Posts Tagged ‘Edgecumbe’
The watershed moment
Written By: - Date published: 10:51 am, April 21st, 2017 - 12 comments
The sun is shining again, how about we talk about the weather?
Perhaps climate change will go away if we ignore it?
Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, April 11th, 2017 - 22 comments
That seems to be Bill English’s position.
Thoughts are with Edgecumbe
Written By: - Date published: 12:14 pm, April 6th, 2017 - 43 comments
Photo from the Whakatane Beacon.
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- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #4 2025
Open access notables Managing and mitigating future public health risks: Planetary boundaries, global catastrophic risk, and inclusive wealth, McLaughlin & Beck, Risk Analysis [perspective]: There are two separate conceptualizations for assessing existential risks: Planetary Boundaries (PBs) and global catastrophic risks (GCRs). While these concepts are similar in principle, their underpinning ...6 minutes ago - Join us at 5pm for 2025’s first Hoon
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and ...4 hours ago - Fixing science?
Aotearoa's science sector is broken. For 35 years it has been run on a commercial, competitive model, while being systematically underfunded. Which means we have seven different crown research institutes and eight different universities - all publicly owned and nominally working for the public good - fighting over the same ...5 hours ago - Show us the money, Einsteins
One of the best speakers I ever saw was Sir Paul Callaghan.One of the most enthusiastic receptions I have ever, ever seen for a speaker was for Sir Paul Callaghan.His favourite topic was: Aotearoa and what we were doing with it.He did not come to bury tourism and agriculture but ...5 hours ago - Thursday 23 January
The Tertiary Education Union is predicting a “brutal year” for the tertiary sector as 240,000 students and teachers at Te Pūkenga face another year of uncertainty. The Labour Party are holding their caucus retreat, with Chris Hipkins still reflecting on their 2023 election loss and signalling to media that new ...5 hours ago - Luxon’s speech an exercise in smoke and mirrors
The Prime Minister’s State of the Nation speech is an exercise in smoke and mirrors which deflects from the reality that he has overseen the worst economic growth in 30 years, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff. “Luxon wants to “go for growth” but since he and Nicola ...7 hours ago
- Standing for Decency
People get readyThere's a train a-comingYou don't need no baggageYou just get on boardAll you need is faithTo hear the diesels hummingDon't need no ticketYou just thank the LordSongwriter: Curtis MayfieldYou might have seen Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde's speech at the National Prayer Service in the US following Trump’s elevation ...9 hours ago - Luxon to lay out economic plan. Questions please.
Long stories short, the six things of interest in the political economy in Aotearoa around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday January 23 are:PM Christopher Luxon’s State of the Nation speech after midday today, which I’ll attend and ask questions at;Luxon is expected to announce “new changes to incentivise research ...13 hours ago - Join me for a live video chat Dawn Chorus of six things @ 6.30am
I’m trying a new way to do a more regular and timely daily Dawn Choruses for paying subscribers through a live video chat about the day’s key six things @ 6.30 am lasting about 10 minues. This email is the invite to that chat on the substack app on your ...15 hours ago - New Zealand First — No More
Yesterday, Trump pardoned the founder of Silk Road - a criminal website designed to anonymously trade illicit drugs, weapons and services. The individual had been jailed for life in 2015 after an FBI sting.But libertarian interest groups had lobbied Donald Trump, saying it was “government overreach” to imprison the man, ...15 hours ago - Nats call on Luxon to deliver
The Prime Minister will unveil more of his economic growth plan today as it becomes clear that the plan is central to National’s election pitch in 2026. Christopher Luxon will address an Auckland Chamber of Commerce meeting with what is being billed a “State of the Nation” speech. Ironically, after ...16 hours ago - Climate Adam: Will 2025 be the Hottest Year Ever Recorded?
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). 2025 has only just begun, but already climate scientists are working hard to unpick what could be in ...1 day ago
- Comments on MBIE/MFAT proposed long-term insights briefing: “New Zealand’s future productivity t...
The NZCTU’s view is that “New Zealand’s future productivity to 2050” is a worthwhile topic for the upcoming long-term insights briefing. It is important that Ministers, social partners, and the New Zealand public are aware of the current and potential productivity challenges and opportunities we face and the potential ...1 day ago
- Submission on the Targeted Review of the Commerce Act 1986
The NZCTU supports a strengthening of the Commerce Act 1986. We have seen a general trend of market consolidation across multiple sectors of the New Zealand economy. Concentrated market power is evident across sectors such as banking, energy generation and supply, groceries, telecommunications, building materials, fuel retail, and some digital ...1 day ago
- A way to begin
The maxim is as true as it ever was: give a small boy and a pig everything they want, and you will get a good pig and a terrible boy.Elon Musk the child was given everything he could ever want. He has more than any one person or for that ...1 day ago - Govt leaving food banks in funding limbo
A food rescue organisation has had to resort to an emergency plea for donations via givealittle because of uncertainty about whether Government funding will continue after the end of June. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Wednesday, January 22: Kairos Food ...1 day ago - How is this legal?
Leo Molloy's recent "shoplifting" smear against former MP Golriz Ghahraman has finally drawn public attention to Auror and its database. And from what's been disclosed so far, it does not look good: The massive privately-owned retail surveillance network which recorded the shopping incident involving former MP Golriz Ghahraman is ...1 day ago
- Not so qualified?
The defence of common law qualified privilege applies (to cut short a lot of legal jargon) when someone tells someone something in good faith, believing they need to know it. Think: telling the police that the neighbour is running methlab or dobbing in a colleague to the boss for stealing. ...1 day ago - Wednesday 22 January
NZME plans to cut 38 jobs as it reorganises its news operations, including the NZ Herald, BusinessDesk, and Newstalk ZB. It said it planned to publish and produce fewer stories, to focus on those that engage audience. E tū are calling on the Government to step in and support the ...1 day ago
- Working people will pay for static inflation
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed that inflation remains unchanged at 2.2%, defying expectations of further declines, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “While inflation holding steady might sound like good news, the reality is that prices for the basics—like rent, energy, and insurance—are still rising. ...1 day ago
- DB Punches Down.
I never mentioned anythingAbout the songs that I would singOver the summer, when we'd go on tourAnd sleep on floors and drink the bad beerI think I left it unclearSong: Bad Beer. Songwriter: Jacob Starnes Ewald.Last night, I was watching a movie with Fi and the kids when I glanced ...1 day ago - What Trump’s second inauguration means for us
Last night I spoke about the second inauguration of Donald Trump with in a ‘pop-up’ Hoon live video chat on the Substack app on phones.Here’s the summary of the lightly edited video above:Trump's actions signify a shift away from international law.The imposition of tariffs could lead to increased inflation ...2 days ago - Growing Auckland
An interesting article in Stuff a few weeks ago asked a couple of interesting questions in it’s headline, “How big can Auckland get? And how big is too big?“. Unfortunately, the article doesn’t really answer those questions, instead focusing on current growth projections, but there were a few aspects to ...2 days ago - “That would never happen here!”
Today is Donald J Trump’s second inauguration ceremony.I try not to follow too much US news, and yet these developments are noteworthy and somehow relevant to us here.Only hours in, parts of their Project 2025 ‘think/junk tank’ policies — long planned and signalled — are already live:And Elon Musk, who ...2 days ago - Gordon Campbell On The Looming Conflicts Within The Trump Presidency
How long is it going to take for the MAGA faithful to realise that those titans of Big Tech and venture capital sitting up close to Donald Trump this week are not their allies, but The Enemy? After all, the MAGA crowd are the angry victims left behind by the ...2 days ago - Finally
Back in March, Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier resigned after hitting the age limit for his office. And now, almost a year later, parliament has finally gotten around to appointing a replacement: John Richard Allen is likely to take over the role of chief ombudsman from Peter Boshier, who still ...2 days ago
- Close To The Edge.
California Burning: The veteran firefighters of California and Los Angeles called it “a perfect storm”. The hillsides and canyons were full of “fuel”. The LA Fire Department was underfunded, below-strength, and inadequately-equipped. A key reservoir was empty, leaving fire-hydrants without the water pressure needed for fire hoses. The power companies had ...2 days ago - Sabotaging te Tiriti
The Waitangi Tribunal has been one of the most effective critics of the government, pointing out repeatedly that its racist, colonialist policies breach te Tiriti o Waitangi. While it has no powers beyond those of recommendation, its truth-telling has clearly gotten under the government's skin. They had already begun to ...2 days ago
- National Hugging Day
I don't mind where you come fromAs long as you come to meBut I don't like illusionsI can't see them clearlyI don't care, no I wouldn't dareTo fix the twist in youYou've shown me eventually what you'll doSong: Shimon Moore, Emma Anzai, Antonina Armato, and Tim James.National Hugging Day.Today, January ...2 days ago - Rwanda’s Kagame: from Saviour to Tyrant?
Is Rwanda turning into a country that seeks regional dominance and exterminates its rivals? This is a contention examined by Dr Michela Wrong, and Dr Maria Armoudian. Dr Wrong is a journalist who has written best-selling books on Africa. Her latest, Do Not Disturb. The story of a political murder ...2 days ago - NZ now frozen, listless, mean & hopeless
The economy isn’t cooperating with the Government’s bet that lower interest rates will solve everything, with most metrics indicating per-capita GDP is still contracting faster and further than at any time since the 1990-96 series of government spending and welfare cuts. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short in ...2 days ago - Welcome to American Hell
Hi,Today is the day sexual assaulter and alleged rapist Donald Trump officially became president (again).I was in a meeting for three hours this morning, so I am going to summarise what happened by sharing my friend’s text messages:So there you go.Welcome to American hell — which includes all of America’s ...2 days ago - Moving away from high-end emissions scenarios
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink I have a new paper out today in the journal Dialogues on Climate Change exploring both the range of end-of-century climate outcomes in the literature under current policies and the broader move away from high-end emissions scenarios. Current policies are defined broadly as policies in ...3 days ago
- A silver lining for cycling?
Long story short: I chatted last night with ’s on the substack app about the appointment of Chris Bishop to replace Simeon Brown as Transport Minister. We talked through their different approaches and whether there’s much room for Bishop to reverse many of the anti-cycling measures Brown adopted.Our chat ...3 days ago
- Will swapping Shane Reti for Simeon Brown make any difference?
Last night I chatted with Northland emergency doctor on the substack app for subscribers about whether the appointment of Simeon Brown to replace Shane Reti as Health Minister. We discussed whether the new minister can turn around decades of under-funding in real and per-capita terms. Our chat followed his ...3 days ago
- The cabinet metastasises
Christopher Luxon is every dismal boss who ever made you wince, or roll your eyes, or think to yourself I have absolutely got to get the hell out of this place.Get a load of what he shared with us at his cabinet reshuffle, trying to be all sensitive and gracious.Dr ...3 days ago - Puberty blockers
The text of my submission to the Ministry of Health's unnecessary and politicised review of the use of puberty blockers for young trans and nonbinary people in Aotearoa. ...3 days ago - Why the TikTok Ban Was Just a Stunt
Hi,Last night one of the world’s biggest social media platforms, TikTok, became inaccessible in the United States.Then, today, it came back online.Why should we care about a social network that deals in dance trends and cute babies? Well — TikTok represents a lot more than that.And its ban and subsequent ...3 days ago - Arrange and Rearrange
Sometimes I wake in the middle of the nightAnd rub my achin' old eyesIs that a voice from inside-a my headOr does it come down from the skies?"There's a time to laugh butThere's a time to weepAnd a time to make a big change"Wake-up you-bum-the-time has-comeTo arrange and re-arrange and ...3 days ago - Luxon flicks Reti’s hospital pass to Brown
Former Health Minister Shane Reti was the main target of Luxon’s reshuffle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short to start the year in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate: Christopher Luxon fired Shane Reti as Health Minister and replaced him with Simeon Brown, who Luxon sees ...4 days ago - Can we have a normal Minister of Transport now?
Yesterday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced a cabinet reshuffle, which saw Simeon Brown picking up the Health portfolio as it’s been taken off Dr Shane Reti, and Transport has been given to Chris Bishop. Additionally, Simeon’s energy and local government portfolios now sit with Simon Watts. This is very good ...4 days ago
- Signs of panic
The sacking of Health Minister Shane Reti yesterday had an air of panic about it. A media advisory inviting journalists to a Sunday afternoon press conference at Premier House went out on Saturday night. Caucus members did not learn that even that was happening until yesterday morning. Reti’s fate was ...4 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On The Rise Of Simeon Brown
Yesterday’s demotion of Shane Reti was inevitable. Reti’s attempt at a re-assuring bedside manner always did have a limited shelf life, and he would have been a poor and apologetic salesman on the campaign trail next year. As a trained doctor, he had every reason to be looking embarrassed about ...4 days ago
- 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #03
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 12, 2025 thru Sat, January 18, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...4 days ago
- The ‘Martin With Thirty-One Queens’ Chess Challenge
After another substantial hiatus from online Chess, I’ve been taking it up again. I am genuinely terrible at five-minute Blitz, what with the tight time constraints, though I periodically con myself into thinking that I have been improving. But seeing as my past foray into Chess led to me having ...4 days ago - Don’t You Know Who I Am?
Rise up o children wont you dance with meRise up little children come and set me freeRise little ones riseNo shame no fearDon't you know who I amSongwriter: Rebecca Laurel FountainI’m sure you know the go with this format. Some memories, some questions, letsss go…2015A decade ago, I made the ...4 days ago - In Defence of Golriz Ghahraman
In 2017, when Ghahraman was elected to Parliament as a Green MP, she recounted both the highlights and challenges of her role -There was love, support, and encouragement.And on the flipside, there was intense, visceral and unchecked hate.That came with violent threats - many of them. More on that later.People ...4 days ago - Too tiny to matter; enough to change everything
It gives me the biggest kick to learn that something I’ve enthused about has been enough to make you say Go on then, I'm going to do it. The e-bikes, the hearing aids, the prostate health, the cheese puffs. And now the solar power. Yes! Happy to share the details.We ...5 days ago - Fact brief – Can CO2 be ignored because it’s just a trace gas?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Can CO2 be ...5 days ago
- Bastards Abound
The old bastard left his ties and his suitA brown box, mothballs and bowling shoesAnd his opinion so you'd never have to choosePretty soon, you'll be an old bastard tooYou get smaller as the world gets bigThe more you know you know you don't know shit"The whiz man" will never ...5 days ago - Latest Poll- Nats in a slo-mo death spiral?
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The Numbers2024 could easily have been National’s “Annus Horribilis” and 2025 shows no signs of a reprieve for our Landlord PM Chris Luxon and his inept Finance Minister Nikki “Noboats” Willis.Several polls last year ...6 days ago - Clearing the Decks: Government replaces half of the Waitangi Tribunal
This Friday afternoon, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced an overhaul of the Waitangi Tribunal.The government has effectively cleared house - appointing 8 new members - and combined with October’s appointment of former ACT leader Richard Prebble, that’s 9 appointees.[I am not certain, but can only presume, Prebble went in ...6 days ago - Back on Track?
The state of the current economy may be similar to when National left office in 2017.In December, a couple of days after the Treasury released its 2024 Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HEYFU24), Statistics New Zealand reported its estimate for volume GDP for the previous September 24 quarter. Instead ...6 days ago - Handbags and Gladrags
So what becomes of you, my love?When they have finally stripped you ofThe handbags and the gladragsThat your poor old granddadHad to sweat to buy you, babySongwriter: Mike D'aboIn yesterday’s newsletter, I expressed sadness at seeing Golriz Ghahraman back on the front pages for shoplifting. As someone who is no ...7 days ago - Weekly Roundup 17-January-2025
It’s Friday and time for another roundup of things that caught our attention this week. This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers and fans. If you’d like to support our work, you can join ...7 days ago
- How the Far Right Weaponised the Grooming Gangs Story
Note: This Webworm discusses sexual assault and rape. Please read with care.Hi,A few weeks ago I reported on how one of New Zealand’s richest men, Nick Mowbray (he and his brother own Zuru and are worth an estimated $20 billion), had taken to sharing posts by a British man called ...7 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #3 2025
Open access notables Long-term trends in heat wave gaps for the New York City metropolitan area, Lin & Colle, Urban Climate: Heat waves occurring in close succession to one another are hazardous because of the prolonged stress on the human body and energy demand. A heat wave gap metric, the ...1 week ago
- NZ: The Final Atlas Network Puzzle Piece Has Arrived
The final Atlas Network playbook puzzle piece is here, and it slipped in to Aotearoa New Zealand with little fan fare or attention. The implications are stark.Today, writes Dr Bex, the submission for the Crimes (Countering Foreign Interference) Amendment Bill closes: 11:59pm January 16, 2025.As usual, the language of the ...1 week ago - Not getting any younger
Excitement in the seaside village! Look what might be coming! 400 million dollars worth of investment! In the very beating heart of the village! Are we excited and eager to see this happen, what with every last bank branch gone and shops sitting forlornly quiet awaiting a customer?Yes please, apply ...1 week ago - Political societies and economic preferences.
Much discussion has been held over the Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB), the latest in a series of rightwing attempts to enshrine into law pro-market precepts such as the primacy of private property ownership. Underneath the good governance and economic efficiency gobbledegook language of the Bill is an interest to strip ...1 week ago - Submission on Crimes (Countering Foreign Interference) Amendment Bill
We are concerned that the Amendment Bill, as proposed, could impair the operations and legitimate interests of the NZ Trade Union movement. It is also likely to negatively impact the ability of other civil society actors to conduct their affairs without the threat of criminal sanctions. We ask that ...1 week ago
- The Ol’ Switcheroo
I can't take itHow could I fake it?How could I fake it?And I can't take itHow could I fake it?How could I fake it?Song: The Lonely Biscuits.“A bit nippy”, I thought when I woke this morning, and then, soon after that, I wondered whether hell had frozen over. Dear friends, ...1 week ago - Nobody’s insurance rates are safe from climate change
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Asheville, North Carolina, was once widely considered a climate haven thanks to its elevated, inland location and cooler temperatures than much of the Southeast. Then came the catastrophic floods of Hurricane Helene in September 2024. It was a stark reminder that nowhere is safe from ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell On More Threats To Democracy From David Seymour
Early reports indicate that the temporary Israel/Hamas ceasefire deal (due to take effect on Sunday) will allow for the gradual release of groups of Israeli hostages, the release of an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails (likely only a fraction of the total incarcerated population), and the withdrawal ...1 week ago
- Choosing your fights
My daily news diet is not what it once was.It was the TV news that lost me first. Too infantilising, too breathless, too frustrating.The Herald was next. You could look past the reactionary framing while it was being a decent newspaper of record, but once Shayne Currie began unleashing all ...1 week ago - Hit The Road Jack
Hit the road Jack and don't you come backNo more, no more, no more, no moreHit the road Jack and don't you come back no moreWhat you say?Songwriters: Percy MayfieldMorena,I keep many of my posts, like this one, paywall-free so that everyone can read them.However, please consider supporting me as ...1 week ago - Review: The Narnia books, by C.S. Lewis (1950-1956) – Part One
This might be the longest delay between reading (or in this case re-reading) a work, and actually writing a review of it I have ever managed. Indeed, when I last read these books in December 2022, I was not planning on writing anything about them… but as A Phuulish Fellow ...1 week ago - Sabin 33 #11 – Is solar energy more expensive than energy from fossil fuels?
On November 1, 2024 we announced the publication of 33 rebuttals based on the report "Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles" written by Matthew Eisenson, Jacob Elkin, Andy Fitch, Matthew Ard, Kaya Sittinger & Samuel Lavine and published by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia ...1 week ago
- Our Health Isn’t Your Wealth, Shane Reti & Lester Levy
Kia Ora,I try to keep most my posts without a paywall for public interest journalism purposes. However, if you can afford to, please consider supporting me as a paid subscriber and/or supporting over at Ko-Fi. That will help me to continue, and to keep spending time on the work. Embarrassingly, ...1 week ago
- No one could save me but you
There was a time when Google was the best thing in my world. I was an early adopter of their AdWords program and boy did I like what it did for my business. It put rocket fuel in it, is what it did. For every dollar I spent, those ads ...1 week ago - The disinformation grift in NZ.
A while back I was engaged in an unpleasant exchange with a leader of the most well-known NZ anti-vax group and several like-minded trolls. I had responded to a racist meme on social media in which a rightwing podcaster in the US interviewed one of the leaders of the Proud ...1 week ago
- Anna Wilding, Bullshit Master
Hi,If you’ve been reading Webworm for a while, you’ll be familiar with Anna Wilding. Between 2020 and 2021 I looked at how the New Zealander had managed to weasel her way into countless news stories over the years, often with very little proof any of it had actually happened. When ...1 week ago - Summertime in Aotearoa
It's a long white cloud for you, baby; staying together alwaysSummertime in AotearoaWhere the sunshine kisses the water, we will find it alwaysSummertime in AotearoaYeah, it′s SummertimeIt's SummertimeWriters: Codi Wehi Ngatai, Moresby Kainuku, Pipiwharauroa Campbell, Taulutoa Michael Schuster, Rebekah Jane Brady, Te Naawe Jordan Muturangi Tupe, Thomas Edward Scrase.Many of ...1 week ago - 2024 sets some new road safety records
Last year, 292 people died unnecessarily on our roads. That is the lowest result in over a decade and only the fourth time in the last 70 years we’ve seen fewer than 300 deaths in a calendar year. Yet, while it is 292 people too many, with each death being ...1 week ago
- The role of climate change in the catastrophic 2025 Los Angeles fires
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building at Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The fast-moving wildfire had destroyed thousands of structures and ...1 week ago
- Luxon waves goodbye to record number of NZers with no plan in sight
Christopher Luxon’s State of the Nation speech today offered no real hope nor vision for a unified and prosperous Aotearoa New Zealand. ...7 hours ago - Govt’s sanctions regime fails us all
The Government’s newly released data paints a damning picture: the sanctions regime targeting beneficiaries is an abject failure. ...9 hours ago
- Release: Nicola Willis has a new job while she oversees New Zealanders losing theirs
There are still struggles ahead with rising rents, rates, insurance and high unemployment, despite today’s inflation data. ...1 day ago - Government spin won’t pay the rent
The latest Consumer Price Index figures show rents rising almost twice as fast as general inflation. ...1 day ago
- Aotearoa must step up as Trump plays with climate fire
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...2 days ago
- Release: Cabinet reshuffle a futile exercise from failing government
National's Cabinet reshuffle is a futile attempt to turn around a failing government. ...2 days ago
- Greens welcome Gaza ceasefire, but say more work to do
The Green Party has welcomed the provisional ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and reiterated its call for New Zealand to push for an end to the unlawful occupation of Palestine. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour mourns passing of Dame Tariana Turia
Ka kohukohu te awa o Whanganui!Ka tau te kākahu taratara ki runga I te maunga o Whānau Ora!Ka tangi hotuhotu tō iwi Māori! ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour acknowledges Lyn Fleming’s death
Labour expresses its shock and sadness at the death of widely respected Police Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens welcome deadline extension but reiterate call for Bill to be binned
The Green Party welcomes the extension of the deadline for Treaty Principles Bill submissions but continues to call on the Government to abandon the Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- KO disruptive tenants’ easy ride over
Complaints about disruptive behaviour now handled in around 13 days (down from around 60 days a year ago) 553 Section 55A notices issued by Kāinga Ora since July 2024, up from 41 issued during the same period in the previous year. Of that 553, first notices made up around 83 ...2 weeks ago - 80% reduction in building determination wait times
The time it takes to process building determinations has improved significantly over the last year which means fewer delays in homes being built, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “New Zealand has a persistent shortage of houses. Making it easier and quicker for new homes to be built will ...2 weeks ago
- Top baby names for 2024
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is pleased to announce the annual list of New Zealand’s most popular baby names for 2024. “For the second consecutive year, Noah has claimed the top spot for boys with 250 babies sharing the name, while Isla has returned to the most popular ...2 weeks ago
- Enabling works to begin on Westgate Bus Station
Work is set to get underway on a new bus station at Westgate this week. A contract has been awarded to HEB Construction to start a package of enabling works to get the site ready in advance of main construction beginning in mid-2025, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“A new Westgate ...2 weeks ago
- A nationwide shift towards acting together to stop family and sexual violence
Minister for Children and for Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour is encouraging people to use the resources available to them to get help, and to report instances of family and sexual violence amongst their friends, families, and loved ones who are in need. “The death of a ...2 weeks ago
- Murdoch’s UK newspapers have apologised to Prince Harry. Where does it leave the legally embattled...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Ricketson, Professor of Communication, Deakin University This week Prince Harry achieved something few before him have: an admission of guilt and unlawful behaviour from the Murdoch media organisation. But he also fell short of his long-stated goal of holding the Murdochs ...9 minutes ago - Are public schools really ‘free’? Families can pay hundreds of dollars in voluntary fees
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Rowe, Associate Professor in Education, Deakin University As Australian families prepare for term 1, many will receive letters from their public schools asking them to pay fees. While public schools are supposed to be “free”, parents are regularly asked to ...1 hour ago
- Something old, new, borrowed, and blue in PM’s growth plan
Analysis - At first glance the Prime Minister's fresh plan to inject growth in the economy is a hark back to pre-Covid days and the last National government. ...2 hours ago - The US intends to leave the World Health Organization. What happens next?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By C Raina MacIntyre, Professor of Global Biosecurity, NHMRC L3 Research Fellow, Head, Biosecurity Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney T. Schneider/Shutterstock Donald Trump’s plan to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) has been met with dismay in the ...2 hours ago
- Rubber hits the road for Labour in 2025
Labour Party MPs have kicked off the political year with a spring in their step and fire in their bellies, ready to announce some policies and ramp up the attack strategy.Clad in a casual shirt and jandals, leader Chris Hipkins entered the Distinction Hotel in Palmerston North, guns blazing and ...4 hours ago - Standing for decency: The sermon the President didn’t want to hear
COMMENTARY: By Nick Rockel People get readyThere’s a train a-comingYou don’t need no baggageYou just get on boardAll you need is faithTo hear the diesels hummingDon’t need no ticketYou just thank the Lord Songwriter: Curtis Mayfield You might have seen Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s speech at the National Prayer Service ...4 hours ago
- A new wave of filmmakers are exploring motherhood’s discontents. Nightbitch makes this monstrous
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Williamson, Senior Tutor in English, University of Canterbury Disney+ “Motherhood,” the beleaguered stay-at-home mother of Nightbitch tells us in contemplative voice-over, “is probably the most violent experience a human can have aside from death itself”. Increasingly depicted as a ...4 hours ago
- Yes, Trump can rename the Gulf of Mexico – just not for everyone. Here’s how it works
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clive Schofield, Professor, Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong Getty Images Among the blizzard of executive orders issued by Donald Trump on his first day back in the Oval Office was one titled Restoring Names ...5 hours ago
- What is PNF stretching, and will it improve my flexibility?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lewis Ingram, Lecturer in Physiotherapy, University of South Australia Undrey/Shutterstock Whether improving your flexibility was one of your new year’s resolutions, or you’ve been inspired watching certain tennis stars warming up at the Australian Open, maybe 2025 has you keen to ...5 hours ago
- PM Christopher Luxon says government will move ‘with pace’ on tourism infrastructure
Christopher Luxon says the government wants tourism "turned on big time internationally" in response to a mayor's call for more funding for the sector. ...5 hours ago
- Taxpayers’ Union Criticism Of Governor-General Unwarranted
The NZTU's OIA request shows that across the Governor-General's six trips to London between June 2022 and May 2023, the Office of Governor-General incurred just over £10000 / $20000 NZ on VIP services for the Governor-General and those travelling ...5 hours ago - ‘Move fast and break things’: Trump’s $500 billion AI project has major risks
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Armin Chitizadeh, Lecturer, School of Computer Science, University of Sydney Collagery/Shutterstock In one of his first moves as the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump announced a new US$500 billion project called Stargate to accelerate the development of artificial ...6 hours ago
- Why have Joe Biden’s preemptive pardons caused such a stir? A president’s pardoning power has fe...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hart, Emeritus Faculty, US government and politics specialist, Australian National University On his last day in office, outgoing United States President Joe Biden issued a number of preemptive pardons essentially to protect some leading public figures and members of his own ...6 hours ago
- You can train your nose – and 4 other surprising facts about your sense of smell
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lynn Nazareth, Research Scientist in Olfactory Biology, CSIRO DimaBerlin/Shutterstock Would you give up your sense of smell to keep your hair? What about your phone? A 2022 US study compared smell to other senses (sight and hearing) and personally prized commodities ...6 hours ago
- Trump has withdrawn the US from the Paris Agreement. Here’s why that’s not such a bad thing
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebekkah Markey-Towler, PhD Candidate, Melbourne Law School, and Research fellow, Melbourne Climate Futures, The University of Melbourne EPA On his first day back in office as United States president, Donald Trump gave formal notice of his nation’s exit from the Paris ...6 hours ago
- Luxon’s ‘going For Growth’ Just Grows The Government Bureaucracy
Taxpayers' Union Spokesman, Jordan Williams, said “the speech was more about feels and repeating old announcements than concrete policy changes to improve New Zealand’s prosperity.” ...6 hours ago
- Taxpayer Victory! Callaghan Innovation Finally For The Scrapheap
Callaghan Innovation has shown itself to be a toxic organisation, with a culture that leads to waste on a wallet-shattering scale, Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman James Ross said. ...6 hours ago
- PM Flags Mining As Critical To Economic Growth
"It is great to see this Government listening to the mining sector and showing a clear understanding of its value to the economy in terms of jobs and investment in communities, as well as export earnings," Vidal says. ...6 hours ago
- Axing Of Callaghan Innovation, Loss Of 500 Jobs Already Makes Mockery Of Latest Reform
The long overdue science reform strategy promises another huge restructure on top of the restructure endured by science agencies to date, creating more uncertainty and worry for thousands of science workers. ...7 hours ago
- Climate crisis: The carbon footprint of the Gaza genocide
SPECIAL REPORT: By Jeremy Rose The International Court of Justice heard last month that after reconstruction is factored in Israel’s war on Gaza will have emitted 52 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. A figure equivalent to the annual emissions of 126 states and territories. It seems ...7 hours ago
- Nature’s comeback tour: 11 wins that prove conservation works
Some feel-good nature wins to start your year. Sure, 2024 wasn’t what you’d call a “feel-good” year for the natural world. But if your heart sank at each new blow to conservation (hello fast track bill, goodbye Jobs for Nature funding, looking at you, conservation and science budget cuts), let ...7 hours ago - Christopher Luxon announces foreign investment agency in state of nation address
"We are going for growth": The prime minister says, announcing a new agency, in his first major speech of the year. ...8 hours ago
- Coalition has lead in most polls as Dutton gains five-point preferred PM lead in Resolve
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Resolve poll for Nine newspapers, conducted January 15–21 from a sample of 1,610, gave the Coalition a 51–49 lead using ...8 hours ago
- Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown has enormous resonance – but doesn’t break with gender stere...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa French, Professor & Dean, School of Media and Communication, RMIT University Searchlight Pictures In 1961, aged 19, Bob Dylan left home in Minnesota for New York City and never looked back. Unknown when he arrived, he would later be widely ...8 hours ago
- The Body Shop is dead but our love for its lip balm will live on
Body Shop NZ has been put into voluntary liquidation. We reach out into the Dewberry mists of time to farewell some of our cruelty-free favs. Before Mecca was the mecca, before Sephora sold retinol to tweens and before the internet made beauty content a lucrative career path, there was The ...9 hours ago
- Seizures Of Black Market Tobacco Show Strong Policy Action Needed From Government
According to official Customs information, total interceptions of illegal cigarettes and cigars grew 31.4%, from 4.94 million in 2019–2020 to 6.5 million in 2023–2024. ...9 hours ago
- Local Dolphin Defenders’ Nelson Port Protest Tomorrow 24/01/25
The charity Māui and Hector’s Dolphin Defenders, is calling on Luxon's National-led coalition government for more protection for the dolphins throughout their rang ...9 hours ago
- Be Bold, Mr Luxon
National cannot fall into the habit of simply naming a new Ministerial portfolio and trying to jaw-bone public policy outcomes, says Taxpayers' Union Executive Director Jordan Williams. ...10 hours ago
- Luxon’s Bonfire Of Natural Capital Leaves New Zealand Poorer
Luxon is due to give his State of the Nation speech today which will once again prioritise the War On Nature. These destructive policies, including the fast track law, have become one of the trademarks of his first year in office. ...10 hours ago
- Financial Statements Of The Government Of New Zealand For The Five Months Ended 30 November 2024
The November results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2024 (HYEFU 2024), published on 17 December 2024, and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...10 hours ago
- Labour pivots focus to National’s stomping grounds of economy and crime
Labour leader Chris Hipkins has told his caucus the party needs to up its game on the cost of living, crime and the economy. ...10 hours ago
- Why we’re not ready to extend the parliamentary term
Until there is a considerable strengthening of the accountability mechanisms, the parliamentary term should not be extended, argues Brian Easton in this edited excerpt from his latest book In Open Seas: How the New Zealand Labour Government Went Wrong: 2017–2023. A British Lord Chancellor described the British political system as ...11 hours ago
- ‘Decolonise’ aid urgent call from Fiji’s Prasad to face Pacific climate crisis
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister Biman Prasad has told an international conference in Bangkok that some of the most severely debt-stressed countries are the island states of the Pacific. Dr Prasad, who is also a former economic professor, said the harshest impacts of global ...11 hours ago
- Do you feel better off, punk? Well, do ya?
Comment: Labour should not have to be asking whether voters feel better off – but helping them feel that they realistically could be The post Do you feel better off, punk? Well, do ya? appeared first on Newsroom. ...11 hours ago
- Prisons don’t create safer communities, so why is Australia spending billions on building them?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Russell, ARC DECRA Associate Professor in Crime, Justice and Legal Studies, La Trobe University Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show prisoner numbers are growing in every Australian state and territory — except Victoria. Nationally, our per capita imprisonment ...12 hours ago
- The last time it was legal, exports of sea sand destroyed dozens of Indonesian islands. Now, the ban...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bioantika, PhD Candidate, Global Centre for Mineral Security, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland An excavator dredges sea sand in Lhokseumawe, Sumatra. Mohd Arafat/Shutterstock Over 20 years ago, then Indonesian president Megawati Soekarnoputri banned the export of sea sand from her ...12 hours ago
- Is your child nervous about going back to school? Try asking them what they are looking forward to
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Vlcek, Lecturer in inclusive education, RMIT University Annie Spratt/Unsplash, CC BY From next week, schools will start to return for term 1. This can be a nervous time for some students, who might be anxious about new teachers, classes and ...12 hours ago
- NZ’s Companies Act is finally being reformed – but will the changes go far enough?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lynn Buckley, Senior Lecturer, Business School, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Reforms to the Companies Act are meant to make Aotearoa New Zealand an easier and safer place to do business. But key gaps in the reforms mean they could fall ...12 hours ago
- Does ‘made with love’ sell? Research reveals who values handmade products the most
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tuba Degirmenci, PhD Candidate School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations, Queensland University of Technology Tsuguliev/Shutterstock We’ve all seen the marketing message “handmade with love”. It’s designed to tug at our heartstrings, suggesting extra care and affection went into crafting a ...12 hours ago
- Help Me Hera: Why does every catch-up feel like a job interview?
A lot of my friendships these days feel more like external audits, and it’s making me dread our coffee dates. Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Dear Hera, I am seeking your advice on catch-up friendships. I think most people have friendships that don’t form part of their ...12 hours ago
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