Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 5d

I spent the entire time I was 18/19 as a full time student and I didn't move out permanently until I was 23, but the security of govt support is what made living independently viable. If I'd been relying on work for income I think I'd have to have stayed with family for much longer.

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 5d

I think this is founded on cruelty rather than logic but...
Having the guarantee of jobseeker surely makes it much more viable to move to where the jobs are, whereas being reliant on parents for support pretty much guarantees you're stuck living at home.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Watch: Christopher Luxon defends cuts to benefits for youth

The prime minister says businesses are 'crying out for young people' as advocates decry the changes as a punishment.

www.rnz.co.nz

1 6

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 8d

I'll admit I'm not exactly itching to move back to the North Shore and there's a long way to go before local trips are as good as the inner west but if every NX1 and NX2 had bike racks living on the North Shore and bike commuting would be a lot more viable.

3

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 8d

As much as the bike bus trial sucks it really has enabled new journeys for me and has definitely prevented some car trips. I hope it leads to better things and its limited use doesn't discourage us from better bike infrastructure to the North Shore.

The back wheels and seats of two bikes on the bike rack on the side of a bus. My helmet is resting on the back of one of the bikes.

2 10

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 12d

Sounds like the changes are generally a good thing though. I'm just sceptical about saving money.

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 12d

I guess there's one answer:

"the proposed “savings” resulting from the change in the system may be less when considering the additional benefits of strengthening buildings including lower repair costs, better community outcomes, and reduced environmental impact."

Science Media Centre NZ @smcnz.bsky.social · 12d

Quake-prone buildings redefined – Expert Reaction

Quake-prone buildings redefined - Expert Reaction - Science Media Centre

Government changes to the earthquake-prone building system will remove nearly 3000 buildings from the classification. Following the Seismic Risk Management Review, Building and Construction Minister Chris...

www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz

1 2

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 12d

I don't know anything about building regulations but it's difficult to believe that anything that's saving $8 billion is making things safer overall.

www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Watch: Government announces shake-up of earthquake strengthening laws

A new "risk-based" approach to earthquake strengthening will allegedly save building owners more than $8.2 billion across the country.

www.rnz.co.nz

1 2 8

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 13d

I'm suggesting permanent UTC+13, so those times are right. Personally I'd rather take the light in the evening than in the morning

1 1

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 13d

I reckon we should go on permanent daylight saving time again.

2 1

Reposted by Ryan Nicholls

David Cormack @davidcormack.bsky.social · 14d

We watch a people go through an attempted genocide, and we sit back and say you are no people. You have no state.

For you see, we are friends with both you and your murderer.

Luxon says we're friends with both Israel and Palestine

22 79 240

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 15d

...was truly about the speed of the count then they'd go back to the drawing board and look at other ways of speeding things up. Instead they're just going to make it harder to vote. What do they have to fear from more people voting?

1

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 15d

It's much more important that we count votes properly and make voting accessible to as many people as possible. A few weeks wait is nothing, it takes parties longer to form coalitions.

The government has been told that their proposed changes won't speed up election results. If their concern...

1 2

Reposted by Ryan Nicholls

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 15d

Main conclusion is that counting votes in NZ is not particularly slow even by Luxon's metric, and where counting votes is significantly faster (like the UK) it's enabled by simpler voting systems and restricted access to voting.

But I also think that it doesn't matter if it takes a while to count.

1 1 1

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 15d

Main conclusion is that counting votes in NZ is not particularly slow even by Luxon's metric, and where counting votes is significantly faster (like the UK) it's enabled by simpler voting systems and restricted access to voting.

But I also think that it doesn't matter if it takes a while to count.

1 1 1

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 15d

France legislative 2024: 30 Jun-8 Jul?? (France is weird because they have a second round)
Spain 2023: 23 Jul-7 Aug (15 days)
and at this point I got bored doing this

1 1

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 15d

Ireland 2024: 29 Nov-2 Dec (3 days)
UK 2025: 4 Jul-6 Jul (2 days)
US presidential 2024: 5 Nov-22 Nov (17 days)
Figuring out the answer for non-Anglosphere "economies" is much harder because there's less info in English but
Germany 2025: 23 Feb-24 Feb?? (1 day?)
Italy 2022: 25 Sep-29 Sep? (4 days?)

1 1

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 15d

The last NZ election had final results announced 20 days after polling day. Other countries don't necessarily do it the same so I've just measured to the final seat being declared or whatever equivalent.
Australia 2025: 3 May-4 Jun (32 days)
Canada 2025: 28 Apr-25 May (25 days)

1 3

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 15d

Might be a near perfect bullshit Luxo quote.
"Go look at other Western economies around the world and how fast they count their vote. We must be the slowest folk on the planet."
'western economies'? Confident exaggeration. And he's definitely wrong
www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

'Slowest folk on the planet': Luxon says he wants votes to be counted faster

The prime minister says he expects the Electoral Commission to speed up the official vote count after an election.

www.rnz.co.nz

1 1 16

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · 17d

He'd be the only one until you got back to the 1920s and even then it wasn't much different. Joseph Ward (who'd already been PM 20 years earlier) won the 1928 election and then resigned in 1930, shortly before dying.

1

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · Sep 4

tall buildings are really cool

A traffic light holding a street sign for Wellesley St East in the foreground. In the background the top half of the Sky Tower pokes out above shorter buildings lining Queen St.

A slightly wobbly reflection of the Sky Tower in a glass skyscraper. Surrounding it are signs for a pharmacy, McDonalds, traffic lights, nīkau, the town hall, the metro centre.

The Sky Tower poking between skyscrapers next to 205 Queen St against sky just after sunset. Down near street level a bright pink lit up star hangs from a street light.

A long exposure of a moving bus with its rear lights and destination screen forming long red and yellow streaks. Behind it are tall buildings down at the bottom of Queen St. There is a bus stop on the left of the frame.

3

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · Sep 1

I let my phone con me into finally letting it update and now everything is wrong and I hate it

1

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · Aug 14

several times over the last few years I've tried to go out of my way to catch the train instead of flying and almost every time I've had to give up on the idea because I can't travel on the days I need to

Screenshot of the timetable page for the northern explorer: " Northern Explorer timetable

Northern Explorer Auckland to Wellington trains depart southbound on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.

Northern Explorer Wellington to Auckland trains depart northbound on Friday, Sunday, and Wednesday."

3

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · Aug 14

got to go down to Wellington next week and the train works out to be comparable to flying in cost (at such short notice), I can work on the train so the time commitment doesn't matter but... the train runs in the opposite directions on the days I need...

1 3

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · Aug 5

Strikes me that if these were the real problems with NCEA they could be easily adjusted. NAME could be DCBA, they could add a requirement for a certain number of external credits, etc.
The insistence that it's difficult to understand does seem revealing though. It's not _that_ complicated.

1 6

Ryan Nicholls @royuniscool.bsky.social · Aug 5

welcome discovery as I prepare for an impulsive trip out hoping to get to the shops before they close

a fairly chunky staple sticking out of the rear tyre on my bike

1