Category Archives: New Zealand

Microplastics are found in three of every four of New Zealands fish, huge portions of indigenous seabirds and marine species are threatened with extinction, and warmer oceans are becoming uninhabitable to native species, a stark new government report on the state of the countrys oceans has found.

The ministry of environments marine stocktake, released on Thursday, lays out a grim picture of species under threat. It found that 90% of indigenous seabirds, 82% of indigenous shorebirds, 81% of assessed marine invertebrate species and 22% of marine mammal species were classified as threatened with extinction or at risk of becoming threatened with extinction.

More than 4,100 seabirds were killed by longline fisheries in a year, and warmer, more acidic oceans were becoming uninhabitable for taonga (treasured) species and affecting traditional food sources for Mori. The reports data shows ocean acidification rose 8.6% between 1998 and 2020, overall water temperatures were rising, and marine heatwaves were becoming more frequent and severe.

The report is right to say it paints a sobering picture, said the environment minister, David Parker. He pointed to the emissions reduction plan, ban on single-use plastic bags, and freshwater management plans as examples of government action to relieve some of the pressure on ocean environments.

On some measures in the report, things were either improving or staying the same: in nationwide measures for nutrient pollution in the form of nitrogen and phosphorus, more sites had improving trends than worsening trends.

Green party spokesperson Eugenie Sage, however, said the report tells a decades-long story of government neglect when it comes to the health of our oceans.

The health of our oceans is deteriorating at an alarming rate and were at risk of losing precious habitats for ever, she said, calling for greater regulation of the fishing industry, a ban on more single-use plastics and the expansion of ocean sanctuaries.

Conservation group Forest and Bird called the findings a crisis and said in a statement that the true scale of the crisis affecting the oceans could be much worse because the extinction risks facing most marine mammals, fish, and invertebrates remains unknown, due to lack of research.

Aotearoa New Zealand is an island nation we depend on the health of our ocean ecosystems, said Nicola Toki, Forest and Bird chief executive. The fishing industry is already suffering the effects of degraded and warming oceans, with dying salmon stocks, and collapsed hoki and crayfish populations.

Toki called for urgent, cross-party political action to give our ocean the protection it deserves.

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Microplastics found in 75% of fish in New Zealand, report shows - The Guardian

Grant Robertson and Gordon Brown have quite a lot in common.

Robertson, New Zealands finance minister and deputy PM, had dreams of leading his Labour party while it wallowed in opposition, just as Brown did with his. Like Brown, Robertson ended up putting these dreams on hold and settling for the finance portfolio as a more charismatic ally took the party to victory.

Both men are also political wrestlers. In the words of Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese, they like fighting Tories. And to do this, they both laid basically the same trap: A new income tax bracket that only applied to very rich people. Brown put his in back in 2010, Robertson in 2021.

Browns trap just went off on new UK prime minister Liz Truss, who attempted to abolish that tax rate only to embarrassingly U-turn after public outcry. National, New Zealands right-wing equivalent, are still completely committed to abolishing ours.

The details are a bit different New Zealands top tax rate is 39%, not 45% but the overall political calculus is similar.

Both top tax brackets raise little actual revenue in the wider scheme of things, as they have been set so high as to capture only a small slice of the population who can comfortably be described as rich without anyone raising their heckles. This means that when right-wing parties talk about cutting or abolishing these taxes, its very easy for the left to say they are cutting taxes for the one per cent largely because its true.

In the UK, about 200,000 people were in the top tax bracket when it was introduced in 2010 about 0.3% of the population. In the years since as incomes have risen that group has remained tiny its now about 0.9%. In New Zealand, about 59,000 are in Robertsons top tax bracket: Or 1.1%.

Another way these taxes are great political tools, even as they fail to raise meaningful revenue, is in the personal stories one can tell with them. Whenever National party leader Christopher Luxon says about abolishing the top tax rate Labour just plugs his potential salary as prime minister into a calculator and talk about the $18,000 tax cut he would be giving himself. Its very effective politics.

The odd thing about both situations is that the right-wing parties also have far more popular tax cut policies that their left-wing oppositions have essentially given up fighting over, as they benefit a far wider group of people. UK Labour has said it supports the cut to basic rate from 20% to 19%, while in New Zealand, Nationals policy to index various other tax rates to inflation is tactically rarely mentioned by the government. Both Labour parties know these tax cuts, which will put a meaningful amount of money into the pocket of an average earner, are far, far harder to credibly oppose.

National naturally dislike the UK comparison. And its fair to point out that the countries have vastly different finances: New Zealand has far lower government debt and a far more sustainable energy mix, meaning it isnt having to splurge on an energy subsidy anywhere near the size of the UKs. That means funding tax cuts in New Zealand would not require the same degree of borrowing, so is unlikely to wreak the havoc weve seen in the UK markets of late.

But there is an overall challenge that National share with Truss: Satisfying a public who want US tax rates but European social services. As in the UK, most of New Zealands national budget is not easily trimmable without serious political, and often social, pain. There is always a few million dollars going to various wasteful-sounding things you can cancel, but a serious look at the budget shows that the things people spend a lot of time talking about, like arts funding (0.4% of budget 2022) pale in comparison with things like health (17% of budget 2022) or education (12% of budget 2022), all of which generally need to grow each year just to keep pace with population growth and public expectations.

This is not an impossible bind for National, as the party is not yet proposing particularly large tax cuts. There is some large capital spending on things like light rail in Auckland that National say they will cancel, which gives them room to manoeuvre early on if not for that long, as capital spending is one-off, while tax cuts last forever. The party could always use the old trick of slowing the rate by which you increase funding to areas like health and education, letting inflation and population increases do the actual cuts while you technically increase funding every year.

This talk is somewhat premature: to be in the position to make choices like that National still have to win the election next year. The polls are looking reasonably good for National, who are ahead in most of them, but not by anything like an unassailable margin. Things could get a lot tighter in election year, when the scrutiny on Nationals costings will increase and the government will get a chance to set the scene with a budget.

It will be then that Robertsons tax trap is at its strongest but Labour will need more than that to actually win. Gordon Brown may feel vindicated right now, but he still lost in 2010.

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Will New Zealands opposition fall into the same tax trap as Liz Truss? - The Guardian

Air New Zealand will unveil its refreshed mobile app early next month.

The new Air NZ app, which has been a year in the making, will add features on a regular basisbased on feedback and input from customers on what they would like to see to improve their digital travel experience.

Customers will also be able to see all upcoming flights in chronological order in the new-look app, as well as viewing options to select a seat, add a bag, upgrade or select any add-ons, and even order a coffee in the lounge.

Those with the existing Air NZ app will see the app update automatically, provided that theyhave enabled automatic app updates within the settings.

Air New Zealands chief digital officer Nikhil Ravishankar commented:

Were fortunate to have an engaged customer base who regularly use the Air NZ app while travelling around New Zealand and abroad, and we want them to share their feedback and tell us what they want to see introduced into the app next.

This could be enabling a contactless journey through airports, allowing customers to track their baggage status or customise their entertainment and meal experience ahead of their flight; were listening and will be using this feedback to shape the future roadmap of the Air NZ app.

airnewzealand.com

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Air New Zealand to launch refreshed app Business Traveller - Business Traveller

An axolotl boom is seeing thousands of the smiling amphibians accumulating at New Zealands pet shelters, with some blaming their newfound popularity on Minecraft, TikTok and other online games.

Emma Neale, who runs an amphibian, reptile and animal rescue in Dunedin, said she now had 2,000 axolotls in her care, after 600 of the creatures had arrived last week. So if anyone is looking for an axolotl, feel free to send them my way, she said.

Neale said some inexperienced owners were failing to desex their pets or accidentally placing breeding pairs together in tanks. The amorous amphibians ended up having accidental clutches and [owners are] not knowing what to do with the eggs then ending up with literally thousands of them and not being able to find them a home, she said.

They can produce a huge number of eggs, said SPCA science officer Alison Vaughan. That situation can very quickly get out of control.

Axolotls are considered critically endangered in the wild, but are widely bred in captivity. Their growth has been driven partly by their popularity online, where their little faces, set in a constant grin, are well suited to memes and shareable videos.

The creatures have been a hit on TikTok, where their hashtag has accumulated 2.6bn views.

Axie Infinity, an online game where players battle cartoon axolotls, peaked at about 2.7m users in November last year. Perhaps the greatest contributor to the axolotl renaissance, however, might be Minecraft, the enormously popular childrens world-building game, where the amphibians were introduced as a companion creature in 2021.

Google trend reports indicate that searches for axolotl peaked when Minecraft introduced them in July 2021, but have remained elevated since. Internationally, outlets began reporting last year that axolotls had become a hot new pet for Minecraft-playing children.

But animal care experts say some owners are naive about the commitment involved. Dr Helen Beattie of Veterinarians for Animal Welfare said shed had concerns since last year, when she said increasing numbers of children began asking their parents for pet axolotls.

Right at the time that Minecraft introduced the capability of spawning said axolotls in the program there were concerns at that point about the demands kids were then making to their parents around getting the real deal, she said. Theyre not easy pets ... Theyve got really specific needs.

Danni Mokomoko, who runs Wellington Amphibian and Reptile Rescue, said the rescue received 25 axolotls arrive last week. He thought their increasing popularity was possibly linked to Minecraft.

Mokomoko said that many people didnt understand the effort required to keep an axolotl the rescue had had hundreds of people enquire about adopting over the past two weeks, but most evaporated when they were told about the equipment and treatment required to keep an axolotl healthy and happy.

Neale was sceptical that Minecraft alone could account for high axolotl numbers, saying she blamed the growth more on irresponsible breeding. She also said they made excellent pets as long as families were prepared and did proper research around tanks, food, and care. For those considering taking one on, the translucent creatures are not a short-term experiment they can live for up to 25 years.

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New Zealand pet shelters are being swamped with axolotls. Are Minecraft and TikTok to blame? - The Guardian

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) Always the bridesmaid has become a defining metaphor for New Zealands recent experience of white ball cricket finals.

Runners-up in the last two 50-over World Cups in 2015 and 19 and in last years Twenty20 World Cup, New Zealand has been part of the big occasion but ultimately not the center of attention.

This time, New Zealand will take one of its best-ever squads to a T20 World Cup. It has strength in all areas, experience and the memory of those recent near misses to fuel its drive.

This is a golden era for New Zealand cricket. It won the first World Test Championship in June of last year to go with that collection of finals appearances in the limited-overs formats.

New Zealand opens with a rematch of the 2021 final against defending champion Australia on Oct. 22 in Sydney.

STRENGTHS

To use a baseball metaphor, New Zealand seems to have all bases covered. Few teams will come to the tournament with a more balanced squad. New Zealand has batting solidity from Devon Conway and Kane Williamson, hard-hitters in Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell and Jimmy Neesham, outstanding pace bowling from Trent Boult and Tim Southee along with the express pace of Lockie Ferguson and top-class white ball spinners in Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner. It has the all round talents of Santner, Neesham, Mitchell and recent discovery Michael Bracewell. It also is one of the worlds best fielding teams and has finals experience: only three players who took part in the 2021 World Cup final are not returning.

WEAKNESSES

The glib observation would be that New Zealands weakness is winning white ball finals. Theyre good at getting to the finals, not good at winning them. New Zealand has no obvious weakness of personnel or balance but can be accused of inconsistency and a tendency to play to the level of its opposition. In a tough group alongside England, Australia and Afghanistan the Black Caps cant afford an off day. Injuries to players such as Daryl Mitchell and Lockie Ferguson are a current concern. Captain Kane Williamson also has recently been below his best form but posted a half-century in the narrow loss to Pakistan in Fridays tri-series final at Christchurch.

KEY PLAYERS

Conway is the reliable anchor of the New Zealand batting order. He can open and bat through an innings as he recently did for 70 against Bangladesh in the New Zealand Tri-Series.

Conways mastery of all formats has been influential in New Zealands recent successes in test and white ball cricket.

He comes into his own in T20 cricket in which he averages 50.87 at a strike rate of 136. His 814 runs in T20 internationals include 456 from boundaries. He also can keep wicket and is a brilliant outfielder.

Phillips is one of the most formidable weapons in New Zealands battery of hard-hitters. Coming in at the top of the order, he has the ability to swing matches and disrupt bowling plans with his fast scoring.

Mitchell and Neesham have similar abilities lower in the order but Phillips ability is to set the pace of the innings early on. He has maintained a strike rate of 142.35 through 46 T20 internationals in which he has scored a century and five half centuries and has hit 75 sixes.

Leg-spinner Sodhi adds a key component to New Zealands varied bowling attack as an aggressive spin option. He has an element of fearlessness in his nature which makes him particularly effective. Hes unafraid to flight the ball, even against aggressive batting, and he can find turn on most surfaces. Spinners often are called on to play a containing role in T20 cricket but Sodhi offers a clear wicket-taking ability with 101 wickets already to his credit in 78 T20 internationals.

___

Squad: Kane Williamson (captain), Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner, Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, Martin Guptill, Lachlan Ferguson, Devon Conway, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Trent Boult, Finn Allen.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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New Zealand needing to take one final step at T20 World Cup - The Associated Press - en Espaol

Wales face the daunting task of going head to head with the reigning World Cup champions, the Black Ferns, in just their second pool fixture as they bid to navigate an exit from the group stages.

New Zealand, ranked second in the world to Wales' eighth after round one, will pose a major challenge at a sold-out Waitakere Stadium in west Auckland, with their strike power a major asset and threat to any opposition.

Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham has made four changes to his starting side after the last-minute win over Scotland last weekend, while the Black Ferns have seen wholesale changes.

Wales and the Black Ferns have previously met on four occasions, most recently a 44-12 New Zealand win at the 2017 Rugby World Cup. The sides did play in a friendly last October, too.

Here's everything you need to know about the game:

Wales face the Black Ferns in the early hours of Sunday, October 16, if you're watching from the UK, 3.15am, or 3.15pm local time.

Wales' clash against New Zealand will be broadcast live in the UK on S4C and ITV online.

Wales' backline is unchanged in the wake of the last-minute win over Scotland in the opening round last weekend, where a successful penalty kick by replacement scrum-half Keira Bevan ensured a narrow 18-15 win.

Hannah Jones is named vice-captain and lines up in midfield alongside Meg Webb, while wings Jasmine Joyce and Lisa Neumann form and full-back Kayleigh Powell form the back-three. Elinor Snowsill and Ffion Lewis are the starting half-backs, with Bevan and Robyn Wilkins on the bench along with midfield cover Kerin Lake, who has recovered from injury to line up for her first-ever World Cup appearance.

After being dealt a major injury blow with news that flanker Alisha Butchers was ruled out of the rest of the tournament due to a "significant" knee injury, a reshuffle has taken place in the pack.

Lock Gwen Crabb moves to No. 6, Siwan Lillicrap resumes the captaincy and starts in the second-row alongside Natalia John, with Bethan Lewis claiming the starting No. 7 jersey over Alex Callender and Kelsey Jones coming into the front-row in place of Carys Phillips, who is carrying an ankle knock. Sioned Harries retains her place at the back of the scrum, while Cara Hope and Donna Rose complete the front-row.

As for the hosts, they head into this contest on the back of a 41-17 win over Australia in their pool opener. Whether or not they could muscle up up front when it counts was a question mark ahead of the tournament, but assistant coach Wesley Clarke admits they also need to tidy up their set-piece, line speed and aggression in defence after the win over the Wallaroos.

New Zealand have made wholesale changes to the starting line-up, with five players set to make their World Cup debuts.

A new-look front-row sees Awhina Tangen-Wainohu win her first start in the black jersey and Tanya Kalounivale returning from injury, while hooker Georgia Ponsonby is promoted after coming off the bench last weekend. Alana Bremner also makes a return from injury and will be joined by Kendra Reynolds and Charmaine McMenamin to make up the back-row.

Auckland midfielders Theresa Fitzpatrick and Sylvia Brunt combine at centre, while Renee Wickliffe gets a start on the wing in her fourth World Cup, with Ruby Tui donning the full-back jersey for the first time. Krystal Murray will make her Rugby World Cup debut off the bench.

Wales: 15. Kayleigh Powell, 14. Jasmine Joyce, 13. Megan Webb, 12. Hannah Jones, 11. Lisa Neumann, 10. Elinor Snowsill, 9. Ffion Lewis, 1. Cara Hope, 2. Kelsey Jones, 3. Donna Rose, 4. Natalia John, 5. Siwan Lillicrap (capt), 6. Gwen Crabb, 7. Bethan Lewis, 8. Sioned Harries.

Replacements: 16. Kat Evans, 17. Caryl Thomas, 18. Sisilia Tuipulotu, 19. Abbie Fleming, 20. Alex Callender, 21. Keira Bevan, 22. Robyn Wilkins, 23. Kerin Lake.

New Zealand: 15. Ruby Tui, 14. Renee Wickliffe, 13. Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu Ataii (Sylvia) Brunt, 12. Theresa Fitzpatrick, 11. Portia Woodman, 10. Ruahei Demant (capt), 9. Ariana Bayler, 1. Awhina Tangen-Wainohu, 2. Georgia Ponsonby, 3. Tanya Kalounivale, 4. Maiakawanakaulani Roos, 5. Chelsea Bremner, 6. Alana Bremner, 7. Kendra Reynolds, 8. Charmaine McMenamin.

Replacements: 16. Luka Connor, 17. Krystal Murray, 18. Santo Taumata, 19. Joanah Ngan-Woo, 20. Sarah Hirini, 21. Kendra Cocksedge, 22. Amy du Plessis, 23. Hazel Tubic.

"Youve got to keep some momentum and consistency," Wales boss Ioan Cunningham said of his team selection. "I thought Meg Webb did extremely well on Sunday, she deserves another opportunity as do the rest of the backs.

"We wanted to bring the experience of our captain in at lock. Unfortunately, we have lost Alisha so we wanted to utilise Gwen Crabbs extra strength at No. 6. Bethan Lewis has been pushing Alex Callender in training and deserves a start. Carys Phillips has picked up a slight ankle injury so its a chance for Kelsey to start and for Kat [Evans] to come off the bench. Kerin [Lake], Sisilia [Tuipulotu] and Abbie [Fleming] come on to the bench, it will be good to see them go.

"We started well against Scotland, scored two tries but created more scoring opportunities, we probably left two tries out there. If we can take more of those opportunities, well be in a much better place come Sunday evening.

"Were playing New Zealand in their home World Cup, were both on the back of wins, so its all about this game now. We have nothing to lose but you have to be brave against any New Zealand team, you have to go for it, score tries, we cant hold back, we have to go for it. Australia showed you can create opportunities and we need to do that too."

As for Black Ferns director of rugby Wayne Smith, he said: "We are balancing a desire to keep as much continuity as possible but we want to give players the opportunity to put their form out on the park. So we are putting in a lot of work around who plays when.

"We need to use this whole occasion to make us better. Were in our own country, marching behind our flag, it is the greatest time in our life. We need to use that to our advantage."

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What time is Wales v New Zealand kick-off at Women's Rugby World Cup? TV channel and live stream info - Wales Online

To say I have an obsessive relationship with television would be to undersell the truth. As far back as I can remember, I was glued to a screen. As a child I would race home from school to catch the latest episode of Power Rangers or Dragon Ball Z, mimicking the moves and exaggerated American accents to regurgitate with my friends the next day. At night I would sneak out of bed to steal some alone time with Whos Line Is It Anyway?, gripping my hands over my mouth to stop myself cackling loudly enough to awaken my parents.

Television was a portal, and I imagined myself as every one of these characters living big lives. I wanted to be Goku and the Blue Power Ranger. I wanted to be as funny as Ryan Stiles and Wayne Brady. Soon it was The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and my friends and I practising our best pshhh handshakes. It didnt matter that none of these characters were Muslim or Arab. To me they were all moulds I could squeeze myself into, superhero suits I could pull on to feel powerful in. On TV I saw all the things I could become.

But somewhere along the way that began to change, and the world in front of me began to narrow. At the age of 11, I woke up to my parents watching in horror as footage of the September 11 attacks played endlessly. At school my teacher wheeled in a television set and we watched it all day, asking ourselves why this would happen, who was behind it. It didnt take long before our screens were plastered with images of Osama bin Laden and the Taliban, mixed in with out-of-context footage of Palestinian celebrations. Even at that age, I understood that we were entering into a strange new world, one that I felt ill-prepared for.

Overnight, my community went from invisibility to hyper-visibility, our identities and beliefs caricatured in an endless loop. Suddenly, we were the suits that others wore to feel powerful: terror experts, politicians, shock-jocks, racially ambiguous Hollywood actors. Except we werent superheroes, we were supervillains.

My love for TV didnt abate, but I became acutely aware that the stories I was consuming werent meant for me, and that my own experience would never be truly reflected. I entered journalism to try to fix these harmful narratives, but at times the tide felt overwhelming. If it wasnt the terrorist, it was the war-stricken child. If it wasnt the angry Muslim, it was the oppressed and downtrodden one. But these were still caricatures, two dimensional versions of ourselves presented through pain and trauma. Where was our nuance, our quirk, the things that made us truly human?

After the 15 March attacks in Christchurch, a lot of my colleagues in the media looked inwards, examining the ways in which they had played a role in proliferating harmful narratives. We began seeing Muslims on TV, young and old, talking about their lives. For many it was the first time they had heard Muslims speaking for themselves, particularly ones with New Zealand accents and familiar backstories. It was a fundamental shift in narrative, but one rooted in grief. A retroactive attempt at fixing what had already been lost.

The country was beginning to see us for the first time, but not on our terms. We had been seen now in our pain, but we deserved to also be seen in our joy.

Two years ago, I had a conversation with award-winning producer and director Ahmed Osman that would chart us both on a new course. We had both spent our lives waiting to see our own stories come to life, ones that reflected the true colour and madness of our wonderful community. Why werent any of the Muslims on TV funny? Where was the mosque politics and the gossip uncles we tried to avoid during Friday prayers? Where were the Muslim students arguing politics while trying to court potential spouses at the campus marriage talks? Where were the converts trying to navigate cultural expectations, the westernised youth sneaking out to parties after prayers and the clumsy government informants hiding in plain sight?

If we couldnt see ourselves represented on TV in the ways we wanted, then maybe we should do something about it. We hatched a plan for a show that would centre our community, and nearly two years later we are close to bringing it to reality. Miles From Nowhere, a comedy about identity, surveillance and the Muslim community, is about to start production thanks to funding from NZ On Air, in partnership with Gibson Group and Sky Originals NZ. Ahmed and I, alongside Australian comedian Aamer Rahman, have launched a production company, Homegrown Pictures, aiming to bring many more stories to the screen that centre immigrant and refugee narratives.

It feels surreal, but it also feels like a shift is finally happening. Suddenly theres Ramy, a mesmerising portrayal of Arab-American millennials, Man Like Mobeen, an invitation into Birminghams Muslim community, Mo, a dive into life as an undocumented Palestinian refugee in the US. We are finally seeing real Muslims on our screens.

Were not alone. Chinese-American films like The Farewell and Korean-American stories like Minari are celebrating rich immigrant experiences. Here in New Zealand, Pax Assadi is telling his story as a Bahai New Zealander on another Sky Originals NZ production, Raised By Refugees, and Roseanne Liangs Creamerie is giving us license to see ourselves in wildly imaginative stories that shed the baggage of representation politics. Something is in the air. A window wedged opened and in came the breeze.

Like so many of our immigrant peers, Ahmed and I grew up with a thirst for rich stories. I glued myself to the TV in the quiet of night. He talks about skipping classes to go to the movies, a place where he found wonder and purpose.

Today, we have been given the opportunity to carry ourselves and our communities to the screen and show the world what they have been missing all this time.

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As a Muslim in New Zealand Ive long yearned for a TV show that reflected my life. So now were making one - The Guardian

New Zealands annual bird of the year competition could usher in another round of controversy, with perennial favourite the kkp struck from the ballot after twice winning the competition.

The fat, flightless and nocturnal parrot is the only species to reign twice as New Zealands favourite bird, in 2020 and 2008. This year, however, it will be conspicuously absent, amid concerns that its continued dominance could divert the spotlight from less charismatic candidates.

The kkp is the worlds heaviest parrot, and has been rescued from the brink of extinction by years of conservation efforts. Its population has risen from 50 during the 1990s to 252 today.

With voting due to open next week, some close followers of the competition were unconvinced by explanations for their candidates absence.

The kkp has decided not to be in Bird of the Year? More like rort of the year, one social media commenter reacted to the news.

He was pushed, they continued.

He was robbed, responded another.

Others were supportive of the decision: Very sporting, said one. The right decision.

A spokesperson for Forest and Bird, the elections organisers, rejected claims that the kkp had been banned for good.

No, not banned from entry. Its a hiatus. Its definitely not a lifetime ban, Forest & Bird spokesperson Ellen Rykers said. You know, if the same bird keeps winning every year, that might make it not so interesting.

Rykers said in an earlier statement that Of course, the election remains fundamentally democratic, adding that the competition was hoping to channel love to some of our feathered friends that may be overshadowed by their flashier, chonkier or louder cousins.

The competition, which was started to raise awareness of New Zealands endangered or threatened native birds, has run for 17 years and become a sprawling undertaking.

Rykers said that this year, 40 people had taken up roles as campaign managers for individual birds. Organisers are attempting to boost the profile of less glamorous birds dubbed underbirds that usually get negligible votes. Candidates in this category, including the grey duck and shore plover will be highlighted on the online ballot, in an attempt to spark underdog sympathies among voters.

The competition has been an annual source of controversy and international media coverage. Last year, it made headlines after organisers allowed a native bat to enter. The bat won.

In 2019, the discovery of hundreds of votes being registered from Russia sparked claims of election meddling. The votes were ultimately judged legitimate; a spokesperson said interest from Russian ornithologists may be responsible. New Zealand actually shares birds with Russia, they said at the time. We have the bar-tailed godwit that makes an annual round trip.

In 2020, there was some consternation after the Adult Toy Megastore announced its sponsorship of the hihi, a polyamorous, sexually fluid bird with big testicles.

In 2018, Forest & Bird said 300 fraudulent votes were cast by Australians attempting to rig the contest in favour of the amusingly named shag.

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New Zealand bird of the year contest bars worlds fattest parrot from running - The Guardian

Former New Zealand prime minister Sir John Key has suggested he would have voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 US election, and far-right president Jair Bolsonaro in Brazils 2022 elections, had he been eligible to do so.

Key, who served three terms as prime minister from 2008 to 2016, revealed his preferences in a quick-fire round of 20 questions that featured at the end of a new online series called Both Sides Now, hosted by members of the Labour and National youth wings.

The show travels around New Zealand to interview former and current politicians, with the goal to break down political polarisation and bring both sides of key issues to the people.

Key is broadly considered one of the countrys most popular prime ministers, and led the National party for 10 years before announcing his retirement from politics in 2016. He is still considered an influential political figure and is regularly called upon as a high-profile voice on politics and other matters in the media.

At the end of the Both Sides Now episode, the hosts ask a quick-fire round of 20 questions to find out Keys positions on both global and domestic topics, including: whether the world should have nuclear weapons, if they believe te reo Mori (Mori language) should be compulsory in schools, and whether the nickname Cindy for current prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, is derogatory.

When asked whether he would have voted Clinton or Trump had he been in the US in 2016, Key replied: Trump. But I mean, you know, Im a right-wing voter, Im never voting left.

He went on to add: Im not saying that would be the right decision but Im just saying thats what I would have done.

A host then asks what about Brazil would you have voted for Bolsonaro this election?

Key hesitates slightly, before saying right-wing as well yes, I think so. But some of these people are getting pretty crazy on the right, so even I might not be wanting to vote there.

But, philosophically, I have never voted anything other than right, so Im not going to start arguing that Im voting left now I dont know whether your listeners are going to agree with that, but Im being honest with you.

Bolsonaro, who won power in 2018 by pledging to fight corruption, has never been shy about his disdain for the democratic process or his admiration for autocrats such as Chiles General Augusto Pinochet.

He trails leftist rival Luiz Incio Lula da Silva after the first round of Brazils presidential polls, having lost favour for his mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic, mocking mask wearing and vaccines in a country where 684,000 lives were lost to Covid-19.

A damning congressional inquiry recommended that Bolsonaro be charged with offences including crimes against humanity and charlatanism, for promoting false treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin.

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Former New Zealand PM John Key says he would have voted for Trump and Bolsonaro - The Guardian

Auckland Harry Stanley beat what has been dubbed New Zealands unfairest tax.

Every year ACC makes mistakes, wrongly declining cover for some people with injuries.

But when those people challenge those decisions and win large back-dated payments of the entitlements, they are taxed as if the whole back payment is income in the year they get it, sometimes resulting in them paying tax at the top rate.

The resulting overtaxing of people like Stanley has been ruled legal by the courts, but thats not stopped Waikato woman Veronica Hoerberechts fighting to get MPs to change tax law to end it.

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Hoeberechts said 40 years of governments had failed to reform what she says is an obnoxious tax setting, affecting about 1000 people a year. It cost her around $35,000 when she won a backdated lump sum to cover the weekly compensation payments she was wrongly denied by ACC.

Stanley was hit by one of these massive tax bills when ACC was required to make a backdated payment to him.

He had suffered multiple treatment injuries in the early 2000s, including permanent damage to his brain, weakening of bones, and deterioration of joint cartilage, as a result of being given herbal treatment by a registered nurse, which contained high levels of the steroid betamethasone.

I was given the wrong treatment for my gout by a registered nurse. It was a medication I was taking for about four years before realising all the different things it had done to my body [including] shrinking my brain, which is still shrunk, he said.

His case led to a nationwide warning by Medsafe about the herbal remedy he had been given, which were also being used to treat people in rest homes.

History recently repeated itself, and in July, Medsafe once again warned steroid-laced herbal remedies were entering the county.

But his steroid poisoning also led to a lengthy series of legal tussles with ACC to get weekly compensation, which Stanley applied for in 2008, having initially been told by a medical practitioner that he was not eligible for ACC.

Stuff

Harry Stanley was injured by a nurse who supplied him with a herbal remedy containing extremely high levels of steroids.

When he secured one large back payment, which he thinks was around 2012, he decided to ask ACC to pay the extra tax that resulted.

I made a claim directly to ACC for the excess tax I paid as a result of its error in paying me late, Stanley said.

ACC paid me the difference in tax I had to pay Inland Revenue on that occasion, but not on the next back payment made to me, also resulting from ACC's error, he said.

ACC had discretion to make such payments, but wasnt telling claimants they could apply for them, Stanley said.

Stanley remains disabled, and is receiving ACC weekly compensation.

Tom Pullar-Strecker/Stuff

Stanley was hit by a massive tax bill when ACC was required to make a backdated payment to him (file photo).

Amanda Malu, deputy chief executive for service delivery at ACC, confirmed such payments could be made.

We are aware of the impact backdated payments attracting higher tax rates can have on clients.

The law on how tax is applied to income is set by Inland Revenue. We encourage clients who receive backdated payments to contact Inland Revenue to understand their options. However, where we have done something wrong that has contributed to the higher tax bill, we may be able to provide an additional payment to contribute to, or cover this.

Where there had been an unreasonable delay in calculating and making payments, ACC could make an interest payment, which would help cover the tax liability, she said.

In rare occurrences, where ACC has committed a serious service failing, such as where we have failed to do something that was a legislative requirement, we can consider a one-off payment which can cover the additional tax bill.

Hoeberechts has written to multiple ministers in a bid to reform tax law to end the over-taxation of people getting backdated payments from ACC.

ACC minister Carmel Sepuloni has asked officials to report to her on the issue.

Christel Yardley/Stuff

Veronica Anne Hoeberechts has been battling ACC, and now Inland Revenue, since 2014. She won her fight against ACC, got paid a large sum in compensation, but then got hit by an unfair and massive tax bill.

Before his injury, Stanley was a property developer.

He said the public needed to understand the hardship wrong ACC decisions could cause to injured people.

What hasn't been broached yet anywhere, is the multi-level hardship we were subjected to during the years of fighting to overturn the many highly questionable decisions by ACC that kept us all on MSD benefits, he said.

I had to sell my car and pawn off many of my personal assets that had some pawnable value at 20c to 25c on the dollar, and juggle bill payments, while having to front creditors to stop cutting off services or to have services reconnected, he said.

He backed Hoerberechts campaign for law change, saying MPs should move urgently to stop the overtaxing immediately.

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The man who beat New Zealand's 'unfairest tax' - Stuff