Articles from ‘elocal magazine’

NewstalkZB’s Mike Hosking says the country witnessed an extraordinary education result this week, but almost the entirety of NZ’s mainstream media chose not to report it. · He describes watching the Prime Minister and Education Minister announce the findings of a nationwide maths acceleration trial involving 1,500 Year 7 and 8 students who were more than a year behind in maths. Two models were tested. The intensive, in-person support model saw…

The World Bank has long defined corruption as the abuse of public office for private gain. Transparency International defines it as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. Many commentators and politicians are shying away from referring to the current scandal engulfing our police as corruption. Regardless of what label we apply to this behaviour, dishonest conduct by powerful people carries broader societal implications. A number of…

As the two most popular pets in the world, it’s impossible not to compare cats and dogs. We talk about which species is the better companion and which is the best cuddler, and there’s also the age-old debate of which animal is smarter. While dog people will always refer to canine trainability, we can’t discount a cat’s independence and problem-solving. · Pet owners could debate the merits of each species all day, but thankfully, scientists have…

The government has slashed New Zealand’s clean car standard by 80 percent, cancelling an estimated $265 million in penalties on higher-emission “ordinary” cars. · Transport Minister Chris Bishop said, “the bottom’s fallen out of the EV market,” as importers face both low demand and tight supply. Safety concerns now dominate public discussion. Officials stress that EV fires remain rare, but the cluster of incidents, the lack of clear public…

This is a very substantial dish, packed with a host of health-boosting ingredients. It’s also super-adaptable, so feel free to add or swap in some of the optional additions listed below to adapt it to your tastes and add some variety to your weekly lunches. Ingredients · - 100g (1⁄2 cup/3 1⁄2oz) long-grain brown rice - 1 large carrot, peeled and julienned or grated - 2 medium cooked vac-packed beetroots (beets), sliced - 1⁄3 cucumber,…

New Zealand today stands in the jaws of a recession deeper and more structural than anything we have seen in decades. Businesses are folding. Workers are fleeing. Families are giving up hope. And yet, somehow, among all the noise, one catastrophic act of economic vandalism continues to escape the national reckoning it deserves: The deliberate destruction of New Zealand’s only oil refinery at Marsden Point. · Not downgraded. Not…

New Zealand’s Supreme Court has ruled that four Uber drivers who challenged their status are employees, not contractors. The ruling applies only to the four drivers who brought the case, but it opens the door for thousands of contractors with a single dominant platform or employer to argue they are, in fact, employees entitled to minimum wage, guaranteed hours, paid leave, and the right to bring personal grievances. · The case stems from a 2022…

After years of denouncing ACT and its bills as racist and colonial, newly independent MPs Takuta Ferris and Mariameno Kapa Kingi have suddenly reversed their votes to back ACT’s Medicines Amendment Bill in the House. After initially voting against their former party, Te Pāti Māori, both MPs stood in the House to “correct” the record, insisting the anti-bill votes had been cast by mistake. · The Greens say that their explanation is simply not…

When audiences first saw The Wizard of Oz in 1939, they were dazzled by the movie’s use of Technicolor. Dorothy’s ruby slippers sparkled, the yellow brick road gleamed and the Wicked Witch of the West appeared in a shocking shade of green skin. But L. Frank Baum’s original book never described her that way. How does the Wicked Witch appear in the original story? · In Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West is…

Humans do it, monkeys do it, even polar bears do it. And now researchers have reconstructed the evolutionary origins of kissing. Their study suggests that the mouth-on-mouth kiss evolved more than 21 million years ago, and was something that the common ancestor of humans and other great apes probably indulged in. The same research concluded that Neanderthals may have kissed too – and that humans and Neanderthals may even have smooched one…