Articles from ‘elocal magazine’

How should the government fund the billions more dollars needed to improve New Zealand’s infrastructure, boost defence spending and much else? · It must be done by some combination of cutting other spending, raising taxes, borrowing, or selling assets. Raising tax rates rubs against the government’s growth objective. Borrowing is troubling because the public debt is already imprudently high. · Asset sales should be in the mix. This week, the…

In the US, a whistleblower has claimed that the National Security Agency (NSA), the US government’s electronic surveillance and codebreaking agency, has been infiltrated by radical gender activists. · In response, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard ordered an investigation, demanding that participants be identified, fired, and stripped of security clearances. · The controversy arose after City Journal exposed an NSA sex chatroom…

A new global satellite study confirms what many suspected—New Zealand isn’t even on the map when it comes to the world’s biggest methane emitters. · The study, which analysed data from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-5P satellite, found that the worst methane emissions come from massive wetlands and fossil fuel extraction sites overseas. · The Sudd wetland in South Sudan tops the list at 4.5 million tons per year, while Argentina’s Iberá…

In 79 A.D, Mt. Vesuvius erupted, killing thousands of people in the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Currents of hot gas and volcanic matter, ash and gases, as well as subsequent earthquakes caused brutal, widespread devastation. Archaeological evidence even reveals the brain of one young man who died lying in his bed became the only known example of a person’s brain vitrifying—i.e., turning to glass. · Finding brain tissue in an…

One of the most-read books in New Zealand publishing history, A good keen man published on March 3rd 1960 established Barry Crump’s reputation as an iconic ‘Kiwi bloke’. · Crump’s 20-odd books capturing the humour and personalities of rural New Zealand had sold more than a million copies by the time he died in 1996. He appealed to many Kiwis as a ‘man’s man’ who could tell a great yarn. · Toyota utilised Crump’s down-to-earth style in a series…

If only CNN’s Jake Tapper – and so many others in his line of work – could go back in time. · Tapper became the subject of conservative scorn this week after announcing that he and ace Axios reporter Alex Thompson had authored a new book about the collapse of former president Joe Biden’s re-election campaign. · According to publisher Penguin Random House, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Coverup, and His Disastrous Choice to Run…

Pharmacists across New Zealand are upset over new cultural competency rules imposed by the Pharmacy Council, which require them to perform Māori waiata, prioritise Māori voices, and advocate for Te Tiriti principles. · Critics argue these mandates are an ideological overreach, undermining scientific standards and placing unnecessary barriers on professionals. · Christchurch journalist Chris Lynch reports that former pharmaceutical practitioner…

undbreaking new chip brings quantum computing within touching distance, according to its manufacturer Microsoft, potentially heralding a new era of tech-powered problem solving for some of the world’s most pressing ills. · At the heart of Microsoft’s Majorana 1 chip is the world’s first ‘topoconductor’, capable of creating a new state of matter which is not a solid, liquid or gas. · The company likens its breakthrough to the invention of…

• The usually loud and opinionated Te Pāti Māori MPs have largely fallen silent after the recent release of official reports into Manurewa Marae. · • The police investigation into allegations of the misuse of data at the marae is only one of the party’s looming problems. · • The retender process for Whānau Ora funding started last year will soon decide which organisations get tens of millions in taxpayer cash. · • It is possible John…

Free digital platform offers practical resources for managing climate risks · Climate Connect Aotearoa, a hub for collaborative climate innovation established by Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (the region’s economic and cultural agency) on behalf of Auckland Council, has launched a new digital tool called ClimateWise, designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) adapt to climate change. · The free platform provides practical tools and…