Posts Tagged ‘best of the year’
This Year
Written By: - Date published: 9:35 pm, December 14th, 2015 - 38 comments
2015’s just about up. Here’s my quick summary of the year here at the Standard. Thanks y’all!
- The Long March From The Bottom To The Top.
Revolution From Below: The original “Long March” was, of course, undertaken by Mao Zedong and what was left of his communist military forces. They did not, however, head off for the nearest school or university, government office or medical clinic. Their goal was not to infiltrate the institutions of capitalism, but ...2 hours ago - Yelling at the Clouds: Philip Pullman on Tolkien and Lewis
There are some genre authors who like to demonstrate their edgy, iconoclastic credentials by sticking the boot into J.R.R. Tolkien. Michael Moorcock springs to mind, with the much-beaten dead horse that is the Epic Pooh essay. Each to their own, I suppose, though seeing as Epic Pooh really boils ...10 hours ago - Book Review: The Unintended Consequences of Taming Nature
John Schwartz Elizabeth Kolbert lives her stories. In the course of reporting her new book, “Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future,” she got hit by a leaping carp near Ottawa, Illinois (“It felt like someone had slammed me in the shin with a Wiffle-ball bat”) and visited ...15 hours ago - For a bigger carbon dividendNew Zealand has an excellent Emissions Trading Scheme covering everything except agriculture – a non-trivial exclusion, but we can come back to that later. The ETS has a cap. Net emissions from the covered sector cannot exceed the cap. So any other regulations that affect sectors covered by the cap ...15 hours ago
- Can Cult Studies Offer Help With QAnon? The Science Is ThinMichael Schulson Days before the inauguration of President Joe Biden, at a time when some Americans were animated by the false conviction that former President Donald J. Trump had actually won the November election, a man in Colorado began texting warnings to his family. The coming days, he wrote, would ...16 hours ago
- Climate Change: Even dodgier accounting
Last year, Beef and Lamb New Zealand produced a bought-and-paid-for report claiming that their industry was already carbon neutral, so didn't need to do anything to reduce emissions. The report was full of obviously dodgy accounting - basicly, it didn't bother to follow international carbon accounting rules, because they would ...17 hours ago - Why are we paying for MPI again?Last year, the government chickened out on clean rivers, setting "water standards" that failed to properly control poisonous nitrates. So who was to blame? MPI: The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) opposed introducing a tough bottom line for nitrogen levels in rivers over concerns the economic impact would outweigh ...18 hours ago
- Sunday Services.Faith In The Essentials: Fenced-in, almost literally, by motorways. Located, seemingly permanently, at the bottom of politicians’ priority-lists. Heaped with praise for their cultural vibrancy, but not rewarded for it by the presence of white pupils in their public schools, South Aucklanders (like people of colour everywhere) provide their paler ...20 hours ago
- February ’21 – NZ blogs sitemeter ranking
21 hours ago - More tyranny in the UKSince the pandemic began, the UK government has restricted protests in an effort to contain the plague. But of course, they're plotting to make these restrictions permanent: Concern over the government’s limitation of the right to protest during lockdown continues to mount after it emerged that the home secretary, ...21 hours ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 1 March 2021
Covid: Auckland community outbreak Richard Harman: Ardern’s new tough talk Claire Trevett (Herald): When will Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s patience with rule-breakers wear thin?(paywalled) Thomas Manch (Stuff): Blame and fear for the team of five million, as PM pleads for compliance Michael Baker (Herald): Why government is right to yo-yo between alert levels Joel Maxwell and Thomas Manch ...1 day ago - 2021 Reading Log: February (+ Writing Update)
Completed reads for February: The Dream of Scipio, by CiceroThe Dragon Masters, by Jack Vance The Dream of Scipio is Pearman’s translation. A very quiet month in the reading department… but a truly excellent one in the writing department. Better yet, this was not merely short stories, but solid ...1 day ago - Colombia: The ELN and what the release of two captured soldiers has shown
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh (Colombia, 18 February 2020) Two soldiers, Jhony Andrés Castillo Ospino and Jesús Alberto Muñoz Segovia, fell into the hands of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN; National Liberation Army). Their capture produced the usual reactions that they had been kidnapped when in fact they were prisoners ...2 days ago - Lockdowns: Sweden was the ‘control group’
As much of the world is still implementing lockdowns, including New Zealand, it is a good time to see how Sweden has fared. After being demonised for a year for having relatively moderate restrictions the Swedish death toll is rather much in line with other years. Sweden followed the standard ...2 days ago - Suffer The Little Children: Neoliberalism’s Attack On Local Democracy Intensifies.Under The Influence Of The "Governance" Kool-Aid: The furore surrounding Mayor Andy Foster's "review" of the Wellington City Council's "governance" is but the latest example of the quite conscious delegitimization, and sinister re-framing, of spirited political opposition and debate as irresponsible, immature and “dysfunctional”. It shows how very far from ...2 days ago
- David Seymour speaks about stuff
Hello there everybody. I’ve been asked by Mr Thinks to come on his blog today and speak my mind about stuff. The government has a lot to answer for. I was sitting there last week as Auckland came out of it’s latest lockdown and I knew the government was making ...2 days ago - We Must Avoid Treating Māori As Living Fossils.
There are times when tikanga needs to be broken for tikanga to survive.I recently gave a presentation on Māori economic history based on my Not in Narrow Seas. Its most important message was that Māori proved to be a very adaptable people continually evolving as new opportunities arose. The European ...4 days ago - Teaming up with Facebook to fight misinformation
Some of you may remember our blog post "A conundrum: our continued presence on Facebook" in which we detailed our misgivings about and decision to stick with Facebook for the time being. So these latest developments - reposted from the Cranky Uncle homepage - might come as a bit of surprise! ...4 days ago - Data dredging, p-hacking and motivated discussion in anti-fluoride paperImage credit: Quick Data Lessons: Data Dredging Oh dear – another scientific paper claiming evidence of toxic effects from fluoridation. But a critical look at the paper shows evidence of p-hacking, data dredging and motivated reasoning to derive their conclusions. And it was published in a journal shown to be ...4 days ago
- The central problem with housing policyWe've had a housing crisis for the past decade, and successive governments have done nothing to solve it. Why not? Bernard Hickey gets it right when he says its all about protecting the rich: The Government is reluctant to push down house prices fearing they'll loses the support of ...4 days ago
- The Obama legacy contd.There’s more of the Obama legacy here and Deporter in Chief: Obama chucks out 2,000,000 and Can Trump really deport more people than Obama? and Obama, gay rights and the killing drones ...4 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 26 February 2021Housing Luke Malpass (Stuff): Government’s slow crawl on housing continues Jason Walls (Herald): ‘Kiwis can’t outbid Kāinga Ora:’ Government grilled over $750 million house-buying bill Dileepa Fonseka (Stuff): Auditor-General investigates MSD scheme which paid landlords $3k per week for ‘uninhabitable’ houses Stuff Editorial: A clue from the Aussies for Ardern Joel Maxwell (Stuff): Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr warns against ‘the ...4 days ago
- Correcting Corrections – And Its Minister.My Department Right Or Wrong: Far from “politicians involving themselves in some Corrections matters” being a bad thing, their involvement – along with that of the Ombudsman – constitutes a necessary check upon the unreasonable and unlawful exercise of authority over prison inmates by prison staff. A Corrections Minister who ...4 days ago
- A failure of enforcementYesterday, Silver Fern Farms was fined $337,000 over a potentially lethal ammonia leak. Today RNZ reports that they've subcontracted some of their waste business to Whanganui's Tasman Tanning, which has an appalling environmental record: Tasman Tanning's plant in Whanganui was already the country's leader in breaching trade wastewater consents ...5 days ago
- Give the Rangitata backBack in 2018, National's unelected Canterbury dictatorship issued a resource consent to take water from the Rangitata river for irrigation, in violation of its Water Conservation Order. Now, after two years of legal battles, the company has "voluntarily" surrendered it: An irrigation company's decision to relinquish its consent to ...5 days ago
- The rich should pay their fair shareNew Zealand is supposed to have a progressive tax system, which taxes people according to their ability to pay. But it turns out that the rich are cheating: The wealthiest New Zealanders pay just 12 per cent of their total income in tax on average, according to research from ...5 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 25 February 2021Housing Richard Harman: Government has little to say about housing crisis Jonathan Milne (Newsroom): Govt set to bring out big tools to manage housing pressure Miriam Bell (Stuff): Housing affordability at worst point in ‘at least 17 years’ Adam Jacobson (RNZ): New Zealand housing affordability plummets to historically low levels Zane Small (Newshub): National’s Nicola Willis in disbelief as Megan ...5 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #8, 2021Ground truths on warming When we think about rapid climate change of the kind we've accidentally unleashed and the warming of Earth systems inherent in the process, we tend to focus on phenomena in order of their immediate tangibility, their drama. Sea ice loss in the Arctic, atmospheric and ocean ...5 days ago
- Government threatening free speech rights over prison protest leafletby Daphna Whitmore The Department of Corrections has called in the police over a pamphlet that supports protests at Waikeria Prison, saying the material might incite another riot. The group People Against Prisons Aotearoa denies it advocates for riots and has said it “encourages persistent, peaceful protest action such as striking from ...6 days ago
- The tyranny of the dishonest and stupid.
One theme in the literature dedicated to democratic theory is the notion of a “tyranny of the minority.” This is where the desire to protect the interests of and give voice to electoral minorities leads to a tail wagging the dog syndrome whereby minorities wind up having disproportionate influence in ...6 days ago - One way of fixing the OIAI've just lodged my fourth complaint to the Ombudsman for deemed refusal of an OIA request by police this year. That brings their total to four for four - every request I have sent them has not been answered within the legal timeframe, even when they extend it to give ...6 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 24 February 2021Child poverty report and inequality Janet McAllister (Spinoff): What the new child poverty stats tells us – and what they don’t Claire Trevett (Herald): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s do-or-die child poverty promise (paywalled) Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Poverty figures a sigh of relief for PM – but will it last? Branko Marcetic (Democracy Project): NZ’s economic “bounce-back” is a myth – ...6 days ago
- Ian Powell: Rescuing Simpson from SimpsonWill the health reforms proposed for the Labour Government make the system better or worse? Health commentator Ian Powell (formerly the Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists) gives his analysis of what change is most necessary, and what should be avoided. The review of the Health ...6 days ago
- Climate lessons from Texas' frozen power outagesThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections An off-course polar vortex meandered toward the Mexican border, bringing with it frigid Arctic air rarely seen as far south as Texas. Frozen equipment rendered power generation systems in the state inoperable, forcing grid operators to begin rolling blackouts to customers then left to fend ...6 days ago
- Branko Marcetic: NZ’s economic “bounce-back” is a myth – but lifting benefits would bring it...Just as National once produced a “rock star economy” that Grant Robertson rejected as being only for the rich, the Labour Government has produced an economic “bounce back” that leaves out the poor. Branko Marcetic argues for a rise in benefit levels to give the poor a real bounce back. ...7 days ago
- One state at a timeVirginia has voted to abolish the death penalty: State lawmakers gave final approval on Monday to a bill that will end capital punishment in Virginia, a dramatic turnaround for a state that has executed more people than any other. The legislation repealing the death penalty now heads to the ...7 days ago
- A captive MinisterYesterday a New Zealand Judge issued a formal finding that the Department of Corrections had treated prisoners in a cruel, degrading and inhumane manner, illegally detaining them, using excessive force, denying them basic necessities unless they performed degrading rituals of submission first. Some of the conduct appears to be criminal: ...7 days ago
- Climate sea-lioningThe Herald reports that there is a "storm brewing for the Climate Change Commission". The "problem"? Polluters are unhappy with its economic projections saying that action will not be as costly as they have previously claimed: Last week a coalition of over a dozen New Zealand business and industry ...7 days ago
- How Powerful Is Labour's Maori Caucus?You're Move: What would a genuinely powerful Maori Caucus do? What policies would it insist upon? More to the point, since the single most important question in politics is always “Or you’ll what?”, does the Maori Caucus possess the wherewithal to enforce its demands?THAT LABOUR’S MAORI CAUCUS is potentially powerful ...7 days ago
- Trends and developments – FebruaryThis post is a mix of a few recent reports on trends, recent discoveries or developments. Topics covered are the future of work, the geopolitical shift from oil to semiconductors, transition to low carbon futures, disappearing Artic sea ice, and AI in health care. Yesterday’s Gone A Canadian report ...7 days ago
- Hurricanes, wildfires, and heat dominated U.S. weather in 2020This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob Henson One of the hottest years in U.S. history, 2020 was besieged by a record number of billion-dollar disasters, led by two of the most dangerous phenomena with links to climate change: wildfires and hurricanes. In its initial U.S. climate summary for 2020, ...7 days ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 23 February 2021Covid: General Tim Watkin (Pundit): The Law Of Diminishing Covid Returns: The Government’s Mood Management Task Liam Dann (Herald): Riding Dr Ashley Bloomfield’s Covid roller coaster (paywalled) Jamie Morton (Herald): Auckland lockdown was ‘frustrating’ but justified, says expert Josephine Franks (Stuff): Experts call for seven-tier alert level system as Auckland moves to level 1 Stuff Editorial: MIQ facility suggestion is poor ...1 week ago
- Graham Adams: Greens stir the pot on banning conversation therapyJust because something is bad, doesn’t mean it’s easy to criminalise. Graham Adams argues that the proposed ban on gay conversion therapy is messier than many realise, and he delves into some of the difficulties facing the Government in their promise to legislate. A highly successful petition has inadvertently ...1 week ago
- 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #8Story of the Week... Editorial of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... ‘Absolutely ridiculous’: top scientist slams UK government over coalmine Exclusive: Prof Sir Robert Watson says backing of ...1 week ago
- The end of offshore exploration?The Otago Daily Times reports that following Beech Energy's surrender of its South Island exploration permits, the end of offshore oil exploration in the South Island may be on the horizon: The end of offshore exploration for gas and oil in the South Island is on the horizon. A ...1 week ago
- The first test of control ordersOver the weekend we learned that Turkey plans to deport a New Zealand woman and her children who had fled Syria after previously joing the Islamic State. Which means that Andrew Little's tyrannical Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Act 2019 - rammed through under all-stages urgency on the basis of an ...1 week ago
- An open door waiting to be pushed onWhile it has made a lot of noise about inequality, Labour has resolutely avoided reversing the 1990 benefit cuts and improving living standards for the poorest in our society. Meanwhile, 70% of kiwis think they should: A survey has found seven out of 10 New Zealanders believe the government ...1 week ago
- The French Connection.Anti-Philosopher President? Emmanuel Macron and his party’s reaction to the terrorist atrocities committed on French soil targets the very same philosophical movements excited and emboldened by New Zealand’s own terrifying tragedy.IT IS NOT the sort of thought experiment New Zealanders are encouraged to conduct in these culturally sensitive times. Even ...1 week ago
- The law of diminishing Covid returns: The government's mood management task
If Jacinda Ardern or ay of her Auckland-based cabinet ministers stepped outside this weekend, they would have realised that this afternoon’s cabinet decision on whether to move Auckland back to Level 1 has already been made. The residents of our biggest city have voted with their feet.While some places where ...1 week ago - NZ Politics Daily: 22 February 2021Housing Damien Grant (Stuff): Who’s to blame for housing unaffordability? Bernard Hickey (Stuff): Should Reserve Bank overheat economy to blast free of low interest rate trap? Gareth Vaughan (Interest): You can’t lose with property mate Zane Small (Newshub): Housing Minister Megan Woods fires up when quizzed on lack of property shortage figures Gill South (Stuff): Single buyers get it rough when it ...1 week ago
- Josh Van Veen: The Queen’s GambitAccording to epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker, the decision to end the second Auckland lockdown after just three days was a ‘calculated risk’. The possibility of undetected community transmission cannot be ruled out. In the United States, modelling by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that the ...1 week ago
- Party Games
As I rose for the first time to speak from the Despatch Box in the House of Commons, I had the comfort of seeing that the Despatch Box had on it the inscription “A Gift from the People of New Zealand”. But I was also a little daunted, like so ...1 week ago - Prostitution or sex work? Language mattersThis article is by Laura Biggs, from the Marxist-Feminist blog On the Woman Question. The term ‘sex work’ has come to replace the word ‘prostitution’ in contemporary discussions on the subject. This is not accidental. The phrase ‘sex work’ has been adopted by liberal feminists and powerful lobbyists in a ...1 week ago
- B.1.1.7 variant – early result suggests longer infections, management questionsSometimes it’s smaller, intensive studies that shed light on issues. Just reported results of daily sampling of COVID-19 patients indicate patients with the B.1.1.7 variant first observed in Kent, UK may have a longer infection compared to patients infected with non-B.1.1.7 variants. This is the variant seen in NZ’s most ...1 week ago
- Redline passes one million viewsRedline has just passed one million views – as I start writing this we have reached 1,000,015 views. It took us nearly seven years to reach our first 500,000 and just three months short of three years to reach our second 500,000, with 2019 being our best year, with over ...1 week ago
- 2020: The History That Was – Part 4
. . As the rest of the world was perceived to be “going to hell in a handbasket with an out-of-control pandemic; ructions in Europe as Britain copes with “Brexit” chaos; Trumpism in the United States climaxing with the 6 January mob-led coup attempt in Washington’s Capitol; a deadly ...1 week ago - 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #8A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Feb 14, 2021 through Sat, Feb 20, 2021 Editor's Choice Q&A: Is Elizabeth Kolbert’s New Book a Hopeful Look at the Promise of Technology, or a Cautionary Tale? The Pulitzer Prize-winning ...1 week ago
- The Adventures of Annalax: Volume XVII
Session Thirty-Five. We have had some in-game and out-of-game indication that we are drawing to the end of the Dreamland adventure… which has lasted since the fourth session. Getting back to the Waking World will require some mental adjustment, especially considering that Annalax has spent thirty-odd sessions not ...1 week ago - The Strange (And Sad) Demise of Radio New Zealand.A Friend In Need: I have grown up, and grown old, within earshot of New Zealand’s public broadcaster. Through times of peace and plenty, through days of tumult and recrimination, it has been a constant and reliable presence. The calm and authoritative voices of Radio New Zealand kept their fellow ...1 week ago
- Guest post: Why avoiding climate change ‘maladaptation’ is vitalThis article, authored by Dr Lisa Schipper, Dr Morgan Scoville-Simonds, Dr Katharine Vincent and Prof Siri Eriksen, was originally published on the Carbon Brief website on Feb 10, 2021. It is reposted below in its entirety. Click here to access the original article and comments posted on Carbon Brief. Photo by ...1 week ago
- 2020: The History That Was – Part 3. . As the rest of the world was perceived to be “going to hell in a handbasket with an out-of-control pandemic; ructions in Europe as Britain copes with “Brexit” chaos; Trumpism in the United States climaxing with the 6 January mob-led coup attempt in Washington’s Capitol; a deadly resurgent ...1 week ago
- Please don’t sign this petitionby Georgina Blackmore Instead ask the government to separate the two issues caught under the heading of “Conversion Therapy”. 1) Gay Conversion Therapy which is what 99.9% of people believe this petition is about. It is a ban I personally support. 2) Gender Identity Conversion Therapy which doesn’t have any ...1 week ago
- Barbarians at the Library Gates
The burning of books has a long history. That it no reason why we should add to it.If you want to get Burning of the Books: A History of Knowledge Under Attack from the National Library you may have to hurry. It is in the overseas nonfiction section; many books ...2 weeks ago - Labour will cater to the woke not the brokeby Daphna Whitmore After promising to tackle poverty, housing, transport, and climate issues in 2017, and failing on all these measures, Labour has moved to a Helen Clark “promise little and disappoint less” style of government. Poverty – perversely called “child poverty” by Ardern – has worsened under Labour. Much ...2 weeks ago
- Of Falls and Neoplatonic Rises: Musings on Augustine and Boethius in Tolkien’s Middle-earth
This is one of those subject matters better suited to a thesis than a blog post, and far smarter people than I have tackled the question in a more detailed and accurate manner. But it’s a question that’s been running around in my brain for a fortnight or so. ...2 weeks ago - As the Perseverance rover lands on Mars, there’s a lot we already know about the red planet from m...James Scott, University of Otago NASA’s Perseverance rover successfully touched down on Mars this morning, and has already begun beaming back images. Hello, world. My first look at my forever home. #CountdownToMars pic.twitter.com/dkM9jE9I6X — NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) February 18, 2021 But people might be surprised to ...2 weeks ago
- Earth’s magnetic field broke down 42,000 years ago and caused massive sudden climate changeChris Fogwill, Keele University; Alan Hogg, University of Waikato; Chris Turney, UNSW, and Zoë Thomas, UNSW The world experienced a few centuries of apocalyptic conditions 42,000 years ago, triggered by a reversal of the Earth’s magnetic poles combined with changes in the Sun’s behaviour. That’s the key finding of our ...2 weeks ago
- Drought-stricken Colorado River Basin could see additional 20% drop in water flow by 2050This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jan Ellen Spiegel Colorado is no stranger to drought. The current one is closing in on 20 years, and a rainy or snowy season here and there won’t change the trajectory. This is what climate change has brought. “Aridification” is what ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 19 February 2021Covid: General Matthew Hooton (Herald): Jacinda Ardern’s boldest and most adept Covid move yet (paywalled) ODT: Editorial – Trust and politicians in the Covid era Richard Harman: Living with covid Lisette Reymer (Newshub): New Zealand should stop living in fear of COVID-19 – expert Henry Cooke (Stuff): National says move out of alert level 3 lockdown is ‘bold’ and ‘ambitious’ Keith ...2 weeks ago
- Strength That Does Not Fail.Sweet Surrender: By 1933, Adolf Hitler was the last political leader left standing, and his Nazis the only party Germany had yet to try. It was ever thus. Dictators and dictatorships succeed by being the only medicine a desperately sick nation hasn’t swallowed; the only strength that hasn’t failed.NOT ALL ...2 weeks ago
- In The Know: Making Sense Of Labour’s Inaction."I know what you're not thinking!" Thanks to their polling agency and the participants in its focus-groups, the Labour leadership possesses a great deal more information about the Kiwis clamouring for action on the housing and inequality fronts than most journalists and lobbyists.ACCORDING TO PEOPLE “in the know”, Labour is ...2 weeks ago
- NZ tourism can use the disruption of COVID-19 to drive sustainable change — and be more competitiv...James Higham, University of Otago The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s second tourism report urges the government to take advantage of the disruption caused by COVID-19 to transform the tourism industry. Titled “Not 100% – but four steps closer to sustainable tourism”, it builds on commissoner Simon Upton’s 2019 “Pristine, ...2 weeks ago
- Facebook vs AustraliaThe Australian government is currently working on a law requiring major internet platforms to pay media companies for the content they use. The threat of regulation has been at lest partially successful, with Google agreeing a deal with Seven West Media. Facebook, OTOH, has decided to play hardball: Australians ...2 weeks ago
- Test, test, testMy column over at Newsroom this week points out the fairly obvious. The government can add daily saliva testing for everyone at the border to the existing testing regimen. If daily testing winds up proving the swab tests to be redundant, ditch the swab tests when we find that out. ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Politics Daily: 18 February 2021Covid: Auckland outbreak decisions Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Contact tracing ‘Ferrari’ will be enough to contain future outbreaks Jamie Morton (Herald): Shift to Level 2 ‘not cautious enough’ – expert Science Media Centre: Auckland jumps down to Alert Level 2 – Expert Reaction Jason Walls (Herald): Auckland’s lockdown exit comes with a Jacinda Ardern warning Richard Harman (Politik): Living with covid Rowan ...2 weeks ago
- What’s Labour doing for rural New Zealand?
We know that when our rural communities do well, all of New Zealand benefits. Labour is committed to supporting our regions so that, together, we can achieve even more. Here are just some of the ways we’re backing rural communities. ...3 days ago - A win for Pasifika Communities to have a stable home
The Green Party welcome the Government announcement to support Pasifika peoples to become Community Housing Providers. ...4 days ago - Tax data exposes gross inequity between the wealthiest and poorest New ZealandersGovernment data today shows that the wealthiest New Zealanders aren’t paying their fair share of tax, whilst everyone else chips in, Green Party spokesperson on Finance Julie Anne Genter said today. ...5 days ago
- Government action to cool house prices still needed despite Reserve Bank changeThe Green Party welcomes the change in the Reserve Bank’s remit to consider the impacts on housing when making financial decisions, but housing affordability shouldn’t be left to the Reserve Bank, Green Party Co-leader and Housing spokesperson Marama Davidson said today. ...5 days ago
- Māori now have a seat at the local government tableThe Green Party welcomes the passing of the Local Electorate Act Māori Wards Amendment Bill which ensures Māori have a say on local issues across Aotearoa New Zealand. ...5 days ago
- Child poverty data shows disabled children, Māori and Pasifika being left behindThe Green Party is disappointed that disabled children and Māori and Pasifika children are still more likely to be living in poverty. ...7 days ago
- Research shows New Zealanders want income support increasedNew UMR research reveals that 69 percent of New Zealanders agree that the government should increase the amount if income support paid to those on low incomes or not in paid work. ...1 week ago
- Green Party celebrate fast tracked timeline for banning conversion therapy, will push for best bill ...The Green Party are celebrating the Labour Government bringing forward the timeline to ban conversion therapy, and will push to ensure any draft bill properly protects all of our Rainbow communities. ...1 week ago
- Green Party welcomes PCE report that calls for more sustainable tourismThe Green Party welcomes the report that calls for more sustainable tourism by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party echoes calls for ‘brave’ action on rising inequalityThe Green Party is joining the call for ‘brave policy action’ to address rapidly increasing inequality in New Zealand, which is likely to be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. ...2 weeks ago
- Petition calling for ban on conversion therapy gains huge momentumAotearoa New Zealand is getting on board in record numbers to call for an urgent ban on conversion therapy. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party to take precautions with COVID-19 responseGreen MPs currently in Auckland, Marama Davidson, Chlöe Swarbrick and Golriz Ghahraman, will remain in Auckland for the next 72 hours. Those in Auckland today for Big Gay Out who have flown home will self-isolate for 72 hours. These decisions will be subject to any new information that may arise ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party calls to end conversion therapy nowThe Green Party is calling on the Labour Government to urgently prioritise banning conversion therapy. ...2 weeks ago
- Supporting our Rainbow whānauIt’s Pride month, and as we celebrate our LGBTIA+ community, we’re taking the next steps towards a more inclusive Aotearoa. From investing in mental health services to banning harmful conversion therapy, we’re building a New Zealand where everyone can be safe, healthy and happy. ...2 weeks ago
- New Green MP takes a stand on discrimination towards our Rainbow WhānauEnding discrimination and prejudice against takatāpui and rainbow communities will be the main priority for new Green MP Dr Elizabeth Kerekere. ...3 weeks ago
- Speech to ANZLF Virtual Indigenous Business Trade and Connections Event
I acknowledge our whānau overseas, joining us from Te Whenua Moemoeā, and I wish to pay respects to their elders past, present, and emerging. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you all today. I am very pleased to be part of the conversation on Indigenous business, and part ...20 hours ago - Main benefits to increase in line with wagesSocial Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced today that main benefits will increase by 3.1 percent on 1 April, in line with the rise in the average wage. The Government announced changes to the annual adjustment of main benefits in Budget 2019, indexing main benefit increases to the average ...2 days ago
- Deed of Settlement signed with Ngāti Maru (Taranaki)A Deed of Settlement has been signed between Ngāti Maru and the Crown settling the iwi’s historical Treaty of Waitangi claims, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little announced today. The Ngāti Maru rohe is centred on the inland Waitara River valley, east to the Whanganui River and its ...3 days ago
- Support in place for people connected to Auckland COVID-19 casesWith a suite of Government income support packages available, Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni is encouraging people, and businesses, connected to the recent Auckland COVID-19 cases to check the Work and Income website if they’ve been impacted by the need to self-isolate. “If you are required to ...3 days ago
- Statement on passing of former PNG PM Sir Michael SomarePrime Minister Jacinda Ardern has expressed her condolences at the passing of long-serving former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare. “Our thoughts are with Lady Veronica Somare and family, Prime Minister James Marape and the people of Papua New Guinea during this time of great ...4 days ago
- Speech to the National Māori Housing Conference 2021E te tī, e te tā Tēnei te mihi maioha ki a koutou Ki te whenua e takoto nei Ki te rangi e tū iho nei Ki a tātou e tau nei Tēnā tātou. It’s great to be with you today, along with some of the ministerial housing team; Hon Peeni Henare, the ...4 days ago
- Drone project to aid protection of Māui dolphinThe Government is backing a new project to use drone technology to transform our understanding and protection of the Māui dolphin, Aotearoa’s most endangered dolphin. “The project is just one part of the Government’s plan to save the Māui dolphin. We are committed to protecting this treasure,” Oceans and Fisheries ...4 days ago
- New water regulator board announced as major Government reform moves forwardMajor water reform has taken a step closer with the appointment of the inaugural board of the Taumata Arowai water services regulator, Hon Nanaia Mahuta says. Former Director General of Health and respected public health specialist Dame Karen Poutasi will chair the inaugural board of Crown agency Taumata Arowai. “Dame ...4 days ago
- North Auckland gets public transport upgradeThe newly completed Hibiscus Coast Bus Station will help people make better transport choices to help ease congestion and benefit the environment, Transport Minister Michael Wood and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said today. Michael Wood and Phil Goff officially opened the Hibiscus Coast Bus Station which sits just off the ...4 days ago
- Supporting work to protect Northland reserveNew funding announced by Conservation Minister Kiri Allan today will provide work and help protect the unique values of Northland’s Te Ārai Nature Reserve for future generations. Te Ārai is culturally important to Te Aupōuri as the last resting place of the spirits before they depart to Te Rerenga Wairua. ...4 days ago
- Critical step to new housing deal for Pacific communitiesToday the Government has taken a key step to support Pacific people to becoming Community Housing providers, says the Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio. “This will be great news for Pacific communities with the decision to provide Pacific Financial Capability Grant funding and a tender process to ...4 days ago
- Consultation opens on proposed Bay of Islands marine mammal sanctuaryConservation Minister Kiri Allan is encouraging New Zealanders to have their say on a proposed marine mammal sanctuary to address the rapid decline of bottlenose dolphins in Te Pēwhairangi, the Bay of Islands. The proposal, developed jointly with Ngā Hapū o te Pēwhairangi, would protect all marine mammals of the ...5 days ago
- Three District Court Judges appointedAttorney-General David Parker today announced the appointment of three new District Court Judges. Two of the appointees will take up their roles on 1 April, replacing sitting Judges who have reached retirement age. Kirsten Lummis, lawyer of Auckland has been appointed as a District Court Judge with jury jurisdiction to ...5 days ago
- Government announces list of life-shortening conditions guaranteeing early KiwiSaver accessGovernment announces list of life-shortening conditions guaranteeing early KiwiSaver access The Government changed the KiwiSaver rules in 2019 so people with life-shortening congenital conditions can withdraw their savings early The four conditions guaranteed early access are – down syndrome, cerebral palsy, Huntington’s disease and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder An alternative ...5 days ago
- Reserve Bank to take account of housing in decision makingThe Reserve Bank is now required to consider the impact on housing when making monetary and financial policy decisions, Grant Robertson announced today. Changes have been made to the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee’s remit requiring it to take into account government policy relating to more sustainable house prices, while working ...5 days ago
- Investment to reduce cochlear implant waitlistThe Labour Government will invest $6 million for 70 additional adult cochlear implants this year to significantly reduce the historical waitlist, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “Cochlear implants are life changing for kiwis who suffer from severe hearing loss. As well as improving an individual’s hearing, they open doors to ...5 days ago
- Māori wards Bill passes third readingThe Local Electoral (Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill passed its third reading today and will become law, Minister of Local Government Hon Nanaia Mahuta says. “This is a significant step forward for Māori representation in local government. We know how important it is to have diversity around ...5 days ago
- Government delivers 1,000 more transitional housing placesThe Government has added 1,000 more transitional housing places as promised under the Aotearoa New Zealand Homelessness Action Plan (HAP), launched one year ago. Minister of Housing Megan Woods says the milestone supports the Government’s priority to ensure every New Zealander has warm, dry, secure housing. “Transitional housing provides people ...6 days ago
- Second batch of Pfizer/BioNTech doses arrives safely – as the first vaccinations take place in the...A second batch of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived safely yesterday at Auckland International Airport, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. “This shipment contained about 76,000 doses, and follows our first shipment of 60,000 doses that arrived last week. We expect further shipments of vaccine over the coming weeks,” Chris Hipkins said. ...6 days ago
- $18 million for creative spaces to make arts more accessibleThe Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni has today announced $18 million to support creative spaces. Creative spaces are places in the community where people with mental health needs, disabled people, and those looking for social connection, are welcomed and supported to practice and participate in the arts ...6 days ago
- Moriori Claims Settlement Bill passes first readingTreaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little today welcomed Moriori to Parliament to witness the first reading of the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill. “This bill is the culmination of years of dedication and hard work from all the parties involved. “I am delighted to reach this significant milestone today,” Andrew ...7 days ago
- Government action reduces child poverty22,400 fewer children experiencing material hardship 45,400 fewer children in low income households on after-housing costs measure After-housing costs target achieved a year ahead of schedule Government action has seen child poverty reduce against all nine official measures compared to the baseline year, Prime Minister and Minister for Child Poverty ...7 days ago
- Entries open for the 2021 Prime Minister’s Education Excellence AwardsIt’s time to recognise the outstanding work early learning services, kōhanga reo, schools and kura do to support children and young people to succeed, Minister of Education Chris Hipkins says. The 2021 Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards are now open through until April 16. “The past year has reminded us ...7 days ago
- Jobs for Nature benefits three projectsThree new Jobs for Nature projects will help nature thrive in the Bay of Plenty and keep local people in work says Conservation Minister Kiri Allan. “Up to 30 people will be employed in the projects, which are aimed at boosting local conservation efforts, enhancing some of the region’s most ...7 days ago
- Improvements to the Holidays Act on the wayThe Government has accepted all of the Holidays Act Taskforce’s recommended changes, which will provide certainty to employers and help employees receive their leave entitlements, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood announced today. Michael Wood said the Government established the Holidays Act Taskforce to help address challenges with the ...1 week ago
- NZ’s credit rating lifted as economy recoversThe Government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and faster than expected economic recovery has been acknowledged in today’s credit rating upgrade. Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) today raised New Zealand’s local currency credit rating to AAA with a stable outlook. This follows Fitch reaffirming its AA+ rating last ...1 week ago
- Speech to National Remembrance Service on the 10th anniversary of the Christchurch earthquakeTena koutou e nga Maata Waka Ngai Tuahuriri, Ngai Tahu whanui, Tena koutou. Nau mai whakatau mai ki tenei ra maumahara i te Ru Whenua Apiti hono tatai hono, Te hunga mate ki te hunga mate Apiti hono tatai hono, Te hunga ora ki te hunga ora Tena koutou, Tena ...1 week ago
- Government reaffirms urgent commitment to ban harmful conversion practicesThe Minister of Justice has reaffirmed the Government’s urgent commitment, as stated in its 2020 Election Manifesto, to ban conversion practices in New Zealand by this time next year. “The Government has work underway to develop policy which will bring legislation to Parliament by the middle of this year and ...1 week ago
- New creative service aims to benefit 1,000 peoples’ careersMinister for Arts, Culture and Heritage and Social Development Hon Carmel Sepuloni today launched a new Creative Careers Service, which is expected to support up to 1,000 creatives, across three regions over the next two years. The new service builds on the most successful aspects of the former Pathways to ...1 week ago
- Honey exporters busy meeting surging demandOverseas consumers eager for natural products in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic have helped boost honey export revenue by 20 percent to $425 million in the year to June 30, 2020, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says. “The results from the latest Ministry for Primary Industries’ 2020 Apiculture Monitoring ...2 weeks ago
- Government delivers more wellbeing support for young peopleThanks to more than $10-million in new services from the Government, more rangatahi will be able to access mental health and addiction support in their community. Minister of Health Andrew Little made the announcement today while visiting Odyssey House Christchurch and acknowledged that significant events like the devastating earthquakes ten ...2 weeks ago
- Government eases visa restrictions for visitors in New ZealandTwo month automatic visitor visa extension for most visitor visa holders Temporary waiver of time spent in New Zealand rule for visitor stays Visitor visa holders will be able to stay in New Zealand a little longer as the Government eases restrictions for those still here, the Minister of Immigration ...2 weeks ago
- Push for sustainable tourism gathers paceThe Tourism and Conservation Ministers say today’s report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) adds to calls to overhaul the tourism model that existed prior to COVID19. “The PCE tourism report joins a chorus of analysis which has established that previous settings, which prioritised volume over value, are ...2 weeks ago
- Government extends dietary supplements regulationsThe Government is providing certainty for the dietary supplements industry as we work to overhaul the rules governing the products, Minister for Food Safety Dr Ayesha Verrall said. Dietary supplements are health and wellness products taken orally to supplement a traditional diet. Some examples include vitamin and mineral supplements, echinacea, ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand to join the Council of Europe Convention on CybercrimeThe Government is joining the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime (the Budapest Convention), Justice Minister Kris Faafoi and Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications Dr David Clark announced today. The decision progresses a recommendation by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch terror attack to accede to ...2 weeks ago
- Appointment round in 2021 for Queen's CounselAttorney-General David Parker announced today that an appointment round for Queen’s Counsel will take place in 2021. Appointments of Queen’s Counsel are made by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Attorney-General and with the concurrence of the Chief Justice. The Governor-General retains the discretion to appoint Queen’s Counsel in ...2 weeks ago
- Government support for businesses kicks inThe new Resurgence Support Payment passed by Parliament this week will be available to eligible businesses now that Auckland will be in Alert Level 2 until Monday. “Our careful management of the Government accounts means we have money aside for situations like this. We stand ready to share the burden ...2 weeks ago
- Final preparations to ensure Phase 1 of the vaccination rollout is ready to goA dry run of the end-to-end process shows New Zealand’s COVID-19 vaccination programme is ready to roll from Saturday, when the first border workers will receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. “The trial run took place in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch yesterday afternoon, ahead of the ...2 weeks ago
- Free Period products to be available in all schools and kuraFrom June this year, all primary, intermediate, secondary school and kura students will have access to free period products, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti announced today. The announcement follows a successful Access to Period Products pilot programme, which has been running since Term 3 last ...2 weeks ago
- Government accounts remain in good shapeThe latest update shows the Government’s books are again in better shape than forecast, meaning New Zealand is still in a strong position to respond to any COVID-19 resurgence. The Crown Accounts for the six months to the end of December were better than forecast in the Half-year Economic and ...2 weeks ago
- Life on the hidden doughnuts of the Great Barrier Reef is also threatened by climate change
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mardi McNeil, Postdoctoral researcher, Queensland University of Technology Mention the Great Barrier Reef, and most people think of the rich beauty and colour of corals, fish and other sea life that are increasingly threatened by climate change. But there is another part ...5 mins ago - Before we introduce vaccine passports we need to know how they’ll be usedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Dare, Professor of Philosophy, University of Auckland Air New Zealand is to trial digital “vaccine passports” on trans-Tasman routes in April. A media release says: “The goal is to enable customers to seamlessly manage their digital travel documentation throughout their travel ...5 mins ago
- Delays in reporting alleged rapes are common — even years later. This isn’t a barrier to justiceSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bri Lee, PhD student, University of Sydney On Friday, an anonymous letter was sent to the prime minister’s office alleging a current federal cabinet minister raped a woman in 1988. This was followed two days later by an email alleging another “historical” ...5 mins ago
- We asked children around the world what they knew about COVID. This is what they saidSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karen Ford, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Nursing, University of Tasmania During the pandemic, children have been separated from family and friends, schools have been closed and there have been limitations on important activities, such as play. We know a good deal ...5 mins ago
- Photos from the field: beach-nesting birds are under attack from dogs, photographers and four-wheel ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Greenwell, PhD Candidate, Murdoch University Environmental scientists see flora, fauna and phenomena the rest of us rarely do. In this new series, we’ve invited them to share their unique photos from the field. Each year, oystercatchers, plovers and terns flock ...6 mins ago
- A degree promises a better life but social mobility has a downside tooSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Coleman, E.G. Whitlam Research Fellow, Whitlam Institute, Western Sydney University Higher education has long been associated with the promise of a good life. Participation, however, has no guarantees. Former prime minister Gough Whitlam argued that Australia’s higher education system was not ...6 mins ago
- Stuck in the past: why Australian heritage practice falls short of what the public expectsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Lesh, Research Fellow, Melbourne School of Design, The University of Melbourne Knowledge of local heritage protection measures and support for these are often lacking, according to a recent Heritage Council of Victoria report. The report suggests this points to a need ...6 mins ago
- Water markets aren’t perfect, but they are vital to the future of the Murray-DarlingSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Neal Hughes, Senior Economist, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) Water markets have come in for some bad press lately, fuelled in part by the severe drought of 2019 and resulting high water prices. They have also been ...6 mins ago
- Street art in a white cube: Rone at Geelong Gallery marries ephemeral beauty with a proven formulaSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Honig, Lecturer, The University of Melbourne Review: RONE in Geelong, Geelong Gallery In 2004, black-and-white posters of a woman staring into a distant horizon began appearing inexplicably throughout Melbourne. The images — of model Suzanne Brenchley, taken from a fashion magazine ...6 mins ago
- Live updates, March 2: ‘We’ve been pretty consistent’ – Bloomfield defends ministry messagin...
Live coverage of the snap lockdown and the search for a source of the latest infection. Auckland is now at alert level three, NZ at level two. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 7.50am: ‘We’ve been pretty consistent’ – Bloomfield defends ministry commsThe director general of health Ashley Bloomfield has admitted that ...26 mins ago - The Bulletin: Self-isolation system under heavy scrutinyGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Self-isolation system under heavy scrutiny, first home deposit requirements rising rapidly, and should South Auckland get vaccine first?The government’s leave support scheme for those supposed to self-isolate has paid out only a small portion of the available budget to date, reports Stuff’s Henry ...56 mins ago
- Review asks how Govt can get the new drugs it wants funded
The much-vaunted Pharmac inquiry will investigate how the drug-buying agency can fall into line with national health priorities. A review of Pharmac drug funding, being announced today, will investigate how the government drug-buying agency can better respond to specific government health priorities around emerging drugs and more. The review was a cornerstone of ...1 hour ago - Rocket Lab merger speculation swirls after report
Business & Investing: Big moves tipped for Kiwi space company Rocket Lab, Plus first real estate agent warned over money laundering provisions ...2 hours ago - Watercare seeks Govt help with $2.5b infrastructure hole
Auckland’s water authority thought it was doing the right thing to deal with decades of infrastructure underspending. Then Covid got in the way. ...2 hours ago - Willie Jackson unleashes on Māori colleagues
National’s Simon Bridges and ACT’s David Seymour are a “total waste of bloody time’’ when it comes to advocating for their own Māori people, says Willie Jackson ...3 hours ago - Outside lockdown, scanning doesn't stick
Analysis: Data provided by the Ministry of Health shows daily scan numbers spike whenever alert levels are raised but quickly subsides when normality returns, Marc Daalder reports As New Zealand yo-yos in and out of lockdown, New Zealanders are yo-yoing in and out of scanning QR codes. The latest data ...3 hours ago - Show your working please, Climate Commission
The Climate Commission has an urgent task, but not so urgent that the work should forgo basic scrutiny. ...3 hours ago - Show media the money, Mr Zuckerberg
It's good that Facebook will finally pay for using other people's news content, writes columnist Rachel Peters. But that money shouldn't go directly to the big corporates When Facebook was launched it really was a social network. My generation, millennials, were early adopters, and the way we used it was ...3 hours ago - Last in line for Covid vaccine
Analysis: Watching Aucklanders playing it fast and loose with level 3 rules this week, it’s clear that repeated lockdowns aren’t a sustainable answer. Our hope – for our health, and for our economy – lies in vaccination I will be last in line for the Covid vaccine ... but I will definitely ...3 hours ago - Watson embraces challenges in Silver Ferns milestone
As the Silver Ferns finally return to the court against archrivals Australia, world champion goal keep Jane Watson is ready to face a few more challenges on the eve of her 50th test. Fingers crossed, Mary and Ross Watson will be sitting in the virtually empty stands of the Christchurch Arena ...3 hours ago - A divorce in St Heliers
Private investigator Ron McQuilter writes about his surveillance of the unfaithful wife of an Auckland businessman Let's call the couple in this story Colin and Amanda. They lived in a huge home in St Heliers with breathtaking view of the inner harbour and Rangitoto Island. I met Colin at a ...3 hours ago - Myanmar citizens fight for 'freedom from fear'
What has driven usually-obedient Myanmar citizens to put their lives and livelihood at risk by participating in the anti-coup protests and the civil disobedience movement? The people of Myanmar are out on the streets, exposing themselves and their families to harm, to take part in protests against the military take-over ...3 hours ago - How did we get vaccines so quickly?
In less than a year, we have available licensed Covid-19 vaccines. This is incredible progress - so how did we do it? This year feels very different from last year, in a good way. While the pandemic continues to rampage around the world, we are starting to see genuinely positive ...3 hours ago - Climate action speaks louder than words
Mark Thomas attended a Climate Change Commission consultation session on its big recommendations for New Zealand. In his view, attendees were split between those who think the commission lacks ambition and those who say its report lacks authentication. The words climate emergency do not appear in the Climate Change Commission’s ...3 hours ago - Lockdowns keeping psychologists busy
Although New Zealand has emerged from the first year of the global pandemic relatively unscathed, psychologists and counsellors have reported record numbers of Kiwis seeking therapy. Some of the longer-lasting scars of the pandemic may be invisible, writes Matthew Scott. Lucia* had just over a month in Paris before the ...3 hours ago - The trouble with demands for a police crackdown on Covid isolation rule-dodgersThere are legal and moral issues around enforcement for failing to properly isolate. But if our goal is stamping out Covid, don’t overlook the unintended consequences, writes law professor Andrew Geddis.Our Covid-19 coverage is funded by The Spinoff Members. To help our journalists stay on top of this and ...3 hours ago
- Should South Auckland get the vaccine first?The Covid-19 cluster linked to Papatoetoe High School emerges as the first batch of vaccines arrived on our shores. A number of people now are calling for jabs for the community to be expedited.Phil Goff has called for Auckland to be prioritised in the public rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine. ...3 hours ago
- Is the Ardern government’s kindness mantra beginning to fray?The breaches that have put Auckland back into lockdown have sparked anger across the country, but the prime minister says there’s nothing she can do about people breaking the rules – that’s up to you. Justin Giovannetti reports.Jacinda Ardern says she understands the country is “upset, frustrated and angry” with ...3 hours ago
- Bye, Bye, Babies – our declining birthrate
New Zealand's plummeting birthrate means we have some serious planning to do Over the past decade, New Zealand's fertility rate has plummeted. It now sits around 1.6 children per woman, on average - a decrease of around 20 percent in the last decade, and well below the replacement rate of ...3 hours ago - Cabinet minister ‘categorically’ denies historical rape allegation: MorrisonSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison has said the cabinet minister accused of historical rape denies the allegation “categorically”. As calls for an inquiry into the alleged assault continued, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull urged the man to identify ...8 hours ago
- 4 key takeaways from the aged care royal commission’s final reportSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Director, Health Program, Grattan Institute The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety’s final report into aged care has laid out an extensive plan to overhaul Australia’s aged-care system. Among the 148 recommendations, the report calls for a new ...9 hours ago
- View from The Hill: royal commission confronts Morrison government with call for aged care tax levySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has recommended a levy to help fund aged care on a sustainable basis, and given the federal government two radically different options for running a reformed ...11 hours ago
- The Bachelorette NZ recap: Lexie makes her final choiceBachelor superfans Jane Yee and Tara Ward grab their roses and climb aboard the paddleboard of love to discuss the grand finale of The Bachelorette NZ.Hear Jane Yee and Duncan Greive grapple with Lexie’s decision in this special emergency edition of The Real Pod. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere else ...12 hours ago
- Royal Commission confronts Morrison government with call for aged care tax levySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has recommended a levy to help fund aged care on a sustainable basis, and given the federal government two radically different options for running a reformed ...12 hours ago
- Compliant Aucklanders let down by checkpoint chaos
The sudden lockdown in Auckland over the weekend was accompanied by checkpoints on the city’s boundaries to stop non-essential movement through the region. Newsroom’s co-editor Mark Jennings was one of those caught in in a queue that trapped some people for up to 10 hours. The main police checkpoint ...13 hours ago - The Boy Who Talked to Dogs: a story of trauma brought to the stage with honesty and graceSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William Peterson, Associate Professor, Flinders University Review: The Boy Who Talked to Dogs, directed by Andy Packer. Slingsby and the State Theatre Company of South Australia for the Adelaide Festival. Telling the story of a living person truthfully is difficult. Adapting the ...13 hours ago
- Prime Minister changes tune on narking
As the Government battles Covid complacency and non-compliance, the Prime Minister has given the team of five million permission to self-police the rule-breakers. The complete change of tune from the top is just one of many mixed messages in recent days, writes political editor Jo Moir. Two things have been hammered ...14 hours ago - Renewables need land – and lots of it. That poses tricky questions for regional AustraliaSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bonnie McBain, Lecturer, University of Newcastle Renewable energy capacity in Australia is expected to double, or even triple, over the next 20 years. There is one oft-overlooked question in this transition: where will it all be built? Many renewable energy technologies need ...14 hours ago
- How can governments communicate with multicultural Australians about COVID vaccines? It’s not as s...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Holly Seale, Associate professor, UNSW Australia launched its COVID-19 vaccination campaign last week, beginning with frontline workers in hotel quarantine, health care and aged care. But one critical question is whether the immunisation program will meet the needs of people from culturally ...15 hours ago
- Playing Beatie Bow is brought to thundering life in a joyous stage productionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanessa Berry, Lecturer in Creative Writing, University of Sydney Review: Playing Beatie Bow, directed by Kip Williams. Playing Beatie Bow is the coming-of-age story of the teenage Abigail who, from her home in Sydney’s The Rocks, slips back in time to 1873. ...16 hours ago
- Call For Improved Planning In Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout To Front Line Healthcare Workers
GPNZ (General Practice New Zealand) is calling for a more co-ordinated and planned approach to ensure that available Covid-19 vaccines are able to be accessed by those health care practitioners working within at-risk communities. “It’s easy to understand ...17 hours ago - Review: E Oho is a simple, gorgeous platformer for all kinds of gamersA new side-scrolling adventure game takes you, the atua Pūhaorangi, through the celestial realms to find your son Ohomairangi.Developed by Maru Nihoniho’s (Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāi Tahu) studio Metia Interactive, E Oho: The Awakening is a follow-up of sorts to the studio’s previous work, Pūhaorangi. But whereas ...17 hours ago
- We’re hiring: social media manager, The SpinoffA new role working in The Spinoff’s Morningside office to manage social media platforms for The Spinoff and Daylight Creative.Role SummaryThe Spinoff is seeking a Social Media Manager for The Spinoff and our sister studio Daylight Creative. The role is Auckland-based and full-time, will be to apply social strategy for ...17 hours ago
- I asked hundreds of people about their biggest life decisions. Here’s what I learnedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian R. Camilleri, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, University of Technology Sydney You make decisions all the time. Most are small. However, some are really big: they have ramifications for years or even decades. In your final moments, you might well think back ...18 hours ago
- Current Emergency Housing Not A Solution For Teen ParentsE Tipu E Rea Whānau supports mātua taiohi (young parents) aged 14-22 in Auckland. Since October last year, nearly a third of our mātua taiohi have had to access MSD-funded immediate housing in motels. While the issue of youth homelessness has been publicised ...18 hours ago
- Our Intentions: Looking At The Covid-19 Vaccine Roll-out...18 hours ago
- Tranquillity and Ruin: An essay collection to focus the mindAlie Benge abandons all attempts to pin down a beautiful, brainy book by Danyl McLauchlan. As I sat down with Tranquillity and Ruin in the work lunch room, I wondered what I’d say if someone asked what I was reading. I could say it was a book about existence and meditation, ...18 hours ago
- A rare and significant win for prisoners — new limits around drug tests and strip searchesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Greg Barns, Sessional Lecturer in Law, RMIT University Australian prisoners are regularly subjected to drug and alcohol testing and strip searches. Each state and territory has rules that allow for drug testing and strip searching in prisons, driven by a desire to ...19 hours ago
- Despite claims NZ’s policing is too ‘woke’, crime rates are largely static — and even declin...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ananish Chaudhuri, Professor of Behavioural and Experimental Economics, University of Auckland When National MP Simon Bridges called Police Commissioner Andrew Coster a “wokester” recently, his intention was apparently to suggest the police are too soft on crime. Debating the concept of “policing ...19 hours ago
- Graham Davis: Fat-cat leaders laughing in the face of Fiji’s sufferingCOMMENTARY: By Graham Davis Last month, I wrote on Facebook that the resumption of my blog Grubsheet for 2021 was being postponed out of consideration for the national effort to assist the victims of tropical cyclones Yasa and Ana. I made the observation that it was not the time for ...19 hours ago
- Nuclear Free And Independent Pacific Day 2021Today, 1 March, is Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Day - the 67th anniversary of the 'Bravo' nuclear bomb detonation by the United States close to the surface of Bikini Atoll, in the Marshall Islands, which blasted out a crater more than 200 ...19 hours ago
- South Auckland DHB chief: NZ owes our people a ‘debt of gratitude’Another lockdown, another round of recriminations, but, as Justin Latif reports, the very region being blamed has also been at the forefront of keeping the virus at bay. Our Covid-19 coverage is funded by The Spinoff Members. To help our journalists stay on top of this and other vital ...19 hours ago
- NZ covid: Ardern on latest 3 cases: ‘Everyone is angry… we have to fix it’By RNZ News Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she gets that everyone is angry over the latest New Zealand community covid-19 cases after it emerged there was contact between two families, but the important thing is to fix the situation. Contact between the families was not disclosed to contact tracers ...20 hours ago
- What’s new to Netflix NZ, Neon and other streaming services in MarchWhat are you going to be watching in March? With thanks to our friends at Nando‘s, we round up everything that’s coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ on Demand.The biggiesScratched: Aotearoa’s Lost Sporting Legends (on TVNZ on Demand from March ...20 hours ago
- Thoughts on why some young people flout the rules
Why are people - particularly young people - not obeying isolation orders? Dr Celia Lie examines the behaviours behind compliance to Covid guidelines. We have woken up today with New Zealand in varying states of lockdown (Level 3 for Auckland, and Level 2 for the rest of New Zealand) due to ...20 hours ago - Welfare beneficiaries to get their annual increase soon but poverty action group is bound to press f...
Our Beehive Bulletin … Good news flowed from the Beehive at the weekend for Ngāti Maru treaty claimants and – affecting significantly more people – welfare beneficiaries. Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced that main benefits will increase by 3.1 percent on 1 April, in line with the ...21 hours ago - Bringing Kiwi pies to locked down LondonersStuck in another gloomy London lockdown and missing home, five New Zealand friends decided to bring a pastry-bound piece of Aotearoa to the people.A group of Kiwi mates were tucking into a steak pie in their London flat when it struck them that the British equivalent of the New Zealand ...21 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – March 01 2021Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Today’s content Covid: Auckland community outbreak Richard Harman: Ardern’s new tough talk Claire Trevett (Herald): When will Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s patience with rule-breakers wear thin? (paywalled) Thomas Manch (Stuff): Blame and fear for ...22 hours ago
- Bring back the Delamere flipTuariki Delamere’s sensational long jump technique could have been a game changer, writes track and field historian Grant Birkinshaw. He’s calling for the ban to be revoked. At a college track and field championships meet in 1974, a New Zealand long jumper representing Washington State University did something that had never ...22 hours ago
- On the waka to carbon zero: Where have we come from, and where are we going?The Climate Change Commission’s report is trying to stop our ship from sinking. Nadine Anne Hura goes in search of its whakapapa and a story to try to make sense of it.I was 20 in 1998 and working at the New Zealand embassy in Buenos Aires. It was an unlikely ...23 hours ago
- Jacinda Ardern on latest Covid-19 cases: 'Everyone is angry… I get that'
Jacinda Ardern says she gets that everyone is angry over the latest community cases after it emerged there was contact between two families, but the important thing is to fix the situation. ...23 hours ago - Views Sought On Additional Proposals For The ETS Forestry RegulationsTe Uru Rākau - Forestry New Zealand is seeking feedback on proposed amendments to the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) Forestry Regulations that it hopes will encourage new planting of both indigenous and exotic forest. These latest proposals ...24 hours ago
- Just the facts, or more detail? To battle vaccine hesitancy, the messaging has to be just rightSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Senior Lecturer, University of Western Australia As Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine roll-out commences, all eyes are on the government’s communication strategy — particularly with some studies finding vaccine hesitancy is on the rise in the country. Our new study arrives at ...1 day ago
- 3 ways to vaccinate the world and make sure everyone benefits, rich and poorSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Toole, Professor of International Health, Burnet Institute As of February 25, a total of 221.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered around the world. Well over one-third of these doses were in just two countries — the United States ...1 day ago
- Look up! A powerful owl could be sleeping in your backyard after a night surveying kilometres of ter...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Bradsworth, PhD Candidate, Deakin University Picture this: you’re in your backyard gardening when you get that strange, ominous feeling of being watched. You find a grey oval-shaped ball about the size of a thumb, filled with bones and fur — a ...1 day ago
- RMIT attack underlines need to train all uni staff in cyber safetySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Abu Barkat ullah, Associate Professor of Cyber Security, University of Canberra Cyber criminals are very persistent and the daily numbers of cyber attacks show no sign of decreasing. The latest reported attack on an Australian university has disrupted the start of the ...1 day ago
- Teachers are expected to put on a brave face and ignore their emotions. We need to talk about itSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Saul Karnovsky, Lecturer & Bachelor of Education (Secondary) Course Coordinator, Curtin University Australian universities enrol thousands of people to become teachers. Some who choose to study education are motivated by a desire to make a difference to the lives of young people, ...1 day ago
- Clarice Beckett exhibition is a sensory appreciation of her magical moments in timeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Speck, Professorial Fellow (Honorary), The University of Melbourne Review: Clarice Beckett — The Present Moment, Art Gallery of South Australia Featuring the artist’s luscious and distinctive soft focus, the Art Gallery of South Australia’s newly opened Clarice Beckett exhibition, curated by ...1 day ago
- Live updates, March 1: New Covid-19 case had contact with infected family during level threeAll the latest developments as the restrictions kick in and the search for a source of the latest infection continues. Auckland is now at alert level three, NZ at level two. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz Our Members make The Spinoff happen. Every dollar contributed directly funds our editorial team – ...1 day ago
- Going cold turkey on NZ addiction to drug funding
Big pharmaceutical companies have agreed to disclose payments to doctors and nurses – and some have stopped funding advocacy groups. ...1 day ago - The Bulletin: How did we end up back in lockdown?Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: How did we end up back in lockdown, employers accused of not offering wage-subsidy pay to staff, and disgust at Uyghur impersonation at Chinese New Year festivities.If you haven’t checked the news, or got the phone alert, or talked to ...1 day ago
- Why Are Police Stopping People Entering Auckland?28 February “The Government needs to explain why people are being blocked from going IN to Auckland,” says ACT Leader David Seymour "People are beside themselves and ambulances have been reported rescuing people caught in a monumental traffic ...1 day ago
- Democratic Process Ignored AgainThe Local Electoral (Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill has now passed through parliament. While there are many things that have caused consternation with people, like previously held referenda being disregarded, the process this bill ...1 day ago
- National wants Covid-19 rule-breakers to be punished 'so others don't do it as well'The National Party wants Covid-19 rule-breakers to be slapped with tough sanctions after Auckland was plunged back into lockdown over the weekend. ...1 day ago
- Pandemic in America
A personal essay from University of Otago academic Amanda Barusch on living in a United States that has lost more than half a million people to Covid-19 Half a million. Half a million Americans are dead from Covid-19. Early this year, the Public Broadcasting System started running stories of the ...1 day ago
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