When survivors speak out

Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, November 12th, 2015 - 45 comments
Categories: crime, culture, feminism, national, sexism - Tags: , ,

Previously posted at Boots Theory.

Content note: discussion of sexual violence and the experience of survivors.

Yesterday I did a round-up of the women’s voices on Twitter talking about recent events in Parliament, where women MPs from the Opposition, many of them survivors of sexual violence, were thrown out of the House for taking exception to John Key saying they supported rapists.

There have been other great posts in the last day or so expanding on what this means.

Claudia has written at Public Address about her own experience.

I want to believe in trigger warnings, because I want to believe there’s something people can do to make me feel safer in a world that has proven, twice, that I am not safe.

This week, the highest body in New Zealand has proven to me that that wish is pointless. That I can’t be safe. Because the people who are meant to protect me care more about scoring political points than they do about the people who need them.

Hadassah Grace has put together a brief history of John Key and his Government’s record on sexual violence. She has a tremendous list of sources at the end.

The National budget includes an increase in funding to sexual violence services of $10.4 million over the next two years. Although this is much needed, it comes five years after the Taskforce for Action on Sexual Violence first recommended a funding increase. Five years of drastic funding cuts in which many providers were forced to lay off staff, reduce services or close down altogether.

This $10.4 million is less than the yearly budget for ministerial travel.

This was written last year on the Wellington Rape Crisis blog, but it’s just as relevant today:

With media and hearings coming up, something we are often asked is do we have someone who is prepared to speak to a camera about their abuse. This has led us to consider again how do we include the voices of survivors when most wish to remain anonymous? Something that both the sexual and domestic violence sector finds is that when survivors have done some of their healing they want to contribute to public knowledge about this issue. However, our ‘human interest’ angle in the media requires names and photos. How do we hold the tension of public wanting faces to go with stories, and a survivor’s right and need to have control over information people have about them?

Deborah Russell calls it an object lesson in silencing women.

Accusing the Labour Party of backing rapists is the latest tactic that the Speaker of the House is using to protect a Prime Minister who simply won’t fight for New Zealanders, who wants to pick and choose who he will act for as New Zealanders, and who is determined to make sure that the only New Zealanders he will look out for are the people who are convenient for him.

There’s also excellent video from Story of the women MPs who walked out yesterday talking about their experiences. Trigger warnings apply. Other good coverage came from The Guardian.

Please go read these posts in full. I know there’s a concern about “buying” Key’s line – about getting distracted by are-they-rapists-or-not or are-we-defending-rapists-or-not – but I reject it. I said on Twitter last night:

https://twitter.com/bootstheory/status/664346471366463488

https://twitter.com/bootstheory/status/664347035827486720

https://twitter.com/bootstheory/status/664347584320765953

We can do more than one thing at a time (if you watch the article on Story, you’ll see they do!). And if we can improve the situation for Kiwis in Australian detention centres and demand a better national conversation about sexual violence, we’ll have done some real good in the world.

Moderator note: any comments which personally attack survivors of sexual violence, including the MPs who walked out of Parliament, will be deleted in full.

45 comments on “When survivors speak out ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Sabine 1
    12 November 2015 at 2:18 pm

    i suggest to not delete the comments of those who attack survivors of rape and sexual assault. Let them stand there for everyone to read. It’s way past polite discourse in NZ, as clearly there is a large group of people who really believe that we brought it on ourself, and that if we did not report it to the police we were not assaulted or raped.

    so let the comments stand. let people see, what sexual abuse survivors deal with on any given day. And why far to many of us do not report it ever, and even worse not even speak about it.

    • RedLogix 1.1
      12 November 2015 at 3:26 pm

      I’ve been moderating other threads on this topic with zero tolerance. I recognise the merit of your argument Sabine – but in this case I’ll defer to the wishes of the author.

      If Stephanie changes her mind I’ll follow her lead.

      • Sabine 1.1.1
        12 November 2015 at 3:33 pm

        It was just a suggestion. To often we try to hide what makes us upset. While sometimes it is best to let it be for all to see. Sunshine is the best disinfectant.

        • Rosemary McDonald 1.1.1.1
          12 November 2015 at 5:16 pm

          I rather foolishly scanned the blogs from the Other Side today on this issue…know your enemy and all that.

          Disgusting commenter on one of the more benign sites told a “my successful wife says..” story which actually made me sick.

          Moderate….please.

          • Sabine 1.1.1.1.1
            12 November 2015 at 5:43 pm

            Believe me I understand.

            But I am at my wits end. This is the year 2015 and rape and sexual assault is something to score points, laugh about, joke around, ignore, considered as scoring chicks and getting laid, etc etc etc. and no one will speak about it.

            I really just still can’t wrap my mind around that someone as ‘accomplished’ as John Key, and his second Bill English, and Paula Bennett and others really just see rape and assault as something to score points and to settle battles, and get away with it, and not cause offence. It just goes to show what is important to them, and we are not.
            And many many are seemingly is ‘ok’ with it.

            This using threats of sexual violence to win, this using the association of sexual violence to silence us to shame us, is hurting us, it iswhat is the killer (emotionally, mentally and in some cases physically) of so many of us.
            And yet we don’t speak out, for fear of being shamed and ridiculed and belittled, and every time this happens the rapists, the sexual assaulter and their enablers in politics, press, and elsewhere are winning, while we crawl back into our safe corner, into that dark place where no one can see us and we be quiet.
            So I am now at the point where I welcome their crude ideas and their hate of the other, and their sexually abhorrent views of what constitute consent or not.
            Let others see what they say, let them defend what they say. Let them be out public, let them be shamed for once. Maybe then, someday People will realize that no one asks for it, no one deserves it, and the victim could not have prevented it, and it is not something some washed out politician can use for cheap points against the opposition.

            • Rosemary McDonald 1.1.1.1.1.1
              12 November 2015 at 6:16 pm

              I get where you’re coming from….but the way I felt after reading that particular comment…

              Then I went into town…wondering if it was THAT person who wrote such a despicable thing.

              Was it you? Or you?

              Because we can’t tell just by looking at them.

              Some brave folk actually went into their space….took the fight over the line and I was standing safe as an observer cheering them on.

              But I think there should be places where that sort of comment is simply unacceptable. Where people feel safe to speak out about their worst experiences without fear of attack by the arseholes.

              I really do think we need a ‘humaness’ test…

        • gsays 1.1.1.2
          12 November 2015 at 5:51 pm

          hi sabine,
          firstly, i think the mps showed courage in their actions in the last couple of days.
          everyone can have an opinion on what was best, but it is just an opinion.

          “To often we try to hide what makes us upset. While sometimes it is best to let it be for all to see. Sunshine is the best disinfectant.”

          as an example: my father in law is an old fashioned racist. often while sitting at his table he would spout an offensive diatribe.
          upon getting advice about this i was offered a watch, and the owner said
          “offence, like a gift, is offered, it’s over to you to take it”

          anyhow with this in mind, the next time he statred up at the dinner table (tana umaga was the wrong colour), i resisited the urge to respond, and sat silent.
          his words sat there like a turd on the table.

          to this day his language has been a lot more moderate.

          i say this not too criticise the walkout, but to support the idea of sunlight as a great disinfectant

          • Sabine 1.1.1.2.1
            12 November 2015 at 6:21 pm

            the walk out is part of shunning. Turning the back. It is part of what can be done.
            and personally I applaud the Ladies and also the MP’s that walked out the day before. There are moments when the best thing to do is to stand up and simply put an end of this behavior.

            Sunshine, its a thing of beauty ey?

    • Stephanie Rodgers 1.2
      12 November 2015 at 5:01 pm

      Thanks for your suggestion, Sabine. In this case I think the awfulness and abuse directed at survivors is easy enough to find (in Parliament, even!) and sometimes it’s good to have one space where people know they aren’t going to run into it.

      Thanks for your modding, RL.

      • Et Tu Brute 1.2.1
        13 November 2015 at 6:49 pm

        What about men who have been wrongfully accused? Do they deserve justice? Are we allowed to be angry? Or do we have to suffer in silence?

        [lprent: Please read the last section of our About. It provides you directions on things you can do if you get off your lazy arse. However I’d suggest that you don’t do deliberate diversions away from the clear topic of a post provided by one of our authors. I tend to regard that as being an abuse of the facility that this site provides. ]

        • Stephanie Rodgers 1.2.1.1
          13 November 2015 at 11:30 pm

          The reality is that false accusations are incredibly rare, across all forms of crime. Nobody, anywhere on this post is saying “you” have to “suffer in silence”. But it is really, really sad, and telling, how someone just *has* to jump in, every single time survivors of sexual assault are trying to be heard, to try and derail the topic.

  2. roy cartland 2
    12 November 2015 at 2:40 pm

    I agree with “We can do more than one thing at a time”. We can make the point about women’s and survivors’ rights while supporting human rights.

    Let’s remember that the villain in this debacle is really the PM himself, who kicked women’s/survivors’ rights into the gutter to deflect from his disdain for human rights. Pretty despicable really.

    I suspect his dead cat will turn out to be more of a stinking, bloated and malignant albatross.

  3. Goodshepherd 3
    12 November 2015 at 2:51 pm

    I second that, Sabine.

    As a victim of rape, age 14, I am offended by the PM’s comments. As a member of Labour, I am offended by the PM’s comments.

    I doubt anything that could be said here could offend me more or do me more harm.

    I’d prefer the light of day be shone upon these people and their opinions. That might well do more good for all victims of sexual or political violence than anything we could say or do. Let them be known by their own words. As we now know the PM.

  4. Tracey 4
    12 November 2015 at 3:18 pm

    Great post evidencing Keys historic lack of support of sexual assault victims and I am not sure if it captured his

    “I would apologise if I knew her name” which resulted in Ms Billingsley going public. Only to have him decide he only apologises for “serious” things…

  5. ianmac 5
    12 November 2015 at 3:32 pm

    Stuff 14:26 today:
    Prime Minister John Key says he does not need to apologise to female MPs who staged a protest in Parliament after he accused the Opposition of “backing the rapists”….
    Key said he had had to deal with “comments and abuse hurled at me”, and claimed he was the only person standing up for victims of crime.
    Key said he did not understand why he would need to apologise to MPs who had taken offence, saying his concern for the victims of the detainees meant he was a better advocate than them…..
    “What would they be asking me to apologise for? For saying that I’m on the side of victims?….

    So there you are. He does not need to apologise because the MP victims of abuse were not concerned about the victims of detainees. Amazing logic. Does he impress with his excuse?
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/73964931/john-key-unapologetic-over-rapist-remarks-says-abuse-hurled-at-him

    • Tracey 5.1
      12 November 2015 at 3:42 pm

      Do you think he is genuiely bemused or runni g a line?

      • wyndham 5.1.1
        12 November 2015 at 3:45 pm

        Running a line without a doubt !

        • ianmac 5.1.1.1
          12 November 2015 at 3:49 pm

          But Key is the victim don’t you see? He has been abused by those nasty lady MPs, and perhaps (he implies) they should apologise to him or admire his sticking up for victims.
          (Someone is calling it a “double bounce cat.)

        • tracey 5.1.1.2
          12 November 2015 at 4:01 pm

          It does seem to be the pattern… toss the bomb, then pretend he didn’t say anything wrong, then follow up with confusing words from t he English language in an unusual order to make people think he really didn’t mean it…

    • Sabine 5.2
      12 November 2015 at 3:47 pm

      playing victims of crime against victims of crime.
      This man is an odious pile of manure.

  6. wyndham 6
    12 November 2015 at 3:43 pm

    Nobody seems to have asked females sitting on the government benches how they stand on the issue – – – including Minister for Women Ms. Luxton.

    • Sabine 6.1
      12 November 2015 at 3:51 pm

      They as much as the other MP’s could have walked out, but by staying put, I guess they agree with the Prime Minister.

      And clearly as per Mrs. Bennett’s tweets some victims of crimes are more worthy of consideration then other victims of crime. And clearly victims of sexual assault and rape, especially if they are members of the Labour Party and The Greens are not worthy of consideration.

      • tracey 6.1.1
        12 November 2015 at 4:03 pm

        My brothers and father tend to the right in their voting patterns. I have emailed them my disgust with the PM for his use and misuse of a serious issue relating to sexual violence against women and children. I’m happy to guilt them into doing the right thing (none were my abuser but they know about it)

        • Sabine 6.1.1.1
          12 November 2015 at 4:12 pm

          my abuser and I lived in the same house, it was I who eventually ran away at 15.
          Now that my mother has passed I have no reason to go back home anymore, but then the abuse never goes away.

          • Tracey 6.1.1.1.1
            12 November 2015 at 5:30 pm

            That makes me feel lucky. Of course your story tells anotber story too which “ordinary” kiwis dont want hear… homelessness… lack of education can be the direct result of abuse… but hell lets just villify them anyway 😉

            All power to you Sabine

      • Anne 6.1.2
        12 November 2015 at 4:55 pm

        On RNZ The Panel this afternoon, Michelle Boag tried to discredit the women MPs who walked out this week by claiming that every woman at some time in their life has experienced sexual abuse. She used a derisive tone of voice as if these MPs were making mountains out of molehills. In other words, she was equating bottom pinching and breast touching/fondling (yes, most of us have had to put up with that kind of behaviour) with the rape and serial sexual abuses most of them clearly endured.

        • Sabine 6.1.2.1
          12 November 2015 at 5:05 pm

          that is the sad part of sexual abuse, that literally it has become a right of passage.

          Whether it is the phrase, when it bleeds it breeds, to the early comments on legs, breasts, behind, and what a pretty little girl she is, and how some man is gonna be ‘lucky’ getting her, to the outright rape and sexual assault that women endure pretty much on a day to day base.

          It happens to all of us, so there, no harm done.

          • Tracey 6.1.2.1.1
            12 November 2015 at 5:34 pm

            And this government is re-normalising that.

            Key pretending he is standing up for victims is maki g tbis worse and sadder than I could have imagined.

        • Tracey 6.1.2.2
          12 November 2015 at 5:33 pm

          When I heard she was on the panel i turned the radio off.

          Boag and Bennett leading the attack on survivors of sexual abuse. What awful tactics to pit women against female victims. If Boag has been raped she should say so.

          • ianmac 6.1.2.2.1
            12 November 2015 at 7:04 pm

            Boag said that none of the MPs were evicted. They chose to walk she said. Not true but like Key she can rewrite history with immunity.

            • Tracey 6.1.2.2.1.1
              13 November 2015 at 7:31 am

              Even if they did, that’s not the point. If she thinks being patted on the bum or pinched or called “love” is the same as being sexually abused then…

              I’m assuming she finds unwanted advances a compliment and a sign men want her?

    • wyndham 6.2
      12 November 2015 at 4:10 pm

      Ooops ! Upston.

      • Tracey 6.2.1
        12 November 2015 at 5:36 pm

        Easy to get it wrong. She is practically invisible in that role except when she is imploring people not to think she is a feminist

  7. NZSage 7
    12 November 2015 at 4:59 pm

    According to the Herald seems like we’ve got it all wrong.. it poor old John Key that is the victim… “Abuse ‘hurled’ at John Key over comments”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11544254

  8. NZSage 8
    12 November 2015 at 5:17 pm

    …and here’s a petition demanding Key apologise:

    “It’s Not OK Prime Minister”

    http://www.actionstation.org.nz/saysorryjohn

  9. Rosemary McDonald 9
    12 November 2015 at 5:22 pm

    23 year old young woman, apolitical until the last year, said today she had never been prouder to be a New Zealand woman than she was watching the warrior women make their stand in the house yesterday.

    I hate “inspiration porn”….but I think that those women deserve to be called inspirational.

    • Ennui 9.1
      12 November 2015 at 5:35 pm

      Totally agree they did not only women proud but us men too. The men shoulx have walked out with them. As a man I have only deep contempt disgust and scorn for Key scoring points at the expense of rape survivors. The support Key garners from my fellow men is deeply disturbing.

  10. Jenny Kirk 10
    12 November 2015 at 6:47 pm

    Good post, Stephanie. Thanks.

    I’m hoping that this might be the issue that finally wakes up at least half of NZ voters to who/what the PM really is : a nasty little slime ball who is playing a “game” with our lives as NZers .

    Except that it is not a “game”, it is real and he will do anything to achieve that – the total takeover of NZ by his masters, international corporates. And that’s NOT taking away from the awfulness of what he has just been saying and his inability to apologise, and the encouragement of the Speaker for the PM in his “gaming”. Nor that he is playing distraction politics yet again, and then sliding out of the country while the rest of us seethe at his nastiness and utter gall.

    I felt proud of our women MPs walking out, proud of what they tried to do, and utter shame that we have a Prime Minister who has no conscience, has no soul, and just wants to rub shoulders with “celebrities”.

  11. Lara 11
    13 November 2015 at 7:21 am

    Coming so soon after Roastbusters 2 this is really actually quite distressing.

    I am a survivor of pedophiles, I lived in Centrepoint community in 1983.

    And further sexual assault in my 20’s.

    And still, to this day now I’m in my 40’s it affects me. It never goes away.

    I want this country to stop blaming victims. When we have discussions on sexual violence it needs to be about the perpetrators, not “advice” to women on how to “keep themselves safe”. None of that advice would have worked for me when as a child I was well groomed by pedophiles.

    The meme that if a person doesn’t report their assault to police then it didn’t happen, or there’s something really bad about them, needs to stop too. I call bullshit on that. With the Louise Nichols case, now Roastbusters 1 and 2, the NZ police are the one organisation I would actively avoid if I was ever assaulted again sexually. My need for safety and self preservation trumps any internet trolls need for me to be a “real” victim.

    Those women who walked out of Parliament touch me deeply. So beautiful to see there are people in our highest halls of power who get how important this issue is to all of us who are survivors. So good to see them stand up to FJK.

    This conversation here on TS has me crying in my morning coffee. Thank you Stephanie for posting this, thank you RL for moderating (no way could I handle the usual trolling!) and thank you to the people here who also have opened up about their experiences.

    NZ is #1 in the OECD for domestic violence. I’d hazard a guess that our sexual violence stats are pretty bad too. This kind of violence has an enormous impact on survivors, and its not taken seriously enough in NZ I think.

  12. tracey 12
    13 November 2015 at 9:24 am

    “The most beautiful
    people we have known
    are those who have
    known defeat,
    known suffering,
    known struggle,
    known loss,
    and have found
    their way out
    of the depths.

    These persons have
    an appreciation,
    a sensitivity,
    and an understanding
    of life that fills
    them with compassion,
    gentleness,
    and a deep
    loving concern.

    Beautiful people
    do not just happen.”

    ― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

  13. Magisterium 13
    13 November 2015 at 3:39 pm

    The parliamentary left had a chance to put the government on the spot over its apparent reluctance to support NZ citizens in detention centres. But nobody is talking about the government’s inability to defend the rights of NZ citizens in detention any more. No, today all the discussion is about how offended some MPs were by something that John Key said and how brave the MPs are.

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    Open to all - happy weekend ahead, friends.Today I just want to be petty. It’s the way I imagine this chap is -Not only as a political persona. But his real-deal inner personality, in all its glory - appears to be pure pettiness & populist driven.Sometimes I wonder if Simeon ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Government of deceit

    When National cut health spending and imposed a commissioner on Te Whatu Ora, they claimed that it was necessary because the organisation was bloated and inefficient, with "14 layers of management between the CEO and the patient". But it turns out they were simply lying: Health Minister Shane Reti’s ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • The professionals actually think and act like our Government has no fiscal crisis at all

    Treasury staff at work: The demand for a new 12-year Government bond was so strong, Treasury decided to double the amount of bonds it sold. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 6-September-2024

    Welcome to another Friday and another roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. As always, this and every post is brought to you by the Greater Auckland crew. If you like our work and you’d like to see more of it, we invite you to join our regular ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies; Excerpt Four.

    Internal versus external security. Regardless of who rules, large countries can afford to separate external and internal security functions (even if internal control functions predominate under authoritarian regimes). In fact, given the logic of power concentration and institutional centralization of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • A Hole In The River

    There's a hole in the river where her memory liesFrom the land of the living to the air and skyShe was coming to see him, but something changed her mindDrove her down to the riverThere is no returnSongwriters: Neil Finn/Eddie RaynerThe king is dead; long live the queen!Yesterday was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Bright Blue His Jacket Ain’t But I Love This Fellow: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power E...

    My conclusion last week was that The Rings of Power season two represented a major improvement in the series. The writing’s just so much better, and honestly, its major problems are less the result of the current episodes and more creatures arising from season one plot-holes. I found episode three ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    4 days ago
  • Who should we thank for the defeat of the Nazis

    As a child in the 1950s, I thought the British had won the Second World War because that’s what all our comics said. Later on, the films and comics told me that the Americans won the war. In my late teens, I found out that the Soviet Union ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #36 2024

    Open access notables Diurnal Temperature Range Trends Differ Below and Above the Melting Point, Pithan & Schatt, Geophysical Research Letters: The globally averaged diurnal temperature range (DTR) has shrunk since the mid-20th century, and climate models project further shrinking. Observations indicate a slowdown or reversal of this trend in recent decades. ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago
  • Media Link: Discussing the NZSIS Security Threat Report.

    I was interviewed by Mike Hosking at NewstalkZB and a few other media outlets about the NZSIS Security Threat Report released recently. I have long advocated for more transparency, accountability and oversight of the NZ Intelligence Community, and although the … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • How do I make this better for people who drive Ford Rangers?

    Home, home again to a long warm embrace. Plenty of reasons to be glad to be back.But also, reasons for dejection.You, yes you, Simeon Brown, you odious little oik, you bible thumping petrol-pandering ratfucker weasel. You would be Reason Number One. Well, maybe first among equals with Seymour and Of-Seymour ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • A missed opportunity

    The government introduced a pretty big piece of constitutional legislation today: the Parliament Bill. But rather than the contentious constitutional change (four year terms) pushed by Labour, this merely consolidates the existing legislation covering Parliament - currently scattered across four different Acts - into one piece of legislation. While I ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Nicola Willis Seeks New Sidekick To Help Fix NZ’s Economy

    Synopsis:Nicola Willis is seeking a new Treasury Boss after Dr Caralee McLiesh’s tenure ends this month. She didn’t listen to McLiesh. Will she listen to the new one?And why is Atlas Network’s Taxpayers Union chiming in?Please consider subscribing or supporting my work. Thanks, Tui.About CaraleeAt the beginning of July, Newsroom ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Inflation alive and kicking in our land of the long white monopolies

    The golden days of profit continue for the the Foodstuffs (Pak’n’Save and New World) and Woolworths supermarket duopoly. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 5:The Groceries Commissioner has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The thermodynamics of electric vs. internal combustion cars

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler I love thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is like your mom: it may not tell you what you can do, but it damn well tells you what you can’t do. I’ve written a few previous posts that include thermodynamics, like one on air capture of ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Three.

    The notion of geopolitical  “periphery.” The concept of periphery used here refers strictly to what can be called the geopolitical periphery. Being on the geopolitical periphery is an analytic virtue because it makes for more visible policy reform in response … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Venus Hum

    Fill me up with soundThe world sings with me a million smiles an hourI can see me dancing on my radioI can hear you singing in the blades of grassYellow dandelions on my way to schoolBig Beautiful Sky!Song: Venus Hum.Good morning, all you lovely people, and welcome to the 700th ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • I Went to a Creed Concert

    Note: The audio attached to this Webworm compliments today’s newsletter. I collected it as I met people attending a Creed concert. Their opinions may differ to mine. Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Government migration policy backfires; thousands of unemployed nurses

    The country has imported literally thousands of nurses over the past few months yet whether they are being employed as nurses is another matter. Just what is going on with HealthNZ and it nurses is, at best, opaque, in that it will not release anything but broad general statistics and ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • A Time For Unity.

    Emotional Response: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon addresses mourners at the tangi of King Tuheitia on Turangawaewae Marae on Saturday, 31 August 2024.THE DEATH OF KING TUHEITIA could hardly have come at a worse time for Maoridom. The power of the Kingitanga to unify te iwi Māori was demonstrated powerfully at January’s ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again

    National's tax cut policies relied on stealing revenue from the ETS (previously used to fund emissions reduction) to fund tax cuts to landlords. So how's that going? Badly. Today's auction failed again, with zero units (of a possible 7.6 million) sold. Which means they have a $456 million hole in ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Two.

    A question of size. Small size generally means large vulnerability. The perception of threat is broader and often more immediate for small countries. The feeling of comparative weakness, of exposure to risk, and of potential intimidation by larger powers often … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • Nicola Willis’s Very Unserious Bungling of the Kiwirail Interislander Cancellation

    Open to all with kind thanks to all subscribers and supporters.Today, RNZ revealed that despite MFAT advice to Nicola Willis to be very “careful and deliberate” in her communications with the South Korean government, prior to any public announcement on cancelling Kiwirail’s i-Rex, Willis instead told South Korea 26 minutes ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • Satisfying the Minister’s Speed Obsession

    The Minister of Transport’s speed obsession has this week resulted in two new consultations for 110km/h speed limits, one in Auckland and one in Christchurch. There has also been final approval of the Kapiti Expressway to move to 110km/h following an earlier consultation. While the changes will almost certainly see ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago
  • What if we freed up our streets, again?

    This guest post is by Tommy de Silva, a local rangatahi and freelance writer who is passionate about making the urban fabric of Tāmaki Makaurau-Auckland more people-focused and sustainable. New Zealand’s March-April 2020 Level 4 Covid response (aka “lockdown”) was somehow both the best and worst six weeks of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    6 days ago
  • No Alarms And No Surprises

    A heart that's full up like a landfillA job that slowly kills youBruises that won't healYou look so tired, unhappyBring down the governmentThey don't, they don't speak for usI'll take a quiet lifeA handshake of carbon monoxideAnd no alarms and no surprisesThe fabulous English comedian Stewart Lee once wrote a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Five ingenious ways people could beat the heat without cranking the AC

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons Every summer brings a new spate of headlines about record-breaking heat – for good reason: 2023 was the hottest year on record, in keeping with the upward trend scientists have been clocking for decades. With climate forecasts suggesting that heat waves ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • No new funding for cycling & walking

    Studies show each $1 of spending on walking and cycling infrastructure produces $13 to $35 of economic benefits from higher productivity, lower healthcare costs, less congestion, lower emissions and lower fossil fuel import costs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • 99

    Dad turned 99 today.Hell of a lot of candles, eh?He won't be alone for his birthday. He will have the warm attention of my brother, and my sister, and everyone at the rest home, the most thoughtful attentive and considerate people you could ever know. On Saturday there will be ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • Open Government: National reneges on beneficial ownership

    One of the achievements of the New Zealand’s Open Government Partnership Fourth National Action Plan was a formal commitment from the government to establish a public beneficial ownership register. Such a register would allow the ultimate owners of companies to be identified - a vital measure in preventing corruption, money ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt One.

    This project analyzes security politics in three peripheral democracies (Chile, New Zealand, Portugal) during the 30 years after the end of the Cold War. It argues that changes in the geopolitical landscape and geo-strategic context are interpreted differently by small … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Tea and Toast

    When the skies are looking bad my dearAnd your heart's lost all its hopeAfter dawn there will be sunshineAnd all the dust will goThe skies will clear my darlingNow it's time for you to let goOur girl will wake you up in the mornin'With some tea and toastLyrics: Lucy Spraggan.Good ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • NLTP 2024 released – destroying pipeline of shovel ready local projects

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Waka Kotahi yesterday released the latest National Land Transport Plan (NLTP) for 2024-27. The NLTP sets out what transport projects will be funded for the next three years, including both central and local government projects. As expected given the government’s extremely ideological transport policy, it’s ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 week ago
  • Can Brown deliver his roads

    The Government’s unveiling of its road-building programme yesterday was ambitious and, many would say, long overdue. But the question will be whether it is too ambitious, whether it is affordable, and, if not, what might be dropped. The big ticket items will be the 17 so-called Roads of National Significance. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • New paper about detecting climate misinformation on Twitter/X

    Together with Cristian Rojas, Frank Algra-Maschio, Mark Andrejevic, Travis Coan, and Yuan-Fang Li, I just published a paper in Nature Communications Earth & Environment where we use the Computer Assisted Recognition of Denial and Skepticism (CARDS) machine learning model to detect climate misinformation in 5 million climate tweets. We find over half ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • Excerpting “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies.”

    In the late 2000s-early 2010s I was researching and writing a book titled “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Chile, New Zealand and Portugal.” The book was a cross-regional Small-N qualitative comparison of the security strategies and postures of three small … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Hating for the Wrong Reasons: Of Rings of Power, Orcs and Evil

    A few months ago, my fellow countryman, HelloFutureMe, put out a giant YouTube video, dissecting what went wrong with the first season of Rings of Power (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ6FRUO0ui0&t=8376s). It’s an exceptionally good video, and though it spans some two and a half hours, it is well worth your time. But ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: “Least cost” to who?

    On Friday the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment released their submission on National's second Emissions Reduction Plan, ripping the shit out of it as a massive gamble based on wishful thinking. One of the specific issues he focused on was National's idea of "least cost" emissions reduction, pointing out that ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Israeli Lives Matter

    There is no monopoly on common senseOn either side of the political fenceWe share the same biology, regardless of ideologyBelieve me when I say to youI hope the Russians love their children tooLyrics: Sting. Read more ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Luxon Cries

    Over the weekend, I found myself rather irritably reading up about the Treaty of Waitangi. “Do I need to do this?” It’s not my jurisdiction. In any other world, would this be something I choose to do?My answer - no.The Waitangi Tribunal, headed by some of our best legal minds, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Just one Wellington home being consented for every 10 in Auckland

    A decade of under-building is coming home to roost in Wellington. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday September 2:Wellington’s leaders are wringing their hands over an exodus of skilled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Container trucks on local streets: why take the risk?

    This is a guest post by Charmaine Vaughan, who came to transport advocacy via her local Residents Association and a comms role at Bike Auckland. Her enthusiasm to make local streets safer for all is shared by her son Dylan Vaughan, a budding “urban nerd” who provided much of the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    1 week ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #35

    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, August 25, 2024 thru Sat, August 31, 2024. Story of the week After another crammed week of climate news including updates on climate tipping points, increasing threats from rising ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • An Uncanny Valley of Improvement: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power, Episodes 1-3 (Season ...

    And thus we come to the second instalment of Amazon’s Rings of Power. The first season, in 2022, was underwhelming, even for someone like myself, who is by nature inclined to approach Tolkien adaptations with charity. The writing was poor, the plot made no sense on its own terms, and ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Alcohol debris and Crocodile Tears

    I write to you this morning from scenes of carnage. Around the floor lie young men who only hours earlier were full of life, and cocktails, and now lie silent. Read more ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • When Do We Look Away?

    Hi,The first time I saw something that made me recoil on the internet was a visit to Rotten.com. The clue was in the name — but the internet was a new thing to me in the 90s, and no-one really knew what the hell was going on. But somehow I ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • The decades just fly by

    You turn your back for a moment and a city can completely transform itself. It was, oh, just the other day I was tripping up to Kuala Lumpur every few months to teach workshops and luxuriate in the tropical warmth and fill my face with Char Kway Teow.It has to ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • 2024 Reading Summary: August

    Completed reads for August: Aesop’s Fables (collection), by Aesop Berserk: Volume XXV (manga), by Kentaro Miura Benighted, by J.B. Priestly Berserk: Volume XXVI (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVIII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXIX (manga), by Kentaro Miura ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Is recent global warming part of a natural cycle?

    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with John Mason. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is recent global warming part ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • White Noise

    Now here we standWith our hearts in our handsSqueezing out the liesAll that I hearIs a message, unclearWhat else is there to decide?All that I'm hearing from youIs White NoiseLyrics: Christopher John CheneyIs the tide turning?Have we reached the high point of the racist hate and lies from Hobson’s Pledge, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The Death Of “Big Norm” – Exactly 50 Years Ago Today.

    Norman KirkPrime Minister of New Zealand 1972-1974Born: 6 January 1923 - Died: 31 August 1974Of the working-class, by the working-class, for the working-class.Video courtesy of YouTubeThese elements were posted on Bowalley Road on Saturday, 31 August 2024. ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • Claims and Counter-Claims.

    Whose Foreshore? Whose Seabed? When the Marine and Coastal Area Act was originally passed back in 2011, fears about the coastline becoming off-limits to Pakeha were routinely allayed by National Party politicians pointing out that the tests imposed were so stringent  that only a modest percentage of claims (the then treaty ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Interim fix to GST adjustment rules to support businesses

    Inland Revenue can begin processing GST returns for businesses affected by a historic legislative drafting error, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says. “Inland Revenue has become aware of a legislative drafting error in the GST adjustment rules after changes were made in 2023 which were meant to simplify the process. This ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Strong uptake for cervical screening self-test

    More than 80 per cent of New Zealand women being tested have opted for a world-leading self-test for cervical screening since it became available a year ago. Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti and Associate Minister Casey Costello, in her responsibility for Women’s Health, say it’s fantastic to have such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document sets ambitious direction

    Regulation Minister David Seymour welcomes the Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document, which sets out how the Ministry will carry out its work and deliver on its purpose. “I have set up the Ministry for Regulation with three tasks. One, to cut existing red tape with sector reviews. Two, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Māori Education Advisory Group established

    The Education Minister has established a Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group made up of experienced practitioners to help improve outcomes for Māori learners. “This group will provide independent advice on all matters related to Māori education in both English medium and Māori medium settings. It will focus on the most impactful ways we can lift ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • First of five new Hercules aircraft takes flight

    Defence Minister Judith Collins today welcomed the first of five new C-130J-30 Hercules to arrive in New Zealand at a ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base Auckland, Whenuapai. “This is an historic day for our New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and our nation. The new Hercules fleet ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Have your say on suicide prevention

    Today, September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, a time to reflect on New Zealand’s confronting suicide statistics, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “Every death by suicide is a tragedy – a tragedy that affects far too many of our families and communities in New Zealand. We must do ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Action to grow the rural health workforce

    Scholarships awarded to 27 health care students is another positive step forward to boost the future rural health workforce, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “All New Zealanders deserve timely access to quality health care and this Government is committed to improving health outcomes, particularly for the one in five ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Pharmac delivering more for Kiwis following major funding boost

    Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed the increased availability of medicines for Kiwis resulting from the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our Government assumed office, New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Sport Minister congratulates NZ’s Paralympians

    Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has congratulated New Zealand's Paralympic Team at the conclusion of the Paralympic Games in Paris.  “The NZ Paralympic Team's success in Paris included fantastic performances, personal best times, New Zealand records and Oceania records all being smashed - and of course, many Kiwis on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations

    A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report.  “It will have the mandate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Passport wait times back on-track

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New appointments to the FMA board

    Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has today announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) board. Tracey Berry, Nicholas Hegan and Mariette van Ryn have been appointed for a five-year term ending in August 2029, while Chris Swasbrook, who has served as a board member ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • District Court judges appointed

    Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new District Court judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles at the Manukau Court and the Auckland Court in the Accident Compensation Appeal Jurisdiction, are: Jacqui Clark Judge Clark was admitted to the bar in 1988 after graduating ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government makes it faster and easier to invest in New Zealand

    Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment. “There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender

    New Zealand has accepted an invitation to join US-led multi-national space initiative Operation Olympic Defender, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. Operation Olympic Defender is designed to coordinate the space capabilities of member nations, enhance the resilience of space-based systems, deter hostile actions in space and reduce the spread of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government commits to ‘stamping out’ foot and mouth disease

    Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says that a new economic impact analysis report reinforces this government’s commitment to ‘stamp out’ any New Zealand foot and mouth disease incursion. “The new analysis, produced by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, shows an incursion of the disease in New Zealand would have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Improving access to finance for Kiwis

    5 September 2024  The Government is progressing further reforms to financial services to make it easier for Kiwis to access finance when they need it, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.  “Financial services are foundational for economic success and are woven throughout our lives. Without access to finance our ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Prime Minister pays tribute to Kiingi Tuheitia

    As Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII is laid to rest today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has paid tribute to a leader whose commitment to Kotahitanga will have a lasting impact on our country. “Kiingi Tuheitia was a humble leader who served his people with wisdom, mana and an unwavering ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Resource Management reform to make forestry rules clearer

    Forestry Minister Todd McClay today announced proposals to reform the resource management system that will provide greater certainty for the forestry sector and help them meet environmental obligations.   “The Government has committed to restoring confidence and certainty across the sector by removing unworkable regulatory burden created by the previous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • More choice and competition in building products

    A major shake-up of building products which will make it easier and more affordable to build is on the way, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Today we have introduced legislation that will improve access to a wider variety of quality building products from overseas, giving Kiwis more choice and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Joint Statement between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand 4 September 2024, Seoul

    On the occasion of the official visit by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand to the Republic of Korea from 4 to 5 September 2024, a summit meeting was held between His Excellency President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Comprehensive Strategic Partnership the goal for New Zealand and Korea

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Republic of Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol. “Korea and New Zealand are likeminded democracies and natural partners in the Indo Pacific. As such, we have decided to advance discussions on elevating the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • International tourism continuing to bounce back

    Results released today from the International Visitor Survey (IVS) confirm international tourism is continuing to bounce back, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey says. The IVS results show that in the June quarter, international tourism contributed $2.6 billion to New Zealand’s economy, an increase of 17 per cent on last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government confirms RMA reforms to drive primary sector efficiency

    The Government is moving to review and update national level policy directives that impact the primary sector, as part of its work to get Wellington out of farming. “The primary sector has been weighed down by unworkable and costly regulation for too long,” Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.  “That is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Weak grocery competition underscores importance of cutting red tape

    The first annual grocery report underscores the need for reforms to cut red tape and promote competition, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “The report paints a concerning picture of the $25 billion grocery sector and reinforces the need for stronger regulatory action, coupled with an ambitious, economy-wide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government moves to lessen burden of reliever costs on ECE services

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says the Government has listened to the early childhood education sector’s calls to simplify paying ECE relief teachers. Today two simple changes that will reduce red tape for ECEs are being announced, in the run-up to larger changes that will come in time from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Over 2,320 people engage with first sector regulatory review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says there has been a strong response to the Ministry for Regulation’s public consultation on the early childhood education regulatory review, affirming the need for action in reducing regulatory burden. “Over 2,320 submissions have been received from parents, teachers, centre owners, child advocacy groups, unions, research ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs women in horticulture

    “The Government is empowering women in the horticulture industry by funding an initiative that will support networking and career progression,” Associate Minister of Agriculture, Nicola Grigg says.  “Women currently make up around half of the horticulture workforce, but only 20 per cent of leadership roles which is why initiatives like this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Government to pause freshwater farm plan rollout

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