Weekend social 17/05/2013
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2:00 pm, May 17th, 2013 - 6 comments
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Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever.
No politics, no aggro, why can’t we all just get along?
6 comments on “Weekend social 17/05/2013 ”
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- New school site for booming West AucklandThe Government will build on a new school site in West Auckland to cope with rapid population growth in the area, Education Minister Chris Hipkins says. The Ministry is working with existing local schools to determine how the 1.5-hectare site at 279 Hobsonville Point Road will be used to support ...5 days ago
- Trans-Tasman travel window to close at midnight tomorrowA further 500 MIQ rooms released for managed returnees from NSW Further Government actions announced today are balanced to provide more certainty for Kiwis wanting to return from Australia, while continuing to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, acting Minister for COVID-19 Response Ayesha Verrall says. The actions were foreshadowed last ...6 days ago
- Govt investing millions in Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti schoolsNapier Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools are among those set to benefit from a $16.5 million investment in the Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti region, Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash announced today. The Government has set aside money in Budget 2021 to accelerate five projects in Napier, Hastings, Havelock North ...6 days ago
- Game changing Jobs for Nature investment for NorthlandConservation Minister Kiri Allan has announced Jobs for Nature funding for a portfolio of projects that will create ‘game changing’ gains for nature and communities across Northland/Te Tai Tokerau as part of the Government’s acceleration of the economic recovery from COVID. “This portfolio of 12 projects will see over $20 ...6 days ago
- Third COVID-19 vaccine receives provisional approvalNew Zealand’s regulatory authority Medsafe has granted provisional approval of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 18 years of age and older, Acting Minister for COVID-19 Response Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. New Zealand secured 7.6 million doses (enough for 3.8 million people) of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through an ...6 days ago
- Bowel-cancer screening programme is saving livesMore than 1000 New Zealanders have had bowel cancer – New Zealand’s second-most-common cause of death from cancer - detected under the Government’s National Bowel Screening Programme, Health Minister Andrew Little said today. More than 1200 New Zealanders died from bowel cancer in 2017. The screening programme aims to save ...6 days ago
- Govt welcomes draft report on the retail grocery sectorThe Commerce Commission’s draft report into the retail grocery sector is being welcomed by Government as a major milestone. “I asked the Commerce Commission to look at whether this sector is as competitive as it could be and today it has released its draft report for consultation,” Commerce and Consumer ...6 days ago
- Christchurch’s Youth Hub ‘set to go’ thanks to further Government fundingConstruction of New Zealand’s first, purpose-built centre for youth well-being is ready to get underway thanks to an extra $2.5 million of COVID-19 response funding, Housing Minister and Associate Minister of Finance, Megan Woods announced today. “The Christchurch Youth Hub is about bringing together all the things young people need ...6 days ago
- Next step to protect Milford Sound PiopiotahiExpert group lays out plan to better protect iconic UNESCO World Heritage site Milford Sound Piopiotahi and its surrounds Funding confirmed for dedicated unit and Establishment Board to assess the recommendations and provide oversight of the process from here Milford Opportunities Project a test case for transformational change in tourism ...1 week ago
- Funding for projects to reduce waste from construction and demolitionThe Government has announced funding for projects in Auckland and the lower North Island to help reduce construction and demolition waste. “Construction is the main source of waste sent to landfill, and much of this could be reduced, reused and recovered,” Environment Minister David Parker said. “The Government is funding ...1 week ago
- Speech at the launch of the National Hepatitis C Action PlanTēnā koutou katoa. Thank you Anglesea Pharmacy and Te Manawa Taki for hosting this event. As a doctor, I saw first hand the impact of hepatitis C. I met Moana in 2019; she came to the infectious diseases outpatient clinic at Wellington Hospital having tested positive for hepatitis C. Like ...1 week ago
- Plan to eliminate hepatitis C as a major health threat by 2030A plan to eliminate hepatitis C in New Zealand, reducing liver cancer and the need for liver transplants, has been released today by Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall. “Around 45,000 New Zealanders have hepatitis C, but only around half know they have it,” said Ayesha Verrall. “Symptoms often ...1 week ago
- School upgrades and new classrooms for West Coast, Tasman and CanterburyA funding injection from Budget 2021 to complete four shovel ready projects and new classrooms at six schools and kura will provide a real boost to local communities, Minister Dr Megan Woods announced today. “This Government has committed to providing quality fit for purpose learning environments and 100,000 new student ...1 week ago
- Warmer Kiwi Homes smashes annual targetThe 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 ...1 week 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 ...1 week 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 ...1 week 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 ...1 week 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 ...1 week 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 ...1 week 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 ...1 week 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 ...1 week ago
- Covid-19 vaccine update: Two million doses administered in New Zealand
Two million doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been given in NZ, with the Covid-19 Response Minister saying the pandemic is not coming to an end and it is important to keep the virus out of this country. ...53 mins ago - More People Employed – Now Wages Need To Rise
"The news that the number of people who are unemployed has decreased to pre-covid level of 4% is welcomed by the Council of Trade Unions", said CTU Economist and Director of Policy Craig Renney. "The labour market now looks as if it has ...1 hour ago - ‘A culture of acceptance of misconduct’: The MediaWorks review, explained
Maria Dew QC’s independent report on conduct and culture at the radio and outdoor advertising company was published today. Here’s what you need to know.What’s the tldr on the report?Six allegations of sexual assault were heard. Experiences of bullying, sexual harassment, and discrimation and bias on racial and gender grounds ...1 hour ago - ‘Dancing ghosts’: a new, deeper scan of the sky throws up surprises for astronomers
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ray Norris, Professor, School of Science, Western Sydney University Jayanne English/EMU/Dark Energy Survey Scanning through data fresh off the telescope, we saw two ghosts dancing deep in the cosmos. We had never seen anything like it before, and we had ...2 hours ago - Why we should share our vaccinesThis month, 7.4 million AstraZeneca doses will arrive in NZ. We should give them away, says Jo Spratt of Oxfam Aotearoa.Three weeks ago our prime minister chaired an extraordinary Apec session focused on the coronavirus pandemic, declaring at its conclusion that “our discussions moved us beyond vaccine nationalism”. This government ...2 hours ago
- Robertson relishes the patsy questions – when the Opposition quiz him, he is not quite so ebullien...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson can’t resist seeing the sunny side of the economy. When Parliament resumed this week, he was first up at question time to tell New Zealanders that – thanks to a strong export performance – the economic recovery is going well. But Robertson didn’t sound quite so ...2 hours ago - Aucklanders will fund the expansion of the screen industry as ratepayers (via their city council) an...Aucklanders will be chuffed to learn the film studios they own as ratepayers are to be given a share of the millions of dollars the government is eager to pour into the film industry. Mind you, they mightn’t be so chuffed to learn they will be financing the expansion of ...2 hours ago
- Watch live: Chris Hipkins, Megan Main give Covid-19 and vaccine updateCovid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and joint head of Managed Isolation and Quarantine Megan Main are giving a coronavirus and vaccine update. ...2 hours ago
- CTU Urges Government To Focus On Resolving Industrial Dispute With NursesThe Council of Trade Unions is calling on the Government and Minister of Health, Hon Andrew Little, to focus on finding a solution to the current dispute with our nation’s nurses and their union, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation. "We ...2 hours ago
- Update: Petition To Ban Greyhound Racing Handover Event Has MovedThe handover event for the petition to ban greyhound racing has moved to outside the Parliamentary Library building. The event is scheduled to begin at 1pm today. SAFE and the Greyhound Protection League are delivering their 37,000 strong petition ...2 hours ago
- Lucy Blakiston’s repressed first phone memoriesThe Shit You Should Care About co-founder tells us about being the subject of high school gossip, being followed by Ariana Grande, her first phone and more in this week’s episode of FIRST.When the Shit You Should Care About Instagram went from 200,000 to a million followers in a month, ...3 hours ago
- Effects Of COVID-19 On Trade: At 28 July 2021 (provisional)Effects of COVID-19 on trade is a weekly update on New Zealand’s daily goods trade with the world. Comparing the values with previous years shows the potential impacts of COVID-19. The data is provisional and should be regarded as an early, indicative ...3 hours ago
- Auckland’s pint-sized pancake palace farewells the CBDLast week, Auckland’s much-loved hole-in-the-wall Korean pancake store closed its doors for the last time. But even after 20 years in the business, its owners aren’t ready to call it quits just yet. If there was ever a doubt about No. 1 Pancake’s popularity, the hour-long queue on its final day ...3 hours ago
- Sharp Falls In Unemployment And UnderutilisationThe seasonally adjusted unemployment and underutilisation rates fell to 4.0 and 10.5 percent, respectively, in the June 2021 quarter, Stats NZ said today. The unemployment rate continued to fall from its recent peak of 5.3 percent in the September 2020 ...4 hours ago
- More Than 10,000 New Zealanders Submit Against Proposed “Hate Speech” ChangesThe Kiwi public has responded loud and clear to the Government’s questions raised in the consultation document on proposed hate speech changes: they don’t want the Government policing their speech, says Jonathan Ayling, Campaign Manager for the ...5 hours ago
- Pacific Island Workers Welcome, But What About Those Already Here?EMA Chief Executive Brett O’Riley is calling for the Government to declare an overstayer amnesty alongside allowing more RSE workers from the Pacific Islands to come here quarantine-free from next month. "We know a large proportion of those ...5 hours ago
- Feds Heartened By QEII Funding BoostFederated Farmers is relieved to see the government put more money towards the Queen Elizabeth II Trust, to help landowner endeavours to protect and enhance areas of special native biodiversity on privately owned land. Conservation Minister Kiri Allan ...5 hours ago
- Giant bird-eating centipedes exist — and they’re surprisingly important for their ecosystemSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Halpin, Ecologist, Monash University Giant bird-eating centipedes may sound like something out of a science-fiction film — but they’re not. On tiny Phillip Island, part of the South Pacific’s Norfolk Island group, the Phillip Island centipede (Cormocephalus coynei) population can kill ...5 hours ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Radical reform coming to a supermarket near youAnalysis by Bryce Edwards. Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. The supermarket sector is finally about to receive some serious government intervention. Following a scathing report from the Commerce Commission, it’s now almost inevitable that the Labour Government is going to have to introduce some major changes to this vital but ...5 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – August 4 2021Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Click here to subscribe to Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup and New Zealand Politics Daily. Today’s content Housing Bernard Hickey: Here’s all the levers the Govt is not pulling to fix ...5 hours ago
- National Party leader Judith Collins 'very happy' to call the country AotearoaJudith Collins says she is "very happy" calling the country Aotearoa and personally, is relaxed about the name. ...6 hours ago
- Church Leaders Encouraged To Tackle Rising Porn Use In Their CongregationsUK Charity, the Naked Truth Project, are tackling the damaging social and relational impact of pornography addiction within communities through releasing tickets at the weekend to an online international conference; P-Word, designed to equip churches ...6 hours ago
- 'Way too many hoops': First Home Grant payouts fall shortThe number of first home grants paid out this year is on track to be the lowest since the scheme began in 2014. ...6 hours ago
- Why Olympic skateboarding is a crime (sort of)The activity to which Max Olijnyk has devoted much of his life has been given the ultimate mainstream seal of approval, and it cuts both ways.Last Monday, I sat in Wellington Regional Hospital with our new baby on my lap and watched the first ever women’s street skateboarding event at ...6 hours ago
- Covid-19: Wellington health officials say vaccination schedule on trackWellington's district health board says the region will finish Covid-19 vaccinations by the end of the year, and an earlier projection it would take until February 2022 is out of date. ...6 hours ago
- I’m training to become Australia’s first woman astronaut. Here’s what it takesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Ellis Hayes, Senior Lecturer in Space Research & Law / In training as Suborbital Spaceflight PoSSUM Astronaut Candidate Graduate, Swinburne University of Technology Me (top, third from right) with others from the International Space University, in front of the Shuttle Atlantis ...7 hours ago
- Pacific nations grapple with COVID’s terrible toll and the desperate need for vaccinesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patricia A. O’Brien, Visiting Fellow, School of History, Australian National University, and Adjunct Professor, Asian Studies Program, Georgetown University Fiji now heads the grim list of Pacific nations counting their dead from coronavirus, having just passed Papua New Guinea’s toll. So far, ...7 hours ago
- COVID vaccines offer the pharma industry a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reset its reputation....Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ray Moynihan, Assistant Professor, Bond University Elsa Olofsson/Unsplash Just weeks before the first COVID-19 cases emerged, Gallup published its latest poll on America’s views about business. At the bottom of the list of 25 sectors was the pharmaceutical industry. Below ...7 hours ago
- Vineyard tourism is a big source of carbon emissions. Want to help? Then buy more wineSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ya-Yen Sun, Senior Lecturer, The University of Queensland Shutterstock In a non-COVID year, Australia’s vineyards host more than eight million wine tourists. While these visitors benefit wine producers and regional communities, they also generate a substantial amount of greenhouse gases. ...7 hours ago
- The Hiroshima Panels are a remarkable artistic exploration of traumaSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Barbara Hartley, Honorary Senior Lecturer, The University of Queensland XIV Crows (からす) by Maruki Iri and Maruki Toshi, 1972 Courtesy the Maruki Gallery On August 6, 1945, the US military obliterated Hiroshima with the world’s first deployed nuclear bomb. Several days later, ...7 hours ago
- Live updates, August 4: Wellington expected to miss end of year deadline for vaccinationsWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 4, bringing you the latest news updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz8.00am: Wellington expected to miss end of year deadline for vaccinationsThe government’s goal to offer every New Zealander a Covid-19 vaccine before the end of the year may ...7 hours ago
- The controversial Facebook page that made Bruce Smith king of the CoastWestland mayor Bruce Smith has become an unusually prominent political influencer through a Facebook page he runs. But is it all above board? Alex Braae gives him a call. If you wanted to know what was going on in Whanganui around the 1860s, a great place to start would be reading ...7 hours ago
- Seasonal worker exemption ‘insult to injury’ for overstayers
Migrant advocates are calling for an amnesty for overstayers in the wake of a Dawn Raid apology which lacked clear promises A step in the right direction, but missing a crucial ingredient - that’s how advocates for migrants’ rights describe the Government's apology for the Dawn Raids. The missing ingredient is ...8 hours ago - The Bulletin: What the new lending restrictions meanGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: What the new lending restrictions mean, major leaky buildings class action ends abruptly, and farmers cop warnings from labour inspectorate over breaches.An MOU has been signed between the Reserve Bank and finance minister, giving the RBNZ new powers to restrict ...8 hours ago
- Let’s choose our words more carefully when discussing mātauranga Māori and scienceSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emily Parke, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Auckland www.shutterstock.com Responding to the recent controversy over mātauranga Māori and the letter he co-authored titled “In defence of science”, Emeritus Professor Michael Corballis said: “We don’t know any Māori who knows ...8 hours ago
- Tuatara are ancient, slow and endangered. But their super speedy sperm could boost conservation effo...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Lamar, PhD Researcher, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Shutterstock/Rudmer Zwerver New Zealand’s endemic tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) are the sole survivors of an ancient reptile order called Rhynchocephalia. Once widespread across New Zealand, tuatara survive in only ...8 hours ago
- Covid-19: Wellington region will be vaccinating until February 2022 – officialsWellington health officials have told the government they won't meet its preferred deadline and will still be vaccinating people against Covid-19 until late February next year. ...8 hours ago
- In a corner of Canterbury, poor protection starts to bite
Two reports released in the last week suggest environmental chickens are coming home to roost. David Williams reports Eight years ago, at a Wellington conference called Valuing Nature, Victoria University of Wellington professor Jonathan Boston pointed out some glaring contradictions – and issued a warning. The John Key-led government of ...9 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Wednesday 4 August
...10 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 4 August
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...10 hours ago - O for goodness sake. New Zealand owes David Tua a grovelling apologyFor nearly 30 years the boxer and Olympic medalist David Tua has been ridiculed for something he says he never said. Why has the nation never listened? George Driver writes.“O for awesome.”It is one of the most renowned quotes in Kiwi history. One letter and two words that changed a ...10 hours ago
- The Side Eye’s Two New Zealands: Locked outRich and poor, young and old, renters and landlords: sometimes it feels like there are parallel versions of our country. In 2021, Toby Morris’s Side Eye is exploring this theme in the series Two New Zealands. Whether it’s the wealth gap, generation gap, the rural-urban contrast, the different ways Māori ...10 hours ago
- Time for cohousing to go mainstream
Cohousing has long been associated with 'alternative lifestyles'. But, as Mark Jennings writes, the model could increase the supply of affordable, high-quality homes in a housing market in crisis. ...10 hours ago - Coastal landfills are no match for rising seas
This story originally appeared in The Nation and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story As sea levels rise, the landfills along the US coasts have become a ticking environmental time bomb. So why does the federal ...10 hours ago - Making Auckland's waterfront wondrous
Hundreds of millions has been poured into developing Auckland's waterfront, and there's more mega-funding to come. Is it being spent in the right place? Plans for Auckland's first new central city park in 100 years will shortly go to the council for approval. Those plans involve spending $300 million on ...10 hours ago - Jess Berentson-Shaw: There's something rotten in the state of supermarkets
Kiwis are being gaslit about our health on a grand scale by people in the food industry and those in politics who help them by flying the ‘personal responsibility’ flag, writes Jess Berentson-Shaw. ...10 hours ago - What's eating Kris Faafoi?
Once a shining star of Cabinet, Kris Faafoi has gone to ground as pressure mounts in his immigration and justice portfolios. ...10 hours ago - Companies survive Covid – but close in the so-called recovery
New data shows increasing numbers of companies defaulting on their debts as interest rates and supply pressures rise ...10 hours ago - Falcons, a love story
Pictures of awesome cars in an illustrated book on Ford Falcons Falcons were assembled in New Zealand from CKD packs, while the more specialised models, such as the GTs, were imported as complete cars. They were available in multiple body styles. They were affordable to purchase, and to repair and ...10 hours ago - Open season again for Indonesian military trolls and ‘fake news’ campaign on West PapuaSPECIAL REPORT: By David Robie It is open season again for Indonesian trolls targeting Asia Pacific Report and other media with fake news and disinformation dispatches in a crude attempt to gloss over human rights violations. Just three months ago I wrote about this issue in my “Dear editor” article ...15 hours ago
- Accelerated jabs for younger people after Doherty modelling shows it’s vital to vaccinate them qui...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government is set to tweak its vaccination timetable to accelerate jabs for those aged 30 to 39, after Doherty Institute modelling showing it is vital to get younger adults quickly vaccinated, because they are ...16 hours ago
- Can Lisa Carrington become our Olympic GOAT?
Can we mere mortals, watching on in awe, fathom how gigantic and taxing Lisa Carrington’s triumph was on the Sea Forest Waterway on Tuesday? The phenomenal Kiwi paddler won four Olympic canoe sprint races within four hours. And they weren't just any races: two Olympic semifinals and two finals, and in ...18 hours ago - Podcast with Michelle Grattan: a four-stage plan and a $300 payment to get vaccinatedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversations’s politics team. In this ...19 hours ago
- NZ sends 100,000 vaccine doses to Fiji as covid deaths top 250RNZ Pacific New Zealand is sending 100,000 vaccine doses and additional financial support to Fiji for nursing staff as the country’s covid-19 death toll passed 250. Fiji reported 1100 new cases and 13 more deaths today, bringing the total death toll to 254. Of the deaths, 252 of them have ...19 hours ago
- Keith Rankin Essay – Territorial Fundamentalism in our Post-Globalisation EraAnalysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin. We have this pretty fiction that the world is made up of approximately 200 politically autonomous nation-states. This in the entrenched ‘Wilsonian’ view of the political world that, in particular, was sort-of realised after World War One; a view that rendered the national empires ...19 hours ago
- ACT, National warn of conversion therapy bill 'risk'ACT leader David Seymour says it is highly unlikely his party would continue to support the government's bill banning conversion therapy, while National is refusing to support it without changes. ...19 hours ago
- Why Jack Dorsey’s Square paid a record $39 billion for AfterpaySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lien Duong, Senior Lecturer in School Accounting of Accounting, Economics and Finance, Curtin University The A$39 billion (US$29 billion) that Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s digital payments company Square is paying to acquire Australian upstart payments outfit Afterpay is the biggest takeover deal ...20 hours ago
- Vitamins and minerals aren’t risk-free. Here are 6 ways they can cause harmSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geraldine Moses, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland Shutterstock One reason dietary supplements are so popular is the perception they’re harmless. But like all drugs, there are many potential dangers from taking vitamins and minerals. The ...20 hours ago
- Dunedin Council looks at new plan to increase housing capacityDunedin is expected to need more than 11,000 new homes to cater for its growth by 2050 but the local council predicts it will fall significantly short if changes aren't made. ...20 hours ago
- Helen Clark didn't influence Fiji medevac decision, Foreign Affairs minister saysThe Foreign Affairs minister says she spoke to former Prime Minister Helen Clark about the evacuation of a United Nations official infected with Covid-19 from Fiji to New Zealand. ...21 hours ago
- National's call for Aotearoa referendum 'absurd' and 'ridiculous'All other parties in Parliament have now rubbished National's suggestion that a referendum should be held on whether New Zealand should be called Aotearoa. ...21 hours ago
- The attacks on seven eminent professors over a Listener letter in which they championed science have...
******** A letter in defence of science, published in The Listener last month, was signed by seven professors from the University of Auckland – Kendall Clements, Garth Cooper, Emeritus Professor Michael Corballis, Douglas Elliffe, Elizabeth Rata, Emeritus Professor Robert Nola, and Emeritus Professor John Werry. Prominent scientists were among the ...22 hours ago - Complicated, costly and downright frustrating: Aussies keen to cut emissions with clean energy at ho...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugo Temby, Doctoral Researcher, Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program, Australian National University Even after A$4,000 in repairs, Heather’s $18,000 rooftop solar and battery system is still not working. Heather worked as a nurse until a workplace accident caused her to ...23 hours ago
- Paying Australians $300 to get fully vaccinated would be value for moneySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Dimitris Barletis/Shutterstock I reckon Albo’s on the right track. The opposition leader wants to pay A$300 to every Australian who is fully vaccinated by December 1. The Grattan ...23 hours ago
- Collins defends 'bottle' comments about Police Minister Poto WilliamsPolice Minister Poto Williams' daughter has expressed fears for her mother's safety after National Party leader Judith Collins' remark. Collins says she meant Williams should be put in a bottle like a genie. ...23 hours ago
- Jacinda Ardern tests negative for Covid-19 after getting cold from daughterPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern has tested negative for Covid-19. ...23 hours ago
- Psychiatrists Welcome Government’s Dawn Raids ApologyThe Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) welcomes the New Zealand Government’s apology for the Dawn Raids. The Dawn Raids carried out in the 1970s were a racist targeting of our Pasifika communities – ...23 hours ago
- Sports Minister fields dozens of letters about Laurel Hubbard's Olympics selectionThe Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson was deluged with emails about Laurel Hubbard's Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games selection over the past few months. ...24 hours ago
- Reserve Bank gets green light to tighten lending rules for housing (hopefully without impeding first...The Reserve Bank has been given the government’s go-ahead to tighten mortgage lending rules to try to take some heat out of the housing market. An updated Memorandum of Understanding between the Minister of Finance and the Reserve Bank will enable it to implement its proposal to reduce the amount ...1 day ago
- National MP floats ban on public sector using 'Aotearoa'
National MP Stuart Smith has found himself advocating a crackdown on public sector use of te reo in a war on a phantom name change, Marc Daalder writes Analysis: New Zealand's sleek black passports could undergo a revamp to remove the prominent placement of the word 'Aotearoa' - if National Party MP ...1 day ago - Here are all the levers the government isn’t pulling to fix our housing catastropheIn response to claims successive governments have enabled a massive human rights failure, the prime minister says hers is doing all it can to fix the housing crisis. Bernard Hickey disagrees. This column was first published on Bernard Hickey’s newsletter, The Kākā.PM Jacinda Ardern defended her government against the Human Rights Commission’s ...1 day ago
- Grant Robertson: Taxpayer Hero? Union Urges U-turn On SkyPathResponding to reports that the Finance Minister is considering scrapping the planned $785 million cycle bridge, New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says: “Grant Robertson has clearly paid close attention to the Curia poll commissioned ...1 day ago
- Young Australians are supposedly ‘turning their backs’ on democracy, but are they any different ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Intifar Chowdhury, PhD Candidate/Data Archivist, Australian National University Joel Carrett/AAP The 2019 federal election saw the lowest voter turnout since compulsory voting was introduced in 1924. Only 91% of Australians voted, amid reports young people “turned their back on democracy”. ...1 day ago
- The pain and poetry of online beauty reviewsAlix Higby was just looking for a new cleanser. What she found was something much more powerful. It is a truth universally acknowledged that no one skincare or makeup routine fits all. Particularly if you have sensitive skin and the kind of allergies that, in Jane Austen’s world, would see you ...1 day ago
- Fiji police warn public against violence and ‘fake profiles’ after two firesAsia Pacific Report newsdesk Fiji police have warned that any attempts to destabilise and cause instability will be investigated and dealt with, reports The Fiji Times. The warning came from Acting Commissioner Police Rusiate Tudravu yesterday in the wake of two major fires in Ba and Raiwai at the weekend. ...1 day ago
The music is irritating but the visuals are out of this world, once they load up!!!
“According to the contest criteria the submitted images are taken since the beginning of 2012 and are all created in the “TWAN style”—showing both the Earth and the sky—by combining elements of the night sky set in the backdrop of the Earth horizon, often with a notable scenery or landmark.”
http://www.twanight.org/newTWAN/news.asp?newsID=6081
Breathtaking. Eye watering. And I suppose it will all be there long after people have evolved to destruction. Timeless. Thanks marty.
Thanks Marty Mars. Exquisite. And I liked the music too. 🙂
We, humans beings are really quite insignificant in the scheme of things.
The Office Finale.
Best finale since MASH.
They knocked it out of the ball park.
All weekend spent at the Labour Party conference in Hamilton. Great conference ,Star of the day Bomber Bradbery .Good speches from David Shearer and David Parker. A good turn out and the feeling was one of optimism.
The only drawback ,We missed the Concert Programmes Sunday Opera.