Who needs water anyway

Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, April 30th, 2016 - 46 comments
Categories: Conservation, farming, national, science, sustainability, water - Tags: , ,

It’s not news that NZ’s water supply is degrading. Pollution is increasing, demand is increasing and supply will become more variable with climate change. Back in January:

Urgent need to act on our water supply
…
Despite the weekend’s deluge in the north, summer is barely a month old and already some regions are running low on drinking water. Supplies for farm animals and crops are being rationed.

Trucks are delivering water to parched vineyards in Marlborough. As river levels dip in the hottest months, water quality falls. Warning signs beside freshwater lagoons at Piha, Karekare and Bethells because of overloaded septic tanks are a familiar summer sight.

Toxic algae has been detected at 15 freshwater sites in Canterbury. North of Christchurch, people who draw water from rural supplies with shallow intakes must permanently boil water used for drinking, oral hygiene and food preparation.

The pattern is repeated most years. In all likelihood, the task of ensuring towns and cities – and the countryside – have access to clean and sufficient water, as well as water for recreation, is certain to become a pressing issue. It begs questions whether communities are adequately prepared to cope with water supply stresses, and whether agencies which manage fresh water are on top of their game.

The signs are not positive. …

Forest and Bird:

Choose clean water before it’s too late

New Zealanders are witnessing the greatest theft in our country’s history. Our freshwater is being taken away from us.

While one generation watches as progress and growth is unashamedly used to justify the exploitation of our waterways, another waits to inherit toxic freshwater that is off limits to humans and wildlife.

This crisis has been growing for decades and when we’re told that nothing can be done or that there is no problem, we become jaded. …

The Nats are (supposedly) aiming for a “wadeable” water standard. 12,000 people signed a petition calling for a swimmable standard. Naturally:

Government rejects & opposition embraces campaigners’ calls for fresh waterways to be made ‘swimmable’ at the very least

The Government has shut the door on the 12,000 people who have signed a petition calling for a requirement for our fresh waterways to be “swimmable” at the very least.

The Minister for the Environment Nick Smith says it’s “not realistic nor achievable” for the Government to legislate that all freshwater in lakes, rivers, streams, groundwater, wetlands and estuaries, be “swimmable” rather than “wadeable”, as is currently the case.

Yet the Labour Party is committing to making “swimmable” the minimum standard if it was to be elected into power. …

Related reading, see Can you believe we’re fighting for clean water in New Zealand?, and yesterday’s press release from the New Zealand Recreation Association:

Freshwater plans must go further, says association

The New Zealand Recreation Association (NZRA) has expressed concern about a consultation document that sets out the government’s proposals to improve the management of fresh water, saying the document doesn’t go far enough.
…
Mr Newton said NZRA does not support the Government’s contention that returning already polluted rivers to a swimmable state is impractical or unaffordable. “The Government is proposing that there be a ‘wadeable’ standard of water quality. This is not good enough. Freshwater bodies should be swimmable where possible.”

He said there is a national interest in conservation of freshwater areas, in terms of the value of tourism, biodiversity and recreation. Therefore, a greater share than the 50 per cent proposed in the document should be made available from central government when projects reflect regional gains of national significance. …

It’s not just the surface pollution (like Canterbury’s Lake Forsyth, so poisonous that it is killing sheep and other animals) that is the issue. We have a much more fundamental long term problem:

Scientists warn NZ aquifers are being poisoned by farming

Scientists are warning that our aquifers, the reserves of water under New Zealand’s land surface, are being poisoned by intensive farming.

Although some aquifers are already contaminated, they say the worst is yet to hit because pollutants like nitrate, can take decades to get down to the drinking supply.

Canterbury University’s Dr Jenny Webster-Brown says nitrate will loom large in New Zealand’s future, but it’s already a public health concern. … Pregnant women and mums with young babies on private bores around Ashburton are advised to use bottled water as high nitrate levels can block oxygen in babies and cause the potentially fatal blue baby syndome. Environment Canerbury test results show nitrate hotspots around Canterbury is growing. Nitrate levels also exceed drinking standards in some areas of Southland, Waikato and Bombay due to market gardening leading to nitrate leaching.

But much of the nitrate in underground water now is from farming 30 or 40 years ago, which pre-dates dairy conversions. Dr Webster-Brown says with the dairy industry now using nitrogen, levels will rise distinctly.

Outstanding. Oh and by the way, that big export market that we are always courting has already noticed:

NZ water sent back from China

Hawke’s Bay’s drinking water is not good enough for China, with a shipment of NZ Miracle Water sent back to New Zealand. … “Unfortunately the levels of nitrite were higher than the Chinese standard hence the product was returned.” …

We’ve already locked in an increase in aquifer / supply contamination, but the only sane thing to do is cut back on intensive farming methods immediately. What kind of idiot country screws up its own water supply?


environment-water

water-quality-warning
(Above image Toby Morris)

46 comments on “Who needs water anyway ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. save NZ 1
    30 April 2016 at 8:30 am

    Great post. +100

    While the Nats spare no money for convention centers and corporate welfare, and no one actually ‘owns’ water, (but it can be sold off for $500 apparently to Oravida), it is clear the Natz have zero interest in preserving the environment, let alone understand it.

    • jcuknz 1.1
      30 April 2016 at 9:06 am

      Sadly that is very true.
      and Adam the problem predates the current Nats. [#2]

      • save NZ 1.1.1
        30 April 2016 at 9:13 am

        After 8 years of the Natz, I think it is about time to stop blaming Labour.

        Time to join together and get rid of the Natz and their minor party supporters who have allowed the Natz carnage to continue.

        • leftie 1.1.1.1
          30 April 2016 at 12:26 pm

          +100 SaveNZ, so agree with that.

        • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.2
          30 April 2016 at 9:46 pm

          After 8 years of the Natz, I think it is about time to stop blaming Labour.

          Labour haven’t been dragging their heels as much as National but they’ve certainly held back the necessary steps needed to encourage the environment to flourish. In fact, they too have pushed for more business and growth of the population in the face of environmental damage.

          • leftie 1.1.1.2.1
            1 May 2016 at 1:22 pm

            But a new Labour led coalition government with the Greens and NZ First may take the necessary steps to change that.

    • leftie 1.2
      30 April 2016 at 12:21 pm

      Water is extremely important to everyone, its life, but it is particularly important to Maori. John key sure thought he owned the water when he sold the water rights with the power companies he sold, so why didn’t the Maori party walk away like they did to Labour over the Foreshore and Seabed Act? National’s conflict of interest Oravida is set to make millions dollars a year over the next 30 years for a pittance of $500 p.a. and to add insult to injury, if the corporation drains the local aquifer dry, the deal would require the council to fill it up again by draining the Ashburton River too, a river that already regularly runs dry. (All for the next 30 years). But again, where’s the Maori party on this? One would have expected the Maori party to be outraged like the rest of us are. Not a peep, they are still propping up the Nats.

    • Jack Ramaka 1.3
      30 April 2016 at 12:35 pm

      Isn’t Judith Collins some how linked to Oravida?

      • leftie 1.3.1
        30 April 2016 at 12:57 pm

        Yes, her husband is on the board of Oravida. Oravida is a donor to the National party. As we have seen the National government does favours for its donors, Oravida included. Oravida is also involved in the illegal exportation of swamp Kauri as well.

        • Sabine 1.3.1.1
          30 April 2016 at 3:11 pm

          Jenny Shipley, the dame of National fame was appointed to the board of Oravida.
          With some luck Oravida will now go the ways of Mainzeal.

          • leftie 1.3.1.1.1
            30 April 2016 at 8:08 pm

            I hope so.

            • leftie 1.3.1.1.1.1
              30 April 2016 at 8:24 pm

              Jenny Shipley appears to be an unofficial member of John key’s government, her snout is always in the trough, and you can bet she’s one of a number of people pulling his strings.

              “Dame Jenny Shipley has been Chairman of Genesis Energy since November 2009. She is Chairman of the Company’s Nominations Committee and is also a member of the Company’s Human Resources and Remuneration Committee.

              Dame Jenny is chairman of Seniors Money International Limited, Oravida Waters Limited, Oravida NZ Limited and China Construction Bank (New Zealand). Dame Jenny is also chairman of the Advisory Board on transition for the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority and an executive board member of the New Zealand China Council. Dame Jenny is a member of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority Review Panel and a trustee of the Heart Health Research Trust.”

              <a href="http://www.genesisenergy.co.nz/board-of-directors

              Shipley opened a consultancy firm in Auckland, and her role in overseeing Gerry Brownlee re: Earthquake earns her a $1000 dollars a day pocket money. National as usual takes from those who really need it, and gives to those who don’t.

              • Incognito …
                30 April 2016 at 10:23 pm

                Don’t begrudge Shipley her titles or director & consultancy fees. She’s worked hard for them and they’re well-deserved. In fact, Jenny Shipley got where she’s now through hard work, taking full responsibility for all her actions, and making the right choices since the day of her conception and IMO she’s entitled to everything she can get and she’s born to rule. So, good on her; she’s a role model for all hardworking New Zealanders, particularly women, who want to be successful.

                • Henry Filth …
                  30 April 2016 at 11:19 pm

                  Have you ever thought that you may have a mineral imbalance or deficiency in your diet?

                  • Incognito …
                    1 May 2016 at 2:53 pm

                    Are you going to provide a remote diagnosis of my mineral homeostasis via TS? If so, please also provide an affordable prescription with that. I may have to ask you for your qualifications because I seem to be getting a few unsolicited diagnoses here on TS by people that don’t know shit about me but think they can read my mind as well as my mineral status as it turns out.

  2. adam 2
    30 April 2016 at 8:52 am

    Just one more in a long line of major failures of this national led government.

    I see the Maori party are again long on platitudes to constituents, http://www.maoriparty.org/iwi_rights_to_freshwater of course no leadership on the issue – just more political correctness from them.

    And as always, the Maori party is rock solid supporter of this failed national government.

  3. ianmac 3
    30 April 2016 at 9:20 am

    Christchurch is famous for having pure untreated water from deep artesian bores. The water comes from high up in the Alps but the steady increase of pollution means that soon the sniff of chlorinated water will trickle out the Christchurch taps. Who cares?

    • leftie 3.1
      30 April 2016 at 12:32 pm

      Ianmac. I do. I care !!!

      • ianmac 3.1.1
        30 April 2016 at 5:39 pm

        Me too leftie. The Christchurch water is a bit hard but like all pure water, it is deliciously tasteless. Compare that with the taste of Auckland water.

  4. ianmac 4
    30 April 2016 at 9:22 am

    Great post again Rob. Thanks.

  5. maui 5
    30 April 2016 at 9:40 am

    So are we aiming for wadeable rivers with waders on or without? Not sure if they ever made that clear.

    • Stuart Munro 5.1
      30 April 2016 at 4:17 pm

      The longterm Gnat plan for our rivers is walkable on. Minister of environment should have to drink from all of them.

      • greywarshark 5.1.1
        30 April 2016 at 9:11 pm

        Do you mean that Gnats don’t care if the water is thick enough with pollution to walk on? Or do you mean that Gnats consider themselves divine and superior to such matters as access to water and healthy pure water, and believe if they want to, they can walk on water? Life is complex these days – perhaps both these propositions are right at the same time.

  6. One Two 6
    30 April 2016 at 9:41 am

    Poisoned by primary industry and stolen by private companies and corporations

    Nestle are a prime example

    • Stan D Man 6.1
      20 May 2016 at 6:49 pm

      Fonterra is not far behind Nestle.

      Water is the last resource to be extracted from the hide of NZ (gold and native timber now being exhausted).

      Sam Mahon’s book “The Water Thieves” tells the true story of farmer greed and local body corruption.

      By the time Christchurch residents are told they will have to drink poisoned aquifer water, the current crop of politicians will all have retired on taxpayer-funded pensions. Many will have sold their dairy farms for tax-free capital gains.

      Nice for some.

  7. One Two 7
    30 April 2016 at 9:50 am

    http://illegaleldredtwplanduse.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/planning-commission-passes-water.html?m=1

    The initial lease has an option for 25 years, with two 10 year extensions. Hoffman asked “how is this project good for Eldred Township ,” to which there was no answer.

    Archie Craig made the point that with all the negative press Nestle receives, why should planners believe Nestle will do what they say and be a good neighbor.

  8. Jenny Kirk 8
    30 April 2016 at 9:58 am

    ” What kind of idiot country screws up its own water supply? ”

    Us. Its unbelieveable that our water supplies have reached dangerous drinking levels, and so little is being done to remedy it.

    Good story Rob – wish something like this would hit the daily media EVERY day until it penetrates the mindlessness of those in authority.

    • save NZ 8.1
      30 April 2016 at 11:51 am

      This is the sad effect of globalism. If we had a real MSM in NZ, that had owners that lived here and cared about NZ then they would have more in a stake of not polluting their own nest.

      Sadly neoliberalism seems to have robbed a lot of people of not only morality but also sanity. I guess they feel money is more important than both.

      It also highlights the growing inequality gap. Billionaires through trusts are starting to own more and more and then use that power to grow their base more and more.

      An example billionaire investor Carl Icahn announced that he had sold his shares in Apple and made a $2 billion profit.”We obviously made a great deal of money,” Icahn said.

      So just by having that amount of investment power in a company, billionaires can lower or increase a companies price just by their own buying. Meanwhile those ‘mums and dads’ investors in shares like Apple, have their retirement next egg able to be increased or lowered just on the whims of the 0.1%. A local example is Dick Smith, somehow over a year someone made 400 million in profit, but the company is left bankrupt, employees made redundant and consumers without guarantees.

      It’s like a select few are blood sucking the life out of the rest of the world. And it is getting worse. Now we have people tired of trading pieces of paper and deciding to use their wealth not just to lobby government but to become them and the influence that brings.

      • Heather Grimwood 8.1.1
        30 April 2016 at 12:39 pm

        Surely DRINKABLE water should be the aim. One of the joys ( and attractions to overseas’ tourists not so many years ago was the fact that water could be scooped safely in hands from at least backcountry streams, and not so many decades ago from streams on the coast where I lived. Admitttedly as children, we always checked local knowledge about possible dead animals upstream!!! , but that was before the days of freedom campers who haven’t skills/equipment to ensure they’re not polluting, topdressing with its runoff problem or poison baits for pest eradication( e.g. many farms had own ‘rabbitter’ then living on site with house provided. Sure, they used mainly the inhumane gin-traps, but shooting is productive at right time of day. We as kids used ferrets and dogs…eminently successful).

    • leftie 8.2
      30 April 2016 at 12:34 pm

      +100 Jenny & SaveNZ.

  9. John Shears 9
    30 April 2016 at 3:19 pm

    Great post, keep at it.
    The sooner the Nats go the sooner Ecan can become an elected body rather than appointed. Then there will be a chance that the Canterbury water pollution can be sorted.
    Remember that only a short distance from Ashburton where the right to extract water and possibly bottle and export it is proposed,
    there is Lake Ellesmere already polluted to the extent that the tuna
    (eel) fishery is virtually extinct, a fishery that goes back several hundred years.

    • Heather Grimwood 9.1
      30 April 2016 at 5:40 pm

      to John Shears at 9: Yes, Ellesmere’s condition a very obvious and uncontroversial proof of the situation…tragic.

    • Heather Grimwood 9.2
      30 April 2016 at 5:40 pm

      to John Shears at 9: Yes, Ellesmere’s condition a very obvious and uncontroversial proof of the situation…tragic.

  10. joe90 10
    30 April 2016 at 3:49 pm

    Perhaps a cabinet club member could have their concerns passed on to the minister responsible.
    /

    In a country first, a ban is about to be placed on winter-fishing in parts of Canterbury due to declining river quality.

    Fish & Game said they put the ban in place in order to preserve the fisheries in the region.

    […]

    North Canterbury Fish & Game Council chair Trevor Isitt said the region’s waterways had suffered years of environmental degradation due to intensive agriculture, and a lack of water monitoring.

    “All of our lowland streams now have a classification from mildly to heavily polluted, which is affecting the aquatic environment that our fish live in, and [it] is affecting the spawning that needs to go on for the recruitment of fish in the future.

    “There’s been a huge decrease in fish numbers over the past few years; last season, the sea-run nearly collapsed.”

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/302464/winter-fishing-banned-due-to-river-quality

    Morning Report –

    http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/mnr/mnr-20160428-0748-fish_and_game_ban_trout_fishing_in_canterbury-048.mp3

  11. red-blooded 11
    30 April 2016 at 3:58 pm

    This may not be a popular comment, but the deterioration of our waterways is largely a result of over-farming. If you don’t want the effects, back away from the cause. People who eat meat and use dairy products cause the demand that puts so much pressure on our soils and our waterways. Yes, i know that less intensive agricultural practices and “mitigation” can decrease the damage, but the fact is that farming animals is a very inefficient use of land and water, and stepping away from these practices is something that we can all do to decrease the environmental degradation (and the suffering and killing) that arise from farming animals.

  12. dv 12
    30 April 2016 at 4:41 pm

    This sorta feels like the head in the sand over Ak.

  13. Standard1 13
    30 April 2016 at 6:39 pm

    The big con from National is to imply that we can somehow have:

    * intensive dairying on unsuitable (porous) soils,
    * a massive dairy herd of 5 million animals
    * irrigation schemes subsidised by the taxpayer to boost dirty dairying,

    and still keep rivers and streams flowing with nice clean water.

    Water is a public asset. but National is running a covert water privatisation scheme for the benefit of its rural friends.

    There are limits to growth, but National won’t recognise that fact. It is the most environmentally destructive administration in NZ history.

    [r0b: Welcome – but please choose a different user name for future comments]

  14. Pat 14
    30 April 2016 at 6:43 pm

    no worries….youre probably right

  15. Incognito 15
    30 April 2016 at 7:49 pm

    Good post.

    Because water is a moveable, wandering thing, and must remain common by the law of nature … I can only have a temporary property therein.

    This sentence stood out for me in an excellent recent article by Anne Salmond Water is too valuable to squander.

  16. Lara 16
    30 April 2016 at 9:38 pm

    So the commodity boom in dairy prices encouraged more intensive dairy farming in NZ as farmers maximised their profits.

    They turned NZ into a giant toilet. Cows literally shitting in our waterways.

    They’re the major cause of deteriorating fresh water quality in these last few years.

    And what of Landcorp? Buying up more land and increasing intensive dairy farming on it. Shitting in our water. Bloody government owned Landcorp.

    WTF does the government think its doing owning land and farming it? Government has no business in business. It’s there to govern. Not make profits.

    And now dairy prices are behaving as all commodity prices do. Surprise surprise, bust follows boom. Prices have fallen. I hear many NZ farmers are in dire financial straits.

    And when they face bankruptcy, when they face mortgagee sales, who they gonna sell to?

    Foreigners because they have deeper pockets.

    The bastards have f***ed our waterways, now they’ll sell our land to foreigners.

    And this limp wristed pathetic excuse for a government will let them. And say there’s nothing they can do to stop it, because TPPA.

    THIS is what you voted for NZ.

    I’m disgusted.

  17. Draco T Bastard 17
    30 April 2016 at 9:43 pm

    What kind of idiot country screws up its own water supply?

    They’re called capitalists and they’ve destroyed environments for their own enrichment throughout history:

    Diamond identifies five factors that contribute to collapse: climate change, hostile neighbors, collapse of essential trading partners, environmental problems, and failure to adapt to environmental issues.

    He also lists 12 environmental problems facing humankind today. The first eight have historically contributed to the collapse of past societies:

    1. Deforestation and habitat destruction
    2. Soil problems (erosion, salinization, and soil fertility losses)
    3. Water management problems
    4. Overhunting
    5. Overfishing
    6. Effects of introduced species on native species
    7. Overpopulation
    8. Increased per-capita impact of people

    Further, he says four new factors may contribute to the weakening and collapse of present and future societies:

    9. Anthropogenic climate change
    10. Buildup of toxins in the environment
    11. Energy shortages
    12. Full human use of the Earth’s photosynthetic capacity

  18. Henry Filth 18
    30 April 2016 at 9:48 pm

    “What kind of idiot country screws up its own water supply?”

    Pretty well most of them. It seems to be a completely apolitical passion, independent of economic system.

  19. S-hell 19
    2 May 2016 at 1:40 pm

    Draco, liked ur comment esp the list, but ‘capitalists’ I would say are really the ‘invaders’ or colonisers that badly affected our past, as that period of recent history set up a precedent of ‘war’ and everything was stolen, looted, cut down and drilled out of the ground, by our very rich larger countries, Spain, Britain, Holland, China etc, and all the profits and money went to the ruling families, royal or not. I think capitalism sprung out of this great abundance of stolen goods and land.

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    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A Step–by–Step Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and third–party applications. So, let‘s dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. That‘s why they introduced the “Recently Deleted“ folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Here‘s how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the “Recents“ tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on “Edit“. Select “Show Recently Deleted“. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose “Recover“ to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Here‘s how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose “Erase All Content and Settings“. Follow the on–screen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose “Restore from iCloud Backup“ during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore Third–Party Apps (with Caution): ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago

  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    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
    3 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
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