Open mike 07/05/2025

Written By: notices and features - Date published: - 34 comments
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34 comments on “Open mike 07/05/2025”

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  1. 1

    The good old Herald ehh! The headline banner on the motorbike tragedy links to a redirection entitled “ Opps, looks like a Dead End “ go back to homepage.
    Beyond words, welcome to A.I people.

  3. 3

    With the massive anti-worker moves from this government this week, it's sure easy to see why New Zealand’s people are leaving in the tens of thousands.

    Albanese looks locked in until at least 2031.

    We are rapidly accelerating away from each other.

    Australia is what we could have been and won't be.

    1. 3.1

      2040 is going to be disturbing. One Voice referenda level.

      If we want New Zealand to be a social democracy, will we have to become a state of Australia?

      A one people as the coalition wants it, but a social democracy at least (on our current path a failed first world state, riven by a class divide).

  4. 4

    Please make this less than a one term govt. Pricks.

    .

    The Luxon Government has just introduced a bill into the House that would make it legal to kill protected wildlife. Greenpeace understands the Bill is being rushed through all stages under urgency tonight, without public consultation or proper scrutiny.

    The amendment to the Wildlife Act, New Zealand’s foundational wildlife protection law, would allow the Director-General of Conservation to grant companies permission to kill native animals if they get in the way of projects like roads, mines or dams.

    https://www.greenpeace.org/aotearoa/press-release/luxon-government-to-pass-law-tonight-that-legalises-killing-kiwi/

    1. 4.1

      Get real – you can't stop progress and you gotta have growth (well that's what the pollies would have us believe).

      If our wildlife and the environment that supports it get in the way of development, both must be sacrificed. That's why the Ruataniwha dam scheme in Hawkes Bay is being resurrected.

  5. 5

    The news is making us sick. What to do for the obsessive news junkies amongst us?

    Our brains are hardwired to process stress relating to trauma by entering what is known as “fight, flight, freeze” mode before returning to a restful state. However, constant exposure to trauma can derail our ability to cope healthily and hinder our ability to return to a relaxed state.

    Every time we experience or hear about a traumatic event, we go into stress mode. We might go numb or have an overactive fear response to the perceived threat. Our physiology is triggered to release stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.

    I would also include politics as a traumatic event.

    Chronic levels of stress can have myriad physical manifestations such as headaches, muscle tension or pain, stomach problems, anxiety and sleep issues.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/01/health/bad-news-bad-health/index.html

      1. 6.1.1

        The good news.

        .

        The chemical equator term and concept was coined in 2008 when researchers from University of York discovered a distinct divide between the polluted air and haze over Indonesia from the largely uncontaminated atmosphere over Australia. This divide is distinguishable by a rapid increase in atmospheric levels of carbon monoxide and other pollutants from the Tropical Warm Pool region northward.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_equator

  9. 9

    764,000 more willing victims of the tRump family's crime spree.

    .

    About 764,000 wallets that purchased President Donald Trump’s $TRUMP meme coin have lost money on the investment, according to fresh data shared with CNBC by blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis.

    Most of the wallets that lost money held smaller amounts of the token, according to the firm’s on-chain analysis. Crypto wallets are accounts that store the keys you need to access and use your cryptocurrency holdings.

    Chainalysis said that while around 2 million wallets have bought into the token, 58 wallets made more than $10 million apiece, totaling roughly $1.1 billion in gains.

    https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/crypto/58-crypto-wallets-made-millions-trumps-meme-coin-764000-lost-money-dat-rcna205237

  10. 10

    I wondered what use a popemobile would be in providing medical care in Gaza and then the penny dropped that they were built specifically to resist terror attacks so yeah, it'll probably be useful.

    Before he died, Pope Francis donated one of his popemobiles to be converted into a mobile health unit to serve the children of Gaza, officials said Monday.

    https://www.nbcnews.com/world/pope-francis/pope-francis-donated-popemobile-serve-mobile-health-unit-gaza-children-rcna205043

  11. 11

    Rob Campbell backs David Seymour’s Ministry for Regulation but not really.

    https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/05/05/why-im-backing-a-ministry-for-regulation/

    He makes an excellent point that a regulatory agency must have a degree of autonomy and separation from undue political interference to free it from short-termism and partisan bias. This would rule out a Ministry, in my opinion. In addition, such agency should be broadminded, constructive, and inclusive. However, the current version is an elite group of highly paid professional managers with a narrow-minded scope and an agenda of slash & burn, water down, and repeal & reject destruction of existing regulations and common law, i.e., the Coalition’s Pest Control Bureau.

    1. 11.1

      Regulatory review is already a part of legislative drafting between Ministries and Agencies and Crown Law and sometimes DPMC. And done fine.

      If they need a separate unt they should attach it to Parliamentary Counsel's Office where the drafts are hammered out.

      1. 11.1.1

        And done fine.

        Bold claim, but nothing to support it.

        I’m not aware that the PCO reviews existing legislation as a matter of course. However, legislation is only a part of the overall regulatory framework, albeit an important part, undoubtedly.

  12. 12

    More New Zealanders see going to an offshore university as the best way to get ahead.

    Partly because they can afford to (some by scholarships, sport etc).

    The report also showed 12% of 2023 school-leavers with international school qualifications and 10% of leavers from private schools went abroad.

    https://archive.li/gNXNR#selection-3999.1-3999.95

    1. 12.1

      I have a child who has just begun her studies at an Australian university. Her main motivations were that the standard would be higher and the job opportunities upon graduation would be better. I have another child studying at a New Zealand institution and in the particular field they are studying the standard is definitely higher in Australia.

  13. 13

    What is in a name?

    The family Drumpf became the Trumpites who signalled the way of the end of the constitutional republic, with an ostentatious display of fake wealth and open venal corruption and favour to the privileged.

    A gulf in class between American and Mexican, between the Arabian and Persian.

    Such is the way of brand marketing. Or as Kermit said, put lipstick on it before kissing.

    But once youth is gone, remember there is still only one planet, however much Elon Musk aka Jules-Pierre Mao and Droidshell1 distracts us from that to extract money out of NASA and the Pentagon for himself.

    1. 14.1

      Latest poll suggests wokeism is working for the Greens

      Green support (14%) in the Roy Morgan poll bounces around between 11.5 and 15.5%.

      "Wokeism" is a pejorative term. I prefer DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), but wouldn't die in a ditch over it. There's a push to turn DEI into a pejorative as well.

      In the past decade, conservatives have cycled through attacks on wokeness, affirmative action, critical race theory, and the diversity-equity-and-inclusion initiatives known, now pejoratively, as D.E.I.

      https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/the-war-on-diversity-equity-and-inclusion

      https://comenian.org/11444/opinions/diversity-turned-derogatory-how-dei-has-become-an-unusual-controversy/

      https://theconversation.com/why-the-term-dei-is-being-weaponized-as-a-racist-dog-whistle-228074

      1. 14.1.1

        It’s lazy term to grab attention, feign outrage and self-righteous relevance that’s often followed by short meaningless social media-type ‘analysis’ and commentary. Best to ignore, IMO.

      2. 14.1.2

        I'm also not a fan of 'wokeism' and it's not interchangeable with DEI (which is a US term that comes with its own sets of baggage).

        Social justice is a better for for GP policy and positions. Solidarity politics.

    2. 14.2

      The Right 49% The Left 47%.

      Too close to call Dennis. But you are right about the Greens doing well. The trouble is the anti woke brigade at NZF have 9%.

      The massive own goal on women's pay equity yesterday probably means the Left are ahead now.

    3. 14.3

      Latest poll suggests wokeism is working for the Greens:

      Not sure how you got to that. For one the RM habitually over polls the Greens. Look at the trend across all polls instead.

      1. 14.3.1

        You also have to ask yourself where these votes are coming from.

        If all the Greens are doing is cannibalising Labour, then all they are achieving is rearranging a bunch of deckchairs on the Titanic.

        [Please correct your e-mail address in your next comment, thanks – Incognito]

        2. 14.3.1.2

          are you thinking they could be getting votes from elsewhere? The non-vote? Centrist swing voters seem unlikely.

      1. 14.5.1

        For all Kiwis Party moving into the right place (just in case there is an early election) for the run down the straight.

        National sits at 34.6%, up 1.1 points since April’s poll, while Labour has jumped 3.4 points to 33.2%.

        The results show 33.3% (down 8.5 points) believe the country is going in the right direction, while 46% (up 1.8 points) say it going in the wrong direction.

        https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/national-leads-labour-in-latest-poll-but-chris-hipkins-party-gets-big-boost/3JS7ZUNOMFD5LODCSQF2QWSCXU/

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