NZ Politics
Mr Hunt, You Don’t Speak for Me
Dane Giraud fsu.nz Dane Giraud is a member of the Jewish Community and a Council Member of the Free Speech Union. Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt’s op-ed Tuesday defending the government’s proposed hate speech laws is thoroughly predictable after a month of terrible comms that
My Vision of a Post Lockdown Future
Lockdowns are what you call a necessary evil. Forcing people to stay at home, and kids away from school is a huge imposition on people’s rights of travel, association, expression etc. But they have been necessary as the deaths and hospitalisations from Covid-19 before vaccination would have been
Groundswell NZ: ‘Can You Hear Us’
GROUNDSWELL NZ In the lead up to November’s nationwide protest, a number of campaign actions will be undertaken. The third event is on today Friday 3rd September 2021 under the banner of “CAN YOU HEAR US”. At 12:30 pm all around New Zealand, Groundswell NZ are calling for
Answers Needed over MIQ Escapee
Answers are needed quickly from the Government over how a Covid positive person escaped from the Ibis Novotel Ellerslie MIQ facility, National’s Covid-19 spokesperson Chris Bishop says. “This is obviously a very concerning situation and will cause many people to worry about the safety and security of our
The South Island’s Catch 22
David Seymour ACT Leader Sixteen days on from the South Island going into lockdown there are still 22 people waiting for a second test. So this is our future; 22 people who are isolating, who’ve had a negative day five test can keep a million people locked down. The
Collins Gets the Bit between Her Teeth
John Campbell and Jenny-May Clarkson in comparison with Indira Stewart are tough, but, surprisingly, show sensitivity and tolerance toward Collins’ opinions. I can’t believe I am saying that breathy, excitable, ponderous John Campbell has some qualities to be extolled. It takes a stark comparison (like, say, the difference
What Are the Limits of Dissent as NZ Locks down, Vaccinates and Prepares to ‘Open up’?
Alexander Gillespie University of Waikato Alexander gillespie works primarily in international law, with specialties in international environmental; and the laws of war/international humanitarian law. As New Zealand grapples to bring a Delta outbreak under control and to accelerate the vaccination rollout, social cohesion is vital for a successful elimination
Lockdowns Have Made Slaves of Us All
To quote the unnamed fish from Spongebob Squarepants, “How many times do we have to teach you this lesson?” For our political leaders and the fools who hang on their every utterance, obviously at least once more: Lockdowns do not work. At The BFD, we’ve been trying to hammer
Two-Week Wage Subsidy Turnaround Will Cost Jobs
Forcing struggling businesses to reapply for the Covid-19 wage subsidy every two weeks will lead to closures and employees losing their jobs, National’s spokesperson for Social Development and Employment Louise Upston says. “It’s unreasonable that businesses have to reapply every two weeks for the wage subsidy. It
Sheriff Ardern’s Comedy Hour
Information Satire Sheriff Ardern flew into the Karangahape Saloon, the doors banging behind her. She said to the bar person, “Trotsky, I’ll have a RED-EYE (whisky) Comrade. “My 1 p.m. Daily Announcement from the Dear Leader has turned into the ‘Comedy Hour’. “Chippie’s’ Comedic Routine was
Letter to the Editor: Level 4 Tip-Off to Schools Weeks Prior?
Dear Editor, I thought I would forward you the school email we received prior to lockdown. My child in year 12 said teachers were talking about subjects being loaded to online learning on Monday, much to his surprise. He thinks they were being warned of the lockdown. It seems the
National’s Plan to Fix Managed Isolation Allocation System
It’s clear Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) is going to be with us for some time, so it’s past time we fixed the festering issues with our current system. National is proposing five sensible improvements to the beleaguered Managed Isolation Allocation System. “New Zealanders overseas trying to come
The Lockdown Was Planned
Lotte Silverman Information Opinion I really believe there is something that needs looking into here. At the first sitting of the House after 2 weeks, I heard the PM say, once again, that the first community case was not known until Monday the 16th of August. I also heard Ashely