Working Class Hero
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12:57 pm, October 5th, 2007 - 3 comments
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(Via Concerned of Linwood)
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- Christ Church Cathedral – Order in CouncilViews sought on Order in Council to help fast track the reinstatement of the Christ Church Cathedral The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Hon Poto Williams, will be seeking public written comment, following Cabinet approving the drafting of an Order in Council aimed at fast-tracking the reinstatement of the ...1 day ago
- New Zealanders’ human rights better protected in new BillThe law setting out New Zealanders’ basic civil and human rights is today one step towards being strengthened following the first reading of a Bill that requires Parliament to take action if a court says a statute undermines those rights. At present, a senior court can issue a ‘declaration of ...1 day ago
- Deep concern at Hong Kong national security legislationForeign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today reiterated the deep concern of the New Zealand Government following confirmation by China’s National People’s Congress of national security legislation relating to Hong Kong. “New Zealand shares the international community’s significant and long-standing stake in Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability,” Mr Peters said. “New Zealand ...2 days ago
- Government invests in New Zealand’s cultural recoveryThousands of artists and creatives at hundreds of cultural and heritage organisations have been given much-needed support to recover from the impact of COVID-19, Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern announced today. “The cultural sector was amongst the worst hit by the global pandemic,” Jacinda ...2 days ago
- Better protection for New Zealand assets during COVID-19 crisisKey New Zealand assets will be better protected from being sold to overseas owners in a way contrary to the national interest, with the passage of the Overseas Investment (Urgent Measures) Bill. The Bill, which passed its third reading in Parliament today, also cuts unnecessary red tape to help attract ...2 days ago
- Cleaning up our rivers and lakesSetting higher health standards at swimming spots Requiring urban waterways to be cleaned up and new protections for urban streams Putting controls on higher-risk farm practices such as winter grazing and feed lots Setting stricter controls on nitrogen pollution and new bottom lines on other measures of waterway health Ensuring ...2 days ago
- Record year for diversity on Govt boardsThe Government is on the verge of reaching its target of state sector boards and committees made up of at least 50 percent women, says Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter and Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny Salesa. For the first time, the Government stocktake measures the number of Māori, ...2 days ago
- New appointments to the Commerce CommissionThe Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister and Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Minister, Kris Faafoi, has today announced the appointment of Tristan Gilbertson as the new Telecommunications Commissioner and member of the Commerce Commission. “Mr Gilbertson has considerable experience in the telecommunications industry and a strong reputation amongst his peers,” ...2 days ago
- Historic pay equity settlement imminent for teacher aidesThe Ministry of Education and NZEI Te Riu Roa have agreed to settle the pay equity claim for teacher aides, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. This will see more than 22,000 teacher aides, mostly women, being valued and paid fairly for the work they do. “Teacher aides are frontline ...3 days ago
- Govt delivers security for construction subcontractorsSubcontractors will have greater certainty, more cashflow support and job security with new changes to retention payments under the Construction Contracts Act says Minister for Building and Construction, Jenny Salesa. A recent review of the retentions money regime showed that most of the building and construction sector is complying with ...3 days ago
- New Zealand and Singapore reaffirm tiesPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have marked the first anniversary of the New Zealand-Singapore Enhanced Partnership with a virtual Leaders’ Meeting today. The Enhanced Partnership, signed on 17 May 2019, provides the framework for cooperation across the four main areas of trade, defence and ...3 days ago
- JOINT STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTERS OF NEW ZEALAND AND THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE ON THE FIRST AN...On 17 May 2019, New Zealand and Singapore established an Enhanced Partnership to elevate our relations. The Enhanced Partnership – based on the four pillars of trade and economics, security and defence, science, technology and innovation, and people-to-people links – has seen the long-standing relationship between our countries strengthen over the ...3 days ago
- Government investment supports the acquisition of new Interislander ferriesState-Owned Enterprises Minister Winston Peters has welcomed KiwiRail’s announcement that it is seeking a preferred shipyard to build two new rail-enabled ferries for the Cook Strait crossing. “This Government is committed to restoring rail to its rightful place in New Zealand. Bigger, better ships, with new technology are yet another ...3 days ago
- Better protection for seabirdsBetter protection for seabirds is being put in place with a new National Plan of Action to reduce fishing-related captures, Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. The National Plan of Action for Seabirds 2020 outlines our commitment to reduce fishing-related captures and associated seabird ...3 days ago
- Milestone in cash flow support to SMEsAlmost $1 billion in interest-free loans for small businesses More than 55,000 businesses have applied; 95% approved Average loan approx. $17,300 90% of applications from firms with ten or fewer staff A wide cross-section of businesses have applied, the most common are the construction industry, accommodation providers, professional firms, and ...3 days ago
- Government protects kids as smoking in cars ban becomes lawThousands of children will have healthier lungs after the Government’s ban on smoking in cars with kids becomes law, says Associate Minister of Health Jenny Salesa. This comes after the third reading of Smoke-free Environments (Prohibiting Smoking in Motor Vehicles Carrying Children) Amendment Bill earlier today. “This law makes it ...3 days ago
- Parliament returns to a safe normalThe special Epidemic Response Committee (ERC) has successfully concluded its role, Leader of the House Chris Hipkins said today. The committee was set up on 25 March by the agreement of Parliament to scrutinise the Government and its actions while keeping people safe during levels 4 and 3 of lockdown. ...4 days ago
- Foreign Minister makes four diplomatic appointmentsForeign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today announced four diplomatic appointments: New Zealand’s Ambassador to Belgium, High Commissioners to Nauru and Niue, and Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism. “As the world seeks to manage and then recover from COVID-19, our diplomatic and trade networks are more important than ever,” Mr Peters said. “The ...4 days ago
- New Bill to counter violent extremism onlineNew Zealanders will be better protected from online harm through a Bill introduced to Parliament today, says Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin. “The internet brings many benefits to society but can also be used as a weapon to spread harmful and illegal content and that is what this legislation targets,” ...4 days ago
- Mycoplasma bovis eradication reaches two year milestone in good shapeNew Zealand’s world-first plan to eradicate the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis is on track the latest technical data shows, says Agriculture and Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor. “Two years ago the Government, DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand and industry partners made a bold decision to go hard and commit ...4 days ago
- New payment to support Kiwis through COVIDFurther support for New Zealanders affected by 1-in-100 year global economic shock 12-week payment will support people searching for new work or retraining Work programme on employment insurance to support workers and businesses The Government today announced a new temporary payment to support New Zealanders who lose their jobs due ...5 days ago
- PGF reset helps regional economiesThe Provincial Growth Fund will play a vital role in New Zealand’s post-COVID-19 recovery by creating jobs in shorter timeframes through at least $600 million being refocused on projects with more immediate economic benefits, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The funding is comprised of repurposed Provincial Growth ...6 days ago
- Government exempts some home improvements from costly consentsGovernment exempts some home improvements from costly consents Homeowners, builders and DIYers will soon have an easier time making basic home improvements as the Government scraps the need for consents for low-risk building work such as sleep-outs, sheds and carports – allowing the construction sector to fire back up quicker ...6 days ago
- Concern at introduction of national security legislation for Hong KongForeign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says the New Zealand Government has reacted with concern at the introduction of legislation in China’s National People’s Congress relating to national security in Hong Kong. “We have a strong interest in seeing confidence maintained in the ‘one country, two systems’ principle under which Hong ...7 days ago
- Samoa Language Week theme is perfect for the post-COVID-19 journeyThe Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio, says the theme for the 2020 Samoa Language Week is a perfect fit for helping our Pacific communities cope with the unfolding COVID-19 crisis, and to prepare now for the journey ahead as New Zealand focuses on recovery plans and rebuilding New ...1 week ago
- Adult kakī/black stilt numbers soarA nearly 40-year programme to protect one of New Zealand’s most critically endangered birds is paying off, with a record number of adult kakī/black stilt recently recorded living in the wild, the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced today. “Thanks to the team effort involved in the Department of Conservation’s ...1 week ago
- Waikato-Tainui settlement story launched on 25th anniversary of Treaty signingThe story of the Waikato-Tainui Treaty process and its enduring impact on the community is being told with a five-part web story launched today on the 25th anniversary of settlement, announced Associate Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Carmel Sepuloni. “I am grateful to Waikato-Tainui for allowing us to help capture ...1 week ago
- Taita College to benefit from $32 million school redevelopmentTaita College in the Hutt Valley will be redeveloped to upgrade its ageing classrooms and leaky roofs, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. “The work is long overdue and will make a lasting difference to the school for generations to come,” Chris Hipkins said. “Too many of our schools are ...1 week ago
- Redeployment for workers in hard-hit regionsThe Government is allocating $36.72 million to projects in regions hard hit economically by COVID-19 to keep people working, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. Projects in Hawke’s Bay, Northland, Rotorua and Queenstown will be funded from the Government’s $100 million worker ...1 week ago
- $35m to build financial resilience for New ZealandersA $35m boost to financial capability service providers funded by MSD will help New Zealanders manage their money better both day to day and through periods of financial difficulty, announced Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni. “It’s always been our position to increase support to key groups experiencing or at risk ...1 week ago
- New District Court Judge appointedDunedin barrister Melinda Broek has been appointed as a District Court Judge with Family Court jurisdiction to be based in Rotorua, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Ms Broek has iwi affiliations to Ngai Tai. She commenced her employment in 1996 with Scholefield Cockroft Lloyd in Invercargill specialising in family and ...1 week ago
- $206 million investment in upgrades at Ohakea Air Force BaseThe Coalition Government has approved a business case for $206 million in upgrades to critical infrastructure at Royal New Zealand Air Force Base Ohakea, with the first phase starting later this year, Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today. The investment will be made in three phases over five years, and ...1 week ago
- Review of CAA organisational culture releasedTransport Minister Phil Twyford today released the Ministry of Transport’s review of the organisational culture at the Civil Aviation Authority. Phil Twyford says all employees are entitled to a safe work environment. “I commissioned this independent review due to the concerns I had about the culture within the CAA, and ...1 week ago
- New Board appointed at Stats NZEnsuring that Stats NZ’s direction and strategy best supports government policy decisions will be a key focus for a new Governance Advisory Board announced today by the Minister for Statistics, James Shaw. The new Governance Advisory Board will provide strategic advice to Stats NZ to ensure it is meeting New ...1 week ago
- New Principal Environment JudgeEnvironment Judge David Kirkpatrick of Auckland has been appointed as the Principal Environment Judge, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Judge Kirkpatrick was appointed an Environment Judge in February 2014. From December 2013 to July 2016 he was Chair of the Auckland Unitary Plan Independent Hearings Panel. Prior to appointment he ...1 week ago
- Digital connectivity boost for urban maraeA programme to connect marae around the country to the internet has received $1.4 million to expand to include urban marae in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Minister Kris Faafoi and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. The funding for the Marae Connectivity Programme ...1 week ago
- Govt increases assistance to drought-stricken Hawke’s Bay farmersThe Government will provide $500,000 to the Hawke’s Bay Mayoral Drought Relief Fund to help farmers facing one of the worst droughts in living memory, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. “Yesterday afternoon I received a letter from Hawke's Bay's five local Government leaders asking me to contribute to the Fund. ...2 weeks ago
- English is my first language: On being Asian and writing in Aotearoa
Growing up Asian in white New Zealand, Joanna Cho tried to find a mirror in books. I went to a proud, decile 10 high school that had few POC. I prided myself on being part of the “white” group. When my boyfriend in Year 9 broke up with me, because his ...59 mins ago - Live updates, May 30: Trump withdraws US from WHOFor all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level two – read The Spinoff’s giant explainer about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this ...1 hour ago
- Short story: The Pack, by Kathryn van Beek
"They'll never believe her": a disturbing story by Kathryn van Beek. Part of his brain tells him to piss in the bed. The other part tells him to get up. He swings his legs out from under the galaxy print duvet and plants his feet in a pool of vomit. ...3 hours ago - Let’s not ignore the other pandemic
Might we be ignoring the other pandemic – slower-moving and less visible than COVID-19 - that afflicts NZ, asks Niki Bezzant Twenty years ago, Professor Jim Mann wrote an editorial in the medical journal The Lancet, entitled: Stemming the Tide of Diabetes. It may have been one of the first times ...4 hours ago - Extra Time: Hale’s vexing wait for NRLW
As the Warriors men's team hit the field running again, Warriors women's captain Georgia Hale remains frustrated, waiting for the NRL women's competition to get the green light. On this week's Extra Time podcast, Hale says its difficult trying to stay focused on training when there's no guarantee the NRLW premiership season will ...4 hours ago - NZ is on the brink of zero active cases. Who else is in the Covid-free club?Yesterday New Zealand recorded zero new cases for the seventh day in a row, and just one person still classified as an ‘active case’. How does that compare with other Covid-stamping countries?As we enter our first long weekend since the end of lockdown, we also prepare to join a small ...5 hours ago
- The Screen Industry Workers Bill is good for our industry – Jennifer Ward-LealandThis week, parliament’s Education and Workforce Select Committee has been hearing submissions on the Screen Industry Workers Bill. Equity New Zealand president Jennifer Ward-Lealand explains why the actors’ union supports it. The Screen Industry Workers bill rolls back some of the worst aspects of the 2010 Hobbit Law, and we believe ...5 hours ago
- Digital-only local newspapers will struggle to serve the communities that need them most
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chrisanthi Giotis, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Communication, University of Technology Sydney This week News Corp Australia announced the end of the print editions of 112 suburban and regional mastheads – about one-fifth of all of Australia’s local newspapers. Of those, 36 ...10 hours ago - Scott Morrison strengthens his policy power, enshrining national cabinet and giving it “laser-like...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison has won support for a major restructure of federal-state architecture which scraps the Council of Australian Governments, enshrines the “national cabinet” permanently, and pares down a plethora of ancillary ministerial bodies. The Prime ...13 hours ago
- Labour Party MP Louisa Wall withdraws her nomination for Manurewa
Labour Party MP Louisa Wall has withdrawn her nomination for the Manurewa seat, which she has held since 2011. ...13 hours ago - Trump’s Twitter tantrum may wreck the internetSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Douglas, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Western Australia US President Donald Trump, who tweeted more than 11,000 times in the first two years of his presidency, is very upset with Twitter. Earlier this week Trump tweeted complaints about mail-in ballots, ...13 hours ago
- Government to repay 470,000 unlawful robodebts in what might be Australia’s biggest-ever financial...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Terry Carney, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Sydney In a near-complete capitulation, the government will refund every alleged overpayment it has collected from welfare recipients under the discredited “robodebt” system of income averaging. Unveiling the automated system in mid-2016 then treasurer ...14 hours ago
- Jokowi deploys army, police to enforce Indonesia’s coronavirus ‘new normal’By Marchio Irfan Gorbiano in Jakarta President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has announced that the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police will be deployed to guard crowded places in preparation for the so-called “new normal”. During a visit to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle MRT station with TNI commander Air Marshal ...15 hours ago
- A week of upsets for both sides of political divideAnalysis: Winston Peters rattles the coalition cage, National's new leader gets the sort of start he didn't want and the government's unemployment relief plan raises some serious questions. ...15 hours ago
- High Court ruling on ‘Palace letters’ case paves way to learn more about The Dismissal – and o...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Twomey, Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Sydney The High Court has ruled that Sir John Kerr’s correspondence with the queen comprises “Commonwealth records”. This means access to them is now in Australian hands and can no longer be vetoed by ...15 hours ago
- Whoever invents a coronavirus vaccine will control the patent – and, importantly, who gets to use ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natalie Stoianoff, Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Technology Sydney With research laboratories around the world racing to develop a coronavirus vaccine, a unique challenge has emerged: how to balance intellectual property rights with serving the public good. Questions of patent protection ...16 hours ago
- VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on JobKeeper, JobMaker, and Eden-MonaroSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Michelle Grattan talks with Professor Caroline Fisher (remotely) about the week in politics, including the treasury’s miscalculation on JobKeeper, the prime minister’s promise to “make the boat go faster”, and the limitations of the coronavirus ...16 hours ago
- Really Australia, it’s not that hard: 10 reasons why renewable energy is the futureSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National University Australia’s latest greenhouse gas figures released today show national emissions fell slightly last year. This was by no means an economy-wide effort – solar and wind energy did most of the heavy lifting. Emissions ...16 hours ago
- After a storm, microplastics in Sydney’s Cooks River increased 40 foldSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Hitchcock, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Canberra Each year the ocean is inundated with 4.8 to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic washed in from land. A big proportion of this plastic is between 0.001 to 5 millimetres, and called “microplastic”. But ...16 hours ago
- Politics with Michelle Grattan: Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on saving Australia’s tourism and constr...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As Australia slowly emerges from isolation, the nation’s economy is reopening, and even looking rather better than expected. But Australia still faces grim months ahead as unemployment numbers grow and the true extent of business ...16 hours ago
- Review: Lady Gaga’s Chromatica sheds conflict for club-ready bangersLady Gaga’s sixth album, Chromatica, sees the popstar stepping back into big pop after the experiment that was Joanne, but at what cost, asks Sam Brooks.Since Lady Gaga’s last album, 2016’s critically shrugged off Joanne, the star has stepped as far away from her meat-dress persona as possible, collecting a ...17 hours ago
- JobStart Policy No Substitute For Tax Cuts
The National Party’s JobStart policy — under which businesses could claim $10,000 per new employee, for up to ten new employees — looks great on paper but would fail in practice, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union Taxpayers’ Union spokeswoman ...17 hours ago - Two Cents’ Worth: Rugby’s fight for survival
With million-dollar losses and huge staff cutbacks, there are fears rugby is in its death throes. Two Cents' Worth looks at the economics of our national sport. ...17 hours ago - The coronavirus pandemic is boosting the big tech transformation to warp speedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zac Rogers, Research Lead, Jeff Bleich Centre for the US Alliance in Digital Technology, Security, and Governance, Flinders University The coronavirus pandemic has sped up changes that were already happening across society, from remote learning and work to e-health, supply chains and ...18 hours ago
- National pitches $10k hiring bonus scheme
Put on the back foot over a lack of vision, National leader Todd Muller has announced the first policy under his rule - aimed at helping employees get back into work National has unveiled a proposal to provide $10,000 cash payments to businesses who hire additional employees, in what is ...18 hours ago - Review Of Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park Management Plan To RestartThe Department of Conservation (DOC) and Ngāi Tahu in consultation with the Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Board have agreed to start a new review of the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park Management Plan. The process for reviewing both the ...18 hours ago
- There is no specific crime of catfishing. But is it illegal?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marilyn McMahon, Deputy Dean, School of Law, Deakin University Twenty-year-old Sydney woman Renae Marsden died by suicide after she was the victim of an elaborate catfishing scam. A recent coronial investigation into her 2013 death found no offence had been committed by ...18 hours ago
- Here’s how much public money each party will get for the electionNational and Labour have once again dominated the Electoral Commission’s broadcast allocation, reports The Spinoff’s minor party correspondent Alex Braae.The pot of money for political parties to spend on election advertising on radio, television and the internet has been divvied up for 2020, with Labour and National securing more than ...18 hours ago
- What the Pace scheme did for meAs part of a $175 million arts package, a new $7.5 million ‘Careers Support for Creative Jobseekers’ programme was announced today, building on ‘the most successful aspects’ of the former Pathways to Arts and Cultural Employment (Pace) programme, which ran from 2001-2012. Former Pace-recipient Henry Oliver writes on what he ...18 hours ago
- Who charted where: The hits of May 28, 2000, in the US and New ZealandIn the spirit of international cooperation and mutual chair dancing, Sam Brooks and New York City-based culture critic Mark Blankenship are revisiting the top 10 singles from key weeks in their respective countries. This week, Sam and Mark discuss the top 10 singles from the chart dated May 28, 2000 ...19 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – May 29 2020Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Today’s content Fresh water reforms, environment, conservation Richard Harman (Politik): Swimming together; the coalition agrees on freshwater reforms Collette Devlin (Stuff): NZ First claims win as Government softens freshwater reforms ...20 hours ago
- Could taking hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus be more harmful than helpful?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew McLachlan, Head of School and Dean of Pharmacy, University of Sydney A paper published in The Lancet has cast fresh controversy on the use of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19. The study’s authors reported they were ...20 hours ago
- The Friday Poem: Dig deep! by Joanna ChoA new poem by Wellington writer Joanna Cho.Dig deep! I have to write a poembut I’m finding it quite hardso I call Jos and he says‘Dig deep!’ He is driving back from basketballin Palmy, where he trains three times a week. I say ‘I just wanted to run some ideas by you’and he ...20 hours ago
- Predicting the pandemic’s psychological toll: why suicide modelling is so difficultSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jayashri Kulkarni, Professor of Psychiatry, Monash University We’ve recently heard experts raise concerns about a looming mental health crisis, warning COVID-19’s psychological toll on Australians could be like a second wave of the pandemic. Suicide modelling from the University of Sydney’s Brain ...20 hours ago
- Government backtracks on wage subsidy audit data, moves to weekly reportingThe government will start publicly releasing wage subsidy audit and repayment data weekly after it was revealed it was only being collected every three months. ...20 hours ago
- The Beehive pumps out more millions – some of it for the cultural sector but a bigger lump to clea...
Creative Kiwis and cockies are among the beneficiaries of government decisions announced yesterday. The creative crowd was given support amounting to $95 million (or so), announced by Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern, who said thousands of artists and creatives at hundreds of cultural and ...21 hours ago - The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending May 29The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Auē by Becky Manawatu (Makaro Press, $35)Winner of the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, the most ...22 hours ago
- Why is there so much furore over China’s Belt and Road Initiative?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Clarke, Associate Professor, National Security College, Australian National University There were certainly questions asked when Victoria first signed a memorandum of understanding to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2018, but it wasn’t until the past week that the ...22 hours ago
- Minimum Wage Requirement Indicates Hamilton City Council Is Out Of Touch...22 hours ago
- Government launches $175m arts and music recovery packageThe government has announced a $175 million package to boost the arts and creative sector in the wake of Covid-19. ...22 hours ago
- Covid-XV: Rugby’s super-genius law change ideas, explainedThe brains trust at World Rugby have conjured up some optional law trials to obviate the risks of coronavirus. Scotty Stevenson is intrigued.The World Rugby Executive Committee yesterday announced that it had “approved 10 optional law trials which are designed to provide national member unions with Covid-19 transmission risk reduction ...22 hours ago
- Lax reporting of wage subsidy audits will encourage fraudThe Government’s lax approach to monitoring wrongful wage subsidy claims sends a dangerous message, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union . Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “The Government must regularly release figures highlighting how ...22 hours ago
- National Strategy For Careers And Employability Is The enduring Solution Grant Robertson Is SeekingIn announcing the Covid Income Relief Payment this week the Hon. Grant Robertson stated the Government is also considering an “enduring solution” to support New Zealanders experiencing job loss beyond the current crisis. The Career Development ...22 hours ago
- AJF renews call for media freedom law while welcoming Smethurst movePacific Media Watch The Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom has welcomed the decision by the Australian Federal Police to drop charges against Newscorp journalist Annika Smethurst and has renewed its call for a media freedom law. The announcement, coming more than a year after the raids, underscores the need for unambiguous ...24 hours ago
- There Is Enough Time For A Commuter Rail TrialWorkers at Dunedin Railways have rejected Dunedin City Council claims there is not enough time for a feasibility study and commuter rail trial this year. Keep Dunedin Rail Rolling spokesperson Dave Kearns says workers at DRL were bitterly disappointed ...24 hours ago
- The Auditor-General’s Strategic Intentions To 2025We’ve published The Auditor-General’s strategic intentions to 2025 . Our strategic intentions describe the outcomes and impacts we are ultimately working towards, and the strategy we have developed to help get us there. Every three years, we publish ...1 day ago
- What a video game about a futuristic Tauranga can tell us about our presentA new first-person photography game set in a dystopian Tauranga under lockdown is the best work of Māori science-fiction this decade, writes Dan Taipua.Umurangi Generation is a first-person photography game set din the shitty future. Designed and developed by Naphtali Faulkner (aka Veselekov) the game has you move about a ...1 day ago
- Queen’s Birthday Holiday Irrelevant“Queen’s Birthday holiday is the most irrelevant public holiday on our calendar. It’s time for a holiday that actually reflects Aotearoa’s unique place in the world” said Lewis Holden, Campaign Chair of New Zealand Republic. New Zealand Republic ...1 day ago
- Reconciliation Week: a time to reflect on strong Indigenous leadership and resiliency in the face of...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Fredericks, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement), The University of Queensland National Reconciliation Week is a time of reflection, talking and sharing of histories, cultures and achievements. It is a time to think about our relationships as Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. This year’s ...1 day ago
- 4 ways our streets can rescue restaurants, bars and cafes after coronavirusSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thami Croeser, Research Officer, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University As Australia re-opens, the bars, cafes and restaurants that give life to our streets face a tough ask: stay open and stay afloat with just a fraction of the customers. From June ...1 day ago
- Vital Signs: Morrison’s industrial relations peace gambit is worth a shot. Even if it fails, it’...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week announced plans for a potential “grand bargain” on industrial relations. Speaking at the National Press Club, he framed the issue as one of boosting economic productivity: We must ...1 day ago
- Business Wrap: Sanford’s toothfish ache
A low toothfish catch hits Sanford's result, but it is less affected by Covid-19 as factories kept working in Level 4 and a high-margin strategy pays off ...1 day ago - Teacher Aides’ Pay Rise Helps Value Educating Disabled StudentsThe milestone pay settlement for teacher aides is both good news for gender pay equity and for valuing the education of disabled children, says Disability Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero. “The pay rates have negatively impacted women disproportionately ...1 day ago
- The coronavirus has thrust human limitations into the spotlight. Will it mark the rise of automation...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Roberts, Professor in Robotics, Queensland University of Technology The coronavirus pandemic has caused a massive surge in global unemployment. It has also highlighted the increasingly valuable role of automation in today’s world. Although there are some jobs machines just can’t do, ...1 day ago
- Group B strep and having a baby: what pregnant women need to knowSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Dahlen, Professor of Midwifery, Associate Dean Research and HDR, Midwifery Discipline Leader, Western Sydney University Group B streptococcal (GBS) is a common bacteria that likes to live in the human gut and migrate down the rectum, vagina and sometimes to the ...1 day ago
- A fire extinguisher, a suit and 14 million plastic particles: after a storm, microplastic pollution ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Hitchcock, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Canberra Each year the ocean is inundated with 4.8 to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic washed in from land. A big proportion of this plastic is between 0.001 to 5 millimetres, and called “microplastic”. But ...1 day ago
- Friday essay: missing the commute, the spaces between places and the podcast stories in our pocketsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Malcolm Burt, Amusement academic and disruptive media researcher, CQUniversity Australia In the not-so-distant past I commuted fairly hefty distances in a fairly garbage car. But you didn’t hear me complaining – I had an extensive library of podcasts (or “my stories” as ...1 day ago
- Live updates, May 29: A week with no new casesFor all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level two – read The Spinoff’s giant explainer about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this ...1 day ago
- The Bulletin: Farmers fairly comfortable, ecologists angered by freshwater rulesGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Mixed views on freshwater rules, pay equity settlement for teacher aides, and concerns raised about new internet filtering proposal.The final form of a major package of freshwater reforms was announced yesterday, and it was notable how little anger came from ...1 day ago
- Covid-19: Wage subsidy auditing figures only collected quarterly – MSDUp-to-date data on breaches of the $10 billion wage subsidy scheme are not being provided, with Carmel Sepuloni's office saying it is "not something we're interested in". ...1 day ago
- This week’s Top 10 best-seller chart
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve Braunias. FICTION 1 Auē by Becky Manawatu (Makaro Press, $35) Hard-out story of a tragic family, and winner of the best novel of the year at the 2020 Ockham New ...1 day ago - The real price of eating pork
A case over the treatment of pigs in New Zealand will be in court in less than two weeks. Pat Baskett takes a look at the potential impacts of the outcome. Phoebe was a pig I wrote about some years ago. Her life was a misery. She lived in a ...1 day ago - Nature is key to NZ’s post-Covid future
Tāmati Kruger speaks to Rod Oram about Tūhoe's response to Covid-19 in the Te Urewera mountains, and how the iwi is looking to a much stronger NZ society that's aware of its obligations to be a far wiser caretaker of our natural resources. ...1 day ago - Victims central in response to male violence
Those working to stop family violence must keep consider both victims and the violent - but those at greatest risk of harm must be paramount, writes Julia Tolmie If we are to stop family violence, then offenders need to stop using violence. It follows that we need to engage more ...1 day ago - Levelling the language playing field
How many languages do you think are spoken in New Zealand on a daily basis? Five, 10, 50? The answer is that more than 160 languages. That being the case, how do we make sure all our children are receiving the best possible education? Dr Corinne Seals from Te Herenga ...1 day ago - Agencies pull back from terror victims
After a pandemic-induced lockdown, a ministry pulls services from terror victims because of “minimal contact”. David Williams reports Imam Abdul Alabi Lateef opens the new, sturdy door at Christchurch’s Linwood Islamic Centre which, little more than a year ago, was the scene of a terrorist attack. The first thing he ...1 day ago - Even China’s waterways are better protected than New Zealand’sThe government is heralding its $700m Te Mana o te Wai package as a game-changer for the health of New Zealand waterways. But for freshwater scientist Russell Death, it’s a bitter disappointment.Two weeks into alert level two, it seems we have already forgotten all those resolutions about the pandemic being ...1 day ago
- Now is the time to invest in the creative artsThe prime minister yesterday announced a package including $25m to ‘provide artists whose projects are funded by Creative NZ with jobs.’ An even more substantial investment in the creative arts will help drive our post-Covid recovery, argues Paul Millar.When Covid-19 forced the postponement of the popular international literary festival WORD ...1 day ago
- Clinging to lockdown’s silver linings
How can the country return to normal and still keep the good things about lockdown? That includes kinder politics, and working from home. New Zealand’s Covid-19 pandemic isn’t done and dusted quite yet. But considering daily new cases are now odds-on to be zero, what lessons have we learned from the past ...1 day ago - Grattan on Friday: When Christian met Sally – the match made by a pandemicSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra It was Greg Combet, one-time ACTU secretary and former Labor minister, who got Christian Porter and Sally McManus together in the early days of the pandemic. Recalling what happened, Porter told the Australian Financial Review ...1 day ago
- Another savage blow to regional media spells disaster for the communities they serveSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kristy Hess, Associate Professor (Communication), Deakin University With swift and savage force, the COVID-19 pandemic has inadvertently attacked Australia’s local news media ecology, which was already battling a weakened immune system. As a researcher working on Australia’s largest academic study into the ...2 days ago
- Travel between NZ and Australia could start in SeptemberSeptember could be a "realistic" time frame for New Zealand's borders to open up to Australia, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says. ...2 days ago
- Government pushes ahead with landmark freshwater reformThe government is pushing ahead with its landmark freshwater reforms that will introduce tough new rules to clean up the country's waterways. ...2 days ago
- National plans to spend more on benefits, reduce job lossesThe National Party says it is not looking at cutting welfare payments if elected. ...2 days ago
- New Zealand government ignores expert advice in its plan to improve water quality in rivers and lake...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael (Mike) Joy, Senior Researcher; Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington New Zealand’s government has been praised for listening to health experts in its pandemic response, but when it comes to dealing with pollution ...2 days ago
- When can COVID-19 be Declared Eliminated from NZ? New Modelling Study
Whatever gets you through the night, John…
he’s just playing mind games, imagine how he feels to be losing you. poor bugger’s on borrowed time. the isolation must make him wish he was starting over.
Here comes the Jimmy Barnes “stylez”.