Posts Tagged ‘independence’
Catalonia
Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, October 28th, 2017 - 62 comments
The predictable reactions of regional and world leaders.
Cat Among the Pigeons
Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, March 14th, 2017 - 94 comments
Nicolas Sturgeon to seek the authority of the Scottish Parliament to agree the details of a Section 30 Order that will allow the Scottish Parliament to legislate for an independence referendum.
Supported autonomy
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, August 31st, 2016 - 31 comments
Philip Patston writes about the important difference between autonomy and independence.
September 18th
Written By: - Date published: 7:36 pm, April 8th, 2014 - 46 comments
The 18th of September 2014 is a big day.
On that day, people living in Scotland will decide if they want to become citizens in a nation that will have reclaimed its sovereignty.
- Let Fonterra die
Fonterra 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. ...42 mins 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 ...3 hours 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 ...3 hours 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. ...4 hours ago
- The Game of Thrones finale: A review
A review of the last ever episode of Game of Thrones (Spoiler alert!) ...24 hours 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 ...1 day 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, ...1 day 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 ...1 day 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 ...1 day 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 ...2 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 ...2 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, ...2 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 ...2 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 ...2 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 ...2 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 ...2 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 ...3 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 ...4 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 ...4 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 ...5 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%. ...5 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 ...5 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 ...5 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 ...5 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 ...5 days ago
- Frustrations of an unreconstructed, unrepentant Keynesian
Those 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 ...5 days 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 ...6 days 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 ...6 days 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. ...6 days 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 ...6 days 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 ...6 days 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. ...6 days 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: ...6 days 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 ...7 days 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 ...7 days 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 ...1 week 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 ...1 week ago
- New Fisk1 week 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 ...1 week 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 ...1 week 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 ...1 week 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 ...1 week 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 ...1 week 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 ...1 week 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 ...1 week 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
- “Pure sophistic bollocks”That's how normally mild-mannered ex-MP Peter Dunne describes the government's excuses on its "binding" cannabis referendum:The Minister tries to justify his position by saying that no Parliament can bind its successor Parliaments. This is, to put it politely, pure sophistic ...2 weeks ago
- Why do MPs hate capital gains taxes?Just look at all the houses they own. Parliament's Register of Pecuniary Interests was released yesterday, showing all the pies our MPs said they have their fingers in. And their favourite pie is houses. NewsHub has a list here, and ...2 weeks ago
- Ireland declares a climate emergencyLast week, the UK Parliament became the first in the world to recognise the seriousness and urgency of the environmental situation by declaring a climate emergency. And last night, Ireland followed suit:Ireland has become only the second country in the ...2 weeks ago
- A New Crime of EcocideTwo developments over the past week or so demonstrate how serious is the existential crisis we now face, in terms of the damage we are doing to our planet, and how far we are from facing up to our responsibilities. ...2 weeks ago
- Psychology of Russiagate – an adult discussion for a changeThis is a fascinating interview – and not only because it is a highly respected independent journalist, Aaron Maté, interviewing his highly respected mental health expert father, Dr. Gabor Maté. It is fascinating because it is objective and adult ...2 weeks ago
- Hubbard Bubble: Toil and TroubleAt the core of a successful economy is ‘trust’. Buy a can of beans and your decision depends on trusting a whole chain of suppliers. Admittedly, you also trust that the law is working in your favour too; it usually ...2 weeks ago
- Fox News made the US a hotbed of climate denial. Kids are the cure.A new 23-country survey conducted by the YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project found that America has the highest percentage of climate denial among first-world nations, behind only Indonesia and Saudi Arabia in all the countries surveyed. A total of 13 percent of Americans responded that ...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 ...6 days 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 ...1 week 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
- Taxpayers get a smarter and fairer systemOne of the biggest IT projects ever undertaken in the state sector has successfully passed its latest hurdle with the transition of more than 19.7 million taxpayer accounts from one Inland Revenue computer system to another. Revenue Minister Stuart Nash ...3 weeks ago
- Budget needs to close the community social worker pay gap
Social 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. ...23 mins 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. ...27 mins 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 ...59 mins 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. ...1 hour ago
- Zero Carbon BillYesterday was the first reading of the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill in Parliament. ...2 hours 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. ...3 hours 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 ...5 hours 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. ...20 hours 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 ...22 hours ago
- Successful first reading a critical step for climate billSuccessful first reading a critical first step to creating effective Zero Carbon Bill ...23 hours 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 ...24 hours 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. ...24 hours 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. ...1 day 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. ...1 day 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 ...1 day 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. ...1 day ago
- Survivor Advisory Group appointedThe Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in Care has announced the appointment of a Survivor Advisory Group. The group will represent survivors of abuse in State care and those from faith-based institutions. Commission Chair Sir Anand ...1 day ago
- ITF condemns suspension of union members in AucklandThe International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) strongly condemns the 30-day suspension without pay of union members by the Spanish employer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) in Auckland, New Zealand. ...1 day ago
- #DefendNZ representatives arrive in WellingtonWe all have a stake in the End of Life Choice Bill conversation, but for some people, this Bill is more than a thought experiment – it is a clear and present danger. For this reason, some of the people ...1 day ago
- Public transport reform welcomedWellington bus drivers are welcoming reform of the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) says their union. ...1 day ago
- Rabbit numbers in red zone require pest controlLand Information New Zealand will release calicivirus K5 in some areas of the Residential Red Zone to manage a significant increase in rabbit numbers. ...1 day ago
- PTOM fix a welcome reform of a ridiculous systemMinister Twyford’s announcement this morning of reform of the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) will be a timely fix for bad legislation that has cost jobs and pay for drivers and left public transport systems broken says New Zealand Council ...1 day ago
- Perceived conflicts should not undermine Predator Free NZA report claiming that Predator Free NZ could be derailed by conflict over how to maintain biodiversity should not discourage New Zealanders from getting involved in conservation, says Game Animal Council Chair Don Hammond. ...1 day ago
- Deepfake and the law – Expert ReactionDeepfake and other 'synthetic media' will be the next wave of online content causing concern, but there's no need to rush to create new laws to cope. ...1 day ago
- Duck left to die a slow and painful deathA Paradise duck was the victim of stray shotgun pellets this weekend and required urgent veterinary treatment to prevent further suffering. ...1 day ago
- 3 days to go until thousands of students strike from schoolThere are now only three days until May 24th, when thousands of school students across the country and the world will strike from school to demand the Government treat climate change as the crisis that it is. ...1 day ago
- Israel Institute says NZ taxpayers are funding extremismIsrael Institute of New Zealand co-director, Dr David Cumin, is calling for a moratorium on any further Kiwi taxpayer funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) until serious issues of corruption, antisemitism and extremism within that ...1 day ago
- Over 1,000 prisoners sign voting petitionThe Wellington Howard League's "Let Prisoners Vote" petition, presented to Parliament by Wellington Central MP, the Hon. Grant Robertson, will be tabled in the House on Tuesday 21 May before question time. ...1 day ago
- Resist rushing to new “deepfake” law, study findsGovernment should be cautious about moving to new law for “deepfake” audio and video, a new Law Foundation-backed study released today says. ...1 day ago
- Over 65s should receive KiwiSaver employer contributionsChair of the Summer KiwiSaver Investment Committee Martin Hawes has urged the Government to change the law so that employers are required to continue to make KiwiSaver contributions to workers over 65 years old. ...1 day ago
- Q+A: Louisa Wall and David Seymour interviewed by Jack TameLabour MP Louisa Wall believes tighter hate speech laws could have prevented the Christchurch mosque attacks. ...1 day ago
- Millennial and Gen Z confidence in the economy declinesWellington, 21 May 2019 – Facing continuous technological and societal disruption, millennials and Gen Zs are disillusioned with traditional institutions, skeptical of business’ motives and pessimistic about economic and social progress, according ...1 day ago
- Trout Farming Rears its Ugly Head at TaupoThe spectre of trout farming has reared up from the murky shadows of the previous National government’s treaty deals. Māori owners of Lake Rotoaira near Turangi are reported to be backing an attempt to allow trout farming. ...2 days ago
- Free Press, 20 May 2019Our education system is a slowly unfolding disaster. Too many kids leave school without basic literacy and numeracy skills. In 2014, the Tertiary Education Commission found about half of Year 11 students achieved the international reading and numeracy benchmarks. ...2 days ago
- Q + A – Monday May 20Free speech or hate speech? When do words go too far? We debate whether New Zealand needs new hate speech laws with ACT leader David Seymour and Labour MP Louisa Wall. ...2 days ago
- Hauraki Gulf Forum votes to increase marine park protectionThe Hauraki Gulf Forum, the statutory body tasked with progressing integrated management of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, today recommended two significant goals for the important and much-loved marine park. ...2 days ago
- Minister talks in Platitudes but says nothing new!“I was very disappointed that last night all my Minister could do when confronted with the reality of teaching, was to mouth the same old clichés and platitudes. ...2 days ago
- Children’s Commissioner slammed for Colonialism commentsThe Sensible Sentencing Trust say the Children’s Commissioner is guilty of riding the ‘Colonialism’ bandwagon by blaming racism and colonialism after Oranga Tamariki removed a child from its mother’s care. Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew ...2 days ago
- Barnardos welcomes new gov family and sexual violence budgetBarnardos welcomes new government family and sexual violence Wellbeing Budget package ...2 days ago
- Dual names proposed for Fiordland’s sounds and inletsThe New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) is inviting submissions on proposals to create dual Māori–English names for 16 sounds and inlets in Fiordland. The NZGB says restoring traditional Ngāi Tahu names alongside ...2 days ago
- Who would you trust?Few of us want to think about something happening to us that might impact on our ability to make sound decisions. The reality is, we can’t predict what’s going to happen in life that may impact on our health or ...2 days ago
- Racism Underpins the Prisoner Voting Blanket BanFormer retired Probation officer Tom Hemopo and Māori Climate Commissioner, Donna Awatere-Huata are due to give evidence this afternoon at the Māori Prisoner’s Voting Inquiry at the Waitangi Trbunal in Wellington. ...2 days ago
- National sticks to bob-each-way on US-China relationsMay 20 (BusinessDesk) - The National Party proposes ambitious new trade targets for New Zealand's relations with both China and the United States in a foreign affairs discussion document released this morning for public consultation. ...2 days ago
- NZ Jewish Council criticizes Christchurch Central MPChristchurch Central Labour MP Dr Duncan Webb has been criticized by the NZ Jewish Council for his promotion of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement directed at Israel. ...2 days ago
- Meeting with PM “Best hope” for Nicky Stevens whanauThe highly publicised case of Nicky Stevens who died in 2015 while in the legal care of the Waikato DHB is to be put before the Prime Minister next week. ...2 days ago
- NZ’s first shelter for pets affected by family violenceNew Zealand's first shelter dedicated to housing pets affected by family violence is being built. Pet Refuge will provide a temporary safe haven for pets, while their owners escape abuse. The initiative comes as new research from Women’s Refuge reveals ...2 days ago
- Auckland Council Monitoring Report Robust ScienceForest and Bird, The Tree Council and the Waitakere Ranges Protection Society are dismayed but not surprised at the recent attacks on the scientific credibility of the Auckland Council Monitoring Report that describes the increased spread of kauri ...2 days ago
- Kiwibuild turning into a corporate welfare racketKiwibuild is turning into a corporate welfare racket, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union in response to news that none of the seven Kiwibuild homes marketed in Christchurch have sold, and therefore the Government is likely to pay out the ...2 days ago
- Robertson’s Budget $6 Billion ShortFinance Minister Grant Robertson’s budget later this month could have contained an additional $6 billion in spending without costing taxpayers a single cent more, Social Credit Party Leader, Chris Leitch told the party’s Canterbury Regional conference ...2 days ago
- Sexual Violence Initiative WelcomedNew Zealand’s specialist sexual violence service sector is heartened to hear today that the government has demonstrated its commitment to the Well-Being of its citizens by announcing a significant injection of money into the work the sector undertakes ...2 days ago
- There are lessons for NZ from the Aussie election miracle, and they’re mostly bleak
What happened with the polls, and what does the shock Coalition victory tell us about attitudes to climate change and the power of vested interests? Political analyst and pollster Stephen Mills writesThe re-election of the Australian Coalition government was a shock ...19 mins ago - Third chair for Parliament’s foreign interference inquiry
National's Maggie Barry is leaving the Justice Select Committee, and her post as acting chair, amid the inquiry into foreign interference. ...19 mins ago - National urges Mallard to involve police in Parliament rape claims
National's deputy leader Paula Bennett has called for Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard to involve the police immediately if he believes there is a rapist in the parliamentary precinct. ...23 mins ago - Sex trafficking’s tragic paradox: when victims become perpetrators
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Baxter, Researcher/PhD Candidate, criminology and human trafficking, Flinders University Born in rural Thailand, Watcharaporn Nantahkhum gave birth to her first child at the age of 17. Her father killed himself when ...39 mins ago - The ‘fatshion’ label making ethical clothes for fat people
Most labels for bigger people aren’t plus-size enough and the larger price tags that go them are “bullshit”, a new Wellington business owner says.A Wellington fashion entrepreneur says the “fat tax” charged on larger sizes is one of the drivers ...1 hour ago - Charging the Christchurch mosque attacker with terrorism could be risky – but it’s important
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keiran Hardy, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University On Tuesday, the gunman in the Christchurch mosque shootings was charged with committing a terrorist act. The new charge came more than ...1 hour ago - The three guitar assault of hard rock supergroup City of SoulsThe six members of City of Souls previously played in some of NZ’s heaviest and most beloved guitar bands – Blindspott, Blacklistt, and 8 Foot Sativa, to name a few. Guitarist Trajan Schwencke tells Gareth Shute why they’re just as ...2 hours ago
- The new Auckland Harbour Bridge crossing: what you need to know
Is this the Harbour Bridge crossing breakthrough Auckland has been waiting for? And what does it mean for SkyPath? This post was first published on Bike Auckland. Today the NZ Transport Agency unveiled its preferred design for a walking ...3 hours ago - AFT Pharmaceuticals slims its losses
Drug maker AFT Pharmaceuticals has reduced its losses after cutting its research and development spend and selling more of its over the counter pain relief products overseas. ...4 hours ago - Abortion debate: Does Crimes Act make women feel like criminals?National MP Alfred Ngaro says having abortion in the Crimes Act doesn't make women feel like criminals so no law change is necessary. ...4 hours ago
- OCR cut may not be needed- Westpac
House prices may get a shot in the arm from current low interest rates and the government's decision to scrap any chance of a capital gains tax. ...4 hours ago - SkyCity ignores government, signs deal to open online casinoSkyCity has entered the online gambling fray, announcing a deal to open an online casino later this year. SkyCity has signed a landmark deal to offer online gambling to New Zealanders, partnering with a Malta-based company just weeks after minister for ...4 hours ago
- The perfect dish: Tahdig, the crispy, crunchy, life-affirming Persian soul food
Think rice is nothing special? Try tahdig, the golden, crispy rice crust that’s a way of life for Iranians.As Iranians, we are obsessed with the crunchy bits. The oily, crispy bits. The layers upon layers of starch. True love is at ...4 hours ago - Cutting interest rates is just the start. It’s about to become much, much easier to borrow
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Warren Hogan, Industry Professor, University of Technology Sydney Australia’s lowest ever Reserve Bank cash rate – 1.5% – is about to be consigned to history. On Tuesday Governor Philip Lowe made it ...4 hours ago - Canberra cannot ignore Manus Island suicide attempt crisis, warns advocate
By RNZ Pacific The Australian election result has precipitated a wave of suicide attempts among Manus Island refugees that the government can no longer ignore, warns a refugee advocate. The Liberal Party-led Coalition was returned to power on Saturday. ...5 hours ago - Police lay terrorism charge against man accused of mosque shootings
By RNZ New Zealand police have laid a terrorism charge against the man accused of murdering 51 people in Christchurch in deadly terror attacks on two Christchurch mosques on March 15. In addition to the murder charges, Brenton Tarrant ...5 hours ago - Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – May 22 2019
5 hours ago - Creatives are struggling to make a living, and it’s hurting our creative industriesCreative professionals struggle to make a living in New Zealand, according to new research by Creative New Zealand and NZ On Air. Is it hurting the country’s creative future?Just two months after releasing his critically-acclaimed album Avantdale Bowling Club, Auckland ...6 hours ago
- Ministers miss deadline to release diariesFive ministers, including Greens co-leader James Shaw, have missed the deadline to release their diaries and meet their commitment to more transparency in government. ...6 hours ago
- Parliament bullying: Mallard urges rape victims to seek supportSpeaker of the House Trevor Mallard says it's his impression from the report on bullying at Parliament that people have been raped there, and he is urging the victims to go to police or support agencies. ...7 hours ago
- Dairy prices drop
Dairy prices fell in the latest global auction for for the first time in six months. ...7 hours ago - The ‘pulse’ of a volcano can be used to help predict its next eruption
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Carey, Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences, University of Tasmania Predicting when a volcano will next blow is tricky business, but lessons we learned from one of Hawaii’s recent eruptions may help. ...7 hours ago - Outrage, polls and bias: 2019 federal election showed Australian media need better regulation
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne Two big media-related issues have emerged from the federal election: how opinion polls are reported and the polarisation ...7 hours ago - Aboriginal mothers are incarcerated at alarming rates – and their mental and physical health suffe...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sacha Kendall, Post-doctoral research fellow in public health, University of Technology Sydney Aboriginal women are the fastest growing prison population in Australia. They comprise around one-third of female prisoners in New South ...7 hours ago - ‘Bright white skeletons’: some Western Australian reefs have the lowest coral cover on record
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Paton Gilmour, Research Scientist: Coral Ecology, Australian Institute of Marine Science Diving on the remote coral reefs in the north of Western Australia during the world’s worst bleaching event in 2016, ...7 hours ago - From sharks in seagrass to manatees in mangroves, we’ve found large marine species in some surpris...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University When we think of mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and saltmarshes, we don’t immediately think of shark habitats. But the first ...7 hours ago - How close is Sydney to the vision of creating three 30-minute cities?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Somwrita Sarkar, Senior Lecturer in Design and Computation, University of Sydney The Greater Sydney Commission has proposed a 40-year vision of a metropolitan region formed of three “cities”: the Eastern “Harbour” City, ...7 hours ago - 3 lessons from behavioural economics Bill Shorten’s Labor Party forgot about
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey West, Lecturer in Behavioural Finance, Griffith University The Australian Labor Party’s 2019 election campaign showed a depth and breadth of economic policies rare for an opposition party to present. Its policy ...7 hours ago - Hidden women of history: Ennigaldi-Nanna, curator of the world’s first museum
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Pryke, Lecturer, Languages and Literature of Ancient Israel, Macquarie University In this series, we look at under-acknowledged women through the ages. “It belongs in a museum.” With these words, Indiana Jones, ...7 hours ago - The Bulletin: Fight goes on for Pike River families
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Major milestone reached in Pike River story, report paints damning picture of parliamentary bullying, and Alfred Ngaro builds profile with abortion comments.For the families of those men killed in the Pike ...8 hours ago - The story of a revolution: How public transport transformed Auckland
Public transport in Auckland looks set to hit an all-time of 100 million passengers this year. Patrick Reynolds looks back at how we got here and what next to expect for the future of transport.There’s a quiet revolution underway in ...10 hours ago - KiwiSaver flagging? Be brave, stand firmPanicking and changing KiwiSaver funds when the market goes through a bad patch is precisely the wrong thing to do, writes Martin Hawes.Annual KiwiSaver statements are hitting people’s inboxes about now, and there may be a few gasps from those ...10 hours ago
- The significant spot that no one knew about
The Detail today looks at why an Australian/Malaysian company wants to turn 23 million year old fossils into animal food - and how far down the track its plans are. ...10 hours ago - Queensland paper backtracks after using violent imagery to depict Annastacia PalaszczukSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenna Price, Senior lecturer, University of Technology Sydney Social media backlash and a Queensland government complaint to the Australian Press Council has forced the Sunshine Coast Daily to apologise to its readers ...16 hours ago
- Bowen carries baggage into Labor leadership contestSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen is running for Labor leader, despite carrying the baggage of being the architect of election policies, especially on franking credits, now ...17 hours ago
- We should not bear Parliament’s ‘bear pit’ any longer
That the findings of a report into Parliament's toxic workplace culture were not a shock is perhaps the most shocking thing. ...19 hours ago - US-China relations are certainly at a low point, but this is not the next Cold WarSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Bisley, Head of Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor of International Relations at La Trobe University, La Trobe University Trump’s long-threatened trade war with China is now a reality. Beijing has ...20 hours ago
- Bad apples in the Parliament’s barrelOpinion - The report that has just revealed serious bullying, sexual harassment and even sexual assault in Parliament won't surprise anyone who has worked there, Peter Wilson writes. ...20 hours ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Toxic politicians under scrutinyThere are just so many damning statements and statistics that need to be highlighted from today’s parliamentary bullying report. These all show that Parliamentary staff work in a dangerous and toxic place. But one of the most revealing facts in ...21 hours ago
- PNG opposition withdraws vote of no confidence against O’Neill
By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Papua New Guinea’s opposition says it is withdrawing its motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, but is likely to lodge a new one soon. Also, former Finance Minister James Marape is withdrawing as ...21 hours ago - Here’s how to make opinion polls more representative and honestSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Barnett, Professor of Statistics; President of the Statistical Society of Australia, Queensland University of Technology In 2012, US statistician Nate Silver correctly predicted the results of all 50 states in the ...21 hours ago
- Fewer people placed into permanent homesThe number of families and individuals taken off the state housing register and placed into permanent homes fell about 20 percent in the last quarter. ...21 hours ago
- Review: An overly diplomatic biography of Labour grandee Dame Annette King
The authorised biography of New Zealand’s longest-serving female MP was co-written by her former press secretary. Unsurprising, then, that it focuses on her triumphs, says longtime Labour activist Shane Te Pou.If you’re like me, and admire Dame Annette King the ...22 hours ago - After Clive Palmer’s $60 million campaign, limits on political advertising are more important than...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marian Sawer, Emeritus Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, Australian National University Can billionaires buy elections in Australia? In the 2019 election, Clive Palmer demonstrated they can certainly flood the print ...23 hours ago
- Papercuts podcast: Live on tape from the Auckland Writers FestivalWelcome back to Papercuts, our monthly books podcast hosted by Louisa Kasza, Jenna Todd and Kiran Dass.As always, you can email us at papercutspod@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @papercutspod and a big thanks to The Spinoff and ...23 hours ago
- The Price of Admission: On the Auckland Art Fair 2019
Megan Dunn looks back on this year’s Auckland Art Fair and what the fair means to New Zealand art galleries, buyers and artists.A curator friend recently said to me, “everyone loves to hate art fairs.” True, but only because everyone ...23 hours ago - Teenagers need our support, not criticism, as they navigate life online
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanne Orlando, Researcher: Technology and Learning, Western Sydney University Imagine you’re a 14-year-old girl on the train on your way home from school, when out of nowhere a “dick pic” appears on ...23 hours ago - Green MP Golriz Ghahraman gets security escortGreen MP Golriz Ghahraman's security risk was escalated following comments from white supremacists and she says comments from ACT leader David Seymour played a part, too. ...23 hours ago
- Don’t believe everything you see, or hear
Technology can now produce voices, faces and videos that even experts can't identify as fake - what does that mean for our democracy? ...24 hours ago - Rockabul, a tale of a metal band in Kabul, reinvigorates the radical spirit of rock ‘n’ roll
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ari Mattes, Lecturer in Media Studies, University of Notre Dame Australia It’s an axiom that the effectiveness of documentary typically rests on two things: if its subject matter is interesting, and if ...1 day ago
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