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Pharmacists or Witchdoctors · It seems that the Pharmacy Council has chosen for us that we will now have to have pharmacists with the skills of witchdoctors. · Pharmacists across New Zealand are upset over new cultural competency rules imposed by the Pharmacy Council. · "All pharmacists to be “confident to perform waiata tautoko,” a Maori support song, and to advocate for “giving effect to te Tiriti at all levels,” “prioritising Maori voices…

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…

After more than a year on the run in northern Italy, escaped New Zealand prisoner of war David Russell was recaptured and executed on February28th, 1945. His courage in the face of death earned him the first George Cross awarded to a member of New Zealand’s military. · Captured by German forces in July 1942 at Ruweisat Ridge in Egypt, Russell spent a year in an Italian work camp before making his escape after Italy’s surrender in September…

Failure to adequately fund Health · Our coalition government made all sorts of promises; both as the independent parties they were prior to forming a government and after forming the coalition government. · Yet it seems that they have all got a serious case of memory lapse or else they think they can treat us the NZ voters, as idiots that won’t complain when they ignore their campaign promises. · I have lost track of the number of times that…

New Zealand’s top jobs are controlled by a “corrupt inner circle” of political insiders who reward their mates, argues economist Robert MacCulloch. · Speaking on The Platform, he called out a rigged system where the same unqualified people rotate through high-status positions—regardless of which party is in power. · MacCulloch didn’t mince words, accusing the financial and political elite of running a monopoly that shuts out true competition.…