Posts Tagged ‘cca’
Prisons for profit
Written By: - Date published: 5:50 pm, October 28th, 2008 - 47 comments
National’s announcement that it plans to privatise the prison system says a lot about the party’s underlying values. Say what you like about National’s temporary flip-flops, underneath they haven’t changed a bit. Whether it’s ACC, privatising assets, drafting electoral law or reforming the Resource Management Act, the National Party stands for entrenching private power at […]
- Climate Change: Strike!
Tens of thousands of students are skipping school today to strike for the climate. If you don't understand what this is about, you haven't been reading the news. The planet is burning, and their future is at risk. So, they're ...20 mins ago - Three Christians walk into a bar… and none of them win election
Three Christians walk into a bar. A Catholic, a Presbyterian and a Life Church member... None of them vote for the same party. No, it's not much of a punch line, I confess. But then the idea of a Christian ...12 hours ago - Plundering the PlanetOver two centuries ago, the first-ever professor of economics, Thomas Malthus, predicted that levels of personal income would stagnate. He argued that there was a limited supply of land and that, given diminishing returns, additional farmers would produce less additional ...14 hours ago
- Climate Change: Submit!The Environment Committee has called for submissions on the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill. To submit, fill out the online form by Tuesday, 16 July 2019. This is an important bill, and I urge everyone to submit on ...21 hours ago
- Destiny’s ChildBack in 2003, Destiny Church theocrat Brian Tamaki founded a political party, Destiny New Zealand, to rail against modern society. In the 2005 election, it gained just 0.62% of the vote. But Tamaki is undeterred, so he's trying again:Destiny Church ...21 hours ago
- The UK has no friends leftBack in February, the International Court of Justice ruled that UK had violated international law in its ethnic cleansing of the Chagos Islands, and ordered that they be handed back to Mauritius. Today the UN General Assembly voted on a ...23 hours ago
- Introducing a new citizens initiative for carbon pricing in Europe
A new European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) called “The fast, fair and effective solution to climate change” was launched on May 6. The proposal asks that the European Commission introduce a carbon-pricing policy known as Carbon Fee and Dividend at the ...1 day ago - Let Fonterra dieFonterra is complaining that the offshore oil exploration ban could impede its plans to switch from coal to gas. Basicly, they're worried about future gas supplies and whether they can switch to a fuel which may no longer be available. ...2 days ago
- The misogyny of the alt-Right.
Comments about Green MP Golriz Ghahraman by ACT MP David Seymour on a reactionary radio talk show, and the threats that followed and which the Police deemed serious enough to merit a security detail for her, got me to thinking ...2 days ago - Member’s DayToday is a Member's Day. While it was originally expected to be the second reading of David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill, National's bigots have successfully filibustered the past few Member's Days, so that now looks like it won't ...2 days ago
- Climate Change: We are not prepared for thisA couple of years ago the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment warned us of a "slow-moving red zone" due to sea-level rise. According to their estimates, tens of thousands of homes and billions of dollars of infrastructure were at risk. ...2 days ago
- The Game of Thrones finale: A review
A review of the last ever episode of Game of Thrones (Spoiler alert!) ...3 days ago - This is not acceptable in a democracyLast week, ACT leader David Seymour called Green MP Golriz Ghahraman "a real menace to freedom in this country" over her views on hate speech. He said this in an environment where Ghahraman regularly receives death threats. And now, thanks ...3 days ago
- A toxic workplaceThe report of the Independent External Review into Bullying and Harassment in the New Zealand Parliamentary Workplace was released today, and it paints a picture of a toxic workplace where bullying is rife. MP's bully staff, MP's bully each other, ...3 days ago
- Climate Change: More emergenciesLast week, ECan declared a climate change emergency, becoming the first local authority in New Zealand to do so. They were swiftly followed by Nelson, and Christchurch looks like it will follow suit this week. And from a report on ...3 days ago
- NZDF’s secret rules of engagementThere's been another dump of documents from the Operation Burnham "inquiry", this time about rules of engagement. In the past, NZDF has refused to release these due to "national security", on the odd theory that if it were publicly known ...3 days ago
- The Parting of the Ways
Perhaps it’s because of the sheer size – and therefore enormous potential – of their country, but Australians have always demonstrated a harder-edged nationalism than have Kiwis. And that tendency has become even more apparent in recent years, when they ...4 days ago - NZ National will use extreme Parties to appear “more reasonable” as a method of vote gathering i...
Current member of the National Party, List MP Alfred Ngaro, has declared he has an intent towards the possibility of setting up a Christian-oriented “values” party. Simon Bridges initially denied discussion, but we all know his denials are really never ...4 days ago - Australia votes for the same old shitAustralians went to the polls over the weekend, and have apparently re-elected the shit party to government. It was unexpected, but I guess that's what happens when you have a media landscape utterly dominated by a highly partisan monopoly. Meanwhile, ...4 days ago
- Don’t let industry crowd out student voice
New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations National President JamesRanstead argues student voice is crucial in the Reform of VocationalEducation ...4 days ago - Genesis clings to coalBack in 2015, SOE Genesis Energy committed to shutting down the last two coal-fired units at its Huntly power-plant by December 2018. Last year they pushed back that commitment to 2030. And now, they're weakening it still further:The country's largest ...4 days ago
- Equality (finally) comes to TaiwanBack in 2017, Taiwan's highest court ruled that violated “the people’s freedom of marriage” and “the people’s right to equality”, and gave the legislature to enact a marriage equality law. And over the weekend, just one week before the deadline ...4 days ago
- Ignoring the OmbudsmanBack in 2017, after then-Transport Minister Simon Bridges had been caught red-handed unlawfully interfering with an OIA request about Auckland rail upgrades, the Ombudsman recommended that government agencies develop formal protocols with Ministers to limit Ministerial interference. So how's that ...4 days ago
- 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #20
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, May 12 through Sat, May 18, 2019 Editor's Pick 12 excuses for climate inaction and how to refute them Using moral ...5 days ago - Anti-abortion arguments are increasingly secular, but remain unconvincing and misogynistic
While abortion laws in New Zealand are likely to be liberalised, in the US abortion rights are being rolled back. This article from Feminist Current looks at the way the anti abortion movement is reframing its arguments. by Karen Jolly ...6 days ago - New research, May 6-12, 2019
A selection of new climate related research articles is shown below. This post has separate sections for: Climate Change, Climate Change Impacts, Climate Change Mitigation, and Other Papers. Climate change An example of principal component analysis application on climate change ...6 days ago - Workers increasingly less keen about British Labour Party
by Sean Kearns It appears that even in Britain, where a lot of unions remain affiliated to Labour, the working class itself is less attached to Labour. The bureaucratic leaderships keep unions chained to Labour, the workers are just not ...7 days ago - Valuing Xero again
In October 2013 I wrote about “Valuing Xero in one hour“, and (although it had a bug) came up with a forecast that justified the then $2.2 billion valuation of Xero with a Weighted Average Cost of Capital of 18%. ...7 days ago - Climate Change: Tweaking the ETSClimate Change Minister James Shaw has announced the latest decisions in the government's programme to tweak the Emissions Trading Scheme to make it actually discourage pollution rather than subsidise it. There's a commitment to begin auctioning units from late next ...7 days ago
- Neither socially not environmentally responsibleDunedin will play host to the New Zealand Minerals Forum at the end of the month, where the companies who dig up New Zealand and destroy our natural environment for private profit will conspire on how to pillage more effectively ...7 days ago
- Time to get out of IraqCabinet will be considering whether to pull out of Iraq this month. Meanwhile, thanks to the US openly threatening war with Iran, other countries with military forces there are withdrawing them:Germany and the Netherlands have suspended their military training programmes ...7 days ago
- A handmaid party?Earlier in the year, National helped failed Green leadership candidate Vernon Tava set up a "teal" astroturf party, sustainablenz. It seems to have sunk without a trace, without even registering a logo with the Electoral Commission, let alone applying for ...7 days ago
- Frustrations of an unreconstructed, unrepentant KeynesianThose with a progressive agenda (and yes, I count myself as one) have been frustrated by our own inability and reluctance to engage head-on in the most important argument in political discourse – the role, function and objective of government.read ...1 week ago
- What Do We Mean by Wellbeing?There is a story of a little old lady who woke up after a close election and was told that the result was a ‘hung parliament’. She responded that she did not know what that meant, but it sounded like ...1 week ago
- UK spies are not above the lawIn a major decision, the UK Supreme Court has ruled that that country's spies are not above the law:Government security decisions will in future be open to challenge in the courts after judges ruled that a secretive intelligence tribunal could ...1 week ago
- Ghostwriitng Unacceptable says TEU‘Cheating by university students paying ‘ghostwriters’ to write essays for them is totally unacceptable and requires a nationally co-ordinated response’, says the New Zealand Tertiary Education Union. ...1 week ago
- Climate Change: A climate emergency in CanterburyECan has just declared a climate emergency, becoming the first local authority in New Zealand to do so. But what does it mean? Their declaration included this:Environment Canterbury declares a climate emergency and commits to continue to: robustly and visibly ...1 week ago
- Beneficiaries are treated worse than criminalsAn investigation by the Privacy Commissioner has found that WINZ systematically misused its powers, conducting intrusive and illegal searches into beneficiaries' lives in violation of both the Social Security Act and Privacy Act. Searches like this:“In one instance, a beneficiary ...1 week ago
- International Support Personnel DayWith trade unions across the world, we are standing up as members of Education International to mark International Support Personnel Day. ...1 week ago
- Hard News: Rip It Up: A history of us, a history of me
I love the National's Library's Papers Past archive. I've used it many times for work and sometimes just for fun. The one thing I never thought I'd be able to do is vanity-search on it. And yet, here it is: ...1 week ago - Why is John Bolton constantly given power instead of a one-way ticket to a padded cell?
Bolton has never conceded that invading Iraq was a mistake, in fact he considers it to this day still as a roaring success. His history in public life is that of an unrepentant, ignorant thug of a politician, a persona ...1 week ago - Above the lawA big myth in this country is that we are all equal under the law. If someone commits a crime, they get prosecuted, regardless of who they are. We already know that that's a myth when it comes to race ...1 week ago
- Britain wants its troops to commit war crimesThat's the only conclusion that can be drawn from its "vow" to introduce an amnesty for crimes committed by soldiers and to derogate from the ECHR:The new defence secretary has promised to introduce an amnesty on historical prosecutions for military ...1 week ago
- Left Network for Free SpeechHate speech’ laws are being considered in New Zealand. We believe it is important to defend free speech. This is an important issue that the left should take up. If you’d like to be a part of the Left Network ...1 week ago
- Climate Change: The Zero Carbon Bill and the ETSOne of the criticisms of the government's Zero Carbon Bill is that it is toothless: the independent Climate Change Commission can set budgets and advise on plans, but has no power to implement anything. Greenpeace for example wanted the Commission ...1 week ago
- Highway to Hell!
(fire, California)Some time ago Jeanette Fitzsimons described our action on climate change like a car driving rapidly to a precipice while the occupants argue about whether they should maybe change down a gear. If we are to continue with this ...1 week ago - Defending Privilege“Business as usual” is always the catch-cry of those who are happy with the way things are. “Let’s not change anything” makes sense to those who are doing well and see no reason to run any risks in case that ...1 week ago
- IPCC Updates Methodology for Greenhouse Gas InventoriesKYOTO, Japan, May 13 – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released on Monday an update to its methodology used by governments to estimate their greenhouse gas emissions and removals. Governments are required to report their national greenhouse gas ...1 week ago
- Does international chemical watchdog cherry-pick evidence to confirm a bias?
Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons headquarters in The Hague. Image credit: Prensa Latina Ready Syria to Cooperate with Organization Against Chemical Weapons Multinational bodies, like ... 1 week ago - Rotuman Language Week 12 – 19 May 2019Rotuman bisikete: reactivating forgotten words ...1 week ago
- Money for Reform Vocational EducationThe Tertiary Education Union Te Hautū Kahurangi welcomes the pre-budget announcement of $197 million for the reform of vocational education saying it’s a step in the right direction. ...1 week ago
- Is Donald Trump Really A Deal-Maker?As Donald Trump surveys the current state of his relationships with China, Iran and North Korea, with all of whom he has recently engaged in a somewhat confrontational way, even someone as resistant to self-doubt as the US President might ...1 week ago
- Netanyahu does a BerlusconiIsraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being prosecuted for corruption. So how is he planning to avoid it? A law granting him immunity would not survive judicial scrutiny. So, he plans to remove that scrutiny entirely:The new far-reaching bill would ...1 week ago
- Chipping away at the OIALast week I highlighted an odious secrecy clause in the government's Zero Carbon Bill, which unnecessarily exempted information from the Official Information Act, undermining transparency and accountability. The government's Equal Pay Amendment Bill is back from select committee today, and ...1 week ago
- Over 600,000 views on RedlineEarlier today Redline reached a total of 600,000 views since we began in June 2011. This is a modest total, but not bad for a hardcore marxist blog at the arse-end of the world, and based in perhaps the most ...2 weeks ago
- Climate Change: Shifting the groundThe UK's Climate Change Committee has recommended toughening their target to net zero emissions by 2050. And the change has the overwhelming support of the UK public:A majority of voters would support radical action to slash greenhouse gases to nearly ...2 weeks ago
- New Fisk2 weeks ago
- CapturedWhy is MBIE so supportive of the oil industry, why do they come up with outrageous estimates of the value of the oil industry to New Zealand, and why do they see environmentalists as a threat to be suppressed by ...2 weeks ago
- Teachers have had enoughSo, its on. On May 29, the day before Labour's "wellbeing budget", the centrepiece of its political year when it tries to send a good news message about what its doing, the teachers are going on strike. They've been overworked ...2 weeks ago
- Sharing With Our Feathered FriendsMy wife grew up in suburban London – not an environment that was conducive, one might think, to developing an interest in wild life. But her father was a bird lover and he helped her, too, to develop a love ...2 weeks ago
- Access: You just need a sense of humour“You just need a sense of humour”. I heard this patronising and unhelpful advice from a panellist at an Autism New Zealand Conference many years ago. What about access to education and services, understanding, financial and other support?These words came ...2 weeks ago
- The Giddens Project: New Times, the Third Way and the future of politicsThe Giddens Project has its origins in my association with 'Third Way' politics during my time as a member of the New Zealand parliament between 1990 and 2008.read more ...2 weeks ago
- 2019 International Solidarity Conference in Cubaby Jon Flanders Once again this year I traveled to Cuba on a delegation that visited many interesting sites on the island, once of them being the huge May Day march in Havana. Cuba celebrates May Day as a national ...2 weeks ago
- 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #19
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, May 5 through Sat, May 11, 2019 Editor's Pick Proposal to spend 25% of EU budget on climate change Schoolchildren ...2 weeks ago - All is trueFilm review by Don Franks All is not true but lots is good in the Shakespeare movie now showing in Wellington. In “All is true” , Ben Elton’s script combines, happily to this viewer, the little that’s known of historical Shakespeare ...2 weeks ago
- New research, April 29 – May 5, 2019A selection of new climate related research articles is shown below. This post has separate sections for: Climate Change, Climate Change Impacts, Climate Change Mitigation, and Other Papers. Climate change mitigation Climate change communication Climate change and educational attainment in ...2 weeks ago
- Ngā piki, ngā heke – Ten years togetherThis week Tertiary Update reviews the major speeches of the 2019 AnnualConference so that all members have a chance to engage with our largest ...2 weeks ago
- National Secretary’s ReportAddress of the National Secretary, Sharn Riggs, to TEU’s 2019 Conference.Following another fantastic turnout at our tenth annual conference ...2 weeks ago
- Sending out an SOS – 130 take the pledge so far130 general and academic staff from community tertiary education providers,polytechnics, universities, and wānanga pledged to get their ...2 weeks ago
- British government wants impunity for its crimesImagine if a government argued that murderers and rapists should not be "pursued unfairly for events that took place decades ago". That's exactly what the British Minister of Defence is arguing for soldiers:The new defence secretary, Penny Mordaunt, declared that ...2 weeks ago
- Awhi atu, awhi mai – Fighting Islamophobia, hate, and racismIbrahim Omer, union organiser at E Tū and Chair of Change Makers Resettlement Forum,reflects on his journey in New Zealand as a refugee, and ...2 weeks ago
- From the conference floor and beyondTEU’s annual conference was two days of mahi, debate, fun, and planning for 130 TEU members and the staff who support them. ...2 weeks ago
- TEU Awards 2019Two new members of the TEU were inducted as life members at the Annual Conference 2019 – Carol Soal, Ara Aoraki, and Sandra Grey, Victoria Uni ...2 weeks ago
- Government’s climate change plan does not go far enoughNew Zealand’s lead author on the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange (IPCC) report has said the ...2 weeks ago
- Hard News: Music: Some deep beliefThere's a strange thing about having songwriters as longtime friends. On the one hand there are years when you're mates getting in the same scrapes; they're smoking your weed and you're drinking their riders; you're all fitfully growing up, not ...2 weeks ago
- Safety focus in improved drug driver testing
Improving the safety of all road users is the focus of a new public consultation document on the issue of drug driver testing. Plans for public consultation on options to improve the drug driver testing process have been announced by ...1 week ago - Making it easier to get help from PolicePolice Minister Stuart Nash says calling a cop suddenly got a whole lot easier with the launch of a ground-breaking new service for non-emergency calls. “The single non-emergency number ‘ten-five’ is designed to provide better service for the public and ...2 weeks ago
- More Police deployed to the regionsFrontline Police numbers have been boosted with today’s deployment of 77 new officers to the regions. Police Minister Stuart Nash today congratulated the recruits of Wing 325 who graduated at a formal ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Police College. ...2 weeks ago
- ANZASW on new intensive social work services
The Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) notes the introduction of new intensive services by Oranga Tamariki, Ministry for Children, designed to reduce the number of children / tamariki uplifted into state care. ...18 mins ago - Dignity calls for free access to sanitary itemsDignity is calling on the Government to provide free sanitary products in all schools across the country to ensure girls have dignity and autonomy to access products of their choice when needed. ...58 mins ago
- Dawn of the Wellbeing Budget – revolution or facade?Wellbeing, kindness and compassion have been promoted by our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as central to how her government makes policy and determines its budget. But how can a government budget for wellbeing? ...1 hour ago
- Youth groups collaborate to Elbow Elders for climate actionGeneration Zero and School Strike 4 Climate are launching their Elbow Your Elders campaign today to coincide with the strikes happening around the country. Both groups recognise the need for the Zero Carbon Act to be more ambitious and strong ...2 hours ago
- National’s Debt Comments A Losing StrategyNational’s response to the government loosening of it's debt target shows it has learnt nothing from it's 9 years in government or it's electoral defeat. ...2 hours ago
- Major underestimates of climate change in MoE documentsMajor underestimates of climate change in Ministry for Environment guidance documents ...2 hours ago
- Petition to tax sugary drinks can’t be ignored (again)Aotearoa New Zealand is spending more than $20 million every year to anaesthetise children so they can undergo multiple tooth extractions as a consequence of consuming sugary drinks. This is one of the reasons that University of Auckland academic Dr ...2 hours ago
- Debt level shift creates opportunity for accelerated actionWelcoming today’s announcement of a change in New Zealand’s debt from 20% to a band of between 15-and-25% of GDP, Barnett said it is a step forward. It could allow the injection of $15b or more into the NZ economy ...16 hours ago
- Local government Vote 2019 campaign gains major partnersLocal Government New Zealand (LGNZ) has signed up a number of major partners for the Vote 2019 campaign to lift nationwide voter turnout in local elections and increase the public’s engagement with their local council. Although local election turnout ...18 hours ago
- Request government cancel multi-million purchase from IsraelThe Palestine Solidarity Network has written to Minister of Defence Ron Mark asking him to urgently cancel a reported New Zealand Defence Force multi-million-dollar purchase of military equipment from an Israeli company. ...19 hours ago
- Dr Jane Goodall backs action plan for NZ environmentWorld-renowned conservationist Dr Jane Goodall and a coalition of Aotearoa's leading environmental organisations have released an ambitious plan for reversing New Zealand’s environmental crisis. ...19 hours ago
- Heart Foundation Welcomes Rheumatic Fever Fund AnnouncementThe Heart Foundation welcomes this week’s announcement by the Associate Minister of Health Jenny Salesa that the Government’s Wellbeing Budget will include $12 million to reduce the incidence of rheumatic fever amongst Maori and Pacific people. ...19 hours ago
- Massey University launches Shared Prosperity IndexWhen the Government presents its first Wellbeing Budget next week, it will be looking beyond traditional measures, such as GDP, to define New Zealand’s success. This is also at the core of the Shared Prosperity Index launched by Massey University ...21 hours ago
- Inadequate pay and driver facing cameras putting people offFIRST Union has released its In It For The Long-Haul survey of truck drivers that reveals an ageing workforce who say the job isn’t attractive anymore due to low pay and driver surveillance. ...21 hours ago
- Relaxing of borrowing constraint welcome, but more needed"The announcement by the Minister of Finance that the Government was moving from a rigid 20% debt target to a range between 15% and 25% is welcome," CTU Economist Bill Rosenberg says. "At a time when interest rates are low ...21 hours ago
- Ethical clothing becoming the expectation not the exception.In a world where the human impact on the environment is becoming more and more apparent every day, it’s refreshing to hear of break-through companies that are having a positive impact. Ethical clothing company , Little Yellow Bird has, in ...23 hours ago
- China Trade Mission perfectly timedThe success of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s inaugural state visit and Hon. David Parker in April to Beijing has been the impetus for a multi-sector China Trade Mission confirmed for 9-11 September 2019. The China Chamber of Commerce in New ...23 hours ago
- Police officer should not have engaged in pursuitThe Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that a Police officer should not have tried to stop or pursue a car thought to contain young people in Palmerston North on 28 May 2018. The pursuit ended when the fleeing car ...23 hours ago
- NZDF Supports Training of Customs’ Detector DogsThe New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is supporting the training of detector dogs, which help New Zealand Customs catch smugglers trying to bring illegal drugs and undeclared cash into the country. ...24 hours ago
- Common sense and fact must underpin debateFamily Planning says New Zealanders deserve a common sense, rational and medically informed conversation about abortion law reform. ...1 day ago
- Health $3.2 billion under-funded since 2009/10A pre-budget analysis conducted by the Council of Trade Unions and Association of Salaried Medical Specialists has highlighted a vast spending shortfall in health since 2009/2010. ...1 day ago
- Area school teachers vote to strike on 29 MayTeachers in area schools and wharekura have voted overwhelmingly to strike on Wednesday 29 May alongside their primary and secondary colleagues. ...1 day ago
- Vote Health needs an extra $1.3 billion just to stand stillBill Rosenberg, Economist and Policy Director for the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (CTU) and Lyndon Keene, Director of Policy and Research, for the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) have conducted a detailed analysis of what ...1 day ago
- Voting begins on deal to end Auckland rail disputeAuckland rail maintenance workers suspended for striking by employer CAF NZ will vote on a deal that could end the dispute. ...1 day ago
- Another cost of living increase with road user chargesNew Zealanders’ concerns about the cost of living will take a further hit when road user charges (RUCs) go up again in July, says Road Transport Forum (RTF) chief executive Nick Leggett. ...1 day ago
- Bail conditions must be reviewed before more innocents dieYes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows That too many people have died? The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin’ in the wind From Blowin’ in the wind. Bob Dylan ...1 day ago
- #DefendNZ questions David Seymour’s filibuster#DefendNZ questions why David Seymour would filibuster his own Bill which was expected to begin its Second Reading last night ...1 day ago
- No extensions for landlords who don’t complyLandlords have just over one month to ensure their rental properties meet the 2016 insulation requirements or face exemplary damages of up to $4,000, and Tenancy Compliance and Investigations says there will be no room for extensions. ...1 day ago
- Access Community Health Returning to the bargaining tableThe PSA and E tū bargaining team are hopeful for an improved offer from Access Community Health as they resume mediation today, following a week of nationwide strike actions by Access coordinators, administration, and call centre workers. ...1 day ago
- Business and parliament need to step upBusiness and parliament need to step up to stronger integrity systems says TINZ roadmap It is beyond time for serious and urgent action to protect and extend integrity in New Zealand The National Integrity System Assessment 2018 update (NIS 2018) ...2 days ago
- Targets overlook the 174000 children living in worst povertyChild Poverty Action Group is pleased to see the Government set ambitious 10-year targets for child poverty reduction , but we are disappointed not to see a target set for improving thousands of young lives where the worst of poverty ...2 days ago
- ANZASW on funding to tackle family and sexual violenceThe Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) strongly welcomes the government’s pledge to increase funding to tackle family and sexual violence. The government estimates that around a million people including 300,000 children ...2 days ago
- Hurunui well placed to meet newly released standardsThe Government has recently released mandatory planning standards for councils to meet. The new standards address the structure and form of plans, as well as setting national definitions and requiring plans to be accessible and interactive online ...2 days ago
- Media statement by Retirement Commissioner Diane MaxwellStatement by Retirement Commissioner Diane Maxwell in response to the report of the investigation into allegations made against her of bullying: ...2 days ago
- Budget needs to close the community social worker pay gapSocial workers employed by community organisations are hoping next week’s wellbeing budget will help bridge the pay gap with their colleagues in Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry for Children. ...2 days ago
- Directors personally liable for $100,000 owed to cabbiesThe Employment Relations Authority (ERA) has determined that former Dunedin taxi company directors are personally liable for leaving former employees nearly $100,000 out of pocket by treating them as contractors. ...2 days ago
- Protesters disrupt petroleum meetingTwelve activists from climate action group 350 Aotearoa have disrupted a Petroleum Club meeting in New Plymouth. The group targeted event sponsors, ANZ, in a bid to highlight the discrepancies between the bank’s public statements on climate change ...2 days ago
- Over 11,000 calls to 105 non-emergency number in 12 daysOn Friday 15 May Commissioner of Police Mike Bush launched 105 (“ten five”), Police’s new number for reporting non-emergency situations. ...2 days ago
- Zero Carbon BillYesterday was the first reading of the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill in Parliament. ...2 days ago
- The CHANGE ONE ChallengeThe Change One Challenge is your chance to join a community of change makers. This annual event challenges Kiwis to 'change one thing' in their daily lives to reduce waste and live more sustainably. ...2 days ago
- Wellbeing Budget Could Be a Breath of Fresh AirThe Wellbeing budget could be a turning point for community health NGOs, says Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ CE Letitia O’Dwyer. ARFNZ has provided resources, education, and support for the 700,000 New Zealanders living with respiratory conditions ...2 days ago
- No surprises in threat to sue Oranga TamarikiA man’s threat to sue Government children’s agency Oranga Tamariki over false claims by department staff comes as no surprise to new action group Whanau First. ...3 days ago
- The Zero Carbon Bill passes its first reading 119 votes to 1The Zero Carbon Bill has passed its first reading in Parliament today, and Forest & Bird is welcoming the progress on this landmark legislation to make Aotearoa carbon neutral. "We're very pleased to see the Zero Carbon Bill pass its ...3 days ago
- Successful first reading a critical step for climate billSuccessful first reading a critical first step to creating effective Zero Carbon Bill ...3 days ago
- Statement on behalf of E tū members employed at ParliamentWe broadly support the findings and recommendations of Debbie Francis’ independent review into Bullying and Harassment in the New Zealand Parliamentary Workplace. We want to thank staff for taking the difficult and brave step of making their voices ...3 days ago
- Minister Not Listening Say Northland Principals"The Minister is talking in platitudes but saying nothing new!" according to Leanne Otene, Principal of Manaia View School in Whangarei and executive member of Te Tai Tokerau Principals’ Association. ...3 days ago
- Pike Families welcome opening of drift<The group representing 29 of the Pike River Families - the Pike River Family Reference Group - has welcomed the unsealing of the mine at a private family event this morning. ...3 days ago
- Forfeiture of assets leads to $620,000 recoveredA Police Asset Recovery Unit investigation into the misappropriation of funds from a government department is leading to the recovery of about $620,000. ...3 days ago
- Ambitious plan to secure Maori jobs in the economyRobots are taking Maori jobs: New Zealand Maori Council releases ambitious plan to secure Maori jobs in the economy: ā mua mahi; Future of Work ...3 days ago
- Funding and reform needed to make a kinder workplaceThe PSA is saddened but not surprised by the Francis Review’s findings of ‘systemic’ bullying and harassment in the Parliamentary workplace. ...3 days ago
- Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending May 24
The only published and available bestselling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Toll by Luke Wright (Penned in the Margins, ...12 mins ago - Ryman Healtcare posts $326m profit for year
Ryman Healthcare says it has had a solid year, despite challenging market conditions and flat sales. ...27 mins ago - Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – May 24 2019
32 mins ago - Let me eat the 100-year-old fruitcake
A well-preserved fruitcake that sat in an Antarctic hut for over a century has gone on display at Canterbury Museum. Here, a fan of ancient foodstuffs pens an open letter to the controllers of the cake. Please, Antarctic Heritage Trust, I ...1 hour ago - Helen Clark urges women: ‘Make your luck and hustle’
Former PM Helen Clark is a formidable leader, who like many women in leadership, has had to fight every step of the way, she tells Fair Play’s Zoë George. ...1 hour ago - The Friday Poem: The weirdness of trees by Catherine VidlerNew verse from Sydney-based poet Catherine Vidler.The weirdness of treesI love the weirdness of trees, but that’s not an opinion. In my opinion, shapes take the shape of things other than my opinion but inseparably from my opinion about the ...1 hour ago
- Comedian buys Destiny Church’s new political party’s domain names
A comedian who has purchased Destiny Church's new party's domain name before the new party could set up its website says it is an act of "light-hearted protest". ...2 hours ago - Google has pulled Huawei’s Android licence. Now what?
The US banned Huawei and now Google is breaking up with the Chinese smartphone maker. How did all go so wrong?I’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few days. What happened? Earlier this week, Google announced plans to ...2 hours ago - Population DNA testing for disease risk is coming. Here are five things to know
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Lacaze, Head, Public Health Genomics Program, Monash University DNA testing to predict disease risk has the potential to prevent disease and save lives. Yet few Australians can currently access predictive DNA ...3 hours ago - Why Sydney residents use 30% more water per day than Melburnians
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University This week Melbourne’s water storage dropped below 50%, a sign of the prolonged and deepening drought gripping eastern Australia. Sydney is only ...3 hours ago - Let them play! Kids need freedom from play restrictions to develop
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Senior Lecturer and Course Director (Postgraduate Education courses), Charles Sturt University You may have heard of play. It’s that thing children do – the diverse range of unstructured, spontaneous activities ...3 hours ago - Friday essay: YouTube apologies and reality TV revelations – the rise of the public confession
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Douglas, Professor, Flinders University A little over a year ago, former Australian cricket captain Steve Smith made a tearful confession and apology to the public, having been banned from cricket for ...3 hours ago - Gamers use machine learning to navigate complex video games – but it’s not free
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Egliston, PhD candidate in Media and Communications, University of Sydney Some of the world’s most popular video games track your activity as you play – but they’re not just gathering data ...3 hours ago - From gun control to HIV: six ingredients of successful public policy
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joannah Luetjens, PhD Candidate, Utrecht University In the lead up to the recent federal election, there was plenty of negative rhetoric about current policy settings. Piecing together the various messages, it seems ...3 hours ago - How the dangerous evolution of Pakistan’s national security state threatens domestic stabilitySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert G. Patman, Professor of International Relations, University of Otago In February, a terrorist attack by Jaysh e-Mohammad (JeM) killed more than 40 Indian military personnel in the Indian state of Jammu ...3 hours ago
- Taming wild cities: the tall buildings of Australia show why we need strong design guidelines
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Moore, PhD Candidate, Melbourne School of Design, Monash University Private enterprise has shaped the skylines of Australia’s cities, and the names of their highest towers reflect this. The towers of Sydney ...3 hours ago - If you think less immigration will solve Australia’s problems, you’re wrong; but neither will mo...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cameron Allen, Researcher, UNSW Are we letting too many or too few migrants into Australia? For 2019-20 the Australian government has cut the annual net migrant intake from 190,000 to 160,000. It’s ...3 hours ago - The Bulletin: Dramatic video released in logging truck company case
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Dramatic video released in logging truck company case, tiny bit more room to move on govt debt, and primary teachers have residency rejected over low pay.A court released a dramatic video ...4 hours ago - This week’s Top 10 NZ book charts
Here are this week's biggest books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve Braunias ...5 hours ago - What Auckland Needs Now
Auckland has a range of challenges and needs that are distinct from the rest of New Zealand. Here, we ask seven Beca experts and Auckland market leaders "What does Auckland need now to be successful in future?" ...6 hours ago - People with disabilities are more than cheap labourOppose the gender pay gap? You should be appalled by the wage exemption for disabled workers too, argues Michael Pulman.Disabled people, and others in marginalised communities, have long been exploited for cheap, even free labour.According to a NZ Herald report, ...6 hours ago
- A survivor’s guide to detoxifying the New Zealand parliamentFirst the Francis Review revealed the scale of harassment and bullying within parliament. Then the Speaker, Trevor Mallard, said he believed a repeat rapist remained working there. If there’s to be culture change, writes former MP Catherine Delahunty, perhaps it ...6 hours ago
- How to protest about climate change when you don’t actually like protesting
If you’re put off by the concept of protests, you’re not alone. Josh Drummond explains why you should bite the bullet and go along to today’s climate protests anyway.Argh, protests! They make me cringe. Here’s the big secret: protests make nearly ...6 hours ago - Does Pharmac have the balance right?
Pharmac attracts a lot of criticism for its failure to fund expensive but life-prolonging drugs - but it's also the envy of health authorities world wide for its ability to screw down prices. Is the balance right? ...6 hours ago - Attention, sensible youths, ‘Milkshaking’ is not the way to counter hate speech
‘Milkshaking’ is on the rise in Brexit-divided Britain. But is throwing milky treats the best form of political protest? Hayden Donnell investigates.With just hours to go until polls opened in the European elections, Nigel Farage cowered in his campaign’s Brexit ...11 hours ago - Why we’re striking againOn March 15, New Zealand school students led a global day of strike action on climate change. Grace Wilkie and Libby Morrison explained then why they were taking the day off school. They’re doing it again today, and this is ...11 hours ago
- Grattan on Friday: Shocked Labor moves on – but to what policy destination?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Bill Shorten has said he likes doing the family shopping, nevertheless Tuesday’s front page picture in The Australian did capture the savagery of changing political ...12 hours ago
- Narendra Modi has won the largest election in the world. What will this mean for India?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amitabh Mattoo, Honorary Professor of International Relations, University of Melbourne The resounding victory of the Bharitya Janata Party (BJP) coalition in India’s federal election represents a key marker in the modern history ...12 hours ago - Economist welcomes Robertson’s plan for looser debt targetThe government intends to ease its self-imposed rules around how much money it can borrow, and give itself the licence to take on up to 15 billion dollars more debt, if it's re-elected. ...14 hours ago
- MediaWorks: When winning is not enough
Profits continue to elude the country’s biggest private broadcaster. Now its hopes rest on a billboard company to light up its prospects. ...16 hours ago - UN chief waffles over West Papuan human rights violations
Vanuatu-based journalist Ben Bohane raises West Papuan questions with UN Secretary-General António Guterres during his visit to Vanuatu. Video: Ben Bohane/Ginny Stein By Dan McGarry in Port Vila During his visit to Port Vila last weekend, United Nations Secretary-General ...16 hours ago - He’s loosened the straitjacket, now escape the asylum
After finally signalling a much-needed loosening of debt rules, Grant Robertson should look to go further and end New Zealand's infrastructure drought. ...16 hours ago - Techweek special: Celebrating Māori innovation and this year’s biggest tech trendsBusiness is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand, with the interview available as both audio and ...17 hours ago
- We love you, Brian Tamaki
The launch of a party fronted by Destiny Church leaders was a media event to remember. Alex Braae was there.Somewhere along their journey through the public eye, Hannah and Brian Tamaki got the idea that the media hates them and ...18 hours ago - Inside the story: the ABC of screenwriting as demonstrated by ABC’s The Heights
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philippa Burne, Lecturer, BFA Screenwriting, Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, University of Melbourne Why do we tell stories, and how are they crafted? In this series, we unpick the ...18 hours ago - 2040: hope and action in the climate crisis
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Wiseman, Professorial Fellow, University of Melbourne It was framed as “the climate election”, but last week Australia returned a government with climate policies that make the task of building a zero-emissions, ...19 hours ago - The Big C serves up the best kind of wish-fulfillment fantasy
All four seasons of Laura Linney’s cancer comedy The Big C drops on Lightbox today. Sam Brooks writes about the series’ surprisingly uplifting journey through a woman’s nightmare.There’s a moment late in the first season of The Big C that hits you right in ...19 hours ago - Does the new target go far enough?
The Government has announced a new debt range, succeeding its old target. But does it go far enough to plug the infrastructure deficit? ...19 hours ago - Australia has been silent on Indigenous suicide for too long, and it must changeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julia Hurst, Faculty of Arts Indigenous Postdoctoral Fellow, Indigenous and Settler Relations Collaboration, University of Melbourne A body hangs over me. I am so close I can feel there is weight to ...19 hours ago
- Remembering the sensational, ‘filthy’ first novel by Fiona Kidman
Last week, Dame Fiona Kidman won the 2019 Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize for her eleventh novel. Her first, A Breed of Women, was published 40 years ago in 1979. Here, you can read the opening chapter. A Breed of Women is a ...20 hours ago - A plea to the cafes and restaurants of Aotearoa: stop playing shit music
Enough of those inoffensive, latte-sippin’ jams selected purely to appease the baby boomers: the most memorable places to dine use music as just one more way to express themselves.If you’ve worked in a restaurant or café in the past 20 years ...21 hours ago - Destiny Church leaders Brian and Hannah Tamaki launch ‘Coalition New Zealand’ partyDestiny Church's leaders Brian and Hannah Tamaki have launched a new political party called Coalition New Zealand. ...21 hours ago
- Spark scolded for misleading customers on broadband price hike
Spark New Zealand has been told off by the Commerce Commission for the way it hiked copper-line broadband prices last year when it didn't let customers know they could cancel their agreement. ...21 hours ago - Blocking Huawei from Australia means slower and delayed 5G – and for what?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stanley Shanapinda, Research Fellow, La Trobe University The United States and Australia are deliberately restricting the place of Chinese telco Huawei in their telecommunications landscapes. We’re told these changes will be worth ...21 hours ago
- Newspoll probably wrong since Morrison became PM; polling has been less accurate at recent elections
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne Since Scott Morrison became PM in August 2018, Newspoll has usually been the best pollster for Labor. This was particularly ...21 hours ago - Column: Barbara Sumner – The Adoption Game Show
Column: Barbara Sumner –
If adoption secrecy were a game show, they’d call it, ‘how much do you really want this?’ Because I am adopted, I have no ...23 hours ago- How to find the most cursed shit for sale on Trade Me
Alex Casey talks to the woman behind @trademebae, the Instagram account archiving the most bizarre items that Trade Me has to offer. Every detail is somehow funnier than the last. “Sex noveltys” the listing reads. $1 reserve. Condition: Used. Description: ...23 hours ago- Golriz Ghahraman on dealing with the ‘scared, panicked, angry mob’
The Green MP has been given extra security following threats of violence. She tells the Spinoff about the ‘barrage of hate’ she confronts.Green MP Golriz Ghahraman has described the “barrage of hate” she has received since becoming a member of ...23 hours ago- Curious Kids: how was the Earth made?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Niraj Lal, Visiting Fellow at the ANU Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, Australian National University Curious Kids is a series for children. If you have a question you’d like an expert to ...23 hours ago- Government signals it would loosen its debt target rules in future
The government is likely to ease its self-imposed Budget Responsibility Rules, giving itself the scope to spend up to $15 billion more a year if it is re-elected. ...23 hours ago - How to find the most cursed shit for sale on Trade Me
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