Insulting

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 4:58 pm, October 1st, 2008 - 139 comments
Categories: crime, dpf - Tags:

David Farrar really is a disgusting person at times. He writes that we shouldn’t look at overall crime rates (although he made a big fuss when the overall recorded crime rate went up because of changes in recording practice in 2006). Instead we should just look at violent crime, after all “having 1,000 less [sic] cannabis crimes and 500 more rapes is a net decrease in crime, but would be a worrying trend”. He then goes on to act all shocked over the recorded violent crime stats. First, he’s trying to make you think there are more rapes (in fact, the number is down and he’s hardly one to fret about rape when he’s good mates with a pornographer). Secondly, this professional statistician is deliberately trying to mislead you regarding the change in the crime stats. He knows that the explanation from the professionals is reporting of domestic crime is up but he hopes you don’t.

Crime is down because poverty and the conditions that breed crime have been reduced. At the same time, reporting of crimes is up. Thefts, car thefts, and burglaries (together, the largest group of crimes) have halved in the last ten years. Homicides are down. In fact, all classes of crime are down except two. Recorded violent crime is up because reporting is up. Recorded property damage offences have climbed in the last three years thanks to the moral panic over tagging. But those rises are attributed (not by me, by the Police) to higher reporting.

Farrar needs to misrepresent the statistics to create the impression of a wave of crime where there is none. It’s all part of National’s ‘New Zealand sucks’ campaign. It disrespects his readers and the victims of crime. Disgusting.

[crime stats]

139 comments on “Insulting ”

Comments are now closed

randal 1

1 October 2008 at 5:09 pm

farrar is a windbag and a fool with oversize dewlaps but we have to put up with him because we live in a democracy. anywhere else and he would be laughed out of town!
Robinsod 2

1 October 2008 at 5:11 pm

To be fair to david his audience is really only the MSM and his retarded chimp commenters so it’s not like he can expect to be caught out…
Phil 3

1 October 2008 at 5:12 pm

Anywhere else and you would have been sent to a re-education camp
Hamish 4

1 October 2008 at 5:17 pm

That is the worst article I have ever seen.

I’m not going to comment at this time on his “apparent” mis-use of crime statistics because i’m not going to pretend that I know anything about it. But personally attacking Farrar by calling him disgusting just makes you look like a prick.

And how is the fact that he is friends with a pornographer even relevant to his mis-use of crime statistics? Never a dull moment for the standard when it can use cheap shots at it’s opposition.

Your link to the stats doesn’t work as well. So basically you’ve made a variety of claims but not backed them up with any evidence.

[try here. It’s the Stats table builder, you can find the number of offences down to a hundred-odd sub-catagories. SP]
higherstandard 5

1 October 2008 at 5:20 pm

Evidence Hamish damn you eyes Sir !

Don’t you know that any stats that reflect poorly on the present government are lies.

The real question is where was John Key when all those thefts and car conversions were going on !
gobsmacked 6

1 October 2008 at 5:22 pm

SP, why do you keep doing this?

Yet again, you make a valid argument about the facts and figures, and then you chuck a totally gratuitous self-destruct line in there along with it. A gift to those who don’t want to debate the issue. If they then seize upon your stupid comment, that’s nobody’s fault but yours. And another opportunity goes begging.

Try this in future: write the post, step away from it, read it again, and then ask yourself what you want people to discuss. Anything that distracts from the issue: delete. And if you can’t hear the alarm bells, ask someone who can.
Steve Pierson 7

1 October 2008 at 5:28 pm

gobs. the lines are there on purpose and with a mind to the consequences. And they’re not just rhetoric. I mean every word
travellerev 8

1 October 2008 at 5:32 pm

Dewlaps. LOL. I actually had to google that one.
Being a tulip I didn’t know the man so I looked him up and he has them too.LLOL
Hamish 9

1 October 2008 at 5:35 pm

Got them working now. Thanks!
Pete 10

1 October 2008 at 5:35 pm

in fact, the number is down and he’s hardly one to fret about rape when he’s good mates with a pornographer).

I love this line from a person that obviously supports a party that legislated to legalise prostitution. Afterall, pornography is just videotaped prostitution for the mass market.

Steve you’ll next be espousing a Clintonesque line like “I’ve watched pornography once but I didn’t touch myself”
Steve Pierson 11

1 October 2008 at 5:35 pm

HS. don’t be a dick, you’re better than this. Read the stats, read the Police analysis. It’s not me who’s lying, I’m just relaying the stats and telling you what the experts say.
Steve Pierson 12

1 October 2008 at 5:38 pm

Pete. Prostitution happened anyway, so the sensible question is ‘how can we make the best of an undesirable situation?’ decriminalising prostitution was the best way to help minimise the dangers to prostitutes. I support that, doesn’t mean I think prostitution is a good thing. You need to start thinking in terms other than black and white.
travellerev 13

1 October 2008 at 5:44 pm

HS,

Probably buying and selling railway shares and lying about it while he was making a fast buck on his own shares and using his political position to help out mates. Ooh oops, who were caught insider trading and had to buy themselves out of the crapper with 20 million.

It’s called white collar crime. The difference with rich white men committing “white collar” crime and burglary is that the burglar goes to jail when caught and when you’re rich you get elected prime minister by idjiets like you so you can bamboozle some more.

[let’s not get personal in our criticisms. That goes for me too. Sorry for before HS. SP]
Pete 14

1 October 2008 at 5:45 pm

Steve I’m all shades of grey and usually a little green on a Sunday morning 😉

But I’d like to know how you link being a pornographer with being a rapist? Moreover how you link having a pornographer friend makes a person any less able to find rape repugnant?

Or were you just attempting a nice disgusting smear?

[being friends with a pornographer shows a disrespectful attitude to women at least. Many feminists argue porn promotes rape – so associating with someone like that while writing beat up stories abotu rape is pretty awful in my books. Of course, that’s just one element of Farrar’s misogyny and I have a problem with misogynists trying to make political capital off rape. SP]
spot 15

1 October 2008 at 5:50 pm

I’m rubbish on stats, so I’ll ask the “idiots guide” question.

How do the reported/recorded crime stats (and any increase) stack up against the crime which is actually occuring as a whole? Eg, how do you distinguish between the capturing of the data (increase) and any actual lift in “real world” crime activity.

Does that question make sense, probably not – but strikes me that assessement against these sorts of stats must be a bl**dy nightmare unless you have a rock solid baseline.
travellerev 16

1 October 2008 at 5:55 pm

Without disrespecting your request for decent debate what is personal about my response Steve. Ah, the “idjiet”, I get it.

HS, Is pretty personal too Steve.

“Birds of a feather” “I hope they don’t procreate”. Pretty insulting.
And he may not agree with my ideas about 911 but his constant dogwistling about paranoia is and hinting at conspiracies is also pretty nasty and stigmatising.
sean 17

1 October 2008 at 6:01 pm

Unless you have hardcore proof, then violent crime has increased – harping on about someone who claims to be an expert saying that they know it all and its really just better reporting is just hot air and smoke and mirrors.

The cold facts are that there are more reported violent crimes – therefore, it is safe to assume that more violent crimes are happening. No matter what statements you throw up around this, you are just clutching at straws as it is the logical hypothesis.

How on earth can someone claim to know that while reporting has improved, actual violent crime has decreased – unless they know what happens in every single household in New Zealand?

Words of advice: never try getting a statistical or operational research type job – you would fail big time.
Steve Pierson 18

1 October 2008 at 6:05 pm

yeah. ev. I know. The request goes for all of us.

spot. victimisation surveys are one attempt to capture the actual crime rate. But it is important that we acknowledge there are three elements that could vary the recorded crime stats –
– actual crime level changes
– changes in reporting levels
– changes in recording practice (that happened between 2005 and 2006)

So, when we see a change we ask which of these could be the explanation. Have we seen an worsening of the conditions that lead to crime (more poverty, unemployment, fewer police etc)? That may mean the increase is due to an actual increase in crime. We haven’t seen those conditions worsen signficantly in the last year, in fact most of them have improved.

Have we seen an improvement in the conditions for reporting? Yes, the family violence campaign too place and we had a 30% increase in the reporting of family crime. Unlikely to be a coincidence. Note, you take out family violence and crime has dropped several percent. If crime was rising, it would be unlikely it would confined to this single type of crime.
r0b 19

1 October 2008 at 6:08 pm

Unless you have hardcore proof, then violent crime has increased – harping on about someone who claims to be an expert saying that they know it all and its really just better reporting is just hot air and smoke and mirrors

Yeah sean, what do those police “experts” know about crime eh. Not as much as you right?
Pete 20

1 October 2008 at 6:10 pm

Steve bro you need to get out more. Many women enjoy watching porno alone or with their partners. Sex toy sales are on the up and up. Quite frankly I find it rather disgusting that you suggest a woman that enjoys these things isn’t really a “woman” but some man toy. Of course there are problems within the industry – there always have been and always will be – much like any other industry.

Your perspective is just another form of misogyny – one which suggests that a woman is not capable of looking after herself or intelligent enough to select things that are pleasurable to her. Nice one…

Remember all the freaky people make up the beauty of the world.

[bro, I know plenty about the freaky side of things and I know well there are many empowered women who are into all kinds of things but I also know that the pornography industry is primarily disempowered women being used by men. SP]
ghostwhowalks 21

1 October 2008 at 6:10 pm

There was Farrars mock umbrage today over the Brash emails saga with this comment
..The alleged theft was notified to Police in August 2005
The Police did not begin their investigation until September 2006 – 13 months later!

But Hootens comment put the formal complaint laid by Brash was September 2006. Of course Brash was making noises before this but didnt want to complain until he realised his political career was over.

Some stats about Farrars results from election campaigns he has had a formal role.
Wellington Regional Vice Chair- lost all seats except 1
Wellington Central- campaign manager, lost , even with dream candidate of ex mayor
Steve Pierson 22

1 October 2008 at 6:11 pm

r0b. Sean’s a genius he knows everything. No, he doesn’t need to look anything up, do any research, rely on the findings of experts – he already knows all the answers, he’s just waiting for the questions.
Being an ignorant conservative means never having to say ‘I don’t know’
r0b 23

1 October 2008 at 6:15 pm

r0b. Sean’s a genius he knows everything.

What a terrible burden that must be for him. And so misunderstood.
spot 24

1 October 2008 at 6:31 pm

All fair points SP, guess one of the things I was trying to get at was (as you note) the coincidence vs causal relationships.

Never fails to dissapoint me where the cheap point scoring gets the coverage, or how far they lot of em will actually go to push a line they know really doesn’t stand scrutiny, but by which time it matters it’s “yesterdays fish n chips wrapping” etc.

Politics though huh, elections and desperation (to get in, and to stay) will always make for a good hunk of “conservative truth telling” and definitely cheapshot campaigning.
Ben R 25

1 October 2008 at 6:34 pm

“Crime is down because poverty and the conditions that breed crime have been reduced.”

Labour also deserve credit for the Sentencing Act 2002 which has lead to longer sentences. Also since the Parole Act 2002 people are serving a greater proportion of their sentences.

This, together with increased police numbers has probably also helped reduce the overall crime rate.
Ag 26

1 October 2008 at 6:38 pm

Why does anyone think this will make any difference? The conservative movement abandoned truth a long time ago. Truth only matters to them when it accidentally agrees with them. Otherwise they don’t care about it. That’s what happens with a faith-based (in the broad sense) political movement.

Hell, I remember the Herald once having a headline about the increase in crime over an article that described the decrease in crime. Words start to lose their meanings when this becomes prevalent.
Ben R 27

1 October 2008 at 6:42 pm

“That’s what happens with a faith-based (in the broad sense) political movement.”

I thought a conservative was by nature skeptical & wanted to see evidence before making changes?
Ag 28

1 October 2008 at 6:49 pm

“I thought a conservative was by nature skeptical & wanted to see evidence before making changes?”

Would that it were still so. I actually liked those people, since you could at least talk to them and they had some sense of shame. I guess there are still some of them left, but today’s self-appointed “conservatives” are a misnomer. They espouse what seems to be a radical faith-based politics driven by some sort of primal rage against “socialists” or “liberals” (where those words lack their customary meaning).

They’re like the reporters from 1984: “The chocolate ration has been increased this week from 25 grams to 20 grams. All praise Big Brother!”

Captcha: Casual reports. 😉
outofbed 29

1 October 2008 at 6:52 pm

I can never understand why Farrar hangs out with Slater He would garner a modicum of respect from me he didn’t hang out with that nasty misogynist pornographer.
They say You can judge a man by the company he keeps.
RedLogix 30

1 October 2008 at 6:52 pm

And I suppose it would be tiresomely technical of me to point out that this report uses absolute numbers… uncorrected for population increase.
bustedblonde 31

1 October 2008 at 7:12 pm

Common boys – leave my mates alone. Or are you going to have a wack at me for putting up pics of naked men bums?

I can’t see how you can support legislation decriminalising prostitution and yet get rabid about porn.

There is a big range of porn from erotica – which is what most people tolerate to the hard ass stuff I had to put up with for four years in a medium security jail.

The world is not black and white boys its many hues of grey.

BTW – Farrars right about the stats, thats why its called right wing politics we tend to be, well right. And at the moment you guys are being left in the dust..

The truth is our lovely country is less safe than it once was.

So instead of trying to defend the stats, which are quitefrankly appalling, think about the one thing that can be done to help to make it a little bit safer and do us a favour and blog about that…
Draco T Bastard 32

1 October 2008 at 7:23 pm

Ben R

I thought a conservative was by nature skeptical & wanted to see evidence before making changes?

Nope, a conservative is someone who wants things to stay the same because they’re too terrified of change.
Draco T Bastard 33

1 October 2008 at 7:27 pm

RedLogix:

And I suppose it would be tiresomely technical of me to point out that this report uses absolute numbers uncorrected for population increase.

Corrected for population increase – crime has decreased.

The figures showed 107 more offences were recorded in the year than in the June 2007 year. Adjusted for the population increase in the same period, it was a 1 per cent decrease, police said.
RedLogix 34

1 October 2008 at 7:32 pm

The truth is our lovely country is less safe than it once was.

More likely:

1. You know more about life than you did once.

2. You’ve become more risk-averse than you were when you were young.

3. As a result your perceptions about ‘safety’ have changed.

The truth is complex. NZ has always had a dark violent underbelly; but mostly it was confined and hidden away from middle-class sensibilities. Our mean streets were always.. well mean.

Two things have changed. We are less tolerant of violence than we once were; while at the same time P has changed our crime/drug underworld from sad and thuggish… to freaky and brutal.

think about the one thing that can be done to help to make it a little bit safer and do us a favour and blog about that

What exactly do you have in mind?
vto 35

1 October 2008 at 7:53 pm

ha ha, putting aside the actual topic, this is a bwilliant example of pots and kettles SP.

But I gotta say that on average Farrar’s threads and topics are more balanced, bipartisan (where appropriate) and researched than your own by a country mile. And he gives kudos to the left where deserved etc too.

Re this actual topic, it seems he may have stepped a bit too far in his interpretations and conclusions, but that is not common imo.
bustedblonde 36

1 October 2008 at 7:57 pm

Well one thing that gets me going is seeing people like Eugene Ryder parading around in gang colours saying he is working to stop kids from getting into gangs . He should not get any money until he stops advertising black power. what is needed is for the ex gang leaders to drop the colours and explain why they have to the young ones contemplating getting involved. Older guys like Denis O’Reilly and Harry Tam who have walked away from the old life but who have a history of turning kids lives around.

I saw too many like Ryder inside the jail. They still glory in the colours and the creed and that is not the way to go.

I am also a firm believer in keeping the little buggers busy.. It is labour and cost intensive but again it works..

Everything has to be about giving them hope and opening their eyes to the possibilities in the world.

But it should be against a backdrop of near zero tolerance..

I speak from some experience but I also know that youth crime is one of the most difficult problems to solve. If I had my way I would work for a cross party accord – a few ideas from here and there – the will and buy in from everyone and then maybe we could get some programmes going that work. That being said there will be some out there that do work – the trick is replicating them.

Hell it might even happen if the Maori Party and the Nats have a little korero after the election..

BB
randal 37

1 October 2008 at 8:04 pm

so the question is: is farrar going to call 0800newcop or just hang around blagging about it?
travellerev 38

1 October 2008 at 8:09 pm

bustedblonde, now there’s a name for ya. I’ve seen that tag somewhere before but is had a different name attached to it, I think.
burt 39

1 October 2008 at 8:23 pm

Steve P.

being friends with a pornographer shows a disrespectful attitude to women at least. Many feminists argue porn promotes rape – so associating with someone like that while writing beat up stories abotu rape is pretty awful in my books. Of course, that’s just one element of Farrar’s misogyny and I have a problem with misogynists trying to make political capital off rape. SP

Feminists have also said in the past that all men are rapists. Are you a rapist Steve?

I like porn, I’ve never raped – never would rape. I know plenty of woman who like porn as well.

I suggest it’s you trying to make political capital off rape.
Chris 40

1 October 2008 at 8:41 pm

Yeah, come on steve, as a social liberal leave the porn out of it! remember, we’re pro-choice? Or are you one of those social liberal till it crosses your values type guys?
Brett Dale 41

1 October 2008 at 8:55 pm

I don’t think David is a disgusting person, but the fact that you would call someone a disgusting person says a lot about you.

I said it a thousand times, walk thru Christchurch at night during any day of the week, and you will see what effect a soft approach to crime has.
slightlyrighty 42

1 October 2008 at 8:57 pm

Great. Shoot the messenger as opposed to a constructive debate. Keep it up cos it’s working really well isn’t it!

(captcha hysterical an. appropriate isn’t it!)
Dean 43

1 October 2008 at 9:20 pm

“First, he’s trying to make you think there are more rapes (in fact, the number is down and he’s hardly one to fret about rape when he’s good mates with a pornographer).”

I’m not sure why you’re trying to make yourself seem stupid SP but I’m sure you’re aware that:

a. Porn does not equal rapist and
b. Many feminists don’t have a problem with porn

Perhaps it’s the sheltered world you live in.
GPT 44

1 October 2008 at 9:25 pm

This blog claims to have “standards” for commentators and seems very quick to ban any and all for anything deemed a personal attack and yet you find it necessary to call Farrar “a disgusting person” and intimate that b/c he is apparently friends with a pornographer (how is this relevant?) that he somehow condones rape?

Is their one rule for you and one rule for everyone else?

Hypocracy of a Winston Peters level.

[lprent: What the posters write is their own opinion. The blog site doesn’t have an opinion – it is a program running on a machine. Read the About. ]
Dean 45

1 October 2008 at 9:26 pm

“[bro, I know plenty about the freaky side of things and I know well there are many empowered women who are into all kinds of things but I also know that the pornography industry is primarily disempowered women being used by men. SP]”

This is even better.

I don’t think you know much about the modern day porn industry, SP. But as always you’ll speak out against it because you’re looking to score points. Have you considered activism for the EBs? You know it makes sense.
Tony Norriss 46

1 October 2008 at 9:34 pm

I heard the deputy commissioner talking to Larry Williams on ZB today. He said that only 30% of crime is reported. He gave me the impression that he thought that was great!! However, it seems that the low level of reporting makes comparisons with previous years fairly meaningless unless the level of non-reporting can be accurately estimated for the previous years as well. If the level of non-reporting has been steadily increasing, as many believe, then the stats may indeed be misrepresenting the figures.

In any case, it is misleading to state that the increase in violent crime is due to the increase in domestic offences. The stats show that many other aspects of violent offending have also increased.
RedLogix 47

1 October 2008 at 9:36 pm

As with SP I don’t get overwrought by the freaky side of life; it exists and all sorts of people have all sorts of predilictions in their private lives, and I’m not about to come over judgemental about it.

But Farrar is no longer an altogether private person, he’s spent years working assiduously to make himself a public person. As such his open friendship with the odious Slater is a mistake; the sort of mistake if say for instance John Key was mates with Steve Crow.

It’s poor judgement and not a good look, whatever position you want to take on the politics of porn.
Dean 48

1 October 2008 at 9:42 pm

redlogix:

“But Farrar is no longer an altogether private person, he’s spent years working assiduously to make himself a public person. As such his open friendship with the odious Slater is a mistake; the sort of mistake if say for instance John Key was mates with Steve Crow.”

And that makes him A-OK with rape?

You need to get a grip on reality and leave the politics behind.

“It’s poor judgement and not a good look, whatever position you want to take on the politics of porn.”

You couldn’t have said it better yourself. I suggest that you and SP have a good long think about that.
RedLogix 49

1 October 2008 at 9:52 pm

And that makes him A-OK with rape?

I’ll add that to my barn full of strawmen.

Slater is slime. And his creepy and demeaning porn exudes slime… the kind that sticks to everyone around it.
Disengaged 50

1 October 2008 at 10:15 pm

I’m sorry Steve but once again you have me confused. DPF has put a different slant on the figures than you. There is no suprise in that. One is looking from the left, the other the right. I fail to see how that makes him disgusting.

More importantly I fail to see how just because he knows a pornographer means that he condones rape. One of my friends from school was arrested for armed robbery, does that mean that I condone violent crime? No.

As to your statements about porn being responsible for rape, I think that you are being deliberately obtuse. Perhaps you and your significant other should check out some of the erotica for couples available on the market and see if you think that is encouraging rape. Also tell me another industry where women routinely get paid five times (if not more) as much as their male counterparts?

Capture: Stock Problem – Tell me about it!!!
Bryan Spondre 51

1 October 2008 at 10:29 pm

Hmm, I detect significant anger being directed at the right side of the blogo-sphere. Including a (deleted) post by Irishbill directed at one of my colleagues. Does this indicate panic on the left that the election campaign is not going well ?
Tane 52

1 October 2008 at 10:36 pm

You want to talk anger, Bryan, have a look at some of the hatemail we receive from your friends on the right.

In any case, no, what that post indicates is that your colleague is being somewhat less than honest in his dealings. But that’s what we’ve come to expect from his blog posts.

While we’re on the topic, Bryan, I might as well point out that you and Matthew are both in breach of policy.net’s Privacy Policy. You might want to check that out.
Anita 53

1 October 2008 at 10:41 pm

Probably the Privacy Act as well.
Bryan Spondre 54

1 October 2008 at 10:53 pm

I will take that as “Yes,things are not going well!!!!”.
Pascal's bookie 55

1 October 2008 at 10:56 pm

Is Tame Wilson a colleague? Will he be commenting again?
burt 56

1 October 2008 at 10:59 pm

randal

so the question is: is farrar going to call 0800newcop or just hang around blagging about it?

Excellent point. He could start up KiwiPlodBlog.
GPT 57

1 October 2008 at 11:01 pm

Ah Tane. Moral relativism at its best. It’s ok to say vile things about Farrar b/c he’s wrong.

lprent – so posters can be as insulting and vile as they like but commentators cannot?

[lprent: I agree with SP on this about DPF’s use of statistics. Have a look at the analysis on 08wire

http://08wire.org/2008/10/02/farrar-vs-the-standard-on-massaging-crime-statistics/

The point is that DPF was doing the classic focus on the crime stats by only reporting them in a way to show conclusion that he wished to it to show. I’ve read DPF’s response and it is pathetic because he hasn’t even acknowledged his manipulative bias. Good on SP for pointing out the DPF’s lack of statistical integrity.

The comment about Whale is actually unrelated and probably detracted from SP’s post. However I’d also describe Whale in similar terms because of his habit of pasting kids heads onto porn and then publishing them on the net, plus many other instances. The pornographer even boasts about his ability on photoshop.]
Bryan Spondre 58

1 October 2008 at 11:05 pm

So why has the post by IrishBill about Matthew been taken down ?
Tane 59

1 October 2008 at 11:10 pm

GPT. I don’t know what you think I’m referring to, but you sound like you’ve got it all backwards.

Bryan. I took it down because while not in breach of our policy, upon further reflection and reader feedback I decided it wasn’t the kind of thing we should be engaging in.

In any case, you haven’t addressed my point. Are you planning to make your site compliant with your privacy policy, or is it just there for a laugh?
Bryan Spondre 60

1 October 2008 at 11:17 pm

Given that I am a 100% sure that Lynn is correct about the static IP’s matching it looks like someone was pretending to be Matthew Hooton pretending to be Tame. The comments by the person purporting to be Matthew Hooton don’t look as if they were written by the real Matthew Hooton.

Has the real culprit been identified and was this the reason for IrishBill’s post being pulled ?

Fascinating, better than Coronation Street!!!!
burt 61

1 October 2008 at 11:23 pm

Retrospective validation at the standard.
Bryan Spondre 62

1 October 2008 at 11:32 pm

When someone impersonates me I insist they spell my name correctly, have a look at Robinsods blog for an example of what not to do.

burt- I guess retrospective validation is what the left does best 😉
Bryan Spondre 63

1 October 2008 at 11:33 pm

Tane – “I took it down because while not in breach of our policy, upon further reflection and reader feedback I decided it wasn’t the kind of thing we should be engaging in.”

I applaud your decision to adhere to a higher standard.
GPT 64

1 October 2008 at 11:38 pm

Apologies if I got it backwards Tane – you were referring to a “colleague” (of Bryan’s) being less than honest in his blog posts. I took that as referring to DPF and, given your reference to the ‘hatemail from the right’ I took your comment as justifying the tenor of this post.
Carol 65

1 October 2008 at 11:44 pm

On Checkpoint Mary Wilson interviewed the police spokesperson. He compared the reported statistics with the Crime Survey. This is a anonymous survey of a large number of people about their experiences of crime. Apparently this survey shows about one third of violent crimes are not reported. He says that the increase in violent crime is solely accounted for by domestic violence. He also said that the increase in youth violence is also in this category:i.e. more violence from young people in domestic contexts.

The police guy said that the stat that points to more domestic violence being reported, is the one that shows more reporting of low level domestic disputes. He says this indicates that people are more aware of the importance of reporting domestic disputes/violence.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint
Checkpoint NZ Crime Reporting: 18.11 hrs.
Steve Pierson 66

2 October 2008 at 12:08 am

I have no regrets about calling Farrar disgusting. He’s purposely misrepresenting crime stats for political gain. The fact is crime was much worse when his ilk were in power and it would get worse again if they got back into power but Farrar and National aren’t actually concerned about the victims of crime, they just want to run their NZ sucks campaign and get back into power. It’s disgusting.
QoT 67

2 October 2008 at 12:12 am

Steve … sure, you’ve made concessions and elaborations in response to comments on this thread, but at the end of the day, you’re the one who said “being friends with a pornographer” = “unlikely to care about rape”.

It doesn’t matter what “many feminists say” about the pornography industry.

It doesn’t matter that “this is only part of Farrar’s misogyny”.

Because your post still says “Farrar cannot actually care about rape because he’s friends with a pornographer”, and the clear insinuation is that we’re meant to say, “Yes, Steve, you’re totes right, befriending pornographers means not caring about rape”. It’s a cheap shot, it’s judgemental, it’s an inaccurate generalization, it’s not backed up by anything in your original post.

Admitting this, and not making excuses in the comments, would be a great thing for you to do.

If you want this thread to stay on-track with regard to Farrar’s misuse of crime statistics, you can be the one to not make bullshit personal attacks in the original post.
rave 68

2 October 2008 at 1:01 am

I’m happy to accept that Farrar gets worried about rape. I’ll take his word for it. But he gives a different impression with his dismissive attitude towards family violence as accounting for the increase in violent crime in the last year. He doesnt think that the police explanation is ‘credible’ because he cannot conceive of an increased reporting of serious and grievous family assault. This is the old ‘just a domestic’ in new guise.

He and his rightie mates seem to be more worried about pinning the increase on violent crime on the Labour led government rather than accept that the police may be right and that family violence accounts for the increase in violent crime.

Myself I’m not inclined to take the Police testimony on anything for very different reasons. But when they adopt a serious attitude towards family violence compared to the kneejerk blaming of a criminal underclass created by Labour welfarism I’m inclined to believe them.

I would say that the “It’s not OK” campaign needs to be widened from the ‘domestic’ to the ‘global’. The real perpetrators of family violence are people like Key’s mate Lord Ashcroft ripping money intended for slum renewal off the people of Belize or Key’s former associates at Merrill Lynch getting rich off subprime mortgages that are making millions homeless in the US.
A National government cutting taxes by cutting social spending will make life much worse for low income people in NZ and lead to a growth in family violence.
JG 69

2 October 2008 at 1:31 am

Articles like this – completely detached from reality and laced with personal insults – demonstrate how unreasonable and ill-informed the commentators (using the term loosely) on this blog are.

It’s obvious that National wiping people like you out of positions of authority is the only thing that will shut you up. Not long now.

[lprent: You are a complete dork. Are you suggesting that the Nay’s will be trying to censor a blog site paid for and run by an individual and written by other individuals? Or are you stupid enough to believe Whale who technically couldn’t find his arse without access to a mirror. He lies when he doesn’t have enough ‘evidence’ to justify his preconceptions. That is the basis of most of his assertions about this site.]
r0b 70

2 October 2008 at 1:56 am

Articles like this – completely detached from reality and laced with personal insults – demonstrate how unreasonable and ill-informed the commentators (using the term loosely) on this blog are.

Comments like this – completely detached from reality and laced with vague threats – demonstrate how unreasonable and violent the commentators (using the term loosely) on the right wing are.

It’s obvious that National wiping people like you out of positions of authority is the only thing that will shut you up. Not long now.

Come and see the violence inherent in the system! Help! Help! We’re being repressed!
mattyroo 71

2 October 2008 at 4:10 am

Any of you losers that are saying that actual crime has decreased in relative terms to population, are by extension saying that this crime is alright. This may well be true that it has decreased relatively, however on the whole violent crimes are on the increase, and probably more so in the areas of society, where the population, is not increasing as proportionately as the crime.

clinton, I can only hope that next time you are out of your house, some asshole comes round and steals everything you own. Being a loser socialist though, you probably don’t own anything, as you’ve never got off your pimply ass to actually earn a respectable living and get ahead.

Having been the victim of two significant crimes this year, this is right now a hot issue for me. Having lived in the same place for a long time and not had any crime ever, for me personally it has increased tremendously.

And worse still, I had one of your horrible ilk tell me recently that one of these crimes was ok, as these “down and outs” “need these chances to get ahead”.

I loathe, actually hate, anyone who is defending the current “crime wave” we are having in this country. If I ran into you smith, I would perpetrate some of mine own crime on you, for good measure.

Horrible little puke. Keep defending the undefensible.

IrishBill: that’s a ban for life and I’ll be asking Steve if he wants to lay a complaint with your ISP for threatening him.
Razorlight 72

2 October 2008 at 7:03 am

SP that was the most over the top response I have read on the blogosphere. I have enjoed reading your posts because they challenge my political opinions. I rarely agree with them but I understand where you are coming from.

I have no idea where you are coming from with this garbage though. It simply shows an irrational hatred towards those on the right.

How can you now pretend to hold the moral high ground over people like Whale when you write deeply offensive comments like “and he’s hardly one to fret about rape when he’s good mates with a pornographer” DPF is justifiably offended by this and feels he has been defamed.

I am worried about how wound up and angry you will get in the very probable event that the right sweeps into power in a few weeks time. My suggestion is breath, relax and try to get rid of this hate you have built up inside you. The right are Kiwi’s as well. They aren’t evil. Don’t be afraid.
Anita 73

2 October 2008 at 7:38 am

burt,

Excellent point. He could start up KiwiPlodBlog.

Hee!

This is why I hang out in the comments threads brilliance! 🙂
Santi 74

2 October 2008 at 8:13 am

Travellerv sais “And he may not agree with my ideas about 911…”

Ahhh, the delights of being obsessed with innumerable conspiracy theories and the desire to ram them down on others.

Your imagination knows no bounds Dutch Einstein.
illuminatedtiger 75

2 October 2008 at 8:21 am

Good on ya SP! About time more people took Farrar to task. For too long now he’s been viewed as independent, even as an independent political commentator (which I consider a bit of a joke).
vidiot 76

2 October 2008 at 8:23 am

So it’s OK to adjust the crime rates by allowing for annual population growth, but for some reason this method doesn’t extend to the road toll ? Now what was that again ?

“being friends with a pornographer shows a disrespectful attitude to women at least.”

What happens if he only shot gay pron ? Would that be disrespectful to woman too or is that a double standard ?
travellerev 77

2 October 2008 at 8:29 am

Hey Santi,

vto, HS, Lucas and Billy want you to hang with them. They are starting a club. The “lets keep our fingers in our ears and say,” lalala, I can’t hear you” club.

Feel free to ignore my comments if you don’t like them.

In the mean time you are about to vote for John Key a proven liar who can’t stop gambling and who was the managing director of the debt (bonds and derivatives) for Merrill Lynch. The very products now blowing up the Western financial world. Sucker.
vto 78

2 October 2008 at 8:32 am

travellerev stop attacking me without justification or evidence or this will all end in a very nasty way.

ffs, if you were a rightie you would have been banned some time ago. this is total crap.
lukas 79

2 October 2008 at 8:39 am

vto, HS, Lucas and Billy want you to hang with them.

What the crazy? I havent said boo to you in ages…. its proving good for my sanity levels.

Eve… you always spout on about how many people “read” your blog. With the amount of link whoring you do, anyone could get as many hits as you do. What probably counts more is how many people comment and engage with you on your “blog”, from my visits there (still washing my computer screen from the coffee spouting) the general trend is for there to be a grand total of zero comments.

Eve, as much as you would like for me, HS, VTO etc etc to fit your picture of us all being angry, middle class, middle age white males… we are not (well at least I am not). I am a young, well educated white male just starting out in this world. I work part time for my self and part time for someone else and the other part of my time I volunteer at my local church. I am by no means angry at the world or anyone, infact I just got married this year so am fairly happy with life and the world in general. Yes I am white though… oh well, can’t win them all a?
travellerev 80

2 October 2008 at 9:01 am

vto,

Was that a threat?

I have never pre-emptively attacked you, it was you who started to ridicule me for my views and you did so in a patronising, misogynist way. In fact I never called you personally patronising nor misogynist until you took sides in a confrontation I had with I think HS.

If you do that than don’t expect me to take it lying down.

Evidence? What do I accuse you off that would justify you asking me for evidence.
I only give you my view on you. My opinion. You may not like it but there you have it.
Feel free not to react to my comments and ignore them. I don’t ask you for anything but if you comment expect a reaction.

If you can’t stand the heat I suggest you get out of the kitchen mate.
I react very badly to threats and bullying.
travellerev 81

2 October 2008 at 9:05 am

Lucas,

Congrats with your wedding. Feel free to keep on ignoring me, it proved quit pleasant for me too.

I don’t invite comments to my blog although people seem to do it more.
Added to that a couple of sites are pinging so the information clearly means something to those people as they want to spread it.
vto 82

2 October 2008 at 9:07 am

Shut the fuck up travellerev, I have never ridiculed your views. I actuallyy think they have some substance.

You attacked – first white middle class males and then me.

You have still provided no proof for any of your allegations.

Take that threat any way you want you racist sexist creep.
Matthew Pilott 83

2 October 2008 at 9:26 am

Is anyone else getting really sick of eve’s long-running personal battles?
Vanilla Eis 84

2 October 2008 at 9:35 am

Aye
Pascal's bookie 85

2 October 2008 at 9:39 am

MP

Yep. But she’s not the sole person to blame. Lot’s of commenters go at her with boring, repetitive responses, with equally predictable results.

yawns all round on mulitiple threads, all at the same time.

They should all just quit it, and learn ignore each other. For the rest of our sakes if not their own.
vto 86

2 October 2008 at 9:46 am

Agreed, apologies to you others. I just don’t can’t stand hollow unjustified abuse.

Anyway, back to the boondoxx for me today for a few more daze. Chase them wee fishes and get some sanity back. Or not.
travellerev 87

2 October 2008 at 9:47 am

MP
Go play with the other boys will you.

No vto I called HS a typical middle class Pakeha and you identified with him and joined the fray telling me you were a typical class Pakeha and proud of it and than you told me to get fucked. Which was echoed by T-rex.

Telling me to shut up is not a good look. Freedom of speech and all that. Feel free to ignore me.

But on a positive note I seem to be on good footing with the Rex at the moment. So let me ask you which of my views you think have some merit.
T-rex 88

2 October 2008 at 9:53 am

“In fact I never called you personally patronising nor misogynist until you took sides in a confrontation I had with I think HS.”

Ahhhhhh.

Says it all really.

Matt – Yes. As I said on the other side, it’s embarrassing. I’m sure the mods feel the same way. It’s just harder to kick someone who’s on your side (at least in vague, general ideology terms).
T-rex 89

2 October 2008 at 9:57 am

“MP
Go play with the other boys will you.”

This would be an example of the “abuse by provocation” you’re referring to PB?

As she so wonderfully illustrated above – all that’s actually required is for someone to disagree.
Steve Pierson 90

2 October 2008 at 9:57 am

trav etc. please cool it.

I recommend 08wire’s post on this debate. He does fair and dispassionate much better than I.

And this is my definitive comment on my reference to Farrar’s friendship with Slater the pornographer:

“I admit I hit the line and I did it intentionally. It seriously pisses me off to see a creep try to make political capital out of rape victims and victims of other crimes. Especially when the body of evidence is that it was the policies that he supports from the 1990s that pushed up crime, whereas the full employment polices since 1999 have been instrumental in giving young men constructive activities and a sense of belonging, thereby bringing down crime (and suicide).

To people like Farrar this is all just a game. They don’t actually care about finding ways to bring down crime (or improve living standards for the poor in other ways). If they did care, they wouldn’t misrepresent the stats.

I was prepared to burn a bit of my personal reputation for analysis to call them on it.”
T-rex 91

2 October 2008 at 10:00 am

“But on a positive note I seem to be on good footing with the Rex at the moment.”

We’ve our ups and downs I think it’s probably fair to say 🙂

Just don’t get so mad when you can’t get people to think like you.
higherstandard 92

2 October 2008 at 10:06 am

Clinton does your pomposity and singular occularity know no bounds ?
T-rex 93

2 October 2008 at 10:09 am

“If they did care, they wouldn’t misrepresent the stats.”

Or endorse policies which have been proven to worsen the situation.

re: The homicide stats you had for Auckland in the other post on the topic though, there is a bit of an upward trend there. In mean it’s still no worse than it was at the end of the 90’s, but after a slump early at the start of the decade it’s been rising back up again. (Retracted – went back and reread the point about small numbers: 21 a year is pretty tricky to draw any useful conclusion from considering how few are actually “random acts of violence”)

That said, I don’t think you made enough of the increased rate of resolution. It’s been steadily increasing for some time, there’s not just a step change when those new cops came on board. Food for thought for those who tireless b*tch out our police force – I can’t be bothered going back to that page of stats to check, but wasn’t the resolution rate up around 85%?
Good job, cops.
travellerev 94

2 October 2008 at 10:11 am

MP
Go play with the other boys will you.

No vto, I called HS a typical middle class male Pakeha and you identified with him and joined the fray telling me you were a typical middle class male Pakeha and proud of it and than you told me to get fucked. Which was echoed by T-rex.

Telling me to shut up is not a good look. Freedom of speech and all that. Feel free to ignore me.

But on a positive note I seem to be on good footing with the Rex at the moment. So let me ask you which of my views you think have some merit and see if we can get this back on track in a more positive way.

I’ll start with ignoring the insult “racist sexist creep” how about that for a positive step.

Hello guys,

Why is it with you guys that you always take one of the sides and always that of the male.

All males against one woman for standing up for herself. You clearly aren’t used to that.

Thanks Pascals bookie for pointing the role of the others out.

I’ve invited each and every one of them to ignore because that is just fine with me but I will not be bullied into silence because I say things they do not want to hear.

And as for the ongoing “personal” stuff. This site only gets higher ratings if treats go on longer and since the only people reading these threads who can’t stop reading them while the rest move on to newer and better threats the moderators are probably happy to let it go on for a bit. LOL.

Especially since I do comment pertinent to threads as well and some people actually do want the information I give as I always link to background info.
lukas 95

2 October 2008 at 10:27 am

was that a copy and past re-mix of your previous comments?

Thanks for the congrats on the wedding… was a beautiful day with a beautiful wife. Clever thing was having the wedding on the 29th of February!
travellerev 96

2 October 2008 at 10:45 am

hi T-rex,

I don’t want people to think like me. In fact I invite people not to believe me and do their own research. Please, Please don’t believe me or anyone and do your own research and make up your own mind. That is my advise.

I just present the facts as I see them and they differ vastly from theirs which invites their ridicule and insults.

Whereas I have to say that other than the 911 issue I seem to be seeing eye to eye with you on a lot of issues.

And to get back to the thread compared to the Netherlands this country is crime free. I’m not suggesting that those who are hurt in violent attacks or killed don’t exist and their pain should be ignored but the amount of murders and burglaries and white collar and real estate fraud are massive compared with here.

Nobody can leave their doors unlocked anytime of the day or night, You have to lock your bicycle to Rain pipes with at least three chains and forget about leaving your car radio in your car. And this goes for cities as well as rural areas.

I saw that Holland was on the 7th place of the corruption scale and I’m sad to say I’m not surprised.

The year I left Holland there were 6 broad day Mafia style executions of Real estate agents in streets with children running around alone. One of them being the richest guy in Holland.
Russian mobsters have taken over in many branches of business after the wall came down and I’ve only seen it get worse.

The only thing I found disconcerting when I arrived here was the rape case against those three cops.

And in the three years I’ve been here I’ve seen every major case cracked in remarkably short times where as in the case of the real estate murders they are still investigating in Holland so that’s saying something about the quality of the policing here I reckon.
r0b 97

2 October 2008 at 10:45 am

SP: “I was prepared to burn a bit of my personal reputation for analysis to call them on it.’

Someone needs to call them on it, and while I’m not sure of your method, I do admire your motive.

Those who are self righteously attacking SP on this one would do well to direct their energies to cleaning up the sewer that is the Kiwiblog comments section. The log on your own eye eh?
QoT 98

2 October 2008 at 11:01 am

Steve … I don’t know how this can be explained more clearly.

Your post makes an explicit link between being friends with a pornographer and not caring about rape.

You do not mention Farrar’s history on this issue.

You do not offer any elaboration.

Are we supposed to pat you on the back for the noble sacrifice of your “reputation” just to get off a cheap shot which shreds the credibility of what would otherwise be a really important post?

Are we supposed to be impressed that you think it’s okay to make statements and assumptions about people’s beliefs based on nothing more (and again, this is your post, SP, you wrote it, you chose not to elaborate or provide supporting details) than who they are friends with? Because that is what you did in this post. The problem isn’t Farrar’s personal beliefs. It’s what you have said about them and based your statements on.
Matty K 99

2 October 2008 at 11:11 am

Aside from Farrar’s motivations for pushing his version of the statistics, the fact is that violent crimes have increased under Labour (even as a per-1000 people ratio) and significantly in the past year in some regions. Arguing that it hasn’t is displaying the same sort of blindness that Farrar is accused of by many here.

Disregarding any personal opinion on it, the statistics show violent crime – the one’s which keep people awake at night and have the greatest personal/family effects – is still on the increase. And markedly so in the areas targeted as being the most impoverished.
r0b 100

2 October 2008 at 11:21 am

Matty K, if you read the original post at all, you clearly didn’t understand it.

QoT, please get your self righteous ass on over to Kiwiblog. There is plenty of work for you there.
lprent 101

2 October 2008 at 11:28 am

Matty: As the police have acknowledged, the majority of violent crime probably doesn’t get reported. The usual estimates are that only about a third gets reported because it happens inside the domestic disputes. Over the last few years they have run a active policy and advertising campaign to increase the rate of reporting.

It appears to be working. Consequently the reported violence stats have been increasing. If you look at the violent crimes that always gets reported like murder, they have remained static or reduced when you look at them over a few years. Read the 08wire analysis http://08wire.org/2008/10/02/farrar-vs-the-standard-on-massaging-crime-statistics/

DPF just ignored all of that because it didn’t fit the picture he wished to portray.
Quoth the Raven 102

2 October 2008 at 11:45 am

I said it a thousand times, walk thru Christchurch at night during any day of the week, and you will see what effect a soft approach to crime has.

I don’t see what your problem is Brett as I said earlier I feel perfectly safe in Christchurch. Maybe you’re just paranoid Brett. This government has been much harder on crime than the last government. Its increased sentences to ridiculous levels and given a stupid amount power to the police. What more do you want, a police state?
Matthew Pilott 103

2 October 2008 at 12:14 pm

Eve, just pointing out that a majority of what you say seems to be abuse. Here’s what I’ve seen so far over the last few months:

You will post and link to your blog and articles – all very well and I’m sure many people have popped over to read it and check out the links you suggest (as have I, on several occassions).

Then someone will make a cheap jibe, along the lines of ‘conspiracy theorist’, or some unimaginitave variant.

You generally take the bait and run a mile, but instead of attacking them for being small-minded etc, it’s more of an attack against entire sections of society, which irks people who might fit into the section of society you’re attacking, but haven’t said a single bad thing against you.

For example, there are a fair few white males, aged 20-40 here, if my presumption is correct. Whether I got the wrong end of the stick or not, it seems to me that several times you’ve attacked that group wholesale, because of one person. As evidenced above, that annoys people.

If I can make a request, it would be that you refrain from attacking groups or making assumptions about people – the effects of it are plain to see. The latest is a classic – we’re all attacking you because you’re female, apparently.

I was criticising you because I’m sick of your long-running personal battles – what has that got to do with you being female? Are you implying only females are that annoying? If so, you’re being a bit sexist, towards your own lot.

I’d also be happy if people stopped baiting you, though those who do aren’t likely to listen to me. You have the option of ignoring them though – a lengthy personal attack isn’t exactly likely to change their views!
marco 104

2 October 2008 at 12:34 pm

The actual rate of recorded crime depends on policing methods which vary between districts.

In Auckland police are less likely to prosecute people for minor crimes when they are not currently considered a risk. They perfer warnings but they are now finding that by doing this people are starting to try their luck with more serious crime. What the lack of reporting is doing is lowering the rate of crime when its actually not lowering at all, its increasing.

In Christchurch police take a tougher approach with minor offences. They target the so called gateway crime to get the young offenders into the system in an attempt to ensure they recieve the help they need.

The result is the Christchurch crime rate is accurate. The Auckland crime rate is about 2% lower than it should be in the reported statistic.
weka 105

2 October 2008 at 3:13 pm

For the people that think that Farrar has genuine concern about rape as a politcal issue, please show me where he’s written about this. Of course most men care at some level about rape, but we’re talking about a political context here.

Steve, thanks for making visible the connection between rape and pornography, even in a small way. It’s problematic that it was said in passing, because it’s brought out a large amount of comment negating the connection, by people who don’t understand what the connection even is. But it’s good that it was said, there will women who appreciate that.

all men are rapists

Whoever brought that up as a way of writing off feminist thought, I suggest you go and look up the provenance of that quote and see what it really means.
Ben R 106

2 October 2008 at 4:11 pm

Weka,

“It’s problematic that it was said in passing”

Isn’t that the main problem with SP’s comment? It was dropped in as a personal attack & was not addressing the point Farrar was making. His point was that overall crime rates may not be as useful as the particular type of crimes being committed.
Mike 107

3 October 2008 at 12:01 am

I think all those ads promoting violence on TV are the reason violent crime has gone up so much.

Every night I see so many ads showing you how to swing your child around and bash them into things.

Or showing you how to drink and drive and kill your mates.

I think it’s appalling that good people should be subjected to a constant barrage of this crap. This is punishing the whole country for the crimes of the few.

[I’m not sure whether this is a parody or not. So confused. SP]
Clint Heine 108

3 October 2008 at 5:57 am

[Tane: Heine, you’re still banned. Furthermore, as someone who photoshopped Helen Clark’s head onto a transsexual’s body for kicks I don’t think you’re in any position to moralise.]
Matthew Pilott 109

3 October 2008 at 9:54 am

Mike, you had to watch an ad to figure out how to put a child into a wall while drunk? Comes instinctively to the rest of us.

Just out of interest, I reckon those ads work pretty well: so you’d prefer kids to actually be bashed into walls, because you’re too precious to see a few ads on telly?
QoT 110

3 October 2008 at 11:23 am

Wow, rOb. How about you respect my ability to choose what I want to read, and critique people whose writings I otherwise respect and enjoy reading? Or how about offering an actual response to my point instead of the classic, “but you can’t complain about THIS bad thing unless you also complain about every other bad thing happening” diversion?
QoT 111

3 October 2008 at 11:26 am

Also, @weka – again, missing the point. Nobody here is arguing “Waaa, Steve’s persecuting The Mighty Farrar, champion of womanhood!” and pretending we are in order to yet again turn the thread away from what Steve said is disingenuous.
r0b 112

3 October 2008 at 11:33 am

Wow, rOb. How about you respect my ability to choose what I want to read, and critique people whose writings I otherwise respect and enjoy reading?

Wow, QoT. Sounding a little defensive there. Read what you like, knock yourself out, you don’t need my blessing.

Or how about offering an actual response to my point instead of the classic, “but you can’t complain about THIS bad thing unless you also complain about every other bad thing happening’ diversion?

Selective morality is interesting because of the agenda that it reveals. You appear to me to be on a highly selective crusade against SP, despite the fact that there are other much more worthy targets for your righteous zeal. So you could say I guess that I’m interested in your agenda.
Mike 113

3 October 2008 at 4:32 pm

Matthew

Those ads if anything just make me want to bash the a-holes in them to a pulp – like the guy that shoves the guy with the drinks, then elbows the woman in the face.

How does instilling that feeling in me help me or the country?

What about the rest of the 99% of this country who are decent people and don’t need constant reminders not to get boozed and bash people, or speed, or take drugs. How do these ads make them feel? Do these ads help them? I don’t think so. At best it’s insulting. I think many of them just get what I get out of them – a heightened state of aggression.

You don’t see ads like these in other countries. Come back here from a while overseas and they are a real shock. Personally I think it’s abuse of viewers on an enormous scale.
Matthew Pilott 114

3 October 2008 at 4:48 pm

“What about the rest of the 99% of this country who are decent people and don’t need constant reminders not to get boozed and bash people, or speed, or take drugs.

If only it were 99%… If that’s what you genuinely believe then no wonder their utility is lost on you.

If those ads provoke such a violent response in you, then I hope you are a very moderate drinker. For me, and (I suspect) most other people, they are simply a reminder of the causes and consequences of bad actions. I don’t think they’re terribly relevant to me, but if they reduce the chance of a random assault, for example, then I’m not fussed.

I also suspect most viewers have a bit more ‘toughness’, for want of a better word, than you, and see the usefulness of the ads more than they feel ‘abused’ by them.
Mike 115

3 October 2008 at 5:08 pm

Matthew

what do you believe the proportion is then? You saying more than 1% of the country are crims?
Dean 116

3 October 2008 at 5:58 pm

Qot:

“Also, @weka – again, missing the point. Nobody here is arguing “Waaa, Steve’s persecuting The Mighty Farrar, champion of womanhood!’ and pretending we are in order to yet again turn the thread away from what Steve said is disingenuous.”

You’re wasting your time. A lot of people around here will twist and spin anything and fool themselves into believing it’s justified as long as it involves National, Key, foreign (often American) bagmen, the word “slippery” (because the focus groups told them to use that word) and so on.

If you really want to see them go on the defensive, mention an airport and Peter Davis. r0b just loves that one and I’m sure he will oblige you and call you a disgusting human being for daring to bring a politicians family into focus, while conveniently forgetting Mallard and co over Brash’s extramarital affair.
Matthew Pilott 117

3 October 2008 at 5:58 pm

Gee, I don’t know, Mike. Are you saying that everyone who gets drunk and does something stupid is a criminal?

Is everyone who had a near miss at an intersection a criminal?

The problem is more widespread than those who are officially charged and found guilty.
Matthew Pilott 118

3 October 2008 at 6:00 pm

“You’re wasting your time.”

What’s that about fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me… What are you still doing here then? More ‘m’ than ‘s’ I guess.
Mike 119

3 October 2008 at 7:36 pm

Matthew

Sure, the problem is more wide-spread. I believe people who get drunk and bash people are performing criminal acts, and therefore are criminals, whether or not they get reported.

I think we should be aiming to reduce our tolerance to violence, not increase it by desensitising ourselves with a constant barrage of it on tv, least of all through tax-payer funded ads.
T-Rex 120

3 October 2008 at 10:26 pm

“I think we should be aiming to reduce our tolerance to violence, not increase it by desensitising ourselves with a constant barrage of it on tv, least of all through tax-payer funded ads.”

That’s the whole point of the ads Mike.

Most people are already quite intolerant of violence, however they may be more tolerant of significant factors in violence (e.g. excessive drinking). So, the ads create a direct association between the two.

Clearly they’re not desensitizing YOU to violence, because you think they depict terrible circumstances. Do you know anyone who watches it and goes “hmm, seems like a standup guy to me”?

Having ads like that on TV is just like tax – another part of living in society and trying to develop systems that make it good. I mean I assume you don’t have cancer, yet you’re not complaining about contributing to the healthcare costs of people who do, right?

You watch those ads and think “That is TOTALLY unacceptable”. All the ads are trying to do is create similar feelings in people who may see such behaviour more often than you do. You shouldn’t feel guilty watching them… that is, unless you have a friend who drinks too much and kinda gets out of hand and you never say anything despite feeling you should… in which case I’d say the ads are doing exactly what they should be.

You’re attitude basically takes “It’s not ok” and turns it into “It’s not ok to be reminded about it because I like my fantasy world of denial”.
Dean 121

5 October 2008 at 12:46 am

MP:

“What’s that about fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me What are you still doing here then? More â€˜m’ than ‘s’ I guess.”

I just get a kick of of seeing you quote people selectively and then pretend to have the moral high ground.
Mike 122

5 October 2008 at 10:21 am

There’s the point of something, and then there’s the real effect of something.

Just because the goal of those ads is to do something good, doesn’t mean they achieve it.

We can have the best intentions in the world but we will be judged by the results of our actions. It’s pretty common for an action to have the reverse effect of what was desired.
jh 123

6 October 2008 at 7:39 am

People can’t relate to probabilities or they would never buy lotto tickets, but when an accountant is bashed with a baseball bat as he walks home after a late night bash, this puts others off walking home at night. What people see is heated floors in prison and a society that doesn’t believe in punishment (disincentive)and so they don’t feel safe. The crime we face is largely a product of our liberal establishment.
r0b 124

6 October 2008 at 9:07 am

What people see is heated floors in prison and a society that doesn’t believe in punishment (disincentive)and so they don’t feel safe.

Tougher sentences and nastier prisons do not deter crime. In general crime (apart from “white collar” crime) is committed by people who don’t plan ahead much, who don’t ponder consequences.

The crime we face is largely a product of our liberal establishment.

The crime we face is largely a product of relative poverty. That explains why over the last years, while poverty has been decreasing (and aspects of our establishment getting more liberal?), crime has been decreasing too.
randal 125

6 October 2008 at 9:09 am

jh…lucky we not living in roman times. Julius Ceasar and his mates used to lie in wait and kill anybody coming home latea t night for a bit of practice. Now its just yer typical kiwi bloke full of booze and latent anger and aggression because he didnt get to go to the grand final or doesnt own a xr8. As for heated floors only the crims see them and maybe the visitors and it pays off in the life of the building and the decrease in medical expenditure on prisoners. If you want to make them live in stone age conditions and then release them into fulltime medical care beacuse of complications from the prison environment. and if you are jealous beacause you cant afford underfloor heating yourself and feel somewhat lesser of a man then you can compensate by lying in wait and bashing up someone up who you dont know late at night.
travellerev 126

6 October 2008 at 9:16 am

Randal,

LOL
higherstandard 127

6 October 2008 at 9:34 am

r0b

Poverty is a CONTRIBUTING FACTOR in some criminal behaviour but it is unfair to those millions (may billions) living in relative poverty throughout the world who are not criminals to say that poverty causes crime.

Agree with you though on those that many who commit crime are either unable to fathom the consequences of their actions or simply don’t care.

In my opinion if one would crack the problem of how to make them fathom the consequences (and make sure those consequences occurred) that would be a step in the right direction.
randal 128

6 October 2008 at 9:41 am

hs…we are not talking about the billions somewhere else. we are talking about what happens here in a small country filled with arrogant consumers who love to rub it in the face of the have nots. There is no community spirit not underlying altruism in New Zealand. Only gimme gimme gimme and there is a corollary to conspicuous consumption and a media that works twenty four hours a day ttelling people thaey are no good if the dont have the goods. Now hs. how about addressing income inequality here in new zealand and stop waffling about the uncounted hordes somewhere else or is that too hard?
higherstandard 129

6 October 2008 at 10:08 am

Randal

Not sure what part of the country you are living in but I find there is plenty of community spirit and altruism in NZ.
jh 130

6 October 2008 at 10:16 am

“As for heated floors only the crims see them and maybe the visitors and it pays off in the life of the building and the decrease in medical expenditure on prisoners. If you want to make them live in stone age conditions and then release them into fulltime medical care beacuse of complications from the prison environment.”

A large proportion of our homes are cold and damp so that creates a moral hazard as they will be better off in prison.

“Tougher sentences and nastier prisons do not deter crime. In general crime (apart from “white collar’ crime) is committed by people who don’t plan ahead much, who don’t ponder consequences.”

On the other hand people gain an appreciation of the sort of consequences that their actions will provoke and they will have learned that they live in an environment where the state will do them no harm.
Phil 131

6 October 2008 at 10:45 am

Tougher sentences… do not deter crime

Let me type this slowly, so you can keep up:

When… someone… is… in… prison,… they… are… not… out… on… the… street… committing… other… crimes.

In order for your claim to be true, you have to believe that other criminals commit more crime, in order to keep up the averages.
randal 132

6 October 2008 at 11:11 am

these natoinal business people will do anything except find jobs for these people. get of ya bums ya bums.
bill brown 133

6 October 2008 at 11:13 am

When someone is in prison, it doesn’t stop other.. people.. out in the street committing crimes.

Filling… prisons… with… people… who… have… nothing… to… lose… will… escalate… the… problem…

Perhaps we should just hang ’em, cures problem, provides entertainment.
travellerev 134

6 October 2008 at 11:44 am

I’ve been thinking about the porn/anti porn undercurrent in this thread for a bit and thought to share something with you.

Let me start by stating that Farrar’s friendship with a known pornographer is very revealing and makes me dislike the little turd even more than I already did but that has nothing to do with actual porn but everything with the way porn seems to be perceived in this country.

This is what I have gleaned so far from the previous discussion.

To some of you, it seems, porn=rape.

And some of you pointed out there are women who enjoy porn.

And this gets a funny “male” response. Steve delegates those women to the freaky site of the sex spectrum and this is taken up by other males.

What is telling is the total absence of women in the discussion.

As you know I am from Holland, in fact I’m from big bad Amsterdam.
The big bad super tolerant dope smoking, red light toting, gay, hetero porn capital of the world.

I have been surrounded with “porn” in abundance my entire live and by the reasoning of some of you, rape should be a fixture in the live of Amsterdam women far in excess of anywhere else in the porn free world.

But it isn’t. Does rape never happen in Amsterdam? Sure, but I have seen more rapes and more violent ones being committed here than in a comparable time frame in Amsterdam which like Auckland has more than a million inhabitants but unlike Auckland is build far denser and on perhaps 1/4 of its territory.

There are only 4 million people in this country and in Holland on an area the size of Northland 17 million people have made their homes but contrary to what some of you assert Hollanders would be well and truly shocked with the behaviour of those policemen and their raping orgies.

It would be totally incomprehensible to us that men in places of such delicate power would use that power to subdue and debase women like that, so clearly our exposure to abundant porn has not caused us to think that it is OK for women to be raped or debased, in fact there is less tolerance and exposure to the possibility of being raped.

My whole live, from the tender young age of 14 until the time I left I have as a good Tulip is wont to do bicycled and or walked all over Amsterdam and when the time came that I could decide my own bedtime which was at the tender young age of 16 I did the same at any time of the night. In fact some of the hottest porn free haunts were right in the middle of the red light district and although I have certainly had my moments of fear it was never there and I have always been free and unharmed in my nightly exploits in that big bad city.

(Yeez, I just remembered were I spend my first years. My bohemian artist parents had an apartment next to one of the most beautiful old houses on the oldest canal of Amsterdam, right in the middle of the red light district. In fact my pram came from one of the prostitutes next door. LOL. God see what you guys do to me? That way back down memory lane)

In Amsterdam a group of students researching the function of porn, and whether porn was actually exploitative to women and they decided to do a test. The hypothesis? If porn was exploitative to women than women by and large should be massively turned off by watching it.

They organised two groups. One male and one female. All volunteers but carefully screened to be of the most average middle class/ working class (Not a big distinction in Holland) background.

One by one the members of these groups were exposed to hardcore porn.

They measured the physical sexual response by attaching sensors to their genitals.

After they had watched the movies they gave the participants a questionnaire.
The questions were about what they thought of the movies, how they felt they reacted physically etc.

The result was predictable. The man had mostly enjoyed them and the women rejected them as exploitation and suppression of women.

The test revealed something very significant. Their physical reaction did not support their words. While the bodies of the men supported their statements (Hard to lie about a hard on really)
it revealed that the bodies of the women betrayed their statements for without exception their bodies had exactly the same response to the hardcore video’s as the men. Their bodies were as much exited when they watched porn as the men.

One can draw several conclusions from the test:

Either the researchers had accidentally picked closet case masochists for all of their female subjects and the subjects were all lying or in denial,

or all women secretly want to be raped (which I can assure we don’t) or,

women feel compelled to deny and or lie about how they experience sex in general.

What did become clear is that porn is perceived by both the female and the male body as sexually exiting but while men acknowledge that enjoyment women deny it.

I have met several young kiwi men in the last couple of years and in conversations with them gleaned some of the current youth culture in this country. These were not exceptional kids, they were your average kiwi youngsters, trying to learn a trade and make sense of a confusing world. In fact I really like these kids.
But talking to them about their male female relations proved very shocking to me.

Without exception, while actively pursuing sex as much as they could these kids referred to sexually active young women as slags and hoes and in fact one kid thought all sexually active girls were skanky hoes.

So while these kids acknowledged their own sexuality as totally normal they completely condemned the necessary reciprocal emotion in the other sex.

In fact I bet you that lots of males have a secret stash of hardcore porn somewhere in the shed while they would be appalled if their wives had a similar stash hidden away in her crafts room.

In light of the previous, I have to condemn Steve’s rejection of Farrar’s relationship with a pornographer because he reinforces the myth (as proven wrong by physical evidence) that porn is exploitative and I equally have to condemn his delegation of women who enjoy porn to the sexual fringe.

Both are as sexist as Farrar’s relationship with said Pornographer because both Farrar and Steve use porn as a way of marginalising and denouncing female sexuality.

Farrar by assorting with someone who films the human sex act ( in whatever setting of fantasy) in a country that by enlarge reject the normalcy of female sexuality and Steve for reinforcing the myth that women have to hide behind in order not to be thought of as slags or hoes and which inhibits them from enjoying their sexuality with or without the aid of porn.

(not to mention that it disables both sexes to deal with each others sexuality as a bonding, intimate act with ample space to explore and enjoy.)

One last note: This comment is not in defence of the porn industry which like many industries has it’s share of abuse and exploitation but also has its share of women making lots of money and enjoying a huge fan base while enjoying sex.

And no, I have never been in active in the sex industry and I am probably an exception to the rule as I have never strayed from any monogamous relation I was in and the one I’m in now has lasted 21 years and going.

I apologise for the length but I hope some of you will enjoy it anyway.

Captcha: the Femina. Awesome. I felt the force as I was writing this. Guess the captcha thingy felt it too. LOL.
Phil 135

6 October 2008 at 2:08 pm

Bill,

Continuing the theme:

Crime… tends… to… be… recidivist…
This is simple maths and physics – you can’t be committing a crime if you’re already in jail. I’ll accept that this sometimes doesn’t hold true, and should perhaps be modified to “You’re much less likely”.

Suporting… longer… sentences… does… not… mean… you… always… want… to… throw… away… the… key.
This isn’t a zero sum game, and like all law enforcement needs to include a variety of tools. To paint the argument as such (ie; you’re either for longer sentences, or for rehab, but never both) is deliberately misleading from you.
Mike 136

6 October 2008 at 11:22 pm

I think a major conducive factor to becoming a criminal is lack of hope about any reasonable possible alternative.

I think people don’t really have much hope that they can get ahead any other way, and their expectations about how they should rightfully be living is still shaped by the rest of our society.

Unlike in bangladesh where you consider yourself lucky if you don’t drown in the annual monsoons, and even luckier if you get some food some time, over here, you feel cheated and bitter if you don’t have a 42″ LCD TV.

So there are 2 problems… 1, setting reasonable expectations (and I can’t see that changing, since the rest of us still want our TVs), and 2, having some hope of being able to get ahead.

That’s where people need opportunities. Opportunities to make a decent crust, meet their expectations, and do something worth while. I don’t think even hardened crims want to think of themselves as bad people.

In the end, I think many don’t realise is the people they hurt a huge amount is themselves. Damaging your self image can be a life-long hurt. It’s not like you’re ever going to see someone else looking back out of the mirror at you. If you grow to consider yourself a bad person, you’re in real trouble.

They need to teach that lesson in schools – why it is important to not compromise yourself. Why you shouldn’t do things you consider bad. What happens to you if you do think you’re a bad person etc etc etc…

Links to post

Comments are now closed

Articles RSS

Comments
Opinions

How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log iPhone Without Computer
How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A Step–by–Step Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and third–party applications. So, let‘s dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. That‘s why they introduced the “Recently Deleted“ folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Here‘s how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the “Recents“ tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on “Edit“. Select “Show Recently Deleted“. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose “Recover“ to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Here‘s how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose “Erase All Content and Settings“. Follow the on–screen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose “Restore from iCloud Backup“ during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore Third–Party Apps (with Caution): ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
2 hours ago

How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
9 hours ago

How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
10 hours ago

Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
Skeptical Science
10 hours ago

Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
10 hours ago

How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
10 hours ago

How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
10 hours ago

How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
10 hours ago

How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
10 hours ago

Climate Change: Turning the tide
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
11 hours ago

How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
12 hours ago

Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
13 hours ago

Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
13 hours ago

Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
13 hours ago

Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
13 hours ago

Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
14 hours ago

Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
17 hours ago

Despair – construction consenting edition
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
17 hours ago

Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
17 hours ago

An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
18 hours ago

What happens after the war – Mariupol
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Open ParachuteBy Ken
19 hours ago

Babies and benefits – no good news
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
19 hours ago

Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
19 hours ago

Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
20 hours ago

Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
21 hours ago

Meeting the Master Baiters
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
David FarrierBy David Farrier
23 hours ago

How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
Skeptical Science
1 day ago

Backbone, revisited
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
2 days ago

Ministers are not above the law
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
2 days ago

What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
2 days ago

Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
2 days ago

Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
2 days ago

A TikTok Prime Minister.
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
2 days ago

Texas Lessons
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
2 days ago

Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
2 days ago

Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
PolitikBy Richard Harman
2 days ago

Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
2 days ago

At a glance – Is the science settled?
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Skeptical Science
2 days ago

Apposite Quotations.
How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
Bowalley Road
3 days ago

What’s a life worth now?
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
3 days ago

Howling at the Moon
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
3 days ago

Newshub is Dead.
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
3 days ago

Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
3 days ago

Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
3 days ago

Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
3 days ago

PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
3 days ago

Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
3 days ago

Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
3 days ago

Long Tunnel or Long Con?
Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
3 days ago

Smoke And Mirrors.
You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
3 days ago

What is Mexico doing about climate change?
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
Skeptical Science
3 days ago

State of humanity, 2024
2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
4 days ago

Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
4 days ago

The case for cultural connectedness
A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
4 days ago

Useful context on public sector job cuts
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
4 days ago

Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
4 days ago

Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
4 days ago

True Blue.
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
4 days ago

Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
PolitikBy Richard Harman
4 days ago

2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
Skeptical Science
4 days ago

Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts
Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
4 days ago

Or is that just they want us to think?
Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
5 days ago

Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...
Skeptical Science
5 days ago

Arguing over a moot point.
I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading → ...
KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
5 days ago

No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
Turning Point: “What has turned me away from the mainstream news media is the very strong message that its been sending out for the last few years.” “And what message might that be?” “That the people who own it, the people who run it, and the people who provide its content, really don’t ...
Bowalley Road
6 days ago

Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...
Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
6 days ago

Sad tales from the left
Michael Bassett writes – Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
6 days ago

In Whose Best Interests?
On The Spot: The question Q+A host, Jack Tame, put to the Workplace & Safety Minister, Act’s Brooke van Velden, was disarmingly simple: “Are income tax cuts right now in the best interests of lowering inflation?”JACK TAME has tested another MP on his Sunday morning current affairs show, Q+A. Minister for Workplace ...
Bowalley Road
6 days ago

Don’t Question, Don’t Complain.
It has to start somewhereIt has to start sometimeWhat better place than here?What better time than now?So it turns out that I owe you all an apology.It seems that all of the terrible things this government is doing, impacting the lives of many, aren’t necessarily ‘bad’ per se. Those things ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
6 days ago

Auckland faces 25% water inflation shock
Three Waters became a focus of anti-Government protests under Labour, but its dumping by the new Government hasn’t solved councils’ funding problems and will eventually hit the back pockets of everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 8:06 am today are:The Government ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
6 days ago

Small accomplishments and large ironies
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share Read more ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
6 days ago

The Song of Saqua: Volume VII
In order to catch up to the actual progress of the D&D campaign, I present you with another couple of sessions. These were actually held back to back, on a Monday and Tuesday evening. Session XV Alas, Goatslayer had another lycanthropic transformation… though this time, he ran off into the ...
A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
6 days ago

Accelerating the Growth Rate?
There is a constant theme from the economic commentariat that New Zealand needs to lift its economic growth rate, coupled with policies which they are certain will attain that objective. Their prescriptions are usually characterised by two features. First, they tend to be in their advocate’s self-interest. Second, they are ...
PunditBy Brian Easton
6 days ago

The only thing we have to fear is tenants themselves
1. Which of these acronyms describes the experience of travelling on a Cook Strait ferry?a. ROROb. FOMOc. RAROd. FMLAramoana, first boat ever boarded by More Than A Feilding, four weeks after the Wahine disaster2. What is the acronym for the experience of watching the government risking a $200 million break ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
7 days ago

Peters talks of NZ “renewing its connections with the world” – but who knew we had been discon...
Buzz from the Beehive The thrust of the country’s foreign affairs policy and its relationship with the United States have been addressed in four statements from the Beehive over the past 24 hours. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters somewhat curiously spoke of New Zealand “renewing its connections with a world ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
7 days ago

Release: Dark day for Kiwi kids as a third of Govt cuts affect them
News that 1000 jobs at the Ministry of Education and Oranga Tamariki could go is devastating for future generations of New Zealanders. ...
Labour Blog
2 days ago

Release: Alarm as Government signals further blow to school lunches
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Labour Blog
2 days ago

Release: Quick, submit – stop Govt’s dodgy approvals bill
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Labour Blog
3 days ago

Government throws coal on the climate crisis fire
The Government’s policy announced today to ease consenting for coal mining will have a lasting impact across generations. ...
Greens
3 days ago

Release: Public transport costs to double as National looks at unaffordable roading project instead
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
Labour Blog
4 days ago

Release: Cost of living in Auckland still not a priority
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Labour Blog
4 days ago

Greens look to fast-track submissions on harmful law
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
Greens
7 days ago

Release: Govt should stop making people’s lives harder and build more homes
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Release: Melissa Lee missing in action on media
The action Melissa Lee promised to protect democracy and the media sector is missing, Media and Communications spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Landlord Government leaves little hope for renters
The Government’s announcement on tenancy rules prove that it does not care about renters. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Opportunity to build a more sustainable economy
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Significant step forward in fixing cruel and unjust past
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Missed opportunity but NZ will surely one day recognise the right to a sustainable environment
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Release: Don’t cut our lunches – clear message sent to Government
Tens of thousands of people are demanding the Government commits to fully funding free and healthy school lunches. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Release: Govt makes U-turn on Suicide Prevention Office
Labour welcomes the Government’s U-turn on the closure of the Suicide Prevention Office, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

CCC issues warning over further climate delay
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Luxon targets are lousy example of leadership
If talk is cheap, Chris Luxon’s “targets” are bankrupt. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Luxon targets lame and lousy example of leadership
If talk is cheap, Chris Luxon’s “targets” are bankrupt. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Release: Commitment to disability communities missing from Govt priorities
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Methane target review is dangerous duplication
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Release: Government must commit to school building project for disabled students
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Release: National must take mental health seriously
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Referendums for Māori wards a racist step backwards
The Government's imposed referendum on Māori wards is a racist step backwards for Māori representation, and disregards Te Tiriti o Waitangi. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Release: Job losses at Health not worth it for tax cuts
New Zealand will feel the harm of the National Government’s reckless cuts to jobs at the health ministry for generations, says Ayesha Verrall. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Press release: No Māori initiatives in Government’s nothing plan
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Thirty six point PR spin
The Government’s ‘36 point’ plan for the next three months is as pointless as it is hollow. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Thirty six point PR spin
The Government’s ‘36 point’ plan for the next three months is as pointless as it is hollow. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Thirty six point PR spin
The Government’s ‘36 point’ plan for the next three months is as pointless as it is hollow. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Release: Social housing off Government’s to-do list
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Release: Less money in most people’s pockets this April
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
Labour Blog
3 weeks ago

Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 hours ago

Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
13 hours ago

Taupō takes pole position
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
14 hours ago

Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
16 hours ago

Government backing mussel spat project
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
16 hours ago

Government focused on getting people into work
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
19 hours ago

Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
20 hours ago

Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 day ago

Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Inflation coming down, but more work to do
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Roads of National Significance planning underway
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Navigating an unstable global environment
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Joint US and NZ declaration
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperation
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Government redress for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua
The Government is continuing the bipartisan effort to restore its relationship with iwi as the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill passed its first reading in Parliament today, says Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith. “Historical grievances of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua relate to 19th century warfare, land purchased or taken ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Focus on outstanding minerals permit applications
New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals is working to resolve almost 150 outstanding minerals permit applications by the end of the financial year, enabling valuable mining activity and signalling to the sector that New Zealand is open for business, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “While there are no set timeframes for ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Applications open for NZ-Ireland Research Call
The New Zealand and Irish governments have today announced that applications for the 2024 New Zealand-Ireland Joint Research Call on Agriculture and Climate Change are now open. This is the third research call in the three-year Joint Research Initiative pilot launched in 2022 by the Ministry for Primary Industries and Ireland’s ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Tenancy rules changes to improve rental market
The coalition Government has today announced changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to encourage landlords back to the rental property market, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “The previous Government waged a war on landlords. Many landlords told us this caused them to exit the rental market altogether. It caused worse ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Boosting NZ’s trade and agricultural relationship with China
Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay will visit China next week, to strengthen relationships, support Kiwi exporters and promote New Zealand businesses on the world stage. “China is one of New Zealand’s most significant trade and economic relationships and remains an important destination for New Zealand’s products, accounting for nearly 22 per cent of our good and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Freshwater farm plan systems to be improved
The coalition Government intends to improve freshwater farm plans so that they are more cost-effective and practical for farmers, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay have announced. “A fit-for-purpose freshwater farm plan system will enable farmers and growers to find the right solutions for their farm ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

New Fast Track Projects advisory group named
The coalition Government has today announced the expert advisory group who will provide independent recommendations to Ministers on projects to be included in the Fast Track Approvals Bill, say RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones. “Our Fast Track Approval process will make it easier and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Grattan on Friday: Ethnic tensions will complicate the Albanese government’s multicultural policy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When ASIO boss Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, he stressed the rising danger posed by espionage and foreign interference. “In 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
6 hours ago

Group plans work to improve safety of female MPs
New research shows harassment of elected officials - especially women - is on the rise. ...
Radio NZ – political
7 hours ago

Ukraine warns of WW3 ahead of long-stalled Congress aid vote
Ukraine's Prime Minister says his country desperately needs the US to approve long-stalled security assistance. ...
Radio NZ – political
8 hours ago

Crown lawyers attempt to block Waitangi Tribunal summons to Minister for Children
The Tribunal had called on Minister for Children Karen Chhour to provide evidence at an urgent inquiry into the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. ...
Radio NZ – political
11 hours ago

Luxon refuses to guarantee public consultation on AUKUS Pillar 2
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says it's "far too premature" to be confirming whether the public would be consulted on joining AUKUS Pillar 2. ...
Radio NZ – political
12 hours ago

Visualising the 1800s or designing wedding invitations: 6 ways you can use AI beyond generating text
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Midjourney image by T.J. Thomson As more than half of Australian office workers report using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for work, we’re starting to see this technology affect every ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
12 hours ago

Falls, fractures and self-harm: 4 charts on how kids’ injury risk changes over time and differs fo...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Nicole Sharwood, Injury epidemiologist | Expert Witness, UNSW Sydney Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock Injuries are the leading cause of disability and death among Australian children and adolescents. At least a quarter of all emergency department presentations during childhood are injury-related. Injuries can ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
12 hours ago

Choice and control: will NDIS reforms mean people with disability don’t get to decide who they liv...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University Shutterstock/Ground Picture Many Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
12 hours ago

Asbestos in playground mulch: how to avoid a repeat of this circular economy scandal
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Salman Shooshtarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Salman Shooshtarian Asbestos has been found in mulch used for playgrounds, schools, parks and gardens across Sydney and Melbourne. Local communities naturally fear for the health of their ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
12 hours ago

Could Albanese’s bet on homegrown green industries be the boost our regions deserve?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Madeline Taylor, Senior Lecturer, Macquarie University Cloudy Designs/Shutterstock Right now, there’s a global race underway. The goal: bring back manufacturing and energy jobs as the energy transition speeds up. In 2022, America launched its mammoth Inflation Reduction Act and the ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
12 hours ago

Watch: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon won't say if government will consult public on joining ...
Asked multiple times if the public will be consulted on joining the defence pact, Luxon repeatedly said that was yet to be worked through. ...
Radio NZ – political
13 hours ago

Watch live: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks in Philippines
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is speaking to reporters on the third leg of his Southeast Asia trip, from Manila in the Philippines. ...
Radio NZ – political
13 hours ago

Māori lawyers call Shane Jones' Waitangi Tribunal comments 'inappropriate'
The Māori Law Society says his comments breach the principle of the separation of powers and the Cabinet Manual. ...
Radio NZ – political
14 hours ago

Abortions Increase 25% Since Law Change
Family First says that the latest abortion statistics make grim and upsetting reading, with a 25% increase in abortions since the decriminalisation of abortion in March 2020. According to an Official Information Act request received by Right to Life ...
Scoop politics
15 hours ago

Over Half Of New Zealanders Feel That The Country Is In Decline And That Our Society Is Broken
Ipsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study on populism reveals a pervasive sense of societal and economic decline among New Zealanders. MORE DETAILS AND FULL REPORT HERE Ipsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study ...
Scoop politics
15 hours ago

Australia’s new defence strategy is big on ideas, but lacks one key ingredient: well-trained soldi...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University There have been a lot of defence announcements recently about buying new equipment, building up Australia’s manufacturing capabilities, creating local jobs, new legislation to support AUKUS and even a new defence chief. In ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
15 hours ago

What does Steve Smith’s Stateside signing mean for cricket in the US – and Australia?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, Industry Professor and Chief Economist, University of Technology Sydney Steve Smith, one of this generation’s finest batters, has conquered much of the cricketing world during his career, and he now has set his sights on a new frontier: the United ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
15 hours ago

A love letter to Wellington: when i open the shop by romesh dissanayake, reviewed
Madeleine Ballard reviews the debut novel from romesh dissanayake. when I open the shop, the debut novel by Naarm-based Aotearoa writer romesh dissanayake (Sri Lankan, Koryo Saram), is a narrative of grief. Devendra loses his mother, opens a noodle shop on The Terrace, grieves, and emerges changed. But just as ...
The SpinoffBy Madeleine Ballard
15 hours ago

Minister Concedes Contractors Will Be Hired To Do Work Of Axed Ministry Of Education Staff
The PSA can’t believe that the Minister of Education is happy for her ministry to hire contractors at the same time it is dismissing 565 workers. ...
Scoop politics
15 hours ago

Attempt to bar diplomat from Myanmar military junta fails
Myanmar community members applied to the courts to bar the diplomat from attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ...
Radio NZ – political
16 hours ago

LGNZ Welcomes Govt Earthquake-prone Buildings Decision
LGNZ has advocated for this decision as part of a remit led by Manawatū District Council. ...
Scoop politics
16 hours ago

AUKUS Pillar 2 a 'fragrant, methane-wrapped bull***' – Bob Carr
The former Australian Foreign Minister has continued to warn New Zealand against joining the defence pact. ...
Radio NZ – political
16 hours ago

Enforceable undertaking issued to abc accounting services limited after continued non-compliance.
The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has accepted an enforceable undertaking agreement from ABC Accounting Services Limited (ABC) under section 81 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 (AML/CFT Act). ...
Scoop politics
17 hours ago

REVEALED: RNZ’s Hypocrisy Over Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill
The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that Radio New Zealand (RNZ) spent $71,842.53 on Facebook advertising over the past 12 months, despite earlier this year coming out in support of the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill , which would force the likes ...
Scoop politics
17 hours ago

Police rejected 'very good offer' – Mark Mitchell
Police Minister Mark Mitchell says the pay offer rejected by police was the best the government could put forward under difficult financial circumstances. ...
Radio NZ – political
17 hours ago

How can we have truth-telling without the Voice? Our research shows a way forward
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Heidi Norman, Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, Convenor: Indigenous Land & Justice Research Group, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock The Uluru Statement from the Heart set out the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for “Voice, Treaty, Truth”, in ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
17 hours ago

NZ education scores must improve – but another polarising ideological pivot isn’t the answer
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn E Wood, Associate Professor in Education, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Getty Images You don’t need to look hard right now to see concerns about Aotearoa New Zealand’s education system. Declining performance in international testing has been ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
17 hours ago

An updated tally of the public sector job cuts
The coalition government has made it well known it expects departments to cut roles. We break down the numbers as they currently stand. Updated: 12pm, April 18 Before last year’s election, both National and Act made it clear that the public service was squarely in their crosshairs. Both parties, now ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
17 hours ago

Confessions of an unlikely petrolhead
Checkered Flag director Natalie Wilson on her lifelong love of motorsport, and the allure of Pukekohe Park Raceway. One childhood summer when my world revolved around winning stuff off the radio, I bagged tickets to Western Springs Speedway and then to Waikaraka Park in what was a dream season for ...
The SpinoffBy Natalie Wilson
17 hours ago

'Ambitious' trade pledge headlines Luxon's Thailand stop
The Prime has announced a commitment to triple two-way trade with Thailand by 2045, but it only requires maintaining current growth. ...
Radio NZ – political
18 hours ago

‘The right person’: What did Solomon Islanders vote for?
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara After a relatively well organised and peaceful day of voting in Solomon Islands yesterday, the electoral commission is working with donor partners to safely transport ballot boxes from polling stations all over the country to centrally located counting venues. It is a ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
18 hours ago

What it’s like to be made redundant by the Ministry of Education
I was one of hundreds of people who lost my government job this week. Here’s exactly how it played out. It is a Friday. I’m in the middle of an online Teams hui working out the finer details of a series of workshops we’ll be presenting next week. It’s a ...
The SpinoffBy Anonymous
19 hours ago

What are ‘Ozempic babies’? Can the drug really increase your chance of pregnancy?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karin Hammarberg, Senior Research Fellow, Global and Women’s Health, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University Joshua Rodriguez/Unsplash Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are taking drugs like Ozempic to lose weight. But what do we actually know about ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
20 hours ago

Why the kookaburra’s iconic laugh is at risk of being silenced
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Diana Kuchinke, Lecturer in Ecology, Federation University Australia Linda Robertus/Shutterstock Once, while teaching a class of environmental science students in China’s Hebei University of Science and Technology, I asked who knew what a laughing kookaburra was. There were many blank faces. ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
20 hours ago

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Breen, Professor of Law, University of Waikato smolaw11/Getty Images School truancy has been a concern across the political spectrum for years. But proposed solutions have largely failed to address the core reasons for unexplained school absences. Despite the apparent ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
20 hours ago

‘Listening is the most important part’: 10 things students with disability and their families wa...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melissa Cain, Senior Lecturer in Inclusive Education and Arts Education, Australian Catholic University Agence Olloweb/Unsplash, CC BY About 90% of Australian students with disability attend mainstream schools. Equitable access and participation in education is a fundamental human right. But as last ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
20 hours ago

Will global oil supply be at risk if Iran and Israel pull the Middle East into war?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flavio Macau, Associate Dean – School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University Tensions in the Middle East have escalated following Iran’s weekend missile and drone attacks on Israel, heightening concerns of a wider conflict. As with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
20 hours ago

No, getting your boyfriend to peel an orange won’t prove his loyalty. Why TikTok relationship ‘t...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edith Jennifer Hill, Associate Lecturer, Learning & Teaching Innovation, Flinders University Shutterstock Have you ever wondered if your partner really loves you? Well apparently so have thousands of TikTok users, who are testing their theories for the world to see. In ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
20 hours ago

New Zealand’s Annual Emissions Fell In 2022, For Third Successive Year
This is the third successive decrease year-on-year. New Zealand’s gross emissions for 2022 were 78.4 Mt CO2-e. ...
Scoop politics
20 hours ago

Oranga Tamariki job cuts: 'We can't establish what their endgame is'
Oranga Tamariki has failed to explain how hundreds of job cuts will achieve a better outcome for children, a children's advocate says. ...
Radio NZ – political
20 hours ago

Help Me Hera: My parents won’t help out with my kids
They pressured me to have children, and I had two. Now they won’t lift a finger. Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Hi Hera, I suspect it’s a familiar pattern. Back in the day, as a single gal, I was plagued with questions from my parents about when I would find ...
The SpinoffBy Hera Lindsay Bird
20 hours ago

Care Workers Call For Fairness On Pay Equity Anniversary
“The Government has an opportunity here to really correct the course for the care and support workforce, and the people they look after. This cannot be just another area left in the cold, we need real leadership to ensure the proper quality of care ...
Scoop politics
21 hours ago

First evidence of ancient human occupation found in giant lava tube cave in Saudi Arabia
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mathew Stewart, Research Fellow, Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University The western passage of the Umm Jirsan lava tube. Green Arabia Project If you look from above, you can see thousands of stone structures dotting the landscape of the Arabian ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
21 hours ago

Teachers worry about curriculum, NCEA changes amid staff cuts
More than 500 jobs are likely to be cut at the Education Ministry with concerns about how the curriculum and NCEA changes will now be managed. ...
Radio NZ – political
21 hours ago

Government IT systems need a $800m overhaul
The government is facing a bill of more than $800 million to overhaul back-office IT systems, and attempts to lessen its impact have hit delays. ...
Radio NZ – political
21 hours ago

Over 3,000 public service jobs now proposed to go
The Ministry of Education confirmed a proposal to reduce headcount by 565, while Oranga Tamariki’s proposal would result in a loss of 447 jobs, 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. Ministry of ...
The SpinoffBy Anna Rawhiti-Connell
21 hours ago

Kāinga Ora delays building projects ahead of review
Kāinga Ora is unable to say how many new KiwiBuild developments have been delayed as it waits for the outcome of the government's independent review of the state housing agency. ...
Radio NZ – political
22 hours ago

Owners of earthquake prone buildings given four extra years to complete strengthening
A review into the regulations was also being brought forward. ...
Radio NZ – political
22 hours ago

Corrections Accepts Recommendations Following Auckland Prison Inspection
The Inspectorate made three overarching recommendations following the inspection, all of which have been accepted in full by Corrections. ...
Scoop politics
22 hours ago

Auckland’s dumped Commonwealth Games bid has lessons for Christchurch
The crippling cost and complexity of Christchurch’s Commonwealth Games ambitions have become clearer The post Auckland’s dumped Commonwealth Games bid has lessons for Christchurch appeared first on Newsroom. ...
NewsroomBy David Williams
24 hours ago

Oranga Tamariki services for at-risk children will get better after job cuts, minister says
"We need to make sure that every dollar we're spending is actually for the benefit of our young people," says Children's Minister Karen Chhour. ...
Radio NZ – political
24 hours ago

How the coalition plans to replace the quickly scrapped Māori Health Authority
The coalition government got rid of the Māori Health Authority in a hurry. What is it doing now instead? ...
Radio NZ – political
24 hours ago

How to tell if your child is well enough to go to school or is in fact sick
David Seymour announced new guidelines this week for sending your kids to school with symptoms. Emily Writes sums them up. Parents knee deep in snotty tissues and buckets of vomit were granted a much-welcome reprieve by associate education minister David Seymour on Wednesday with the announcement that he will advise ...
The SpinoffBy Emily Writes
1 day ago

We’re asking the wrong questions about treaty settlements
When the Crown is the self-appointed ultimate authority over a process to deal with Crown misconduct, we run into big issues, writes Tina Ngata. “What’s it going to take for Ngā Puhi to settle” was the headliner statement on Q&A last weekend, as Ngā Puhi chair Mana Tahere was interviewed ...
The SpinoffBy Tina Ngata
1 day ago

Book of the Week: Mothering in late-stage capitalism
I think a capitalist patriarchy that relies on monogamous heterosexuality and gender essentialism is the worst system to ensure the survival of our species. Just watch an episode of MAFS Australia. I don’t think there’s anything natural or normal about this system, instead I think it’s a construct kept in ...
NewsroomBy Pip Adam
1 day ago

Luxon spreads his wings in Thailand
Luxon touched down in Thailand late on Tuesday night, before launching into a packed day of business breakfasts and bilateral meetings in the kingdom’s capital. The visit to Thailand comes after Luxon’s Singapore swing – somewhat of a love-in for the Kiwi Prime Minister, where he shmoozed high-net worth individuals, ...
NewsroomBy Laura Walters
1 day ago

New Zealand’s crisis of confidence
Three in five New Zealanders say our country is in decline and our society is broken, exclusive new polling reveals The post New Zealand’s crisis of confidence appeared first on Newsroom. ...
NewsroomBy Marc Daalder
1 day ago

Daily crossword, Thursday 18 April
The post Daily crossword, Thursday 18 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
NewsroomBy Newsroom Puzzles
1 day ago

New Zealand broken and in decline, Kiwis say
A global wave of disillusionment and disenfranchisement has not spared New Zealand, with a majority of respondents to a survey here agreeing that New Zealand society is broken and the country is in decline. Ipsos New Zealand asked 1001 Kiwis about their hopes for the future and their views of ...
NewsroomBy Marc Daalder
1 day ago

Labour all at sea against Govt’s legislative blitzkrieg
Opinion: The embittered negativity of Labour’s prominent spokespeople is preventing political exploitation of rapid Government change The post Labour all at sea against Govt’s legislative blitzkrieg appeared first on Newsroom. ...
NewsroomBy Peter Dunne
1 day ago

Staff shortages key to Auckland Prison’s failure to uphold inmates’ rights
Opinion: At a time when government departments are shedding workers to fund budgetary cuts, the news that staff shortages have caused prisoners to be in solitary confinement for periods longer than eight months is frightening. This revelation is one of several in the Prison Inspectorate’s most recent report, published ...
NewsroomBy Christine McCarthy
1 day ago

Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 18 April
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. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 18 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
NewsroomBy Newsroom Puzzles
1 day ago

Police briefings show finances at ‘tipping point’
There is a forecast deficit of $120m only brought down to $56m through cost-cutting measures The post Police briefings show finances at ‘tipping point’ appeared first on Newsroom. ...
NewsroomBy Emma Hatton
1 day ago

Pharmac and the keys to the drug cupboard
Close to 3,500,000 prescriptions for paracetamol are written in New Zealand every year. It’s just one of the treatments funded by Pharmac, the drug agency that barters with pharmaceutical companies to get medicines for us at the lowest cost possible. Currently its yearly budget is about $1.5 billion, but apparently ...
NewsroomBy Davina Zimmer
1 day ago

A montage of West Papuan everyday life from hip-hop to protest songs
I came to this evening of short films not sure what to expect. I have a history with West Papua (here referring to the Indonesian part of the island of New Guinea, which comprises five provinces, one named “West Papua”) from my days fronting the legendary West Papuan band Black ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
1 day ago

Ministry of Education plans to cut 565 roles
It makes the proposal the biggest single slash to a public service agency so far. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

Oranga Tamariki proposes to cut more than 400 jobs
About 1900 roles would be affected overall - either changed or disestablished - in the "scope of restructuring work". ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Independent MP Dai Le on the church attack in her electorate
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra After the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in an Assyrian Orthodox Church in Wakeley on Monday, and the killings in Bondi Junction shopping centre just two days earlier, many people in Sydney and in ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
1 day ago

Government issues guidelines for when sick children should be kept home from school
Covid-19? Symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhoea or head lice? Your children should be at home, new government guidelines say. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

Australia’s long-sought stronger environmental laws just got indefinitely deferred. It’s back to...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University We’ve long known Australia’s main environmental protection laws aren’t doing their job, and we know Australians want better laws. Labor was elected promising to fix them. ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
1 day ago

AI is making smart devices – watches, speakers, doorbells – easier to hack. Here’s how to stay...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chao Chen, Deputy Director, Enterprise AI and Data Analytics Hub, RMIT Univeristy, RMIT University Ivan Bandura/Unsplash From asking our smart speakers for the weather to receiving personalised advice from smartwatches, devices powered by artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly streamlining our routines ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
1 day ago

Police Association members reject latest government pay offer
Police Association says members are looking for a sincere effort by the government to address the cost of living crisis and recognise the increasing dangers officers faced. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

Global coral bleaching caused by global warming demands a global response
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Britta Schaffelke, Manager International Partnerships and Co-ordinator of the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), Australian Institute of Marine Science Bleached coral at the Keppel Islands in the southern Great Barrier Reef in early March 2024. © AIMS | Eoghan Aston ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
1 day ago

The beginnings of modern science shaped how philosophers saw alien life – and how we understand it...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip C. Almond, Emeritus Professor in the History of Religious Thought, The University of Queensland Wikipedia Speculation about extraterrestrials is not all that new. There was a vibrant debate in 17th-century Europe about the existence of life on other planets. ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Families including someone with mental illness can experience deep despair. They need support
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amanda Cole, Lead, Mental Health, Edith Cowan University In the aftermath of the tragic Bondi knife attack, Joel Cauchi’s parents have spoken about their son’s long history of mental illness, having been diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 17. They said they were ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Insulting

Related Posts

139 comments on “Insulting ”

Links to post

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Insulting

Share this:

Related Posts

139 comments on “Insulting ”

Links to post

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

Share this:

Related Posts

Share this:

Related Posts

Share this:

Related Posts

Share this:

Related Posts