Latest Top Scoops Headlines
Samsung serving advertising on $2400 Galaxy Flip
Tuesday, 7 July 2020, 5:05 pm | Digitl
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip is the best foldable phone so far . It flips and folds like phones did 20 years ago. The difference between then and now is that today both halves are part of a full colour touch screen. More >>
Legalising cannabis may reduce 'biased enforcement' of Māori - chief science advisor
Tuesday, 7 July 2020, 4:36 pm | RNZ
Legalising cannabis would significantly improve police bias against Māori, a report by the prime minister's chief science adviser suggests. More >>
NZ Animal Welfare Standards Are A Hypocrisy As Video Of Cow Abuse Beatings Thrown Out In Court
Tuesday, 7 July 2020, 4:05 pm | Lynley Tulloch
There was no justice recently for the cows who endured sickening beatings at the hands of Northland sharemilker Michael Luke. New Zealand claims world class animal welfare standards. It benefits economically from the perception of the public that ... More >>
The Coronavirus Seal: Victoria’s Borders Close
Tuesday, 7 July 2020, 2:59 pm | Binoy Kampmark
The state of Victoria is being sealed off from the rest of Australia. On Tuesday, at 11.59pm, the border with New South Wales will be shut with publicised resoluteness. It is happening at the insistence of politicians across the country with a panicked ... More >>
On Why We Shouldn’t Be Pushed Into Re-opening Our Borders
Tuesday, 7 July 2020, 2:06 pm | Gordon Campbell
I believe in yesterday as much as Paul McCartney, but it was bemusing to see the amount of media attention lavished last week on the pandemic-related musings by former government science adviser Sir Peter Gluckman, former Prime Minister Helen Clark ... More >>
Developers Seek To Transform Drury In South Auckland
Tuesday, 7 July 2020, 11:11 am | Steve Forbes - Local Democracy Reporter
The land in East Drury Kiwi Property is planning to develop with a new town centre and residential development. Plans to open up Drury for three massive development projects by Oyster Capital, Fulton Hogan and Kiwi Property are now one step closer ... More >>
Rural Councils Job Scheme Extended
Tuesday, 7 July 2020, 11:03 am | Marcus Anselm - Local Democracy Reporter
A successful pilot scheme to bring jobs to Wairarapa in the wake of the covid-19 lockdown has been expanded and extended. The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs [MTFJ] Community Recovery Programme, a collaboration with the Ministry of Social Development [MSD], ... More >>
Puppy Love: Bylaw Review Suggests Lifting Town Centre Dog Ban In Blenheim
Tuesday, 7 July 2020, 11:02 am | Chloe Ranford - Local Democracy Reporter
Shadow the dog at Taylor River. CREDIT: BRYA INGRAM/STUFF/SUPPLIED – SINGLE USE ONLY A bylaw review in Marlborough has paved the way for dogs to make a permanent return to Blenheim’s town centre. The Marlborough District Council is looking at ... More >>
Duty Of Care And Economic Citizenship
Tuesday, 7 July 2020, 9:38 am | Keith Rankin
Three Citizenships The concept of 'citizenship' has both general and specific meanings. The most specific and familiar I call passport citizenship . A passport citizen of a country is a person holding a passport for that country, or with unambiguous entitlement ... More >>
Spiked Concerns: The Melbourne Coronavirus Lockdown
Monday, 6 July 2020, 4:40 pm | Binoy Kampmark
It all looked like it was going so well for Australia and Victoria, in particular. They could point to the mishandling of the Ruby Princess, a cruise ship that docked in Sydney and whose passengers disembarked chocked with coronavirus, precipitating ... More >>
ACC levies will be kept steady through to 2022 - Ardern
Monday, 6 July 2020, 4:01 pm | RNZ
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced Cabinet's decision to keep ACC levies at their current rate through to 2022. More >>
Details of active Covid-19 cases leaked in privacy breach
Monday, 6 July 2020, 10:07 am | RNZ
The State Services Commission has been called in to make sure a "thorough investigation" is held. More >>
The market is not our master — only state-led business cooperation will drive real economic recovery
Monday, 6 July 2020, 9:51 am | The Conversation
Collaboration is better than competition when it comes to making markets do what we want in an economic crisis. More >>
Labour will extend loan scheme 'lifeline' for small business - PM
Monday, 6 July 2020, 9:40 am | RNZ
Labour has announced its plans to extend the Small Business Loan Cashflow Scheme and spend $162 million on a waterway clean-up package. More >>
Cash Boost For Wairarapa Waterways
Monday, 6 July 2020, 9:17 am | Marcus Anselm - Local Democracy Reporter
A multi-million programme for environmental work across Wairarapa's waterways got the green light yesterday [Sunday]. Funding in Wairarapa Moana from regional and central government may boost jobs and the lake's conservation status. PHOTO/FILE ... More >>
NZ companies should hire more tech interns
Sunday, 5 July 2020, 3:20 pm | Digitl
Trent Mankelow says New Zealand companies and organisations hired 352 interns last summer. That's not many when you consider more than 2000 students applied for positions. Applying takes a fair amount of effort, so there are many disappointed students. More >>
Privacy regulation: New Zealand wants more
Sunday, 5 July 2020, 3:13 pm | Digitl
A survey conducted by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner found that two-third of New Zealanders want more privacy regulation. More >>
Galaxy Z Flip: Samsung's folding phone
Sunday, 5 July 2020, 3:10 pm | Digitl
In February I posted a short note about the then forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. This week I got my hands on one. More >>
While The Shark Still Swims: Boris Johnson, Super Saturday And Super Responsibilities
Saturday, 4 July 2020, 5:56 pm | Binoy Kampmark
By most accounts, the response of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to the coronavirus pandemic has been abysmal. When the architect of the response himself catches the virus, he is either a more informed person for his sin or a buffoon in need of serious ... More >>
Will The ICC Investigation Bring Justice For Palestine?
Saturday, 4 July 2020, 5:01 pm | Romana Rubeo and Ramzy Baroud
By Ramzy Baroud and Romana Rubeo In the past, there have been many attempts at holding accused Israeli war criminals accountable. Particularly memorable is the case of the late Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, (known, among other nicknames, as ... More >>
Auckland's leaky pipes lose more water than the city saves
Friday, 3 July 2020, 4:44 pm | RNZ
Auckland's drinking water pipes are leaking at least 50 million litres a day, far more than Aucklanders have been asked to save during the most severe shortage in decades. More >>
Criminalising Journalism: Australia’s National Security Craze
Friday, 3 July 2020, 2:26 pm | Binoy Kampmark
There has been a lot of noise made in Australia about the need for broader protections when it comes to the fourth estate and the way it covers national security matters. In a country lacking a backbone in terms of constitutional free speech, journalists ... More >>
On The Clark Exit, Convention Centres, And The Killing Of Hachalu Hundessa
Friday, 3 July 2020, 11:30 am | Gordon Campbell
Goodbye, David Clark. In the end, the outgoing Health Minister decided that in the midst of a pandemic the best thing he could do for New Zealand would be to no longer be there – given that being there had involved hiving off on his mountain bike ... More >>
Delays to new Taranaki energy centre rile critics
Friday, 3 July 2020, 10:58 am | RNZ
Questions are being asked about why a government initiative promised last year for Taranaki has yet to materialise with critics saying it's become bogged down in bureaucratic red tape. More >>
Renewed calls for the Cook Islands to take on indigenous name
Friday, 3 July 2020, 10:28 am | RNZ
There are renewed calls in the Cook Islands for an indigenous Māori name to replace the country's colonial era moniker. More >>
Christchurch mosque attacks: Gunman sentencing date set
Friday, 3 July 2020, 10:26 am | RNZ
After a three-month wait, a date has finally been set for the sentencing of the man responsible for this country's worst act of terrorism. More >>
‘Wholesale Reconfiguration’ Of Rotorua CBD To Be Considered
Friday, 3 July 2020, 10:22 am | Felix Desmarais - Local Democracy Reporter
A 30 km/h CBD speed limit, the pedestrianisation of Tutanekai St and the removal of the green corridor cycleway are to be considered as part of Rotorua’s inner city revitalisation strategy. Those ideas - the most comprehensive of which could ... More >>
Council Honours Sister-city Advocate
Friday, 3 July 2020, 10:18 am | Charlotte Jones - Local Democracy Reporter
HONOURED: Sammy Wilson is helped to plant the tree dedicated to her by parks and reserves team member Ranee Whiting (left) and deputy mayor Andrew Iles. TROY BAKER / WHAKATANE BEACON Twenty-five years of service in international relations ... More >>
Book A Marae And Its Community Will Thrive
Friday, 3 July 2020, 10:15 am | Charlotte Jones - Local Democracy Reporter
A Te Ao Maori answer to Airbnb looks set to provide local marae with a constant revenue stream. Three local marae have been selected to be a part of new Maori venture Book a Marae, essentially an online booking system not dissimilar to Airbnb. Iramoko ... More >>
Dust Settles On Waiewe Reserve
Friday, 3 July 2020, 10:13 am | Charlotte Jones - Local Democracy Reporter
Following outcry from neighbours, the Whakatane Mountain Bike Club has withdrawn its request to create mountain bike tracks on the Waiewe Reserve. This is despite a consultant recommending to Whakatane District Council that one of the proposed ... More >>
COVID And Latin America - The Worst Of Both Worlds
Friday, 3 July 2020, 9:38 am | Zac Thomas
Before disembarking we were told by the pilot to complete a 'health immigration form', detailing any potential contact with COVID during the last 14 days, and to hand this to army medics who would be waiting for us upon arrival. As promised, we ... More >>
Green Party Tax-Benefit Policy Is Not Helpful
Thursday, 2 July 2020, 4:49 pm | Keith Rankin
Socialism versus Progressive Capitalism I was disappointed that the Green Party continues to reject a distributive Universal Basic Income (UBI) in favour of a redistributive and polarising Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI) model. GMI is the antithesis of UBI. More >>
PM Jacinda Ardern on David Clark's resignation as Health Minister: 'It is one I agree with'
Thursday, 2 July 2020, 3:14 pm | RNZ
Jacinda Ardern says she agrees with Clark's decision to resign as Health Minister and that she cannot afford any diversions from Covid-19 objectives. More >>
Killing Koalas: The Promise Of Extinction Down Under
Thursday, 2 July 2020, 2:50 pm | Binoy Kampmark
The British conservationist Gerald Durrell once remarked that the koala was “the most boring of animals”. Its brain size, proportionally the smallest of any mammal, evolved to cope with its slow metabolism. But the spectacle of these singed, toasted ... More >>
What an ocean hidden under Antarctic ice reveals about our planet's future climate
Thursday, 2 July 2020, 11:22 am | The Conversation
Latest research explores how a warming ocean circulates underneath Antarctica's floating ice shelves and how this contributes to future sea level rise. More >>
The sun is setting on long-haul, short-stay tourism — regional travel bubbles are the future
Thursday, 2 July 2020, 11:21 am | The Conversation
The travel crisis caused by COVID-19 is also an opportunity to end the worst excesses of international tourism for good. More >>
Migrants Challenge Visa Processing Delays By New Zealand Authorities
Thursday, 2 July 2020, 11:15 am | Socialist Equality Group
By Tom Peters As an election approaches in September, the New Zealand government, a coalition between the Labour Party, the right-wing nationalist NZ First and the Greens, is intensifying its anti-immigrant measures. Like its counterparts throughout ... More >>
Whangaroa Maori Call For Better Planning To Manage Challenges From Unprecedented Local Growth
Wednesday, 1 July 2020, 4:14 pm | Susan Botting - Local Democracy Reporter
. Whangaroa Maori are calling for better Far North District Council planning to deal with their local area's unprecedented growth. They say lack of council planning for fast-growing settlements in their district is causing problems for the communities’ ... More >>
New Virus Reported In China Highlights Risk Of Animal-Borne Pandemic Originating In Factory Farms
Wednesday, 1 July 2020, 4:09 pm | Common Dreams - Julia Conley
"We are constantly at risk of new emergence of zoonotic pathogens and that farmed animals, with which humans have greater contact than with wildlife, may act as the source for important pandemic viruses." by Julia Conley, staff writer ... More >>
Why The US Empire Works So Hard To Control The International Narrative About Russia
Wednesday, 1 July 2020, 3:59 pm | Caitlin Johnstone
On a December 2010 episode of Fox News’ Freedom Watch , John Bolton and the show’s host Andrew Napolitano were debating about recent WikiLeaks publications , and naturally the subject of government secrecy came up. “Now I want to make ... More >>
Defending Australia: The Deputy Sheriff Spending Spree
Wednesday, 1 July 2020, 2:34 pm | Binoy Kampmark
There are few sadder sights in international relations than a leadership in search of devils and hobgoblins. But such sights tend to make an appearance when specialists in threat inflation either get elected to office or bumped up the hierarchies of ... More >>
Farrowing Crates: A Cruel Abomination That Needs To Go
Wednesday, 1 July 2020, 1:32 pm | Lynley Tulloch
The farming of animals using industrialized factory methods is a pressing moral issue of the modern era. Pig farming is a good illustration of this. I would argue that when factory methods are used it is one of the biggest abominations of humanity. ... More >>
Fuel, alcohol costs to go up from today
Wednesday, 1 July 2020, 10:58 am | RNZ
The increase today in the taxes on fuel, road user charges and alcohol is being called a tone-deaf move. More >>
On Why Attack Isn’t Our Best Means Of Cyber-Defence
Wednesday, 1 July 2020, 10:15 am | Gordon Campbell
This morning’s news that the SIS engaged in attacks on the Indian High Commission and Embassy of Iran during the late 1980s/early 1990s should come as no surprise. Down the years, there’s been an Orwellian tendency to depict the role of our spy ... More >>
Climate explained: will the COVID-19 lockdown slow the effects of climate change?
Wednesday, 1 July 2020, 10:04 am | The Conversation
The drop in traffic during COVID-19 lockdowns reduced global emissions. If we keep encouraging cycling and working from home beyond the pandemic, our climate goals may become more achievable. More >>
Portrait of Hemi Pomara as a young man: how we uncovered the oldest surviving photograph of a Māori
Wednesday, 1 July 2020, 10:03 am | The Conversation
Exclusive: the recent discovery of probably the oldest known surviving photograph of a Māori sheds light on the remarkable subject of Taika Waititi's new film project. More >>
Drone ‘mosaic’ Helps Forestry Catch Cracks, Erosion Before Compliance Failure
Tuesday, 30 June 2020, 4:24 pm | Chloe Ranford - Local Democracy Reporter
A drone "mosaic" of harvested forestry blocks is letting Marlburians see the wood for the trees, and could cut down environmental issues. Marlborough company GeoInsight Limited is using drones, 360-degree cameras and an e-bike to "stitch ... More >>
Kerikeri Residents Lose Faith In Council’s Latest ETA For New Wastewater Treatment Plant Completion
Tuesday, 30 June 2020, 4:22 pm | Susan Botting - Local Democracy Reporter
Angry Kerikeri residents say they have no faith their town’s new $27 million wastewater treatment plant will be working by January. “We were told by Far North District Council we would have reticulated sewerage to our properties by the end of 2017,” ... More >>
West Coast Regional Council Adopts Annual Plan With Nil Rate Rise
Tuesday, 30 June 2020, 4:18 pm | Lois Williams - Local Democracy Reporter
The West Coast Regional has adopted its annual plan for the coming financial year, confirming a nil rate increase. The council has agreed to borrow up to $750,000 from the Local Government Funding Agency if required, at an interest rate of about 1% ... More >>
Rotorua Lakes Council Draft Annual Plan Revisions Recommended By Committee
Tuesday, 30 June 2020, 4:17 pm | Felix Desmarais - Local Democracy Reporter
Rotorua Lakes Council draft Annual Plan revisions recommended by committee A general rates freeze and a 4 per cent targeted rates rise will soon be considered for Rotorua, following public feedback. The proposed targeted rates rise has dropped 0.7 per cent. ... More >>
Beachfront Residents Left In Dark Over Erosion Plan
Tuesday, 30 June 2020, 4:12 pm | Aaron van Delden - Local Democracy Reporter
Surging tides eroded several metres of land in front of three Wainui properties last September. Photo: Paul Rickard / The Gisborne Herald - single use only Wainui residents feel left in the dark over Gisborne District Council’s management of ... More >>
Meridian spilled water to hike electricity prices - Authority ruling
Tuesday, 30 June 2020, 4:10 pm | RNZ
The Electricity Authority has found that generator Meridian Energy manipulated the power market, costing consumers about $80 million. More >>
China passes controversial Hong Kong security law
Tuesday, 30 June 2020, 4:08 pm | RNZ
China has passed a controversial security law giving it new powers over Hong Kong, deepening fears for the city's freedoms, the BBC is reporting. More >>
National will consider Māori representation during caucus reshuffle
Tuesday, 30 June 2020, 4:07 pm | RNZ
Days into his leadership National leader Todd Muller came under fire for a lack of diversity in his shadow Cabinet. Now he says he'll consider it. More >>
Auckland's use of Waikato River to be fast-tracked - government
Tuesday, 30 June 2020, 3:43 pm | RNZ
Auckland's consent to take extra water from Waikato River will be fast-tracked, Environment Minister David Parker has announced. More >>
Winston Peters on EU travel: 'We're not going to compromise our country's health'
Tuesday, 30 June 2020, 2:55 pm | RNZ
Foreign Minister Winston Peters says New Zealanders who head to Europe on holiday should pay for their two weeks' hotel quarantine when they return. More >>
Reforming Cannabis Laws Is A Complex Challenge, But NZ’s Drug Reform History Holds Important Lessons
Tuesday, 30 June 2020, 2:50 pm | The Conversation
New Zealand will hold the world’s first national referendum on legalising recreational use of cannabis in September. It must learn from mistakes in implementing earlier drug law reforms. More >>
New research shows the South Pole is warming faster than the rest of the world
Tuesday, 30 June 2020, 2:48 pm | The Conversation
Over the past 30 years, the South Pole has been one of the fastest changing places on Earth, warming more than three times quicker than the rest of the world. More >>
Unless we improve the law, history shows rushing shovel-ready projects comes with real risk
Tuesday, 30 June 2020, 2:47 pm | The Conversation
A law to fast-track development consents is being fast-tracked itself. Before it's too late, politicians should insist on greater protection against long-term environmental damage. More >>
The Kafkaesque Imperium: Julian Assange And The Second Superseding Indictment
Tuesday, 30 June 2020, 2:45 pm | Binoy Kampmark
The Kafkaesque Imperium has taken yet another absurd step towards mean absurdity with another superseding indictment against Julian Assange. This move by the US Department of Justice seems to have surprised those involved in his extradition proceedings. ... More >>
