Senior Political Reporter
@NewsroomNZ
covering climate change, health, violent extremism & misinfo, tech and energy | DM for Signal |
#WearAMask
| He/him ✡️📰
Special Report: Air pollution is behind one in every 10 deaths in New Zealand, shattering our self-perception as a clean, green nation.
What are we going to do about it?
Because NZ is going into lockdown, the international hot takes brigade will be out in full force. Some useful comparators:
Unemployment
NZ: 4%
US: 5.4%
UK: 4.7%
Debt-to-GDP in 2024
NZ: 28%
US: 111%
UK: 101.5%
#Covid19
Deaths Per 1M
NZ: 5.2
US: 1,893.8
UK: 1,964.1
#nzpol
More than 70 people were killed in gang-related shootings in New Zealand over the past week.
Oh, sorry, they were killed by Covid-19, so we won't talk about them.
This isn't crowing. I'm American. The West's botched pandemic response is a fucking travesty. And a tragedy. But bad faith critics would rather see the rest of the world undergo the same fate than admit they were wrong. They can't be allowed to make that argument unchallenged.
On Donald Trump's bashing New Zealand's outbreak, Jacinda Ardern says: "I think everyone can see that in New Zealand today we're talking 11 cases, whereas the United States has been dealing with over 40,000 cases."
Some personal news: Married my best friend, the only person who would willingly trudge through knee-high estuary water in search of obscure shorebirds just so she can always be by my side 💕💕
I'd like to see more coverage of
#Convoy2022NZ
include Telegram & Zello chats. There's nothing wrong with interviewing protesters, but the things they say when they think no one's watching should be at least as representative of their views/intentions as what they tell reporters.
If the UK and US had New Zealand's death rate, they'd have had 347 and 1,707 deaths, respectively. Instead the UK has seen 131,269 people die of Covid-19 and the US has seen 621,635. Most of these were preventable.
Unsurprising silence this morning from the public faces of the occupation, like Voices for Freedom or Chantelle Baker. They stood side-by-side with violent extremists and enabled yesterday's violence, but now have nothing to say.
The Venn diagram of people who thought the illegal and ultimately violent occupation of Parliament was an inviolable expression of free speech and people who think a legal rally in a public space today was a violation of free speech is a circle.
In Sweden, with no lockdown: Consumer spending down 25%, 3679 deaths.
In Denmark, with lockdown: Consumer spending down 29%, 547 deaths.
Nearly seven times as many deaths for to bump spending by 4%. What choice would you make?
#Covid19
Farmers make up:
- 1.16% of the population 🙋💁♀️
- 5.5% of GDP 🥛🥩💲
- 48% of greenhouse gas emissions 🐄🐑
- 70% of NZ's contribution to global warming 🌏🔥
A price on livestock emissions is reasonable and rooted in science.
#nzpol
Thinking about how two cops in Christchurch rammed the mosque terrorist's car off the road and arrested him even while they thought he and the car might be rigged to explode.
But 19 Texas cops wait an hour to breach a classroom while the gunman keeps shooting kids.
The
#Uvalde
timeline offered by Texas officials right now is gutting. There were 19 police officers in the hallway who made the decision not to break into the room, at the same time children inside were alive and calling 911. One begged “please send police now.”
Friendly reminder that if we had listened to Damien Grant and opened up last August, thousands of people would have died from a virus for which we developed an effective vaccine just months later.
I understand how police arrived at their conclusion but it sends an awful message: If you have enough people threatening a violent response to enforcement action, you can get away with anything else short of that violence.
#convoynz2022
Can we really ask the entire country to wear seatbelts, drive sober and stop at red lights just to protect a few vulnerable people?
The vast majority of car accidents are mild, with more than a 99% survival rate, so why all this Government fear-mongering?
Cost to travel 100km in...
NZ's most popular petrol vehicle: $21.60
NZ's most popular diesel vehicle: $17.54
NZ's most popular electric vehicle: $5.04
An e-bike: $0.49
#nzpol
#climatecrisis
Record breaking rain in Auckland. Although the heavy band of rain has moved off to the east there is still a change of showers so the total for rainfall could climb even higher. The impacts of the last 24 hours will be felt by many in Auckland for a long time. Take care out there
Fascinating/horrifying to see the playbook deployed in real time - moving from "it's not real, we don't need to do anything about it" to "it's too late, we can't do anything about it".
As long as we're not doing anything about it, they're happy.
Hooton is, of course, wrong. 🧵
Each week, archaeologists will discover extinct birds of increasing size until it emerges that Earth is actually a massive kiwi bird hurtling through space at unimaginable speeds.
A bit of personal news, but I'll be leaving Newsroom at the end of July to take up an exciting new position that has just opened up in the director-general space.
We're about to learn, as a country, the lesson learned by the rest of the world over the past two years: the pandemic is the problem, not pandemic restrictions.
Health officials decided not to recommend people test before visiting vulnerable family members because it may identify cases and reduce the available workforce.
#nzpol
Your regular reminder that cases lag actual infections by 1-2 weeks. Today's 810 results were processed yesterday in labs, from samples taken mostly Weds-Fri, from people who may have been infectious as early as Waitangi Weekend.
#nzpol
#Covid19
#Covid19nz
Health NZ was running a surplus when Labour left office. While Shane Reti is right in saying the lack of performance monitoring obscured his view of the state of the books, he was ultimately the minister responsible when the department went into deficit.
The prevalence of "Let's Go Brandon" signs, referencing a right-wing American meme that didn't exist a month ago, shows how little of this protest is original and how much is just imported, recycled outrage.
#nzpol
"I wake up every day feeling like I have been poisoned," one teacher with Long Covid wrote me recently.
He's taken nearly seven weeks off this year, but the Ministry of Education has done no work on the impact of the illness on its workforce.
#nzpol
Things we know:
-The atmosphere holds 7% more moisture for every degree of warming
-Major floods in Westport and Canterbury in 2021 were found to be 10-15% more intense because of climate change
-This is extreme weather at 1.1°C of warming
-We are on track for 2.6°C
I'm pretty sure peak snowflake is donating $3m to a media venture and demanding that you remain anonymous because people might say mean things about you. Peak hypocrite, fwiw, is taking that money, refusing to say where it came from and then calling other people snowflakes.
Only cowards mock kids to score political points.
The real reason Heather du Plessis-Allan shouldn't go to Fiji is because the people there will probably remember that time she called them leeches.
#BREAKING
: Police say they have arrested a 44-year-old Tauranga man over a video posted to YouTube two weeks ago calling for a race war and genocide against Māori. The man has been charged with Making an Objectionable Publication.
There was no press release about it, but Transport Minister Simeon Brown has quietly told officials to stop work on policies that would provide transport alternatives to private cars.
New: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will claim an optional $52,000 top-up to his $471,000 salary to cover his accommodation expenses since he is not living in Premier House, despite living in an apartment in Wellington that he owns mortgage-free.
If I were Trevor Mallard I would turn off the music, put the jug on and invite the remaining protestors in out of the cold and rain for a cuppa and some scones. That is the kiwi way, even if we disagree we look out for each other.
In case you're wondering how things are going, the "moderate"
#convoynz2022
organisers just shared a video which says all politicians are criminals for lying about the vaccine's safety and the New Zealand Govt is actually a corporation. But it's definitely just about mandates 🤔
Imagine being a US Senator and also knowing so little about anything that you think the Paris Agreement is a treaty with random Parisians and not 195 other countries.
By rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, President Biden indicates he’s more interested in the views of the citizens of Paris than in the jobs of the citizens of Pittsburgh. This agreement will do little to affect the climate and will harm the livelihoods of Americans.
I wrote about the NZ Police surrendering to bullies and how even the demands of the supposedly moderate elements of the occupation are utterly unreasonable, rooted in misinformation about vaccines and the coronavirus.
#nzpol
#Covid19nz
#convoynz2022
It's not credible to say you're waiting to see evidence on anthropogenic warming and then to three hours later say you accept the scientific consensus and always have.
#nzpol
The Ministry of Health will only publicly report Covid-19 cases once a week, but we think it's still important to have the daily data.
From today, this link will update each day with daily case numbers and hospitalisations and a handful of other stats.
@williamson_nz
@macilree
1. He wrote it in a letter to local authorities, which Newsroom obtained
2. He said he did it, when I asked him about it
Reading the article explains the article.
#BREAKING
: There are 41 new cases of
#Covid19
in the community in New Zealand. Three are in Wellington and 38 are in Auckland. This is the highest daily case figure since April 10, 2020, when we had 44 new cases.
There are now 148 cases in the Delta outbreak.
The complete confusion from US pundits about the anti-dairy protestors targeting Sanders and Biden today shows just how little knowledge or interest there is in the US about climate change more generally or agricultural emissions in particular. Coming from NZ, it's striking.
Because
#Convoy2022NZ
tried to hold both moderate and extreme elements under the same roof, the whole house has now been seized by the extremists. My in-depth report on how the convoy lost its way - and how that will fray our social fabric:
#nzpol
There is no doubt Jacinda Ardern faced an unprecedented level of online hate, such is the curse of social media. Don’t forget she also garnered international acclaim and fierce loyalty from many more than trolled her.
Why does Christopher Luxon always say New Zealand is the best country on planet Earth? What is the purpose of that qualifier? What countries is he aware of that aren't on planet Earth and what makes them better than New Zealand?
"There is no community spread. The only Covid is in a hotel in a handful of people. Keeping on testing for something that isn't here, doesn’t make sense." -Mike Hosking on August 3, four days after an Americold worker in Auckland began developing Covid-19 symptoms.
Less than a week after forming, the new Government has already achieved international recognition in the form of the first daily "Fossil of the Day" award at the COP28 climate summit, for its plans to repeal the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration.
Congratulations to today's dishonourable "winners" of
#FossilOfTheDay
at
#COP28
. 👎
🥇New Zealand — for overturning a world-leading ban on oil and gas
🥈 Japan
🥉 The United States
PRESS RELEASE:
This was a heartbreaking story to work on: New data from reveals the crushing burden of Long Covid in NZ.
Reading testimonies is like reading obituaries. LC patients describe their lives in the past tense, because the lives they used to have are now gone.
Doing all my Black Friday shopping on Australian websites that deliver to NZ so I can export the inflationary impact of my spending.
#BuyAussieMade
#TeamOf5Million
Pundits want New Zealand to scrap elimination and go for Swedish-style herd immunity for the sake of the economy. The way they write, you'd think the evidence is pretty compelling. So I ran the numbers - but they didn't stack up.
#Covid19
#nzpol
A fact-check of Simon Thornley's appearance on
@NZQandA
yesterday. Thornley begins by citing the "Ioannidis study" showing a
#Covid19
death rate "only marginally higher than the standard flu viruses". I believe this is the study he's referring to. (1/16)
National didn't account for inflation in its road costings, despite some of the figures dating to as far back as 2015.
A Newsroom analysis suggests that puts them at least $2.5 billion short of where the costs sit today.
Endemic Covid doesn't mean harmless Covid.
A permanent presence from Covid-19 means we are now in a long-term war with the virus. Reinfections will become the norm - a never-ending battle against an ever-evolving foe.
#nzpol
#CovidIsNotOver
Luxon on the AM Show today: "We've got a Government that is actually taxing people with utes where there is no alternative. And then actually subsidising wealthy Tesla drivers by giving them subsidies.... We'd keep the Clean Car Discount."
... that is the Clean Car Discount.
Paywall now lifted: New Zealand became the first country in 17 years to reject global health rules, just days after the new Government took office. Internal documents detail the concern foreign diplomats expressed to health officials about the move:
Today, New Zealand has no farms infected with cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis, with the last property being cleared of cattle and declared disease-free.
Last year, we looked at that final push to do what no country had done before and eradicate it ⬇️
@MatthewHootonNZ
You can just text me and ask 🤷♂️ I wear a mask in indoor public spaces. It's a low effort way to reduce Covid risk. I also wear a seatbelt in cars and a helmet when I cycle, which I suppose also make me a square.
For nearly two years I've had the immense privilege of working closely with Rod Oram on a weekly climate newsletter for Newsroom, alongside Dave Williams. His generosity, his passion and his intelligence all made the world a better place. I'll miss him.
Paywall now lifted: National used figures from as far back as 2015 for its road costings but didn't adjust any of them for subsequent inflation.
That leaves a gap of at least $2.5-3.5 billion in their transport plan.
Snowflakes these days are so sensitive they can't even wear a mask for an hour without writing a column blaming masks for inflation (?) and the health system being overwhelmed (?!)
Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand will ban arrivals from India from Sunday through April 28. Yesterday, 17 travellers originally from India tested positive for
#Covid19
in MIQ.
#nzpol
#Covid19nz
The author of an article making the rounds which claims elimination did more harm than help is clearly not familiar with our excess mortality data. Literally thousands of people are alive today who would not have been if not for elimination - even before accounting for Covid-19.
New: Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said yesterday he wants to see costings for saving every species, suggesting it may be more cost-effective to let some species go extinct.
Here's my big analysis of Simon Thornley and co's proposal to go straight to Level 2 and reopen schools, universities and all workplaces next week. The big question: Does the data back their conclusions in the way they say it does? The answer: No.
#Covid19
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he will no longer claim a $52,000 a year allowance to live in his own mortgage-free apartment and will return any money he already received.
Two hours ago he said he was entitled to the money and was within the rules.
Luxon is framing this as a binary choice between living in Premier House while it needs maintenance and claiming $52k to live in his own mortgage-free apartment. That isn't the case.
Claiming the $52k is optional. He's entitled to it, but no one is forcing him to take it.
Police would like to speak with four young people who reportedly entered a vacant building in Wellington's CBD yesterday before a fire broke out.
👉 More on this story:
New: In a letter obtained by Newsroom under the OIA, Attorney-General Judith Collins cautioned Christopher Luxon and other ministers that "rushing legislation and skipping steps increase the risk that we get it wrong".
"All three parties, but National particularly, have seriously underestimated the kind of international backlash they’re going to see" for restarting oil and gas exploration,
@WWFNewZealand
's
@KaylaKingdon
tells me.
Astounding that the Prime Minister needed to hear talkback callers to understand how this would play with everyday people. Makes him look out of touch.
Barry Soper and Heather DPA chuckling on ZB Friday night, about how certain policies this election are SO crazy SO utterly ridiculous that “ you’d have to BE ON THE SPECTRUM to vote for them “ . Wow . THAT bad eh ? You pig ignorant wankers.
The very real frustrations of New Zealanders desperate for an MIQ room have been weaponised against the COP26 delegation for nakedly political reasons, while dozens of special spots for the Black Caps and mountain bikers go uncriticised.
#nzpol
Even if house prices were flat indefinitely, the market wouldn't hit the affordable threshold of a 3:1 house price:median wage ratio until *2070*.
#nzpol
#housingcrisis
I asked
@nzpolice
this evening about the claims Counterspin hosts Kelvyn Alp and Hannah Spierer had been arrested and have just been pointed to this public statement.
Counterspin ran excerpts from the March 15 terrorist's livestream earlier this year.
#nzpol
'AN INCALCULABLE LOSS'
That's how the
@nytimes
marked 100,000 Covid-19 deaths in the United States in 2020.
On a per capita basis, New Zealand passed that threshold this week.
Will we see a similar acknowledgement of our loss?
I reported in July that 45 percent of Kiwis wrongly believe recycling is one of the top three individual actions they can take to reduce emissions.
Is it too much to wish our prospective prime ministers know better? 🤦♂️
What do people think is happening overseas? Mobility is *still* down in the US, UK, Sweden or anywhere else people point to. You can't push for an individualised response and then complain when individual risk tolerance is lower than you'd like. Welcome to living with Covid.
New on
@NewsroomNZ
Pro: The country’s top public health official recommended the mask mandate remain in place for public transport and other close contact situations but ministers overrode him.