Americas Cup is New Zealand’s cup?
It appears that the Government and Auckland Council have spent $250 million on an event the organisers of which are now making plans to go overseas in pursuit of the big corporate dollars.
Social issues
National and the Greens on how to solve the housing crisis
Over the past week National and the Greens have released housing policy designed to address the country’s current housing crisis. National’s are tired and either reflect what is already happening or reinforce their doctrinal view of the world. The Green’s proposals are more radical and reflect steps that Micky Savage and the First Labour Government took in 1935.
New Zealand Service in Afghanistan Concludes
Did New Zealand military forces do good in Afghanistan?
About the latest poll
Media claims that Ardern’s support have peaked and are tanking are way too premature.
Remember March 15
Today marks the second anniversary of the Christchurch Mosque shooting.
Vaccine Diplomacy
Vaccines have had a place in diplomacy since the Cold War. The country that can manufacture and distribute lifesaving injections to others less fortunate sees a return on its investment in the form of soft power. Today the country moving fastest towards consolidating these gains may be China.
Women and male violence
Sarah Everard’s death has been a touchpaper that has ignited the ever present anger in women at having to live in a world that is fundamentally unsafe for us simply on the basis of our sex.
The Unbearable Lightness of the Bright-Line Test
The bright-line test is a red herring and does nothing to deter housing speculation.
Much ado about nothing
Chris Bishop is claiming credit for Labour finishing a deal whereby the party rented premises to Parliamentary Services for the use of Gillian Anderson MP at a level well below market rates.
The trans Tasman bubble
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said New Zealanders have an unfettered ability to travel to Australia for a holiday. Reality would suggest that he is wrong.
Water Rights War Brewing
Minister Parker is firing an 18 inch gun round that he’s ready to take on all with his call-in of the Otago water rights plan change.
She might have saved us from Covid but she does not drink beer with Soper
Newstalk ZB, Mike Hosking and Barry Soper are shocked, I tell you, shocked that Jacinda Ardern will no longer regularly appear on the Mike Hosking show.
How to Put A Stake Through Our Monarchy’s Heart
The Monarchy’s attacks on Meaghan Markle may backfire spectacularly.
So, You Want To Buy Your First Home?
Money does not grow on trees, it grows on houses. It is pure magic!
Sugar is evil
With the recent High Court trial brought by three academics highlighting the undeserved attacks on their reputations by entities associated with the food industry now having concluded it is time for the Government to think about banning sugary drinks from schools. And a sugar tax.
Senior Business Leaders Call Out To Government. Again
Senior business leaders have called for more openness and clarity from the Government on its plan for getting New Zealand to “COVID normal”. But have failed to say what they would do to contribute or what they are doing to help.
No Right Turn: Give the Rangitata back
If we want to protect our environment and ourselves, we need to scale this back. And the easiest way to do that is give the river back: remove or massively scale back those consents, and let the rivers flow.
Level 3 again … be kind
Auckland is back into level three lockdown.
Amandla …
David Seymour and Act have likened the institutional suppression of people based on the colour of their skin with a desire to ensure local government representation for Tangata Whenua.
The case for mandatory legislative review
You can’t read legislation for very long without finding instances of weird edge cases. But is also why we have kids trying to walk or bike on gravel roads with no sidewalks to get to school. When modern cars travel these narrow lanes at up to 100km/hour. Parliament has no systematic way to review obsolete legislation.
Who’s the wokester?
Simon Bridges has repeated claims that Police Commissioner Andy Coster is “wokester” and has underlined how weak National’s caucus discipline is.
V for vaccine
The Covid pandemic is entering into an interesting stage with vaccinations being administered at an increasing rate and infection rates declining. The opportunities for politicising the issue continue however.
The unlucky New Zealand
The first New Zealand study to look at the effects of food hardship on pre-schoolers’ nutrition has found that nearly half of families struggle to access healthy food in their child’s first year of life.
The Very, Very Lucky Country
While Australia is rightly branded The Lucky Country, it looks like we can reasonably be called the Very, Very Lucky Country.
Pandemic to endemic covid-19
Back in May, I wrote a post “Covid-19: may be endemic“. That is looking like it is more and more likely. The depth of infection in world populations means that recombinant variants are likely. Vaccines and previous immunity will reduce the death rates and infection rates. But won’t stop reinfection. Human behaviour will keep covid-19 as an endemic disease.
Managed isolation cleaners should be paid a living wage
Managed isolation facility cleaners, who the country desperately relies on, are struggling to survive on low wages while performing an absolutely vital role.
We Must Resist China
New Zealand should continue to protest against China’s massive oppression of Uighur peoples. It’s what a country with a conscience ought to do.
WTF were you thinking Air New Zealand?
One News has reported that a subsidy of Air New Zealand has been providing assistance to Saudi Navy boats accused of committing atrocities against the people of Yemen.
Escape Velocity
In this series so far I’ve examined three of the four terms in the Kaya Identity, population, economic intensity, and energy intensity. It […]
Simon Bridges, Conversion Therapy and free speech
Simon Bridges has shown he wants to continue to fight the culture wars on the conservative side by claiming that preventing christian extremists from engaging in conversion therapy is a breach of their freedom of expression.
Paora Goldsmith, Māori history and identity politics
Paora Goldsmith thinks that learning about Māori history is engaging in identity politics.
Covid19 Vaccine Rollout and Global Inequality
2023-2024 for a global rollout 0f the Covid vaccine will put stark lines of demarcation between which populations can trade and travel easily, and those who can’t.
Twelve months of living with Covid
One year on from the declaration by the WTO that Covid was a public health emergency and with the benefit of hindsight it is interesting to see who heeded the scientific advice and how it worked out.
Trifold Politics and Boundaries
Over the past year I’ve outlined in the comments an alternative triplet political model to the standard left/right description that’s the usual default. […]
The fascinating story about when some redditors took on Wall Street
The world has been watching, mostly with amusement, as some redditors have brought a Wall Street merchant bank to its knees, by buying stocks in a company, GameStop who has seen better days and whose business model is antiquated.
Who says cancel culture is a bad thing?
It may be that we have heard publicly from John Banks for the last time. If so this will be a good thing.