Aotearoa / New Zealand

So, we're preventing Kiwis from fishing here to protect declining fish stocks, yet commercial fishing is still allowed to operate in the same area?

Around the world, people are being encouraged to travel by foot, bike or public transport rather than by car. The reasons are many and varied: to mitigate climate change, pollution, traffic congestion and infrastructure costs, and to improve health and wellbeing.

But in New Zealand, despite efforts by governments, councils and individuals, sustained increases in the use of alternative modes of transport remain elusive.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/50252669

Last weeks thread here

Welcome to this week’s casual kōrero thread!

This post will be pinned in this community so you can always find it, and will stay for about a week until replaced by the next one.

It’s for talking about anything that might not justify a full post. For example:

• Something interesting that happened to you
• Something humourous that happened to you
• Something frustrating that happened to you
• A quick question
• A request for recommendations
• Pictures of your pet
• A picture of a cloud that kind of looks like an elephant
• Anything else, there are no rules (except the rule)

So how’s it going?

This could mean taxpayers would compensate corporations if exploration is unsuccessful. Resources Minister Shane Jones has stressed that no decision has been made yet, but the government accepts commercial exploration for new gas resources is unlikely without state support.

However, subsidising fossil fuel activities seems contrary to New Zealand’s recent international commitment to phase out incentives for the industry. It is also difficult to square with the government’s climate strategy to make clean energy abundant and affordable for everyone, announced last week as part of the second Emissions Reduction Plan for 2026–30.

Helping corporations potentially exploit new fossil fuel resources, thereby adding greenhouse gas emissions, may also be contrary to the government’s obligations under international human rights law.

New Zealand's oldest man and former prisoner of war James "Jim" Easton has celebrated another lap around the sun, hitting the grand old age of 108 this week.

When asked what he enjoyed most about his Army service, Easton replied: "Trying to get out!"

Many of Easton's friends suffered terrible nightmares, but he managed to develop a clever technique to prevent them.

"Whenever I felt one coming on I'd dream of nude women. That took it away immediately," he told the Herald after his 106th birthday.

In 2022, Easton was believed to be the first New Zealander to receive a birthday card from two monarchs: one from King Charles III for his 106th, and one from Queen Elizabeth II for his 100th.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/23139121

A teenager appears to be lucky to be alive although he remained stuck after climbing a power pylon in Christchurch on Friday evening.

Just Perfect Detailing owner Josh Phillips was nearby as emergency services arrived and believes the teenage boy climbed the pole before grabbing the live wires.

"He's sweating, and he's got quite bad burns, there's red all over him. His shorts have disintegrated literally, and there were burned bits of fabric underneath the power line he climbed. His arms and legs are charred, and he's complaining he can't feel his legs and that he's cold."

This happened last night, but the article doesn't seem to have been updated (as of posting) this morning with any resolution.

What's your opinion on the Holidays act moving to an Hours based accrual System?

"Hours-based accrual has the potential to achieve a much greater focus on simplicity. “While shifting to hours-based accrual may require drafting a fundamentally different Bill, I believe investing the time and effort to do this will deliver superior improvements to both employers and employees."

Last weeks thread here

Welcome to this week’s casual kōrero thread!

This post will be pinned in this community so you can always find it, and will stay for about a week until replaced by the next one.

It’s for talking about anything that might not justify a full post. For example:

• Something interesting that happened to you
• Something humourous that happened to you
• Something frustrating that happened to you
• A quick question
• A request for recommendations
• Pictures of your pet
• A picture of a cloud that kind of looks like an elephant
• Anything else, there are no rules (except the rule)

So how’s it going?

The government once again shows how incompetent they are.

New Plymouth dog owners play it safe when it comes to naming their pooches, with Bella proving the top dog in the naming stakes.

It is the most common dog name registered with the district council, with 155 pooches answering to Bella followed by Poppy (138), Charlie (122), Max (120) and Luna (118).

Animal Control Supervisor Scott Goldfinch said there were also more unusual choices.

"Then there are the unique names, like Autobot and Winnifred Wolf Allen. And personally, I really like Ronnie Barker."

Racing Minister Winston Peters has announced the Government’s plans to end greyhound racing in New Zealand.

“This is not a decision that is taken lightly but is ultimately driven by protecting the welfare of racing dogs,” the Minister said in an announcement at the Beehive on Tuesday afternoon.

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/21635645

Barely half the teenagers who tried to pass the critical NCEA literacy and numeracy benchmark via online tests this year have succeeded, final results indicate.

They show that more than 100,000 students attempted at least one of the tests over the two rounds, with more than 80,000 sitting each subject. They had pass rates of 55 percent in numeracy, 66 percent in writing and 70 percent in reading.

Students must pass all three tests before they can receive any NCEA qualifications.

A new type of technology will connect Tai Rāwhiti communities to civil defence during disasters - even when all other communications are wiped out.

During Cyclone Gabrielle, power and cellphone connections to most of Gisborne and Hawke's Bay were cut, but Tai Rāwhiti's Civil Defence has now come up with a solution, as part of its new kit for disaster preparedness.

Last weeks thread here

Welcome to this week’s casual kōrero thread!

This post will be pinned in this community so you can always find it, and will stay for about a week until replaced by the next one.

It’s for talking about anything that might not justify a full post. For example:

• Something interesting that happened to you
• Something humourous that happened to you
• Something frustrating that happened to you
• A quick question
• A request for recommendations
• Pictures of your pet
• A picture of a cloud that kind of looks like an elephant
• Anything else, there are no rules (except the rule)

So how’s it going?

That didn't take long.

From the shitty article, it's not clear who manages that list and gets to expand it. Is it the police or parliament or the judiciary? Also, no exploration of what the police want to add to the list.

Hopefully it's just low level gangs that don't make the national news headlines... but part of me suspects that it'll include any anti-establishment groups like Greenpeace and SAFE and the Palestinian flag any iwi and anyone else critical of the government.

Edit: sigh, I guess I have to word that second paragraph better. Try applying the lesson in this poem and see if you think this legislation could be expanded andused in a similar fashion t events it describes:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

We're at the first stanza, except it's "gangs".

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/22597332

Summary

New Zealand’s royal commission into its Covid-19 response found vaccine mandates were reasonable based on available data but acknowledged they harmed social cohesion.

The report praised the country’s elimination strategy for achieving one of the lowest Covid death rates among developed nations while preventing healthcare system collapse.

However, it criticized prolonged lockdowns, weak health system preparedness, and a lack of planning for future crises.

Commissioners urged broad investment in pandemic readiness and emphasized the importance of both frontline and planning staff.

A second phase of the inquiry will review vaccine harms and conclude in 2026.

The Spinoff founder Duncan Greive says there's "no plan b" to save the website if an attempt to dramatically increase the number of paying supporters is not successful.

He and The Spinoff's chief executive Amber Easby and editor Madeleine Chapman issued an open letter on Thursday, outlining the financial predicament of the platform.

"Two of those buckets have been leaking hard lately. The steep decline in advertising for local media has been well documented. We're no different - we've just seen the worst monthly decline since the business was founded.

The Spinoff also discovered on Friday that all of its proposals had been declined in another round of NZ on Air funding, for the second time in a row.

"Meanwhile, our Creative NZ funding has been halved this year, and the Public Interest Journalism Fund, which currently supports two roles within our small team of 31, is due to finish next year. While the state is under no obligation to fund our work, it's hard to watch as other platforms continue to be heavily backed while your own funding stops dead."

They said as a result, as well as reducing staff count, The Spinoff had frozen virtually all external editorial commission and put newsletters on hiatus. It had also paused publication of The Friday Poem.

You can donate here if you want to help.

...He said the crew did not realise Manawanui remained in autopilot and, mistakenly believed its failure to respond to direction changes was the result of a thruster control failure...

Hows that for a work story... I've had some bad days at the office, but they have not resulted in the loss of a $100 million dollar piece of equipment.

Last weeks thread here

Welcome to this week’s casual kōrero thread!

This post will be pinned in this community so you can always find it, and will stay for about a week until replaced by the next one.

It’s for talking about anything that might not justify a full post. For example:

• Something interesting that happened to you
• Something humourous that happened to you
• Something frustrating that happened to you
• A quick question
• A request for recommendations
• Pictures of your pet
• A picture of a cloud that kind of looks like an elephant
• Anything else, there are no rules (except the rule)

So how’s it going?