'For Hickey, there is a deeper structural challenge. “You’ve got an economy which just doesn’t know how to operate without house prices rising”.' #NzPol

As unemployment hits 11-year high, how does it look under the hood?

Bernard Hickey breaks down the numbers released today.

thespinoff.co.nz

RNZ framing this as a wily Peters evading comments, rather than as a coward who refused to answer questions and abused the rules of the house to do so is just par for the course in the current media environment, sadly

Unemployment at its highest level for 11 years, did I see? And THAT INCLUDES THE COVID AND LOCKDOWN TIMES. Thanks to the Ardern government that protected jobs and businesses at the time.

Chlöe Swarbrick and NZ Greens with one of the most important messages for the public to note ahead of the upcoming election in Aotearoa.

foreign minister making increasingly racist, extremist & conspiracy remarks whose party was recently shown to have structural links to neo nazis & National dont see that as a red line draw your own conclusions i guess, but i’d also appreciate it if early warning signs were taken seriously in future

henry cooke@henrycooke.bsky.social · 2d ago

Nicola Willis and Mark Mitchell suggested this morning that firing Winston Peters would bring down the Government. www.thepost.co.nz/politics/361...

NZ! I dropped a new t-shirt: LUDDITE. greentees.digitees.co.nz

Was just listening to our now ex- childrens commissioner talk to jack tame on q+a about the assault on children's rights from all sorts of policy decisions by this govt, and then see this. Not sure what outcomes nzers are looking for here by hurting kids in all these ways

RNZ News Feeds@rnzrss.bsky.social · 4d ago

ACT candidate Paul Henry unveils plan to let teachers use 'reasonable force' on 'little shits'

The economy will recover when actual nation builders not parasitical wealth extractors are on the Treasury Benches Vote Greens to give Labour backbone these elections www.nzherald.co.nz/business/slo...

It’s too late for the economy to save National now

OPINION: The economic recovery has stuttered too much to lift the voter mood by November.

nzherald.co.nz

#nzpol

D Jukic She/her@dejanajuk.bsky.social · 4d ago

“Watching Winston Peters shout at Lawrence, his face seemed like the face of every person who has yelled the same words at migrants of colour, repeating the same racist imperative. It is the face of a society that has enabled and normalised racism. It is old skin that refuses to shed.” #nzpol

TOPs policies about automation and cutting admin at MSD (and elsewhere) is just "let's do AI everywhere". They don't have a clue about risk, about bias, about error rates, about the balck box, about how getting it wrong can lead to people experiencing homelessness, starvation, or death #nzpol

Btw, in amongst the "everything is kinda awful" political news at the moment ... how about some cool science news for a change? www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3610...

Paved with pine: The Kiwi tree-based bio-bitumen replacing imported oil

One Kiwi start-up thinks it’s cracked the formula to harness the strength and pliability of trees to pave our streets

stuff.co.nz

'Do it now': One week left for Māori voters to switch rolls

'Do it now': One week left for Māori voters to switch rolls

Voters of Māori descent who want to change electoral rolls before the election have just one more week to make their choice.

rnz.co.nz

I wonder why McConnell has framed this as China's ambassador defending Xu-Nan, rather than ambassador reacting to the direct insult to all Chinese Winnie made (in China "they lie like flat fish") www.stuff.co.nz/politics/361...

China’s ambassador not impressed with Winston Peters insulting Chinese-Kiwi MP

With China clearly taking note of the outburst, former prime minister Helen Clark says Winston Peters is failing his duty as foreign minister.

stuff.co.nz

LOUDER FOR THE NEW ZEALAND FIRST COOKERS

Ministry of Health NZ@health.govt.nz · last wk.

The Ministry of Health will work with other agencies to rapidly deliver on the commitments outlined in Government's Response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry COVID-19 Lessons Learned. For more information see below.

#1 ruler of the world, can seemingly do whatever they want, and what they want is oil & killing

Simon Kuestenmacher@simongerman600.bsky.social · last wk.

A remarkable public health statistic: the US has now surpassed its highest annual measles case count in more than 30 years. It’s only July.

Also in that day ... bollocks got a smack.

www.stuff.co.nz/politics/361... for the news story on it. hansard.parliament.nz/hansard-tran... for the parliamentary record.

Winston Peters launches tirade against Chinese-Kiwi Green MP

“This is called democracy, unlike what you're used to. So go back to where you come from, you loud mouth, and maybe you'll learn something,” Peters said.

stuff.co.nz

You only need to read as far as "National promises" to know it's not worth reading any further... #nzpol #Election26 #OneTermGovernment

The Greens are calling for a one year pause on new AI data centres - so New Zealanders get to have their say on how to protect our resources, environment and communities. Sign our petition today: action.greens.org.nz/pause_ai_dat...

Bare minimum stuff, but no one else is saying it. 💚 ‘You can’t put that genie back in the bottle’: Greens call for one-year pause on AI data centres | Stuff https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/361011111/genie-back-bottle-greens-call-one-year-pause-ai-data-centres #NZPol #voteGreen

‘Genie back in the bottle’: Greens call for one-year pause on AI data centres

New artificial intelligence data centres in New Zealand have caused a stir in local communities, with concerns about their huge drain on electricity.

stuff.co.nz

"If you want the malign influences of David Seymour, Simeon Brown and Winston Peters consigned to history, vote for a party that is committed to doing it. Not one that might keep them in power." #DontVoteTOP #nzpol

What if tactical voting backfires? New post on Substack, on the precarious promise of TOP. Free to read simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com/p/be-careful...

Be careful what you wish for: The trouble with TOP

If Q is the answer, what is the question?

simonwilsonhopetown.substack.com

Kia ora friends - a reminder that our Socialist Library book sale is happening tomorrow (Sat) at 9am at Trades Hall, 147 Gt North Rd - a great opportunity for low-cost book browsing - & purchase! - in support of a vibrant new left project in the big city. #kikorangi #nzpol

Socialist Booksale to support the Socialist Library at Trades Hall

Socialist and general books for sale at everything-must-go prices, to support the future Socialist Library at Trades Hall

events.humanitix.com

I definitely know some Auckland based nerds who might be interested in this...

Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand@wikimediaaotearoa.bsky.social · 2w ago

This isn't the kind of job listing you see very often! 👀 Our friends at Auckland Museum are looking for a Wikimedian in Residence to join the team! Get more information and apply via Seek: nz.seek.com/job/93393322

A twelve thousand percent increase in articles about "the trans probem" in a decade. Manufacturing "the trans problem" out of thin air and bile.

elia ayoub@ayoub.bsky.social · 2w ago

Worth adding some numbers to this. The British press decided to make trans rights into an issue. It just wasn’t an issue before. This was a top-down decision. shado-mag.com/articles/opi...

Look, on the one hand they allow perverts to covertly film your children and upload the footage to pedophelia forums. On the other hand, they can save someone half a second by projecting in front of them information they'd otherwise have to glance at their phone to get. What's a regulator to do?!

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2w ago

Meta’s smartglasses mean any child can be covertly filmed. In the age of AI, how do we tackle that risk?

In case this isn’t clear, all parties were working collaboratively to advance a new law on consent NOW. National withdrew from this collaboration in order to promise it would do this same thing AFTER THE ELECTION. Trying to slow down this change.

Chris Quinn, Foodstuffs exec is on the board of the NZ Initiative, just in case the level of “because they made it that way” isn’t fully clear to people.

Bespoke Swears@bespokeswears.bsky.social · 3w ago

The fucking audacity of our supermarkets. Why are Kiwis struggling to buy food, huh?

"This is the generation of aging elites who spend their golden years complaining about a broken world they actively helped construct, while simultaneously insisting that only they possess the unique wisdom required to fix it."

Andrea Vance: Clacton gets Count Binface, we get Paul Henry

OPINION: Paul Henry’s ACT candidacy isn't a disruption. It is the logical conclusion of a public that has given up on substance and decided to just have fun while the whole thing burns down.

thepost.co.nz

What the headline DOESN'T say is that this law change could be put through immediately with cross-party support. Instead they are artificially delaying the law change by turning it into an election issue. As someone who has had their verbal denial of consent ignored, FUUUCK National. #NZPol

RNZ News Feeds@rnzrss.bsky.social · 3w ago

National promises stricter rules on sexual consent