Weekend social 31/10/2014
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2:09 pm, October 31st, 2014 - 9 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?
9 comments on “Weekend social 31/10/2014 ”
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- The Sin Of Cheapness.
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Vanessa Vieites, Rutgers University The distance from home that kids are allowed to roam and play has shrunk significantly over the last 50 years. That’s largely due to parents’ concerns over safety, especially in cities. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has further restricted children’s independent activity. As a Ph.D. ...1 day ago - Running into Trouble: COVID-19 in Japan during the Tokyo OlympicsDr Leah Grout, Dr Jennifer Summers, Prof Nick Wilson, Prof Michael Baker * The 2020 Olympic Games were originally postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The delayed event has now opened, with the opening ceremonies held on 23 July 2021 and competitions scheduled to take place through 9 August 2021. ...1 day ago
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- End the Tiwai scamA little over a year ago, Rio Tinto was pleading povery, claiming its Tiwai Point aluminium smelter was unprofitable, and threatening to close it unless it got a government handout to keep it running. Their bluff worked, and we ended up paying the BluffGeld by giving them lower electricity prices ...2 days ago
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- Piers Morgan – Arsehole of the Week2 days ago
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- Climate Change: Just predatory delay againAnother day, another story arguing that climate change is Just Too Hard for farmers, and that they should be given more time to wait for a magic technological solution which will cut emissions while allowing them to continue doing exactly what they're doing at the moment. Today, the magic Technological ...3 days ago
- A note on the “jihadi bride.”
I ruffled a few feathers by referring to Gerry Brownlee as a “buffoon” during a radio interview this week. The subject in question was the involuntary repatriation of Suharya Aden and her children to NZ after Australia cancelled her citizenship. Brownlee was blathering about her being a terrorist security threat, ...3 days ago - Militaries plunder science fiction for technology ideas, but turn a blind eye to the genre’s socia...Will Slocombe, University of Liverpool Military planning is a complicated endeavour, calling upon experts in logistics and infrastructure to predict resource availability and technological advancements. Long-range military planning, deciding what to invest in now to prepare armed forces for the world in thirty years’ time, is even more difficult. ...3 days ago
- Still the same questionThe Independent Police Conduct authority has found another case where police used excessive force in making an arrest: A police officer broke a woman’s arm with a baton before dragging her out of her car by the hair following a chase. The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found the ...3 days ago
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- Zebra Ethics: The Amazon Second Age Series and Lessons from Game of Thrones
Today I stumbled across a genuinely interesting reddit article, which looks at the (positive) influence Game of Thrones may have on the upcoming Amazon Tolkien series: https://www.reddit.com/r/LOTR_on_Prime/comments/oqvi81/amazons_the_lord_of_the_rings_show_going_got/ Essentially, the argument is that the framework of Tolkien’s Second Age material inherently lends itself to “Machiavellian Thriller” stories, rather than to ...4 days ago - The War over Sex and Gender: Kathleen Stock talks to the Free Speech UnionSpeakeasy #1: Free Speech and the War over Sex and Gender from Free Speech Union on Vimeo. ...4 days ago
- Why governments will have to consider the costs of long COVID when easing pandemic restrictionsRichard Meade, Auckland University of Technology With governments worldwide under pressure to ease pandemic restrictions as vaccination rates rise and impatience with border restrictions grows, new threats become clearer. One of the costliest, it is now feared, could be a tsunami of “long COVID” cases. Long COVID is a ...4 days ago
- Taxpayers' Union gets destroyedThe Taxpayers’ Union scored another own goal yesterday when they decided to have a go at well-known journalist David Farrier (not to be confused with David Farrar) over Government funding he’d received to make a documentary.While that slinging match isn’t really worth reporting on, being that it was mainly just ...4 days ago
- Gender-specific health programs address important issues, but risk creating new biasesMatthew Jenkins and Victoria Chinn, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Gone are the days when health programmes were designed to simply punish or reward people to encourage behaviour change. We now know lasting behaviour change is more complex and nuanced, and this has prompted a proliferation ...4 days ago
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- Hearing loss and social isolation – the silent burdenFeature image: this picture was chosen as it illustrates two elderly people in each other’s company. Tying in with the theme of hearing loss and social isolation, this depicts the importance of connection to each other and the world in which we live. Charlotte Gordon* Untreated hearing loss is a ...5 days ago
- 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #30Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, July 18, 2021 through Sat, July 24, 2021 The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: Extreme rainfall in China: over 25 inches falls in 24 hours, leaving 33 dead, As scientists have ...6 days ago
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. . Billionaire Richard Branson did it. Also-billionaire, Jeff Bezos, did it. Both will be the first money-hoarders into space (or sub-orbital near-space, to be more specific). Also-also-billionaire, Elon Musk – not content with sub-orbital ‘jaunts’ – has expressed a desire to go Full Interplanetary and personally colonise Mars. Meanwhile, ...6 days ago - Elizabeth Rata: Responding to Andrew Geddis on Treaty PartnershipsMy recent article about the role that the concept of a Treaty ‘partnership’ has played in the development of ethno-nationalism provoked a critical response from Professor Andrew Geddis. We obviously have different opinions about the value of a Treaty partnership in New Zealand’s liberal democracy. My purpose here is to ...6 days ago
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- 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 ...3 days 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 ...4 days 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 ...4 days 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 ...4 days 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 ...4 days 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 ...4 days 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 ...4 days 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 ...4 days 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 ...5 days ago
- Raukokore re-imagined with ‘smart’ relocatable rent to own housingIwi, Crown Partnership Relocatable, fully insulated housing, connected to a new solar plant Provides a pathway to home ownership New housing in the remote eastern Bay of Plenty community of Raukokore shows how iwi and Crown agencies can work together effectively to provide warm, dry, energy efficient homes in a ...5 days ago
- Cabinet accepts Turkish authorities’ request for the managed return of three NZ citizensCabinet has agreed to the managed return of a New Zealand citizen and her two young children from Turkey, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. The three have been in immigration detention in Turkey since crossing the border from Syria earlier this year. Turkey has requested that New Zealand repatriate ...5 days ago
- Govt delivers more classrooms so children can focus on learningExtra Government investment in classrooms and school building projects will enable students and teachers to focus on education rather than overcrowding as school rolls grow across the country, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis say. The pair visited Ruakākā School in Whangārei today to announce $100 ...5 days ago
- New station a platform for AirportLink to take offEvery Aucklander with access to the rail network will now have a quick and convenient trip to the airport, Transport Minister Michael Wood and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said during the official opening of the new Puhinui Interchange today. The new interchange links the rail platform with a new bus ...1 week ago
- 10 days sick leave for employees deliveredLegislation doubling employees’ minimum sick leave entitlement to 10 days comes into effect today, bringing benefits to both businesses and employees, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood announced today. “Our Government is delivering on a key manifesto commitment to help Kiwis and workplaces stay healthy,” Michael Wood said. “COVID-19 ...1 week ago
- Prime Minister congratulates Fiame Naomi Mata’afa on Election WinPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern tonight congratulated Prime Minister-elect Fiame Naomi Mata’afa on her victory in the Samoa’s general election. “New Zealand has a special relationship with Samoa, anchored in the Treaty of Friendship. We look forward to working with Samoa’s new government in the spirit of partnership that characterises this ...1 week ago
- Quarantine Free Travel with Australia suspendedQuarantine Free Travel from all Australian states and territories to New Zealand is being suspended as the Covid situation there worsens, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. From 11.59pm today Australians will no longer be able to enter New Zealand quarantine-free. This will be ...1 week ago
- Growing conservation efforts in GisborneA big injection of Jobs for Nature funding will create much-needed jobs and financial security for families in TeTairāwhiti, and has exciting prospects for conservation in the region, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “The projects target local communities most affected by the economic consequences of COVID 19 and are designed ...1 week ago
- Flood recovery given further assistanceThe Government is contributing a further $1 million to help the flood battered Buller community, Acting Emergency Management Minister Kris Faafoi announced today. “Buller is a small community which has found itself suddenly facing significant and ongoing welfare costs. While many emergency welfare costs are reimbursed by Government, this money ...1 week ago
- Funding for five projects to reduce food wasteThe Government is funding five projects to help address the growing problem of food waste, Environment Minister David Parker announced today. “New Zealand households throw away nearly 300,000 tonnes of food every year, half of which could still be eaten. By supporting these initiatives, we’re taking steps to reduce this ...1 week ago
- Temporary Accommodation Service activated for West Coast flooding eventThe Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) has been activated today - meaning residents on the West Coast of the South Island and in the Marlborough region hit by flooding over the weekend can now access help finding temporary accommodation, announced Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing) Poto Williams in Westport today. ...1 week ago
- Pause to Quarantine Free Travel from South Australia to New ZealandQuarantine Free Travel from South Australia to New Zealand will be paused from 11.59am (NZT) tonight, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. However, people currently in the state who ordinarily live in New Zealand will be able to return on “managed return” flights starting with the next available flight, ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity by Chinese state-sponsored actorsNew Zealand has established links between Chinese state-sponsored actors known as Advanced Persistent Threat 40 (APT40) and malicious cyber activity in New Zealand. “The GCSB has worked through a robust technical attribution process in relation to this activity. New Zealand is today joining other countries in strongly condemning this malicious ...2 weeks ago
- Remarks to Diplomatic CorpsIt is a pleasure to be with you all this evening. Some of you may have been surprised when you received an invitation from the Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control, and I would forgive you if you were. New Zealand is unique in having established a Ministerial portfolio ...2 weeks ago
- Coral Bell: the ‘accidental academic’ who wanted to stop armageddon
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melissa Conley Tyler, Research Associate, Asia Institute, The University of Melbourne ANU Bell School This piece is part of a new series in collaboration with the ABC’s Saturday Extra program. Each week, the show will have a “who am I” ...30 mins ago - Focus on Politics: Education grapples with systemic racism
Podcast - "That every Māori child can see themselves ... valued in the education system." Will moves to bring tikanga and te reo into classrooms work? John Gerritsen and Jamie Tahana investigate. ...34 mins ago - Vaccine resistance in West Papua as covid-19 pandemic ragesBy Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific journalist As with much of Indonesia, the country’s easternmost provinces of Papua and West Papua are struggling to contain the spread of covid-19, with the delta variant on the loose. In their latest update, health authorities in Papua province reported 33,826 confirmed cases of the ...1 hour ago
- NZ covid-19 mass vaccination event starts in Auckland – long delaysRNZ News New Zealand’s first mass vaccination event is getting under way in Manukau where 16,000 people are due to receive a covid-19 vaccine in the next three days. The Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau has been set up with 242 booths, and people will file in at their allotted ...1 hour ago
- Opinion by Chris Leitch – Return to orthodoxy the last thing we needOpinion by Chris Leitch, Leader of Social Credit party. Cashflow repeat. Image courtesy of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. See: https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/monetary-policy/monetary-policy-tools As the Reserve Bank winds down its money creation programme (Quantitative Easing) some economists and commentators are calling for a return to orthodoxy – as if the economic ...2 hours ago
- FAST now says it needs to delay Samoa’s Parliament conveningRNZ Pacific After previous calls for the Samoan Parliament to convene so a national budget can be passed, the ruling FAST Party now says there is no real need to rush to convene Parliament. Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa said last Saturday that Parliament would meet “in the first opportunity” ...2 hours ago
- Solomons PM warns journalists against ‘yellow journalism’ rumoursPacific Media Watch newsdesk Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has warned the news media that the country’s emergency powers enable the government to target “yellow journalism” and the spreading of misinformation, reports the Solomon Islands Herald. Speaking in Parliament on a motion to extend the covid pandemic State of ...2 hours ago
- Health: Land of the long, white inequity
Friday's first mass vaccination event initially suffered from poor communication with the intended communities. Dr Collin Tukuitonga says that is a problem repeated time and again for Pacific people, who continue to suffer poor health statistics The initial take-up failure of south Auckland’s mass-Covid-19 vaccination event is a clear indication ...4 hours ago - The supermarket duopoly is a disaster for consumers. But don’t bet on a break-up
If you thought this week’s damning report on the state of our supermarkets would augur big changes in the sector, brace yourself for disappointment.This column was first published on Bernard Hickey’s newsletter, The Kākā.The Commerce Commission’s scathing draft review of the Foodstuffs/Woolworths duopoly suggests state intervention that could include a ...5 hours ago - Pouākai – the world's largest eagle
From fable to fact, the world’s largest eagle was once considered a mythical creature. We now know that for a period of time it dominated forests in parts of the South Island. It was a perfect but petrifying predator. A massive bird with hooked beak, talons like tigers’ claws and ...5 hours ago - Short story: XXX, by Emma Sidnam
"One minute we were fully clothed, chaste, and filled with longing, the next it was done. Thank you, she said": a short story by Emma Sidnam On a map, I mark an X for the houses of all the people I’ve slept with. It goes without saying that I avoid ...5 hours ago - The Unity Books children’s bestseller chart for the month of JulyWhat’s the best way to get adults reading? Get them reading when they’re children – and there’s no better place to start than the Unity Children’s Bestseller Chart.AUCKLAND1 In Our Own Backyard by Anne Kayes (Bateman, $22, 13+)After the launch (featuring speeches by John Minto and Chlöe Swarbrick) Jo McColl ...6 hours ago
- We need to talk about down thereWomen’s symptoms are all too frequently dismissed by healthcare professionals, especially when they relate to that shameful region between the legs. It’s time to stop suffering in silence, writes Maia Ingoe.When I was eight years old, I fell off the trampoline. It was a haven among unruly grasses, sitting on ...6 hours ago
- Recipe: Vietnamese pho with garlic sesame tofuHearty and comforting, this twist on a classic is jazzed up with garlicky tofu and beautiful brown field mushrooms. If there is one meal my kids would eat every night, this is it. Even if I up the ante and we venture into the big city to a little food alley ...6 hours ago
- The day I began my journey from Young Nat to committed socialistRobert Reid is a veteran of New Zealand’s trade union movement. But, believe it or not, he was once a committed National Party member.Fifty years ago, on Saturday 31 July, 1971, I left the National Party.Those who know me (or even troll me) as a socialist and trade unionist may ...7 hours ago
- Vaccination rate needs to hit 70% to trigger easing of restrictionsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Seven in ten people aged 16 and over will need to be fully vaccinated for COVID restrictions to begin to be eased, under targets agreed in principle by national cabinet on Friday. Further relaxation and ...12 hours ago
- The Tokyo Lowdown: Day 7 glory
In one of NZ's great Olympic days - three medals on the rowing course - the fairytale of Emma Twigg stands out. LockerRoom's daily wrap of our Kiwi sportswomen continues. Performances of the day Emma Twigg can now finally believe. Many times during her 18-year Olympic journey, the single ...18 hours ago - Week in Politics: Return of Suhayra Aden stirs up debateAnalysis - Harsh words from Judith Collins as it is announced Suhayra Aden can return to New Zealand, another big vaccine delivery clears the way for the programme to ramp up. ...18 hours ago
- India’s vaccine rollout is ignoring the many inequities in its societySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rajib Dasgupta, Chairperson, Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University Some 6 months after India began what is said to be the largest COVID-19 vaccination drive in the world, equitable distribution has been a challenge. A recent instance ...18 hours ago
- We must include more women in physics — it would help the whole of humanitySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cathy Foley, Australia’s Chief Scientist, Office of the Chief Scientist Prajval Shastri, Author provided All around the world, there is an extreme gender imbalance in physics, in both academia and industry. Examples are all too easy to find. In Burkina ...19 hours ago
- No wonder people are confused. Most official COVID vaccine advice is way too complexSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Marie Muscat, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Sydney from www.shutterstock.com As Sydney’s COVID-19 outbreak continues to grow, the message has shifted to urgently “get the jab”. And people’s motivation to get vaccinated is increasing. But with ever-changing advice, many ...19 hours ago
- Curious Kids: do penguins fly underwater?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Belinda Cannell, Research fellow, Research Associate, The University of Western Australia Shutterstock Do penguins fly underwater? – Rhys, age 7, Perth. Indeed they do. They can’t fly through the air but they can fly underwater. In ...19 hours ago
- 3 things we need to get right to ensure online professional development worksSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Filia Garivaldis, Senior Lecturer, BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash University Shutterstock One thing the COVID-19 pandemic has not changed is the need for employee training and skills development. Although lockdowns have reduced access to offices and increased job insecurity, they have provided ...19 hours ago
- Vital Signs: Uber’s impact on traffic accidents is a lesson in calculating social benefitSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW Twinsterphoto/Sutterstock Uber has been great for some people and bad for others. It has been good for its founders and investors. It has been good for riders who get a convenient and well-priced new ...19 hours ago
- VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on changes in opposition policySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Michelle Grattan discusses the week in politics with University of Canberra Associate Professor Caroline Fisher. This week the pair discuss the extension of the Sydney lockdown, and the anti-lockdown protests which took place over the ...19 hours ago
- HRC To Play A Role In Law Banning Conversion Practices
Te Kāhui Tika Tangata / The Human Rights Commission welcomes the Government’s introduction of the Conversion Practices Prohibition Bill. The proposed legislation would criminalise conversion practices . If passed, it would also create a civil ...20 hours ago - Gamblers bet more when in the dark: feedback can curb their online lossesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Newell, Professor of Cognitive Psychology, UNSW Online wagering is the fastest-growing segment of gambling in Australia. It’s a trend of particular concern because losing money through online brokering and betting apps is associated with higher rates of gambling-related harm than other ...20 hours ago
- Conversion therapy 'widely discredited by science' – FaafoiConversion therapy can cause serious harm, says Justice Minister Kris Faafoi, who is introducing the government's planned law to ban the practice. ...21 hours ago
- Not all the millions offered by the Ardern govt have been accepted – let’s see how it fares with...
Several million dollars have been dished out for projects to build schools, control wilding pine control and what-have-you. Nurses – on the other hand – have turned down the money they were offered. In their case, Health Minister Andrew Little is obviously bemused and frustrated. He was advised last ...21 hours ago - The power of no: Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka and Black women’s resistanceSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathomi Gatwiri, Senior lecturer, Southern Cross University Simone Biles, the US gymnast widely considered “the greatest of all time”, withdrew from the Olympic finals this week, saying: I have to focus on my mental health […] We have to protect our ...21 hours ago
- The discovery of Indigenous children’s bodies in Canada is horrific, but Australia has similar tra...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lilly Brown, Lecturer, The University of Melbourne Content warning: This article contains distressing information on Stolen Generations and residential schools. When I read that the bodies of 215 children had been found in unmarked graves on the grounds of the former Kamloops ...21 hours ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending July 30The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 In Our Own Backyard by Anne Kayes (Bateman, $22) From Kete Books: “It’s March 2020 and Liza, her ...21 hours ago
- Rapid antigen testing isn’t perfect. But it could be a useful part of Australia’s COVID responseSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Williamson, Professor of Microbiology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity Shutterstock Since the start of the pandemic, COVID-19 testing in Australia has been performed using highly sensitive PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests. But this conventional model of ...21 hours ago
- Muller takes more time away
Former National leader Todd Muller, forced to retire by leader Judith Collins and the party caucus, will remain on leave for three more weeks to care for his wife Outgoing National MP Todd Muller will not return to Parliament as planned on Tuesday after taking five weeks leave. The MP ...21 hours ago - Yesterdaze: A gold in synchronised snarking
James Elliott hands out red cards to runners in the reckons relay as he does his best not to put his hand into a power saw The sensation you get when you see that Mike Hosking is trending on Twitter is a lot like the feeling some people get when they ...21 hours ago - Demand at South Auckland mass vaccine event takes organisers by surpriseNew Zealand’s first mass vaccination event proved more popular than expected this morning, with many waiting up to an hour for their jab due to higher than anticipated demand. Justin Latif reports. Shortly after New Zealand’s first vaccination event commenced, reports began filtering in of long wait times for people ...21 hours ago
- The Friday Poem: To Get Here, by Lynn DavidsonA new poem by 2021 Randell Cottage Creative NZ Writer in Residence Lynn Davidson.To get hereI drove through the Kaimanawas (which is the old forest,survivor of brutal winters/ or the wild horses streaming over tussock/or the mountain range) And which translates as treasure or eat the wildor heart-eater or ...22 hours ago
- Everything we learned from Lorde’s recent publicity blitzShe’s Lorde of onion rings and chicken wings, but what else have we learned about the award-winning singer from her run of media appearances?With the impending release of a new album and an upcoming global tour, Lorde has climbed aboard the promotional train, destination everywhere. We watched her get day ...22 hours ago
- COVID has changed policing — but now policing needs to change to respond better to COVIDSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vicki Sentas, Senior Lecturer, UNSW Law, UNSW With rolling lockdowns now part of how Australians live in the pandemic age, important questions arise about corresponding changes in policing. Constantly changing public health orders bring not only confusion but expansive police authority to ...22 hours ago
- Conversion therapy law: Government reveals all the detailsThe government has revealed all the details of its ban on conversion therapy, with a penalty of up to five years in prison for serious harm caused by putting someone through it. ...23 hours ago
- Govt To Jail Parents For Affirming Daughter As Girl, Son As BoyFamily First NZ says that the proposed ‘conversion therapy’ ban will be yet another attack on parents’ rights, is fundamentally flawed and unfair, and has been opposed by the Ministry of Health, a government select committee, and by the ...23 hours ago
- There’s no escape from climate change – and NZ should brace for the tariffs imposed by our tradi...
When a magazine as authoritative as The Economist heads up its lead “No Safe Place” , even climate change deniers should sit up and take notice. The Economist” says the most terrible thing about the spectacular scenes of destruction that have played out around the world over recent weeks ...23 hours ago - All sports interviews should be like thisRuby Tui and Michaela Blyde aren’t just brilliant rugby sevens players: the pair look unassailable in the race for ‘best interview at the Tokyo Olympics’ gold.In a world of anodyne, cliche-replete sports interviews, Ruby Tui and Michaela Blyde of the Black Ferns sevens are a coruscating beam of light. Having ...23 hours ago
- Health Minister Andrew Little responds after nurses reject pay offerThe Health Minister is speaking to media after nurses rejected the government's latest pay offer, meaning planned strikes would go ahead. ...24 hours ago
- The Salvation Army Supports Proposed Conversion Practices Prohibition BillThe Salvation Army is supporting the proposed Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill, which will outlaw this unethical practice. The Salvation Army continues to oppose vilification of, or discrimination against, anyone on the grounds of sexuality ...1 day ago
- New Home Consents Continue To Break RecordsA record 44,299 new homes were consented in the year ended June 2021, Stats NZ said today. “The annual number of new homes consented rose again in the June 2021 year, the fourth consecutive month of rises,” construction statistics manager Michael ...1 day ago
- Te Tiriti O Waitangi And Māori Equity Front And Centre In New Te Pūkenga ReportBoosted outcomes for Māori and te whakatinanatanga o Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi in practice) are key outcomes of Te Pae Tawhiti Insights Report released today. Te Pae Tawhiti is the biggest piece of Te Tiriti o Waitangi self-reflective ...1 day ago
- What the hell has happened to the McFlurry®?Emily Writes has had enough of the lies – an unflurried McFlurry® is no McFlurry® at all.This post was first published on Emily Writes Weekly.At some point it changed. And we just accepted it. We didn’t rise up in the streets and demand our McFlurrys be flurried. And now it’s too ...1 day ago
- EnviroWaste Partners With NZ Food Network To Feed Hungry KiwisEnviroWaste has joined NZ Food Network (NZFN) to put more food on the table for the thousands of Kiwi households experiencing food insecurity. The new partnership will see EnviroWaste working with its large food production clients to ...1 day ago
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- Community concern a ‘risk’ to dramatic expansion of school zones and buildings
Today, 6yo Gus Milne wants to talk to the PM about learning to cook in his new class kitchen; his dad would like to talk about the millions invested in school infrastructure ...1 day ago - How a perfect storm of events is turning Myanmar into a ‘super-spreader’ COVID stateSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer, University of South Australia Myanmar is facing a catastrophic health crisis that could have ramifications not just for the country’s long-suffering people, but across the region as well. The country is experiencing a major spike in COVID cases ...1 day ago
- If Australia is serious about fixing the culture at parliament, this is the code of conduct we needSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Blair Williams, Research Fellow, Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL), Australian National University Lukas Coch/AAP Australia has been rocked by serious allegations of sexual assault and harassment that have poured out of parliament house this year. In February, former ...1 day ago
- Australia shouldn’t ‘open up’ before we vaccinate at least 80% of the population. Here’s whySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Director, Health Program, Grattan Institute Shutterstock Earlier this month National Cabinet released a four-phase COVID response plan. It wasn’t so much a plan – it had no dates and no thresholds – but more a back-of-the-napkin thought bubble. ...1 day ago
- Pest plants and animals cost Australia around $25 billion a year – and it will get worseSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology and Models Theme Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University AAP Shamefully, Australia has one of the highest extinction rates in the world. And ...1 day ago
- Climate change is causing tuna to migrate, which could spell catastrophe for the small islands that ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katherine Seto, Research Fellow, University of Wollongong Small Pacific Island states depend on their commercial fisheries for food supplies and economic health. But our new research shows climate change will dramatically alter tuna stocks in the tropical Pacific, with potentially severe consequences ...1 day ago
- Should the University of Melbourne host the Menzies Institute? The answer hinges on academic freedomSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharine Gelber, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, The University of Queensland The University of Melbourne will open the Robert Menzies Institute, in honour of Australia’s longest-serving prime minister, in September this year. The presence of board members with close ties to ...1 day ago
- A COVID ‘ring of steel’ around Sydney would play havoc with Australia’s supply chainsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flavio Romero Macau, Associate dean, Edith Cowan University Claudio Divizia/Shutterstock If a “ring of steel” was actually placed around Sydney, as suggested by Victorian premier Daniel Andrews, the rest of Australia would suffer in ways that aren’t immediately apparent. Completely ...1 day ago
- Friday essay: how ‘Afghan’ coats left Kabul for the fashion world and became a hippie must-haveSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Bonyhady, Emeritus professor, Australian National University Masking Afghan coats for sale in Herat, 1974. Shutterstock The London launch of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in May 1967 was a musical and fashion landmark. While the clothes worn by all ...1 day ago
- Live updates, July 30: Nurses resume pay talks after rejecting latest government offerWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for July 30, bringing you the latest news updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz8.00am: Pay talks resume as nurses reject latest offerThe government’s latest pay offer to nurses has been rejected, with planned strikes in August and September once again on ...1 day ago
- The incredible legacy of Merata Mita’s Patu!As part of an exhibition on the 1981 Springbok tour protest, Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has restored and remastered Patu!, the masterwork of wahine Māori filmmaker Merata Mita and her artistic collaborators. Dan Taipua looks back at the legacy of this cinematic taonga.Patu! is a documentary from a different ...1 day ago
- The Bulletin: Supermarket duopoly laid bare, faces forced competitionGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Supermarket duopoly laid bare, one industrial action ends while another restarts, and window closing for quarantine-free travel from Australia.A couple of years ago former Spinoff staffer Henry Oliver made a very astute observation about the NBR Rich List, and I want ...1 day ago
- Conversion therapy legislation to cover religious groupsThe government's ban on conversion therapy will cover religious groups, but they will still be able to freely express their beliefs. ...1 day ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 30 July
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...1 day ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Friday 30 July
...1 day ago - This week's best-selling books
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve Braunias FICTION 1 Loop Tracks by Sue Orr (Victoria University Press, $35) "Secrets and shame, family and lovers, Loop Tracks scoops all this and more into its orbit, creating a ...1 day ago - Bernard Hickey: A long white tunnel back to the futureOur provincial cities had thriving public transport systems until they were wrecked in the early 1990s. Bernard Hickey visits Whanganui’s extraordinary Durie Hill Elevator to find out how (and why) we should look to the past to get to carbon zero.Follow When the Facts Change on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or ...1 day ago
- New Zealand’s best real estate agent ads, reviewed and rankedIn a hot and overcrowded housing market, real estate agents are having to get creative with their promotion to attract customers and beat their rivals. Michael Andrew ranked some of the most compelling and eccentric ads out there.They’re in every newspaper. They’re on every building. They’re on every bus, bus ...1 day ago
- Faafoi reviews rights of youth stuck in residency visa queue
Immigrant youth trapped without the ability to work or study have been promised an imminent resolution ...1 day ago - Govt forgos $6m with green buildings policy
The Government's decision to enact a less ambitious policy for reducing emissions from buildings could see it lose out on emissions reductions and energy savings, Marc Daalder reports A 2018 cost-benefit analysis of options to reduce emissions in buildings showed the most ambitious policies would have net benefits of $18.5 million ...1 day ago - Commission calls out Pak'nSave's six-month 'specials'
The Commerce Commission's investigation of competition in the grocery market found many items at supermarkets are on sale for half or three quarters of the year. ...1 day ago - Dom Harvey, music radio and the times they are a-Changin'
A top, controversial DJ hangs up his earphones as an industry struggles with how to limit offence, and his station's owner prepares to release a lawyer's inquiry into its culture and misconduct. MEDIAROOM: Dom Harvey and his repertoire of pranks, jokes, personal comments and controversies leave the airwaves Friday morning after 20 years ...1 day ago - Photographer bridging the urban-rural divide
After travelling the country in search of sustainable and environmentally-friendly farms, a photographer is bringing her work to Auckland to show what it means to be stewards of the land Queen Street has been a bit of a Mecca for farmers lately. This month’s Groundswell protest saw a troupe of ...1 day ago - First Kiwi Olympic gymnast still does the splits at 75
As Maddie Davidson becomes our first female Olympic trampolinist, Dido Götz recalls competing in NZ's first gymnastics team at an Olympics - also in Tokyo, but 57 years earlier Dido Götz puts on the elegant felt hat and black blazer with the silver fern, and hangs the well-worn travelling bag over ...1 day ago
Titirangi’s Lopdell House Gallery opening this weekend – should be good.
why that ugly green though …. ?
Did you know the chickens in Titirangi were poisoned by the council recently ?
There were still a fair few when I was there last weekend.
They were definitely poisoned
A friend @ the Bird rescue centre in Green bay took them to the vets who confirmed it, a lot died but they didnt get them all
There is a fresh batch of chicks @ the moment if you look around behind the doctors office.
Len Brown – chick slayer.
Are they going to keep the premises in New Lynn?
Don’t think so.
Pity. I’m closer to New Lynn than Lopdell. And it’s more accessible by public transport.
Lovin’ wiziwig dot tv (with ad blockers) for the live rugby. I always select a Sky channel because, well, Sky deserves it.
Thanks to whoever it was here who suggested it. We wouldn’t get to watch live sport without it.