Search Results

  1. A Few Good Green Wins

    Written By:  advantage -  Date published: 8:37 am, December 23rd, 2020 -  22 comments
    Categories: climate change, david parker, Environment, labour, science, uncategorized, water
    Tags:

    There is always plenty of bad news when it comes to nature in New Zealand, but this year has had an accumulation of good.

  2. Nanaia Mahuta – Peacebroker

    Written By:  Mike Smith -  Date published: 6:07 pm, December 16th, 2020 -  22 comments
    Categories: australian politics, China, culture, human rights, Maori Issues, Nanaia Mahuta, us politics
    Tags:

    “Do I believe that there might be an opportunity for New Zealand to create a different environment and have a conversation? Yes, I do.” Nanaia Mahuta told Reuters on Tuesday the country would be willing to help negotiate a truce between neighbouring Australia and regional heavyweight China, who are caught in an escalating trade and diplomatic spat. Great idea.

  3. What does Steinlager and the Pacific anti nuclear movement have in common?

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 10:07 am, December 16th, 2020 -  25 comments
    Categories: International, making shit up, Media, spin, you couldn't make this shit up
    Tags: ,

    In as blatant a case of cultural and historical misappropriation as you can imagine the makers of Steinlager has produced a dumbed down video that distorts the history of decades of opposition to French Nuclear testing in the Pacific in an effort to sell beer.

  4. Ihumātao deal imminent

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 7:38 am, December 14th, 2020 -  25 comments
    Categories: auckland supercity, labour, Maori Issues, nz first, supercity, treaty settlements, uncategorized, winston peters
    Tags: , ,

    Radio New Zealand is reporting that a deal on Ihumātao is imminent and that Cabinet is expected to sign off on the deal today.

  5. The human Pangaea

    Written By:  lprent -  Date published: 8:10 am, December 9th, 2020 -  16 comments
    Categories: covid-19, Environment, health, science, tourism
    Tags: , ,

    Humans have created the most recent virtual super-continent. At least as far as species movement has been concerned world wide. We’ve picked up species from around the world and transplanted them almost everywhere else – including microbiological. Pandemics will be the inevitable result. Could be amphibians dying off. It could be us. Perhaps it is time to have an intelligent discussion about the risks.

  6. National’s gonna National

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 8:25 am, December 2nd, 2020 -  73 comments
    Categories: drugs, greens, housing, jacinda ardern, Judith Collins, labour, national, poverty, same old national, stuart nash
    Tags:

    On two issues, pill testing at music festivals and tax changes to address the housing crisis, National yesterday indicated that it will do what conservative parties do and oppose any meaningful change.

  7. Stuff apologises for decades of racist reporting

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 7:58 am, November 30th, 2020 -  123 comments
    Categories: Deep stuff, Maori Issues, Maori seats, Media, uncategorized
    Tags:

    In a headline I thought I would never read this morning Stuff has apologised for decades of racist reporting, and has in its own words “grappled with the truth that our journalism has often unfairly portrayed Maori, ranging from racist to blinkered”.

  8. The Speech From The Throne

    Written By:  advantage -  Date published: 7:35 am, November 27th, 2020 -  21 comments
    Categories: climate change, covid-19, Economy, farming, health, housing, labour, Parliament, uncategorized
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    I’m sure one needs a particular depth of political nerdiness to give a flying fig about such things, but since I am one of those, these are my highlights from the speech from the throne to Parliament this week.

  9. Time’s up Labour

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 4:50 pm, November 20th, 2020 -  114 comments
    Categories: community democracy, democratic participation, grant robertson, greens, housing, jacinda ardern, labour, Metiria Turei, poverty
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    It’s not possible to resolve New Zealand’s housing and poverty crises from within a neoliberal frame. Change is going to have to be driven from outside of parliament.

  10. Resiliency politics

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 6:05 am, November 19th, 2020 -  14 comments
    Categories: climate change, disaster, Economy, farming, food
    Tags: , , , , ,

    With news of more global stressors next year, the stories we tell right now are critical to how we build resiliency. Let’s make sure they are good ones.

  11. What should the left make of the US election result?

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 7:43 am, November 10th, 2020 -  76 comments
    Categories: Donald Trump, election 2020, jacinda ardern, Joe Biden, uncategorized, us politics
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    Now the dust is settling on the US election result the one question I have is why was it even close?

  12. Rerun reeferendum

    Written By:  lprent -  Date published: 3:46 pm, November 6th, 2020 -  33 comments
    Categories: Politics, referendum
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    One of the other results from the final results on was the reeferendum. The loss was minuscule in the final results. If I was the yes campaign, I’d be considering pushing this to another referendum soon. It was so close, that the result was mainly due to being run with Covid-19 in the background of the campaign, a unreadable proposed bill, and a surprisingly well funded No campaign.

  13. In support of Nanaia Mahuta

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 8:11 am, November 6th, 2020 -  70 comments
    Categories: International, labour, Nanaia Mahuta, the praiseworthy and the pitiful
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    Some elements of the right as well as Comrade Chris Trotter have decided to attack Nanaia Mahuta’s appointment as Foreign Affairs minister.  In my view they could not be more wrong and I believe she will be an outstanding Minister of Foreign Affairs.

  14. Will consensus building paralyse Ardern?

    Written By:  Simon Louisson -  Date published: 7:14 am, October 21st, 2020 -  33 comments
    Categories: capital gains, Economy, jacinda ardern, Judith Collins, labour, national, Politics, same old national, tax
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    Jacinda Ardern aims to bet both ways on our future – transforming Aotearoa to rid us of inequality and poverty, and building consensus. She has won a mandate with her historic, landslide victory but can she do both? My question is whether Labour are willing to do that because of her desire to maintain consensus and not rock the waka.

  15. NZ election 2020: Labour win is a watershed moment in the country’s history

    Written By:  nickkelly -  Date published: 12:27 am, October 20th, 2020 -  47 comments
    Categories: act, capital gains, capitalism, Christchurch Attack, democratic participation, education, election 2020, elections, electoral systems, employment, greens, housing, jacinda ardern, labour, Maori Issues, MMP, national, nz first, Parliament, tax, terrorism, tertiary education, transport, workers' rights
    Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

    The 2020 election was more than just a victory for Labour and more than a crushing defeat for the National Party (New Zealand’s main centre-right political party). This result marks a significant watershed in New Zealand politics which will likely have implications long after this parliamentary term.

  16. Left/Green/Indigenous

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 12:32 pm, October 18th, 2020 -  135 comments
    Categories: election 2020, greens, labour, maori party, MMP
    Tags:

    What kind of government might New Zealand have?

  17. O Winston I love you

    Written By:  advantage -  Date published: 9:25 am, October 18th, 2020 -  50 comments
    Categories: nz first, uncategorized, winston peters
    Tags:

    Some reasons for us to miss Winston’s exit from politics.

  18. Pollwatch: 2020 Pre-election rush

    Written By:  Matthew Whitehead -  Date published: 10:46 pm, October 16th, 2020 -  10 comments
    Categories: act, election 2020, greens, labour, maori party, national, nz first
    Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

    We’ve had three recent pre-election polls. While we wait for results on election day, let’s have a look at where things might be headed.

  19. Legalise it! The Socialist case for Cannabis reform

    Written By:  notices and features -  Date published: 1:13 pm, October 15th, 2020 -  18 comments
    Categories: drugs, election 2020, referendum, Social issues, socialism, uncategorized
    Tags:

    Maria Hoyle of Socialist Aotearoa argues that from a socialist perspective the legalisation of the possession of cannabis should occur.

  20. 2020 election campaign – 6 days to go

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 9:23 am, October 12th, 2020 -  52 comments
    Categories: election 2020, jacinda ardern, Judith Collins, labour, maori party, Maori seats, national
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    With six days to go to election day the campaigns have reached interesting stages although the underlying trends and events appear to be good for the left.

  21. Labour Increases Protection for Kauri Dieback

    Written By:  advantage -  Date published: 9:18 am, October 10th, 2020 -  10 comments
    Categories: Conservation, election 2020, Environment, jacinda ardern, labour, uncategorized
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    In an announcement that will probably gain them few extra votes but still warms the cockles, Labour have promised to put Kauri Dieback on the same scale of national disease response as Bovine Tuberculosis and Kiwifruit PSA.

  22. Jacinda Ardern and New Zealand Health

    Written By:  advantage -  Date published: 11:59 am, September 30th, 2020 -  15 comments
    Categories: election 2020, health, jacinda ardern, labour, uncategorized
    Tags:

    Jacinda Ardern is a contender for winning a Nobel Peace Prize.  If she were to get it for anything, it will be for her leadership response to the national health crisis response to COVID19.

  23. What Have Labour Done For The Poor, Exactly?

    Written By:  advantage -  Date published: 8:45 am, September 28th, 2020 -  30 comments
    Categories: benefits, Carmel Sepuloni, Economy, labour, uncategorized, welfare
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    There’s been plenty of criticism about Labour’s policies not being effective enough to alleviate poverty. Time for a bit of perspective.

  24. The Greens on urban farming

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 6:05 am, September 24th, 2020 -  25 comments
    Categories: climate change, election 2020, farming, farming, food, greens, sustainability
    Tags: , , , ,

    This is exactly the kind of approach the Green Party would like to encourage – it’s strategic, it’s intergenerational and it recognises the interconnectedness of our people, the environment and local communities.

  25. Labour’s social welfare policy

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 12:20 pm, September 13th, 2020 -  62 comments
    Categories: benefits, Carmel Sepuloni, election 2020, labour, paula bennett, welfare
    Tags: ,

    Labour has announced that if elected they will significantly increase abatement levels for beneficiaries and reinstitute the Training Incentive Allowance Scheme, the policy that Paula Bennett famously had the benefit of but then cancelled once she was Minister.

  26. The Greens sticking to their guns (and their values)

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 10:57 am, September 11th, 2020 -  157 comments
    Categories: election 2020, greens, james shaw, labour, marama davidson, nz first, tax
    Tags: ,

    The Greens just boldly stepped up their election campaign.

  27. No Right Turn: If police think this is lawful and ethical, why did they try to hide it?

    Written By:  notices and features -  Date published: 6:05 am, September 1st, 2020 -  42 comments
    Categories: police
    Tags: , , ,

    “The Privacy Commisisoner has said explicitly that any use of facial recognition needs a high level of scrutiny, which for a government agency, effectively means their approval. Police deliberately avoided doing that.”

  28. US v China: new Cold War or new Opium War?

    Written By:  Mike Smith -  Date published: 10:27 am, August 25th, 2020 -  23 comments
    Categories: australian politics, China, colonialism, Donald Trump, Free Trade, International, Joe Biden, us politics, war
    Tags:

    The Trump administration has declared war on China, and there is much speculation in the punditry as to whether or not this is a new Cold War similar to that waged post World War 2 against Russia. In my opinion, the 19th century Opium Wars may offer a more appropriate analogy, albeit with a likely different outcome.

  29. Vote No to Cannabis Reform

    Written By:  advantage -  Date published: 10:25 am, August 10th, 2020 -  118 comments
    Categories: drugs, election 2020, referendum, uncategorized
    Tags:

    Ten reasons to vote against cannabis law reform this election.

  30. Jacinda’s speech to the Labour campaign launch

    Written By:  notices and features -  Date published: 5:09 pm, August 8th, 2020 -  94 comments
    Categories: election 2020, jacinda ardern, labour, uncategorized
    Tags:

    Jacinda Ardern’s speech to the Labour 2020 campaign launch.

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