Will Sandy decide the election?

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 7:47 am, October 30th, 2012 - 53 comments
Categories: disaster, us politics - Tags:

The US Presidential election is close. Really close. The political futures markets favour Obama about 2 to 1 but polls of the nationwide popular vote and the polls in key states, such as Ohio and Virginia, are essentially tied. Enter the October surprise – Sandy, the latest ever recorded Atlantic storm, now coming ashore and pounding key battleground states.

The campaign itself has been pushed from the headlines. Obama has cancelled appearances to make sure the federal and state governments are ready to react. That’s his job as President, and it’s also smart politics.

Obama has been given an extraordinary opportunity to show himself as commander-in-chief. He is guaranteed lots of TV time, not at campaign events but doing the job for which he is currently applying. If he and the government handle the situation well, he will benefit just as Bob Parker did in the aftermath of the first Christchurch earthquake, which saved Parker’s bacon in the 2010 local elections.

The opportunities for Romney are much more limited. He will be denied air-time by the disaster itself. He won’t have a valid reason to tour disaster areas; unlike the President, he has no resources to command in the relief effort (unless the campaign decides to cancel ads and give the money to disaster relief – that could be smart). And if things do go wrong, Romney will only have a matter of days to make a big deal over them while, somehow, not appearing to be trying to make political capital out of people’s misfortune.

These factors would seem to be to Obama’s advantage. But the disaster itself could be the opposite.

Early voting has already been cancelled in Maryland (a safe Democrat state) and there is a possibility it could be affected in the large battleground states of Virginia and Ohio right through to election day, next Tuesday. If voting is more difficult, if people are displaced and the campaigns’ get out the vote systems are disrupted, that would probably favour Romney, who is more likely to win the fewer people vote.

It’s a hell of a way to decide an election.

53 comments on “Will Sandy decide the election? ”

Comments are now closed

One Tāne Huna 1

30 October 2012 at 7:54 am

The US Presidential election is close. Really close.

Is it? The pollster with the best track record, Nate Silver, doesn’t seem to think so.
- Lanthanide 1.1
  
  30 October 2012 at 9:28 am
  
  Yes, I was going to post that link myself.
  
  Don’t bother listening to the MSM reporting of polls because it’s always rubbish. If you look at Nate’s site, Gallup and Rasmussan have been giving Romney a much larger lead than all the other polls and the MSM leads to create drama and get attention so these are the polls they report on. The MSM also tends to report on nationwide popular vote polling, which don’t give a good view of the likely election outcome.
  
  Ohio is pegged with a 75% chance for Obama to win it. In a post a week or so ago, Nate said that out of 40,000 election simulations, the winner of Ohio went on to win the election 38,000 times. With Obama favoured fairly heavily in Ohio, it seems likely he’s going to win.
  
  I heard a mention on Morning Report a few days ago that exit polling of early voters in Ohio are voting 60/40 in favour of Obama – that in itself gives Obama a huge lead. A commenter on fivethirtyeight says they live in one of the democratic-leaning counties in Ohio and says there has been a massive early-voting push by the democrats and the republicans’ push isn’t nearly as strong.
TheContrarian 2

30 October 2012 at 10:04 am

Don’t forget Romney suggested FEMA should be privatised and wanted to stop funding for disaster relief. Yeah, I wonder how that will pan out for those in the path of this storm.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/politics-of-fema-mitt-romney-suggested-less-federal-involvement-paul-ryan-budget-scrutinized/
- millsy 2.1
  
  31 October 2012 at 9:36 pm
  
  Yeah, read that in the paper today (yes they still have them).
  
  Where I on Obama’s staff I would be suggesting that he makes it known coast to coast and border to border.;
johnm 3

30 October 2012 at 10:05 am

The real issue here, far more serious is that Sandy is an extreme manifestation of Climate Change: ‘ Physicist Paul Beckwith explains here how this ‘Frankenstorm’ is a result of anthropogenic climate change:

” All storms veer to the right in the northern hemisphere due to the spinning of the earth (1 revolution per day). Except when there is a tilted high pressure region northward and it has to go left and there is a massive low pressure region left that sucks it there as well.
Why the high pressure ridge and massive low pressure? Because the jet stream is wavier and slower, a situation that is happening more and more often, because of massive sea ice decline this summer. Which is due to Arctic amplification feedbacks. Which in turn is due to rising greenhouse gases. Which is due to humans.” ‘

“Watching Sandy, Ignoring Climate Change”
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/10/29-8
- Steve Wrathall 3.1
  
  30 October 2012 at 4:15 pm
  
  Usually climate vultures at least have the decency to wait until a notable weather event is over before (on zero evidence) asserting it is because of human-induced GW
  - One Tāne Huna 3.1.1
    
    30 October 2012 at 5:28 pm
    
    Cry, baby.
  - Georgecom 3.1.2
    
    30 October 2012 at 8:51 pm
    
    Steve, you think it could be related to the large recent solar flare?
    http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/10/23/Sun-emits-powerful-flare/UPI-73841351016398/
    
    Seems to be one of the fav excuses for those who want to avoid some responsibility for a warming planet.
- infused 3.2
  
  30 October 2012 at 5:20 pm
  
  Yeah fuck off.
  - felix 3.2.1
    
    30 October 2012 at 9:09 pm
    
    Yeah, you tell that climate change to just fuck right off.
toad 4

30 October 2012 at 12:04 pm

This just had to happen. Some dickhead fundy named John McTernan blames “the gays” for Hurricane Sandy.
- TheContrarian 4.1
  
  30 October 2012 at 12:09 pm
  
  Gays and Obama.
- felix 4.2
  
  30 October 2012 at 2:15 pm
  
  How fucking stupid. Everyone knows the gays cause rainbows, not hurricanes.
  
  It’s the Jews that cause hurricanes.
  - Gosman 4.2.1
    
    30 October 2012 at 4:13 pm
    
    No, definately the Gays.
    
    http://www.uproxx.com/media/2012/08/colbert-explains-how-gay-sex-causes-hurricanes/
    - felix 4.2.1.1
      
      30 October 2012 at 4:40 pm
      
      Seems reasonable
      - Gosman 4.2.1.1.1
        
        30 October 2012 at 5:10 pm
        
        Indeed.
        
        If we don’t oppose the Gay marriage bill soon we will be getting hit with Hurricanes too.
        
        Is it pure coincidence that prior to this marriage bill Hurricanes have not been a problem in NZ? I think not.
        
        One Tāne Huna 4.2.1.1.1.1
        
        30 October 2012 at 5:15 pm
        
        Bloody hell Gos I think you’re onto something there.
        
        If only you could bring this clarity of thinking to the rest of your comments 🙂
        
        Lanthanide 4.2.1.1.1.2
        
        30 October 2012 at 5:19 pm
        
        What about cyclone bola?
        
        McFlock …
        
        30 October 2012 at 5:31 pm
        
        not 2 years after homosexual acts were made legal! It’s Jebus, I tells ya!
        
        One Tāne Huna …
        
        30 October 2012 at 5:37 pm
        
        Straight to Hell for you boy.
        
        PlanetOrphan …
        
        30 October 2012 at 5:49 pm
        
        Ohh goody goody goody, Hey M8! ….. We’ve got guests 😀
        
        We’ll need the “Big Whips & chains” for these ones M8!
        
        Naahh M8, the new flashy ones 😀
        
        Where’s the “L” plates ?
        
        Georgecom 4.2.1.1.1.3
        
        30 October 2012 at 8:53 pm
        
        Gosman, the Hurricanes can’t hit a barn door with a cannon, never mind top form. Doubt NZ will have much to worry about there. It’ll be the Super 10,000 before the Hurricanes ever win anything.
        
        So, yes, its pure coincidence that the Hurricanes are rubbish.
- the pink postman 4.3
  
  30 October 2012 at 2:50 pm
  
  Make’s a change from blaming the Jews!
  - Dv 4.3.1
    
    30 October 2012 at 2:57 pm
    
    Well Pastor John thank god its not god.
    
    (There is something wrong with that statement)
- SpaceMonkey 4.4
  
  30 October 2012 at 6:14 pm
  
  I thought it was HAARP that caused Sandy… 🙂
Pascal's bookie 5

30 October 2012 at 2:41 pm

Reckon anyone who reckons they have a good reckoning about how this plays out politically can just fuck up for a few minutes myself.

but hey.

And notwithstanding the damage in haiti and stuff.

but this is pretty freaky:

.@weatherchannel confirms this is a legit picture of flooding at PATH station http://t.co/OxrfjYFr #sandy

— Craig Kanalley (@ckanal) October 30, 2012
Pascal's bookie 6

30 October 2012 at 2:48 pm

Haiti:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/world/americas/yet-another-blow-to-haiti-from-hurricane-sandy.html

The government said that the homes of as many as 200,000 people had been damaged — on top of almost 400,000 people still homeless from the January 2010 earthquake. “We have a lot of work ahead of us in terms of the aid that we will need to deliver in the days, weeks and months to come,” Mr. Lamothe said. “It won’t be easy because there are many roads and bridges that have been cut off.”

Coming on the heels of Tropical Storm Isaac in August, the latest storm has piled new misfortune on Haiti, as it struggles to recover from the earthquake and the cholera epidemic that broke out 10 months later, which has killed thousands and sickened more than half a million people.
- karol 6.1
  
  31 October 2012 at 7:41 am
  
  Yes, it’s frustrating how catastrophes in the US get major world coverage, but countries like Haiti, are left to suffer with little visibility.
Pascal's bookie 7

30 October 2012 at 2:53 pm

power station blows up in NYC, starts at about 17 secs on the video:

http://www.businessinsider.com/massive-explosion-at-manhattan-con-ed-plant-video-2012-10

Looks to be the plant pictured on the right here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_Edison#Systems
- Draco T Bastard 7.1
  
  30 October 2012 at 4:06 pm
  
  Looks more like electrical arcing rather than an explosion.
  - PlanetOrphan 7.1.1
    
    30 October 2012 at 4:20 pm
    
    Same thing when it’s Megavolts.
Brett Dale 8

30 October 2012 at 2:58 pm

Five dead so far, heres hoping there is no more.
karol 9

30 October 2012 at 3:06 pm

Someone I know in Manhattan was surprised to get loud emergency alerts from NYC government on their cellphones.
- Colonial Viper 9.1
  
  31 October 2012 at 8:01 am
  
  Wait until they turn on your cell phone’s transmitting microphone without you even knowing…. 😈
Steve Wrathall 10

30 October 2012 at 4:12 pm

But according to obamanomics, this will be good for the economy. Just think of all those broken windows!
- One Tāne Huna 10.1
  
  30 October 2012 at 5:17 pm
  
  What’s the matter, Wrathall, did it blow harder than you?
karol 11

30 October 2012 at 4:44 pm

Oh… the folly of nuclear power?

Reuters storm-tracker:

“Exelon declares alert at Oyster creek nuclear reactor in New Jersey due to rising water from Storm Sandy” – @Megan in our live blog
infused 12

30 October 2012 at 5:22 pm

Keep an eye on http://www.liveleak.com

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a63_1351561436
starlight 13

30 October 2012 at 6:44 pm

Surely, Sandy won’t decide the outcome of the election, Will it ? Romney is a ‘nincompoop’
who changed verbal course when the ‘secret video’ went viral, in which he stated that he
“wasn’t concerned about 47% of americans,they will vote for Obama anyway” etc,etc,
If this idiot is voted in,(which i doubt), 47% of Americans will go through immeasurable
pain and hardship, first off he will axe Obama Care, next he will get rid of Big Bird, If
Romney can go from one extreme to the other,who knows what will be next, if he wins.
Jenny 14

30 October 2012 at 8:53 pm

I just can’t believe the sheer inanity.

Will Sandy decide the election

WTF

A harbinger of an apocalyptic change in the climate’s only relevance, is to the outcome of an election!?

Good grief, no wonder we’re doomed.
Adrian 15

30 October 2012 at 9:19 pm

Yeah, we’re doomed, just like the last time this happened in 1888.
AmaKiwi 16

30 October 2012 at 9:22 pm

“Will Sandy decide the election?”

If it’s close, corruption will decide the election. It’s the American way.

Chicago’s mayor, whose motto was “vote early and vote often,” almost surely won the 1960 election for JFK.

In 2000 the world observed George W. Bush use corruption right up to the Supreme Court to defeat Al Gore. In 2004, he used widespread computer fraud to defeat John Kerry.

Apologies @Jenny, you’re absolutely right. In one of those debates Obama and Romney were falling all over themselves to convince the voters they’d make sure they had as much cheap fossil fuel as they needed to destroy us all with global warming.

Brings a new meaning to “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.”
- SHG 16.1
  
  31 October 2012 at 6:50 pm
  
  In 2004, he used widespread computer fraud to defeat John Kerry.
  
  Thank Glub he did, could you imagine a Kerry/Edwards administration? With Edwards a heartbeat away from the Big Chair?
  - Colonial Viper 16.1.1
    
    31 October 2012 at 6:58 pm
    
    You mean as opposed to Darth Cheney a heartbeat away from the big chair?
Jenny 17

30 October 2012 at 10:56 pm

When the Nazis invaded Poland

In Britain, and even here in distant NZ, political parties, whatever their stripe, dropped their incessant bickering and formed a grand coalition to beat back the enemy. All political leaders that kept quite, or refused to join the fight against the Nazi menace, were labeled as conscientious objectors, or even worse, quislings, if they persisted they were interned. All talk about the economy which up to that point had been the number one top political issue was swept from the front pages of the Newspapers and radio bulletins. (This despite New Zealand and the world still being mired in an ongoing depression and economic slump) This was all forgotten. Mobilising to defend civilisation against what was determined to be an existential threat, became the order of the day. And all human and material forces were rallied to the cause.

Now; Imagine, if you will, that in 1939 instead of launching their first attack on Poland, the Nazis had launched an air raid on the East Coast cities of America, wreaking mayhem, damaging buildings and infrastructure, shutting down electricity grids, halting the subways and all other public transport, causing injury and the death of dozens.

The response would have been the same.

Forward 70 years and probably an even greater threat to humanity is greeted with silence by political parties and pundits on both sides of the divide,even in the country under direct assault. And the burning issue of the day is not how to mount an all party response, but whether all the death and destruction might affect the running and outcome of an election.
- Colonial Viper 17.1
  
  31 October 2012 at 12:55 am
  
  Central government has no implementable answers to the energy/resource predicament that this civilisation is in.
Jenny 18

30 October 2012 at 11:06 pm

When the Nazis invaded Poland

In Britain, and even here in distant NZ, political parties, whatever their stripe, dropped their incessant bickering and formed a grand coalition to beat back the enemy. All political leaders that kept quite, or refused to join the fight against the Nazi menace, were labeled as conscientious objectors, or even worse, quislings, if they persisted they were interned. All talk about the economy which up to that point had been the number one top political issue was swept from the front pages of the Newspapers and radio bulletins. (This despite New Zealand and the world still being mired in an ongoing depression and economic slump) This was all forgotten. Mobilising to defend civilisation against what was determined to be an existential threat, became the order of the day. And all human and material forces were rallied to the cause.

Now; Imagine, if you will, that in 1939 instead of launching their first attack on Poland, the Nazis had launched an air raid on the East Coast cities of America, wreaking mayhem, damaging buildings and infrastructure, shutting down electricity grids, halting the subways and all other public transport, causing injury and the death of dozens.

The response would have been the same.

Forward 70 years and an even greater threat to humanity is greeted with silence by political parties and pundits on both sides of the divide, and the name of the enemy is never mentioned even in the country under direct assault. And the burning issue of the day is not how to mount an all party response, but whether all the death and destruction might affect the running and outcome of an election.

Past generations would think we are crazy and they would be right.
Jenny 19

30 October 2012 at 11:27 pm

So where does all this come in for New Zealand political parties today.

Well…..

In my opinion this present government’s weakest point is climate change. Landcorp has decided to forgo climate change mitigation and is converting forestry to dairy. Solid energy is dumping their wood chip plant while winding down for privatisation and a huge expansion of private open cast coal mining for export.

The government is talking about reneging on our Kyoto commitments. And the ETS is nothing but a rort on the taxpayer which has actually overseen a rise in emissions.

Capitalising on the government’s weakness on this issue, just as was done over the government’s failure on jobs, the Greens should call for an opposition summit on Climate Change.
Jenny 20

31 October 2012 at 12:46 am

Climate Change deniers release photo of devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy

http://instagram.com/p/RZ0uQ3MGjC/

Laugh while you still can
Tom 21

31 October 2012 at 8:44 am

Ok, where’s the conspiracy theory ?
- karol 21.1
  
  31 October 2012 at 8:54 am
  
  HAARP: New technologies to induce storms.
Brett Dale 22

31 October 2012 at 10:03 am

Gov Christie has been praising, President Obama all day, very surprised by that.
- Pascal's bookie 22.1
  
  31 October 2012 at 10:08 am
  
  Donald Trump is being a prize arsehole, not at all surprised by that:
  
  http://t.co/8A41tMEp

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Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
3 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gordon Campbell on firing Stuart Nash, plus a music playlist
Here’s an analogy for the Stuart Nash saga. If people are to be forgiven for their sins, Catholic dogma requires two factors to be present. There has to be a sincere act of confession about what has been done, but also a sincere act of contrition, which signals a painful ...
Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
6 days ago

Gordon Campbell on firing Stuart Nash, plus a music playlist
Here’s an analogy for the Stuart Nash saga. If people are to be forgiven for their sins, Catholic dogma requires two factors to be present. There has to be a sincere act of confession about what has been done, but also a sincere act of contrition, which signals a painful ...
Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
6 days ago

Political Roundup: 17 March 2023
STUART NASH Felix Desmarais (1News): Nash’s continued tenure far less tenable now Herald: Stuart Nash resigns as Police Minister: Almost faced contempt charge in 2020 over comment about cop killer’s arrest Felix Desmarais (1News): Revealed: Nash warned in 2020 on public comments on separate court case Amelia Wade (Newshub): Stuart ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
6 days ago

Weaponising Illegal Immigration.
Human Destabilisers: Russia now has a new strategic weapon – migratory waves of unwelcome human-beings. Desperate people with different coloured skins and different religious beliefs arriving at, or actually breaching, the national borders of Russia’s enemies can wreak as much havoc, culturally and politically, as a hypersonic missile exploding in the ...
Bowalley Road
6 days ago

Bonus Content: James from Simply Fresh
Hi,After Webworm contributor Hayden Donnell wrote his latest piece, ‘RIP to Millennials Killing Everything’, he delivered this exciting and important bonus content.It will make more sense if you’ve read his piece.David. Read more ...
David FarrierBy David Farrier
6 days ago

RIP to Millennials Killing Everything
Hi,Before we get to Hayden’s column — RIP to Millennials Killing Everything — a quick observation.There was a day last week where it had suddenly reached 10pm and I hadn’t eaten all day. Hunger had suddenly gripped me with a panicky all-consuming force, so I jumped onto Uber Eats and ...
David FarrierBy David Farrier
6 days ago

Some new CMIP6 MSU comparisons
We add some of the CMIP6 models to the updateable MSU comparisons. After my annual update, I was pointed to some MSU-related diagnostics for many of the CMIP6 models (24 of them at least) from Po-Chedley et al. (2022) courtesy of Ben Santer. These are slightly different to what ...
Real ClimateBy Gavin
6 days ago

Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2023
Open access notables Jeongmin Yun et al. tag increasing acidifcation as a root cause of changes in behavior of CO2 fluxes below the equator, in Enhanced seasonal amplitude of atmospheric CO2 by the changing Southern Ocean carbon sink. "The enhanced seasonal amplitude of atmospheric CO2 has been viewed so far primarily as a Northern Hemisphere ...
Skeptical Science
7 days ago

Is it time for Mr Wolf?
In a memorable Pulp Fiction scene, Vincent inadvertently shoots their backseat passenger in the head. This leads our heroes Jules and Vincent to express alarm about their predicament.We're on a city street in broad daylight here! says Vincent. We gotta get this car off the roads. You know cops tend to ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
7 days ago

Labour’s austerity victimises teachers
Primary, secondary and kindergarten teachers are all on strike today, demanding higher pay and an end to systematic understaffing. While the former is important - wages should at least keep up with inflation - its the latter which is the real issue. As with the health system, teachers have been ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
7 days ago

Teachers Take Strike Action!
So the teachers are on strike, marching across Aotearoa today to press their demands for better pay and working conditions.Children remained in bed this brisk morning, many no doubt quite pleased about a day off school. Parents perhaps taking the day off to look after the kids, or working from ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
7 days ago

The return to Big Wars.
After the Cold War the consensus among Western military strategists was that the era of Big Wars, defined as peer conflict between large states with full spectrum military technologies, was at an end, at least for the foreseeable future. The … Continue reading → ...
KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
7 days ago

Dairy giant Fonterra posting a big lift in profit underlines the importance of the dairy industry ...
Dairy giant Fonterra has posted a 50% lift in net profit to $546m, doubled its interim dividend, and is proposing a return of capital of 50c a share, injecting a note of optimism into the nation’s dairy industry. Fonterra’s strong performance is against a backdrop of market volatility. It ...
Point of OrderBy tutere44
7 days ago

Latest BoP figures show NZ sinking deeper into the red, but O’Connor is doing his bit to put thing...
Buzz from the Beehive The bothersome economic news today is that New Zealand’s GDP fell by 0.6% in the December quarter, weaker than market forecasts of a fall of around 0.2% and much weaker than the Reserve Bank’s assumption of a 0.7% rise. This followed the even-more-bothersome news yesterday that ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
7 days ago

Labour's climate policy bonfire just blew up the ETS
Ouch: Hipkins’ policy bonfire has resulted in an expensive self-administered removal of a Budgetary foot with an explosive device. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Bonfires can be dangerous things when they get out of control. They also create a lot of smoke and heat and burn the grass. ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
1 week ago

Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Stuart Nash’s resignation shows our leaders need a lesson in ...
* Dr Bryce Edwards writes – I teach a first-year course at Victoria University of Wellington about government and the political process in New Zealand. In “Introduction to Government and Law”, students learn there are rules preventing senior public servants from getting involved in big political debates – as we ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
1 week ago

Bryce Edwards: Stuart Nash’s resignation shows our leaders need a lesson in civics
I teach a first year course at Victoria University of Wellington about government and the political process in New Zealand. In “Introduction to Government and Law”, students learn there are rules preventing senior public servants from getting involved in big political debates – as we have recently witnessed with Rob ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
1 week ago

Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Integrity issues at the heart of resignation
An issue of integrity has claimed the first ministerial scalp in Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ premiership. Police Minister Stuart Nash lasted mere weeks in the role after admitting in a radio interview this morning that he had called Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to ask him if police were going to ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
1 week ago

CRL’s COVID Cost Change
For some time now we’ve known that the cost and completion timeframe for the City Rail Link would increase. Yesterday we finally learned by just how much. Costs City Rail Link Ltd (CRL Ltd) today confirms it has submitted a formal funding request to its Sponsors – the Crown and ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
1 week ago

Speed limits hit pot holes
The Government’s decision to back peddle on lowering speed limits is hitting potholes. At this stage, although it is part of the Government’s reprioritisation efforts to free up money to alleviate cost of living increases, the speed limit change looks unlikely to do that. And it appears that it ...
PolitikBy Richard Harman
1 week ago

Greens ask Auckland MPs across party lines to speak up on Council budget proposals
Auckland Central Green MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to all Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland based Members of Parliament requesting their urgent attention to Auckland Council’s unprecedented slash-and-burn proposals. ...
Greens
7 hours ago

Enough slow progress, 2023 is a fight for our future
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised in their State of the Planet speech today. ...
Greens
4 days ago

Greens call time on slow progress
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party after the election must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised today. ...
Greens
4 days ago

Green Party co-leader James Shaw's State of the Planet speech, 2023
You will never truly understand, from the pictures you’ve seen in the newspapers or on the six o-clock news, the sheer scale of the devastation wrought by Cyclone Gabrielle. ...
Greens
4 days ago

More cost of living support for Kiwis
We’re boosting incomes and helping ease cost of living pressures on Kiwis through a range of bread and butter support measures that will see pensioners, students, families, and those on main benefits better off from the start of next month. ...
Labour Blog
6 days ago

Greens back teachers’ demands
The Green Party backs the demands of the teachers’ strikers. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Greens will waste no time with Minister for Zero Waste
The error Labour Ministers made by stopping work on a beverage container return scheme will be reversed by the Greens at the earliest opportunity as part of the next Government. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Greens secure win for clean transport
The Green Party has made it easier for commuters to access e-bikes thanks to an amendment to tax rules. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Greens will always prioritise action on climate and inequality
“Cabinet needs to do better - and today has shown exactly why we need Green Ministers in cabinet, so we can prioritise action to cut climate pollution and support people to make ends meet,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Bold action needed to help people eat
Biggest increase in food prices for over three decades shows the need for an excess profit tax on corporations to help people put food on the table. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Another Green transport idea gets the green light
The Government’s announcement today that it will improve Christchurch’s bus system comes after Green and NGO pressure. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Greens back teachers’ strike
The Green Party stands with teachers in their request for fair pay and decision to strike. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Greens launch submission guide for Auckland Council budget
The Green Party has today launched a submission guide to help Aucklanders give crucial input and prevent potentially disastrous Auckland Council budget proposals. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

When even the Nats agree bank profits are out of control, it’s time for an excess profits tax
With calls growing for inquiries and action on bank profits, the Greens say the Government has all the information it needs to act now and put a levy on banks. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Climate action must remain priority in transport investment
As large parts of Aotearoa recover from two of the worst climate disasters we have ever experienced, it would be a huge mistake for the Government to deprioritise climate action from future transport investments, the Green Party says. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Historic oceans treaty a wake-up call for Aotearoa
The Green Party is celebrating the signing of a historic United Nations Ocean Treaty, and calls on the new Oceans and Fisheries Minister to urgently step up protection for Aotearoa’s oceans. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

National would make life harder for people
Christopher Luxon and the National Party are not telling the full story when it comes to childcare, the Green Party says. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Further humanitarian aid for Türkiye and Syria
Aotearoa New Zealand will provide further humanitarian support to those seriously affected by last month’s deadly earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, says Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. “The 6 February earthquakes have had devastating consequences, with almost 18 million people affected. More than 53,000 people have died and tens of thousands more ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Community voice to help shape immigration policy
Migrant communities across New Zealand are represented in the new Migrant Community Reference Group that will help shape immigration policy going forward, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced today. “Since becoming Minister, a reoccurring message I have heard from migrants is the feeling their voice has often been missing around policy ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

State Highway 3 project to deliver safer journeys, better travel connections for Taranaki
Construction has begun on major works that will deliver significant safety improvements on State Highway 3 from Waitara to Bell Block, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan announced today. “This is an important route for communities, freight and visitors to Taranaki but too many people have lost their lives or ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Ginny Andersen appointed as Minister of Police
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has today appointed Ginny Andersen as Minister of Police. “Ginny Andersen has a strong and relevant background in this important portfolio,” Chris Hipkins said. “Ginny Andersen worked for the Police as a non-sworn staff member for around 10 years and has more recently been chair of ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Government confirms vital roading reconnections
Six further bailey bridge sites confirmed Four additional bridge sites under consideration 91 per cent of damaged state highways reopened Recovery Dashboards for impacted regions released The Government has responded quickly to restore lifeline routes after Cyclone Gabrielle and can today confirm that an additional six bailey bridges will ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Foreign Minister Mahuta to meet with China’s new Foreign Minister
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for China tomorrow, where she will meet with her counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in Beijing. This will be the first visit by a New Zealand Minister to China since 2019, and follows the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions between New Zealand and China. ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Education Ministers from across the Pacific gather in Aotearoa
Education Ministers from across the Pacific will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau this week to share their collective knowledge and strategic vision, for the benefit of ākonga across the region. New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti will host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) for three days from today, ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

State Highway 5 reopens between Napier and Taupō following Cyclone Gabrielle
A vital transport link for communities and local businesses has been restored following Cyclone Gabrielle with the reopening of State Highway 5 (SH5) between Napier and Taupō, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan says. SH5 reopened to all traffic between 7am and 7pm from today, with closure points at SH2 (Kaimata ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Special Lotto draw raises $11.7 million for Cyclone Gabrielle recovery
Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds has thanked generous New Zealanders who took part in the special Lotto draw for communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Held on Saturday night, the draw raised $11.7 million with half of all ticket sales going towards recovery efforts. “In a time of need, New Zealanders ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Government delivers a $3 million funding boost for Building Financial Capability services
The Government has announced funding of $3 million for providers to help people, and whānau access community-based Building Financial Capability services. “Demand for Financial Capability Services is growing as people face cost of living pressures. Those pressures are increasing further in areas affected by flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle,” Minister for ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao – new Chair and member
Minister of Education, Hon Jan Tinetti, has announced appointments to the Board of Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao. Tracey Bridges is joining the Board as the new Chair and Dr Therese Arseneau will be a new member. Current members Dr Linda Sissons CNZM and Daniel Wilson have ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Scholarships honouring Ngarimu VC and the 28th (Māori) Battalion announced
Fifteen ākonga Māori from across Aotearoa have been awarded the prestigious Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships and Awards for 2023, Associate Education Minister and Ngarimu Board Chair, Kelvin Davis announced today. The recipients include doctoral, masters’ and undergraduate students. Three vocational training students and five wharekura students, ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Appointment of Judge of the Court of Appeal and Judge of the High Court
High Court Judge Jillian Maree Mallon has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal, and District Court Judge Andrew John Becroft QSO has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Mallon graduated from Otago University in 1988 with an LLB (Hons), and with ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

NZ still well placed to meet global challenges
The economy has continued to show its resilience despite today’s GDP figures showing a modest decline in the December quarter, leaving the Government well positioned to help New Zealanders face cost of living pressures in a challenging global environment. “The economy had grown strongly in the two quarters before this ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Western Ring Route Complete
Aucklanders now have more ways to get around as Transport Minister Michael Wood opened the direct State Highway 1 (SH1) to State Highway 18 (SH18) underpass today, marking the completion of the 48-kilometre Western Ring Route (WRR). “The Government is upgrading New Zealand’s transport system to make it safer, more ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Briefings to Incoming Ministers
This section contains briefings received by incoming ministers following changes to Cabinet in January. Some information may have been withheld in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982. Where information has been withheld that is indicated within the document. ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Teaming up for a stronger, more resilient Fiji
Aotearoa New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta reaffirmed her commitment to working together with the new Government of Fiji on issues of shared importance, including on the prioritisation of climate change and sustainability, at a meeting today, in Nadi. Fiji and Aotearoa New Zealand’s close relationship is underpinned by the Duavata ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Investment in blue highway a lifeline for regional economies and cyclone recovery
The Government is delivering a coastal shipping lifeline for businesses, residents and the primary sector in the cyclone-stricken regions of Hawkes Bay and Tairāwhiti, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced today. The Rangitata vessel has been chartered for an emergency coastal shipping route between Gisborne and Napier, with potential for ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Next steps developing clean energy for NZ
The Government will progress to the next stage of the NZ Battery Project, looking at the viability of pumped hydro as well as an alternative, multi-technology approach as part of the Government’s long term-plan to build a resilient, affordable, secure and decarbonised energy system in New Zealand, Energy and Resources ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Statement from the Prime Minister on Stuart Nash
This morning I was made aware of a media interview in which Minister Stuart Nash criticised a decision of the Court and said he had contacted the Police Commissioner to suggest the Police appeal the decision. The phone call took place in 2021 when he was not the Police Minister. ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

CPTPP Trade Ministers coming to Auckland
The Government’s sharp focus on trade continues with Aotearoa New Zealand set to host Trade Ministers and delegations from 10 Asia Pacific economies at a meeting of Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Commission members in July, Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor announced today. “New Zealand ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Govt approves $25 million extension for cyclone-affected businesses
$25 million boost to support more businesses with clean-up in cyclone affected regions, taking total business support to more than $50 million Demand for grants has been strong, with estimates showing applications will exceed the initial $25 million business support package Grants of up to a maximum of $40,000 per ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

More than 160,000 new Kiwis to call NZ home
80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visas applications have been processed – three months ahead of schedule Residence granted to 160,000 people 84,000 of 85,000 applications have been approved Over 160,000 people have become New Zealand residents now that 80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visa (2021RV) applications have been ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Scholarships propel Kiwi students to NASA
The Government continues to invest in New Zealand’s burgeoning space industry, today announcing five scholarships for Kiwi Students to undertake internships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash congratulated Michaela Dobson (University of Auckland), Leah Albrow (University of Canterbury) and Jack Naish, Celine Jane ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

New Zealand to attend regional security meeting in Australia
The Lead Coordination Minister for the Government’s Response to the Royal Commission’s Report into the Terrorist Attack on the Christchurch Mosques travels to Melbourne, Australia today to represent New Zealand at the fourth Sub-Regional Meeting on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Security. “The Government is committed to reducing the threat of terrorism ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Health and safety action plan for ports
The health and safety practices at our nation’s ports will be improved as part of a new industry-wide action plan, Workplace Relations and Safety, and Transport Minister Michael Wood has announced. “Following the tragic death of two port workers in Auckland and Lyttelton last year, I asked the Port Health ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Bikes and scooters to be exempt from FBT
Bikes, electric bikes and scooters will be added to the types of transport exempted from fringe benefit tax under changes proposed today. Revenue Minister David Parker said the change would allow bicycles, electric bicycles, scooters, electric scooters, and micro-mobility share services to be exempt from fringe benefit tax where they ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Foreign Affairs Minister to reaffirm our close relationship with Fiji
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will hold bilateral meetings with Fiji this week. The visit will be her first to the country since the election of the new coalition Government led by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sitiveni Rabuka. The visit will be an opportunity to meet kanohi ki ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

New legislation to streamline Cyclone recovery
The Government is introducing the Severe Weather Emergency Legislation Bill to ensure the recovery and rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle is streamlined and efficient with unnecessary red tape removed. The legislation is similar to legislation passed following the Christchurch and Kaikōura earthquakes that modifies existing legislation in order to remove constraints ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Scams Run High During Tax Time: Cyber Security Expert Warns New Zealanders Of Common Fraudster Tacti...
Ahead of tax season, Avast , a leading digital security and privacy brand of Gen ™ (NASDAQ: GEN), is warning New Zealanders of increased scam activity as cybercriminals prey on taxpayers' vulnerability during a time when they are expecting their tax ...
Scoop politics
23 mins ago

Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a ...
Evening ReportBy Bryce Edwards
35 mins ago

Housing Affordability More Challenging For Renters Than Homeowners
In the year ended June 2022, 1 in 4 households that were renting were spending more than 40 percent of their disposable income on housing costs, compared with 1 in 5 households that were paying a mortgage, according to figures released by Stats NZ ...
Scoop politics
38 mins ago

Child Poverty Statistics Show No Annual Change In The Year Ended June 2022
Child poverty rates for the year ended June 2022 were unchanged compared with the previous year, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. “Child poverty statistics have not changed compared with last year,” general manager social and ...
Scoop politics
40 mins ago

Broadcaster turned conspiracy theorist Liz Gunn appears in court
The former broadcaster Liz Gunn, who has become a vocal figure within the anti-vaccination movement in New Zealand, has appeared in court today after an alleged airport altercation earlier this year. Gunn pleaded not guilty to charges of assault, trespass and resisting arrest over the incident at Auckland International Airport. ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
58 mins ago

How to boost your backyard biodiversity
You don’t need to go to wildlife sanctuaries to see native birds, bugs and reptiles. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof brought to you by Electric Kiwi – sign up here. Recently I wrote a feature for New Zealand Geographic on weeds – it turns out, a ...
The SpinoffBy Ellen Rykers
1 hour ago

‘Tough news for tenants’: Rent prices soar to new record high
Rental costs have hit a record high, according to new statistics released this morning. Trade Me has reported that the national median rent was up to $600 in February – a jump of 4%, or $25, when compared with the same month in 2022. It’s not unusual to see rent ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
2 hours ago

Sense Prevails As Immigration NZ Chooses To Allow Free Speech Of British Speaker
The Free Speech Union welcomes the decision by Immigration New Zealand to not suspend Kellie-Kay Keen-Minshull's NZeTA and to allow her entry into the country, says Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union. “The Free Speech Union envisions ...
Scoop politics
2 hours ago

Finally A Political Party For The Farmers – HeartLandNZ
HeartLandNZ represents provincial New Zealand, the heart of the nation, the men and women, workers, contractors, businesses and farmers in the successful primary production sector. For over 30 years these voters have been economically ...
Scoop politics
2 hours ago

Help Me Hera: How do you know when it’s time to quit?
This week, Hera Lindsay Bird ponders whether it’s better to leave a party too early or too late. Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to [email protected] Dear Hera, How can you tell when something is over? A recurring theme through my life is sticking around way past the due date. There have been ...
The SpinoffBy Hera Lindsay Bird
3 hours ago

National’s education ‘rewrite’ to target years one to eight
National’s new education policy will focus on the first eight years of education – primary and intermediate – in an effort to prepare students for high school. The opposition will formally unveil their policy later today – coincidentally (or likely not) in the prime minister’s electorate of Upper Hutt. Erica ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
3 hours ago

Why is my loved one with dementia sometimes ‘there’ and sometimes not?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yen Ying Lim, Associate Professor, Monash University Shutterstock Dementia is an umbrella term to describe a progressive neurological condition that affects people’s cognitive abilities, such as memory, language and reasoning. Alzheimer’s is the most common form, but other common ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
3 hours ago

Fear and Wonder podcast: how scientists know the climate is changing
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Green, Host + Producer, The Conversation A comparison between two views of the same coral reef on Kiritimati, taken by University of Victoria scientists. Danielle Claar, Kristina Tietjen/University of Victoria Earlier this week, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
3 hours ago

The Great Southern Reef is in more trouble than the Great Barrier Reef
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Graham Edgar, Senior Marine Ecologist, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania Graham Edgar/Reef Life Survey, Author provided Marine heatwaves are damaging reef ecosystems around Australia, but while the tropical north has received the lion’s share of the ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
3 hours ago

‘Some of them do treat you like an idiot’: what it’s like to be a casual academic
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Burch, Lecturer in Accounting, University of Tasmania Shutterstock One of the priorities of the federal government’s sweeping Universities Accord is to improve employment conditions in higher education. This is long overdue. Australia’s university sector once set the standard for ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
3 hours ago

Yes, the 1.5 million Australians getting rent assistance need an increase, but more public housing i...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liam Davies, PhD Candidate, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University Image: David Kelly, Author provided Australia is in the grip of a housing crisis, with low-income households hit hardest by rising rents and falling vacancy rates. Social housing tenants were ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
3 hours ago

Why Lent is the perfect time to spiritually prepare for revolution
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kristie Patricia Flannery, Research Fellow, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Francisco V. Coching’s Rendition of Gabriela Silang Charging on a Mount, 1986 (Ayala Museum). It was around this time of year back in 1763 that Filipino rebels ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
3 hours ago

Government eyes EV charging ‘hubs’ across the country
The government’s planning to roll out dozens of new electric vehicle charging stations across the country in new “hubs” that would operate similar to existing petrol stations. The “charging our future” strategy has set a target of bringing in new hubs ever 150 to 200 kilometres along the state highways, ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
3 hours ago

The Bulletin: The fight to have a former All Black’s CTE recognised by ACC
This morning we bring you an exclusive on The Spinoff from Dylan Cleaver. Wellington rugby stalwart, one-game All Black and former New Zealand First MP Tutekawa Wyllie has had his probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) condition recognised and compensated for by the ACC after a five-year campaign. CTE is a brain ...
The SpinoffBy Anna Rawhiti-Connell
4 hours ago

Why governments are banning TikTok from phones
New Zealand joins countries around the world by banning TikTok on government-issued devices as the US threatens an outright ban on the popular social media app, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The SpinoffBy Anna Rawhiti-Connell
4 hours ago

Warring building supplies firms tie up critical NZ land with 999-year covenants
Big building supply companies have fended off competition by wrapping desirable blocks of land in legal constraints on generations of NZers, alarming the Commerce Commission into issuing a far-reaching warning. Jonathan Milne reports. ...
Newsroom
5 hours ago

Green Party Announces Environmental Lawyer Teall Crossen As Candidate For The Nelson Electorate
The Green Party is announcing Teall Crossen as their candidate for the Nelson Whakatū electorate. Teall is an environmental barrister and activist with two decades of experience advocating for the rights of people and nature in the Courts in Aotearoa, ...
Scoop politics
5 hours ago

Women refs rise with Aupiki
NZ Rugby wants to triple the number of female rugby referees - starting with the rise of Natarsha Ganley to Super Rugby honours, and handing a whistle to an Aupiki star player in a new scholarship. Suzanne McFadden writes. Natarsha Ganley loves rules. So during the week, she's on the lookout for ...
Newsroom
6 hours ago

Inside the years-long fight to have a former All Black’s CTE recognised by ACC
Exclusive: All Black turned NZ First MP Tutekawa Wyllie and his wife Margaret have won a landmark battle that could open the floodgates for rugby-related head injury claims. Dylan Cleaver reports. Wellington rugby stalwart, one-game All Black and former New Zealand First MP Tutekawa Wyllie has had his probable chronic ...
The SpinoffBy Dylan Cleaver
6 hours ago

Shows of local strength deliver upsets in key Labour selection contests
Do the results in Mt Albert, Wellington Central and Christchurch East amount to thumbing noses at head office, or are they a sign of party strength? Across three Labour selection contests in three high-profile electorates over the last fortnight, candidates have succeeded from local foundations in seeing off rivals considered ...
The SpinoffBy Toby Manhire
6 hours ago

More 'how' less 'what' for social services
The Wellington City Missioner wants government agencies to move away from simply administering social services to the needy. ...
Newsroom
7 hours ago

Book of the Week: Terfs, and other haters
This week's anti-trans rally is straight out of the right-wing playbook With strange and toxic prescience, a subject from the new study Histories of Hate: The Radical Right in Aotearoa New Zealand has leapt from the pages of the book into a major news story this week. The ...
Newsroom
7 hours ago

Solomons PM joins Pacific push for NZ visa waiver access
More than half the visitor visa applications rejected by officials come from just nine Pacific nations ...
Newsroom
7 hours ago

Healing te taiao: Moving on from peak pine
More than half of Aotearoa may need to be in native ngahere (bush) to merely blunt future worsening storms, but without such revolutionary change, Aotearoa could descend into a spiral of social, ecological, and economic damage Much of our land is without any trees, or is without the right trees, ...
Newsroom
7 hours ago

Behind the story: Lobbying and the backdoor of our democracy
Unlike other countries around the world, New Zealand has no regulations about lobbying. Is change needed to ensure greater transparency about who's influencing our decision-makers? If you want to know who lobbies the Australian government on behalf of Air New Zealand, you simply go to an online register, type ...
Newsroom
7 hours ago

How the Rakaia turned into a pipe for irrigators
Problems protecting NZ's biggest braided river were predicted years ago, papers show ...
Newsroom
7 hours ago

China will test NZ's fence-straddling diplomacy as never before
NZ's likely Aukus involvement relating to technology will have far-reaching consequences ...
Newsroom
7 hours ago

Disaster-in-waiting warn south’s farmers
Cyclone Gabrielle’s hammering of Hawkes Bay has ignited fears in Southland of bridges failing and farmland flooding through “mismanagement” of accumulated gravel Southland farmer Barry Taylor is frustrated gravel is being allowed to build up beneath a bridge on one of the country’s key tourist routes despite his years of ...
Newsroom
7 hours ago

Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 23 March
Loading...(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...
Newsroom
8 hours ago

Daily crossword, Thursday 23 March
...
Newsroom
8 hours ago

Throwing voting-age legislation onto the 'policy bonfire' only delays a debate that has to...
Opinion - There's plenty of research supporting lowering the voting age to 16. Public debate and the law just need to catch up, Claire Breen writes. ...
Radio NZ – political
14 hours ago

Word from The Hill: Reactions to AUKUS, next steps on the Voice, NSW election
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation’s politics team. In this podcast Michelle and ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
15 hours ago

Xi’s Moscow trip shows peace in Ukraine isn’t China’s main concern
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jingdong Yuan, Associate Professor, Asia-Pacific security, University of Sydney Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow this week has been more about reiterating China and Russia’s shared interests, and less about any concrete pathway towards ending the war in Ukraine. While a ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
16 hours ago

‘Cultural expression through dress’: towards a definition of First Nations fashion
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney This May, Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco and her label Ngali will be the first Indigenous designer to have a solo show at Australian Fashion Week. ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
18 hours ago

‘Cultural expression through dress’: towards a definition of First Nations fashion
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney This May, Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco and her label Ngali will be the first Indigenous designer to have a solo show at Australian Fashion Week. ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
18 hours ago

Yes, we see you. Why a national plan for homelessness must make thousands of children on their own a...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Robinson, Associate Professor in Housing and Communities, University of Tasmania Shutterstock Thousands of children end up being homeless in Australia without a parent or guardian. In 2021-22, 12,812 children (aged 10-17) were on their own when they sought help ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

Yes, we see you. Why a national plan for homelessness must make thousands of children on their own a...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Robinson, Associate Professor in Housing and Communities, University of Tasmania Shutterstock Thousands of children end up being homeless in Australia without a parent or guardian. In 2021-22, 12,812 children (aged 10-17) were on their own when they sought help ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

Credit Suisse is an anomaly: why Australia and New Zealand are safe from ‘bank run’ contagion
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra There has been a lot of talk about the risk of financial contagion following the collapse of California’s Silicon Valley Bank. Perhaps too much talk. While the ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

Credit Suisse is an anomaly: why Australia and New Zealand are safe from ‘bank run’ contagion
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra There has been a lot of talk about the risk of financial contagion following the collapse of California’s Silicon Valley Bank. Perhaps too much talk. While the ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

You Can’t Get Blood Out Of A Stone
...
Scoop politics
19 hours ago

Pacific needs to sit up and pay close attention to AUKUS, says Dame Meg Taylor
A Pacific elder and former secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum says Pacific leaders need to sit up and pay closer attention to AUKUS and the Indo-Pacific strategy and China’s response to them. Speaking from Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, Dame Meg Taylor said Pacific leaders were being sidelined ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
19 hours ago

Cyclone Gabrielle: Robertson warns of delays to rebuild decisions
The government says it should have details on which weather-hit areas are high risk within three weeks, and can then make decisions about rebuilding. ...
Radio NZ – political
19 hours ago

What to expect when you’re expecting an El Niño (the answer might surprise you)
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carly Tozer, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO Dean Lewins/AAP La Niña and El Niño are well-known terms in Australia these days. Linked to them are certain expectations: we expect wet conditions in La Niña and dry conditions in El Niño. These ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
20 hours ago

Called it: The Game is not coming to New Zealand
Promoters say The Game has pulled out of his upcoming appearance at two legs of a new New Zealand hip-hop festival, continuing the Compton rapper’s sketchy attendance record in Aotearoa. In an announcement made on Facebook today, promoters Room Service say The Game, real name Jayceon Taylor, has “last-minute commitments” ...
The SpinoffBy Chris Schulz
20 hours ago

Te Whatu Ora reveals it has about 200 comms people, following criticism from National
The organisation has about 200 communications staff. The figure came in response to a Parliamentary written question from National. ...
Radio NZ – political
20 hours ago

Counter-protests planned against anti-trans speaker
Counter-protests are planned for this weekend as a controversial anti-trans campaigner speaks in two New Zealand cities. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull will be allowed into the country after Immigration NZ said the threshold to stop her had not been reached. In a tweet, Rainbow Greens, the group that released an open letter ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
20 hours ago

The magical world of restaurant staff meals
We asked workers at some of our favourite food establishments to show us what they eat when the rush is over. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter The Boil Up. Last week was Work Week on The Spinoff, dedicated to unpacking our relationship with the world ...
The SpinoffBy Charlotte Muru-Lanning
21 hours ago

Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp? Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in ...
Evening ReportBy Bryce Edwards
21 hours ago

New Norton 360 Platinum To Help New Zealanders Address Identity Theft Issues
65 percent of Kiwis surveyed admit they would have no idea what to do if their identity was stolen Norton, a leading consumer Cyber Safety brand of Gen, today announced the New Zealand launch of Norton™ 360 Platinum, which leverages the company's ...
Scoop politics
21 hours ago

Throwing voting-age legislation onto the ‘policy bonfire’ only delays a debate that has to happe...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Breen, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Getty Images There might have been pragmatic political reasons behind the government throwing voting-age legislation onto its recent policy bonfire, but it remains a sadly wasted opportunity. The announcement reversed former ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
21 hours ago

Does public safety trump free speech? History’s case for banning anti-trans activist Posie Parker ...
ANALYSIS: By Bevin Veale, Massey University The impending arrival of Kelly-Jean Keen-Minshull — aka Posie Parker — has put the spotlight on the tension between free speech and protecting vulnerable communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. In particular, it raises questions about Immigration New Zealand’s role in limiting who can visit ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
21 hours ago

Iwi Leading Urgent Housing Rebuild And Managed Retreat For Wairoa
Wairoa has ready-to-go projects that could be accelerated to quickly get people back into homes following Cyclone Gabrielle, Minister Willie Jackson was told on a visit to Wairoa today. Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa is seeking a Government commitment ...
Scoop politics
21 hours ago

New Report: City Rail Link Project Throws Good Money After Bad
A new report published by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union exposes the bad decision-making that led to a 61% cost blowout in Auckland’s City Rail Link and shows that the costs of the project now significantly outweigh any benefits. ‘The City Rail Link: ...
Scoop politics
21 hours ago

Immigration NZ allows anti-trans speaker into NZ
Immigration NZ has today confirmed that the controversial anti-trans campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull will be allowed into New Zealand for her speaking events this week. You can read our report here – and the full statement from Immigration NZ’s Richard Owen to the media is below: “I can confirm that ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
21 hours ago

Confirmed: Anti-trans campaigner to be allowed into New Zealand
Immigration NZ says it knows some people will be unhappy, but ultimately the threshold to bar Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull from New Zealand hasn’t been reached. The British anti-transgender campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker, will be allowed into New Zealand this weekend, Immigration NZ has confirmed. Keen-Minshull’s ability to ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
21 hours ago

Antarctic ice age survival story: life seeking ice-free refuges imitates art in Ice Age, the movie
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Stevens, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Adelaide Antarctica is an icy place today, but the ice extended even further during past ice ages. The question of how and where life survived on land in the icy continent, through the ages, has ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
21 hours ago

The Tongan māfana energy takes centre stage in Red, White & Brass
Like a Tongan Cool Runnings, with trumpets instead of bobsleds, Red, White & Brass is a feel-good movie based on an incredible true story. First-time film producer Halaifonua Finau tells Sela Jane Hopgood how he got it made. In 2016, promising new Tongan producer Halaifonua Finau was sitting in the ...
The SpinoffBy Sela Jane Hopgood
22 hours ago

Why do animals living with humans evolve such similar features? A new theory could explain ‘domest...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Thomas Gleeson, Doctoral Candidate, Australian National University Luz Rovira / Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND In the 19th century, Charles Darwin was one of the first to notice something interesting about domesticated animals: different species often developed similar changes when compared ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
22 hours ago

Popular fertility apps are engaging in widespread misuse of data, including on sex, periods and preg...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharine Kemp, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney New research reveals serious privacy flaws in fertility apps used by Australian consumers – emphasising the need for urgent reform of the Privacy Act. Fertility apps provide a number ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
22 hours ago

USP still the ‘bedrock’ for Pacific regionalism, says university chief
The Fiji Times “The University of the South Pacific (USP) has been and continues to be a bedrock for regionalism. A resource owned by the region; for the region and a precious institution that needs to be protected in line with the vision of our forebearers.” This was the message ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
22 hours ago

PNG family kicked out of their home after 46 years – with 24-hour notice
By Claudia Tally in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinean family who have been renting a property from the National Housing Corporation for the past 46 years have been served with a 24-hour eviction notice by a different owner who had obtained an eviction notice from the Port Moresby District ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
22 hours ago

Auckland Council contemplates quitting Local Government NZ
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown’s plans to cut back on spending could see the council quit Local Government NZ, the group that represents councils across the country. Stuff’s Todd Niall has reported that $400,000 would be saved by the move, with mayor Brown reportedly wanting to direct that money into other ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
22 hours ago

Does it matter what time I go to bed?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frederic Gachon, Associate Professor, Physiology of Circadian Rhythms, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Gregory Pappas/Unsplash Some of us love to be tucked up in bed by a particular time every night, ensuring a certain number of hours ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
22 hours ago

Love Better: Youthline relationship break-up support campaign launches
The government has launched campaign to help young people navigate break-ups with the long-term aim of preventing family violence, believed to be the first of its kind. ...
Radio NZ – political
23 hours ago

Love Better: Relationship break-up support campaign launches
The government has launched campaign to help young people navigate break-ups with the long-term aim of preventing family violence, believed to be the first of its kind. ...
Radio NZ – political
23 hours ago

Giving trans kids a sporting chance
Sports can be hugely beneficial for children but there are still many barriers for trans kids wanting to play, writes researcher Julia de Bres. There’s been a lot of talk recently about trans athletes in high performance sport, much of which derives from a broader anti-trans project rather than a ...
The SpinoffBy Julia de Bres
24 hours ago

Watch: One woman’s battle to get back on the board
A new documentary follows Amber Clyde, skateboarder and founder of Girls Skate NZ, as she works to rebuild her confidence in the sport while juggling solo motherhood. Amber Clyde remembers being bullied as the only girl at the skate park in Birkenhead – but these days all the same bullies ...
The SpinoffBy The Spinoff
24 hours ago

One woman’s battle to get back on the board | Back on the Board | The Spinoff
After dedicating years to helping young women find their confidence in skateboarding, Amber Clyde must teach herself how to get back on the board after the birth of her second child. But balancing the realities of being a solo Mum with running her own business means that her time is ...
The SpinoffBy The Spinoff
24 hours ago

GCSB spy boss Andrew Hampton to lead SIS
Government Communication Security Bureau (GCSB) boss Andrew Hampton has been appointed to lead New Zealand's other spy agency - the NZSIS. ...
Radio NZ – political
24 hours ago

25-million-year-old fossils of a bizarre possum and strange wombat relative reveal Australia’s hid...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arthur Immanuel Crichton, PhD candidate, Flinders University Relative of _Chunia pledgei_ named _Ektopodon serratus_ (top left), with _Wakaleo oldfieldi_. Reconstruction of the early Miocene Kutjumarpu faunal assemblage by Peter Schouten, CC BY-SA Imagine a vast, lush forest dominated by giant flightless birds ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
1 day ago