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Reposted by AlastairJNZ

The Associated Press @apnews.com · 8h

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted “no one has died” as a result of U.S. foreign aid cuts. In Myanmar, the grieving father of a 2-year-old boy who died after their food rations were cut calls such claims a lie.

Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.

bit.ly

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AlastairJNZ @alastairjnz.bsky.social · 10h

Even more evidence for the urgent need to decarbonise our energy systems

New Zealand oceans warming 34% faster than global average, putting homes and industry at risk, report finds

NZ$180bn worth of housing and $26bn of infrastructure at risk of flooding and storm damage, new government report finds

www.theguardian.com

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Bookshop.org @bookshop.org · 20h

$41 million: The amount of money we’ve raised for indie bookstores since 2020.

$0: The amount of money Amazon has raised for indie bookstores since 1994.

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Michael Bain @mikejbain.bsky.social · 16h

So I stumbled across a protest today outside an Aerospace Conference. Pro-Palestine protesters calling shame on an industry that supplies satellite info to the IDF to target innocent Palestinians. Judith was there as was RocketLab & the US military. 1/ #nzpolitics #KeepSpace4Peace

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AlastairJNZ @alastairjnz.bsky.social · 17h

Heard my first pīpīwharauroa of the season on Waiheke this morning

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Sharon Murdoch @domesticanimal.bsky.social · 22h

The Govt wants to cut Health NZ staff working on alcohol harm & end its research & social marketing campaigns. Sixty five organisations have signed an open letter to the PM, calling for alcohol industry to be excluded from policy making.
My #cartoon today #NZpol #alcohol #Health #PublicHealth

Cartoon. Title: “Sponsored by the Alcohol Lobby”. Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and Assoc Justice Minister Nicole McKee, drinking together. McKee hands her beer to Doocey and says, “Hold my beer” “I’m going to sort out these Public Health boffins. Lower right it says, “Govt ignores expert advice on alcohol”

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AlastairJNZ @alastairjnz.bsky.social · 20h

This very cool new public artwork has now been completed at Wynyard Quarter

Waka Moana

Waka Moana is a landmark new sculptural installation for the Wynyard Quarter’s Daldy Street.

www.audo.co.nz

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Russell Brown @publicaddress.bsky.social · 1d

Treasury: "Because of this, it is hard to reconcile (from a purely logical perspective) how building a new medical school is going to be better than any non-build option, if we aren’t facing a capacity constraint."

The University of Waikato paid Steven Joyce $1m to get $82.85m of taxpayers' money.

Matthew Littlewood @matthewdunedin84.bsky.social · 1d

www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin... Treasury repeatedly criticised Waikato Medical School proposal, but those complaints fell on deaf ears. @publicaddress.bsky.social

Treasury warnings over medical school ignored

The government ignored repeated warnings from Treasury not to approve the new Waikato Medical School amid concerns about cost overruns. The...

www.odt.co.nz

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Mike Keil @mikekeil.bsky.social · 1d

A good news story! Have a great day.
Renewables overtake coal as world's biggest source of electricity
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Renewables overtake coal as world's biggest source of electricity

Developing countries lead the historic clean energy charge but the US and EU rely more on fossil fuels than before, a think tank study shows.

www.bbc.com

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Amy K @amyklassen.bsky.social · 1d

It's true! When I studied economics, I was stunned by the ROI of social programs. Every dollar spent on childcare returns about $2.80 to the economy, and healthcare delivers even greater returns with broader social impact.

A universal basic income is simply smart fiscal policy. Why the reluctance?

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 1d

For every €1 provided through a Basic Income For Artists pilot program in Ireland, the government got €1.46 back. So it’s being made permanent.

Over and over we see it. It saves public money to provide public housing. And it makes public money to provide basic income.

We can’t afford to NOT do it.

Mike Sowden @mikeachim.bsky.social · 1d

Damn. This is amazing. £325 per week, paid monthly, for 3 years - and the result was a profit for the Irish economy:
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...

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AlastairJNZ @alastairjnz.bsky.social · 1d

In a salad

AlastairJNZ @alastairjnz.bsky.social · 1d

In a hard-won step forward for marine conservation, the Hauraki Gulf/ Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill passed its third reading today 🌊🐟🐬🦞🪼

House

bills.parliament.nz

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Melanie Newfield @melanienewfield.bsky.social · 2d

On my recent visit to #TiritiriMatangi island I took this video in the forest. The birdsong here is extraordinary. I’ve never heard anything like it.

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Chris Slane @slanecartoon.bsky.social · 2d

Excellent cartoon by fellow Listener cartoonist Anthony Ellison #nzpol www.nzherald.co.nz/the-listener...

Anthony Ellison’s Cartoon of the Week

Anthony Ellison shares his take on the week in politics.

www.nzherald.co.nz

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News Eye @newseye.bsky.social · 3d

NEW: Extraordinary scenes in Amsterdam this afternoon (Sunday, Oct 5).

An estimated 250,000 bring the city to a standstill; people all wearing red to show solidarity with Palestine 🇵🇸

(🎥 Ahmed Zantac)

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 2d

"There are currently one to two Starlink satellites falling back to Earth every day ... Soon, McDowell told us, there will be up to 5 satellite reentries per day." 😳

1 to 2 Starlink satellites are falling back to Earth each day

earthsky.org

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Andrew @openpolicy.bsky.social · 3d

“Look at these toys” is a disgraceful statement for any Minister of Defence to make about military equipment made to kill and injure people.

Peace Action Ōtautahi @peaceactnotautahi.bsky.social · 4d

The closer our government gets to sadistic military/defence industry executives, the more lives will be lost.
We cannot afford to trade human lives for ’technological innovation’.
We will NOT allow Aotearoa to be made into a glorified military base.
#nzpol #nz #kikorangi

Red background on a news style graphic, with a photo of Judith Collins being interviewed by RNZ in the centre. ‘Breaking’ text is in a banner at the top. Main text reads:
This is horrifying.
The government just proudly announced their plan to develop NZ into a large-scale supplier of drones, firearms, and other ‘lethal weapons.’
They’re partnering with private companies to manufacture AI-powered military technology, which will be both used domestically and sold overseas.

Similar style graphic with an image of a tank. Text reads:
On Friday, Defence Minister Judith Collins pledged to launch an unprecedented intensification of our military sector. The plan outlines a drastic increase in spending, and a commitment to pursuing tech-driven ‘innovation’ for lethal capabilities - simply put, to kill more efficiently.
“Collins remarked, ‘I love being Minister of Defence. Look at these toys!’”

Similar style graphic with SYOS CEO next to military tech. Text reads: AN ORWELLIAN FUTURE FOR AOTEAROA "The Technology Accelerator is a fantastic initiative for New Zealand industry that will help more companies bring advanced tech to defence faster. But it goes further than that as the use of robotics unlocks much greater capabilities with use of AI, computer vision and swarming capabilities. This is a capability step change." This partnership of sadistic military executives, profit-hungry tech bros, and the New Zealand government is absolutely appalling. Our country is not only volunteering itself as a violent tool of imperialism, but strengthening the means by which it can silence protest and target civilians within Aotearoa.

Graphic has an image of previous years’ aerospace with Rocket Lab and a missile. Text reads: Next week’s Aerospace Summit is the embodiment of this perverse industry: a business conference of suit-wearing war criminals enjoying tech showcases and networking events as people actively die at the hands of their products. We will not allow Judith Collins, Peter Beck, and the other disgraceful attendees to carry on with their mission of turning Aotearoa into a military base for the United States of Israel. JOIN OUR BLOCKADE - BECOME THE RESISTANCE

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Philipp Markolin, PhD @philippmarkolin.bsky.social · 3d

"If we Europeans do not wake up and say, ‘We want to take back control of our democracies,’ I can tell you this: within 10 years [...] we will be a continent, like many others, of conspiracy theorists, extremists, noise and fury."

defenddemocracy.eu/macron-democ...

"Europeans, let's wake up!" — Defend Democracy

“We have been incredibly naive in entrusting our democratic space to social networks.” President Macron on the occasion of German Unity Day, 3 October 2025.

defenddemocracy.eu

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David Cormack @davidcormack.bsky.social · 3d

I am once again asking

Me asking how giving rich people money via tax cuts is a good incentive, but taking money from welfare recipients is also a good incentive

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Sassy Little Hobbit @sassypolitico.bsky.social · 3d

It’s always Gen x and millenials getting screwed over

Andrew R @andrewr4.womcats.com · 3d

Cowardly announcing policy on a Sunday that underlines the total failure of this government’s policies.

Jobseeker: Parents earning more than $65k must support 18-19yo children www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Jobseeker: Parents earning more than $65k must support 18-19yo children

First announced at the Budget, the government had not at the time decided where to draw the line.

www.rnz.co.nz

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AlastairJNZ @alastairjnz.bsky.social · 3d

Ka rawe!

Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke named by Time as one of the world's 'most influential rising stars'

Influential news magazine Time said she followed in the footsteps of ancestors who sustained Māori language, traditions and culture.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Sacha @sachadylan.bsky.social · 3d

'After decades of market-first thinking, ministers still default to the belief that competition will fix it even when the evidence shows it won’t.'

archive.ph/iebQT

Current affairs: why no-one is fixing the energy market rort draining Kiwis

OPINION: Successive governments promised competition would deliver cheaper power, groceries and banking. Instead, New Zealand has ended up with cosy oligopolies that gouge consumers.

www.thepress.co.nz

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David Cormack @davidcormack.bsky.social · 4d

Unbelievable cowardice.

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New Zealand Geographic @nzgeo.bsky.social · 4d

Remember the Magic Eye books of the 90s?? Now, you can have a crack at viewing New Zealand’s native flowers in 3D. Clematis, orchid, ngutukākā, korukoru, oioi… this is a luscious, spectacular feature by @rebekahwhite.bsky.social, based on the new book He Puāwai by @theobrominated.bsky.social

Magic flora

Philip Garnock-Jones has spent more than a decade photographing our native flowers as they’ve never been shown before: in luscious, three-dimensional detail.

www.nzgeo.com

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Mountain Tui @mountaintui.bsky.social · 4d

Wright Family Foundation receives over $300 million of taxpayers' funding & posts $41.6 million op. profit. The business was converted to a "charity" & pays no tax.
The Wright Family bankrolled Sean Plunkett & The Platform, which regularly attacks govt 'handouts' #nzpol
🧵👇

Rich-lister controlled charity posts surplus after Govt funding boost to its childcare centres

BestStart is the largest operator in the early childhood sector, with over 260 centres.

www.nzherald.co.nz

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