Today’s issue provides an interesting case study, especially for those (of whatever political ...6 days ago
- The phenomenon of ‘Don’t Look Up’ (Part 2)This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Michael Svoboda By the end of the Sunday, January 9, Don’t Look Up, writer-director Adam McKay’s dark satire about the impending impact of an Earth-killing comet, intended as an analogy for inaction on climate change, had been streamed on Netflix for a total of 322 ...6 days ago
- Why Are We Happy?
The World Happiness Project has some answers.For nine years an international consortium of economists and statisticians have gathered together data from many countries on how individuals rate their life satisfaction, reporting their findings in a World Happiness Report. Each year they focus on a particular issue; the 2021 report is ...6 days ago - And its doneLast week, Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister said he intended to abolish the death penalty. And yesterday, he did it, with all existing death sentences commuted to life imprisonment. This leaves Tonga as the last death-penalty state in the South Pacific. They last murdered someone in 1982, and have been ...1 week ago
- Too Much Intellectual Curiosity – Not Enough Fox News.Bogeyman On Manoeuvres: Not only would a Russian invasion of Ukraine allow the Ardern Government to join “a largely Western chorus of condemnation” and announce (probably reluctantly) New Zealand’s own autonomous sanctions against the Russian Federation, but it would also vindicate the dominant “Bogeyman School” of New Zealand strategic studies.WHAT ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 21 January 2022Covid Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): ‘Too little, too late’: Allegations Covid-19 testing regime unprepared for Omicron, still weak on much-needed saliva tests Hanna McCallum (Stuff): ‘Tens of millions’ of rapid antigen tests on order, PM says 1 News: Rapid Covid tests will be widely available in NZ – Ardern Claire Trevett (Herald): After a summer, ...1 week ago
- Potential Impact of an Omicron Outbreak: A Look at the IHME Modelling for NZProf Nick Wilson, Dr Jennifer Summers, Dr Amanda Kvalsvig, Prof Michael Baker* In this blog we summarise the results of modelling for an Omicron variant outbreak of Covid-19 in NZ by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. This work suggests that in an outbreak that begins in January, the ...1 week ago
- The Political Logic Of Martyrdom.Consequences: The reason the world remembers the martyrdom of the third century Christian, Perpetua, and the abolitionist, John Brown, is, of course, the stakes. Both martyrs understood that the consequence of their actions, would be death. What greater stake can there be than one’s own life? The political logic of ...1 week ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #3 2022Cloud tops fade from sight at a critical juncture Employing the Earth orbiting instrument MISR, Travis Aerenson et al. appear to confirm subtle hints by prior observations tracking what climate models broadly predict: a gradual increase in the topping altitude of high clouds. Their paper When Will MISR Detect Rising High ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell on responding to the need in TongaThe power of the Tonga eruption (and the size of the aid response being mounted) have been sobering indications of the scale of this disaster. The financial impact is certain to exceed the damage done by Cyclone Harold two years ago, which was estimated at the time to cost $US111 ...1 week ago
- ‘Don’t Look Up’ – See the movie. Ignore the comet. (Part 1)This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Michael Svoboda 2022 is already feeling as stressful as the worst stretches of 2021 – and without the prospect of a fresh start with a new administration. Newscasters report that COVID-19 cases are arising at three times the rate posted during the ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 20 January 2022Covid, MIQ, border Will Trafford (Māori TV): Secret state report reveals swamped ICUs; Omicron will evade face masks Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Callous MIQ Tweet sets Government back after victorious summer(paywalled) Ben Thomas (Stuff): Whodunit? Mystery border call a clue to new normal Luke Malpass (Stuff): The only certainty is uncertainty: Labour enters year three of ...1 week ago
- The Totalitarian Impulses Driving “Consequences Culture”.1 week ago
- Here We Go, Here We Go, Here We Go: The Rings of Power
About an hour ago, we got an interesting tweet. Not a leak, for once, but for the first time since last year’s incident with the Two Trees, an Honest to Eru update, straight from the horse’s mouth. We now have: (1) A name for the series (‘The Lord of ...1 week ago - Philosophical trends in feminism
Philosophical trends in feminism is a collection of essays by Indian revolutionary Anuradha Roy. I met Anuradha in India in 2004 on a fact finding tour with lawyers investigating human rights abuses in Andhra Pradesh. We spent several hours together discussing the state of the womens movement in India and ...1 week ago - A democratic peace or a feminist peace?Many years ago when I was in mid academic career, two theoretical strands emerged in the field of international relations and comparative foreign policy. One was the basis for a school of thought that came to be known as feminist international relations theory, which to crudely oversimplify one sub-strand, posited ...1 week ago
- Hiding their dirty laundryThe government is trying to "reform" Oranga Tamariki, and has a bill before the House to do so: the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People’s Commission Bill. Submissions on the Bill close next Wednesday, and children's rights campaigners are horrified by it - and in particular ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 19 January 2022Covid, MIQ, border RNZ: Government postpones next MIQ lottery due to spike of Omicron cases at border Herald: Upcoming MIQ room release postponed due to Omicron cases at border Kate Green (Stuff): Next MIQ lobby postponed as Omicron arrivals surge David Farrar (Kiwiblog): A cowardly way to close the border Jamie Morton (Herald): Has NZ dodged ...1 week ago
- Defending Death of the Author: A Reply to Tolkien LoreIt is one of the oddities of the internet that many commentators will take the side of Authorial Intentionalism over Death of the Author. Part of this, I think, is down to J.K. Rowling – and now also the response to J.K. Rowling. When one has creators delivering New ...1 week ago
- United with Manchester: What happens when we all choose poorlyThe city government of Manchester, England is coming under some fire for choosing to lease space on pavements (also known as sidewalks) for electronic display advertisements, or "digital out of home advertising." Criticism is twofold in nature. Some point out that crowding of pavements with bulky fixed installations is an ...1 week ago
- The Great AwokeningBad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy by Batya Ungar-Sargon is a superb book that examines the transformation of journalism in the US during the twentieth century. She shows how the media has become a key player in the woke movement. The book charts the trajectory of journalism as it ...1 week ago
- The Choice.Revolution From Below Averted: The critical political choice made by leading Pakeha politicians, jurists and bureaucrats in the 1980s and 90s was to halt the momentum of left-wing Māori nationalism from below, by inserting a layer of elite Māori business-people between the Crown and the economically and culturally impoverished Māori ...1 week ago
- Cancelling The Cancellers.Defender Of The Faiths: Pope Francis sees cancel culture as a threat to the open, compassionate and forgiving human society he has always championed.WHAT SHOULD WE MAKE of Pope Francis’ condemnation of “cancel culture”? There will be some who argue that the opinions of an ageing male celibate who somehow ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell on sending an Orion P-3 to TongaBecause the undersea volcanic eruption in Tonga cut communications with the more remote parts of the country, it wasn’t at all surprising that as a good Pacific neighbour, New Zealand sent a reconnaissance aircraft up there to gather information about the extent and location of the damage. The more interesting ...1 week ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 18 January 2022Covid, MIQ, border Michael Baker, Jennifer Summers, Amanda Kvalsvig, Matire Harwood, Nick Wilson (Public Health Expert):Preparing for Omicron: A proactive Government response is urgently needed to minimise harms RNZ: Experts list steps New Zealand government needs to take to fight Omicron RNZ: Traffic light system may need strengthening or adjusting in face of ...1 week ago
- FSU defend Public Service Advisor censored for using term ‘male-bodied’The Free Speech Union newsletter reports on a case where it defended a worker who was called to a meeting after using accurate language. In something you would almost think is out of George Orwell’s 1984, a member of the Free Speech Union received a scathing and bullying letter from a very senior ...1 week ago
- The top 10 global weather and climate change events of 2021This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters The year 2021 made an indelible mark in the annals of weather history. Not only did it feature the most extreme heat wave in history – the late June heat wave over western North America that smashed all-time records by ...1 week ago
- Heather Brunskell-Evans Transgender Body Politics :”a multibillion dollar industry disguised as ...Book review by Don Franks “Emily adopted many roles in my home – he came to parties presenting as a tall glamorous woman, but when brawn was needed, he jumped the ‘gender ship’ as it were…at a house move, he whipped off his long blonde wig, revealing male pattern baldness, put ...2 weeks ago
- Climate Change: Still making the same mistakeLast year it became clear that the government's ETS price control policy was a mistake, resulting in huge public costs for tiny, tiny benefits. The problem was clear well in advance, and while it couldn't be avoided in 2021 without urgent legislation, James Shaw could have used the opportunity of ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 17 January 2022Parliament, MPs, Parties Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Which MPs could lose their jobs in 2022? (paywalled) Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Neck, meet block. Predictions for 2022 (paywalled) David Fisher (Herald): Profile: Harete Hipango and how she upset National colleagues (paywalled) Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Greens satisfied after first year of pact with Labour Ian Powell (Daily Blog): What do you know about ...2 weeks ago
- 2022 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #2Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, January 9, 2022 through Sat, January 15, 2022. The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: Climate Scientists on “Don’t Look Up:” It’s Infuriating, Soul-Sucking and On-the-Nose, New NASA chief scientist to ...2 weeks ago
- Why I spoke out against lockdownProfessor Carl James Heneghan is a British general practitioner physician, a clinical epidemiologist and a Fellow of Kellogg College. He is the director of the University of Oxford’s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine and former Editor-in-Chief of BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. In this interview with Brendon O’Neill he discusses the impact of ...2 weeks ago
- Big numbers – dollars and institutions – behind divestments from fossil fuelsThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Kristen Pope About $39 trillion – that’s trillion, with a T – is the total some 1,500 institutions are planning to divest from funds in fossil fuels. And those numbers are growing. The Global Fossil Fuel Divestment Commitments Database, maintained by two nonprofit ...2 weeks ago
- Beware of Bearing Gifts for Greece: The National Library of New Zealand and the Fate of 1% of the Ov...
So things are supposedly on hold, so far as the National Library of New Zealand’s idiotic plans to purge its Overseas Published Collection. Supposedly. There is currently a lot of uncertainty floating around right now, and there is absolutely no reason to trust the National Library of New ...2 weeks ago - When Will Evergrande Collapse?
If China’s second largest property developer implodes, the Chinese financial system may be compromised, while the booming property market is so central to the Chinese economy, its staggering would impact internationally, including on New Zealand.For some time I have had on my 2-write list the giant Chinese property company, Evergrande. ...2 weeks ago - What does ‘academic freedom’ mean in practice? Why the Siouxsie Wiles and Shaun Hendy employment...Jack Heinemann, University of Canterbury Two high-profile University of Auckland academics raised important questions about academic freedom with their complaint to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) that their employer had failed its duty of care to them. Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles and Professor Shaun Hendy have become well known ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 14 January 2022Covid, MIQ, border Matthew Hooton (Herald): Govt’s sanguine stance on Omicron should have NZ worried (paywalled) Adam Pearse (Herald): Officials predict when Auckland Omicron outbreak will happen Herald: Omicron likely to enter Auckland community in weeks, warns top doctor ODT Editorial: Be as prepared as possible for Covid’s return John Braddock (World Socialists): New Zealand scientists express alarm over ...2 weeks ago
- The Ships From The North: Why Autarky cannot be New Zealand’s answer to Climate Change.Lifelines: New Zealand, as we know it, would be impossible without the existence of a global transportation and trading system. Should Climate Change fundamentally weaken the industrial societies of the Northern Hemisphere, the supply-chains upon which New Zealanders depend would become increasingly disrupted. How long could our society endure if ...2 weeks ago
- What’s Sauce For Monroe’s Goose, Is Sauce For Putin’s Gander.Not In My Back Yard! If the American President, Joe Biden, has forgotten the lessons of 60 years ago, then the Russian Federation President, Vladimir Putin, has not. Unacceptable in 1962, the stationing of military resources (including tactical nuclear weapons) along Russia’s borders remains unacceptable in 2022.IT WAS BURIED DEEP ...2 weeks ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #2 2022150 articles in 55 journals by 808 contributing authors Observations of climate change, effects Another Record: Ocean Warming Continues through 2021 despite La Niña Conditions Cheng et al. Advances in Atmospheric Sciences Open Access pdf 10.1007/s00376-022-1461-3 Sea-ice retreat suggests re-organization of water mass transformation in the Nordic and Barents Seas ...2 weeks ago
- Amateur hour with Christopher Luxon
You’ve got to wonder why the National Party, in the face of a worldwide pandemic that has killed approximately 6 million people, is continuing to be so terribly dysfunctional? Perhaps it’s a symptom of their upper management, who despite numerous party leaders coming and going, never actually changed.Unfortunately for the ...2 weeks ago - Climate Change: Here we go againLast year the government turned the ETS into a farce, flooding the market with 7 million tons of extra pollution in a failed and counterproductive effort to keep carbon prices low. Using the government's internal carbon price of $150/ton, the social cost of this was just over a billion dollars ...2 weeks ago
- One country at a timePapua New Guinea's Prime Minister has announced that he intends to abolish the death penalty: Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says his government is doing away with the death penalty and those now on death row will instead serve life sentences without parole. Marape told members of ...2 weeks ago
- Protect seamounts and ban bottom trawling right now
The Green Party is renewing its call for Minister for the Environment, David Parker to immediately ban bottom trawling on seamounts. ...5 hours ago - Building Auckland’s transport future
We’re making sure Auckland has the infrastructure it needs for the future, so Aucklanders can get around safely and efficiently as our biggest city grows. The new, linked-up transport system we’re building will include partially tunnelled light rail between the CBD and the airport, as well as another Waitematā Harbour ...7 hours ago - Build Auckland light rail for benefit of everyoneThe Government’s decision on light rail in Auckland is the first step towards building the climate friendly, accessible city our communities deserve. ...7 hours ago
- Put our most vulnerable firstDon’t forget whānau and communities most at risk, says the Green Party, as the Government lays out its three-phase plan for Omicron. ...2 days ago
- Boosting our immunity against OmicronWith Omicron in the community, it’s vital we all do our bit to help to slow the spread, keep each other safe and protect our health system. One of the most important ways we can reduce the risk of Omicron is to get a booster dose as soon as we’re ...2 days ago
- Equitable response to Omicron vitalThe Green Party supports the Government’s decision to move Aotearoa New Zealand to traffic light level Red at 11.59pm tonight, but says its success will depend on the support that is made available to the most vulnerable. ...5 days ago
- How we’re preparing for OmicronAs countries around the world experience Omicron outbreaks, we’re taking steps now to ensure we’re as prepared as possible and our communities are protected. ...1 week ago
- What’s Labour achieved so far?Quite a bit! This Government was elected to take on the toughest issues facing Aotearoa – and that’s what we’re doing. Since the start of the pandemic, protecting lives and livelihoods has been a priority, but we’ve also made progress on long-term challenges, to deliver a future the next generation ...2 weeks ago
- Tackling the big issues in 2022This year, keeping Kiwis safe from COVID will remain a key priority of the Government – but we’re also pushing ahead on some of New Zealand’s biggest long-term challenges. In 2022, we’re working to get more Kiwis into homes, reduce emissions, lift children out of poverty, and ensure people get ...2 weeks ago
- Tupu Tai graduation-It’s time to step up
Greetings: Kia orana, talofa lava, Noa’ia e mauri, malo e lelei, taloha ni, fakaalofa lahi atu, ni sa bula vinaka, talofa, kia ora, tena koutou katoa. I would love to begin by acknowledging everyone here in attendance, especially the families and friends of the 2021/22 Tupu Tai cohort, and those ...4 hours ago - Building and shaping a city: Future-proofing Auckland transport infrastructureThe Government is bringing Auckland’s transport infrastructure into the future by moving forward with an additional Waitematā Harbour crossing, progressing light rail from Auckland’s CBD to the airport, and creating a linked-up rapid transport network as part of a 30-year plan. Key decisions on additional Waitematā Harbour crossing to be ...5 hours ago
- Penguin rehab and native forest restoration get helping handA long-running penguin rehab facility which has been hard hit by the tourism downturn, and work to restore native forest habitats in the Catlins are being supported through Jobs for Nature funding, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. Otago’s Penguin Place and The Hokonui Rūnanga Catlins Biodiversity Project will receive combined ...1 day ago
- Resilient economy reflected in Crown accountsThe Government’s financial accounts continue to reflect a resilient economy that has performed better than expected and puts the country in a strong position to respond to Omicron, Grant Robertson said. The Crown Accounts for the five months to the end of November were more favourable than forecast in the ...1 day ago
- Government announces three phase public health response to OmicronReducing isolation period for cases and close contacts at Phase Two and Three to 10 and seven days Definition of close contact required to isolate changes to household or household like contacts at Phase Three Increased use of rapid antigen tests with test to return policy put in place for ...2 days ago
- New Ambassador to Thailand announcedForeign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta today announced the appointment of Jonathan Kings as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Thailand. “Aotearoa New Zealand has a long-standing relationship with Thailand, celebrating the 65th anniversary of diplomatic representation between our countries in 2021. We also share much in common at regional and multilateral levels ...2 days ago
- Government’s Family Package continues to deliver for New ZealandersThe Families Package helped around 330,000 families in its first year - more than half of all families with children in NZ These families received an estimated $55 per week more from Families Package payments in 2018/19 than in 2017/18, on average Families Package increases to the maximum possible Accommodation ...2 days ago
- New Zealand retains top spot in global anti-corruption rankingsJustice Minister Kris Faafoi has welcomed news of New Zealand’s ongoing position as top in the world anti-corruption rankings. The 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index released by global anti-corruption organisation, Transparency International, ranks New Zealand first equal with Denmark and Finland, with a score of 88 out of 100. “This is an ...3 days ago
- Testing improvements see New Zealand well prepared for OmicronNew Zealand’s PCR testing capacity can be increased by nearly 20,000 tests per day to deal with a surge in cases as part of our wider COVID-19 testing strategy, Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall said. “We have continued to adapt our public health response to safeguard the health ...3 days ago
- 5,000 portable air cleaners for schools on their wayAs schools are preparing to return, Education Minister Chris Hipkins has announced 5,000 air cleaners have been ordered for New Zealand schools. “As we know, along with vaccination, testing, good hygiene and physical distancing, good ventilation is important in minimising the risk of airborne transmission of the virus that causes ...3 days ago
- New Zealand to move to Red from 11.59pm todayAll of New Zealand will move to the Red setting of the Covid Protection Framework (CPF) at 11:59pm today as Omicron is potentially now transmitting in the community, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says. “Nine COVID-19 cases reported yesterday in the Nelson/Marlborough region are now confirmed as Omicron, and a further ...5 days ago
- Mandatory boosters for key workforces progressing wellMore than 5,785 (82%) border workers eligible for a booster vaccination at 6 months have received it so far, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. “That’s a really strong uptake considering we announced the requirement the week before Christmas, but we need to continue this momentum,” Chris Hipkins said. “We ...5 days ago
- NZ to move to RedNine COVID-19 cases reported yesterday in the Nelson/Marlborough region have now been confirmed as the Omicron variant, and a further case from the same household was confirmed late yesterday. These cases are in a single family that flew to Auckland on 13 January to attend a wedding and other events ...5 days ago
- New Zealand to provide further help for TongaAotearoa New Zealand is giving an additional $2 million in humanitarian funding for Tonga as the country recovers from a volcanic eruption and tsunami last weekend, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Defence Minister Peeni Henare said today. This brings Aotearoa New Zealand’s contribution to $3 million. “This support will ...1 week ago
- Quarterly benefit numbers show highest number of exits into workThe Government’s strong focus on supporting more people into work is reflected in benefit figures released today which show a year-on-year fall of around 21,300 people receiving a main benefit in the December 2021 quarter, Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni said. “Our response to COVID has helped ...1 week ago
- Northland to move to Orange, NZ prepared for Omicron Northland to move to Orange Rest of New Zealand stays at Orange in preparedness for Omicron All of New Zealand to move into Red in the event of Omicron community outbreak – no use of lockdowns Govt planning well advanced – new case management, close contact definition and testing rules ...1 week ago
- RNZAF C-130 Hercules flight departs for Tonga as Navy vessels draw nearer to TongatapuA Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules has departed Base Auckland Whenuapai for Tonga carrying aid supplies, as the New Zealand aid effort ramps up, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Defence Minister Peeni Henare said today. “The aircraft is carrying humanitarian aid and disaster relief supplies, including water ...1 week ago
- New Zealand prepared to send support to TongaNew Zealand is ready to assist Tonga in its recovery from Saturday night’s undersea eruption and tsunami, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Defence Minister Peeni Henare said today. “Following the successful surveillance and reconnaissance flight of a New Zealand P-3K2 Orion on Monday, imagery and details have been sent ...1 week ago
- Aotearoa New Zealand stands ready to assist people of TongaThe thoughts of New Zealanders are with the people of Tonga following yesterday’s undersea volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami waves, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta says. “Damage assessments are under way and New Zealand has formally offered to provide assistance to Tonga,” said Nanaia Mahuta. New Zealand has made an ...2 weeks ago
- Record high of new homes consented continuesIn the year ended November 2021, 48,522 new homes were consented, up 26 per cent from the November 2020 year. In November 2021, 4,688 new dwellings were consented. Auckland’s new homes consented numbers rose 25 per cent in the last year. Annual figures for the last nine months show more ...2 weeks ago
- Report trumpets scope for ice cream exportsLatest research into our premium ice cream industry suggests exporters could find new buyers in valuable overseas markets as consumers increasingly look for tip top quality in food. Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash has released a new report for the Food and Beverage Information Project. The project is run by ...2 weeks ago
- Honouring the legacy of legendary kaumātua Muriwai IhakaraAssociate Minister for Arts, Culture, and Heritage Kiri Allan expressed her great sadness and deepest condolences at the passing of esteemed kaumātua, Muriwai Ihakara. “Muriwai’s passing is not only a loss for the wider creative sector but for all of Aotearoa New Zealand. The country has lost a much beloved ...2 weeks ago
- Have your say on proposed changes to make drinking water saferAssociate Minister for the Environment Kiri Allan is urging all New Zealanders to give feedback on proposed changes aimed at making drinking water safer. “The current regulations are not fit for purpose and don’t offer enough protection, particularly for those whose water comes from smaller supplies,” Kiri Allan said. “This ...3 weeks ago
- Planting the seeds for rewarding careersA boost in funding for a number of Jobs for Nature initiatives across Canterbury will provide sustainable employment opportunities for more than 70 people, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “The six projects are diverse, ranging from establishing coastline trapping in Kaikōura, to setting up a native plant nursery, restoration planting ...3 weeks ago
- Politics with Michelle Grattan: Tanya Plibersek on parents’ role in reducing violence against wome...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As election year opens, Michelle Grattan speaks with Tanya Plibersek, Labor’s spokeswoman on education and women, about the opposition’s agenda in these two critical areas. Violence against women is one of our society’s most pressing ...1 hour ago - With male imperial descendants dwindling, will Japan’s leaders finally accept a female emperor?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Masafumi Monden, Lecturer in Japanese Studies, University of Sydney KYDPL KYODO/AP Princess Aiko, the only child of Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, came of age last month as she turned 20. Despite her royal lineage, Aiko may never ascend ...1 hour ago
- A rogue rocket is on course to crash into the Moon. It won’t be the firstSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alice Gorman, Associate Professor in Archaeology and Space Studies, Flinders University Bettmann / Contributor In a few weeks’ time, a rocket launched in 2015 is expected to crash into the Moon. The fast-moving piece of space junk is the upper ...2 hours ago
- Yesterdaze: Won't somebody think of the children?
Why is no one investigating Brian Tamaki's hygiene items? Did no one else notice Chris Hipkins' funereal suit ruse? James Elliott asks the week's tough questions. It takes the average spider about an hour to spin a replacement web. This explains why the exercycle you dewebbed late on the afternoon ...2 hours ago - Healthcare Workers “welcome Sweeping Change” In Landmark Health System Reforms
Healthcare workers representing 30,000 members of the country’s largest union addressed a Parliamentary committee today calling on the Government to be bold in its health reforms. "Right now, the system is operating off of our aloha", ...3 hours ago - The Museum of Modern Love reminds us to engage with art – and each otherSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabriella Edelstein, Lecturer in English, University of Newcastle Ten Alphas Review: The Museum of Modern Love, directed by by Timothy Jones. When was the last time you looked at a stranger in the eyes? Really looked, for an uncomfortably ...3 hours ago
- Westpac NZ Warns Of Scam Targeting Chinese Bank CustomersWestpac NZ is warning New Zealanders to look out for a so-called “penalty scam” that is particularly targeting Chinese customers. Westpac NZ Head of Financial Crime Mark Coxhead says his team is seeing an increase in threat and penalty scams, in ...4 hours ago
- Human Rights Commission Paying For Mayoral Campaign ‘wrong’, ‘undemocratic’The Human Rights Commission is once again showing it can’t be trusted with taxpayer money, this time politicising the agency by funding paid advertising for an Auckland Mayoral candidate with Facebook ads targeting Auckland . Taxpayers’ Union spokesman ...5 hours ago
- Is Inflation A Joke To Michael Wood?The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union says Michael Wood's announcement of a $14.6 billion tram will only serve to intensify the major challenge currently facing New Zealand households: inflation. Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, "A day after we ...6 hours ago
- Use Of Police Dog In Palmerston North JustifiedThe Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that Police were justified in using a Police dog to arrest a man in Palmerston North on 15 June 2021. Police were patrolling the area to find a wanted gang-member who had known access to firearms. ...6 hours ago
- Dunne Speaks: Changing The Process Of Goverment By StealthIn a column some months ago I drew attention to the way the role of the Director-General of Health has changed during the pandemic. I expressed concern that the position has been allowed to expand well beyond the traditional role of the chief executive ...7 hours ago
- Auckland light rail tunnel to run to Mt Roskill before following SH20 to the airport
Auckland's long awaited light rail project will run from Wynyard Quarter to Mt Roskill before surfacing and running alongside SH20 to the airport. ...7 hours ago - Airport to Ōrewa: Aucklanders to be consulted on ambitious rail and tunnels
Ministers have announced a $14.6 billion partially-tunnelled light rail project to Auckland Airport, assuring worried business leaders of a support package to keep them afloat through years of construction. This morning, Infrastructure Minister Grant Robertson had to allow 55 mins in a chauffeured ministerial limo getting from Auckland's airport into the CBD to announce ...7 hours ago - The Aboriginal flag is now ‘freely available for public use’. What does this mean from a legal s...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Isabella Alexander, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney This week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the federal government had “freed the Aboriginal flag for Australians”. After an extensive social media campaign to #Freetheflag, the federal government has purchased the copyright ...8 hours ago
- Vaginal birth after caesarean increases the risk of serious perineal tear by 20%, our large-scale re...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthea Lindquist, Obstetrician and Perinatal Epidemiologist, The University of Melbourne shutterstock Shutterstock Pregnant women who previously birthed by caesarean section are presented with a choice: whether to try for a vaginal birth, or book in for a repeat caesar. Those mulling ...8 hours ago
- Meat and masculinity: why some men just can’t stomach plant-based foodSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dora Marinova, Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University Shutterstock Meat alternatives are suddenly everywhere, from burger joints to supermarket shelves to restaurant-grade food. One problem? For men, in particular, there is often a visceral attachment to slaughter-derived meat. This could ...8 hours ago
- Only 1 in 3 teachers use research evidence in the classroom – this is largely due to lack of timeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanne Gleeson, Research Fellow in Education, Monash University Shutterstock Even before the pandemic, recent research shows most Australian teachers worked an average of 140 to 150% (one-and-a-half times) of their paid hours in a typical week. And they’re not necessarily ...8 hours ago
- Vital Signs: it’s too early for the RBA to pull the trigger on interest ratesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW Shutterstock Inflation is picking up in Australia, and there is considerable speculation about what the central bank will do with interest rates in 2022. The Consumer Price Index figures out this week show ...8 hours ago
- Government to announce preferred route for Auckland light railThree options were presented to Cabinet last year, each of which run from the City Centre to Mount Roskill, to Māngere, to the airport, at a cost of between $9 billion and $16b. ...9 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 28 January11 hours ago
- Daily crossword, Friday 28 January
...11 hours ago - Kiwi women to fly at the Winter Olympics
Will it be a Kiwi woman who finally tops the podium at a Winter Olympics? Merryn Anderson gives a run-down of our strong female contingent at the Beijing games starting next week. After a record haul of 20 medals at the Tokyo Summer Olympics last year, New Zealand looks primed to make ...11 hours ago - Making the most of a new mask
It's not just filtering, but fit and fraud that Kiwis need to take into account when mask shopping. ...11 hours ago - Inflated expectations: Moving spending and jobs out of high-emitting sectors
A bold world must embark on a radical and rapid remake to a net zero emissions economy ...11 hours ago - Luxon's got leadership woes – poll not one of them
Opposition leader Chris Luxon will be breathing a sigh of relief after a comfortable poll result on Thursday. But the big question for National now is how it plans to claw the middle-ground back off Labour, writes political editor Jo Moir. A new poll has closed the gap between the ...11 hours ago - Māori win coastal title, but a river runs through it
Māori applicants succeed in seeking marine title and coastal rights in Hawkes Bay, but old legal requirements block one group winning a long fight over the Mōhaka River entrance The third significant case in a row taken under the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act has seen Māori awarded ...11 hours ago - The taonga on fire: 40 days at Kaimaumau
The fire at overlooked natural treasure Kaimaumau wetland began before Christmas, and it’s still ablaze It's been burning for more than 40 days and 40 nights. Despite summer rains and being largely left behind by the media cycle, the fire in the Kaimaumau wetland in the Far North rages on. ...11 hours ago - This week's best-selling books
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve Braunias FICTION 1 Auē by Becky Manawatu (Makaro Press, $35) 2 To Italy, With Love by Nicky Pellegrino (Hachette, $34.99) This may well be THE FIRST TIME IN NEW ZEALAND ...11 hours ago - Waste company cleans up its Omicron contact mess
Waste Management admits to a 'communications breakdown' before eventually sending a staff member home to isolate. ...11 hours ago - Three years on, Lachie's death still unsolved
Another year has passed since the tragic death of preschooler Lachlan Jones in a Southland council oxidation pond. His father, Paul Jones, says he’s still no closer to knowing how his young son died. Paul Jones had just gone to bed at his home in Invercargill on January 29, 2019, ...11 hours ago - Global Papuan student body condemns Jakarta’s disruption of study fundsAsia Pacific Report newsdesk A global Papuan student welfare advocacy group has condemned the Indonesian government’s disruption of autonomous local education grants supporting studies abroad, branding the move as “assassinating” indigenous human resource development. The International Alliance of Papuan Student Associations Overseas (IAPSAO) issued an open letter today headed “Do ...13 hours ago
- Grattan on Friday: A royal commission into COVID’s handling would serve us well for the futureSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra This month about as many people have died with COVID in Australia – more than 1,000 – as die in the whole of a bad year from influenza. “Because of extraordinarily high virus transmission, we’re ...16 hours ago
- Word from The Hill: Anthony Albanese’s challenge is to define himself to votersSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this ...20 hours ago
- Political poll: Jacinda Ardern's numbers slump, Christopher Luxon up 13 pointsSupport for Jacinda Ardern has dropped in the preferred PM stakes to her lowest result since 2017 in the first major political poll of the year, but Labour could still form a government with the Greens. ...22 hours ago
- Hearts, cells and mud: how biology helps humans re-imagine our cities in vexed timesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marco Amati, Associate Professor of International Planning, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University Shutterstock Biological metaphors for the city abound in daily use. You may live close to an “arterial” road or in the “heart” of a metropolis. You may ...22 hours ago
- The Treaty and ideology – the Kiwi way of thinking that is corroding our democracy and debasing ou...
As ministerial announcements on the Beehive website make ominously plain, Covid is still with us. The government’s programme of fusing science with matauranga Maori is still with us, too, although that’s not something you will learn from recent announcements. Mind you, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Science Minister Megan Woods, Associate ...22 hours ago - Neil Young’s ultimatum to Spotify shows streaming platforms are now a battleground where artists c...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By D. Bondy Valdovinos Kaye, Lecturer, Queensland University of Technology Neil Young has given Spotify an ultimatum: remove the Joe Rogan Experience podcast or Neil Young walks. In a letter to his management team and label, the 79-year-old rocker lambasted Spotify for spreading ...23 hours ago
- PSA: Record Inflation Shows Government Must Act To Ensure Working People Stay AfloatThe country’s largest union is recommending urgent action from the Government to improve working people’s pay, to counter the worsening impacts of record inflation on our communities. "Today’s CPI figures prove what our members have told ...23 hours ago
- National MP Harete Hipango 'regrets' Wikipedia editThe 'controversies' section of Hipango's Wikipedia page, which included mention of her presence at anti-vaccination protests, was removed by a staff member. ...23 hours ago
- Test all students and staff twice a week, or only close contacts? States have different school plans...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fiona Russell, Senior Principal Research Fellow; paediatrician; infectious diseases epidemiologist; vaccinologist, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock Schools will open for term one across Australia next week – except in Queensland which has delayed the start of the school year. As ...1 day ago
- Former Christchurch councillor Raf Manji to lead TOP partyThe Opportunities Party has appointed two-term Christchurch City Councillor Raf Manji as its new leader, replacing Shai Navot who was in the role after the 2020 election. ...1 day ago
- New research shows few Australians know about our own connections to the HolocaustSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Cooke, Associate Professor of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies, Deakin University In December 1938, Yorta Yorta man William Cooper took part in a protest organised by the Australian Aborigines’ League to deliver a letter to the German consulate in Melbourne condemning ...1 day ago
- Kiribati confirms more than 100 covid-19 cases – new rulesBy Kelvin Anthony, RNZ Pacific regional correspondent The Kiribati Health Ministry has confirmed that the atoll island nation has surpassed 100 covid-19 cases after it recorded 37 new positive infections yesterday. There are 116 people infected on Tarawa – 36 imported and 80 local cases. Nine new cases have been ...1 day ago
- Leading QC Sees Gloomy Outlook For Costs Of Civil Justice In Post-Covid WorldLawFuel.com - Leading Queens Counsel Dr Jim Farmer believe that the Covid pandemic has created some major issues for the way justice is dispensed, including major problems with the huge backlog of jury trials that have built up during lockdowns and issues ...1 day ago
- SAFE Is Asking The Government To Back UN Resolution On Animal WelfareSAFE is asking the Minister for the Environment David Parker to support the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolution on "Animal welfare - Environment - Sustainable Development Nexus". In a letter to the Minister, SAFE outlined ...1 day ago
- Calls For Sacking National MP Grow With Allegations Of Misusing Parliamentary ResourcesMatthew Tukaki, Chair of the National Maori Authority, has said enough is enough and National MP Harete Hipango must go. The call has come after the MP admitted directing the editing of her Wikpedia page and only weeks after the errant MP attended lockdown ...1 day ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – January 27 2022Editor’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 Omicron strategy Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government off ...1 day ago
- Rapid antigen tests: Business 'has part to play'The director of a company importing rapid antigen tests says the government should not try to be "all things to all people" in ensuring tests get to vital businesses. ...1 day ago
- Ashley Bloomfield Should Do Better Than Lean Into Government’s ‘consolidation’ SpinDirector-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has become complicit in the Labour Government’s attempt to cover up the theft of rapid antigen tests by the Government, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union . Union spokesman Jordan Williams says, “The ...1 day ago
- CTU PR – Inflation Data Shows Why Minimum Wage Increase Is NecessaryToday's inflation data shows that increases in the minimum wage are both necessary and desirable, says CTU Chief Economist Craig Renney. "Statistics New Zealand data released today showed that Inflation was 5.9% annually, its highest rate since ...1 day ago
- Inflation Spike: Grant Robertson Wins, Taxpayers LoseGrant Robertson must urgently respond to spiking inflation with an adjustment of tax brackets, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union in response to Stats NZ’s latest inflation figures. Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “At the Reserve ...1 day ago
- Lawyers threaten PNG police with contempt over settlers eviction haltPNG Post-Courier A Supreme Court ordered mass eviction of settlers on land between Papua New Guinea’s University of PNG, Gerehu Stage 3B and Morata stage one in the National Capital District has been stopped at the 11th hour by Chief of Police Operations and Deputy Police Commissioner Operations Anton Billie. ...1 day ago
- Fiji deaths ‘a stark reminder’ of the seriousness of the pandemicBy Luke Rawalai in Suva Fiji has recorded 987 covid-19 cases, says Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong who says the latest deaths are a “stark reminder” of the seriousness of the pandemic. Fiji’s government reported on Monday 11 more people had died from covid-19, including a four-month-old ...1 day ago
- Health Minister confident country prepared for Omicron while National ridicules ICU capacity claimsWith modelling suggesting NZ could face a peak of 80,000 Omicron infections a day, Health Minister Andrew Little says he is "very confident" the country is prepared. But National is concerned about intensive care capacity. ...1 day ago
- PM Jacinda Ardern gives Covid-19 update from Tamaiti Whāngai vaccination centrePrime Minister Jacinda Ardern is visiting a Lower Hutt vaccination centre to mark 90 percent of Māori in the region being double vaccinated. ...1 day ago
- Government Must Pause New Children’s Bill To Allow For Proper Consultation, Says Children’s Orga...Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) is calling on the Government to pause progress on the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People’s Commission Bill to allow for proper consultation with children, young people and their families. ...1 day ago
- New Research Shows Rental Housing Welfare Support Has Not Increased Rental CostsA new study from Motu Research shows the 2018 increases by the New Zealand Government in accommodation welfare support has not led to increases in rents. In 2018, the Government changed its Accommodation Supplement policy. The Government made large ...1 day ago
- New Report Shows The Cost Of Vision Loss In New Zealand Has Risen 33.6% To $3.74 Billion In 2021A new report from Vision Research International shows the total costs of vision loss in New Zealand, including the total for lost well-being, has increased to $3.74 billion in 2021, an increase of 33.6 percent since 2009. The economic and financial ...1 day ago
- This object in space flashed brilliantly for 3 months, then disappeared. Astronomers are intriguedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natasha Hurley-Walker, Radio Astronomer, Curtin University Artist visualisation Author provided “Holy sharks, Batman, it’s periodic!” I exclaimed on Slack. It was the first lockdown of 2021 in Perth, and we were all working from home. And when astronomers look ...1 day ago
- How accurate is your RAT? 3 scenarios show it’s about more than looking for linesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ashwin Swaminathan, Senior Lecturer, Australian National University Shutterstock As Omicron surges through the community, getting the right answer from a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) is not as straightforward as reading one or two lines off the kit. RATs are a ...1 day ago
- Children whose parents smoke have lower test scores and more behavioural issues than kids of non-smo...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Preety Pratima Srivastava, Senior Lecturer, RMIT University Shutterstock Children whose parents smoke have lower academic test scores and more behavioural issues than children of non-smokers. These are the findings of our research published in the journal of Economics and ...1 day ago
- Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Johanna Reidy, Lecturer, Department of Public Health, Wellington School of Medicine, University of Otago Shutterstock As the start of a new school year looms, school uniforms are being dusted off or new ones bought. At the same time, age-old debates ...1 day ago
- An unemployment rate below 4% is possible. But for how long?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jeff Borland, Professor of Economics, The University of Melbourne It would be nice to think Australia’s low unemployment rate – now 4.2%, the lowest since August 2008 – is here to stay. We’ve been waiting a long time to see this. In ...1 day ago
- Police location sites on Facebook are helping drivers avoid detection for drug drivingSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Mills, PhD Candidate, University of the Sunshine Coast Shutterstock The internet allows us to check the surf, the news, traffic on the road, what our friends have been up to – all before getting out of bed. While this has ...1 day ago
- ‘Life finds a way’: here’s how rainbowfish survive in Australia’s scorching desertSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine R. M. Attard, Lecturer in Molecular Ecology, Flinders University shutterstock A trip into central Australia involves packing your 4WD to the brim with survival gear, water and food. Yet fish have managed to persist in that parched landscape for thousands ...1 day ago
- From rock carvings to rock music – the prevalence of bees in art throughout human historySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Dyer, Associate Professor, RMIT University Wikimedia Commons With a looming biodiversity crisis and concerns over food security and sustainability, bees are frequently making news headlines. The importance of bees in our society as pollinators and honey producers appears to have ...1 day ago
- New watchdog would menace water infrastructure, Government warned
New water corporations will be too scared to invest in the necessary $185b upgrades. ...1 day ago - Watchdog would constrain water infrastructure, Government warned
Influential water industry body says the directors of big new water corporations will be too scared to invest in the necessary $185b upgrades A governance working group is holding final talks this week with mayors unhappy at water reforms. Officials have told them that anything short of far-reaching amalgamations will consign ...1 day ago - Omicron: Modelling suggests NZ could face peak of 80,000 daily infectionsNew Zealand could be facing 50,000 daily Omicron infections by Waitangi weekend, according to modelling by a highly-respected, overseas health research organisation, peaking at about 80,000 each day just a few weeks later. ...1 day ago
- New Zealanders Who Stood Up To The Nazis Recognised For UN Holocaust Remembrance Day 2022New Zealanders who stood up to the Nazis during World War 2 are being recognised at events around the country to mark this year’s United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This includes New Zealand soldiers who fought German forces and ...1 day ago
- Waste Management told isolated Omicron contact to return to work
Employer support for isolating staff is critical, says the Director-General of Health, as the country braces for three stages of spread of Omicron. The country's biggest waste company has been accused of insisting an Omicron contact go to work this week, against health officials' advice. Newsroom understands the man and ...1 day ago - Lake Alice doctor’s death puts spotlight on Govt
Selwyn Leeks' death leaves it to the Government to answer questions about accountability over what happened at Lake Alice. David Williams reports Many Lake Alice survivors learnt of their tormentor’s death in an email yesterday from lawyer Frances Joychild QC, who represented them at recent Royal Commission hearings. The subject ...1 day ago - Waste Management told isolating Omicron contact to return to workEmployer support for isolating staff is critical, says Director-General of Health. ...1 day ago
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