Articles from ‘elocal magazine’

A German economist writing satire about New Zealand sounds like the opening line of a bad joke. · The joke gets longer when you learn the plot: two Martian auditors land in the Wairarapa expecting humanity at its best, are promptly fined for parking without consent, and proceed on a reluctant tiki tour of the country in the company of a Wellington bureaucrat named Ben, who has quietly decided his career is over and he may as well help them. What…

The Free Speech Union (FSU) has welcomed the Government’s decision to disestablish the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA), describing the move as a major reversal of what it calls years of regulatory overreach into online speech. By elocal staff · In a media release issued on May 6, Free Speech Union Chief Executive Jillaine Heather said the Government had made “the right call” by abandoning the BSA model and instead investigating voluntary…

Migrants applying for New Zealand citizenship will soon be required to pass a new multiple-choice citizenship test under a government initiative expected to take effect in late 2027. By RNZ Parliamentary reporters · The proposed test will require applicants to demonstrate knowledge of what the government describes as the “responsibilities and privileges” of being a New Zealand citizen. Topics are expected to include democratic principles, the…

A recent Redeacted News investigation hosted by Natalie Morris is drawing renewed attention to the origins of modern Christian Zionism and the controversial history behind one of the most influential study Bibles ever published. · The report centres on the Scofield Reference Bible, a heavily annotated Bible first published in the early 1900s that helped popularise the belief that the modern state of Israel plays a central role in biblical…

A question worth asking as identity, policy, and performance collide · The question posed in the Norwegian piece is confronting, but it is not uniquely Norwegian. · That got me thinking... It is a question New Zealanders should be asking themselves. · Not emotionally. Not reactively. But honestly. · Have we seen something similar happen here? · A shifting definition of identity · New Zealand once had a clearly understood cultural identity. ·…

The 1960s were a turning point for Norwegian identity. Most Norwegians didn’t notice it at the time, but the arrival of the first illegal Pakistani immigrants would eventually erode the very community and sense of self on which the country had been built. These young Pakistani men began arriving in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Many came via Germany or other European countries on tourist visas, fully intending to stay. By Rebecca Mistereggen…

By The Conversation · Amid a worsening global energy crisis, New Zealand and Singapore’s freshly struck deal to keep fuel and other essential goods flowing is being touted as a boost to supply chain resilience. · The agreement commits both countries not to impose export restrictions on each other during economic upheaval. But it also highlights an uncomfortable reality facing New Zealand’s energy security, which depends heavily on fuel stored…

At Acacia Cove Village, life doesn’t get smaller. It gets easier, more social, and a whole lot more enjoyable. With the day-to-day taken care of, your time becomes your own again. That means: · • more time to do what you enjoy • more opportunities to connect • more freedom to actually live · And then there’s the lifestyle. · As Bruce Cullington explains: · “Another really popular reason that people go to villages is because they offer…

Kiwibank Update: Markets Hold Steady As Pressure Builds Beneath The Surface · by elocal Economics Desk · Kiwibank’s latest commentary paints a picture of an economy that, on the surface, appears stable, but beneath that surface, pressure is continuing to build across multiple fronts. · At the centre of the update is a growing disconnect between global market behaviour and underlying economic risk. · Oil Volatility Returns · Global oil markets…

By Fall of the Cabal (Cynthia) · This week, Elon Musk delivered a stark warning about the future of artificial intelligence, describing it as a “double-edged sword” capable of transforming humanity or destroying it. · “Solve all the diseases and make everyone prosperous, or it could kill us all.” · Musk’s comments centred around the rapid approach of artificial general intelligence (AGI), a point at which AI could surpass human capability. ·…