Marsden
@marsdennz.bsky.social
He/Him, Webdev from Ōtautahi, Aotearoa (Christchurch, New Zealand). Interested in #SocialIssues, #BoardGaming and #TabletopRoleplaying.
Pinned
Marsden
@marsdennz.bsky.social
· Apr 5
Achievement unlocked - sat on by a meerkat.
And some other critters from today.
#meerkat #wallaby #koala #marmoset #self #ParadiseCountry #GoldCoastAustralia
And some other critters from today.
#meerkat #wallaby #koala #marmoset #self #ParadiseCountry #GoldCoastAustralia
Reposted by Marsden
THIS
It saves a tremendous amount of overhead (money) and time (money) and complications (people who are eligible dropping out because they can't prove they are), but mostly it forecloses an extremely common form of fiscal parental abuse.
It saves a tremendous amount of overhead (money) and time (money) and complications (people who are eligible dropping out because they can't prove they are), but mostly it forecloses an extremely common form of fiscal parental abuse.
Periodically I see people justifying means-testing to ensure The Rich don't get stuff for free when they can afford it.
I see the logic, but we can just tax them more.
Plus, the BIGGEST thing not means-testing solves is
*deep breath*
IT STOPS RICH PEOPLE FINANCIALLY-ABUSING THEIR KIDS ANYMORE.
I see the logic, but we can just tax them more.
Plus, the BIGGEST thing not means-testing solves is
*deep breath*
IT STOPS RICH PEOPLE FINANCIALLY-ABUSING THEIR KIDS ANYMORE.
November 24, 2025 at 7:19 AM
THIS
It saves a tremendous amount of overhead (money) and time (money) and complications (people who are eligible dropping out because they can't prove they are), but mostly it forecloses an extremely common form of fiscal parental abuse.
It saves a tremendous amount of overhead (money) and time (money) and complications (people who are eligible dropping out because they can't prove they are), but mostly it forecloses an extremely common form of fiscal parental abuse.
"When your child physically shakes at the thought of school…
When your child cannot use their words to explain their fear…
When you’re called every day to pick up your child because they’re so upset…
...
These are not hypotheticals."
#EmilyWrites #NZPol
www.emilywrites.co.nz/guilty-shame...
When your child cannot use their words to explain their fear…
When you’re called every day to pick up your child because they’re so upset…
...
These are not hypotheticals."
#EmilyWrites #NZPol
www.emilywrites.co.nz/guilty-shame...
Guilty, shamed and traumatised - What school avoidance feels like for parents
And why parents and children shouldn't be punished...
www.emilywrites.co.nz
November 24, 2025 at 7:37 AM
"When your child physically shakes at the thought of school…
When your child cannot use their words to explain their fear…
When you’re called every day to pick up your child because they’re so upset…
...
These are not hypotheticals."
#EmilyWrites #NZPol
www.emilywrites.co.nz/guilty-shame...
When your child cannot use their words to explain their fear…
When you’re called every day to pick up your child because they’re so upset…
...
These are not hypotheticals."
#EmilyWrites #NZPol
www.emilywrites.co.nz/guilty-shame...
"But public education has always served a far broader purpose for learners than academic achievement alone. A decent education is one that grows and nurtures participating members of society, who uphold societal values, and contribute to their communities."
#Aotearoa #Education #NZPol
#Aotearoa #Education #NZPol
Tiriti-based teaching changed my children’s schooling for the better. Now legislation narrows focus to just academic achievement.
Why this matters & how schools are responding: open.substack.com/pub/drbex/p/...
Why this matters & how schools are responding: open.substack.com/pub/drbex/p/...
Giving effect to Te Tiriti in education
Reflecting on the past 20 years - and the changes the 2020 legislation made
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:30 AM
"But public education has always served a far broader purpose for learners than academic achievement alone. A decent education is one that grows and nurtures participating members of society, who uphold societal values, and contribute to their communities."
#Aotearoa #Education #NZPol
#Aotearoa #Education #NZPol
Reposted by Marsden
If you have a dairy that got ramraided six times by the same kids and then they turned up one day outside asking everyone to contribute to “help make the dairy good again” then you’ll know what it feels like to hear National pledge to make our super savings as good as Australia’s
November 23, 2025 at 7:03 AM
If you have a dairy that got ramraided six times by the same kids and then they turned up one day outside asking everyone to contribute to “help make the dairy good again” then you’ll know what it feels like to hear National pledge to make our super savings as good as Australia’s
Reposted by Marsden
Who cut the $1000 Kickstarter? National
Who reduced the minimum contribution to 3%? National
Who reduced the member tax credit from $1040 to $521? National
Who then reduced the same member tax credit from $521 to $260.72? National.
Don't believe National on Kiwisaver.
#nzpol
Who reduced the minimum contribution to 3%? National
Who reduced the member tax credit from $1040 to $521? National
Who then reduced the same member tax credit from $521 to $260.72? National.
Don't believe National on Kiwisaver.
#nzpol
November 22, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Who cut the $1000 Kickstarter? National
Who reduced the minimum contribution to 3%? National
Who reduced the member tax credit from $1040 to $521? National
Who then reduced the same member tax credit from $521 to $260.72? National.
Don't believe National on Kiwisaver.
#nzpol
Who reduced the minimum contribution to 3%? National
Who reduced the member tax credit from $1040 to $521? National
Who then reduced the same member tax credit from $521 to $260.72? National.
Don't believe National on Kiwisaver.
#nzpol
Reposted by Marsden
I once knew a Federal bank examiner, and one time someone asked him why we had to KEEP inspecting banks over and over. He basically said every new batch of business school grads invents bank fraud from first principles.
AirBnB CEO calling it “vibe revenue” just 👨🍳 😘
The underlying cause of every bubble - debt masquerading as financial innovation - depends on not just short financial memory & speculative neophytism, but reinventing jargon of finance, like how each generation of kids has new ways to say same things.
The underlying cause of every bubble - debt masquerading as financial innovation - depends on not just short financial memory & speculative neophytism, but reinventing jargon of finance, like how each generation of kids has new ways to say same things.
November 22, 2025 at 6:02 PM
I once knew a Federal bank examiner, and one time someone asked him why we had to KEEP inspecting banks over and over. He basically said every new batch of business school grads invents bank fraud from first principles.
Reposted by Marsden
Also the comparison to Australia is disingenuous
In Aussie they have a Mandatory Employer Contribution: By law, employers must contribute a minimum of 12% of an eligible employee's pre-tax income to an approved superannuation fund
That's paid in addition to wages and salaries
#NZPol
In Aussie they have a Mandatory Employer Contribution: By law, employers must contribute a minimum of 12% of an eligible employee's pre-tax income to an approved superannuation fund
That's paid in addition to wages and salaries
#NZPol
Who cut the $1000 Kickstarter? National
Who reduced the minimum contribution to 3%? National
Who reduced the member tax credit from $1040 to $521? National
Who then reduced the same member tax credit from $521 to $260.72? National.
Don't believe National on Kiwisaver.
#nzpol
Who reduced the minimum contribution to 3%? National
Who reduced the member tax credit from $1040 to $521? National
Who then reduced the same member tax credit from $521 to $260.72? National.
Don't believe National on Kiwisaver.
#nzpol
November 23, 2025 at 5:11 AM
Also the comparison to Australia is disingenuous
In Aussie they have a Mandatory Employer Contribution: By law, employers must contribute a minimum of 12% of an eligible employee's pre-tax income to an approved superannuation fund
That's paid in addition to wages and salaries
#NZPol
In Aussie they have a Mandatory Employer Contribution: By law, employers must contribute a minimum of 12% of an eligible employee's pre-tax income to an approved superannuation fund
That's paid in addition to wages and salaries
#NZPol
'But a handful said something I found quite sad: “I just wanted to write the best essay I could.” Those students .. who at least tried to provide some of their own thoughts before mixing them with the generated result, had already written the best essay they could."
www.huffpost.com/entry/histor...
www.huffpost.com/entry/histor...
I Set A Trap To Catch My Students Cheating With AI. The Results Were Shocking.
"Students are not just undermining their ability to learn, but to someday lead."
www.huffpost.com
November 22, 2025 at 10:00 PM
'But a handful said something I found quite sad: “I just wanted to write the best essay I could.” Those students .. who at least tried to provide some of their own thoughts before mixing them with the generated result, had already written the best essay they could."
www.huffpost.com/entry/histor...
www.huffpost.com/entry/histor...
Reposted by Marsden
Joelle's #kiwipycon keynote on neurodivergence is great.
This bit louder for the folks in the back of the industry:
This bit louder for the folks in the back of the industry:
November 22, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Joelle's #kiwipycon keynote on neurodivergence is great.
This bit louder for the folks in the back of the industry:
This bit louder for the folks in the back of the industry:
Reposted by Marsden
How to disable #gemini on #android, #gmail, #chrome, Photos, & #google apps
https://tuta.com/blog/how-to-disable-gemini-on-android
#privacy #guide #ai
https://tuta.com/blog/how-to-disable-gemini-on-android
#privacy #guide #ai
How to disable Gemini on Android, Gmail, Chrome, Photos, & Google apps. Opt out of AI tracking now!
Earlier this year, we warned you to turn off Gemini on Android because Google decided that its AI would have access to its users' apps - even if they had previously turned tracking for Gemini Apps Activity off. So regardless of whether you told Google’s Gemini not to track you in the past, its AI tool might be able to run tasks like send WhatsApp messages, set timers, and even make calls on your Android device. Worryingly, Google's AI invasion does not stop there. Now, Google has turned on settings like smart features, without your consent, and Gemini can scan your Gmail emails, Photos, Drive, and other apps. In this guide, we show you how to turn off Gemini on Android and all your Google apps – Gmail, Chrome, Photos, and more. Protect your privacy and your data from invasive AI tracking!
tuta.com
November 22, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Reposted by Marsden
Now, wealth tax. Sure, tax away. But, it's after the fact - pissing in the wind. The rules needs to change - bring assets into public ownership, seize rentals that are unfit for humans (3 strikes and you're out for rentiers), provide fixed-rate state mortgages so banks can't suck us dry etc. [Ends]
November 22, 2025 at 6:18 AM
Now, wealth tax. Sure, tax away. But, it's after the fact - pissing in the wind. The rules needs to change - bring assets into public ownership, seize rentals that are unfit for humans (3 strikes and you're out for rentiers), provide fixed-rate state mortgages so banks can't suck us dry etc. [Ends]
Reposted by Marsden
Nearly at the $200k mark.
9 days to go.
9 days to go.
November 21, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Nearly at the $200k mark.
9 days to go.
9 days to go.
Reposted by Marsden
Here’s a Saturday long read for you 🌸
‘Chillingly familiar’: Why the McSkimming report hit hard for sex workers and a waitress
The scathing IPCA report on police handling of complaints about Jevon McSkimming has resurfaced concerns in two high profile cases
www.stuff.co.nz
November 21, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Here’s a Saturday long read for you 🌸
Reposted by Marsden
Bullshit alert: some NZ politicians (dishonestly) claiming that the puberty blocker ban is about "saving" kids from "unnecessary" medical interventions and "letting them make up their own minds"
No, that's *what puberty blockers* do. It gives those kids time to work out their own identity.
No, that's *what puberty blockers* do. It gives those kids time to work out their own identity.
November 21, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Bullshit alert: some NZ politicians (dishonestly) claiming that the puberty blocker ban is about "saving" kids from "unnecessary" medical interventions and "letting them make up their own minds"
No, that's *what puberty blockers* do. It gives those kids time to work out their own identity.
No, that's *what puberty blockers* do. It gives those kids time to work out their own identity.
"So in relative GDP terms, what the Marshall Islands just did is equivalent to the United States paying everyone a basic income of around $750 per month, no strings attached."
#UBI
scottsantens.substack.com/p/marshall-i...
#UBI
scottsantens.substack.com/p/marshall-i...
The Marshall Islands Just Quietly Implemented the First National Universal Basic Income (UBI)
How the Marshall Islands built the first nationwide universal basic income, funded by a US-capitalized Compact Trust Fund, and what it means for UBI everywhere.
scottsantens.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:55 AM
"So in relative GDP terms, what the Marshall Islands just did is equivalent to the United States paying everyone a basic income of around $750 per month, no strings attached."
#UBI
scottsantens.substack.com/p/marshall-i...
#UBI
scottsantens.substack.com/p/marshall-i...
Reposted by Marsden
You’re only meant to put containers that are 4 litres or less in the regular recycling, so is there somewhere that takes larger containers? Or should we only bulk buy when we can reuse the packaging (which I know is best, but also spoons)?
November 20, 2025 at 11:17 PM
You’re only meant to put containers that are 4 litres or less in the regular recycling, so is there somewhere that takes larger containers? Or should we only bulk buy when we can reuse the packaging (which I know is best, but also spoons)?
Reposted by Marsden
I owe Substack, but I owe the next writer too. I had to choose - and in the end, the choice was easy. See you on the other side.
open.substack.com/pub/theendis...
open.substack.com/pub/theendis...
I'm ghosting Substack
Kia ora friends!
open.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:50 AM
I owe Substack, but I owe the next writer too. I had to choose - and in the end, the choice was easy. See you on the other side.
open.substack.com/pub/theendis...
open.substack.com/pub/theendis...
Reposted by Marsden
Tonight, Ōtautahi DID gather. On incredibly short notice, we had 50+ trans people, whānau, parents, tamariki, doctors, allies turn out to recognise TDoR and to share their anger. This ban will not last. Thank you, Ōtautahi. I love you, trans people.
Tonight, Ōtautahi will gather to recognise trans day of remembrance and to give our communities a chance to breathe, to share their grief, and to plan our actions. Aotearoa won’t let this stand, because Aotearoa cares for its children - and can see right through the bullshit.
November 20, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Tonight, Ōtautahi DID gather. On incredibly short notice, we had 50+ trans people, whānau, parents, tamariki, doctors, allies turn out to recognise TDoR and to share their anger. This ban will not last. Thank you, Ōtautahi. I love you, trans people.
Reposted by Marsden
This funding environment is brutal. Four grants rejected this month :( The latest a small grant-in-aid from a charity that I’ve not had a no from in the ~15 years I’ve been applying to them. They always try to give a little bit. And this for follow on funding for work published in Nature Comms 😢
November 20, 2025 at 7:03 PM
This funding environment is brutal. Four grants rejected this month :( The latest a small grant-in-aid from a charity that I’ve not had a no from in the ~15 years I’ve been applying to them. They always try to give a little bit. And this for follow on funding for work published in Nature Comms 😢
Reposted by Marsden
We elect people who value numbers on a piece of paper over whether actual people eat or have a roof over their head or can get healthcare when they sick. We elect people who value numbers on a piece of a paper over children eating or being educated. I also note that the numbers are all fake.
November 19, 2025 at 8:51 PM
We elect people who value numbers on a piece of paper over whether actual people eat or have a roof over their head or can get healthcare when they sick. We elect people who value numbers on a piece of a paper over children eating or being educated. I also note that the numbers are all fake.
Reposted by Marsden
On NRT: Leave the kids alone - norightturn.blogspot.com/2025/11/leav...
Leave the kids alone
Like many others, I am outraged by the regime's decision today to ban the use of puberty-blockers for trans (but not cis) children . And whi...
norightturn.blogspot.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:32 AM
On NRT: Leave the kids alone - norightturn.blogspot.com/2025/11/leav...
"It’s infuriating because it’s so simple. When a mine explodes, you go in to find out why. When a crime happens, you investigate the crime scene. When 29 men die in a New Zealand workplace, someone has to be held accountable. It’s the only right and proper thing to do. But it hasn’t been done."
It's the 15th anniversary of the Pike River mine disaster. Here's something I wrote about it in 2017, which I'm very proud of, but also makes me sad, because the families are STILL fighting for real justice
Enough bullshit. After all these years the Pike River families deserve answers
The leaking of previously unseen footage from within the mine drift shortly after the explosion only adds to the overwhelming case for re-entering the mine and bringing justice to the bereaved, writes...
thespinoff.co.nz
November 19, 2025 at 7:28 AM
"It’s infuriating because it’s so simple. When a mine explodes, you go in to find out why. When a crime happens, you investigate the crime scene. When 29 men die in a New Zealand workplace, someone has to be held accountable. It’s the only right and proper thing to do. But it hasn’t been done."
Reposted by Marsden
Puberty blockers are safe and proven - the THIRD PARAGRAPH acknowledges that children WILL still be prescribed them, just not if they're trans
This is an attack on trans children, full stop
This government does not care about children, full stop
This is an attack on trans children, full stop
This government does not care about children, full stop
The Government is banning new patients from being prescribed the most common form of puberty blocker and is explicitly aligning NZ's future policy on this matter to the UK's. PR below.
November 19, 2025 at 4:26 AM
Puberty blockers are safe and proven - the THIRD PARAGRAPH acknowledges that children WILL still be prescribed them, just not if they're trans
This is an attack on trans children, full stop
This government does not care about children, full stop
This is an attack on trans children, full stop
This government does not care about children, full stop
Reposted by Marsden
Back to the streets: Rotorua’s enduring homelessness crisis
Back to the streets: Rotorua’s enduring homelessness crisis
Once the emergency housing capital of the country, the last government-contracted motel in Rotorua is set to close in December. But that doesn’t mean homelessness in the city has gone away....
thespinoff.co.nz
November 18, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Back to the streets: Rotorua’s enduring homelessness crisis
"In short, there is an awful lot going on in this country’s schools. So, in case you blinked, here’s a rundown of the recent education changes worth having on your radar."
#NZPol #AoPol #NZSchools #Aotearoa #Education #NCEA
#NZPol #AoPol #NZSchools #Aotearoa #Education #NCEA
A crash course in the many changes shaking up education in Aotearoa
A crash course in the many changes shaking up education in Aotearoa
Struggling to get your head around the recent barrage of education-related headlines? Here's a rundown....
thespinoff.co.nz
November 18, 2025 at 9:46 PM
"In short, there is an awful lot going on in this country’s schools. So, in case you blinked, here’s a rundown of the recent education changes worth having on your radar."
#NZPol #AoPol #NZSchools #Aotearoa #Education #NCEA
#NZPol #AoPol #NZSchools #Aotearoa #Education #NCEA