Posts Tagged ‘nadine higgins’
Higgins on National’s shit creek
Written By: - Date published: 10:07 am, April 16th, 2017 - 100 comments
Higgins: “Water quality should be a massive issue this election. Some friends, who are the kind of dyed-in-the-wool National supporters who call everyone else a loony leftie, now say water quality will guide their vote and it can’t possibly go to National.”…
- Zebra Ethics: The Amazon Second Age Series and Lessons from Game of Thrones
Today I stumbled across a genuinely interesting reddit article, which looks at the (positive) influence Game of Thrones may have on the upcoming Amazon Tolkien series: https://www.reddit.com/r/LOTR_on_Prime/comments/oqvi81/amazons_the_lord_of_the_rings_show_going_got/ Essentially, the argument is that the framework of Tolkien’s Second Age material inherently lends itself to “Machiavellian Thriller” stories, rather than to ...9 hours ago - The War over Sex and Gender: Kathleen Stock talks to the Free Speech Union
Speakeasy #1: Free Speech and the War over Sex and Gender from Free Speech Union on Vimeo. ...16 hours ago - Why governments will have to consider the costs of long COVID when easing pandemic restrictions
Richard Meade, Auckland University of Technology With governments worldwide under pressure to ease pandemic restrictions as vaccination rates rise and impatience with border restrictions grows, new threats become clearer. One of the costliest, it is now feared, could be a tsunami of “long COVID” cases. Long COVID is a ...18 hours ago - Taxpayers' Union gets destroyed
The Taxpayers’ Union scored another own goal yesterday when they decided to have a go at well-known journalist David Farrier (not to be confused with David Farrar) over Government funding he’d received to make a documentary.While that slinging match isn’t really worth reporting on, being that it was mainly just ...20 hours ago - Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – “Year of the vaccine” at risk
A consensus is emerging that the Government has generally managed the Covid crisis very well over the last 18 months, but they have dropped the ball when it comes to the crucial vaccine rollout. This was nicely encapsulated in opinion polling last week showing that while 69 per cent of ...2 days ago - Profiteering politicians delegitimise parliament
Why aren't politicians interested in actually solving the housing crisis? Because virtually the entire political class is making massive profits from it: MPs have pocketed $50 million in capital gains from their property interests in the last year amid a growing housing affordability crisis, a Stuff analysis has found. ...2 days ago - Democracy wins in SamoaOver three months ago Samoa had an election, in which the people voted out the incumbent Human Rights Protection Party and voted in the opposition FAST Party. The incumbent Human Rights Protection Party ignored the results and clung to power, hoping to get their patsy head of state to call ...2 days ago
- Climate Change: The solution farmers don’t want us to talk aboutRNZ this morning has a piece asking Can NZ really meet its methane emissions targets?. Posing it as a question like this frames it as difficult, more of the "but its too hard!" whine from farmers. But its not hard at all. Pretty obviously, we can meet methane reduction targets ...2 days ago
- A Conversation That Never Happened.
2 days ago - Graham Adams: Parliament is in recess but Kris Faafoi is too busy to discuss proposals for hate-spee...The Minister of Justice appears to have gone into hiding. Graham Adams provides an update on how the public debate on hate speech regulation is going, especially in terms of whether political opinion should or shouldn’t receive an exemption from new laws. It fell to RNZ to break the ...2 days ago
- Engineering A Miracle: Can Judith Collins Reprise Rob Muldoon?Miracle Worker? But Judith Collins and National cannot regain power by simply hoping for the worst. Elections are won by politicians like Rob Muldoon, who persuade the voters that the incumbent government is the worst choice.WAITING FOR THE MIRACLE, as Leonard Cohen observed, is an agonising test. Especially if its ...2 days ago
- Hearing loss and social isolation – the silent burdenFeature image: this picture was chosen as it illustrates two elderly people in each other’s company. Tying in with the theme of hearing loss and social isolation, this depicts the importance of connection to each other and the world in which we live. Charlotte Gordon* Untreated hearing loss is a ...2 days ago
- 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #30
Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, July 18, 2021 through Sat, July 24, 2021 The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: Extreme rainfall in China: over 25 inches falls in 24 hours, leaving 33 dead, As scientists have ...2 days ago - Capitalists in Space
. . Billionaire Richard Branson did it. Also-billionaire, Jeff Bezos, did it. Both will be the first money-hoarders into space (or sub-orbital near-space, to be more specific). Also-also-billionaire, Elon Musk – not content with sub-orbital ‘jaunts’ – has expressed a desire to go Full Interplanetary and personally colonise Mars. Meanwhile, ...3 days ago - Elizabeth Rata: Responding to Andrew Geddis on Treaty PartnershipsMy recent article about the role that the concept of a Treaty ‘partnership’ has played in the development of ethno-nationalism provoked a critical response from Professor Andrew Geddis. We obviously have different opinions about the value of a Treaty partnership in New Zealand’s liberal democracy. My purpose here is to ...3 days ago
- When tough on crime goes wrongIf there’s one thing that you can safely rely on, it’s right-wing politicians grandstanding with tough on crime rhetoric. It's understandable being that such propaganda is usually a sure bet, obviously because a very large proportion of the public wants to see less crime and fewer criminals in their communities.However ...4 days ago
- Billionaire space race: the ultimate symbol of capitalism’s flawed obsession with growthTim Jackson, University of Surrey Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids, laments the Rocket Man in Elton John’s timeless classic. In fact, it’s cold as hell. But that doesn’t seem to worry a new generation of space entrepreneurs intent on colonising the “final frontier” as fast ...4 days ago
- Michael Cullen’s Policy Achievements
Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.Implicit in the title of the Michael Cullen’s memoir Labour Saving is his greatest policy achievement of improving the savings of the economy, as well as his saving the Labour Party from neoliberalism. But first, ...4 days ago - Call to ‘come home’ does not apply to our sleeper cells in Australia, says Government
A map of believed New Zealand sleeper cells in Australia, which the Australian Secret Intelligence Service has described as “painfully obvious” and believes is “pretty much comprehensive.” As the Covid-19 travel bubble with Australia closes once more, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins have made clear ...5 days ago - Cranky Uncle game now being translatedThe Cranky Uncle game is now being translated into multiple languages, paving the way to building public resilience against misinformation across the world. So far, we have had volunteers offer to help translate the game into Danish, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, and Ukrainian. But we are always looking ...5 days ago
- Andrew Geddis: Responding to Elizabeth Rata on Treaty PartnershipsIn a recent post on this site, Prof Elizabeth Rata expressed her concerns at the growth of what she terms “ethno-nationalism” and the role that the concept of a “Treaty partnership” has played in this development. She does so by telling a story about how this idea of a Treaty ...5 days ago
- The Greatest Cyber-Weapon May Be The Truth.Who's Hacking Who? So, let’s be clear: the very same Western powers who were voicing their alarm at China’s alleged outsourcing of its cyber-attack capabilities to private actors, are the identical Western powers who, for years, have winked at their friends in Jerusalem outsourcing their intelligence gathering to a shadowy Tel ...5 days ago
- Morbid Symptoms: Why Are Māori Vaccination Rates Plummeting?Not Enough Shots In The Arm: The percentage of 8-month-old Māori babies in Counties Manukau receiving their primary course of immunisation on time has fallen from 85 percent in May 2020 to 68 percent in May 2021. A report prepared for the Counties Manukau DHB attributes this startling drop-off to: ...5 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29, 202194 articles Physical science of climate change, effects Three flavors of radiative feedbacks and their implications for estimating Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity Rugenstein & Armour Geophysical Research Letters DOI: 10.1029/2021gl092983 Observations of climate change, effects Multi-decadal change in western US nighttime vapor pressure deficit DOI: 10.1029/2021gl092983 Recent changes in ...6 days ago
- Looking for more coal is indefensibleSiberia is burning. China is flooding. Westport flooded last weekend. And against this backdrop of climate breakdown, the Southland District Council thinks its a good time to approve new coal exploration. This is a terrible idea. But its also a waste of time. Any coal discovered can never be burned ...6 days ago
- An end to imprisoning refugees?Back in May, Amnesty International exposed New Zealand's repuslive system of refugee detention, and the ongoing human rights abuses it leads to. It clearly embarassed the government, because today they've announced a formal inquiry into the practice - the first step to ending it: But following the release in ...6 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – The Seriousness of the rural revoltIt’s nearly a week since the “Howl of a Protest” took place throughout the country, and we’re still talking about the rural revolt. What are the farmers’ concerns? Are they legitimate? Has the rural-urban divide has become too deep, and will any of this have an impact on politics in ...6 days ago
- Extreme heat warning: what the first-ever UK Met Office alert meansChloe Brimicombe, University of Reading Summer 2021 will mark a turning point in how heat is seen by the public and communicated by experts. For the first time in its 167-year history, the UK’s Met Office has issued an amber warning for extreme heat for much of Wales and parts ...6 days ago
- Hydrogen in Southland?New Zealand wants to move to more renewable electricity. But there's a barrier: the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. It sucks up 13% of our total electricity supply, but its continued threats to shut down create ongoing uncertainty about demand, which puts people off building the additional renewables we need. But ...6 days ago
- When an ancient volcanic ‘supereruption’ caused sudden cooling, early humans got luckyBen Black, Rutgers University and Anja Schmidt, University of Cambridge Around 74,000 years ago, a “supereruption” on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, blasted out an estimated 5,000 cubic kilometres of magma. This was the Toba eruption, the largest volcanic eruption of the past 2 million years. To put 5,000 ...6 days ago
- Talley’s Group Ltd – Arsehole of the Week6 days ago
- Climate Crisis Intensifies Dramatically in 2021
In 2007 an organisation chose its name based on the scientific consensus that 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was the uppermost level to avoid a climate tipping point. We are currently just short of 420pp of carbon and the last seven years have been the hottest ...7 days ago - Samoa’s women’s quota: Have I missed something?(Narrator voice: Yes, yes I did. See correction at the bottom) Another election petition was finalised in Samoa today, seeing the first finding of an illegal practice against a FAST candidate (a party roadshow made a customary gift - koha in NZ terms - during a period where these are ...7 days ago
- A promising startThe "rebate" half of the government's feebate scheme to lower transport emissions came into force three weeks ago. And it looks like its had an immediate effect, with two months worth of EVs registered in the first 19 days alone: More than 1300 electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles ...7 days ago
- Taking shortsighted penny-pinching to a whole new levelOver the weekend Westport was hit by devastating floods. Half the town had to be evacuated, 89 homes (so far) are uninhabitable, and another 400 (of ~1700) need serious repairs. The total cost hasn't come in yet, but its going to be well into the tens of millions of dollars. ...7 days ago
- TORN’s Spy Report on the Amazon LOTR/Second Age Series
It’s been a while since we got an update on the upcoming Amazon Second Age series. Not since the leaked Synopsis. The poor fandom twisted itself into knots speculating about supposed nudity in a Tolkien adaptation, and then… nothing. Well, that has suddenly changed. The One Ring.Net has ...7 days ago - Calling out China for cyberattacks is risky — but a lawless digital world is even riskierAlexander Gillespie, University of Waikato This week’s multi-country condemnation of cyber-attacks by Chinese state-sponsored agencies was a sign of increasing frustration at recent behaviour. But it also masks the real problem — international law isn’t strong or coherent enough to deal with this growing threat. The coordinated announcement by several ...7 days ago
- Could Britain be sued for reopening and putting the world at risk from new COVID variants?Kris Gledhill, Auckland University of Technology With most COVID-19 restrictions now lifted in England, the world is watching to see what this so-called “freedom day” will bring. Some scepticism is warranted, given Britain’s approach throughout the pandemic has hardly been a success. By July 19, there had been 128,985 deaths ...1 week ago
- As scientists have long predicted, warming is making heatwaves more deadlyThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections In its 2001 Third Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) foresaw that global warming would lead to increasingly deadly heatwaves. “More hot days and heatwaves are very likely over nearly all land areas,” the world’s top climate scientists warned. “These increases ...1 week ago
- Geoffrey Miller: NZ’s statement on China a shot across the bowA statement issued by the New Zealand Government alleging Chinese state involvement in hacking goes much further than a simple, pro forma endorsement of the views of New Zealand’s allies. Geoffrey Miller explains the significance. New Zealand joined Western allies on Monday by issuing a statement that called out ...1 week ago
- Climate Change: Calling time on “leakage”When New Zealand was trying to implement carbon pricing back in the early 2000s, polluters whined about "leakage", either threatening to take their production overseas so they could continue to pollute for free, or complaining that paying the full cost of their pollution would mean they would be out-competed by ...1 week ago
- Plague ships put elimination strategy at risk1 week ago
- Doping has become inevitable at the Olympics. And who wins gold in Tokyo might not be certain until...Jason Mazanov, UNSW Another Olympics is upon us, inexorable even in the face of COVID. With it comes the inevitable, salacious speculation around doping scandals. There have been doping scandals at every Olympics in my lifetime and a few before, reaching back to the middle of the 20th century. Now, ...1 week ago
- Baby talk 4: first transfer
Read the full Baby Talk series Content note: this one involves my vagina, like, a lot. Also blood. And that whole infertility/anxiety thing. Of our four fertilised eggs, two were deemed high-quality enough to proceed to the next stage, embryo transfer. The old days of putting multiple embryos back into ...1 week ago - Hate Speech Laws: The Polling
After the March 2019 Christchurch mosque attack, the New Zealand Government set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry into matters surrounding the tragedy. The Commission came back with recommendations, including a tightening of laws regarding Hate Speech. The Ardern Government has indicated support for such proposals, but has yet ...1 week ago - Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin: can they be more than ‘space’ joyrides for millionaires?Ian Whittaker, Nottingham Trent University and Gareth Dorrian, University of Birmingham Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson and his team successfully flew to the “edge of space” on the Unity 22 mission aboard a Virgin Galactic plane on July 12. The event was hailed as the start of space tourism, narrowly beating ...1 week ago
- Exporting their social licenceOne of the slogans of Friday's ugly farmer protests was "no farms, no food". But the truth is that most of what farmers grow is exported, and kiwis are increasingly being priced out of eating it at all: If you feel like red meat is more expensive than it ...1 week ago
- Graham Adams: Ardern’s nightmarish weekendCriticism of the government funding gangs and the media followed hard on the heels of nationwide protests by farmers It should have been a weekend of media adulation to further burnish the Prime Minister’s international reputation as a consensus-builder. Late on Friday night, Jacinda Ardern hosted a virtual Asia-Pacific ...1 week ago
- Why climate change is forcing conservationists to be more ambitious: by moving threatened species to...Sarah Elizabeth Dalrymple, Liverpool John Moores University As climate change brings record droughts and floods, extended fire seasons continue to make headlines, and the role of humans in this terrible situation is now undisputed, institutional change has been slow and unsteady. In particular, conservationists have been wary of pointing to ...1 week ago
- The government needs to act on this warningOver the weekend devastating floods hit the South Island. Half the population of Westport were forced from their homes, and it looks like hundreds have been made permanently homeless. Its a taste of what we can expect in the future due to climate change, and things are only going to ...1 week ago
- Free Speech vs Hate Speech – By Numbers.We Can Stop Guessing: New Zealand owes the newly-formed Free Speech Union (FSU) a debt of gratitude for commissioning Curia Research to find out exactly where the country stands on the Government’s Hate Speech proposals. JACINDA ARDERN faces a considerably less daunting task in selling her Hate Speech laws than many ...1 week ago
- 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, July 11, 2021 through Sat, July 17, 2021 The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: Repustar Fact Brief: Is carbon dioxide incapable of warming the planet any more than it already has?, The ...1 week ago
- Some farmers are very sick puppiesI'm not sure if you're aware, but there's a significant problem within our farming community that needs to be addressed, and that’s this whole belief that Labour is anti-farming. The reality is that the current Government loves farmers. From free trade agreements that open up new markets to keeping farming ...1 week ago
- Why were all these tails wagging the farm dogs through our towns and cities again?
Because for many of these ones it’s often about feelings alone, not the facts. There’s been some entirely manufactured hysterics over the so-called “ute” tax, and rural issues as a whole, coupled with some decidedly off-the-wall, so-called impending Communist takeover and the co-option of issues by the rabid Right, ...2 weeks ago - Mike King needs to get his shit together2 weeks ago
- Weaponising They Are Us: The Draft Script
You may recall that mass shooting at the Christchurch mosque a couple of years ago. It feels an eternity, of course, what with the shooting taking place in the Before Coronavirus era. There is currently an attempt to make a film about the event, under the title They ...2 weeks ago - Milley-tary Intervention.2 weeks ago
- Geoffrey Miller: Jacinda Ardern’s APEC diplomacy could be the start of something biggerGeoffrey Miller looks over the lessons from the special APEC summit Today’s special virtual APEC summit was so modest in its aims that it was officially referred to only as an ‘informal leaders’ retreat on Covid-19’. From the outset, host Jacinda Ardern dampened down expectations for the meeting, warning reporters ...2 weeks ago
- In Defence of Social Democracy
I used to josh Michael Cullen that he should write a memoir about his 27 years in parliament which ended in 2009, including 12 years as a minister. He always said he was too busy and it was not his thing. Sadly things have changed. Learning he has terminal lung ...2 weeks ago - Media Link: “A View from Afar” on YouTube.
I am glad to report that the “A View from Afar” podcast is now available on the 36th Parallel Assessments YouTube channel. As a teaser, the first video is taken from an interview done in Karekare with German TV about the scourge of white supremacism/right-wing extremism. ...2 weeks ago - A howl of uglinessFarmers are protesting today, invading cities with tractors and utes in protest against water and climate change policy. The core message of their "howl of protest" is meant to be "no farmers, no food" - which rather undermines their own case, given that 80% of the food they produce is ...2 weeks ago
- Drawing The Heat.A Matter Of Signals: What is a government saying about itself when it parlays with known criminals? What is it signalling about its willingness to openly confront them? More to the point, what message does it send to all the decent, law-abiding, charity-workers who struggle every day to convince their ...2 weeks ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #28, 2021Decomposition of increasing atmospheric methane points to a decomposing Amazon Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, relatively short-lived in the atmosphere compared to CO2 but far more effective at "helping" to retain heat, gram-for-gram. With its radiative effects "super powers," methane is a potentially dramatic additional contributor to disastrous levels ...2 weeks ago
- Proactive release: What is the government afraid of?Last month, Newsroom reported on the government's slow progress on reviewing its proactive release policy. The story quoted Public Service Minister Chris Hipkins as saying that there had been "ongoing reviews" about the effectiveness of proactive releases. Naturally, I asked for these reviews using the OIA. Naturally, I got dicked ...2 weeks ago
- The Adventures of Annalax: Volume XXV
Session Fifty-Four This session was about tying up loose ends, and transitioning to something different (at last!). Manya gave birth to the shadow creature thing the Hag had cursed her with. The child – which is growing quickly – is an aggressive little psychopath. Annalax still doesn’t ...2 weeks ago - In NZ and around the world, women are still more likely to present and report the news than appear i...Susan Fountaine, Massey University Women are more visible in the world’s news than ever before — but they’re still far from achieving parity with men. According to the just released Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), women made up 40% of reporters and 25% of news sources across print, TV, ...2 weeks ago
- UK plans amnesty for war criminalsEngland's massacres in Northern Ireland during "the Troubles" are just another in its long list of colonial crimes. And like their other colonial crimes, they plan to sweep them under the carpet, with an effective amnesty for their colonial criminals: All criminal prosecutions relating to the Troubles and future ...2 weeks ago
- Nothing Left – Or Right – To Say.Or, Better Still, Start It! When did philosophical literacy cease to be a core competence of political leadership? Past New Zealand political leaders managed to explain themselves and their parties with reasonable fluency, why not the present crop?THE NATIONAL PARTY’s “Demand the Debate” campaign speaks volumes about the Right’s ideological ...2 weeks ago
- The Ministry of health’s transparency problem againRNZ has an interesting piece this morning about the Ministry of Health's efforts to hide the truth about its misleading and nonsensical vaccine rollout graph, which showed second doses being given before first doses. The "graph" was in fact marketing bullshit, and many Ministry of Health staff were uncomfortable with ...2 weeks ago
- Climate explained: is New Zealand losing or gaining native forests?Climate explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nz In recent decades, has New Zealand lost ...2 weeks ago
- Four in five New Zealanders plan to get vaccinated, but many people want more information about vacc...Jagadish Thaker, Massey University New Zealanders’ intention to get a COVID-19 vaccine is at its highest since last year, at 81% of the adult population, according to our latest research. Ministry of Health surveys, which have been tracking public acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines since last year, also confirm the ...2 weeks ago
- Geoffrey Miller: Ardern’s foreign policy address pro-US, but not necessarily anti-ChinaJacinda Ardern has delivered a keynote speech on foreign policy. Geoffrey Miller reads between the lines. It was about APEC. And the Indo-Pacific. But most of all, it was about China. Jacinda Ardern’s keynote foreign policy address on Wednesday – at the annual conference of the New Zealand Institute ...2 weeks ago
- Death Valley, California, breaks the all-time world heat record for the second year in a rowThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters For the second consecutive year, Death Valley, California, has set a world record for the hottest reliably measured temperature in Earth’s history. Death Valley National Park’s Furnace Creek Visitor Center hit an astonishing 130.0 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4°C) on Friday afternoon, ...2 weeks ago
- Do you answer emails outside work hours? Do you send them? New research shows how dangerous this can...Amy Zadow, University of South Australia What could be so bad about answering a few emails in the evening? Perhaps something urgent pops up, we are tidying up an issue from the day, or trying to get ahead for tomorrow. Always being online and available is one of the ...2 weeks ago
- Climate Change: Fixing the government’s fuckupNewsroom today has a piece on the ETS price crisis and the risk that poor market design means we will blow the carbon budget in its first real year of operation. But can we do anything about it? According to Climate Change Minister James Shaw, the answer is "no": ...2 weeks ago
- Building back better
It’s a three-week recess in Parliament – so, no bills are going through the House and no select committees are meeting. But the hard work of our ministers continues, and many of our MPs are back in their electorates, taking the opportunity to meet with local communities and businesses about ...5 days ago - Greens call for a Warrant of Fitness for rental homes
The Green Party is launching a petition today calling on the Government’s Healthy Homes Standards to be backed up with a proper Warrant of Fitness (WoF) for rental homes. ...1 week ago - Securing our recovery: By the numbersOur plan to secure New Zealand’s recovery from COVID-19 is working, with the past three months seeing the second-highest number of people moved off a main benefit into work since records began. ...2 weeks ago
- More Kiwis in work through recovery planThe latest statistics show the Government’s focus on jobs is working. The net number of people on a main benefit dropped by around 11,190 people during the past three months, with around 31,240 people moving off a benefit into work. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party appoints new Chief of StaffThe Green Party has appointed a new Parliamentary Chief of Staff, Robin Campbell. ...2 weeks ago
- Warmer Kiwi Homes smashes annual target
The Government's highly successful insulation and heating programme, Warmer Kiwi Homes, is celebrating a key milestone with the completion of more than 38,000 insulation and efficient heater installs in the year to the end of June, smashing its target of 25,000 installs for the year. “The Warmer Kiwi Homes scheme ...18 hours ago - Exemption granted for Wallabies to enter NZBledisloe Cup rugby will be played in New Zealand after the Australian rugby team received an economic exemption to enter New Zealand. Travel between Australia and New Zealand was suspended on Friday for at least eight weeks following the worsening of the COVID outbreak across the Tasman. New Zealanders have ...19 hours ago
- Minister of Foreign Affairs makes three diplomatic appointmentsForeign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta today announced three New Zealand Head of Mission appointments. They are: Mike Walsh as Ambassador to Iran Michael Upton as Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union Kevin Burnett as Ambassador to Indonesia Iran “Aotearoa New Zealand has a long-standing and constructive relationship with Iran, despite a ...21 hours ago
- Enhanced Task Force Green Approved for West Coast and MarlboroughThe Government has activated Enhanced Task Force Green (ETFG) in response to the West Coast and Marlborough floods, Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “To assist with the clean-up, up to $500,000 will be made available to support the recovery in Buller and Marlborough which has experienced ...22 hours ago
- Govt support for upgrade of Eden Park players facilitiesMinister for Sport and Recreation Hon Grant Robertson has announced funding to upgrade the players facilities at Eden Park ahead of upcoming Women’s World Cup events. Eden Park is a confirmed venue for the Rugby World Cup 2021, the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022, and a proposed venue for matches of ...22 hours ago
- More jobs and quicker public transport motoring towards West AucklandWork to improve public transport for West Aucklanders and support the region’s economic recovery by creating hundreds of jobs has officially kicked off, Transport Minister Michael Wood announced today. Michael Wood and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff this morning marked the start of construction on the Northwestern Bus Improvements project. It ...22 hours ago
- Government backs critical health researchResearch into some of New Zealanders’ biggest health concerns including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease is getting crucial support in the latest round of health research funding, Health Minister Andrew Little announced today. The funding, awarded through the Health Research Council of New Zealand, covers 31 General Project grants ($36.64 ...23 hours ago
- New Bay of Islands hospital facilities to bring services closer to homePrime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister Andrew Little have joined a ceremony to bless the site and workers for Phase Two of the redevelopment of the Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa today. The new building will house outpatients and primary care facilities, as well as expanded renal care ...2 days ago
- Cabinet accepts Turkish authorities’ request for the managed return of three NZ citizensCabinet has agreed to the managed return of a New Zealand citizen and her two young children from Turkey, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. The three have been in immigration detention in Turkey since crossing the border from Syria earlier this year. Turkey has requested that New Zealand repatriate ...2 days ago
- Govt delivers more classrooms so children can focus on learningExtra Government investment in classrooms and school building projects will enable students and teachers to focus on education rather than overcrowding as school rolls grow across the country, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis say. The pair visited Ruakākā School in Whangārei today to announce $100 ...2 days ago
- New station a platform for AirportLink to take offEvery Aucklander with access to the rail network will now have a quick and convenient trip to the airport, Transport Minister Michael Wood and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said during the official opening of the new Puhinui Interchange today. The new interchange links the rail platform with a new bus ...4 days ago
- 10 days sick leave for employees deliveredLegislation doubling employees’ minimum sick leave entitlement to 10 days comes into effect today, bringing benefits to both businesses and employees, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood announced today. “Our Government is delivering on a key manifesto commitment to help Kiwis and workplaces stay healthy,” Michael Wood said. “COVID-19 ...4 days ago
- Prime Minister congratulates Fiame Naomi Mata’afa on Election WinPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern tonight congratulated Prime Minister-elect Fiame Naomi Mata’afa on her victory in the Samoa’s general election. “New Zealand has a special relationship with Samoa, anchored in the Treaty of Friendship. We look forward to working with Samoa’s new government in the spirit of partnership that characterises this ...4 days ago
- Quarantine Free Travel with Australia suspendedQuarantine Free Travel from all Australian states and territories to New Zealand is being suspended as the Covid situation there worsens, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. From 11.59pm today Australians will no longer be able to enter New Zealand quarantine-free. This will be ...5 days ago
- Growing conservation efforts in GisborneA big injection of Jobs for Nature funding will create much-needed jobs and financial security for families in TeTairāwhiti, and has exciting prospects for conservation in the region, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “The projects target local communities most affected by the economic consequences of COVID 19 and are designed ...5 days ago
- Flood recovery given further assistanceThe Government is contributing a further $1 million to help the flood battered Buller community, Acting Emergency Management Minister Kris Faafoi announced today. “Buller is a small community which has found itself suddenly facing significant and ongoing welfare costs. While many emergency welfare costs are reimbursed by Government, this money ...6 days ago
- Funding for five projects to reduce food wasteThe Government is funding five projects to help address the growing problem of food waste, Environment Minister David Parker announced today. “New Zealand households throw away nearly 300,000 tonnes of food every year, half of which could still be eaten. By supporting these initiatives, we’re taking steps to reduce this ...6 days ago
- Temporary Accommodation Service activated for West Coast flooding eventThe Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) has been activated today - meaning residents on the West Coast of the South Island and in the Marlborough region hit by flooding over the weekend can now access help finding temporary accommodation, announced Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing) Poto Williams in Westport today. ...7 days ago
- Pause to Quarantine Free Travel from South Australia to New ZealandQuarantine Free Travel from South Australia to New Zealand will be paused from 11.59am (NZT) tonight, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. However, people currently in the state who ordinarily live in New Zealand will be able to return on “managed return” flights starting with the next available flight, ...1 week ago
- New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity by Chinese state-sponsored actorsNew Zealand has established links between Chinese state-sponsored actors known as Advanced Persistent Threat 40 (APT40) and malicious cyber activity in New Zealand. “The GCSB has worked through a robust technical attribution process in relation to this activity. New Zealand is today joining other countries in strongly condemning this malicious ...1 week ago
- Remarks to Diplomatic CorpsIt is a pleasure to be with you all this evening. Some of you may have been surprised when you received an invitation from the Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control, and I would forgive you if you were. New Zealand is unique in having established a Ministerial portfolio ...1 week ago
- Early Pfizer shipment boosts vaccine scheduleThe largest shipment of the Pfizer vaccine to date has arrived into New Zealand two days ahead of schedule, and doses are already being delivered to vaccination centres around the country, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. “The shipment of more than 370,000 doses reached New Zealand yesterday, following a ...1 week ago
- Backing for Bay of Islands predator free effortThe Government is throwing its support behind an ambitious project to restore native biodiversity and build long-term conservation careers, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. Predator Free Bay of Islands aims to eradicate predators from the three main peninsulas in the region, and significantly reduce their impact throughout the wider 80,000-plus ...1 week ago
- Government commits $600,000 to flood recoveryThe Government is contributing $600,000 to help residents affected by the weekend’s violent weather with recovery efforts. Acting Minister for Emergency Management Kris Faafoi and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor have been in the Buller district this afternoon to assess flood damage and support the local response effort. They have announced ...1 week ago
- Government assisting local responses to heavy rainfall and high windActing Minister of Emergency Management Kris Faafoi says Central Government is monitoring the severe weather across the country, and is ready to provide further support to those affected if necessary. “My thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this latest event, particularly communities on the West Coast and ...2 weeks ago
- PM Ardern chairs APEC Leaders’ meeting on COVID-19New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has chaired a meeting of Leaders representing the 21 APEC economies overnight. “For the first time in APEC’s history Leaders have come together for an extraordinary meeting focused exclusively on COVID-19, and how our region can navigate out of the worst health and economic ...2 weeks ago
- Health Minister welcomes progress on nurses’ payThe New Zealand Nurses Organisation’s decision to take the Government’s improved pay offer to members and to lift strike notices is a positive move towards settling district health board nurses’ pay claims, Health Minister Andrew Little said. “It’s encouraging that the discussions between NZNO and DHBs over the nurses’ employment ...2 weeks ago
- Boost for Pacific regional businessPacific businesses will get a much-needed financial boost as they recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to the new Pacific Aotearoa Regional Enterprise Fund, said Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio. The new $2 million fund will co-invest in Pacific business projects and initiatives to create ...2 weeks ago
- PM Ardern call with President BidenPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke with US President Biden this morning, ahead of the APEC Informal Leaders’ Retreat on COVID-19. “President Biden and I discussed the forthcoming APEC leaders meeting and the critical importance of working together as a region to navigate out of the COVID-19 pandemic”, Jacinda Ardern said. ...2 weeks ago
- Renewed partnership creates jobs for New Zealand youthThe Government has signed a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs, strengthening the partnership to get more young people into work. The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs (MTFJ) is a nationwide network of all Mayors in New Zealand, who are committed to making sure all young ...2 weeks ago
- South Island areas prioritised in tourism fundFive South Island areas are prioritised in the latest round of decisions from a tourism fund that is supporting infrastructure projects from Cape Reinga to Stewart Island and the Chathams. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has announced details of 57 nationwide projects to receive support from the Tourism Infrastructure Fund (TIF). ...2 weeks ago
- New code sets clear expectations for learner safety and wellbeing in tertiary educationA new code of practice for the pastoral care of domestic tertiary and international students will be in place from January next year, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today The code, which makes clear that creating an environment that supports learning and wellbeing is a shared responsibility between tertiary providers, ...2 weeks ago
- First TAB New Zealand Board appointments announcedThe members of the first TAB NZ Board come with experience in racing and sport administration, business and governance, the betting industry, broadcasting and gambling harm minimisation. “This Board will progress from the excellent work done by the interim board, put in place in August 2020,” Grant Robertson said. “The ...2 weeks ago
- Northland Maori Pathways initiative introducedThe Government has today launched Māori Pathways at Northland Region Corrections Facility, a ground-breaking series of initiatives designed in partnership with Māori to reduce re-offending and improve outcomes for whānau. A key part of the Hōkai Rangi strategy, Māori Pathways looks to achieve long-term change and involves a number of ...2 weeks ago
- Extended Essential Skills visas being rolled outTwo year Essential Skills visa to provide certainty to at least 18,000 visa holders Streamlined application process to benefit at least 57,000 visa holders The Government is increasing the duration of some Essential Skills visas and streamlining the application process to provide more certainty to employers and visa holders while ...2 weeks ago
- Pause to Quarantine Free Travel from Victoria to New ZealandQuarantine Free Travel from Victoria to New Zealand will be paused from 1.59am (NZT) Friday, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. The decision follows updated public health advice from New Zealand officials and a growing number of cases and locations of interest. The pause will run for at least ...2 weeks ago
- Hydrogen arrangement signed with SingaporeThe signing of an Arrangement of Cooperation on low-carbon hydrogen with Singapore heralds the start of greater collaboration between it and New Zealand as both countries transition towards low carbon economies, says Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods. The cooperation arrangement between New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment ...2 weeks ago
- Hydrogen agreement signed with SingaporeThe signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation on low-carbon hydrogen with Singapore signals the start of greater collaboration between the two countries as they transition towards low carbon economies, says Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods. The cooperation agreement between New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and ...2 weeks ago
- Speech to LGNZ ConferenceKia ora koutou katoa and thank-you for the invitation to speak to you all today. I would like to acknowledge Local Government New Zealand President Stuart Crosby, and Chief Executive, Susan Freeman-Greene, Te Maruata Chair, Bonita Bigham, and our host, Mayor John Leggett. I also acknowledge all the elected members ...2 weeks ago
- Government to provide support for water reforms, jobs and growthThe Government today announced a $2.5 billion package to support local government transition through the reforms to New Zealand’s drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services. The package will also stimulate local economies while creating jobs and unlocking infrastructure for housing. “New Zealand’s water systems are facing a significant crisis and ...2 weeks ago
- Live updates, July 28: ‘Vaccination is the key to our freedom’ – Sydney faces another month of...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for July 28, bringing you the latest news updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz8.05am: ‘Vaccination is the key to our freedom’ – Sydney faces another month of lockdownSydney is set to face another month of lockdown after a record number of ...38 mins ago - Census 2021 is almost here — what’s changed since #censusfail? What’s at stake in this pandemi...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liz Allen, Demographer, ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods, Australian National University David Crosling/AAP Australian households will begin receiving instructions on how to fill out the 2021 census from early August. The Census of Population and Housing is ...40 mins ago - Growing evidence suggests Russia’s Sputnik V COVID vaccine is safe and very effective. But questio...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Megan Steain, Lecturer, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney Antonio Calanni/AP/AAP Russia was the first country to register a COVID vaccine, with its health ministry giving emergency approval to the Sputnik V vaccine in ...41 mins ago
- Artificial refuges are a popular stopgap for habitat destruction, but the science isn’t up to scra...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darcy Watchorn, PhD Candidate, Deakin University Shutterstock Wildlife worldwide is facing a housing crisis. When land is cleared for agriculture, mining, and urbanisation, habitats and natural refuges go with it, such as tree hollows, rock piles and large logs. The ...41 mins ago
- We can put city and country people on more equal footing at uni — the pandemic has shown us howSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn Eversole, Professor and Director, RegionxLink, Centre for Social Impact, Swinburne University of Technology Shutterstock University study is out of reach for many people in regional Australia. Most of our universities are based in a handful of capital cities. The ...41 mins ago
- Yes, Naomi Osaka is Japanese. And American. And HaitianSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aoife Wilkinson, PhD candidate, The University of Queensland Netflix On Friday, Naomi Osaka lit the cauldron at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony. This honour sent an important message to the world: Osaka represents a diversifying Japan. Yet, some still ...41 mins ago
- Inside one artist’s fantastical world of felt foodArtist Chloe Smith, who turns everyday food items into meticulously crafted felt creations, talks to Charlotte Muru-Lanning ahead of her first New Zealand exhibition.It’s the feel of food that Chloe Smith is drawn to. “I really enjoy the challenge of trying to make something that has a really complicated texture,” ...43 mins ago
- Retired people and beneficiaries pay the price of inflation – for now
The prices of meat, insurance, petrol and public transport have risen faster than other costs ...44 mins ago - A moment to reflect on the state of the short story
An update on the New Zealand short story A new old book of short stories has appeared quietly but with perfect timing. Six By Six, an anthology of six short stories by six New Zealand writers, was first published in 1989; Victoria University have released a new edition, and the ...59 mins ago - Aggressive marketing has driven the rise of the double-cab ute on New Zealand streets — time to hi...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kirsty Wild, Senior Research Fellow, Public Health, University of Auckland www.shutterstock.com “Explore your inner beast.” That was the slogan used last year to sell the Ford Ranger. At 2.4 tonnes, that’s a lot of “light” truck, but the stakes are ...1 hour ago
- The Bulletin: Nitrates in the water, and the risksGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Risks of nitrates in the water, no additional Covid found in New Plymouth, and Westport faces horror flooding cleanup.Groundwater in Canterbury appears to be increasingly unhealthy from the presence of nitrates, a consequence in part of intensive dairy farming. Stuff’s Amber Allott ...1 hour ago
- Women's football on the rise in Oceania
The Oceania Football Confederation has launched a women's football strategy - a first in the region. Ashley Stanley learns how OFC want to get two competitive teams into the 2027 World Cup Torijan Lyne-Lewis’s main sports goal is to play in a women’s football World Cup. The 26-year-old Samoan football ...2 hours ago - Big water decisions shape futures of small communities
The Prime Minister has committed to settling the contested boundaries of the four new regional water authorities by the end of September – and that means some big decisions for some of New Zealand's smallest communities. Near the north-east corner of the South Island, imposing sandstone cliffs look out over Cook Strait. ...3 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 28 July
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...3 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Wednesday 28 July
...3 hours ago - Ocean plastic: Small pieces, big problems
Banning the release of balloons outdoors is another small step to making a difference to our oceans, and New Zealand should consider doing the same, writes Ariel-Micaiah Heswall Plastic pollution is a huge threat to marine life worldwide. Every step we can make to reduce our usage, no matter how ...3 hours ago - The one weird trick that could help NZ catch up with the global vaccine champsAs New Zealand’s vaccine effort picks up speed, there are lessons to be taken from countries that are more rapidly vaccinating their populations. Justin Giovannetti reports.With the global vaccination marathon against Covid-19 accelerating in the second half of 2021, new countries are emerging as leaders after overcoming supply issues and ...4 hours ago
- Our coal usage is going up and up. Here’s how much that mattersCoal-powered electricity generation is hitting record levels. Should we be worried? George Driver investigates.Coal electricity generation is surging, with the country importing more than a million tonnes of Indonesian coal and burning it at record levels to keep the lights on, RNZ has reported. The National Party declared we were ...4 hours ago
- Galileo's lesson: How to think smart about living sustainably
We know the many circumstances that cause us to veer away from rationality; we understand enough to abandon this fossil fuel age with haste ...4 hours ago - Why moths matter
Morgane Merien explains why we need to start recognising the importance of these fascinating little insects and their vital role in the ecosystem Moths, they generally go unnoticed except when they flit annoyingly around your lights. They don’t attract much public interest and there is little understanding of the effects ...4 hours ago - The ethics of saving wild animals
Why do New Zealanders get so invested in saving animals that strand themselves? For more than two weeks, the plight of Toa, the baby orca stranded on rocks north of Porirua after he was separated from his pod, gripped the nation. News bulletins provided hourly updates. Volunteers braved the ...4 hours ago - Free clinics for Hepatitis C pop up across the country
This World Hepatitis Day, the Ministry of Health is funding free clinics across the country, as well as unveiling the plan to eliminate Hepatitis C from New Zealand Around 45,000 New Zealanders are living with Hepatitis C - although half of them may be unaware they have it. Clinics are popping ...4 hours ago - My crazy big brother, and other stories
A portrait of an American family in the 1970s Dick is a patient on the seventh floor of a private psychiatric hospital on Chicago’s Near North side. For the first two weeks we aren’t allowed to visit him at all. I bake cookies and send them in a tin. The ...4 hours ago - Fletcher Building gets $5m too much in carbon subsidy
The Government has over-allocated carbon credits worth a minimum of $5 million to Fletcher Building over the past three years, Marc Daalder reports. ...4 hours ago - When the chips are down: Kiwi firms innovate around global shortages
Manufacturers are building products based on available materials as they prepare for shortages to last until late 2022 and beyond ...4 hours ago - Government's flood protection plans dry up
Work to tackle flooding linked to climate change was quietly cut back due to "resource constraints". ...4 hours ago - The Tokyo Lowdown: Day 4
Was there something in Tokyo's water for Kiwi sportswomen as they struggled on the big stage on Day 4? LockerRoom's daily look at the fortunes of our female athletes continues. Performances of the day Luuka Jones lay her head on her paddle after her run in the canoe slalom final, devastated. ...11 hours ago - Flush Housing Agency Needs To Be Reined In
Responding to NBR’s report that Kainga Ora made an offer on a property $8 million above its eventual sale price, New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says: “Our housing agency is acting like it’s overfunded. First it bought a motel ...15 hours ago - New Zealand trapped on the moral high ground with Suhayra Aden
Power Play - New Zealand may now be claiming the moral high ground as it grudgingly accepts Suhayra Aden and her two children, but its hands are tied, Jane Patterson writes. ...16 hours ago - Whipping cream canisters have many uses beyond ‘nangs’. Banning them isn’t necessarySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bright, Senior Lecturer of Addiction, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has been considering whether whipping cream canisters containing nitrous oxide should be placed in Schedule 10 of the Poisons Standard. Schedule 10 is the ...16 hours ago
- What’s in the CPI and what does it actually measure?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Nils Versemann/Shutterstock So you don’t believe the official inflation figures. Why would you? They show prices climbing at an annual rate of 1.1% On Wednesday the update for June ...16 hours ago
- Why calling ordinary NZ cyclists ‘elitist’ makes little senseIt’s one of the most common criticisms of those fighting for better bike infrastructure in our cities. But the ‘elitist’ jibe has little basis in reality, argues Timothy Welch.Something strange has happened to the perception of cyclists and cycling in the more than 200 years they’ve been around. Once a ...17 hours ago
- Public protest or selfish ratbaggery? Why free speech doesn’t give you the right to endanger other...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, President, Australian Association for Professional & Applied Ethics. Senior Research Fellow, Moral philosophy, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Law Futures Centre., Griffith University Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in major Australian cities at the weekend, to protest ...17 hours ago
- Police Association Acknowledges Guilty VerdictThe Police Association thanks the jury in the Eli Epiha trial for carrying out their difficult duty and finding the defendant guilty of attempting to murder Constable David Goldfinch. Epiha, who had already admitted to the murder of Constable Matthew ...17 hours ago
- Little says Chinese hacking claims were corroborated, rebuke was 'tame'State-sponsored hacking by China was confirmed and corroborated by spy agencies and the embassy's rebuke after New Zealand called it out was "fairly tame", Minister Andrew Little says. ...17 hours ago
- Christchurch City Council’s Bollard Blowout Is BizarreResponding to Christchurch City Council’s $1.1 million spend on a set of 14 bollards , New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says: “The plan should have been abandoned as soon as Councillors learned of the $769,000 price tag. Instead, ...17 hours ago
- Science Organisations Pledge Openness In Animal Research And Teaching In New Zealand21 universities, institutes of technology, non-profits, Crown Research Institutes, government organisations, umbrella bodies, research funding organisations and learned societies commit to communicate openly about animal use. New Zealand will be the ...17 hours ago
- Hard Questions Remain For Openness Conference For AnimalsHow open should researchers be with what they do to animals in experiments? That’s the question being discussed at a conference on openness in animal research. The conference is being hosted by the Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care ...18 hours ago
- Parliament is in recess but Kris Faafoi is too busy to discuss proposals for hate-speech laws
******** The Minister of Justice appears to have gone into hiding. GRAHAM ADAMS, writing for The Democracy Project, provides an update on how the public debate on hate speech regulation is going, especially in terms of whether political opinion should or shouldn’t receive an exemption from new laws. ******** It ...18 hours ago - Yarns from the heart: the role of Aboriginal English in Indigenous health communicationSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Celeste Rodriguez Louro, Senior Lecturer and ARC DECRA Fellow, Discipline of Linguistics, The University of Western Australia Indigenous Australians experience poorer health outcomes than non-Indigenous Australians. They are sick more often, die younger and are at higher risk of serious health complications, ...18 hours ago
- It’s all about reducing inequities -and so Maori wellbeing is a big consideration in research fund...
The Government has dished out public money on two fronts in its mission to reduce inequitable outcomes in health statistics. On one front, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister Andrew Little joined a ceremony to bless the site and workers for Phase Two of the redevelopment of the Bay ...18 hours ago - If I cry when I get my vaccination, it will be for MumIt was one of Mum’s great joys that she lived to see polio virtually eradicated worldwide in her lifetime, writes Tim Cadogan, mayor of Central Otago.I got the text message last week advising me that I could go online and book my Covid-19 vaccinations. Despite how I sometimes look, I ...19 hours ago
- How a South Auckland deep tech company grew 440% in a yearA ‘sleepy R&D startup’ has been transformed into a world-leading tech manufacturer in the space of a year, thanks to its groundbreaking nanofibre products.Any company that was in the business of making masks at the beginning of 2020 was poised to do a roaring trade. Covid-19 hit, and, despite the ...20 hours ago
- Suhayra Aden repatriation: Gerry Brownlee suggests following Australian laws on revoking citizenship...National Party's foreign affairs spokesperson Gerry Brownlee's comments about whether New Zealand should follow Australia's law on revoking citizenships - in light of a terror suspect's repatriation - is stirring up debate. ...21 hours ago
- Ancient brains: a look inside the extraordinary preservation of a 310-million-year-old nervous syste...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Paterson, Professor of Earth Sciences, University of New England Javier Ortega-Hernández, Author provided Charles Darwin famously discussed the “imperfections” of the geological record in his book On The Origin of Species. He correctly pointed out that unless conditions are ...21 hours ago
- Fiji opposition MPs pledge not to be silenced, despite arrests over criticismRNZ Pacific Fiji’s opposition MPs who were arrested after their criticism of a government land bill say they will not be intimidated or silenced. Police have since released several leaders of the opposition who were arrested late Sunday. One of those arrested, the National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad, ...21 hours ago
- Local Government Business Forum Annual Newsletter ReleasedThe Local Government Business Forum has released its annual newsletter. "2021 is proving to be a pivotal year for local government and a challenging one for the people who pay the bills," said Michael Barnett, Chair of the Forum. "Major ...22 hours ago
- How do we bridge an impossible divide?Despairing in the wake of large anti-lockdown protests in Australia, Emily Writes searches for ways to fight the monster of ignorance and selfishness.This post was first published on Emily Writes Weekly.Many of us here safe and secure in Aotearoa were horrified by the anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination protests in Sydney and Melbourne ...22 hours ago
- Quarterly Inflation Rising Steadily Across The BoardHigher prices for transport and food have driven up inflation for the all households group in the June 2021 quarter, Stats NZ said today. The ‘all households group’ represents all private New Zealand-resident households. Inflation for the all households ...22 hours ago
- Government announces health research funding grantsHealth equity, vaccine hesitancy, and the difficulties of battling both cancer and diabetes are among projects benefiting from the latest round of government health research funding. ...22 hours ago
- The Spinoff Book Report #2Books editor Catherine Woulfe introduces a tranche of new books that comprehensively rule. Welcome back to the Spinoff Book Report. To reiterate the deal here: if a book’s on this list you know it’s genuinely great. No qualms. What happens is I eye up the cubic metre of books stacked on ...24 hours ago
- Live updates, July 27: Auckland mass vaccination event struggles to attract bookingsWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for July 27, bringing you the latest news updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz8.05am: Auckland mass vaccination event struggles to attract bookingsA three-day vaccination event in Auckland did not get the attention health officials expected it would. New figures have revealed ...1 day ago
- How the Groundhog Day grind of lockdown scrambles your memory and sense of timeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Osth, Senior Lecturer, The University of Melbourne YouTube With roughly half of Australia in lockdown at the moment, a common experience is a warped sense of time and poor memory. What day is it? What week is it? Did ...1 day ago
- How Australia’s fickleness on COVID vaccines is perpetuating global vaccine inequitySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Joseph, Professor of Human Rights Law, Griffith University Despite assurances from Prime Minister Scott Morrison that Australia was at “the front of the queue” for COVID-19 vaccines, Australia’s rate of vaccination ranks last in the OECD. Nevertheless, Australia is still ...1 day ago
- When will we reach herd immunity? Here are 3 reasons that’s a hard question to answerSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julie Leask, Professor, University of Sydney As we try to control COVID-19, many people are keen to know what proportion of the population will need to be vaccinated in order to reach “herd immunity”. It’s a reasonable question. People are asking because ...1 day ago
- A wet winter, a soggy spring: what is the negative Indian Ocean Dipole, and why is it so important?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicky Wright, Research Fellow, University of Sydney Shutterstock This month we’ve seen some crazy, devastating weather. Perth recorded its wettest July in decades, with 18 straight days of relentless rain. Overseas, parts of Europe and China have endured extensive flooding, ...1 day ago
- Yes adult literacy should be improved. But governments can make their messages easier to read right ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cath Ferguson, Senior research fellow, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock A parliamentary inquiry is looking into how to improve adult literacy in Australia. Having a low level of literacy is not the same thing as being illiterate. The definition of “illiterate” ...1 day ago
- How a new trade deal could make it harder to improve life for Australians in aged careSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patricia Ranald, Honorary research associate, University of Sydney Prime Minister Morrison and Trade Minister Birmingham sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement in November 2020, Canberra. Lukas Coch/AAP The 16-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement signed in November 2020 between Australia and ...1 day ago
- If I could go anywhere: Greek cake shops, the Athenian countryside and the sanctuary of Artemis at B...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alastair Blanshard, Paul Eliadis Chair of Classics and Ancient History, The University of Queensland Konstantinos Livadas/Shutterstock In this series we pay tribute to the art we wish could visit — and hope to see once travel restrictions are lifted. In ...1 day ago
- Big water decisions influence futures of small communities
The PM vows to settle the contested boundaries of the four big new regional water authorities – a decision awaited nervously in some of NZ's smaller communities ...1 day ago - The Bulletin: ‘Government neglect’ blamed for poverty increaseGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: ‘Government neglect’ blamed for poverty increase, suspected ISIS supporter to be repatriated, and Sāmoa’s former PM formally concedes.The country’s leading anti-poverty lobby group has put the blame squarely on the government for an increase in hardship. In a report out this morning, ...1 day ago
- Ombudsman pans council foot-dragging
Christchurch’s council gets a slap on the wrist over delays relating to a $100,000 report. David Williams reports. Delays and transparency at Christchurch’s council remain under scrutiny by Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier. Two years ago, Boshier excoriated the council for its treatment of public information requests, saying reports reflecting negatively ...1 day ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Tuesday 27 July
...1 day ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 27 July
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...1 day ago - Menopause, MHT and meA full 50% of the population will experience menopause, but confusion about its symptoms – and the options for treating them – remains widespread. Determined to address menopause’s debilitating effects, Anna Sophia embarked on an ‘experiential trial’ to discover whether hormone therapy could help.So here it is and here I ...1 day ago
- What’s it like reporting from ‘an Olympics like no other’?New Zealand journalists based in Tokyo say covering this year’s extraordinary Olympics is ‘fun, strange, uncertain and exciting’. There’s also a lot of gloves. Kimberlee Downs remembers her time spent covering the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan as a “very social” occasion. Journalists from all over the world met, ...1 day ago
- We’ve got enough food – it’s the political will that’s missingYes, the vast majority of food produced in New Zealand goes overseas, but blaming food insecurity on exporting serves only to obscure the real issue, writes Katharine Cresswell Riol.In light of ongoing food insecurity in Aotearoa, a situation that was drastically exacerbated by coronavirus-induced lockdown conditions, the recent call to ...1 day ago
- The cut-throat world of kombucha
Craft kombucha maker Batchwell launches a $1 million capital raise on the Snowball Effect platform this week. But the kombucha market is more complicated than you might think. ...1 day ago - A scary and overlooked milestone
'Earth Overshoot Day' is the day in the year humanity begins to exceed its annual consumption of the earth’s replenishable resources - and it's not cause for celebration, writes Jack Santa Barbara COMMENT: One of the most significant milestones we pass each year generally goes completely unnoticed, and unacknowledged. This year ...1 day ago - Planned retreat from flood-prone Westport and its stoic history
As the PM visits Westport, the town faces a touch call on whether to rebuild or withdraw after the recent devastating floods ...1 day ago - One week at the border: 60 Covid cases caught
We're keeping Covid out at the border - for now - but just last week our defences kept out 60 positive cases. Almost inevitably, that protection shield will fail. It seems to be coming at us from all angles. Covid, and its more dangerous variant Delta is knocking at the ...1 day ago - Essay: My grandmother glitches the machine
A personal essay about machines, Mandarin, and grandma by Tan Tuck Ming A few years ago, I took part in a research study at an institute of parapsychology, an underground subfield of psychology that deals with psychic abilities. I was in my second year of university and did not ...1 day ago - Accused spy active on encrypted chat app
A soldier charged with espionage has recently been active on the encrypted chat app Telegram, Marc Daalder reports A soldier facing four charges of espionage along with 13 other counts still has access to encrypted messaging apps on his mobile phone. The soldier, who has interim name suppression ahead of a ...1 day ago - The liquor store plague
New Zealanders have very easy access to alcohol, and the choices are growing. But communities worried about the harm it's causing face big hurdles to stop liquor stores proliferating. How many alcohol outlets does a suburban town centre need? Well, in South Auckland’s Māngere, there are seven - all ...1 day ago - Why we should care about air pollution
It’s time to consider how reducing emissions for the benefit of the climate could bring added health benefits to our population, argues Dr Dennis Wesselbaum. The report by He Pou a Rangi, the Climate Change Commission, has received much positive and negative attention since its publication. It suggests making dramatic changes ...1 day ago
Recent Comments