Just discovering how useful white vinegar is for removing soap scum in the shower. Spray it on. Give it a rub. Wait. Rinse it off.
Once it is clean a friend recommends spraying with silicon spray. Stays clean for a long time.
That’s a great tip, ianmac. Will try it. And here’s another one – baking soda cleans stainless steel (sinks, stove tops etc) brilliantly. Its inexpensive in a largish pack. Just sprinkle around, damp a cloth and rub, then rinse.
While I’m at it a few months ago I painted Roundup undiluted (glyphosate) on the stumps of agapanthus after slicing off the green leaves with my crosscut saw. So far there is no sign of regrowth. The roots appear to be rotting in the ground. Considering that agapanthus are hard to get rid of, maybe this is one of the answers.
(Someone in the Sounds were visited at their bach by either wild pigs or deer and every agapanthus green leaf was eaten down to the top of their roots. Friend or foe?)
Rumour has it that without agapanthus Auckland roads would be overcome with slipped banks and snails would become an endangered species: what a fabulous plant!!
Thats true Ennui. Agapanthus can be helpful. However once planted on our section they spread- everywhere! And they are very difficult to clear when in clusters. I think DOC put out a warning against them when planted in certain spots. Convolvulous have pretty flowers but would you want them in your section?
On the topic of tips and tricks heres a big thanks to those with who gave ideas last weekend on sourcing pallets, for the purpose of making a raised herb garden and raised vege garden. We’ve now got some excellent untreated pallets to start the project and will go back this weekend to get more. We’ve got the permission of the depot to return and get more, which is great.
My tasks this weekend including lawn mowing, weedeating, pallet breaking and hair dye application.
Enjoy your Monday morning response to adjustments to your sleep/wake cycle as the downside of daylight savings kicks in.
Rosie, they put pallets together with nail guns and they can be a hard ask to pull apart and still have usable wood after the wrestle,
i have a huge garden made up from pallets, 12 raised beds in total, to make a usable piece of wood i used a chisel and hammer to lever the pieces of wood slightly up from off of the back of the pallet and then once i could get my wrecking bar in behind took the pieces of wood off in one piece that way,
Then carefully measure the pallet 1/2 way, or close because you need avoid the nails, and run the skil-saw through it, if there are big gaps in the wood on your two halves of pallet you can split off fillers from the wood you take off of the back,
Mine are all lined with plastic compost bags, the black plastic rubbish bags when cut open are just as good for lining
Bad12. Thank you for your advice. I have discussed your skill saw suggestion with Mr Rosie who said “ah that’s exactly what I was planning on”. With the last lot of scrounged pallets (the supply had run dry, hence the search for a steady supply) that we used to put in a mowing edge for a hedge, we used a pry bar to lever the wood off. I then banged out all the nails.
We just have to either borrow or hire a skill saw.
Yeah it’s time consuming pulling them apart so as to end up with usable ‘wood’ when the pulling is all done,
i have a skil-saw you can borrow if you are in Wellington, a wrecking bar as well, not sure how we could arrange contact tho,
Pallets are great, specially the freebies, 4 halves together make a perfect size garden, there’s a secret to putting them together which is a little hard to explain,
It involves putting a back on both sets of two halves, so you have 3 sides on each, then cutting and wrapping in plastic a piece of wood that fits on the 4×2 on the bottom of the inside of the open end of both your halves which holds that end open to the same distance as the back you have nailed on, which should leave you with 2, 3 sided boxes which sit flush together,
Both of your 3 sides should then sit together and another piece of wood is then nailed flat across the top of all 4 ends,(from looking down on them, hey presto fill with soil and it all sits there letting you walk around the whole thing to garden it…
Hi bad, thats a very generous offer of the loan of your skil saw and I’d like to take you up on it, if I can’t locate on from a friend down the road who I suspect might have one. I guess we can arrange email contact via LPrent releasing email addresses to one another, if that was acceptable. đ Yes, I’m in Wgtn, in the northern suburbs of Ohariu-stan, so no prob to come and collect. Yes, we have a wrecking bar. Thats generally how we garden if we need to plant a tree or shrub into the rock.
Turns out we are both sick with some fluey symptoms this morning, so plans have been stalled. What you have described above sounds like the sort of path we are taking. Hadn’t thought to finish it off with planks across the top though. Nice idea đ
Lol, Rosie, yeah that sounds a good idea, i think you might have got what i said about joining the halves of the pallets together a little wrong tho, it’s a hard one to explain…
Lol, true. I haz a misunderstand, and a brain full o’ virus. When it comes to DIY I probably need a video at the best of times. I think we will get there! A friend down the road does indeed have a skil saw, which we can borrow. Thank you kindly for your offer of a loan đ
Oh shit, shit, shitty shit! I hate DS starting so early. We’ve got that dammed hair-piece to thank for that. Who the hell does he think he is forcing it on to us – cos he wanted it. Add the poncy bow-ties and he’s got to be this country’s No.I prick!
Well Anne I have decided I like DS. Already I am waking up an hour early even when wearing a sleeping mask which is a new habit. It’s time as far as I’m concerned – I’ve crumbled and accepted it also that new old-fangled thing of giving way when I’m turning right. Is there no end to these insidious efforts to undermine civilisation as we know it?
đ
I like DS but not until the middle of Oct. at the earliest. Seems too drastic at this time because there’s still a bit of winter left.
I agree re -turning right. What happens you both idle for a few seconds waiting to be sure each other knows what they’re supposed to do then the one turning left moves. Still confuses me and just about everyone else it seems.
Hi Anne. Yes, you- know -who is responsible for many annoying things including the extension of daylight savings. He does have the outdoor lobby to keep happy. It’s been suggested thats how he got UF back on its feet, through the bribery of outdoorsy groups, so he could be their saviour by blocking changes to the RMA with his one vote. Sorry mods, straying off the No Politics theme of Weekend Social.
I was wondering the other day what it would be like with no daylight savings and I think I’d maybe like it, except light outdoor evenings can be nice. Maybe I’d miss them. Turns out 6% of people surveyed don’t like it one bit.
Reckon there would be about 90 percent of people bringing up children under about 8 who don’t like it. However, it seems that surveying people bringing up dairy cows were more important in that survey đ
Planning on sleeping hardcore this weekend thanks to the rain and getting through Jupiter War by Neal Asher and On The Steel Breeze by Alastair Reynolds. Just have to resist napping today since had to wake up @5am for the part time job I’m doing at present.
from what i briefly read, interesting, yet, may be a target market. Almost would’a dozed off me bad self ‘cept for some futuristic product labelled ‘cactus black’. (had been thinking of you). Kind regards.
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 6.1.1
children read about them. Some adults read about them Unicorns and fairies at the bottom of the garden are frequently focii of disdain. There are some great papers being delivered on the significance of archetypal Fairy Tale influences on emerging culture; yet you already knew that. Jesus, on the other hand, read anything, anybody after Nietzsche… and there we find ourselves; it may have been different, yet it returned. (I have faith in you). đ
My seeds have turned to babies by the 1000, after an initial panic i now have my 200 babies with 20 reserves under lights awaiting mid October when they will take over occupancy of every windowsill in the house,
The garden has eaten compost all year and has been dug over and re-dug over again, come the first day of November the planting begins in earnest,
This year, again, the 5 grand tobacco addiction is a freeby,
after ten years or so of inaction, I’m doing it the natural way – emptying two packets of seeds in a gardenish area and waiting. Seemed to work last time, although there’s always the period where I nurture a little seedling, which turns out to be a thistle just as the main crop comes up đ
Tis legal, you can grow enough tobacco plants to gain a harvest of 15 kilos of processed leaves, i have taken that to mean cut and dried leaves as the law doesn’t expand upon what ‘processed’ is,
It is tho strictly illegal to trade, sell,or even give away tobacco products in any form although it appears ‘legal to sell the seeds, growing your own does wonders for the budget, and lolz, i give myself the odd chastising for not having got into growing the stuff 30 years ago…
Lolz way to a uncertain method for me Mc, i used 6 different varieties of seed this year to have 1000’s of little un’s which have now been carefully separated and whittled down to 200 plus 20 for spares,
i have the luxury of ‘cloning lights’ from a past venture which work a treat on this and other more normal garden inhabitants…
http://www.cancernz.org.nz/Uploads/IS_TC_smkcost.pdf
“The cost of smoking-related health care to the
New Zealand taxpayer is about $250 million.”
“government loses income and
other tax revenue from the lower productivity of
sick smokers, and because dead smokers donât
work and donât pay taxes.”
No worries mate, you suck it on down. I pay a bit of tax, I got you covered. đ
Ha ha ha, yeah yeah, tobacco say the anti-tobacco fanatics kills half of those who use the product,
How does this occur you may ask???, the anti-tobacco fanatics will point out to you that besides lung cancer which knocks off about 10% of those who use tobacco, heart disease and various other cancers will get the rest to make up the 50%,
Ha ha ha, guess what kills 49.something % of those who have never been near a cigarette???,
The answer to that little gem is of course Heart Disease and various other Cancers,
None of your taxes pay for the treatment of tobacco related illness or death, tobacco taxes have been estimated to be collecting up to a billion dollars a year over and above the cost to the country of tobacco usage…
I get to write a referee report on one of the most boring articles I’ve ever read, and read a draft of an MSc thesis. I might be able to feed some ducks and plan a trip home. Life is great.
While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealandâs general election, Britainâs PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. Heâs announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative governmentâs approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I donât like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan â for 3000 more public homes by 2025 â is the most recent to be posted on the governmentâs official website. Another â a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. Itâs therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
Voters are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris Hipkinsâ valiant rearguard action. So where are they heading? Clearly not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that the outcome will be âcloseâ. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a few weeks ago  was ...
Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out.Graham Adams writes –Â Â With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice â including in water management, education, planning law and local government â remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. Thatâs why yesterdayâs Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR:National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
Today's big political news is that after months of wibbling, National's Chris Luxon has finally confirmed that he is willing to work with Winston Peters to become Prime Minister. Which is expected, but I guess it tells us something about which way the polls are going. Which raises the question: ...
Buzz from the Beehive Under something described as a ârebalanceâ of its immigration rules, the Government has adopted four of five recommendations made in an independent review released in July, The fifth, which called on the government to specify criteria for out-of-hours compliance visits similar to those used during ...
Some of you might know Gerard Otto (G), and his G News platform. This morning he wrote a letter to Christopher Luxon which I particularly enjoyed, and with his agreement I’m sharing it with you in this guest newsletter.If you’d like to make a contribution to support Gerard’s work you ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes –Â While there will not be another quarterly release of benefit numbers prior to the election, limited weekly reporting continues and is showing an alarming trend. Because there is a seasonal component to benefit number fluctuations it is crucial to compare like with like. In ...
A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase.  Brian Easton writes – Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was ...
It’s been a while since we looked at the latest with the City Rail Link and there’s been some fantastic milestones recently. To start with, and most recently, CRL have released an awesome video showing a full fly-through of one of the tunnels. Come fly with us! You asked for ...
We are heading into another period of fast population growth without matching increased home building or infrastructure investment.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR:Labour and National detailed their house building and migration approaches over the weekend, with both pledging fast population growth policies without enough house building or infrastructure investment ...
Labour leader Chris Hipkins yesterday took the gloves off and laid into National and its leader Christopher Luxon. For many in Labour â and particularly for some at the top of the caucus and the party — it would not have been a moment too soon. POLITIK is aware ...
The leaders have had their go, they’ve told us the “what?” and the “why?” of their promises. Now it’s the turn of the would be Finance Ministers to tell us the “how?”, the “how much?”, and the “when?”A chance for those competing for the second most powerful job in the ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Over the past 30-odd years itâs become almost an orthodoxy to blame or invoke neoliberalism for the failures of New Zealand society. On the left the usual response goes something like, neoliberalism is the cause of everything thatâs gone wrong and the answer ...
A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 17, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 23, 2023. Story of the Week Opinion: Let’s free ourselves from the story of economic growth A relentless focus on economic growth has ushered in ...
Have you been looking out of your window for signs of the apocalypse? Don’t worry, you haven’t been door knocked by a representative of the Brian Tamaki party. They’re probably a bit busy this morning spruiking salvation, or getting ready to march on our parliament, which is closed. No, I’ve ...
Climate Town is the YouTube channel of Rollie Williams and a ragtag team of climate communicators, creatives and comedians. They examine climate change in a way that doesn’t make you want to eat a cyanide pill. Get informed about the climate crisis before the weather does it for you. The latest ...
A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase.Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was similar to the May Budget BEFU, ...
Back in June, we learned that Kiri Allan was a Parliamentary bully. And now there's another one: Labour MP Shanan Halbert: The Labour Party was alerted to concerns about [Halbert's] alleged behaviour a year ago but because staffers wanted to remain anonymous, no formal process was undertaken [...] The ...
Its that time in the election season where the status quo parties are busy accusing each other of having fiscal holes in a desperate effort to appear more "responsible" (but not, you understand, by promising to tax wealth or land to give the government the revenue it needs to do ...
JERRY COYNE writes –Â If you want to see what the government of New Zealand is up to with respect to science education, you canât do better than listening to this video/slideshow by two exponents of the âwe-need-two-knowledge-systemsâ view. Iâve gotten a lot of scary stuff from Kiwi ...
Buzz from the Beehive First, we were treated to the news (from Finance Minister Grant Robertson) that the economy has turned a corner and New Zealand never was in recession. This was triggered by statistics which showed the economy expanded 0.9 per cent in the June quarter, twice as much as ...
It has taken 17 months to get a comment published pointing out the obvious errors in the Scafetta (2022) paper in GRL. Back in March 2022, Nicola Scafetta published a short paper in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) purporting to show through ‘advanced’ means that ‘all models with ECS > ...
TL;DR: In the middle of a climate emergency and in a city prone to earthquakes, Victoria University of Wellington announced yesterday it would stop teaching geophysics, geographic information science and physical geography to save $22 million a year and repay debt. Climate change damage in Aotearoa this year is already ...
 For nearly thirty years the pundits have been telling the minor parties that they must be good little puppies and let the big dogs decide. The parties with a plurality of the votes cast must be allowed to govern â even if that means ignoring the ...
Another poll, another 27 for Labour. It was July the last time one of the reputable TV company polls had Labour's poll percentage starting with a three, so the limbo question is now being asked: how low can you go?It seems such an unlikely question because this doesn't feel like the kind ...
After the trench warfare of Tuesday night, when the two major parties went head to head, last night was the turn of the minor parties. Hosts Newshub termed it “thePowerbrokers' Debate”.Based on the latest polls the four parties taking part - ACT, the Greens, New Zealand First, and Te ...
Hi,You can’t make this stuff up.People involved with Sound of Freedom, the QAnon-infused movie about anti-child trafficker Tim Ballard, are dropping like flies. I won’t ruin your day by describing it here, but Vice reports that footage has emerged of executive producer Paul Hutchinson being inappropriate with a 16-year-old trafficking ...
The trading banks yesterday concluded that though GDP figures released yesterday show the economy is not in recession, it may well soon be. Nevertheless, the fact that GDP has gone up 0.8 per cent in the latest quarter and that StatsNZ revised the previous quarter’s figure to show a ...
.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work..A recent political opinion poll (20 September) on TV1 presented what could only be called bleak news for the Left Bloc:National: 37%, down two points equating to 46 seatsLabour: 27%, down one point (34 ...
Open access notables At our roots Skeptical Science is about cognition of the results of climate science research in the minds of the entire human population. Ideally we'd be perfectly communicating understanding of Earth's climate, and perfectly understood. We can only approximate that, but hopefully converging closer to perfection. With ...
Coming Over The Top: Rory Stewart's memoir, Politics On The Edge, lays bare the dangerous inadequacies of the Western World's current political model.VERY FEW NEW ZEALANDERS will have heard of Rory Stewart. Those with a keen eye for the absurdities of politics may recognise the name as that of the ...
A bit of a narrative has been building that these two guys, your Chris and your Chris, are not so very different.It's true to a point. The bread and butter timidity has been dispiriting to watch, if you have a progressive disposition. It does leave the two of them relatively ...
Richard Prebble writes –Â There was a knockout winner of the Leadersâ debate. Check for yourself. Recall how they looked. If you cannot remember or missed it, the debate is on TVNZâs website. Turn off the sound and ask: âWhich one looks like a Prime Minister?â ...
Just like National when it was in government, Labour bought nominal GDP growth and momentum by pulling as hard as it could on the population lever. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR:Stats NZ has reported better-than-expected GDP growth in the June quarter, thanks largely to record-high net migration of ...
We already know that the National Party are de facto climate change deniers who want to reverse virtually all climate change policy. So how do they think they'll cut emissions? According to their climate change spokesperson, polluting corporations will do it out of the goodness of their hearts: The ...
Dairy farmers, or at least those who are also shareholders in the Fonterra dairy co-operative would have received a second dose of good news this week, when the dairy giant reported a massive profit  jump. This followed news of a better sale  at the Fonterra GDT auction this week. Net ...
A longtime New Zealand broadcaster and commentator is taking a theatrical turn in advance of the General Election to draw different kinds of attention to the issues New Zealanders will be voting on in October.In a pre-election event that invites audiences to consider New Zealand politics through a theatrical lens ...
Our busy ministers â desperately busy trying to whip up votersâ support as their poll support sags, among other things â have added just one item of news to the governmentâs official website over the past 24 hours or so. Itâs the news that the Government has accepted the Environment ...
On Monday, we learned that Queenstown, one of the country's largest tourist destinations, suddenly had to boil its water to avoid cryptosporidium. Now, it looks like it will last for months. Why? The usual reason: they'd been keeping rates low: Queenstown could face months of having to boil water ...
This weekâs ONE News-Verian poll had the National/ACT coalition teetering on the edge of being able to govern alone while – just as precariously â having its legislative agenda vulnerable to a potential veto by Winston Peters in the House. So close, but so perilous. During the run-up to election ...
National Leader Christopher Luxon likes to bag the way the Resource Management Act worked. Though it has been repealed and replaced by the Labour government, Luxon plans, before Christmas, to repeal the new legislation and, for the foreseeable future, revert to the old Act that he has consistently criticised. ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. Over a year later, its climate provisions remain a hot topic. The law’s proponents argue that it’s created a boom in domestic manufacturing jobs within the United States while paving ...
New Zealand’s dairy  farmers will  be relieved that prices rose for the second time this month at the latest Fonterra GDT auction. The encouraging  feature of the sale was the activity of Chinese buyers who drove up prices. As a result, the GDT price index rose 4.6%, helped by a 4.6% lift ...
Here is a review of last night’s Democracy McNuggets debate, delivered in the style of last night's Democracy McNuggets debate.McNugget #1This format was very advantageous for the man who speaks in lazy SLAM DUNK.To hark back a few editions: The lazy SLAM DUNK doesn’t bother to make its case. It simply offers ...
Unfortunately I will need to take a bit of time off from this blog. After months of misdiagnoses and a change in GPs, my precious son is in Starship Hospital about to have major surgery. He already has had one … Continue reading → ...
Buzz from the BeehiveSource:Â ANZ The latest balance of payments statistics â providing a broad measure of what the country earns and spends internationally – gave grist to Finance Minister Grant Robertsonâs publicity mill today. The current account deficit narrowed to 7.5 per cent of ...
Can This Be Possible? For nearly thirty years the pundits have been telling the minor parties that they must be good little puppies and let the big dogs decide. The parties with a plurality of the votes cast must be allowed to govern â even if that means ignoring the ...
Since we began worrying about climate change, the market fundamentalists have pushed the idea of "offsets" rather than actual emissions reductions. There's just one atmosphere after all, so in theory it doesn't matter where the reductions are made, so you can just pay someone on the other side of the ...
Ministers are pretending the former PM has simply vanished.Graham Adams writes â Late last week, Tova OâBrien asked Grant Robertson on her Stuff podcast if Jacinda Ardern should be ârolled outâ to âgalvanise the baseâ to help save Labourâs faltering campaign. Robertson laughed. âIâm sure for ...
Owners of property deemed at risk from climate change related floods and rising sea levels will increasingly find their access to affordable insurance shut off. Some may become ‘prisoners’ in their uninsurable and therefore unbankable homes. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR:IAG, which insures more than 60% of homes ...
So it’s kind of obligatory to start with the boxing analogy…In the red corner, you’ll know him from his red hair and his red heart, the champion of achievable socialism, weighing in when given the opportunity - it’s Chris.And fighting out of the blue corner, you’ll know him from his ...
Last night’s TVOne debate may well reinforce the idea that the minor parties will determine this election. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and National leader Christopher Luxon ended their one-and-a-half hours with Luxon probably slightly ahead, though a stalemate might be a more realistic assessment. But there was nothing of ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Aliens landed in the seaside village this morning. Just like every other cruise tourist who gets carted over here by Fullers and dumped at the bus stop, they had that bewildered look that said, How do you have fun here?I took them by their goey rubbery arms and said, Come ...
The 2023 general election campaign must be the most hollow in living memory. There really isnât much that is positive or attractive about the electoral options on offer. This is an election without inspiration. An angry mood for change There is a definite cyncism amongst the public right now â ...
As New Zealand confronts a near-record current account deficit few, if any, of the country’s politicians  are talking about it or the underlying problems. NZâs external deficit is expected to continue narrowing, but at a slower pace than forecast a few months ago. Data out this week is expected ...
Fighting Mad: That which Twenty-First Century progressives most feared, Twenty-First Century progressivism has become. No one old enough to have experienced the emancipatory power of true progressivism: in the factory or on the streets; in the university quad or in the âold schoolâ newsroom; could possibly vote for the parties ...
The Green Party will double the Best Start payment and make it available for every child under three years of age - and it will be paid for with a fair tax system. ...
Labour will fund more medicines for more New Zealanders by investing over $1 billion of new funding into Pharmac if re-elected, Chris Hipkins announced today. ...
New Zealand faces a stark choice this election â vote for Labour to continue to confront the climate emergency with eyes wide open or bury your head in the sand alongside Christopher Luxon. ...
Labour is supercharging its plan to solve the public housing shortfall created by National, promising another 6,000 homes on top of what has already been committed says Labour Housing spokesperson Dr Megan Woods. ...
Labour will back migrant working families by introducing a 10-year multiple-entry parentsâ and grandparentsâ Super Visa, and make good on the Dawn Raids apology by providing a one-off visa for overstayers who have been in the country ten years or more, Labourâs Immigration Spokesperson Andrew Little says. ...
The Green Party is today welcoming Labour coming to the table to ensure an amnesty for overstayers, but only the Greens will ensure immigration settings actually reflect the reality of people who have been failed by our immigration system. ...
The Green Party is calling on Auckland Council to do more to protect urban trees and housing developer Aedifice Property Group to restore and replant the native forest it cleared, and protect all the remaining trees on Ngahere Road in Pukekohe after a significant number of native trees were cut ...
Latest Police data shows monthly ram raids have hit a two-year low, laying waste to Christopher Luxonâs false claim that there are two ram raids a day says Labourâs Police Spokesperson Ginny Andersen. ...
Free and healthy school lunches will be here to stay if Labour is re-elected, guaranteeing food for our kids who need it most and significant cost saving for parents. ...
The next Labour Government will build a new hospital in Hawkeâs Bay, Labour leader Chris Hipkins and Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall announced. ...
The Green Party will keep up the fight to support exploited migrant workers, including pushing to end single employer visas, after the government picked up Green recommendations to improve immigration settings. ...
Green Party co leader James Shaw visited a home in Auckland today that has been upgraded with a wide range of energy improvements, similar to those that would be supported through the Green Partyâs Clean Power Payment. ...
The Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahutaâs presence in New York today at the United Nations General Assembly is a contempt of New Zealandâs âcaretaker governmentâ convention. Despite the long-standing caretaker convention, Minister Mahuta is today at the UN to sign a highly contentious âBiodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreementâ, delivering a ...
The Pre-Election Fiscal Update Changes EverythingWithin an hour of this speech there is going to be a debate between the political parties that the media, under MMP, still think are the only parties that matter in this campaign. Both of those parties are riddled with inexperience, as evidenced by ...
National and ACT's tax plans don't add up, and that means deep cuts to the public services New Zealanders rely on, says Labour Campaign Chair Megan Woods. ...
Thank you for your invitation to speak with you this afternoon about New Zealand Foreign Policy. After offering one or two general thoughts about the nature of foreign policy, the focus today will be the Pacific Reset and why its goals remain even more important today as when they were ...
Nationalâs plan to cut policies that are reducing New Zealandâs climate emissions will result in a huge gap in the countryâs emissions budgets and could see Kiwis paying significantly more at the petrol pump as a result of Christopher Luxon hiking the ETS price. ...
Labourâs plan to support rooftop solar is a step in the right direction, but falls short of what could be achieved through the Green Partyâs Clean Power Payment. ...
Labour will double the number of houses with rooftop solar in New Zealand, lowering household power bills, reducing emissions and boosting renewable electricity generation. ...
A re-elected Labour Government will continue its proud tradition of advancing womenâs health, employment, and legal rights Spokesperson for Women Jan Tinetti said. ...
Speaking at the E TĹŤ Election Launch in Auckland today, Green Party co leader Marama Davidson outlined the Green Partyâs manifesto commitment to ensure everyone has five weeks of annual leave. ...
A re-elected Labour Government will protect hard-fought workersâ rights and keep the momentum on wage growth to lift incomes for all New Zealanders, leader Chris Hipkins announced today. ...
New Zealand First is proud to announce the Party List for the upcoming 2023 General Election. We have had a great number of applicants and potential candidates moving through the selection process over the past few months. Our final selection for our list proves we have a wide range ...
Massive cuts to public service are on the cards as Nicola Willis has promised to resign if she doesnât deliver tax cuts but is refusing to make the same commitment if she doesnât raise enough income from her bungled foreign buyerâs tax. ...
Labour will help more victims of crime achieve justice faster by introducing a formal class-action regime, modernising consent laws and increasing the use of technology to speed up hearings. ...
Labour will deliver the largest ever increase to the number of doctors trained each year, adding an additional 335 doctors a year to our health workforce from 2027, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins has announced. ...
Todayâs PREFU has some alarming statistics showing an economy deteriorating and the cost of unaffordable government expenditure, mainly in the 2022 and 2023 budgets. Despite this alarming economic and fiscal picture, political parties are making unaffordable promises, talking about a surplus by 2027, or four years time, all of which ...
If re-elected Labour will make cervical screening services free to all women and people with a cervix aged 25 â 69 years, delivering better cancer care for over 1.4 million New Zealanders. ...
Labour is running a positive, forward-looking campaign that's focused on fixing the cost of living, keeping people and communities safe and investing in education, health and housing. ...
MÄori: Kua waitohua e Te WhÄnau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te WhÄnau a Apanui me te Karauna i tÄtahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i Ĺ rÄtou tÄhuhu kerÄme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mÄ rua ngÄ hapĹŤ o roto mai o Te WhÄnau ...
Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. âWeâre delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
Tangi ngunguru ana ngÄ tai ki te wahapĹŤ o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. TÄrehu ana ngÄ pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngÄ manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o TÄne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tĹŤ ana ...
40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today. Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. âAs a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielleâs wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawkeâs Bayâs Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. âThe Repco Supercars Championship is ...
The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. âThe New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,â Grant Robertson said. âItâs continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
The Government has accepted the Environment Courtâs recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealandâs largest freshwater springs, Te WaikoropupĹŤ Springs (also known as PupĹŤ Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.  âTe WaikoropupĹŤ Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
An export boost is supporting New Zealandâs economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. âThe economy is ...
The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the TairÄwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. âTe Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the WaipÄoa River ...
The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. âCyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,â Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. âBuilding on our earlier business support, this ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. âThis new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,â Andrew Little said. âThis Government ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. âAddressing historical pay ...
Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last weekâs earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. âWe are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,â Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
The Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouthâs CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. âIt will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministersâ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealandâs regional counterparts. âAotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,â ...
Economy to grow 2.6 percent on average over forecast period Treasury not forecasting a recession Inflation to return to the 1-3 percent target band next year Wages set to grow 4.8 percent a year over forecast period Unemployment to peak below the long-term average Fiscal Rules met - Net debt ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall proudly opened the Canterbury Cancer Centre in Christchurch today. The new facility is the first of its kind and was built with $6.5 million of funding from the Governmentâs Infrastructure Reference Group scheme for shovel-ready projects allocated in 2020. ...
$12 million to improve the resilience of roads in the Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman regions Hope Bypass earmarked in draft Government Policy Statement on land transport $127 million invested in the top of the southâs roads since flooding in 2021 and 2022 The Government is investing over $12 million to ...
Ko tÄnei te wiki e whakanui ana i tĹ tÄtou reo rangatira. Ko te wÄ tuku reo MÄori, e whakanuia tahitia ai te reo ahakoa kei hea ake tÄnÄ me tÄnÄ o tÄtou, ka tĹŤ Ä te RÄtĹŤ te 14 o Mahuru, Ä te 12 o ngÄ hÄora i te ahiahi. ...
The 70-year-old Wildlife Act will be replaced with modern, fit-for-purpose legislation to better protect native species and improve biodiversity, Minister of Conservation Willow-Jean Prime has announced.  âNew species legislation is urgently needed to address New Zealandâs biodiversity crisis,â Willow-Jean Prime said.  âMore than 4,000 of our native species are currently ...
Central and Local Government are today announcing a range of new measures to tackle low-level crime and anti-social behaviour in the Auckland CBD to complement Police scaling up their presence in the area. âPolice have an important role to play in preventing and responding to crime, but there is more ...
The Government has confirmed $73.7 million over the next four years and a further $40.5m in outyears to continue to transform the disability support system, Minister for Disability Issues Priyanca Radhakrishnan has announced. âThe Enabling Good Lives (EGL) approach is a framework which guides positive change for disabled people, ...
Standard and Poorâs is the latest independent credit rating agency to endorse the Governmentâs economic management in the face of a deteriorating global economy. S&P affirmed New Zealandâs long term local currency rating at AAA and foreign currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook. It follows Fitch affirming New ...
Christchurch barrister Kelvin Reid has been appointed as a Judge of the Environment Court and the District Court, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Mr Reid has extensive experience in Resource Management Act issues, including water quality throughout the South Island. He was appointed to the Technical Advisory Group advising the ...
New Zealand is on track to have greener steel as soon as 2026 with New Zealand Steelâs electric arc furnace project reaching a major milestone today.  The Government announced a conditional partnership with New Zealand Steel in May to deliver the countryâs largest emissions reduction project to date. Half of ...
Pokia ana te tihi Taiarahia e Hine-PĹŤkohu-rangi Hotu kau ana te manawa! Horahia ana te whÄrua o RuÄtoki e te kapua pouri Tikaro rawahia ko te whatumanawa! Rere whakamuri kau ana te awa o Hinemataroa Ki te kawe i te rongo ki te mÄtÄpuna i nga pĹngaihu MaungapĹhatu, tuohu ...
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ANALYSIS:By Ella Stewart, RNZ News longform journalist, Te Ao MÄori National Party leader Christopher Luxon made claims about health outcomes that were clearly false. Why was he left unchallenged? In the TVNZ leadersâ debate last night, Luxon and Labourâs Chris Hipkins had a testy exchange over MÄori healthcare. Hipkins ...
ANALYSIS:By Ella Stewart, RNZ News longform journalist, Te Ao MÄori National Party leader Christopher Luxon made claims about health outcomes that were clearly false. Why was he left unchallenged? In the TVNZ leadersâ debate last night, Luxon and Labourâs Chris Hipkins had a testy exchange over MÄori healthcare. Hipkins ...
A recent webinar hosted by the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) brought together minds from across the region to delve into the intricate issues of the digital economy and data value. The webinarâs focus was clear â shed light on who was shaping the rules of the digital landscape ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Strangio, Professor of Politics, Monash University Daniel Andrews, who has announced he will step down after nearly nine years as premier, leaves office as a titan of Victorian politics. An activist premier, a gifted political communicator and a hard man of ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Chart by Keith Rankin. Chart by Keith Rankin. The principal measure of economic success in the mainstream narrative is economic growth. The pointy heads associated with that narrative will correctly point out that its economic growth per capita that matters, and which serves as a crude ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. Itâs therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of ...
National says its new benefit sanctions policy would target the kind of person who shows up to a job interview in their pyjamas, not struggling young families. ...
A new Taxpayersâ Union â Curia poll in the Auckland Central Electorate has voters undecided between Greens incumbent ChlĂśe Swarbrick (polling at 26% of voters) and National candidate Mahesh Muralidhar (polling at 24%) - a statistical tie when accounting ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the federal governmentâs employment white paper is âambitiousâ. Iâm not convinced. A clearly ambitious statement would have specified a target for unemployment, ideally one ...
With a large undecided vote it's looking like a very close race between the pair, Labour's Oscar Sims trailing a distant 12 points behind Muralidhar. ...
ChlĂśe Swarbrick has a battle on her hands to retain Auckland Central, with a new poll by Curia for the Taxpayersâ Union putting the Green MP just a couple of percentage points ahead of National candidate Mahesh Muralidhar. Swarbrick, whose victory in the high-profile seat was one of the most ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Dan Andrews has announced he is quitting, after nine years as premier and three election wins. Andrewsâ surprise announcement came early Tuesday afternoon. He said his resignation would take effect at 5pm Wednesday. ...
RNZ News New Zealandâs Green Party says it will double the Best Start payment from $69 a week to $140 â and it will also make it available for all children under three years. Greens co-leader Marama Davidson announced the policy today, saying it is part of a âfully costed ...
The Green Party is breaking its centrepiece income guarantee policy into constituent parts and re-announcing them to build on momentum in the polls. Tim Murphy reports. Parents of every child aged up to 3 will be eligible for double-sized Best Start payments under a Greens policy aimed at lifting cost ...
Chris Hipkins is in damage control as his MPs get nervous about their own political futures in the face of bad polling. Left untreated, it could be the start of a caucus splintering, writes political editor Jo Moir The morning had started out well for Chris Hipkins. He'd announced Labour's ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christiane Gerblinger, Visiting Fellow, Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, Australian National University Shutterstock Australiaâs public service is no stranger to reform. In the past nine years, it has undergone threesignificantreviews of its policy advising ...
Six hopeful candidates from parties likely to make it into New Zealandâs next parliament debated the issues at front of mind for young voters. Charlotte Muru-Lanning reports from the studio. âFeel free to laugh and to clap,â John Campbell told the audience jovially just before the debate kicked off. There ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Fulcher, Senior Lecturer, School of Physics, University of Sydney Shutterstock Complexity is all around us, from the daily fluctuations of financial markets to the intricate web of neurons in our brains. Understanding how the different components of these ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Fulcher, Senior Lecturer, School of Physics, University of Sydney Shutterstock Complexity is all around us, from the daily fluctuations of financial markets to the intricate web of neurons in our brains. Understanding how the different components of these ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melinda Jackson, Associate Professor at Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University Shutterstock Youâre lying in bed, trying to fall asleep but the racing thoughts wonât stop. Instead, your brain is busy making detailed ...
The health system has had a hell of a time in the past few years. So what do the different parties say theyâll do about it? Policy.nz has the thorough version, and weâve got the whistle-stop tour. See more from our policy in two minutes series here.In 2022 the current ...
National says its new sanction system for people on Jobseeker support will break a cycle of dependence â but its political opponents are calling it heartless National Party leader Christopher Luxon appeared in a West Auckland strawberry field this morning to announce stricter obligations for people on Jobseeker support. Phil ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dale Mitchell, Lecturer in Law, University of the Sunshine Coast IMDB From Elle Woods in Legally Blonde to Jennifer Walters in She-Hulk, Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird to Denny Crane in Boston Legal, our popular culture is often ...
An excerpt from Henrietta Bollingerâs debut collection of essays, recently published by Tender Press. (A note that the moments where some words are represented by XXXXX are intentional.) I am still learning how to consciously talk about seeing sex workers. I want to find a way to share it and ...
Wellington ( Tuesday, 26 September 2023 ) - As we approach the 2023 election, New Zealanders must learn from the overly optimistic projections presented by Labour before the 2017 election. New Zealand cannot afford a repeat of this fiscal recklessness. ...
About a year ago I read a Stuff story on the future of the iconic Mangaweka plane and how it was âup in the airâ. I tried to find out more, but couldnât get anywhere with the story. The DC-3 sat on the side of State Highway One in the ...
The Greens say their new policy of doubling the Best Start payment and extending it for every child under three years would end child poverty in New Zealand. âParents all over the country are being forced to cut back on food to pay the bills,â said co-leader Marama Davidson. âOur ...
The Green Party says it will double the Best Start payment from $69 a week to $140; it will also make it available for all children under three years. ...
When RNZ first began it was with the intention that there would be an honest and sole broadcaster in which the people of New Zealand could have confidence in what they were hearing was neutral, factual, and professional. Sadly, that worthy reputation ...
New Zealand First today is announcing a policy on adjusting the rules and restrictions around access to the Job Seeker Benefit. New Zealand Firstâs policy is to introduce a capped time-period for any person to access the Job Seeker Benefit during their ...
Labour has just announced a policy to increase Pharmac funding by $1billion over four years to fund additional medicines. With the current Pharmac budget of $1.2billion per year and needing a further $213million, by Minister Verrallâs own admission, ...
The rationale for Christopher Luxonâs late ruling-in of New Zealand First is clear enough at a glance across the latest numbers from the seven polling companies that are surveying in the leadup to the election. In six of the seven, Winston Petersâ party is at or above the 5% threshold, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eleanor K. Sansom, Research Associate, Curtin University NASA After a journey of billions of kilometres, NASAâs OSIRIS-REx mission has culminated in a small black capsule blazing through the sky before touching down in the Utah desert. Inside is likely ...
Responding to Labourâs promise to hand control over carbon pricing under the Emissions Trading Scheme to the Climate Change Commission, Taxpayersâ Union Deputy Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: âHanding control of carbon pricing away to faceless ...
How to watch the Black Caps vs Bangladesh for free â and why YouTube is actually the best live sports streaming platform. New Zealand Cricket nerds hoping to watch the first match of the Black Capsâ pre-World Cup ODI series against Bangladesh last week were out of luck â not ...
Taxpayersâ Union welcomes Nationalâs sanction regime on the Job-Seeker Benefit Responding to Nationalâs proposed changes to the Job-Seeker benefit scheme, Taxpayersâ Union National Campaigns Manager, Callum Purves, said: âThe current job-seeker ...
By Marjorie Finkeo in Port Moresby The rise in social media platforms uploading naked pictures of women and girls has come to the attention of the Censorship Board in Papua New Guinea with Chief Censor Jim Abani warning about the dangers. In what many have termed as cyber bullying, a ...
Labour would invest over $1 billion in new funding at Pharmac if reelected, leader Chris Hipkins has promised. It will mean $181 million of funding a year from 2024/25, along with an extra $50 million for new treatments in the first year, rising to $100 million a year in 2026/2027. ...
Voting in the 2023 General Election will be underway soon, with overseas voting starting tomorrow Wednesday 27 September and voting places opening in New Zealand next Monday 2 October. Overseas voting Voters who are overseas can vote from Wednesday ...
Last weekâs 12-hour Gone By Lunchtime Megapod saw a number of fascinating chats in The Spinoff studio â and now you can listen back to all of them. Head to the Gone By Lunchtime feed wherever you get your podcasts to catch up on all the interviews, including with Labourâs ...
A pandemic made the rivalry between Netflix, Disney, Apple, Amazon and more the hottest story in business. Now two strikes have the industry at a crossroads.Itâs easy to forget, but the first âstreaming warâ actually broke out in music. In the mid-2010s, when Obama was still president, the rivalry ...
At a public meeting in Waipukurau, Labourâs Kieran McAnulty said Nationalâs unreleased economic plan wonât have any money set aside for the reforms once known as Three Waters. Stewart Sowman-Lund reports.Labourâs Kieran McAnulty has âbetâ that Nationalâs forthcoming fiscal plan wonât have any money in it for water reforms ...
National would introduce a tiered âtraffic lightâ system for beneficiaries, pledging to penalise unemployed people who persistently do not meet their benefit obligations. The partyâs social development spokesperson Louise Upston said that benefit dependency had surged under Labour, with almost 60,000 more people on the jobseeker benefit compared with when ...
Itâs Tuesday, September 26 and welcome back to The Spinoffâs election live updates. Iâm Stewart Sowman-Lund, on deck from Palmerston North, with support from our news team around the country. Get in touch with me on [email protected]Learn more about the political parties and where they stand at Policy.nz ...
Former prime minister Sir John Key has backed National leader Christopher Luxonâs decision to rule in working with New Zealand First. And heâs floated a possible governing arrangement that he thinks could work. Speaking to RNZâs Checkpoint yesterday, Key said that having New Zealand First propping up National and Act ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erica Mealy, Lecturer in Computer Science, University of the Sunshine Coast Shutterstock In 2018-19, identity crime directly and indirectly cost Australia an estimated A$3.1Â billion. To address such costs, the federal government is proposing a national digital identity scheme that will ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Carson, Professor of Political Communication, Department of Politics, Media and Philosophy, La Trobe University With early voting set to open next week for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum, this is a critical time for campaigners to win over voters. If ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Greig de Zubicaray, Professor of Neuropsychology, Queensland University of Technology mimi thian/unsplash Weâve all experienced that moment mid-sentence when we just canât find the word we want to use, even though weâre certain we know it. Why does this ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kay Critchell, Lecturer in Oceanography, Deakin University Shutterstock Our beaches are in trouble. Limited recycling programs and a society that throws away so much have resulted in more than 3 million tonnes of plastic polluting the oceans. An estimated 1.5â1.9% ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Inga Smith, Associate Professor in Physics, University of Otago Jan Lieser, CC BY-SA After two seasons of record-breaking lows, Antarcticaâs sea ice remains in dramatic decline, tracking well below any winter maximum levels observed since satellite monitoring began during the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Naomi Zouwer, Visual Artist and Lecturer in Teacher Education, University of Canberra As a visual artist and educator, I know how important it is to encourage your child to think and behave like an artist. But this is not necessarily about drawing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shea X. Fan, Senior Lecturer in International Business, School of Management, RMIT University Shutterstock Loneliness is a much discussed social issue, but it is rarely considered to be a workplace problem that needs to be managed like other health issues ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Miles Pattenden, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry, Australian Catholic University The medieval is part of the mosaic of modern Australia. Our nationâs heritage on this island continent is full of it: in aesthetics, institutions, laws, languages, identities, moralities. ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a healthcare worker $700-a-week mortgage shares where their money goes. Want to contribute? Email [email protected] to receive the form.Gender: MaleAge: 34Ethnicity: PÄkehÄRole: Healthcare/Social Services Manager My living location is: SuburbanRent/Mortgage per ...
A memoir of David Lange leading Labour to victory in the 1984 election, as told by an author and family friend Thereâs a New Zealand Herald photograph of David Lange, family and followers celebrating Labourâs win on election night, 1984. Itâs taken in the Metro Theatre, Mangere, where a ...
As Stuffâs Debbie Jamieson reports, efforts to hunt out the source of Queenstownâs cryptosporidium outbreak are moving away from the water supply toward businesses in the central town. Yesterday, the council received negative results from water supply samples taken last week and Public Health South has confirmed it is looking for alternative ...
New polling shows Winston Peters would be the kingmaker after this yearâs election, but Chris Hipkins said if thatâs the case heâs comfortable with it meaning a new National-led government. The Newshub Reid-Research poll had New Zealand First up to 5.2%, meaning they would bring six MPs back to parliament ...
Juxtaposition aplenty as candidates front for young votersâ debate and new polling proves you can never write Winston Peters off, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Young votersâ debate provides juxtaposition ...
Labour leader Chris Hipkins says he "absolutely" does not regret ruling out working with NZ First, after the latest political poll showed Winston Peters would return as Kingmaker. ...
Just discovering how useful white vinegar is for removing soap scum in the shower. Spray it on. Give it a rub. Wait. Rinse it off.
Once it is clean a friend recommends spraying with silicon spray. Stays clean for a long time.
Cool. Thanks.
That’s a great tip, ianmac. Will try it. And here’s another one – baking soda cleans stainless steel (sinks, stove tops etc) brilliantly. Its inexpensive in a largish pack. Just sprinkle around, damp a cloth and rub, then rinse.
J K I believe that white vinegar with the baking soda is even better.
While I’m at it a few months ago I painted Roundup undiluted (glyphosate) on the stumps of agapanthus after slicing off the green leaves with my crosscut saw. So far there is no sign of regrowth. The roots appear to be rotting in the ground. Considering that agapanthus are hard to get rid of, maybe this is one of the answers.
(Someone in the Sounds were visited at their bach by either wild pigs or deer and every agapanthus green leaf was eaten down to the top of their roots. Friend or foe?)
Rumour has it that without agapanthus Auckland roads would be overcome with slipped banks and snails would become an endangered species: what a fabulous plant!!
Can’t recall a lot of such plants out there actually.
Thats true Ennui. Agapanthus can be helpful. However once planted on our section they spread- everywhere! And they are very difficult to clear when in clusters. I think DOC put out a warning against them when planted in certain spots. Convolvulous have pretty flowers but would you want them in your section?
just finished mowing the lawns, and picking up some grass.
I support legalisation.
On the topic of tips and tricks heres a big thanks to those with who gave ideas last weekend on sourcing pallets, for the purpose of making a raised herb garden and raised vege garden. We’ve now got some excellent untreated pallets to start the project and will go back this weekend to get more. We’ve got the permission of the depot to return and get more, which is great.
My tasks this weekend including lawn mowing, weedeating, pallet breaking and hair dye application.
Enjoy your Monday morning response to adjustments to your sleep/wake cycle as the downside of daylight savings kicks in.
Rosie, they put pallets together with nail guns and they can be a hard ask to pull apart and still have usable wood after the wrestle,
i have a huge garden made up from pallets, 12 raised beds in total, to make a usable piece of wood i used a chisel and hammer to lever the pieces of wood slightly up from off of the back of the pallet and then once i could get my wrecking bar in behind took the pieces of wood off in one piece that way,
Then carefully measure the pallet 1/2 way, or close because you need avoid the nails, and run the skil-saw through it, if there are big gaps in the wood on your two halves of pallet you can split off fillers from the wood you take off of the back,
Mine are all lined with plastic compost bags, the black plastic rubbish bags when cut open are just as good for lining
Bad12. Thank you for your advice. I have discussed your skill saw suggestion with Mr Rosie who said “ah that’s exactly what I was planning on”. With the last lot of scrounged pallets (the supply had run dry, hence the search for a steady supply) that we used to put in a mowing edge for a hedge, we used a pry bar to lever the wood off. I then banged out all the nails.
We just have to either borrow or hire a skill saw.
You must have a fantastic garden! Well Done!
Yeah it’s time consuming pulling them apart so as to end up with usable ‘wood’ when the pulling is all done,
i have a skil-saw you can borrow if you are in Wellington, a wrecking bar as well, not sure how we could arrange contact tho,
Pallets are great, specially the freebies, 4 halves together make a perfect size garden, there’s a secret to putting them together which is a little hard to explain,
It involves putting a back on both sets of two halves, so you have 3 sides on each, then cutting and wrapping in plastic a piece of wood that fits on the 4×2 on the bottom of the inside of the open end of both your halves which holds that end open to the same distance as the back you have nailed on, which should leave you with 2, 3 sided boxes which sit flush together,
Both of your 3 sides should then sit together and another piece of wood is then nailed flat across the top of all 4 ends,(from looking down on them, hey presto fill with soil and it all sits there letting you walk around the whole thing to garden it…
Hi bad, thats a very generous offer of the loan of your skil saw and I’d like to take you up on it, if I can’t locate on from a friend down the road who I suspect might have one. I guess we can arrange email contact via LPrent releasing email addresses to one another, if that was acceptable. đ Yes, I’m in Wgtn, in the northern suburbs of Ohariu-stan, so no prob to come and collect. Yes, we have a wrecking bar. Thats generally how we garden if we need to plant a tree or shrub into the rock.
Turns out we are both sick with some fluey symptoms this morning, so plans have been stalled. What you have described above sounds like the sort of path we are taking. Hadn’t thought to finish it off with planks across the top though. Nice idea đ
Lol, Rosie, yeah that sounds a good idea, i think you might have got what i said about joining the halves of the pallets together a little wrong tho, it’s a hard one to explain…
Lol, true. I haz a misunderstand, and a brain full o’ virus. When it comes to DIY I probably need a video at the best of times. I think we will get there! A friend down the road does indeed have a skil saw, which we can borrow. Thank you kindly for your offer of a loan đ
Happy Harvesting!!
Oh shit, shit, shitty shit! I hate DS starting so early. We’ve got that dammed hair-piece to thank for that. Who the hell does he think he is forcing it on to us – cos he wanted it. Add the poncy bow-ties and he’s got to be this country’s No.I prick!
Well Anne I have decided I like DS. Already I am waking up an hour early even when wearing a sleeping mask which is a new habit. It’s time as far as I’m concerned – I’ve crumbled and accepted it also that new old-fangled thing of giving way when I’m turning right. Is there no end to these insidious efforts to undermine civilisation as we know it?
đ
I like DS but not until the middle of Oct. at the earliest. Seems too drastic at this time because there’s still a bit of winter left.
I agree re -turning right. What happens you both idle for a few seconds waiting to be sure each other knows what they’re supposed to do then the one turning left moves. Still confuses me and just about everyone else it seems.
Hi Anne. Yes, you- know -who is responsible for many annoying things including the extension of daylight savings. He does have the outdoor lobby to keep happy. It’s been suggested thats how he got UF back on its feet, through the bribery of outdoorsy groups, so he could be their saviour by blocking changes to the RMA with his one vote. Sorry mods, straying off the No Politics theme of Weekend Social.
I was wondering the other day what it would be like with no daylight savings and I think I’d maybe like it, except light outdoor evenings can be nice. Maybe I’d miss them. Turns out 6% of people surveyed don’t like it one bit.
http://www.dia.govt.nz/Daylight-Services-Survey
Reckon there would be about 90 percent of people bringing up children under about 8 who don’t like it. However, it seems that surveying people bringing up dairy cows were more important in that survey đ
Braaaaaains
Planning on sleeping hardcore this weekend thanks to the rain and getting through Jupiter War by Neal Asher and On The Steel Breeze by Alastair Reynolds. Just have to resist napping today since had to wake up @5am for the part time job I’m doing at present.
Also: http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/09/equoid
Features unicorns, but just not the way you’d usually think.
from what i briefly read, interesting, yet, may be a target market. Almost would’a dozed off me bad self ‘cept for some futuristic product labelled ‘cactus black’. (had been thinking of you). Kind regards.
What is the way you usually think of unicorns?
children read about them. Some adults read about them Unicorns and fairies at the bottom of the garden are frequently focii of disdain. There are some great papers being delivered on the significance of archetypal Fairy Tale influences on emerging culture; yet you already knew that. Jesus, on the other hand, read anything, anybody after Nietzsche… and there we find ourselves; it may have been different, yet it returned. (I have faith in you). đ
My seeds have turned to babies by the 1000, after an initial panic i now have my 200 babies with 20 reserves under lights awaiting mid October when they will take over occupancy of every windowsill in the house,
The garden has eaten compost all year and has been dug over and re-dug over again, come the first day of November the planting begins in earnest,
This year, again, the 5 grand tobacco addiction is a freeby,
Liberation theology…
after ten years or so of inaction, I’m doing it the natural way – emptying two packets of seeds in a gardenish area and waiting. Seemed to work last time, although there’s always the period where I nurture a little seedling, which turns out to be a thistle just as the main crop comes up đ
I know of many who grow their own baccy now. Don’t know where that leaves the nosybodies who try to stop this most ancient practice.
Tis legal, you can grow enough tobacco plants to gain a harvest of 15 kilos of processed leaves, i have taken that to mean cut and dried leaves as the law doesn’t expand upon what ‘processed’ is,
It is tho strictly illegal to trade, sell,or even give away tobacco products in any form although it appears ‘legal to sell the seeds, growing your own does wonders for the budget, and lolz, i give myself the odd chastising for not having got into growing the stuff 30 years ago…
Lolz way to a uncertain method for me Mc, i used 6 different varieties of seed this year to have 1000’s of little un’s which have now been carefully separated and whittled down to 200 plus 20 for spares,
i have the luxury of ‘cloning lights’ from a past venture which work a treat on this and other more normal garden inhabitants…
http://smokefree.org.nz/face-facts”
One in two smokers will die from smoking.”
http://www.cancernz.org.nz/Uploads/IS_TC_smkcost.pdf
“The cost of smoking-related health care to the
New Zealand taxpayer is about $250 million.”
“government loses income and
other tax revenue from the lower productivity of
sick smokers, and because dead smokers donât
work and donât pay taxes.”
No worries mate, you suck it on down. I pay a bit of tax, I got you covered. đ
Ha ha ha, yeah yeah, tobacco say the anti-tobacco fanatics kills half of those who use the product,
How does this occur you may ask???, the anti-tobacco fanatics will point out to you that besides lung cancer which knocks off about 10% of those who use tobacco, heart disease and various other cancers will get the rest to make up the 50%,
Ha ha ha, guess what kills 49.something % of those who have never been near a cigarette???,
The answer to that little gem is of course Heart Disease and various other Cancers,
None of your taxes pay for the treatment of tobacco related illness or death, tobacco taxes have been estimated to be collecting up to a billion dollars a year over and above the cost to the country of tobacco usage…
Reply, once out of moderation, is in open mike so as to not spoil the weekend social đ
True, good idea befor we get spanked for being political in the wrong place…
free da herb!
Good way of taking back the power from the tobacco companies.
something for those who have ‘never got’ elvis..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=d0vXxH1IEmQ
phillip ure..
I get to write a referee report on one of the most boring articles I’ve ever read, and read a draft of an MSc thesis. I might be able to feed some ducks and plan a trip home. Life is great.
*yawn* Welcome to summer time – means I start work an hour earlier today.
Upside is, I finish an hour earlier than in recent months.
It sure is quiet right now in my hood.