Why New Zealand’s educational standards are crashing

Written By: - Date published: 4:29 pm, December 4th, 2013 - 55 comments
Categories: education, Hekia parata, same old national, uncategorized - Tags:

The PISA results are now out.  From 2009 to 2012 New Zealand’s educational standards have apparently crashed.  Our results have gone from seventh in reading and science to 13th and 18th respectively, and from 12th to 23rd in maths amongst the 65 countries engaged in the study.

Hekia Parata has said that the cause is not the introduction of National Standards but because of a major shift in the curriculum in the last three years and under-investment in teachers’ skills.  She may be right but she does not acknowledge that funding for teacher professional development was cut in 2009 and the money was transferred to the National Standards Programme.  There may be a direct link between the drop in standards and the roll out of National Standards.

The 2008 briefing for the Education Minister gave a snapshot of the education system that National was inheriting under Labour.  Three points stand out from the briefing:

  1. The average performance of New Zealand 15-year-olds in mathematics, science and reading literacy placed New Zealand at that time among the top performing countries of the OECD.
  2. The Government was urged to continue with professional development programs for teachers.  The Numeracy Development Project, established in 2000, had resulted in significant improvements. Between 2002 and 2007 the percentage of Year 6 students achieving at or above the expected level in mathematics increased from 40 percent to 61 percent while the percentage classified as at risk decreased from 30 percent to 13 percent.
  3. The Literacy Strategy, also established in 2000, also saw significant improvements.  A 2008 evaluation showed that after taking into account expected growth and maturation, students’ gains in reading and writing were twice those that could be expected without the intervention and that schools accelerated the rate of progress for the majority of the at-risk students by four times the expected rate.  The Minister was also urged to continue with this programme.

So what happened?  In Budget 2009 then Minister Ann Tolley gave private schools $35 million extra funding, announced the roll out of National Standards and at the same time cut funding for the literacy and numeracy projects despite their effectiveness. If she wanted to do something for literacy and numeracy she would have not done this.  She was obviously looking to appease National Supporters and introduce testing for PR purposes at the cost of two quality programs.  It is not difficult to see a link between declining professional standards and the subsequent decline in PISA results.

Of course this is probably only half the reason for the decline.  The ongoing attacks by the Government on the teachers unions and fiascos such as the Novopay have sapped morale and reduced the effectiveness of teachers.  And the growth of inequality and poverty is no doubt one of the major contributors.  Young people will not perform to their best if they are hungry or stressed or living in overcrowded conditions or their family is suffering financially.  Attacks on working conditions and on beneficiaries will inevitably have an adverse effect on their children.  I am sure that it is no coincidence that worsening results have occurred at the same time as increasing disparity in our society has occurred.

There could be implications for the Government’s Charter School policy.  As noted by Gordon Campbell the Pisa report comes out strongly against Charter Schools.  He quotes Andreas Schleicher, the OECD’s deputy education director as saying the following:

My organisation [the OECD] is very strong on choice, enabling citizens to make choices, and you would expect that systems with greater choice would come out better. You expect competition to raise performance of the high performers and with low performers put them out of the market. But in fact you don’t see that correlation… Competition alone is not a predictor for better outcomes… The UK is a good example – it has a highly competitive school system but it is still only an average performer.”

And further,

Our data doesn’t show much of a performance difference between public and charter and private schools once you account for social background.”

What this occurrence has done is shoot down in flames any pretence that National may claim that it cares about improving education standards.  It is willing to attack teachers unions, is totally indifferent to the effects of poverty on the lives of young people, and is willing to engage in mass state funded PR at the expense of a rounded previously high quality education system.

When it comes to education National does not have a clue.  It needs to be removed from office before it does further damage.

55 comments on “Why New Zealand’s educational standards are crashing ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Philj 1
    4 December 2013 at 4:38 pm

    Xox
    Hekia’s response, “Trust us, and give us time for it to work”
    All fools us, for this unfortunate experiment of a government.

    • mickysavage 1.1
      4 December 2013 at 5:01 pm

      In Parliament this afternoon the Nats have started to run the line that it was all Labour’s and the Teacher Unions’ faults. They are so predictable …

      • BrucetheMoose 1.1.1
        4 December 2013 at 7:15 pm

        This is Key’s government of we are right and everybody else is wrong, and when it goes all wrong, it’s somebody else’s fault. Re writing politics and accountability according Johnny. Who the hell votes for this imposter?

      • Dumrse 1.1.2
        4 December 2013 at 8:31 pm

        I guess you’re not denying it shows some agreement to the progress being made. And, don’t forget the choice we will all have.

      • Draco T Bastard 1.1.3
        4 December 2013 at 9:15 pm

        +1

        The party of personal responsibility never takes responsibility for their own actions.

  2. Rogue Trooper 2
    4 December 2013 at 4:42 pm

    My pick; NZ will not be able to claw back from these slips (short of drilling, mining and fracking Bonanzas Hoss). This is the century of Hop-Sing! 🙂
    -“Dance to your Daddy my little laddie
    Dance to your Daddy, my little man
    When thou art a young boy, you must sing and play
    Go along the shore and cast your shells away
    Build yourself a castle, watch the tide roll in.”

  3. tc 3
    4 December 2013 at 4:45 pm

    Keep the message simple and get all Mp’s any opportunity to repeat it : national is failing our kids and doing so in the face of evidence that told them this would happen.

    All this and those taxpayer funded charter schools yet to kick in.

  4. Chooky 4
    4 December 2013 at 4:50 pm

    +100…good post!

  5. Tracey 5
    4 December 2013 at 5:02 pm

    Yup failure of charter schools to be the promised panacea are inevitable.

    Beware the various “research” available on charter schools versus public schools

    http://shankerblog.org/?p=5867

    also see

    employees review Charter Schools USA

    http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Charter-Schools-USA-Reviews-E234934.htm

    Also

    “Fed up with persistently poor student results in Ohio’s eight largest urban school districts, Republican state legislators enacted a law in 1997 allowing charter schools to locate exclusively within the boundaries of the “Big 8” systems.

    Sixteen years later, charters statewide performed almost exactly the same on most measures of student achievement as the urban schools they were meant to reform, results released under a revamped Ohio report-card system show. And when it comes to graduating seniors after four years of high school, the Big 8 performed better.

    Akin to a deregulation movement, charters operate under different rules: Operators are allowed to turn a profit from a portion of the tax money they’re given and don’t have to follow state laws that dictate everything from the distribution of textbooks to minimum teacher salaries to school-board elections. In return for that freedom, their supporters expected them to deliver strong academic results.

    But what started as an experiment in fixing urban education through free-market innovation is now a large part of the problem. Almost 84,000 Ohio students — 87 percent of the state’s charter-school students — attend a charter ranking D or F in meeting state performance standards.”
    http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/09/01/charter-schools-failed-promise.html

  6. Tracey 6
    4 December 2013 at 5:09 pm

    Mickey

    have our results slipped or have others moved ahead of us? If the second, then our standards, that is, results, could be the same as last report.

    • mickysavage 6.1
      4 December 2013 at 5:22 pm

      Hi Tracy

      I understand that our results are declining. There is a graph at the link below that suggests that our overall performance is getting worse, the results for our top end students still above average but getting worse and the results for our low end average but getting worse. Not very pretty …

      http://www.compareyourcountry.org/pisa?cr=F024&lg=en

  7. Phaedrus 7
    4 December 2013 at 5:11 pm

    Their education cupboard is now empty. Didn’t have much to start with, mind you! Expect a rev up in implementation of existing programmes. PPP schools in Christchurch for a start.

  8. Disraeli Gladstone 8
    4 December 2013 at 5:12 pm

    I would like to state early on that we put too much damn stock in the PISA rankings. Teaching, just like learning, isn’t something that you can just set up a league table for (or otherwise we’d all just support National Standards?).

    The fact of the matter is that they’re a good indicator when used with other measurements and studies. On their own, we put too much stock in reports and numbers that can be faulty. Also important to note that while the UK is average on test results, on enjoyment at school, they’re at the top and the Asian Elites are toward the bottom.

    Neither position is ideal.

    Somewhere in the middle is nice.

  9. Rogue Trooper 9
    4 December 2013 at 5:25 pm

    nice? The particular combination (perfect storm) of historical influences that NZ is increasingly facing the outcomes of -the inevitable outcomes of inequality produced by our particular form of Welfare State, for example, disproportionately benefiting the ‘boomer generation’ , numerically speaking; trading in the NZ dollar (paper economy), interest paid to Australian-owned banks; deregulation; the centrality of neo-classical liberal economics (Chicago School) ; post-colonial hangovers; residential property speculation bias; climate change; dairy intensification; movement into greater fossil fuel extraction; INEQUALITY; just add it up!

    • Colonial Viper 9.1
      4 December 2013 at 5:33 pm

      Bernard Hickey noted yesterday that NZ’s “terms of trade” was at a 40 year high (this is good), in other words the value of imported goods that we can access with our exports. But even so our current account deficit was well in the red at 5% of GDP. The implication being that when those terms of trade decline, that current account deficit will worsen considerably. And foreign money will end up owning more of NZ, worsening the situation further.

  10. ghostrider888 10
    4 December 2013 at 5:27 pm

    In your head would preferable to needing to show the workings! Gottit? Fucking entitled Tory pestilence.

  11. Craig Glen Eden 11
    4 December 2013 at 5:36 pm

    The unions told National that National Standards would not lift student performance and it hasn’t.
    How you are going to improve teacher performance by cutting the money invested in teacher professional development heaven wouldn’t even know, but apparently the National Party knows best.
    Then you cut funding to State schools and increase funding to Private Schools.
    Then you cut funding for therapist to special needs kids in public schools because the National Party knows best
    Then you set up Schools that are not subject to the same scrutiny/standards that is expected of public Schools despite no evidence that they will improve student achievement why? Because the National Party knows best.

    The animals have control of the zoo and the shit is mounting up!

    • amirite 11.1
      4 December 2013 at 5:49 pm

      +100

    • Anne 11.2
      4 December 2013 at 5:51 pm

      On the button Craig Glen Eden! You don’t need a PHD or be a trained teacher to see why it’s all going belly up! You don’t need any Inquiry either because the reasons are under our noses for all to see.

      Huge cuts to Education spending
      Cuts to curriculum.
      Blocking off the avenues for adults to acquire qualifications or retrain.
      Cuts to supply of state houses.
      Cuts to employment opportunities.

      then:

      Demonisng those who, through no fault of their own, are forced through the cracks by the above cuts.

      • Colonial Viper 11.2.1
        4 December 2013 at 6:06 pm

        Steps to increase teacher morale and leadership skills needed

        Plus I don’t hear good things about M. Ed in Welly

      • Draco T Bastard 11.2.2
        4 December 2013 at 9:44 pm

        You don’t need a PHD or be a trained teacher to see why it’s all going belly up!

        No you don’t but you do need to be able to accept facts that are contrary to your ideology. National is incapable of this.

    • Fran 11.3
      4 December 2013 at 8:56 pm

      Thank you

  12. Will@Welly 12
    4 December 2013 at 5:41 pm

    What pisses me off is this will take a generation to turn around. Merv Wellington oversaw a similar destruction when he was Minister, why can’t Ministers just leave well alone. Children’s education is just too important to muck around with. Sorry, teachers are trained to teach, those of you who think you know better, why don’t you sign up, and see if you can do better.

    • Rogue Trooper 12.1
      4 December 2013 at 6:06 pm

      not being a politician, no admissible criticism of teachers from me, or primary health workers; Jesus Wept, as he watched upon the gentrification of Godzone. Where’s that ‘money-changers’ pic Viper, I too fail to bookmark occasionally. Sh!ts gonna’ hit the fan now, many parents politics are motivated by their children’s perceived needs.

  13. Macro 13
    4 December 2013 at 6:28 pm

    Actually these results are a total reflection on our increasingly inequality as a society, not only have our overall performance in the critical areas declined, but there has also been a significant decline in the performance of lower socio-economic groups and a fall in the number of high achievers. The commentators don’t seem to get this point yet (eg K Ryan on Radio NZ this morning flabber gastered that inequality could have had such an effect in just 3 years), but they simply fail to see, that the only ones doing well under the current administration are the uber rich. Those in the middle are going backwards financially with respect to the upper brackets as are those at the bottom, just not as quickly.

    So what it appears now is we have a new society with a distinct class structure.

    Those who have

    Those in the middle who think they have but are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.

    Those who have not and have no prospect of ever doing anything about it.

    These PISA results are simply a reflection of our society as it is now. The sooner NZ wakes up to this new reality the better.

  14. irascible 14
    4 December 2013 at 8:29 pm

    Some interesting findings from the PISA results.
    Sweden has suffered an education decline since the introduction od Charter Schools.
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/03/swedish-results-fall-free-schools-pisa-oecd

    The UK results have slipped back since the advent of the Cameron-Clegg Tory government and the introduction of TEst, Test, Test and Charter Schools.
    http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/dec/03/uk-students-education-oecd-pisa-report

    Researchers raise questions about conclusions being drawn from PISA because of its methodology.
    http://www.theguardian.com/news/2013/dec/03/pisa-methodology-education-oecd-student-performance

    One does start to wonder if there is a correlation between neo-liberal “reforms” of education as implemented by conservative governments in Europe and in NZ. It would appear so.

  15. Rodel 15
    4 December 2013 at 8:57 pm

    I meet and talk with a lot of immigrants.

    One of the main reasons they want to settle in New Zealand is the superiority of our education for their children. This include Japanese, Korean and Chinese parents, and a few Americans plus others .

    They all think our broad based education is far better than their narrow test and teach systems.
    I suspect the so called assessments by renowned OECD assessors is invalid and has little reliability or authenticity.

    Many of the immigrant parents say..’children in our country can read, write, do math but are not taught to think.’

    • Draco T Bastard 15.1
      4 December 2013 at 10:08 pm

      Many of the immigrant parents say..’children in our country can read, write, do math but are not taught to think.’

      And if we keep going the way National are taking us our children won’t be taught to think either. I sometimes wonder if this is what National wants because who don’t think also don’t question.

    • grumpy 16.1
      5 December 2013 at 12:17 pm

      Yep read that. So those same academics who were happy to use our PISA rankings to claim there was no need for National Standards, now want to discredit those same rankings when the results do not go their way.
      I agree that results in the PISA exam tells us little about the value of subject content, it’s usefulness in life and give nothing more than an indication but the sheer hypocrisy from the teachers unions and education academics is breathtaking.

  17. Steve Wrathall 17
    4 December 2013 at 9:40 pm

    Why? NCEA. Which your lot brought in. Students can now cherry-pick the easiest credits. Why work hard?

    • Draco T Bastard 17.1
      4 December 2013 at 10:40 pm

      Actually, it was National that brought in NCEA, the Labour led government started fixing it and now National are fucking it up again.

      • millsy 17.1.1
        4 December 2013 at 11:16 pm

        Back in 1997 I was doing NCEA. Only back then we just called it ‘Unit Standards’. It was National that brought in the whole concept of unit standards and mastery learning, etc and it fucked up education in this country. Any old cowboy could offer up a certificate and create unit standards for making beds, playing golf and ringing people up.

        If you want to blame anything for the state of our education system, and the ‘long tail’ in this country, you blame the Tomorrow’s Schools model, which privatised school support and made schools compete with each other, to the point where they would rather attract international students and hope the underachivers get themselves expelled.

        • Rogue Trooper 17.1.1.1
          5 December 2013 at 10:45 am

          many accurate points millsy; thankful I was gone before NCEA, although, if they’d offered Units in rock music appreciation, majoring in Tom Petty, Joy Divison and The Clash, I’d be a different man today! (School was shit for lower decile equivalents when I was there).

          • Rodel 17.1.1.1.1
            5 December 2013 at 10:33 pm

            Reluctantly agree that Lange’s ‘Tomorrow’s schools was a stupid idea promulgated by some twit whose name I can’t remember..Picot was it? ( I believe he was a manager of a light bulb factory) who had read an obscure Canadian manual about semi privatizing education and got paid a lot of money to regurgitate the idea which was swallowed by Lange & co.and Roger Douglas / Prebble clapped their gleeful hands.

  18. tricledrown 18
    4 December 2013 at 11:02 pm

    Education achievement constantly went up under labour down under national 1990to 1999 standards fell here we Go again cutting investment in education and demoralizing teachets again same result.
    National are slow learners!

  19. infused 19
    5 December 2013 at 12:46 am

    Can’t use league tables in schools, but we use them to compare us to the rest of the world. Only when it suits eh.

    • Colonial Viper 19.1
      5 December 2013 at 1:15 am

      The country league tables also say zip about what NZ needs to do to improve, say zip about why we have fallen, and say zip about why other countries improved.

      In other words, just as useful as National Standards.

      • grumpy 19.1.1
        5 December 2013 at 10:55 am

        Pretty well correct but without standards how will we know if outcomes have fallen. A bit like the canary in the mine, they tell you something is happening but it’s up to you to look at the indication and figure out what to do about it.

  20. Psycho Milt 20
    5 December 2013 at 6:09 am

    From 2009 to 2012 New Zealand’s educational standards have apparently crashed. Our results have gone from seventh in reading and science to 13th and 18th respectively, and from 12th to 23rd in maths amongst the 65 countries engaged in the study.

    “Apparently” is the best word for it. It takes kids 12 years to pass through the education system, so if a study is showing a dramatic change in quality over a three-year period in the absence of a war or something similarly disruptive, you really have to ask a few questions about the reliability of the study. This might be a tempting propaganda stick to beat the government with, but it’s not a very convincing one.

  21. Philj 21
    5 December 2013 at 7:05 am

    Xox
    Sad to say but this is depressing. The Nats misgovernment, or non government, fails our kids at school. Dumb parents vote National back in. It’s a vicious self fulfilling cycle. It’s us folks, we’re too stupid to realise it. Sad, but kind of funny. And we are top of the non corruption countries. There is the proof of our gullibility and dumocracy right there folks. Hahaha. Take all you can JK, make hay. You can fool most of the people most of the time.

  22. Rogue Trooper 22
    5 December 2013 at 10:47 am

    somebody has the wrong end of the stick!

  23. captain hook 23
    5 December 2013 at 11:39 am

    this is what happens when yew get people who cant reed and who dont believe in the moon landing in charge.
    The National government are basically a party of carpebaggers and lowbrows who think they know everything just because they have had their false teeth polished.

  24. grumpy 24
    5 December 2013 at 12:09 pm

    Same argument in Australia who have just dumped a Labor Government
    http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/test-scores-show-were-being-outclassed/story-fni0ffxg-1226775380344

    This argument will go nowhere unless people start looking at the global perspective and why the Western education systems are failing to keep up, not the political leanings of individual countries, however appealing that might be to local political interests.

  25. tc 25
    5 December 2013 at 2:02 pm

    All part of their plan, as the late George Carlin put it
    US Dream

  26. Delia 26
    5 December 2013 at 6:54 pm

    The sight of Anne Tolley blaming the teacher’s unions for these stats beggers belief. The contempt she sneered at teachers. No wonder teachers are feeling undervalued.

  27. JanM 27
    10 December 2013 at 7:15 am

    I am intrigued by all the comments from people who still think that the decline of our education system under a National Governmens arises out of ignorance rather than intent. Really?

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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
    20 hours 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    7 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
    9 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
    10 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
    11 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
    11 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
    11 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
    14 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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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