Does the Autumn 2024 British budget point to a change in fiscal strategies?Many countries found their fiscal position was unsustainable, following the 2008 Global Financial Crash. Their public spending was well in excess of their public revenue and they had to borrow more heavily than lenders thought prudent. Almost unanimously, ...
Although I shared some thoughts about the US election on other social media platforms, here are some items that emerged from the wreckage: Campaigns based on hope do not always defeat campaigns based on fear. Having dozens of retired high … Continue reading → ...
2022, directed by Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes You know that thing where a character just keeps on making bad decision after bad decision as everything goes to shit around them? I can’t stand that thing. Snowballing consequences can be done really well when all of a character’s choices make ...
The Treaty Principles Bill has been introduced to Parliament, with its First Reading set down for next week. A large hīkoi is set to depart from Te Rerenga Wairua on Monday, with events planned as they head down the motu to Parliament. In employment news, NZDF staff have escalated strike ...
Just let them walk all over youLaugh through the punches and the painLet the life-blood drain away from youThey're right, you're wrongAnd you can see it in the way they look at youFeel it in the way they treat youAlways the last to knowAlways the first to leaveBetween Two Points ...
Happy Friday, there’s been some significant world events this week but welcome to another round-up of interesting stories about what’s happening in Auckland and other cities. Feel free to add your links in the comments! This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate news, including how Donald Trump’s re-election and sweep of the Congress changes the equations; on the US ...
The Constitutional Lw Professor and former Prime Minister, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, yesterday pointed out an anomaly in what is supposed to be Parliament’s gold-standard legislation to empower itself.The Parliament Bill is currently before a special Select Committee chaired by the former Speaker, Adrian Ruawhe and aims to simplify the legislation ...
Donald Trump’s sweeping election victory has set the stage for this year’s APEC summit in Peru. At least 14 leaders have so far confirmed their attendance at the leaders’ summit in Lima from November 15-16. China’s Xi Jinping, Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Canada’s Justin Trudeau will all ...
Sometimes it’s hard to stop doomscrolling. One thing that can help is having something else to focus on, like video games! I’m not exactly the most tuned in to the industry, but I follow enough variety content creators to know of a pretty decent range of games that are easy ...
One of the obligations of the Paris Climate Change Agreement is for every country to set a "Nationally Determined Contribution" - an NDC - of emissions cuts. The Key government initially set an unambitious NDC of a 30% cut (from 2005 levels) by 2030. The Ardern government later increased this ...
I spent yesterday afternoon watching the New York Times election dashboard needle steadily move towards the worst possible result. It was more or less the same dashboard they had in 2016, and it was telling more or less the same tale. You end up hating the NYT and its damn ...
Don’t want to be an American idiotOne nation controlled by the mediaInformation age of hysteriaIs calling out to idiot America—Greenday, American IdiotSapphi’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.What just happened?Nothing. Yesterday was a momentous election. The ...
A ballot for two Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Employment Relations (Termination of Employment by Agreement) Amendment Bill (Laura Trask) Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill (Kahurangi Carter) The first is ACT bullshit aimed at undermining basic employment rights. The ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA person rides past a destroyed church in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene flooding on October 6, 2024, in Swannanoa, North Carolina. Scientists say that climate change increased the storm’s deadly rainfall by about 10%. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Earth’s ...
I should be crying, but I just can't let it showI should be hoping, but I can't stop thinkingOf all the things I should've saidThat I never saidAll the things we should've doneThat we never didAll the things I should've givenBut I didn'tOh, darling, make it goMake it go awaySongwriter: ...
This morning, there will be plenty of reflections on why and how Donald J. Trump won the US election for a second time.Melania agrees to hold her husband’s hand after his historic victoryThere will be pithy lines, astute observations, and anger and disbelief from some. And for others, celebration - ...
Trump busts out his signature move at a celebratory election night party. Photo: Getty ImagesKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, November 7: Donald Trump’s re-election as US President overnight has already driven global ...
Hi,I was at a dive bar in Los Angeles in 2016 when Donald Trump won last time, and it was a big surprise. Fuck, it was a big surprise for Trump.I distinctly remember getting that feeling you tend to get in your guts when a bad thing happens that you ...
2021, directed by the Adams family A fun thing about Hellbender is that it was created by a married couple, John Adams and Toby Posey (to clarify, Toby is a woman) and their two daughters Zelda and Lulu. Zelda and Toby play the two main characters and Lulu the main ...
He’s done it. The re-election of Donald Trump as US president is a massive shift in US and global politics. Cool heads and steely-eyes are called for at momentous times such as this, but those steely eyes would have to be closed tight not to see this is a moment ...
Yesterday, America moved decisively to the right not only politically, but socially and economically. This rightwards shift was evident not merely in the red states and seven “battleground” states – every one of which Trump has almost certainly ended up winning – but also in the Democratic heartland. There was ...
As I write this, the media have just declared Pennsylvania for Trump. To be honest, I had been expecting a Second Trump Administration for months – though I was open to a pleasant surprise. It’s just that I had imagined something much closer than the actual result, something akin to ...
Except it’s not.D-Day was in 1944 when over 156,000 Allied Forces, including individual Kiwis, stormed five beaches in Normandy to fight the Nazi regime.The thought of the reality of war makes me feel emotional. It’s the height of human conflict and violence and the culmination of ignorance over coming together ...
For the last few months the Waitangi Tribunal has been holding an urgent inquiry into National's "Treaty Principles Bill". They've already issued one interim report, declaring it to be a steaming pile of racist horseshit, but the inquiry is still going on to determine just how big and how steaming ...
The latest labour market statistics have dropped, showing another rise in unemployment. There are now 148,000 unemployed - 26,000 more than when National took office. ...which is what happens when you sack thousands of public servants and have the Reserve Bank crash the economy. This is apparently the most severe ...
The Press details how increasing numbers of Christchurch parents are faking addresses, desperate to get into the ‘right’ schools even if they can’t afford to be in zone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
I am woman, hear me roarIn numbers too big to ignoreAnd I know too much to go back an' pretend'Cause I've heard it all beforeAnd I've been down there on the floorAnd no one's ever gonna keep me down againSongwriters: Ray Burton / Helen ReddyIt was an unusual campaign.How crazy ...
As the world waits for the results of the United States Presidential election today, the New Zealand Reserve Bank has issued a reminder that we live in risky times. The Bank’s annual Financial Stability Report not only highlights the various geo-political scenarios that could set our economy back but also ...
Hi,I thought it was important we all have a place to chat today — a place that’s safe and sane. So — see you in the comments as things unfold. Let’s all be civil and respectful as per usual, even as things will inevitably get quite wild and gross because… ...
The blunt fact is that a collapse of an old order is playing out before our eyes and many in that country are going to be asked to make some choices. The obvious choice you’re probably thinking about… but also a few others that will still plague that country ...
It’s election day — almost. Across the world, Americans will soon be waking up to do (if they haven’t already done) the thing everyone has been assuring them is the most important action they can possibly take this year: vote. It’s a big day. Bigger than it was 4 years ...
CTU, NZEI and PPTA have filed a formal complaint to the International Labour Organization alleging the Government’s new charter schools law breaches obligations to protect collective bargaining. The Postal Workers Union says a proposal that would no longer have NZ Post mail deliveries to letterboxes at front gates as selective, ...
I have become momentarily intrigued by the concept of snow on the beach.This, according to Howeverythingworks, is the Uradome Coast where you can see snow-covered landscapes meeting the white sandy shore and the blue Sea of Japan.My several seconds of research tells me you can find something very much like ...
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 ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is deeply concerned about the future of investment in science, following the latest announcement of another 60 jobs cuts at Environmental Science and Research (ESR). The Government has now axed more than 500 jobs in the public science sector. “The Government doesn’t seem ...
Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, November 5: Strangely for a party that prides itself on being a mainstream bastion of ‘small c’ conservatism, National under PM Christopher Luxon is increasingly at risk ...
2024, directed by Hannah MacPherson This is going to be a wild tonal shift in the middle of a bunch of posts about horror movies, probably, because I have a Rotten Tomatoes list of the best horror films directed by women that I want to see more of, whereas Time ...
Go out and find a girlCome on, come on, and dance all nightDespite the heat it'll be alrightAnd babe, don't you know it's a pityThat the days can't be like the nightsIn the summer, in the citySong: John Sebastian, Mark Sebastian, Steve BooneThank YouTo begin today, a thank you. Yesterday, ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.By now we’re all aware of Mike King’s comments regarding use of alcohol to self-medicate mental health problems. On NewstalkZB, King stated:“Alcohol is not a problem for people with mental health issues. It’s actually the ...
Audio interview from RNZ with Community Board member Ali Jones. If you don’t live in Christchurch, and haven’t for the past fifteen years, you probably have a different understanding of the words “EQC” to what we do. For most people, EQC is the scheme they don’t think about that much, ...
Fire and flood, heat-waves and rivers of rain. Climate change is impacting us powerfully. Major floods in Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Germany, India, the US…Huge forest fires in Australia, Canada, Greece, California….Intense heat waves in Spain, Italy, Greece, India, the US…. And we haven’t spoken of melting glaciers and ice-caps, rising ...
2024, directed by Adam Schindler & Brian Netto The title of Don’t Move is somewhat evocative of Don’t Breathe, another fairly successful horror movie. I haven’t actually seen Don’t Breathe but have it on my “someday if there’s nothing more interesting available” list, and the premise of Don’t Move is ...
Public transport fares are about to increase again, by an average of 5.2%, according to a paper to Auckland Council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday by Auckland Transport. In addition, AT are going to be removing off-peak discounts and implementing some other structural changes to the fare system. ...
Ngā mihi maioha. A tremendous thank you to all who commented, supported and read my recent post. In appreciation.First, an update on the Prime Minister’s press conference yesterday with Stanford - rounding up the 3 key messages you may have missed.1. ERICA STANFORD FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF NZ SPREADS MISINFORMATIONEducation ...
On Wednesday evening, as our television relays images of long lines of people queuing to vote, keep this in mind: since 2012, America has closed 20% of its polling places. Crucial swing states like Wisconsin, Ohio and Georgia have collectively lost 400 Election Day polling places since 2010. Five of ...
When do you know that a big international news story might be looking like An Historic Moment? When it gets a bunch of utterly superfluous New Zealand reporters inserted into it.I've been sympathetic to our media fretting about hanging on by a thread, but each time they despatch their microphone-holders ...
One of the achievements of the Labour-led government was the establishment of the Criminal Cases Review Commission in 2019. After decades of high-profile miscarriages of justice, and judges looking the other way on state conspiracies of silence and each other's fuckups, we finally got an outside body to cast an ...
I was two sentences in (and stuck on) a defence of Mike King, where I was going to highlight that he was merely the well-carved figurehead of a neoliberal-shaped problem that neither begins nor ends with him, when I stumbled across a most interesting article about corporate propaganda being disseminated ...
A new challenge and a new opportunity for research AI-generated disinformation threatens to make debunking climate misinformation even more challenging, swamping already scanty capacity. We are exploring ways to counter this burgeoning flood of harm by employing the same tools now employed by malefactors as a force for good. We've already published research ...
Don't speak, I know just what you're sayin'So please stop explainin'Don't tell me 'cause it hurtsDon't speak, I know what you're thinkin'I don't need your reasonsDon't tell me 'cause it hurtsSongwriters: Eric Stefani / Gwen StefaniDo you remember the first time you encountered Corporate Speak? Important-sounding buzzwords used to camouflage ...
Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, November 4: Budget cuts are storing up costs for future taxpayers and Governments. Scoop of the day: The Government is set to deliver another budget-cutting blow for ...
A few months ago we asked for your help, and you answered. Thanks to the generous support we received, you may have noticed a more consistent and diverse stream of content over the last few months – which is in large part due to us being able to pay for ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Mon, October 28, 2024 thru Sun, November 3, 2024. Topics covered this week Here are the main topics and the media outlets where they appeared in: Climate Change Impacts ...
For those of you who are new here, I’m Mountain Tui.National Geographic imageI’m the one that first started badgering NZ about Atlas Network - and it went mainstream easily from that: from Mihirangi Forbes asking David Seymour about it, to David Seymour and Chris Bishop lying, to the evidence easily ...
Hi,It’s a big election in three days. Like me, you’re probably sick of hearing about it, but like it or not — what America does tends to trickle down everywhere else. America farts and we’re all under the sheet being hotboxed against our will.I’ll do a fresh Webworm on election ...
I lose all my life like thisReflecting time and memoriesAnd all for fear of what I'll findIf I just stop and empty out my mindOf all the ghosts and all the dreamsAll I hold to in beliefThat all I ever amIs somehow never quite all I am nowLyrics Robert Smith.Today’s ...
Now, in the land of leaky buildings and the Warehouse-where-everyone-gets-a-bargain, there came an electionAnd this was the one known as the show-bloody-Labour-the-bloody-door electionAnd there came into this election the one known as ChrisAnd of fresh thought or original idea, Chris was full emptyBut this was all good broFor Chris was ...
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. Are most glaciers ...
In 1992 James Carville, Bill Clinton’s lead strategist, hung a sign on the wall of the Democratic candidate’s campaign office in Little Rock, Arkansas. It had three lines on it to focus the team on the key vote-swinging issues and one of those lines would become so famous it’s turned ...
If you're down and out and you feel really hurtCome on over to the place where I workAnd all your loneliness, I'll try to sootheI'll play the blues for youLyrics: Albert King.Often, in these newsletters, I tell you about what is wrong. You know the sort of thing - oh ...
Concerns about the tobacco industry’s ability to interfere in government policy making remain, despite the inability of the Office of the Auditor-General to investigate the Government’s decision to halve the excise tax on heated tobacco products. ...
Break out the punchlines and dust off your meme folder: Green Party MP Kahurangi Carter’s Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill was pulled from the Ballot yesterday. ...
Kua hinga te manawa kairākau o Te Rua Tekau Ma Waru Tiwhatiwha te po! Kakarauru i te po! Ka rapuhia kei hea koe kua riro! Haere e te Ika a Whiro ki o tini hoa kua ngaro atu ki te Pō ...
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...
The Deputy Prime Minister should apologise to the public servant he named and blamed for something they did not do, and for misusing the rules of Parliament. ...
Today, Statistics New Zealand’s latest labour market report revealed that unemployment has reached 4.8 per cent, the highest rate since late 2020, during the COVID pandemic. ...
National looks set to break another election promise, this time by not beginning construction on a second Mt Victoria tunnel this term, Labour transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
The Green Party is urgently calling on Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to abandon the Treaty Principles Bill following reports it will be introduced on Thursday. ...
A second Mount Victoria tunnel, a duplicate Terrace tunnel alongside highway widening will dump more traffic in the centre of Wellington and result in more pollution. ...
Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is calling on the Mayor for New Plymouth, Neil Holdom, to do the right thing. “I am shocked at his decision to disregard the petition presented by Palestine Solidarity Taranaki calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire”, said ...
Labour welcomes the conclusion of a trade deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that was restarted under a Labour government after languishing for many years. ...
The Government should consider the outcome of an Auditor-General report into conflicts of interest before progressing the Fast track Approvals Bill through Parliament. ...
The Green Party is urgently calling on the Government to ban bottom trawling, following news a New Zealand bottom trawler caught 37kg of coral in international waters, prompting the suspension of all fishing in the area until 2026. ...
Spring is here which means the start of the A&P show season. Those treasured community days where town meets country. There's no rural-urban divide here, just a chance to meet up with family and old friends and celebrate all things that make rural New Zealand so special. I'm embarking on ...
The Government has very conveniently cherry-picked data from the latest MSD projections to justify its cruel agenda and punch-down policy when it comes to people living in poverty. ...
The Green Party was appalled to hear Prime Minister Christopher Luxon claim we are “doing everything we can” on climate change, while his government does nothing to address emissions in our most polluting sector. ...
Te Pāti Māori is calling out the Government and New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) for their inaction and disgraceful downplaying of the impact caused by the sunken HMNZS Manawanui in Samoa. “We demand the Government move without further delay to clean up its shit from the sunken HMNZS Manawanui in Samoa,” said co-leader Debbie ...
This week was the start of the bank inquiry hearings into banking competition. The inquiry was confirmed in the NZ First/National Coalition agreement. 140 submissions were received on the inquiry, and we will hear from over 60 submitters including all the major banks. ANZ, New Zealand's largest bank, was first ...
There is one topic that is the great human leveller, and that is of death and dying. One day, we will all have to face it, and I am of the belief that being able to pass away with grace and dignity is a vital, basic, human right. How we ...
Labour is backing Christchurch City Council’s decision not to do business with firms involved in Israel’s illegal settlements in the Occupied Territories. ...
The Green Party acknowledges the historical importance of MP Teanau Tuiono’s Member’s Bill, Restoring Citizenship Removed By Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 Bill, passing its second reading in Parliament today. ...
Te Pāti Māori is enraged at the National government’s ruthless punishment of beneficiaries, all while jobs are disappearing. MSD data shows a 133% increase in sanctions over the past year, with over 14,000 sanctions in just three months. The kicker? The jobs this government insists people should find are nowhere ...
Te Pāti Māori MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi, says today’s police-sponsored terrorism in Ōpōtiki is a continuation of the State’s predatory behaviour towards the iwi of Te Whakatōhea. "Ōpōtiki is once again being intentionally targeted and is the direct byproduct of this Government’s 'tough on crime' legislative changes,” said MP ...
The Green Party is calling for Youth Justice Residences to close, following a protest in which a group of young people spent the night on the roof of an Oranga Tamariki justice facility. ...
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is our country’s founding document. It forms the basis of the relationship between Māori and the Crown – and the Aotearoa New Zealand we live in today. ...
The Government’s decision to award a $216 million tax break for Philip Morris’ heated tobacco products reeks of tobacco industry interference and needs to be thoroughly investigated. ...
The National Government is treading water on a much-needed review of the Retirement Villages Act, kicking any amendments down the road till the next parliamentary term in 2027. ...
The Government is urging the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) to put the education of their students first. “Between 9am and 3pm, parents expect their children to be at school to learn. Our Government is relentlessly focused on ensuring the value of achievement and attendance are at the centre of ...
The levies that banks, building societies, credit unions and finance companies pay to the new Depositor Compensation Scheme (DCS) fund will reflect the size and riskiness of the institutions, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Under the scheme, deposits up to the value of $100,000 per depositor will be protected in ...
Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey today opened Te Waka Aorangi Child Wellness Centre at Tauranga Hospital, marking a significant milestone in the Government’s commitment to enhancing the health of children and whānau in the Bay of Plenty region. “Te Waka Aorangi is leading the way by providing a ‘one-stop-shop’ ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden has today announced that Dr Daniel Tulloch has be appointed to Fire and Emergency New Zealand board. “I am pleased to announce that Dr Daniel Tulloch has been appointed for a three-year term of office” says Ms van Velden. “Dr Tulloch is a ...
Former Treasury Secretary Dr Graham Scott has been appointed as chair of the newly established Social Investment Board, alongside a group of highly skilled individuals, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. The board will advise on the implementation of the social investment approach across the public sector and the work ...
E te Ikanui a Whiro kua mau nei i te kupenga a Aitua. Kua turakina e te hoariri e kore nei e tāea te karo, mōrehu mutunga o te hokowhitu a Tū ki te Riri Tuarua o te Ao, unuhia tō kōuma, whakairihia tō patu ki tara-ā-whare, whītikihia te tatua ...
New Zealand and Ireland are investing $9.6 million in targeted research to deliver practical solutions that reduce emissions for New Zealand’s primary producers, announced Agriculture Minister Todd McClay today. The joint effort, led by New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, ...
The Government has confirmed a programme of upgrades to Auckland’s rail network that will complete the Rail Network Rebuild ahead of the City Rail Link (CRL) opening, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Acting Auckland Mayor Desley Simpson say. “The last National Government started the City Rail Link to transform public transport ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will visit Chile, Mexico and Peru next week. “Chile and Mexico are two of New Zealand’s closest partners in Latin America and we are pleased to be visiting them next week,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will have bilateral programmes in Santiago and Mexico City involving ...
Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay, announced the signing of 24 Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and supply agreements between New Zealand and Chinese companies as part of the Trade Mission to the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai and Guangdong province this week. “These new partnerships are set to ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has paid tribute to Sir Robert ‘Bom’ Gillies KNZM, the last surviving member of the 28 (Māori) Battalion, who passed away today. “Sir Bom will be remembered for his service to New Zealand and defending the ideals we value most. “With trademark humility, he took it ...
The Government is bringing director fees for 22 Crown-owned companies closer to market rate in order to retain and attract high quality directors, State Owned Enterprises Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Ordinary directors’ fees for these companies have been largely static for more than 15 years and have fallen significantly below ...
Associate Justice Minister David Seymour has welcomed the introduction of the Treaty Principles Bill to Parliament and says it will have its first reading next Thursday. “Parliament introduced the concept of the Treaty principles into law in 1975 but did not define them. As a result, the courts and the ...
The Government’s financial results for the first three months of the year are weaker than forecast and reinforce the need to drive growth and maintain careful spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The financial statements for the three months to 30 September 2024 show key fiscal indicators were weaker than ...
With public consultation having closed on 1 November 2024, we are now heading into the next phase of developing our new Suicide Prevention Action Plan to cover the period 2025 to 2029, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “I would like to thank everyone who took the time to make ...
The Government’s responding to overseas members of the Mongols who are attempting to enter the country. “The Immigration Minister and I are working closely together, alongside Police, Customs and Immigration New Zealand (INZ), to respond to an organised Mongols event in Canterbury between 7-10 November,” Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has congratulated President-elect Donald J. Trump on his victory in the US presidential election. “The relationship between our two countries is strong and enduring. I look forward to developing even closer relations with the incoming Trump Administration. “The US is one of our most important partners, ...
Upgrades to Nesbitt’s Dip on State Highway 2 (SH2) and Rototahe on State Highway 35 (SH35) will go ahead as a result of improved efficiencies in the Government’s North Island Weather Event recovery programme, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from ...
New Zealanders can expect safe and secure digital identity services following the finalisation of the Digital Identity Services Trust Framework, Minister for Digitising Government Judith Collins says. “New Zealanders want to be able to complete everyday tasks online and in person in a way that’s safe and secure,” Ms Collins ...
The Government and three Kurahaupō Iwi have signed a $25.2million agreement to resolve the post-Treaty settlement issue of contaminated land at RNZAF Base Woodbourne. Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō Trust, Rangitāne o Wairau Settlement Trust, and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kuia each received $8.4 million after contaminated soil at ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says the Government is cutting red tape in the ECE sector to help make it easier for providers to operate and offer more options to families looking for home-based education and care for their children. “I have heard from providers that some of the red ...
The Government is joining the next phase of the ‘Taste Pure Nature’ campaign that will position New Zealand beef and lamb as the highest-quality red meats of choice for Chinese consumers, Agriculture and Trade Minister Todd McClay announced at a signing ceremony in China today. “Today I am announcing that ...
Legislation to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system has passed its first reading in Parliament today, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “These changes will build on New Zealand’s current child protection system by clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the agencies that oversee it, including greater ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board has confirmed next steps on the SH1 Wellington Improvements Road of National Significance (RoNS), including an expanded package to reduce Wellington’s gridlock and support economic growth, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Our Government is committed to delivering a second Mt Victoria Tunnel for Wellington to ...
The latest Conservation Board appointments will help to strengthen environmental efforts across Aotearoa New Zealand, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says. Mr Potaka today announced 64 appointments to the country’s 14 Conservation Boards. “Conservation Boards play a vital role as liaison between DOC with their regions, making their community’s voice heard ...
Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop has welcomed the first steps from the Infrastructure Commission in developing New Zealand’s 30-year National Infrastructure Plan. The Commission today released a discussion document which outlines the Commission’s thinking in developing the 30-year plan, including looking at what’s needed over the next 30 years, what our ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour says that Medsafe’s annual performance statistics released today show that Medsafe are accelerating their approval process. “The data produced in Medsafe’s annual statistics show that in 2023/2024 Medsafe expedited their assessment process for almost every category of medicine,” says Mr Seymour. For innovative new medicines ...
New requirements for government agencies to pay their invoices faster and adopt labour-saving technology are an important part of our plan to rebuild the economy and support small businesses, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Andrew Bayly and Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee say. “The Government is ambitious about lifting New ...
Namaste. Namaskar. Namaskaram. Vanakkam. Sat Sri Akal. Kem chho. Greetings to you all. It is my great privilege, as Minister for Ethnic Communities, to host this year’s Diwali Celebration at Parliament. I am truly excited to be with you all for Diwali as your Minister, and I warmly welcome each ...
The Government is continuing to transform maths education, by trialling a targeted maths acceleration programme to give more Kiwi kids confidence in mathematics. “After discovering just 22 per cent of Year 8 students are at the expected standard for maths, we launched our Make it Count Action Plan to give our ...
The Government’s creative sector strategy is designed to increase Kiwis’ engagement with culture and creativity and to boost its economic contribution, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Amplify has been released for public consultation and I encourage people to read the strategy and to share their feedback. “There’s an opportunity to ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has asked the Natural Hazards Commission (NHC) to make changes to how it delivers the On-sold support package to prevent a cost blowout while helping eligible homeowners repair their homes in a timely manner. The On-sold programme was set up by the Government in 2019 ...
Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay will lead a large trade delegation to the 7th annual China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai next week, followed by a visit to Guangzhou. This year, almost 70 New Zealand companies will participate in CIIE, to interact with over 3,400 exhibitors and 410,000 visitors. “This ...
Minister for Hunting and Fishing Todd McClay has today launched an Access Charter (the Charter) to ensure better access for recreational hunting and fishing on public conservation land (PCL) across New Zealand. “This Charter establishes guiding principles for the Department of Conservation (DOC) to provide clear and transparent decisions on ...
A beautiful new Pou Whenua at the beginning of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing will introduce visitors to the sacred landscape they are entering, says Conservation Minister Tama Potaka. Mr Potaka attended a blessing for the specially carved Pou Whenua at Mangatepopo, at the start of the track on 1 November. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today announced two new appointments to the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Board. Mary-Anne Macleod and Mike Rudge have both been appointed as members for three-year terms commencing 1 November 2024 and ending 31 October 2027. “Transport is a critical part of our Government’s plan ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour is welcoming Pharmac’s funding of oestradiol gel, following global shortages of oestradiol patches earlier this year. “I’m well aware of the stress caused by the global shortage earlier this year. At the time I said I was confident Pharmac was working hard to find a ...
Foreign Minister and Racing Minister Winston Peters will visit Australia next week. “Australia is New Zealand’s closest partner, and we are pleased to make this second official visit there for 2024 following the first ever Foreign and Defence Ministers 2+2 Meeting between our two countries in Melbourne in January,” ...
Applications have now opened for tertiary education organisations to seek Government funding to develop New Zealand’s first postgraduate diploma programme for associate psychologists, Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey announced today. “Investment in this new training pathway supports the Government’s target to grow our mental health and addiction workforce and ...
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour is pleased to see further increased availability of medicines for Kiwis following the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When this Government assumed office, ...
American mediaNow is the time for cool heads but America is doomed. This is the end. The end is just beginning. The end is spelled Trump, and Trump spells the end of civilisation, of democracy, of happiness. No one is happy. The 77 million Americans who voted for Trump don’t ...
Four days ahead of the US election, basketball star LeBron James posted a video endorsing Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. The video immediately became controversial.“What are we even talking about here??” James wrote on social media. “When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. This week we’ve been talking all about travel, from Joel trying his darnedest to get from the bottom to the top of the country without a car or plane, to our senior writers detailing their greatest ever trips. What has become immediately ...
The star of A Remarkable Place to Die reflects on her life in television.It’s been a big year for Chelsie Preston Crayford, whose previous screen credits include Nude Tuesday, Eagle vs Shark and Underbelly: Razor. In Dark City: The Cleaner, she paced the suburban streets of Christchurch as the ...
Despite the success of reo Māori music, a shortage of Māori music managers means many Māori artists struggle to thrive in the business side of the industry.The Māori music scene in Aotearoa is arguably as strong as it has ever been. Reo Māori waiata are topping the charts, and ...
Two authors of an extraordinary new book on the history of Māori art, Deidre Brown and Ngarino Ellis, discuss how they approached it, and why. Māori art is one of the great art traditions of the world. That kaupapa was the starting point for a project we began 12 years ...
David Hill is in his ninth decade. In a touching tribute to his late friend, he challenges some myths about ‘old farts’. The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous support of our members.I‘m past The Birthday. Not “the ...
Singer-songwriter Rita Mae shares her perfect weekend playlist. “Gritty, bold, and to-the-point” is how Tāmaki Makaurau indie darling Rita Mae describes her upcoming project. The singer-songwriter’s second EP, Kiss the Sky, will be released into the world on November 15. “[Kiss the Sky is] about desire and greed, it’s about ...
Proxies, including those based on ethnicity, play an important role in a fair and equitable resource allocation system, write public health academics Tim Tenbensel and Monique Jonas. The government’s recent directive that public services should be prioritised “on the basis of need, not race” will make it harder and more ...
Is New Zealand’s prison system about safety, or just punishment? And what are the social and financial costs of prioritising retributive justice? What if our hunger for punishment is costing us more than we realise? In this week’s episode of When the Facts Change, Bernard Hickey sits down with ...
Steven Adams has swapped franchises and has a new home for the 2024-25 NBA basketball season.And his Houston Rockets teammates got a taste of how different he is to them when he posted a picture on Instagram of a bare room featuring a mattress on the floor with the caption, ...
Third try. With a shaky hand, I place the burgundy bindi on my forehead. Is it centred?You’d always put the bindi on for me; I couldn’t do it. Then you’d braid my hair, finishing it with a delicate red ribbon. You’d help me with everything. I remember your crimson-red saree ...
No series on the legacy of Katherine Mansfield would be complete without the father – daughter duo Karl Stead and Charlotte Grimshaw. They are Mansfield Menton Fellowship winners: Karl in 1972, Charlotte in 2024.Stead’s literary life is packed with bouquets – and brickbats – for novels, poetry and literary criticism.[vimeo ...
Democracy Now!AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, “War, Peace and the Presidency.” I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.NERMEEN SHAIKH: As we continue to look at Donald Trump’s return to the White House, we turn now to look at what it means for the world, from Israel’s war on ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Despite being appalled at my government, I winced as a New Zealander to hear my country described as part of the “Axis of Genocide”. With increasing frequency I hear commentators on West Asia/Middle East news sites hold the collective West responsible for the genocide. It’s a ...
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson confirmed that S Jaishankar, India's minister of external affairs, raised the issue during the meeting but declined to provide details of the discussion. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nancy Baxter, Deputy Executive Dean (Research Centres), Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney A key figure in Donald Trump’s election campaign and a likely figure in his incoming administration is Robert F. Kennedy Jr, or RFK Jr for short. After ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Maher, Lecturer in Politics, Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney US President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to fire the chair of the US Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell. Up until this week, that may have seemed like ...
Each time the tide comes in, it comes further up the beach. Well, that appears to be the Act Party’s strategy launching its Treaty Principles Bill in Parliament with not a single vote in support of it passing likely from any of Parliament’s other five political parties.Raw Politics looks at ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gerhard Hambusch, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney Piotr Swat/Shutterstock The $7 billion Australian mining giant Mineral Resources (MinRes) is facing a governance crisis. Chris Ellison, the company’s founder and managing director, faces allegations of tax evasion and using company ...
The Commission’s Rongomau Taketake Indigenous Rights Governance Partner, Dayle Takitimu, said the Government had completely ignored the Waitangi Tribunal’s recommendations in its interim report Ngā Mātāpono, including for the Bill to be abandoned. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Xavier Dynon, Doctoral Candidate, Centre for Defence & Security Studies, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University Facial recognition technology is becoming more widely used, but this has not been matched by wider acceptance from the public. Controversies continue to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Markus Wagner, Professor of Law and Director of the UOW Transnational Law and Policy Centre, University of Wollongong US President-elect Donald Trump achieved a resounding victory on several fronts. He will comfortably govern with a likely majority in the Senate and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Sussex, Associate Professor (Adj), Griffith Asia Institute; and Fellow, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University With a resounding victory in the US presidential election, Donald Trump can now claim a sweeping mandate to implement his agenda, both foreign and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney If you care about saving Earth from catastrophe, you might be feeling a little down about the re-election of Donald Trump as United States president. Undeniably, his return to the ...
Former Fiji Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has been released from prison, only six months into his 12 months sentence, the Fiji Corrections Service (FCS) said via a statement today. Bainimarama was jailed in May, alongside former police chief Sitiveni Qiliho, for perverting the cause of justice. “The Fiji Corrections Service ...
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 Republican Donald Trump won the United States presidential election by 312 electoral votes to 226 for Democrat Kamala Harris. Trump carried the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephanie Cowdery, Research Fellow, Carer Hub: A Centre of Excellence in Cancer Carer Research, Translation and Impact, Deakin University Across the world, one in five people are diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime. By age 85, almost one in two Australians will ...
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – ANALYSIS: By Chris Hedges In the end, the US election was about despair. Despair over futures that evaporated with deindustrialisation. Despair over the loss of 30 million jobs in mass layoffs. Despair over austerity programmes and the funneling of wealth ...
A new poem by Loretta Riach. COLD EROTICA Kiss me, Hardy, in the dark-robed blindness of passion, both of us pressed up against the parapets of your one bedroom apartment, a chill against the sliding door. Kiss me, stranger– harder than that! Give it to me like a sail full ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Kai Feast by Christall Lowe (Bateman, $60) This from the publisher’s blurb is enough to get ...
Donald Trump is labelling his win ‘the greatest political movement of all time’. How historic is it for someone (globally) to be elected president twice non-consecutively, especially with a tumultuous background?Like or dislike it, Donald Trump is arguably the most impactful US president during the 21st century. Elected twice as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fareed Kaviani, Research fellow, Emerging Technologies Research Lab, Monash University Smartglasses, a type of wearable device, have evolved rapidly since the pioneering yet ill-fated Google Glass received social backlash in 2013. Early adopters were nicknamed “Glassholes”, and the product never reached commercialisation. ...
Former Treasury Secretary Dr Graham Scott - who previously stood for ACT - will lead the group, with Te Ururoa Flavell and Mike Williams also among the nine members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz, Epidemiologist, Senior Research Fellow, University of Wollongong Davide Angelini/Solsykke/Shutterstock As governments worldwide move to restrict teenagers’ access to smartphones and social media, a fierce scientific debate has erupted over whether these digital technologies actually harm young people’s mental health. ...
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