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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…

By around the age of 65, things start to shift. That’s often when people begin thinking about retirement, or at least stepping back a bit. You’re in your comfort zone at work – not pushing yourself as much, not learning new things – and that lack of challenge accelerates ageing. But far from being too late, your sixties might actually be the perfect time to consider your health. · 63-year-old GP and longevity expert Dr Sabine Donnai explains…

The Green Party stated that they will revoke any consents or permits issued under this Government’s new fast-track legislation for coal mining, hard-rock gold mining and seabed mining. The Government’s bill covers mining as well as infrastructure, quarrying, housing, renewable energy and farming projects. · Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said the legislation had failed “even the most basic standards of transparency, accountability and…

“A hundred immigrants just landed have been sent here. The Government found them lodgings and give them rations . . . till they can be sent forth to their own grants of land.”1 These were just some of the immigrants who had recently arrived as part of the Waikato Immigration Scheme.2 Between October 1864 and June 1865, thirteen ships arrived in Auckland with settlers from Scotland, Ireland, England and South Africa on board. With promises of…

Internet freedoms declined for the 15th consecutive year, according to a new Freedom House report that warns governments are rapidly eroding online privacy in the name of safety, regulation, and child protection. The report finds that 21 of 72 countries attempted to block VPNs or other privacy tools over the past five years, while many democracies are now adopting policies once associated with authoritarian states. Freedom House says this…

The Nursing Council states that it is committed to ensuring Te Tiriti o Waitangi is instilled into the values of their organisation and is fundamental to the way in which the Council undertakes its statutory roles. As a regulatory authority, independent from the Crown, they state they have a responsibility to work with iwi and Māori to give effect to and realise the promise of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. · They state that achieving this will require…

Despite the advice of two of the most successful pop anthems of the last two decades, when it comes to depression, no one can just “shake it off” or “let it go.” If we jump back to 1988, we’ll find the advice “don’t worry, be happy” to be just as worthless. People can’t simply “think their way” out of depression, and hectoring them to do so probably makes them feel worse, which can lead to terrible results. That’s because depression isn’t…

New Zealand is in the midst of a debate over a single word: “corruption.” The explosive police cover-up scandal involving former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming and then-Commissioner Andrew Coster has rattled public trust. But is it corruption? In a country that prides itself on being “least corrupt”, many leaders are tripping over themselves to avoid the term. This reluctance at the top is now part of the scandal’s fallout, raising deeper…