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Covid-19

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Another Day, Another COVID Runner

Newshub reports on the latest covid escapee. A third person has escaped managed isolation. The man in his 50s escaped from the Distinction Hotel in Hamilton on Thursday. Shock, horror  /sarc. On Friday afternoon Minister of Health Chris Hipkins confirmed the man climbed down a fire escape and cut through

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Homeland Bound

Homeland Bound

The world is afraid, very afraid of COVID-19. People cautiously remain in situ and wait. COVID-19 has resulted, however, in some people deciding to leave where they are living in the world in order to be homeland bound. New Zealand New Zealanders are returning to New Zealand. They

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Isolation Is Insanity

Isolation Is Insanity

Can someone recommend somewhere that would be suitable for this Government to collectively self isolate? A place far enough away where they could reflect on the stupidity of their current COVID carry on. Is there any suitable accommodation on the Auckland Islands? Perhaps not such a good idea as the

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Lack of Privacy

Lack of Privacy

Nathan Smith Chief Editor nzinitiative.org.nz I don’t know why people are getting so worked up about private details being leaked to MPs. If the COVID-19 crisis taught us anything, it’s that privacy has no place in the “new normal.” The mantra of the internet is

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Daniel Andrews: Jacinda Ardern’s Twin in Failure

Daniel Andrews: Jacinda Ardern’s Twin in Failure

Daniel Andrews is just under a decade older than Jacinda Ardern, but the two have much else in common. Both are Arts-degree socialists from religious families who’ve never in their adult lives held a job outside politics. More recently, both oversaw draconian responses to the Wuhan pandemic – and

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Quarantine Chaos Is Costing Us

Quarantine Chaos Is Costing Us

New Zealand’s borders remain closed to the world, with returning residents forced into managed isolation facilities. The government’s 26 temporary quarantine facilities – which are essentially commandeered hotels – have the capacity to accommodate 6,849 people. They are almost full. Several residents are reported to have behaved badly. Some

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Pandemic Stocktake

Pandemic Stocktake

Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com At Labour’s annual conference last weekend, COVID-19 dominated Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s speech: “Our strong health response now gives us an economic head start, the ability to move from responding to Covid-19, to recovering and rebuilding… So today my ask of

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Face of the Day

Face of the Day

Coronavirus: Man accused of fleeing isolation facility now in prison The man accused of cutting his way out of a Hamilton isolation facility and visiting a liquor shop has been sent to Spring Hill prison. Martin James McVicar, 52, appeared before community magistrate Robyn Paterson in Hamilton District Court on

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Lockdown Aftermath

Lockdown Aftermath

My main takeaways regarding New Zealand and its culture during and post lockdown are as follows: The PM has exuded comfort and kindness. But her coalition has also pushed through very controversial legislation under “urgency” during the crisis. Votes for prisoners and a rise in the minimum wage are examples

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Daily News Roundup – 10 July 2020

Daily News Roundup – 10 July 2020

Tiwai Point to close Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Government subsidising practically everything plays hardball with Rio Tinto (paywalled) Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Sudden closure of aluminium smelter worst outcome for jobs, consumers and the environment Brian Fallow (Herald): Tiwai closure sad news – and an opportunity for the environment (paywalled) Heather du

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NZ Govt Confirms It Won’t Test for Virus Prevalence

NZ Govt Confirms It Won’t Test for Virus Prevalence

Press Release covidplanb.co.nz The Government has formally confirmed that it will not use any of the current or future serology tests to assess how widespread the Covid19 disease has been in New Zealand. In answer to an Official Information Request by the Covid Plan B group, the Director

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Daily News Roundup – 9 July 2020

Daily News Roundup – 9 July 2020

National Party Covid-19 patient privacy leak Claire Trevett (Herald): The harm for Todd Muller in Hamish Walker’s Icarus moment (paywalled) Cat MacLennan (RNZ): National’s attacks not what we need right now Richard Harman (Politik): How Walker was persuaded to resign Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Does Hamish Walker understand

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Daniel Andrews Goes All Xi Way

Daniel Andrews Goes All Xi Way

The Andrews government has gone the full Wuhan in its response to the sudden surge in COVID-19 cases in that state – and once more demonstrated that the most authoritarian states are almost always the worst-performing. From the beginning, Andrews has slavishly followed Beijing’s lead: cover-up, clamp

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Daily News Roundup – 8 July 2020

Daily News Roundup – 8 July 2020

National Party revealed as source of Covid-19 privacy leak Audrey Young (Herald): National’s failures on patient leak from top to bottom (paywalled) Luke Malpass (Stuff): National leader Todd Muller found wanting in first real test of moral leadership Jo Moir (RNZ): How the Hamish Walker Covid-19 patient

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