There are still tickets left for tomorrow nights final show of “Once We Built A Tower” by Dean Parker, on at Bat’s Theatre. A play about the birth of the welfare state, modelled on the worker’s health scheme at the Waitaki dam
raise your glass to the stay at home voter
his empty eyes gaze at strange beauty shows
a parade of gray suited grafters
lung cancer or polio
‘salt of the earth’
jagger/richards
Where is the storm I was promised? I stored up the water, charged the batteries, made sure I had my emergency kit ready – all prepared and so far nothing but a bit of breeze and some drizzle.
However, the NZ Herald reports there’s been big gusts and power outages in parts of Auckland, while other areas are calm – so far, all’s calm on the western front. Hope it stays that way.
Hope the people without power get it back soon, and the cyclone ends with a whimper.
We’ve been without power most of the day up here in the north – Tutukaka, Hukerunui, Whananaki,
Whakapara. Very boring – stormy, windy, wet and NO power. Fortunately my preparations included gathering in all the green tomatoes left on the vines, and the figs – so with a gas hob this has been jam and relish making day – and with nothing to take my eye off the hob (TV, The Standard, etc) I”ve managed to make a few jars of each WITHOUT burning anything ! First time ever. Power finally back on, just in time before TV News …..
Yes,saw the news earlier and saw how Northland was hit, guess there will be a clean up tomorrow…………..( Good on JK for being able to use the day in an advantageous way in a culinary sense).
Just hoping that Canterbury won’t be hit in the same way, as they are still recovering from last week’s floods. They need the “fizzer” aspect most of all.
NZ got off lightly compared to Vanuatu. R.I P to their losses.
Moment of weirdness has just struck in the northern burbs of Wellington. Whilst sitting in the garden a car pulled up and the passenger took a photo of the front of our house. From the angle they were at they would have got the letterbox, garage door and entrance including the steps to the front door and part of the verandah. Then they drove off……………
Lol! Only ever been one other owner of the house, (which is just 3 years old) who I have met, who was a completely different ethnicity to the person taking the photo………Curious.
Maybe they saw me earlier, down the road, removing the latest “HEY PETER!” placard I had up on a fence at the local park, they followed me and are sending photo’s to Peter Dunne of where I live…………just kidding……..
I gather the passenger didn’t get out of the car to take the photos. Is there anything unusual or different about the front of your house Rosie? Could you be seen in the garden?
I had a similar experience (plus others) in the 1990s but in my case, the passenger was writing down the reg no. of my car. I was on a DPB benefit looking after my elderly mother. Pretty certain I was a victim of a malicious dobbing in during the “Dob a beneficiary a day” scandal and I know the identity of the person who would have been responsible. After a polite but very strong letter to the local WINZ boss the surveillance stopped. The boss never responded to my letter of complaint, but the sudden disappearance of the car days after the letter was sent left me in no doubt it was WINZ.
Anne, your experience sounds highly suspicious and it really does sound like you were a victim of WINZ. How awful. Some things don’t change perhaps – beneficiaries continue to be treated with suspicion.
And no, there is nothing out of the ordinary about the house, and the photographer didn’t see me looking at them through the slats of the fence near to where I was sitting.
Furtive goings on in suburbia. Hopefully and most likely it was just a randomly odd thing. Either way, I’m glad my phone number isn’t in the book. It got left out by accident this year.
Do you have an “odd” out-of-the-way letterbox ? At one time, the community newspaper I worked for took pics and ran a story about all the quirky letterboxes around the place.
Doubt it was random Rosie but don’t be too concerned. There’s some seriously stupid people out there and you just never know. That Red Letterbox…. very suspicious. đ
Completed reads for January Lilith, by George MacDonald The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (poem), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Christabel (poem), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, by Anonymous The Lay of Kraka (poem), by Anonymous 1066 and All That, by W.C. Sellar and R.J. ...
Pity the poor Brits. They just canât catch a break. After years of reporting of lying Boris Johnson, a change to a less colourful PM in Rishi Sunak has resulted in a smooth media pivot to an end-of-empire narrative. The New York Times, no less, amplifies suggestions that Blighty ...
On that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth.Genesis 6:11-12THE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS that dumped a record-breaking amount of rain on Auckland this anniversary weekend will reoccur with ever-increasing frequency. The planetâs atmosphere is ...
Buzz from the Beehive There has been plenty to keep the relevant Ministers busy in flood-stricken Auckland over the past day or two. But New Zealand, last time we looked, extends north of Auckland into Northland and south of the Bombay Hills all the way to the bottom of the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters When early settlers came to the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers before the California Gold Rush, Indigenous people warned them that the Sacramento Valley could become an inland sea when great winter rains came. The storytellers described water filling the ...
Dr Bryce Edwards writes –Â Last nightâs opinion polls answered the big question of whether a switch of prime minister would really be a gamechanger for election year. The 1News and Newshub polls released at 6pm gave the same response: the shift from Jacinda Ardern to Chris Hipkins ...
Last nightâs opinion polls answered the big question of whether a switch of prime minister would really be a gamechanger for election year. The 1News and Newshub polls released at 6pm gave the same response: the shift from Jacinda Ardern to Chris Hipkins has changed everything, and Labour is back ...
Over the last few years, it’s seemed like city after city around the world has become subject to extreme flooding events that have been made worse by impacts from climate change. We’ve highlighted many of them in our Weekly Roundup series. Sadly, over the last few days it’s been Auckland’s ...
A âsmall targetâ strategy is not going to cut it anymore if National want to win the upcoming election. The game has changed and the game plan needs to change as well. Jacinda Ardernâs abrupt departure from the 9th floor has the potential to derail what looked to be an ...
When Grant Robertson talks about how the economy might change post-covid, one of the things he talks about is what he calls an unsung but interesting white paper on science. âItâs really important,â he says. The Minister in charge of the White Paper — Te Ara Paerangi, Future Pathways ...
The news media were at one ceremony by the looks of things. The Governor-General, the Prime Minister and his deputy were at another. The news  media were at a swearing-in ceremony. The countryâs leaders were at an appointment ceremony. The New Zealand Gazette record of what transpired says: Appointment of ...
I n some alternative universe, Auckland mayor Efeso Collins readily grasped the scale of Fridayâs deluge, and quickly made the emergency declaration that enabled central government to immediately throw its resources behind the rescue and remediation effort. As Friday evening became night, Mayor Collins seemed to be everywhere: talking with ...
They called it an âatmospheric riverâ, the weather bombardment which hit NZâs northern region at the weekend. It exacted a terrible toll on metropolitan Auckland and the rest of the region. Few living there may have noted a statement from electricity generator Mercury Energy labelled âWET, WET, WET!â This was ...
I know, that is a pretty corny title but given the circumstances here in the Auckland region, I just had to say it. The more oblique reference embedded in the title is to the leadership failures exhibited by Mayor Wayne Brown and his so-called leadership team when confronted by the ...
How much confidence should the public have in authorities managing natural disasters? Not much, judging by the farcical way in which the civil defence emergence in Auckland has played out. The way authorities dealt with Aucklandâs extreme weather on Friday illustrated how hit-and-miss our civil defence emergency system is. In ...
Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The recent leadership change in the governing Labour party resulted in a very strange response from National’s (current) leader, Christopher Luxon. Mr Luxon berated Labour for it’s change of leader, citing no actual change.As ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 22, 2023 thru Sat, Jan 28, 2023. Story of the Week New Study Reveals Arctic Ice, Tracked Both Above and Below, Is Freezing LaterClimate change is affecting the timing of both ...
Buzz from the Beehive Yes, thereâs life â and the hint of ministerial hum â in the Beehive. The latest announcement on the Beehive website deals with flood relief for Auckland: Government steps up to assist Auckland during floodingAs the Mayor of Auckland has announced a state of emergency, the ...
Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.It was another ‘SHOCK! HORROR!’ headline from a media increasingly venturing into tabloid-style journalism:Andrea Vance’s article seemed to focus on the "million dollar sums from the Government as the country grapples with a housing ...
Dr Brian Easton writes: Itâs the summer break. Everyone settles down with family, books, the sun and some fishing. But the Prime Minister has a pile of briefing papers prepared just before Christmas, which have to be worked through. I havenât seen them. Here is my guess at some ...
What Was the Prime Minister Reading in the Runup to Election Year?Itâs the summer break. Everyone settles down with family, books, the sun and some fishing. But the Prime Minister has a pile of briefing papers prepared just before Christmas, which have to be worked through. I havenât seen them. ...
In case you hadn't noticed, FYI, the public OIA request site, has been used to conduct a significant excavation into New Zealand's intelligence agencies, with requests made for assorted policies and procedures. Yesterday in response to one of these requests the GCSB released its policy on New Zealand Purpose and ...
Farming leaders are watching closely  whether Damien OâConnor keeps the key portfolios of Agriculture and Trade when Prime Minister Chris Hipkins restructures his Cabinet. OâConnor has been one of the few ministers during Labourâs term in office who has won broad support for what he has done ...
South Islands farmers are whining about another drought, the third in three years. If only we knew what was causing this! If only someone had warned them that they faced a drying climate! But we do know what is causing it: climate change. And they have been warned, repeatedly, for ...
Ok, thereâs good news and bad news in this weekâs inflation figures, but bad > good. Our inflation rate held steady but hey, at a level below the inflation rate in Australia. The main reason for the so/so result here? A fall in petrol prices of 7.2% offset the really ...
Dr Bryce Edwards writes: Since her shock resignation announcement, Jacinda Ardern has been at pains to point out that she isnât leaving because of the toxicity directed at her on social media and elsewhere, rebutting journalists who suggested misogyny and hate may have driven her from office. Yet ...
Since her shock resignation announcement, Jacinda Ardern has been at pains to point out that she isnât leaving because of the toxicity directed at her on social media and elsewhere, rebutting journalists who suggested misogyny and hate may have driven her from office. Yet there have been dozens of columns ...
The Clinical Magus: Of particular relevance to New Zealanders struggling to come to terms with the sudden departure of their prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, is Jungâs concept of the anima. Much more than what others have called the feminine principle, the anima is what the human male has made out ...
The Select Committee, considering the proposed RNZ-TVNZ merger, has come back with a report conceding many of the criticisms that were made of the original legislation. In what is one of the most comprehensive demolitions of a Bill submitted to a Select Committee, the Economic Development, Science and Innovation ...
Such are the 2020s, the age when no-one, it seems, actually respects the basic underpinnings of democracy. Even in New Zealand. This week, I stumbled across a pair of lengthy and genuinely serious articles, that basically argue that Something is Rotten in the state of New Zealand democracy. One ...
Buzz from the Beehive Hurrah. Today we found something fresh on the Beehive website, Beehive.govt.nz, which claims to be the best place to find Government initiatives, policies and Ministerial information. It wasnât from Finance Minister Grant Robertson, whose reaction to the latest inflation figures would have been appreciated. So, too, ...
Smiling And Waiving A Golden Opportunity: Chris Hipkins knew that the day at Ratana would be Jacindaâs day â her final opportunity to bask in the unalloyed love and support of her followers. He simply could not afford to be seen to overshadow this last chance for his former boss ...
Extremism Consumes Itself: The plot of âAct of Oblivionâ concerns the relentless pursuit of the âregicidesâ Edward Whalley and William Goffe â two of the fifty-nine signatories to King Charles Iâs death warrant. As with his many other works of historical fiction, Robert Harrisâs novel brings to life a period ...
To challenge the Governmentâs promotion of co-governance, to share power between Maori and public authorities and agencies, is to invite accusations of racism. An example: this article by Martyn Bradbury on The Daily Blog headed Luxonâs race baiting hypocrisy at Ratana. The article was triggered by National leader Christopher Luxon, ...
A very informative video discussion: Are we getting the whole story about Ukraine? | Robert Wright & Ivan Katchanovski Getting objective information on the situation in Ukraine and the cause of this current war is not easy. There is the current censorship and blatant mainstream media bias – which ...
Yesterday the Herald ran an op-ed from Mayor Wayne Brown titled “The case for light rail is lighter than ever” and a few things stood out. However, itâs getting more and more tricky to make a strong economic case for spending up to $29 billion on a single route of ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Samantha Harrington Imagine it’s a cold February night and your furnace breaks. You want to replace it with an electric heat pump because you’ve heard that tax credits will help pay for the switch. And you know that heat pumps can reduce ...
In 2005, then-National Party leader based his entire election campaign on racism, with his infamous racist Orewa speech and racist iwi/kiwi billboards. Now, Christopher Luxon seems to want to do it all again: Fresh off using his platform at this week's RÄtana celebrations to criticise the government's approach to ...
Inflation is showing little sign of slowing down, posing a problem for freshly minted PM Chris Hipkins. According to that old campaigner Richard Prebble, Hipkins should call a snap election. If he waits till October, he risks being swept away. The dilemma for the new leader is that fighting an election ...
Buzz from the Beehive A great deal has happened since January 19. Among other things, a new Prime Minister and deputy have been sworn in and our leaders (past, present and aspiring) have delivered speeches at Ratana. Newshub reported that politicians of all stripes had descended upon RÄtana for the ...
Itâs a big day for New Zealand; our 41st Prime Minister has taken office and the new, âChippyâ era of politics is underway. Or, on the other hand, the Labour Party continues to govern with an overall majority and much the same leadership team in place. Life goes on and ...
New Zealand has another Prime Minister who does not have a basic grasp of the three articles of the Treaty of Waitangi. THOMAS CRANMER writes: It is simply astonishing that New Zealandâs next Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, is unable to give even a brief explanation of the three articles ...
A statue of a semi-naked Nick Smith puts the misogyny debate into perspective. GRAHAM ADAMS writes ⊠In the wake of Ardernâs abrupt resignation, the mainstream media are determined to convince us she was hounded from office mainly because she is a woman and had to fall on her sword ...
A Different Kind Of Vibe:Â In the days and weeks ahead, as the Hipkins ministry takes shape, the only question that matters is whether New Zealandâs new prime minister possesses both the wisdom and the courage to correct his partyâs currently suicidal political course. If Chris âChippyâ Hipkins is ...
An editorial in the NZ Herald last week, titled “Nimbyism goes bananas as housing intensifies“, introduced Herald readers to a couple of acronyms that go along with the now-familiar NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard): âbananasâ (build absolutely nothing anywhere near anyone) âcaveâ dwellers (citizens against virtually everything). The editorial ...
Back in the dark autumn of 2020, when the prospect of Covid was freaking the country out, Finance Minister Grant Robertson set himself and Treasury a series of questions about what a post-Covid economy might look like. Those were fearful days, and the questions in part reflected a series ...
Buzz from the Beehive Yet another day has passed without Ministers of the Crown posting something to show they are still working for us on the Beehive website. Nothing new has been posted since January 17. Â Perhaps the ministers are all engaged in the bemusing annual excursion ...
Incoming Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has already indicated he intends making the tax system âfairerâ. That points to the route a government facing an election could take to tilt the odds towards winning  in its favour, given Labourâs support in the last months of the Ardern era had been ...
NewsHub has a poll on the cost-of-living crisis, which has an interesting finding: the vast majority of kiwis prefer wage rises to tax cuts: When asked whether income has kept up with the cost of living, 54.8 percent of people surveyed said no and according to 58.6 percent of ...
Labour has begun 2023 with the centre-left bloc behind in the polls and losing ground. That being so, did his colleagues choose Chris Hipkins as the replacement for Jacinda Ardern because they think he has a realistic shot at leading them to victory this year, or because heâs the best ...
Two Flags, Two Masters? Just as it required a full-scale military effort to destroy the first attempt at MÄori self-government in the 1850s and 60s (an effort that divided Maoridom itself into supporters and opponents of the Crown) any second attempt to establish tino rangatiratanga, based on the confiscatory policies ...
The first of Kiwirail’s big network shutdowns to fix the foundations on our tracks is now well underway with the Southern Line closed between Otahuhu and Newmarket. This is following on from the network wide Christmas/New Year shutdown, during which Kiwirail say that nearly 1,300 people working across 69 different ...
This is a re-post from the Citizens' Climate Lobby blogIn last year’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Congress included about $20 billion earmarked for natural climate solutions. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for deciding how those funds should be allocated to meet the climate ...
Youâve really got to wonder at the introspection, or lack thereof, from much of the mainstream media post Jacinda Ardern stepping down. Some so-called journalists havenât even taken a breath before once again putting the boot in, which clearly shows their inherent bias and lack of any misgivings about fueling ...
Over the weekend I was interviewed by a media outlet about the threats that Jacinda Ardern and her family have received while she has been PM and what can be expected now that she has resigned. I noted that the level of threat she has been exposed to is unprecedented ...
Dr Bryce Edwards writes: The days of the Labour Government being associated with middle class social liberalism look to be numbered. Soon-to-be Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni are heralding a major shift in emphasis away from the constituencies and ideologies of liberal Grey ...
A Different Kind Of Vibe: In the days and weeks ahead, as the Hipkins ministry takes shape, the only question that matters is whether New Zealandâs new prime minister possesses both the wisdom and the courage to correct his partyâs currently suicidal political course. If Chris âChippyâ Hipkins is able to steer ...
The days of the Labour Government being associated with middle class social liberalism look to be numbered. Soon-to-be Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni are heralding a major shift in emphasis away from the constituencies and ideologies of liberal Grey Lynn and Wellington Central towards the ...
Following the surprise resignation of Jacinda Ardern last week, her replacement, Chis Hipkins, has said: Over the coming week, Cabinet will be making decisions on reining in some programs and projects that aren’t essential right now That messaging is similar to what Jacinda Ardern said late last year and as ...
Much of what will mark the early days of Chris Hipkinsâ Prime Ministership would have happened anyway. By December, the Prime Minister and Finance Minister were making it clear the summer break and early days of this year were going to be spent on a reset of government policy. ...
Going to try to get into the blogging thing again (ha!) what with an election coming up and all that. So today I thought I'd start small and simple, by merely tackling the world's (second) richest man.I'm no fan of Elon Musk. You don't want to know why, but I'll ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 15, 2023 thru Sat, Jan 21, 2023. Story of the Week State of the climate: How the world warmed in 2022With a new year underway, most of the climate data for ...
Well, that was a disappointment. As of today, the New Zealand Labour Caucus opted for Chris Hipkins as our new Prime Minister, and I cannot help but let loose a cynical cackle. ...
Get ready for a major political reset once Chris Hipkins is sworn in as Prime Minister this week. Labour’s new leader is likely to push the Government to the right economically, and do his best to jettison the damaging perceptions that Labour has become âtoo wokeâ on social issues. Overall, ...
Things have gone sideways… and it’s only the third week of January? It was political earthquake time. For some the Prime Minister made a truly significant announcement. For others – did you have this on your bingo card? – a body double did so (sit tight, you’ll understand later, ...
 The tools exist to help families with surging costs â and as costs continue to rise it is more urgent than ever that we use them, the Green Party says. ...
The Government is providing a further $1 million to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced today. âCabinet today agreed that, given the severity of the event, a further $1 million contribution be made. Cabinet wishes to be proactive ...
The new Cabinet will be focused on core bread and butter issues like the cost of living, education, health, housing and keeping communities and businesses safe, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. âWe need a greater focus on whatâs in front of New Zealanders right now. The new Cabinet line ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will travel to Canberra next week for an in person meeting with Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. âThe trans-Tasman relationship is New Zealandâs closest and most important, and it was crucial to me that my first overseas trip as Prime Minister was to Australia,â Chris Hipkins ...
The Government is providing establishment funding of $100,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. âWe moved quickly to make available this funding to support Aucklanders while the full extent of the damage is being assessed,â Kieran McAnulty ...
As the Mayor of Auckland has announced a state of emergency, the Government, through NEMA, is able to step up support for those affected by flooding in Auckland. âIâd urge people to follow the advice of authorities and check Auckland Emergency Management for the latest information. As always, the Government ...
Ka papÄ te whatitiri, Hikohiko ana te uira, wÄhi rua mai ana rÄ runga mai o Huruiki maunga Kua hinga te mÄreikura o te Nota, a Titewhai Harawira NÄ reira, e te kahurangi, takoto, e moe Ka mĆwai koa a Whakapara, kua uhia te Tai Tokerau e te kapua pĆuri ...
Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Social Development and Employment, has activated Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG) in response to flooding and damaged caused by Cyclone Hale in the TairÄwhiti region. Up to $500,000 will be made available to employ job seekers to support the clean-up. We are still investigating whether other parts ...
The 2023 General Election will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. âAnnouncing the election date early in the year provides New Zealanders with certainty and has become the practice of this Government and the previous one, and I believe is best practice,â Jacinda ...
Jacinda Ardern has announced she will step down as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. Her resignation will take effect on the appointment of a new Prime Minister. A caucus vote to elect a new Party Leader will occur in 3 daysâ time on Sunday the 22nd of ...
The Government is maintaining its strong trade focus in 2023 with Trade and Agriculture Minister Damien OâConnor visiting Europe this week to discuss the role of agricultural trade in climate change and food security, WTO reform and New Zealand agricultural innovation. Damien OâConnor will travel tomorrow to Switzerland to attend the ...
The Government has extended its medium-scale classification of Cyclone Hale to the Wairarapa after assessing storm damage to the eastern coastline of the region. âWeâre making up to $80,000 available to the East Coast Rural Support Trust to help farmers and growers recover from the significant damage in the region,â ...
The Government is making an initial contribution of $150,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in TairÄwhiti following ex-Tropical Cyclone Hale, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. âWhile Cyclone Hale has caused widespread heavy rain, flooding and high winds across many parts of the North Island, TairÄwhiti ...
Rural Communities Minister Damien OâConnor has classified this weekâs Cyclone Hale that caused significant flood damage across the TairÄwhiti/Gisborne District as a medium-scale adverse event, unlocking Government support for farmers and growers. âWeâre making up to $100,000 available to help coordinate efforts as farmers and growers recover from the heavy ...
COMMENTARY:By Gavin Ellis It is unlikely that the Mayor of Auckland, Wayne Brown, took any lessons from the cityâs devastating floods but the rest of us â and journalists in particular â could learn a thing or two. Brownâs demeanour will not be improved by a petition calling for ...
RNZ Pacific The headquarters of the Malvatumauri of National Council of Chiefs of Vanuatu has burned down. The fire broke out about 1am Monday local time. Police are investigating the cause of the fire in Port Vila. The Malvatumauri nakamal is a custom parliament for all Vanuatuâs chiefs. âThis nakamal ...
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown is under fire for calling New Zealand journalists âdrongosâ, blaming them for having to cancel a round of tennis with friends on Sunday as the city dealt with the aftermath of record rainfall and flooding that left four dead. It comes after widespread criticism of ...
Things are acutely uncomfortable for Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown right now, but can he recover to save his mayoralty? Less than a month after Wayne Brown was sworn in as Mayor of Auckland, a leading figure in central government was asked privately how the city might handle this unconventional figure ...
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation TĆpĆ«tanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) welcomes Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health role. NZNO Chief Executive Paul Goulter said the organisation and its members are looking forward to working ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced Jan Tinetti, Ayesha Verrall, Willie Jackson and Kiri Allan are being shifted up the Labour rankings, with Nanaia Mahuta and Andrew Little dropping down. Watch here. ...
Jamie Wall reviews Invincible by WJ Moloney, which covers Andrew (Son) Whiteâs life and experiences of World War I, rugby and survival.âHe saw it, and all the other memorials, was conceived and created for what was lost, by those who survived. Stark and imposing, thoughtfully designed and inscribed with ...
Prime minister Chris Hipkins will travel to Canberra next week to meet with Australian PM Anthony Albanese. âThe trans-Tasman relationship is New Zealandâs closest and most important, and it was crucial to me that my first overseas trip as Prime Minister was to Australia,â Chris Hipkins said. The meeting marks ...
A state of emergency has been declared in Northland as the region braces for more rain. Metservice is forecasting up to 140mm of rain across Northland, with some areas in the north and east getting 220mm, peaking at 40mm per hour. The state of emergency is effective as of 1pm ...
Never thought youâd order Uber Eats from the Coffee Club? You might have and not even known it, writes Sam Brooks.I spend a lot of my time scrolling through the Uber Eats app. Only half of the time is it because Iâm looking for something to eat. The other ...
Consumers have been warned to prepare for fruit and vegetable shortages as floodwaters in the upper North Island impact food safety. The weekendâs flooding will exacerbate supply issues caused by rainy conditions this summer in much of the country, leading to higher prices nationwide. Anne-Marie Arts of industry group United ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Director, Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre; Professor of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University In 2016, the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence released its findings following an exhaustive 13-month inquiry. In it were 227 recommendations to ...
In recognition of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Problem Gambling Foundation will launch a new wÄnanga series of online videos on Waitangi Day, featuring conversations with MÄori influencers about the systemic injustices experienced by MÄori including ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eliza Middleton, Biodiversity Management Officer, University of Sydney Overall winner of the 2018 competition, a Growling Grass Frog (_Litoria raniformis_) by EnviroDNA @enviro_DNA@enviro_DNA, CC BY-NC Almost 2,000 native species are officiallylisted as âthreatenedâ in Australia â but how many have ...
Youthtown is launching [email protected] with two online after school programs aimed at giving kids a safe and supervised environment. Minecraft Monday and Imagination Lab - STEAM Kits are hosted in secure online groups that enable children to get a ...
The more hard surfaces we build, the more stormwater we need to drain. Hereâs how we can future-proof our urban design as climate change bites. Weâve built our cities to be vulnerable to â and exacerbate â major weather events such as the one we saw in Auckland on Friday. ...
The soaring cost of living is fuelling an education crisis for New Zealand children living in poverty. To coincide with the start of the new school year, KidsCan is launching its 2023 Back to School campaign with the aim to bring on board 450 new ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nina Sivertsen, Senior Lecturer (Nursing), Flinders University Getty Images Itâs good practice for employers to consult staff when forming policies or guidelines. However, for some staff from diverse backgrounds, this creates extra work and pressure. âCultural loadâ in the ...
The New Zealand Taxpayersâ Union has launched a petition calling for schools to have the authority to make their own decisions about emergency closures based on local circumstances rather than be beholden to bureaucrats in Wellington. Taxpayersâ ...
Duncan Greive founded The Spinoff in 2014. Today he has decided to hand the torch to his colleague and friend Amber Easby. He explains why.I swear I thought of it first. Or at least, in parallel. I remember walking up the stairs to work on January 9, and for ...
Todayâs launch of Waipuna aa rangi, the formal body set to represent hapĆ« and iwi across Te Tai Tokerau and TÄmaki Makaurau in the Three Waters reforms, has been postponed by the ongoing extreme weather event. âThe latest red warning for parts ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics AO, University of Newcastle Pexels/Anna Shvets Ever feel a bit stressed or need a concentration boost? Research suggests one remedy may be right under your nose. Chewing has benefits for brain function, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danny C Price, Senior research fellow, Curtin University Midjourney, Author provided Some 540 million years ago, diverse life forms suddenly began to emerge from the muddy ocean floors of planet Earth. This period is known as the Cambrian Explosion, and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Camilla Nelson, EG Whitlam Research Fellow at the Whitlam Institute, and Associate Professor, University of Notre Dame Australia April Fonti/AAP There is much to be excited about in Attorney-General Mark Dreyfusâs draft Family Law Amendment Bill 2023, the first in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Naylor, Senior Lecturer, Massey University Getty Images The clean-up from Aucklandâs devastating floods last week is just beginning but insurance companies will need to start thinking about what the record-breaking weather event will mean for future coverage. Over ...
A coalition of anti-poverty and welfare advocacy groups has called for urgent government action to support people affected by flooding in Auckland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, and Waikato. The Fairer Future group - which called for increases in income support ...
<img src="https://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/2301/634c21cb071ff0232051.jpeg" width="720" height="221"> âRaising the legal age for buying cigarettes to 20 is a good move, but effectively banning e-cigarettes is disappointing ...
Hospital waiting lists grow Chris Hipkins is expected to announce his cabinet reshuffle today. Thereâs been some speculation that Andrew Little may lose the health portfolio to Ayesha Verrall. As Stuffâs Bridie Witton reported, Little said he was happy to stick it out as the health minister. ...
In the December 2022 quarter, 0.4 percent of home transfers were to people who didnât hold New Zealand citizenship or a resident visa, Stats NZ said today. This compares with 0.4 percent in the December 2021 quarter, and 0.5 percent in the September 2022 ...
New Zealand is well behind the rest of the world when it comes to transferring money between banks. Shane Marsh and James McEniery discovered this when they were living in Singapore and started Aotearoaâs first real time payment mobile wallet. They aim to bring banking in New Zealand into the ...
MetService satellite imaging shows a deepening low moving towards New Zealand. Itâs expected to bring more heavy rain to areas already impacted by the record-breaking rainfall on Friday that caused severe flooding in Auckland. Red and orange heavy rain warnings have been issued. Red warnings are issued when rain is ...
Our uniforms are overpriced and so packed with plastics theyâll outlive our great-great-grandchildren, write the student journalists of Balmoral Intermediate. Last year, Balmoral Intermediateâs student-run newspaper KawepĆ«rongo released a multi-part investigation into their polyester-packed school uniforms. The first instalment, titled âWhat Really Goes Into Our Uniform?â was initially sparked by ...
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that a Police dog handlerâs decision to command his dog to restrain two young people while arresting them for attempting to steal a car was a justified, necessary and proportionate response in ...
While the upper North Island braces for more heavy rain, Auckland mayor Wayne Brown remains adamant heâs not resigning as a new text message about âmedia drongosâ sent by Brown comes to light, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The ...
The Environmental Defence Society says that the National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry (NES-PF) are failing to protect the coastal marine environment from the significant adverse effects of sedimentation associated with plantation ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danny C Price, Senior research fellow, Curtin University Midjourney, Author provided Some 540 million years ago, diverse life forms suddenly began to emerge from the muddy ocean floors of planet Earth. This period is known as the Cambrian Explosion, and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Davies, Research Associate, Charles Darwin University The worldâs largest wild population of water buffalo now roam Australia. As does the largest wild herd of camels. We have millions of feral goats and deer. For these introduced species, Australia is a paradise. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Juliana Segura-Salazar, Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Planetary Resources We know the world must move to cleaner energy sources to head off the worst effects of climate change, but the technology required for the transition is very mineral-intensive. So ...
Two new polls put Labour under Chris Hipkins suddenly ahead of Chris Luxonâs National. Toby Manhire assesses some strikingly similar numbers. Come on now. The news in New Zealand is meant to yawn gently out of bed in January. A sprinkling of set-pieces, scene setting and sloganeering, thatâs all. But ...
Filmed in rural New Zealand during the Covid-19 pandemic, Pearl was one of the biggest critical darlings of 2022. But, as Stewart Sowman-Lund reports, there are still no plans to release it here. It cost New Zealand taxpayers more than$1.5m. It was filmed entirely on our shores. It raked in ...
Multiple world champion archer Danielle Brown experienced the ultimate highs and lows of sport. Now with the help of two great Kiwi athletes, she's written an award-winning book, Angela Walker reports. Danielle Brown knows what inclusion looks like. It has enabled the archery champion to stand on the sport's highest ...
Dr Eric Crampton argues national and local regulation, including a clause in the Grocery Industry Competition Bill going through Parliament, make it more difficult for other players to enter the supermarket. ...
Increasingly frequent encounters between humans and sea lions in the Catlins and Clutha coast has conservationists calling for vehicle bans on beaches The worldâs rarest species of sea lion is clawing its way back into prominence on Southland beaches - but road traffic on the seashore could send them back into ...
For political nerds and tragics the 2020 election was about as boring as it could get with no race to be seen and an inevitable landslide victory for Labour. Monday nightâs polls show 2023 will be a return to MMP - a race down to the wire and the result ...
Carmel Sepuloni's appointment as Deputy Prime Minister has been rightly celebrated, but how will she fare as Chris Hipkins' right-hand woman? She's well-liked in the Labour caucus and seen as a safe pair of hands - but has Carmel Sepuloni got what it takes to be the Deputy Prime Minister? ...
The epic deluge and subsequent flooding across Auckland broke just about every record in the book. Newsroom has pulled the data together to show just how unprecedented this storm was. ...
Guy Somerset is Team Sussex Iâm Team Sussex. I came to Harryâs memoir predisposed towards both him and Meghan. I believe them. They seem genuine. A bit flaky perhaps. A bit, yes, woke. But not the criminals theyâve been made out to be. Not the Machiavellian manipulators theyâre portrayed as. ...
'When you have the support of many to help carry you and role models who completely smash glass ceilings, how can you not dare to dream?' Auckland Universityâs first female Pacific Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific shares what the appointment of Carmel Sepuloni as Deputy Prime Minister means to her.Comment: Nafanua, well-known in ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Former deputy prime minister John Anderson is one of the six- member committee launched on Monday to spearhead the ânoâ case in the Voice referendum. The Voice No Case Committeeâs âRecognise a Better Wayâ campaign ...
Pacific Media Watch Radio Australiaâs Pacific Beat reports today on how Fiji has fared under the draconian Media Industry Development Act that has restricted media freedom over the past decade. There are hopes that state-endorsed media censorship will stop in Fiji following last monthâs change in government to the Peopleâs ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers has rejected as âlaughableâ criticism he has turned his back on the Hawke-Keating reform era in his blueprint for âvalues-based capitalismâ. In this podcast Chalmers also reveals he spoke with Paul ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jo Caust, Associate Professor and Principal Fellow (Hon), School of Culture and Communication, The University of Melbourne Itâs finally been launched. A new cultural policy for Australia. After years (actually decades) of neglect, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today launched a new national ...
Labourâs new leader Chris Hipkins has brought along a significant poll bump, with Labour now ahead in both the 1News Kantar Public and Newshub Reid Research polls. Both major television networks have released the first polls of Hipkinsâ premiership tonight. But while both polls now have Labour ahead, both also predict ...
Itâs a big evening for political tragics, with both the major television networks set to reveal a first glance at the popularity of new prime minister Chris Hipkins. TVNZ and Newshub have announced they will both be airing the poll results at 6pm tonight. Itâll show whether or not there ...
Two political polls tonight have Labour regaining lost ground against National, with leader Chris Hipkins more popular than the opposition's Christopher Luxon. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Obbard, Senior Lecturer in Nuclear Engineering, UNSW Sydney On January 12 a truck pulled out of Rio Tintoâs Gudai-Darri iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia and drove 1,400km south to Perth, arriving on January 16. Nine ...
Schools in Auckland wonât be opening as planned after the events of the weekend, the education ministry has confirmed. They will remain closed until after the Waitangi long weekend. âWith the possibility of further weather damage leading to more disruption, the secretary for education has directed that schools, kura, early ...
Aucklanders are being warned to prepare for more heavy rain as the city continues to feel the fallout from Fridayâs devastating floods. Mayor Wayne Brown has given a media conference this afternoon where he suggested schools should remain closed tomorrow, and also said Aucklanders could take their storm waste to ...
Schools in Auckland wonât be opening as planned after the events of the weekend, the education ministry has confirmed. They will remain closed until after the Waitangi long weekend. âWith the possibility of further weather damage leading to more disruption, the secretary for education has directed that schools, kura, early ...
Aucklanders are being warned to prepare for more heavy rain as the city continues to feel the fallout from Fridayâs devastating floods. Mayor Wayne Brown has given a media conference this afternoon where he suggested schools should remain closed tomorrow, and also said Aucklanders could take their storm waste to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John McAloon, Senior Lecturer, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney Shutterstock Everyone with young children experiences parenting challenges. And these are often exacerbated by parental exhaustion, financial or relationship difficulties, and work stress. Iâm a clinical child ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Oliver Eklund, PhD Candidate in Media and Communication, Queensland University of Technology Unsplash Streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ will soon face regulations to invest in Australian content, as Australian regulations catch up to other world players. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rick Sarre, Emeritus Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia Indigenous community members outside the Victorian coroners court ahead of the release of a report into the death of Veronica Nelson.Tamati Smith/Getty ImagesAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ...
Asia Pacific Report Greenpeace claimed today claimed New Zealandâs extreme rain and flooding crisis in the North Island at the weekend as a âclimate disasterâ. âAs our friends, family and neighbours across Auckland and the North Island have been battered by unprecedented rain and flooding, itâs a visceral reminder that ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fijian Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) chief executive officer Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyumâs employment status has been terminated, new board chair Ajay Bhal Amrit confirmed today. Amrit said in a statement that chief financial officer Vimlesh Sagar would act in the position until the board could âconfidently appointâ a ...
RNZ News A fourth person has been found dead as a result of New Zealandâs catastrophic floods on Friday, which have now spread to other parts of the country. Police said in a statement that Search and Rescue, who had been looking for a person swept away by floodwaters in ...
There are still tickets left for tomorrow nights final show of “Once We Built A Tower” by Dean Parker, on at Bat’s Theatre. A play about the birth of the welfare state, modelled on the worker’s health scheme at the Waitaki dam
http://bats.co.nz/shows/once-we-built-a-tower/
Onya, Bacchanals!
This weekend – Western Quilters annual show at Kelston Community Centre.
raise your glass to the stay at home voter
his empty eyes gaze at strange beauty shows
a parade of gray suited grafters
lung cancer or polio
‘salt of the earth’
jagger/richards
Where is the storm I was promised? I stored up the water, charged the batteries, made sure I had my emergency kit ready – all prepared and so far nothing but a bit of breeze and some drizzle.
However, the NZ Herald reports there’s been big gusts and power outages in parts of Auckland, while other areas are calm – so far, all’s calm on the western front. Hope it stays that way.
Hope the people without power get it back soon, and the cyclone ends with a whimper.
We’ve been without power most of the day up here in the north – Tutukaka, Hukerunui, Whananaki,
Whakapara. Very boring – stormy, windy, wet and NO power. Fortunately my preparations included gathering in all the green tomatoes left on the vines, and the figs – so with a gas hob this has been jam and relish making day – and with nothing to take my eye off the hob (TV, The Standard, etc) I”ve managed to make a few jars of each WITHOUT burning anything ! First time ever. Power finally back on, just in time before TV News …..
Looks like you were well prepared, JK.
Hope others up your way are coping OK.
Sounds like a fizzer! At least you were prepared đ
Well, I think it is the north shore and east coast of NZ that have been hit. West Auckland is just a bit dismal, but unremarkable.
I imagine when I do get caught in an emergency, I’ll be less prepared. Sods law.
Yes,saw the news earlier and saw how Northland was hit, guess there will be a clean up tomorrow…………..( Good on JK for being able to use the day in an advantageous way in a culinary sense).
Just hoping that Canterbury won’t be hit in the same way, as they are still recovering from last week’s floods. They need the “fizzer” aspect most of all.
NZ got off lightly compared to Vanuatu. R.I P to their losses.
Moment of weirdness has just struck in the northern burbs of Wellington. Whilst sitting in the garden a car pulled up and the passenger took a photo of the front of our house. From the angle they were at they would have got the letterbox, garage door and entrance including the steps to the front door and part of the verandah. Then they drove off……………
What was that all about?
Sometimes I want to take a photo of the houses I have lived in.
Or maybe it’s the SIS…?
Lol! Only ever been one other owner of the house, (which is just 3 years old) who I have met, who was a completely different ethnicity to the person taking the photo………Curious.
Maybe they saw me earlier, down the road, removing the latest “HEY PETER!” placard I had up on a fence at the local park, they followed me and are sending photo’s to Peter Dunne of where I live…………just kidding……..
I gather the passenger didn’t get out of the car to take the photos. Is there anything unusual or different about the front of your house Rosie? Could you be seen in the garden?
I had a similar experience (plus others) in the 1990s but in my case, the passenger was writing down the reg no. of my car. I was on a DPB benefit looking after my elderly mother. Pretty certain I was a victim of a malicious dobbing in during the “Dob a beneficiary a day” scandal and I know the identity of the person who would have been responsible. After a polite but very strong letter to the local WINZ boss the surveillance stopped. The boss never responded to my letter of complaint, but the sudden disappearance of the car days after the letter was sent left me in no doubt it was WINZ.
Anne, your experience sounds highly suspicious and it really does sound like you were a victim of WINZ. How awful. Some things don’t change perhaps – beneficiaries continue to be treated with suspicion.
And no, there is nothing out of the ordinary about the house, and the photographer didn’t see me looking at them through the slats of the fence near to where I was sitting.
Furtive goings on in suburbia. Hopefully and most likely it was just a randomly odd thing. Either way, I’m glad my phone number isn’t in the book. It got left out by accident this year.
Do you have an “odd” out-of-the-way letterbox ? At one time, the community newspaper I worked for took pics and ran a story about all the quirky letterboxes around the place.
Completely bog standard letterbox JK. It’s painted red though. Maybe they think a commie lives inside………..
Doubt it was random Rosie but don’t be too concerned. There’s some seriously stupid people out there and you just never know. That Red Letterbox…. very suspicious. đ