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When the jet stream slows…

Written By: - Date published: 11:54 am, December 30th, 2017 - 39 comments
Categories: articles, climate change, Environment, global warming, International, Media, newspapers, science, the praiseworthy and the pitiful - Tags: , , ,

Yes, Donald Trump’s an arse. But the headlines that are ridiculing him for his latest statements on global warming are a bit rich given those same publications seem to have “a thing” for reporting on weather and its effects while saying nothing worthwhile about what sits behind it.

The US is experiencing simultaneous high and low temperatures because the jet stream is meandering. That’s the story. That’s what we should be paying attention to – not whether sharks are freezing to death, and not wrapping ourselves up in superior guffawing because of some splab coming from a guy in a big white house.

We’ve warmed the atmosphere above the arctic. And so it’s expanded as warm things do. Meaning the differential or “the gradient” between the tropics and the pole – that determines or limits the pathway of the jet stream, is much less than it used to be. Think of it in terms of a river making its way down a slope. The greater the gradient, the less the river meanders. The jet stream is now meandering. Now throw in the fact that weather fronts ride behind the ridges and troughs of the jet stream. And factor in that since the jet stream is meandering, those weather fronts pass over slower than they would have. And sometimes become “stuck”  when the jet stream falls into a “holding pattern”.

So colder air from the arctic can penetrate much further south than it used to, and warmer air from the tropics can penetrate much further north than it used to. And the whole thing moves east to west much slower than it used to and can also get “stuck”, leading to very prolonged periods of stable weather conditions (eg – conditions or drought or flood).

From across four supposedly serious news outlets – The Guardian, The Independent, The Washington Post and the New York Times – I found nine articles relating to current weather conditions in the US. All publications give headline space to Trump tweeting about “good old global warming” and run secondary stories from that premise. Across all nine pieces the term “jet stream” is used on only four occasions. (Twice in one article from the Washington Post)  Neither the Guardian (US edition) nor the New York Times make any specific mention of what is sitting behind the extreme hot and cold in the US.

So here we are. There’s a man saying stupid things. And there’s extreme weather. End.

Comfortably, that means we don’t have to say anything or do anything about…well, anything.

Here are the articles if you want to bring yourself up to speed on the really important fact that someone is saying some stupid stuff about weather conditions that (apparently) are kind of “just happening” because of a “catch all and meaningless” phenomenon called “global warming”.

The Guardian.  –

Trump’s call for some ‘good old global warming’ ridiculed by climate experts

The Independent –

US weather: East coast freezes while California enjoys record winter temperatures (one mention of the jet stream)

Donald Trump’s comments on climate change would be funny if his actions weren’t so serious

US weather latest: Sharks freeze to death amid extremely low temperatures

The Washington Post –

After chilly forecast, Trump tweets U.S. ‘could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming’  (two references to the jet stream)

Eastern US to endure most numbing New Year’s Eve cold in memory (one mention)

The Trump administration’s position on climate change is all over the place

New York Times –

It’s cold outside. Cue the Trump Global Warming Tweet.

Even Sharks Are Freezing to Death:Winter Rages as the Nation Reels

 

 

 

 

 

39 comments on “When the jet stream slows… ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. francesca 1
    30 December 2017 at 12:27 pm

    “The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum”

    Noam Chomsky , ‘The Common Good’
    Trump serves as an almighty distraction.

  2. dv 2
    30 December 2017 at 12:41 pm

    That is very interesting re the jet stream. First time I have seen it related to climate change.
    It is sorta obvious the was you explain it.
    Thank you Bill.

  3. RedLogix 3
    30 December 2017 at 1:42 pm

    I’ll make one comment on this.

    In the past few months I’ve had at least six or more constructive conversations with people who were initially either hostile or deeply ambivalent to the AGW issue.

    By listening to them, asking questions and making it clear that I heard them and was not interested in dismissing, demeaning or shaming them, I could then start with their clearest or biggest concern, and slowly build a logical, calm and non-confrontational case from there.

    Crucially I never claim superior knowledge, I just point out that I used to work with scientists and I have some understanding of how they think and why I personally believe what they’re telling us.

    I agree with them that climate science is a big complex topic, with a lot of confusing information out there. This is true.

    I confirm that yes the science is never settled, that it’s always growing and changing. That there is no fixed truth and everyone is still searching for better understanding. I tell them how sad it is that such an important question and potentially huge challenge has become so deeply politicised. That the planet really doesn’t give a shit about anyone’s ideology.

    And each time we heard each other; the conversations converged and moved from their fixed starting points. In most instances they said how good it was to talk with someone who ‘knew what they were talking about’. I like to think a small door was opened and at least some people stepped through it.

    Sure there will always be the ideologues who are committed to their position; but the vast majority of people are a complex mix of confused, under-informed, world-weary and just not yet ready to take personal emotional responsibility for the such a complex issue so deeply embedded into the fabric of our civilisation.

    It’s a fearful business, and most people just need some encouragement.

    • Incognito 3.1
      31 December 2017 at 9:11 pm

      An intelligent comment that, with some minor tweaking, could be applied to almost any complex and contentious contemporary issue. A few (recent and not so recent) ‘debates’ here on TS come to mind …

  4. One Two 4
    30 December 2017 at 2:33 pm

    Did you check how often ‘Geo-Engineering’ was used in the same articles, Bill?

    • Bill 4.1
      30 December 2017 at 2:45 pm

      No. Why would I do that?

      I was struck (alongside a few other things) by the lack of explanation and thinking it encourages a hopeless or passive “stuff happening” mentality.

      (The articles are all linked if you want to search them for mention of geo-engineering)

      • Ed 4.1.1
        30 December 2017 at 2:47 pm

        The Gulf Stream – if that goes, we’re in serious trouble.

        • Bill 4.1.1.1
          30 December 2017 at 3:05 pm

          Sure. If the temperature gradients in the oceans “disappear”, then over the course of thousands of years or tens of thousands of years, the oceans become anoxic and mammalian life all over the planet is kind of done for.

          But in case you’ve missed it. We’re in serious trouble right now.

        • lprent 4.1.1.2
          30 December 2017 at 3:41 pm

          The Gulf Stream – if that goes, we’re in serious trouble.

          It will take a while (at a minimum – centuries) for the gulf stream to change modes. In any case it’d be a local problem for parts of the upper Atlantic coasts. Forget the movie edition – that was just stupid. Makes for a good story though.

          But it isn’t the atmosphere with its low molecular masses. The Gulf Stream stopping has a probability in the next couple of centuries similar to that of getting a deccan traps style magma plume or a natural major global winter level asteroid hit.

          Possible, but incredibly unlikely.

          I’m always intrigued at the way that people seem to expect geological events to happen inside their life times. If you think of it in terms of changes in probabilities like and insurance schemes it gets clearer.

          A moderate earthquake (ie like Christchurch) is likely in anyones lifetime – they are frequent enough everywhere. A large earthquakes (ie 8 or more) are only mildly probable if you happen to live a long time in a couple of locations.

          Significant sea level rises are certain if only because of thermal expansion of water as we heat the oceans. Significant ice melt volumes are also certain, but are a lot less certain about the levels. Over a child’s full lifetime these could be anything from a few 10’s of centimeters to a few tens of metres. We simply don’t know enough at present to predict either. But unless cities and farmers are daft enough to think that they can hold back the sea for geological timescales, you will find that societies just move because rises are slow.

          Significant shifts in weather patterns with the consequent bad agricultural effects are certain. No place in the world is more likely to see those than the continental areas in the upper northern hemisphere with their natural rather weird weather patterns (land areas in polar regions are always going to have weird weather). But other places with odd stable weather patterns like the Indian glacial / monsoon cycle are just about guaranteed to be affected. However environments directly moderated by oceans aren’t likely to be significantly affected by shifts in weather patterns.

          and so on. In virtually every case, the glacial pace of change will be slow enough that human societies should adjust reasonably easily if they aren’t up against population/resource limits. The problem is going to be places with populations with limited resources and unstable non inclusive political systems. A lot of the time the adjustments there aren’t going to happen fast enough and they’re likely to lead to refugees and civil and border wars.

          • Ed 4.1.1.2.1
            30 December 2017 at 3:46 pm

            Thank you for your detailed explanation.

          • McFlock 4.1.1.2.2
            30 December 2017 at 8:07 pm

            speaking of which, apparently Israel is having a severe drought and water shortages. They’re having a pray-in.

            • cleangreen 4.1.1.2.2.1
              1 January 2018 at 11:34 am

              Yes true that McFlock;

              A global freshwater war will be iminent in future.

              Many spoke of this decades ago as global population rises and largescale ‘arctic icecap mining’ for freshwater begins in desperation by using insulation around icebergs and floating them to a water storage facility as suggessted may be possible.

              https://www.living-water.co.uk/blog/can-icebergs-be-used-to-source-fresh-water/

              Quote;
              “There are two elements that human beings cannot survive without; water and oxygen. Unfortunately there is a looming water crisis in the world today, with many countries already experiencing water scarcity or water shortages. This has led to the question,” “Can Icebergs Be Used to Source Fresh Water?”

          • RedLogix 4.1.1.2.3
            30 December 2017 at 8:57 pm

            Others suggest the Atlantic Meridonial Circulation Current (AMOC) is less stable than you are painting here Lynn.

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shutdown_of_thermohaline_circulation

            Michael Mann in particular has spoken to it on a number of occasions:

      • One Two 4.1.2
        30 December 2017 at 2:58 pm

        That’s the ‘media’s role’, Bill

        I’ve looked through the articles, which are largely carbon copies of eachother (source reference document/quotes) not credited perhaps…

        ‘The world’ is being trapped in a perpetual state of ‘present time’ where background and historical context/analysis are MIA

        Trapped in perpetual ‘present time’ benefits who/what… (rhetorical and open question)

        It’s not only the ‘climate discussion’ which is MIA

        Seemingly any/all ‘future defining’ discussions are ‘classified/redacted/off the table’

        Unless the discussions are forced to be had, as a starter…

        Perpetual present , it will be

        • Ed 4.1.2.1
          30 December 2017 at 3:07 pm

          The perpetual present is possible when people know little about history.

          Shades of 1984.
          ‘We have always been at war with Eurasia.’

          • One Anonymous Bloke 4.1.2.1.1
            30 December 2017 at 3:35 pm

            Whereas nowadays, history, once stored in libraries, is widely shared and available to all. From many different perspectives, including false ones.

            The perpetual present is possible when people know very little about their own times, whether or not we have something to compare them with.

            That said, the pronouncement that the perpetual present has arrived is fanciful at best. We live in times wherein accelerated change is more-or-less the only certainty. That produces its own sort of inertia, plus ca meme chose, and yet the ramifications of, for example, ‘peak child’ are huge, globally, and most will not have even heard of it.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 4.1.2.2
          30 December 2017 at 3:20 pm

          If you have any evidence whatsoever that geo-engineering is having a significant effect upon anything at all, let alone the gulf stream, now’s a good time to share it.*

          The changes we do see are consistent with a range of global circulation models from Arrhenius on down.

          *please do not waste time citing proposals: you will find them aplenty. Show that it’s happening, explain the results.

        • Ed 4.1.2.3
          30 December 2017 at 3:48 pm

          ‘I’ve looked through the articles, which are largely carbon copies of eachother’

          The media are repeaters not reporters.

  5. Ed 5
    30 December 2017 at 2:46 pm

    Quite simply the media’s role is to dumb down the population.
    It is doing a great job.

    • Bill 5.1
      30 December 2017 at 3:00 pm

      Hmm. There are levels of inquisitiveness and fear and what not that are generally displayed by a population, regardless of whether individuals from that population are in media circles or not.

      It’s slightly more complex than that and sure, preservation of any status quo becomes central to how media operates by “accidental” systemic pressures and dynamics. But there’s certainly no conspiracy.

  6. Macro 6
    30 December 2017 at 5:19 pm

    The blocking events where a high pressure zone remains fixed for some time causing heat waves and/or extreme cold temperatures has been a factor that climate scientists have been examining for a few years. Just how much these blocking events are associated with the breaking down of the Arctic Oscillation and its associated North Atlantic Oscillation is still being studied but there seems no reason to believe it is a major influence on the changing climate of the Northern Hemisphere.
    A good readable article on the relationship between the Jet Stream and the OA can be found here:
    https://skepticalscience.com/jetstream-guide.html

    • Bill 6.1
      30 December 2017 at 6:40 pm

      ….but there seems no reason to believe it is a major influence on the changing climate of the Northern Hemisphere.

      I don’t think anyone has said the jet stream is any kind of an influence on the changing climate. Rather, the changing climate has an influence on the jet stream. And the changes to the jet stream are having a huge influence on weather, because the jet stream is what pushes “fronts” around the globe. It also acts as the demarcation line (for want of a better term) between warmer air of the tropics and colder air of the arctic….keeping one south and the other north.

      If what you’ve written is an accurate summary of the skeptical science pieces, then skeptical science just did a big straw thingee.

      • Anne 6.1.1
        30 December 2017 at 7:20 pm

        Damm… I replied to your 6.1 Bill but forgot to hit reply. See 7.

      • Macro 6.1.2
        30 December 2017 at 7:37 pm

        No Bill the result of global warming (particularly in the Arctic) and the resultant expansion of the atmosphere over the Arctic has lead to the decrease in gradient (as you describe above) with a resultant increased meandering of the Northern Hemisphere midlatitude Jet stream.
        I think we need to go back to the use of “Global warming” rather than “climate change” as the latter is the result of the former.
        There are many climate scientists looking at the relationship between the changing pattern of the Jet stream and the resultant weather patterns:
        http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00087.1
        eg.

        There is an emerging consensus among climate models
        that the midlatitude jet streams will shift poleward in response
        to greenhouse gas forcing (Meehl et al. 2007). The
        subtropical jets are expected to shift in line with an expansion
        of the tropics (Lu et al. 2007), and there is evidence
        that the eddy-driven component of the zonal wind
        will also shift poleward.

  7. Anne 7
    30 December 2017 at 6:59 pm

    Bill, that’s an excellent description of the jet stream link to Climate Change. Did you have a career in Meteorology? In the southern hemisphere the polar jet stream is moving further northward of course, and the tropical jet stream is moving further southward. Hence the ever increasing extremes of weather patterns in the middle latitudes.

    NIWA is expecting a plethora of tropical cyclones in the coming months and some of them are likely to affect NZ – although the La Nina weather pattern we are experiencing is at least in part responsible.

    • Bill 7.1
      31 December 2017 at 3:31 pm

      A career you say? Ha. No. Neither in meteorology nor anything else 😉

      The description isn’t mine btw. It’s a remembered interpretation of a description from a N. American scientist who’s been at the forefront of studying this meandering. I can’t remember her name or I would have linked something of her work somewhere in the piece.

      One thing I’ll say. I believe her research goes somewhat against the rather simple idea of things moving towards or away from the poles. It’s messier and more destructive.

      As far as I know, the southern hemisphere jet stream (the polar one) is unchanged. There has been no marked heating above Antarctica and so no “thickening” of the atmosphere. Antarctica is melting from below due to warmer deep ocean waters – a completely different process to what’s been going on in the Arctic.

      • Anne 7.1.1
        31 December 2017 at 6:16 pm

        It’s 25 years since I left the Met Service and my knowledge is both outdated and been left (by me) to rust away in some far corner if my brain.

        You are right. The actual process of global warming and its effect on climate patterns is no where near as simple as I was suggesting. But to delve too deeply into the intricacies is to lose the interest of the average person who can’t be expected to understand them without extensive tuition. I’m far from being an expert, and there’s people who comment here who are far ahead of me in their expertise and understanding of global warming.

  8. Whispering Kate 8
    30 December 2017 at 8:57 pm

    I can vouch for the weather on the Eastern Seaboard in the US, my family in Baltimore are freezing their butts off with -11C over night and -4 day time temperatures. Then we see California having fierce and dangerous bush fires. Talk about four seasons in a day. NZ is having heaps of extreme weather, gardeners know when the seasons are askew and they sure are these days. The trees and plants are in such a state of confusion its a wonder they can sort out their growing at all.

    This phenomenon is frightening to say the least and like cancer cells the situation will only ever get worse, multiplying in its severity year after year. Its difficult to differientiate the seasons these days. Trump is a cretin and its time the establishment over there did something to relieve him of office. Fortunally some states over there are ignoring him and going ahead with easing off on their energy levels and trying to do their bit, let’s hope more states follow in their footsteps.

    As for Mother Earth, she will reinvent herself as only a good woman can and adjust to her circumstances and it will be us humans that will become extinct, we only have ourselves to blame.

  9. NZJester 9
    30 December 2017 at 9:49 pm

    I think there is something just as big you missed in your article. There is a second factor caused by global warming that is having just as much of an effect on the climate as the Jet Stream. The thermohaline circulation also known as the “global ocean conveyor belt” is being heavily effected by the warming of the ocean. The thermohaline circulation and the jetstream togeather are two of the most powerful forces that drive weather.

    • Galeandra 9.1
      30 December 2017 at 10:34 pm

      True, and the effects may be locked in for a very long time given that the ‘conveyor belt’ may take more than a millenium to complete a cycle of circulation.

  10. Galeandra 10
    30 December 2017 at 10:29 pm

    Thanks for the useful explanation, Bill. To be honest I’m not at all surprised that the articles focussed on Trump’s fatuosity rather than the reasons behind the erratic weather events that USA is having.

    For anyone interested there’s a very good free course run out of University of Queensland ( https://www.edx.org/course/making-sense-climate-science-denial-uqx-denial101x-6) in association with other international universities in Europe and the States.

    The science is well explained and supported by video clips from Mann and many other climate researchers, focuses on how the science is done, the nature of scientific consensus, and the types of illogical or specious arguments employed by denialists (as distinct from sceptics). The overall aim is to strengthen your capacity to deal with denialism and to deal with it through an improved understanding of its intellectual and emotional drivers.

  11. Pat 11
    31 December 2017 at 8:02 am

    A couple more articles to add to the mix ….

    https://phys.org/news/2017-06-climate-gulf-stream.html

    “Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State University, one of the study’s authors, noted that if the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation were to totally collapse over the next few decades, it would change ocean circulation patterns, influence the food chain, and negatively impact fish populations. We would not return to very cold conditions, however, because the oceans have taken up so much heat.”
    “The question is not if things are going to change, the thing is how fast and when are they going to change, and what are the changes we’re going to see. There are changes at the local scale that are occurring on a much shorter time frame, and changes in the long-term that could include the shutdown of the ocean circulation. We need to understand the processes to properly build the models [to make projections].”

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/04/06/scientists-say-the-unique-arctic-ocean-is-being-transformed-before-our-eyes/?utm_term=.d101dbb1c78c

    “In essence, the feedback between an warmer atmosphere, sea ice, and the underlying ocean weaken the isolation of the large heat source in the Atlantic Water from the sea ice cover,” said Peter Schlosser, an oceanographer at the Earth Institute at Columbia University, who called the paper “interesting and important.” “If this continues it could accelerate the sea ice decline and also a change of the
    stratification and general dynamics of the upper water layers in the Arctic Ocean.”

    As to timeframes theres one basic data set that should be providing pause for consideration….

    https://www.google.co.nz/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mygreenlife.com.au/media/article-images/au-co2-emissions.png&imgrefurl=http://www.mygreenlife.com.au/articles/paying-the-piper/&h=874&w=1372&tbnid=EtYuc036ZT8VYM:&tbnh=134&tbnw=211&usg=__ctV0M4sIFRUZ_tLF9WspTfuAStI%3D&vet=10ahUKEwie-qzCqbLYAhUIVbwKHbULDqMQ9QEINTAA..i&docid=mLY7Naf0CKIN1M&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwie-qzCqbLYAhUIVbwKHbULDqMQ9QEINTAA

  12. cleangreen 12
    31 December 2017 at 10:27 am

    Thankyou Bill,

    Very well put there.

    Everyone can benefit from your cear interpretation of the interaction shift of the jetstreams and moving of mass warmer air into the far reaches of the polar icecaps.

    The south pole is suffering similar incussion as our own weather patterns are reaping vast changes in our past patterns with the North Island central regions experiencing more cloud cover and wetter seasons around early summer with higher winds.

    We are are in for a very rocky road ahead but gladly we now have a more responsive government regarding our climate change events and what we need to do to start preparing for it and now cut back our emissions by using rail freight and reducing fuel hungry road freight, as a start here.

    Labour found a National party anitiated tstudy “buried” “called “The value of rail in NZ” by Ernest & Young for Kiwirail and NZTA that confirmed using rail instead of road freight would sve our economy and health $1.5 billlion just using our current rail use which as at 6%, – so it could be increased to $11 Billion in savings to us if rail use was increased to 50% easily while saving carbon emissions too.

    A ‘no brainer’ again we see.

    Happy new year for a better year for all in 2018.

  13. Robert Atack 13
    1 January 2018 at 10:46 am

    Humans have been responsible for unprecedented increases in CO2/CH4 (time wise)
    Many climate commentators (Peter Wadham for one) have said we are in unprecedented times.
    Most comments about how fast and bad it is going to be are based on history, but there is no historic precedent to compare a 120ppm + increase in CO2 and a near trebling of CH4 in such a short time, never before has there been so much CH4 and carbon held just below the guaranteed soon to melt ice, NEVER.
    Never b4 has there been a 3 ppm rise in CO2 in just 12 months, NEVER.
    Never b4 has there been so much ice on the planet at the same time as 407. ppm CO2/ 1.8 ppm CH4
    Most comments are based on hope, being as there is nothing to compare our situation with … in a good way that is.
    Like we know sustained 350 – 400 ppm CO2 = no global ice, up to 80 meter sea level rise, and no life as we know it.
    Humans are programmed for hope, we can’t help ourselves.
    54,000 species went extinct last year, it will only take one of those to be all of us.

    And lets not talk about the 440 potential/probable ‘Fukushimas’

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    Sometimes you see your friends making the case so well on social media you think: just copy and share.On acceptance and decency, from Michèle A’CourtA notable thing about anti-trans people is they way they talk about transgender women and men as though they are strangers “over there” when in fact ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Climate Change: More Labour sabotage
    Not that long ago, things were looking pretty good for climate change policy in Aotearoa. We finally had an ETS, and while it was full of pork and subsidies, it was delivering high and ever-rising carbon prices, sending a clear message to polluters to clean up or shut down. And ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Is bundling restricting electricity competition?
    Comparing (and switching) electricity providers has become easier, but bundling power up with broadband and/or gas makes it more challenging. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā TL;DR: The new Consumer Advocacy Council set up as a result of the Labour Government’s Electricity Price Review in 2019 has called on either ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Westland Milk puts heat on competitors as global dairy demand  remains softer for longer
    Hokitika-based Westland Milk Products  has  put the heat on dairy giant Fonterra with  a $120m profit turnaround in 2022, driven by record sales. Westland paid its suppliers a 10c premium above the forecast Fonterra price per kilo, contributing $535m to the West Coast and Canterbury economies. The dairy ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    2 days ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    * Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public office and becoming lobbyists and ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • A miracle pill for our transport ills
    This is a guest post by accessibility and sustainable transport advocate Tim Adriaansen It originally appeared here.   A friend calls you and asks for your help. They tell you that while out and about nearby, they slipped over and landed arms-first. Now their wrist is swollen, hurting like ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago

  • The Surprising Power of Floating Wind Turbines
    Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • The next Maori challenge
    Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Secret “war-crime” warrants by International Criminal Court is mischief-making
    The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    3 days ago

  • How to answer Drunk Uncle Kevin's Climate Crisis reckons
    Let’s say you’re clasping your drink at a wedding, or a 40th, or a King’s Birthday Weekend family reunion and Drunk Uncle Kevin has just got going.He’s in an expansive frame of mind because we’re finally rid of that silly girl. But he wants to ask an honest question about ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • National’s Luxon may be glum about his poll ratings but has he found a winner in promising to rai...
    National Party leader Christopher Luxon may  be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but  he could be tapping  into  a rich political vein in  describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining,  with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: More Labour foot-dragging
    Yesterday the IPCC released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report, warning us that we have very little time left in which to act to prevent catastrophic climate change, but pointing out that it is a problem that we can solve, with existing technology, and that anything we do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Te Pāti Māori Are Revolutionaries – Not Reformists.
    Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • When does history become “ancient”, on Tinetti’s watch as Minister of Education – and what o...
    Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Climate Catastrophe, but first rugby.
    Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • What the US and European bank rescues mean for us
    Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?
    Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • It’s Raining Congestion
    Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Checking The Left: The Dreadful Logic Of Fascism.
    The Beginning: Anti-Co-Governance agitator, Julian Batchelor, addresses the Dargaville stop of his travelling roadshow across New Zealand . Fascism almost always starts small. Sadly, it doesn’t always stay that way. Especially when the Left helps it to grow.THERE IS A DREADFUL LOGIC to the growth of fascism. To begin with, it ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • Good Friends and Terrible Food
    Hi,From an incredibly rainy day in Los Angeles, I just wanted to check in. I guess this is the day Trump may or may not end up in cuffs? I’m attempting a somewhat slower, less frenzied week. I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new record on non-stop, and it’s been a ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – What evidence is there for the hockey stick?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Carry right on up there, Corporal Espiner
    RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are we shortchanged democratically by the way ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • This smells
    RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Major issues on the table in Mahuta’s  talks in Beijing with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has left for Beijing for the first ministerial visit to China since 2019. Mahuta is  to  meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang  where she  might have to call on all the  diplomatic skills  at  her  command. Almost certainly she  will  face  questions  on what  role ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • Inside TOP's Teal Card and political strategy
    TL;DR: The Opportunities Party’s Leader Raf Manji is hopeful the party’s new Teal Card, a type of Gold card for under 30s, will be popular with students, and not just in his Ilam electorate where students make up more than a quarter of the voters and where Manji is confident ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Make Your Empties Go Another Round.
    When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. Bush
    Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER:  Te Pāti Māori’s uncompromising threat to the status quo
    Chris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politics
    Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards step
    Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Talking’ Posey Parker Blues
    by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    4 days ago

  • More Māori words make it into the OED, and polytech boss (with rules on words like “students”) ...
    Buzz from the Beehive   New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Social intercourse with haters and Nazis: an etiquette guide
    Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • The Greens, Labour, and coalition enforcement
    James Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • This sounds familiar…
    RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Letter to the NZ Herald: NCEA pseudoscience – “Mauri is present in all matter”
    Nick Matzke writes –   Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • So what would be the point of a Green vote again?
    James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Genetic Heritage and Co Governance
    Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON: Radical Uncertainty
    Brian Easton writes – Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s Middle East strategy, 20 years after the Iraq War
    This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago

  • The motorways are finished
    After seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • Kicking National’s tyres
    National’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • As long as there is cricket, the world is somehow okay.
    Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • So much of what was there remains
    The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report   IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Financial capability services are being bucked up, but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they c...
    Buzz from the Beehive  The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Things that make you go Hmmmm.
    Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • The hoon for the week that was to March 19
    By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    1 week ago

  • Saving Stuart Nash: Explaining Chris Hipkins' unexpected political calculation
    When word went out that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would be making an announcement about Stuart Nash on the tiles at parliament at 2:45pm yesterday, the assumption was that it was over. That we had reached tipping point for Nash’s time as minister. But by 3pm - when, coincidentally, the ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    1 week ago

  • Radical Uncertainty
    Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go on to attack physics by citing Newton.So ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago

  • Jump onto the weekly hoon on Riverside at 5pm
    Photo by Walker Fenton on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on Riverside (we’ve moved from Zoom) for our chat about the week’s news with ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • The Dream of Florian Neame: Accepted
    In a nice bit of news, my 2550-word deindustrial science-fiction piece, The Dream of Florian Neame, has been accepted for publication at New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). I have published there before, of course, with Of Tin and Tintagel coming out last year. While I still await the ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago

  • Snakes and leaders
    And so this is Friday, and what have we learned?It was a week with all the usual luggage: minister brags and then he quits, Hollywood red carpet is full of twits. And all the while, hanging over the trivial stuff: existential dread, and portents of doom.Depending on who you read ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • This station is Karanga-a-Hape, Chur!
    When I changed the name of this newsletter from The Daily Read to Nick’s Kōrero I was a bit worried whether people would know what Kōrero meant or not. I added a definition when I announced the change and kind of assumed people who weren’t familiar with it would get ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Greens don’t shy from promoting a candidate’s queerness but are quiet about govt announcement on...
    There was a time when a political party’s publicity people would counsel against promoting a candidate as queer. No matter which of two dictionary meanings the voting public might choose to apply – the old meaning of odd, strange, weird, or aberrant, or the more recent meaning of gay, homosexual ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 17
    Photo by Joakim Honkasalo on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:PM Chris Hipkins announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but which blew up ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Slow consenting could create $16b climate liability by 2050
    Even though concern over the climate change threat is becoming more mainstream, our governments continue to opt out of the difficult decisions at the expense of time, and cost for future generations. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Now we have a climate liability number to measure the potential failure of the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • THOMAS CRANMER: Challenging progressivism in New Zealand’s culture wars
    Thomas Cranmer writes  Like it or not, the culture wars have entered New Zealand politics and look set to broaden and intensify. The culture wars are often viewed as an exclusively American phenomenon, but the reality is that they are becoming increasingly prominent in countries around the world, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • District Court Judges appointed
    Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Christopher John Dellabarca of Wellington, Dr Katie Jane Elkin of Wellington, Caroline Mary Hickman of Napier, Ngaroma Tahana of Rotorua, Tania Rose Williams Blyth of Hamilton and Nicola Jan Wills of Wellington as District Court Judges.  Chris Dellabarca Mr Dellabarca commenced his ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • New project set to supercharge ocean economy in Nelson Tasman
    A new Government-backed project will help ocean-related businesses in the Nelson Tasman region to accelerate their growth and boost jobs. “The Nelson Tasman region is home to more than 400 blue economy businesses, accounting for more than 30 percent of New Zealand’s economic activity in fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • National’s education policy: where’s the funding?
    After three years of COVID-19 disruptions schools are finally settling down and National want to throw that all in the air with major disruption to learning and underinvestment.  “National’s education policy lacks the very thing teachers, parents and students need after a tough couple of years, certainty and stability,” Education ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Free programme to help older entrepreneurs and inventors
    People aged over 50 with innovative business ideas will now be able to receive support to advance their ideas to the next stage of development, Minister for Seniors Ginny Andersen said today. “Seniors have some great entrepreneurial ideas, and this programme will give them the support to take that next ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government target increased to keep powering up the Māori economy
    A cross government target for relevant government procurement contracts for goods and services to be awarded to Māori businesses annually will increase to 8%, after the initial 5% target was exceeded. The progressive procurement policy was introduced in 2020 to increase supplier diversity, starting with Māori businesses, for the estimated ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Continued progress on reducing poverty in challenging times
    77,000 fewer children living in low income households on the after-housing-costs primary measure since Labour took office Eight of the nine child poverty measures have seen a statistically significant reduction since 2018. All nine have reduced 28,700 fewer children experiencing material hardship since 2018 Measures taken by the Government during ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Speech at Fiji Investment and Trade Business Forum
    Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamica; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tēnā koutou katoa, ni sa bula vinaka saka, namaste. Deputy Prime Minister, a very warm welcome to Aotearoa. I trust you have been enjoying your time here and thank you for joining us here today. To all delegates who have travelled to be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government investments boost and diversify local economies in lower South Island
    $2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government future-proofs EV charging
    Transport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • World-leading family harm prevention campaign supports young NZers
    Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • First Chief Clinical Advisor welcomed into Coroners Court
    Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Next steps for affected properties post Cyclone and floods
    The Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New appointment to Māori Land Court bench
    E te huia kaimanawa, ko Ngāpuhi e whakahari ana i tau aupikinga ki te tihi o te maunga. Ko te Ao Māori hoki e whakanui ana i a koe te whakaihu waka o te reo Māori i roto i te Ao Ture. (To the prized treasure, it is Ngāpuhi who ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government focus on jobs sees record number of New Zealanders move from Benefits into work
    113,400 exits into work in the year to June 2022 Young people are moving off Benefit faster than after the Global Financial Crisis Two reports released today by the Ministry of Social Development show the Government’s investment in the COVID-19 response helped drive record numbers of people off Benefits and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Vertical farming partnership has upward momentum
    The Government’s priority to keep New Zealand at the cutting edge of food production and lift our sustainability credentials continues by backing the next steps of a hi-tech vertical farming venture that uses up to 95 per cent less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Conference of Pacific Education Ministers – Keynote Address
    E nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou kātoa. Warm Pacific greetings to all. It is an honour to host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Aotearoa is delighted to be hosting you ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New $13m renal unit supports Taranaki patients
    The new renal unit at Taranaki Base Hospital has been officially opened by the Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall this afternoon. Te Huhi Raupō received around $13 million in government funding as part of Project Maunga Stage 2, the redevelopment of the Taranaki Base Hospital campus. “It’s an honour ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Second Poseidon aircraft on home soil
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the country’s second P-8A Poseidon aircraft alongside personnel at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base at Ohakea today. “With two of the four P-8A Poseidons now on home soil this marks another significant milestone in the Government’s historic investment in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Further humanitarian aid for Türkiye and Syria
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