Dealing Crackdown, Addiction Support: Government Action On Synthetics

The NZ Drug Foundation has welcomed the Government’s response to synthetic drug deaths. The response strikes a balance between giving law enforcement the tools they need to target criminal networks and changing drug law to make it easier for people to access help when they need it. More>>

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - Crackdown on synthetic drug dealers
• National - Government moves to decriminalise drugs - Earlier Filibustering means synthetics Bill won’t pass this year
• NZ First - NZ First Endorses Government Action Against Synthetics
• Greens - Drug addiction to be treated like a health issue
• ACT - Government plays whack-a-mole on synthetics
• Hapai Te Hauora - Hāpai Te Hauora applauds ‘significant step’
• Police Association - Police Association conditional support to drug initiatives
• DAPAANZ - Response to Govt crack-down on synthetic drug dealers
• Auckland City Mission - City Mission Welcomes Measures to Tackle Synthetic Drugs
• Salvation Army - New Approach to Drugs Will Save Lives
• National Addiction Centre - Important step in the right direction
• Out-Link - Just quietly, this is a big deal • Hard News • Public Address

Strategy Committee Unanimous: Wellington To Forge Ahead With Convention Centre

The three-storey Cable Street building, with around 18,000-square metres of floor space, will comfortably be able to host 1500 people for conventions. It includes a 1651sq m exhibition area that will attract international exhibitions too big for nearby Te Papa and provide an always-changing visitor attraction. More>>

ALSO:

• Wellington Chamber Of Commerce - Wellington Business Looking Forward to New Convention Space

Surveying The Surveillance: First IGIS Review Of Warrants Under New Act

The report sets out the Inspector-General’s interpretation of the new warrant provisions under the ISA and her expectations of the GCSB and NZSIS when they prepare warrant applications. More>>

SSC: 2018 Public Service Workforce Data Published

State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes has published the 2018 Our People, Public Service Workforce Data , which shows the Public Service is making significant progress in important areas. More>>

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - Progress for women in the public service
• Image average state sector gender pay gap - via - Diversity and Inclusion | State Services Commission

Sinking Cap: Auctions, Permanent Forests, Added To ETS

The move to auctions, signalled in an August consultation paper, will help put a cap on the number of emission units available over time. Annual announcements, looking forward five years, will help provide certainty for scheme participants, she said. More>>

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - New Zealand to phase down use of HFCs from 2020 - Improvements to New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme - ETS forestry improvements to create more benefits for NZ - NZ's National Statement to COP24 Climate Summit
• Greenpeace NZ - Greenpeace upset at failure to include agriculture in ETS
• BusinessNZ - Steady ETS development
• Maori Climate Commissioner - Māori Climate Commissioner condemns Aust's climate denial
• UNFCCC - Join the Talanoa Call for Action

Joint Select Committee Report: Achieving Smokefree 2025

In a historic first for select committees, the Māori Affairs Committee and the Health Committee presented their joint report on achieving the Smokefree 2025 goal to the House on Tuesday, 11 December 2018. More>>

"Shared Interests And Democratic Values": Peters To Visit USA

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will travel to Washington D.C. for talks with US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and other senior members of the US Administration. More>>

Budget Policy Statement: 'Wellbeing Of NZers At The Heart Of Budget Priorities'

“We want a wellbeing focus to drive the decisions we make about Government policies and Budget initiatives. This means looking beyond traditional measures - such as GDP - to a wider set of indicators of success,” Grant Robertson said. More>>

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - Forecasts show solid economic fundamentals - Making sure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely
• National - Govt eyes $17.7B more tax as economy slows
• ACT - Kiwis struggling as tax take nears 50K per household
• The Treasury and the Reserve Bank - Monthly Economic Indicators November 2018
• NZ Taxpayers' Union - Wellbeing approach needs more detail - Growing surpluses show need for tax cuts, not a CGT

Short Of 2017 Record: Insurers Pay $226m Over Extreme Weather

Insurers have spent more than $226 million this year helping customers recover from extreme weather, according to data from the Insurance Council of NZ (ICNZ). More>>

Environment Commissioner: Transparent Overseer Needed To Regulate Water Quality

Overseer was originally developed as a farm management tool to calculate nutrient loss but is increasingly being used by councils in regulation... “Confidence in Overseer can only be improved by opening up its workings to greater scrutiny.” More>>

ALSO:

• BusinessDesk - Underfunded Overseer tool needs thorough review
• Local Govt NZ - Potential for Overseer to improve water quality
• Federated Farmers - Feds back recommendations for Overseer improvements
• Environment Canterbury - Environment Canterbury welcomes PCE report on Oveseer

Deal Now Reached: Air NZ Workers Vote To Strike

Last week union members voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in response to the company’s low offer and requests for cuts to sick leave and overtime. More>>

ALSO:

• BusinessDesk - Transport strikes averted
• RNZ - Air NZ engineers' strike could affect 100,000 people
• E tu - Air NZ: We have a deal
• Air NZ - Air New Zealand Strike notice lifted after agreement - Update on proposed strike action
• National - Govt set stage for looming Air NZ strike chaos

Gordon Campbell: On The Brexit & Huawei Clusterfudges

Come December 2019, the West’s social democracies could be gone through quite a few changes at the top. More>>

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - Foreign Minister to visit United States of America
• Gordon Campbell - On Judgment Day for Theresa May

UN Rights Declaration At 70: We Are All Born Free And Equal

On Article 1 of the UDHR: Dignity is the foundation of all human rights. Human beings have rights, and should be treated with utmost care, precisely because each one possesses intrinsic worth. More>>

ALSO:

• Binoy Kampmark - Charters and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Amnesty International - Amnesty publishes review of human rights in 2018
• Image via Out-Link - Universal Declaration of Human Rights | United Nations

Gordon Campbell: On The (Delayed) Judgment Day For Theresa May

When under stress, British PM Theresa May reportedly eats peanut butter straight from the jar. Crunch time is looming... More>>

ALSO:

• Out-Link - Theresa May calls off MPs' vote on her Brexit deal - BBC News
• Out-Link - Labour MP grabs the mace during parliament – video | The Guardian
• Out-Link - Andy Serkis reprises Gollum to mock Theresa May, Brexit
• EU Court of Justice - Judgment: UK free to revoke article 50 notification

Gordon Campbell: On Politely Fake Political Obituaries (And The Paris Discord)

One unfortunate side effect of “personality politics” is that when prominent politicians die, the niceties we observe at the death of private individuals get automatically extended to them as well... More>>

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - Kelvin Davis to represent New Zealand at Bush Funeral - PM's condolences on the passing of George H.W. Bush
• Binoy Kampmark - George H.W. Bush: Cold War Ends and New World Orders
• Prof. Francis A. Boyle - United States War Crimes During the First Persian Gulf War

Unique And Vanishing: NZ Biodiversity Losses Match Global Crisis

One might think that it is buffered from some of the effects of biological erosion, especially since people only arrived less than 800 years ago. But as we show, the impact on wildlife has been catastrophic. More>>

Your Name Here(ish): Sponsor A Section On Scoop.co.nz!

Scoop.co.nz has just launched Section Sponsorships - the newest way for you to gain exposure for your brand to Scoop’s high value audience of 500,000 monthly readers. More>>

ALSO:

• Joseph Cederwall - Scoop Section Sponsorships: An Opportunity to Collaborate

COP24: Rapid Action Urged At Climate Change Conference

Following a year of devastating climate disasters around the globe, from California to Kerala, and Tonga to Japan, the annual UN Climate Change Conference opens with the goal of finalising the implementation guidelines for the Paris Climate Change Agreement. More>>

ALSO:

• United Nations - G20 told COP24 climate change conference 'must succeed' - CO2 emissions on the rise for first time in four years - UN - #TakeYourSeat at the UN Climate Change Conference
• NZ Govt - Conference to write rules on climate change action
• RNZ - Climate change risk assessment faces uninsurable 'conundrum'
• Global Climate and Health Alliance - Lancet Countdown Climate and Health Report
• Maori Climate Commissioner - Maori Climate Commissioner demands government response
• NZ Climate And Health - Major health report shows urgent climate action needed
• Association of Salaried Medical Specialists - Senior doctors urge action on climate change
• BusinessDesk - Govt opens $238M of grants to encourage tree planting
• NZ Energy and Environment Business Week - Crown Minerals Act Review coming, as DoC mining ban delayed
• University of Otago - Cycle lanes and walkways cut car use

New Report: Refugees In PNG Being Pushed To The Brink

Refugee Council of Australia and Amnesty International paint a stark picture of a traumatised refugee population hit hard by Australia's recent healthcare and counselling service cuts, as well as continued threats to their safety. More>>

ALSO:

• Amnesty International - Australian and PNG leaders must act urgently to save lives

Jamal Khashoggi: UK, France, Germany Join Calls For Credible Investigation

Germany, the United Kingdom and France share the grave concern expressed by others including HRVP Mogherini and UNSG Guterres, and are treating this incident with the utmost seriousness. More>>

ALSO:

• Gordon Campbell - The West’s role arming Khashoggi’s killers - On the polls and National’s leadership (and Erdogan)
• NZ Govt - Death of Jamal Khashoggi
• United Nations - Business leaders standing up for missing Saudi journalist - UN experts deeply concerned by State-sponsored abductions - Saudi Arabia urged to reveal all it knows about Khasoggi - UN demands probe into disappearance of Saudi journalist
• Binoy Kampmark - Embassy Disappearances: Jamal Khashoggi
• Ross Meurant - Praetorian Guards - Protection for They Who Expose Bad Things
• UN Watch - Saudi rights record praised by 75 UN delegations

MSF Not Wanted: Nauru Government Shows Continued Callousness

The Nauruan Government’s decision to ask Doctors Without Borders to immediately leave shows continued callousness towards asylum seekers desperately seeking a safe place to call home, Green MP Golriz Ghahraman said today. More>>

ALSO:

• Pacific Media Watch - NAURU: Loss of MSF mental health carers heightens fears
• Binoy Kampmark - Australian Complicity: Nauru and Silencing Journalism
• Royal Australasian College of Physicians - Child, family immigration detention is health emergency

Scoop Review Of Books: The Rift by Rachael Craw

Rachael Craw's first series, Spark has been extremely well received by the YA community in both Australia and New Zealand (it has a hashtag, #SparkArmy), and The Rift looks like it’s going to be just as popular. More>>

Porn And Teens Report: 'Wake-Up Call' On Sexuality Education

Family Planning: The Office of Film and Literature Classification’s survey of more than 2000 young people about pornography highlights that sexuality education provides an opportunity for a vital counter-narrative to porn that could reach most young New Zealanders... More>>

ALSO:

• Office of Film and Literature Classification - Young people and porn – the real story
• Netsafe - Parents’ top online concerns
• Family First - Time For Action, Not More Research, On Porn Harm
• Sexual Abuse Prevention Network - Education needed to reduce impact of pornography on youth
• Out-Link - Tumblr’s porn ban is going about as badly as expected | Ars Technica
• Out-Link - Tumblr’s Porn Ban Will Delete A Huge Part Of Internet Culture

Howard Davis: A Brief History of Handel's Messiah

Messiah has become an overworked Christmas tradition as hoary as chestnuts roasting on an open fire, gorging on mince pies and eggnog, and trying to avoid shopping mall Santas like so many spectral inhabitants of Dante's Seventh Circle of Hell. More>>

NZ Film Pioneer Geoff Murphy Dies Age 80

One of the pioneers of the modern New Zealand film industry, he's perhaps best remembered for the highly successful Utu and the road movie with a special place in New Zealanders' affections, Goodbye Pork Pie. More>>

ALSO:

• RNZ - Colleagues and friends remember Geoff Murphy
• NZ Film Commission - NZ Film Legend Geoff Murphy passes