This is grim 😢 incredibly tough for these people and their families right now, and it will take years (sometimes generations) to recover, if ever

“Why is AI helping me write a song or tell a story? Send some shit through a black hole; do something that we can’t do. Or dig a ditch; do the shit we don’t want to do. Why is it coming after the stuff that we essentially need to do to be human beings?” www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...

Australia: let’s roll out so much rooftop solar you can have free power during the day NZ: businesses are closing down because they can’t afford power so we’re building a one billion dollar fossil fuel terminal so we can keep not having free power

Climate & economic imbeciles. Climate & economic criminals.

1 - Build out infra 2 - Privatize companies 3 - Dividends! 4 - Spend public money on more infra (??) 5 - Dividends! Gentailers have spent TEN BILLION DOLLARS on dividends over a decade of under investing in capacity We're left paying the bill? Fuck this #nzpol

Marc Daalder on why the new LNG terminal is likely to shape up as a bad financial and climate decision. Examines Watts and Luxons facile talking points and takes them apart. Should be material for Hipkins but will he use it?

The Heritage Foundation has released a 250-year roadmap to “save America.” The document is a how-to guide for subjugating girls & young women: a detailed plan to push them out of college, funnel them into early marriage and motherhood, and then trap them there. jessica.substack.com/p/theyre-com...

#NZpol What would have been helpful would have been a *comparison*, comparing building a new LNG installation with, say, installing new solar + wind + battery power. With no comparison, this is just rolling out one ‘solution’, rather than that being the best option.

RNZ should re-read article from November 2025 on why Liquified Natural Gas, or LNG, is a poor answer to NZ's energy needs. Not only is imported gas expensive, it's also bad for the climate, and leaves us dependent on volatile global markets. #NZpol www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

If you are talking about increasing the cost of electricity, and not investing in distributed, resilient solar and battery capacity, nor electrification of transport in multi modes, you don’t understand the problem and should not be anywhere near power (pun absofuckinglutely intended)

I disagree with a lot of what Andrea Vance writes, but she is 100% right about this. Our gov't, politicians, & public service should not be posting on X. If they continue to do so, they're telling us what they're "totally relaxed about" etc (paywalled) www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

I post my bad art in the hopes that it inspires others to make (and please post!) their own. I don't care how bad mine is, if there is something I like about what I made it is a success

Nick and the band were extraordinary on Friday night, and the Wellington crowd sang beautufully too 🤩

Finally saw Anchor Me - The Don McGlashan Story and it's a fantastic documentary. Loved the insight into Don's creative process. And his Dad shines through as an incredible mentor.

Just chucking young ones on the scrap heap. That early loss of income has flow on effects throughout their lifetimes. More entrenched poverty as this is also generational #nzpol

1. Fuck this Handmaid’s Tale bullshit 2. If you want women to stay home and raise children, pay them. It’s work

97% of central govt expenditure was on responding to and recovering from natural disasters, only 3% spent on risk reduction and resilience. Yet…“the Government cannot commit to providing financial support for the business case at this stage”. #nzpol www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3609...

Poverty is a policy choice. Concentrated wealth is a policy choice. Inequality is a policy choice. None of it is natural or inevitable. Remember: We have the power to build a system that serves the many, not the powerful few.

I think the kids might just be ok

That photo is so poignant… Luxon hands in pockets doing fuck all and affected people doing all the heavy lifting.

Great article from Jolisa about resilience, priorities, what things cost, and what it all feels like 💚

Emily Mabin Sutton, chief executive of the Climate Club, a group that organises climate action. "Basically - we can brush our teeth each day or get a painful root canal…and at the moment we're going to the dentist screaming."

There it is. Always, always follow the money. When insurers say they can't cover you because of climate change impacts you can finally understand it is real and is causing harm today. Yes, this is a sub-tweet. www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Judith Collins is an ugly example of the stark difference between law, and justice.💩 #OneTermGovernment #nzpol

Budget is on 28 May. If things get a tiny bit better, then it's only because in 2 short years, they got so much worse. Cuts to essential public services. Record out-migration of Kiwis. Failing child poverty. New Zealand can't afford more of this failed plan. Let's make this a one-term government.

Three cheers for Philip Glass, whose Solo Piano record has been my boon companion for decades whenever I'm painting. (I notice that Glass didn't use the current administration's name for the center in his letter.)

For our January's good writing habits series we asked poets to share a top writing tip they've found useful. Today's tip is from Rachel Curzon, one of the poet contributors to the latest Winter 2025 issue of Poetry Review. Find details on the latest issue in the link in bio

We're sharing top writing habits poets we've worked with have found useful in their work. Could this idea help you? Today's tip is from Eric Yip, one of the contributors to the latest Winter 2025 issue of Poetry Review You can buy the latest issue via the link in bio.

I don’t think a state that is threatening wars of territorial aggression and has random death squads wandering about its mid-tier cities assassinating civilians should be hosting the World Cup

If you're living somewhere outside the USA, one thing you can do is pressure your leaders to boycott World Cup and Olympic events here.

Slips have always been part of the landscape of Aotearoa but with deforestation and increased heavy rain events under climate change, they are going to become more frequent and widespread. Sadly we have learnt nothing from the Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle just 3 years ago. 🧵

#nzpol Data released by Stats NZ today shows that the cost of living rose at its fastest rate for 18 months. Prices rose for 80% of items in the CPI basket, meaning growth in prices was broad-based. Minimum wage workers are now facing a 3rd year of real terms cuts in wages. A thread

Again, Willis set fire to public service and massive amounts of jobs to fix *INFLATION* And has failed We've had all the pain and no gain #nzpol www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Climate change driven weather events will only get worse. The govt should be making every effort to stop emissions rising, cut emissions and protect communities from these deadly impacts. NOT new oil exploration, coal mining, seabed mining and dairy expansion. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

The top 6 media stories on Stuff are landslides, storms, floods. None of them mention climate change, which we know makes these events more frequent and more extreme. People have lost their lives. Homes have been destroyed. And leading politicians are in the pub having "great fun". #nzpol

💯%

"Kate, you should use AI to handle your terrible email inbox!" Microsoft Copilot: "Sorry, it looks like I can’t respond to this. Let’s try a different topic. Suggestions: Write a rap song. Show me some cool facts. Teach me a new word!"

In this election year, please vote so the UK don't beat us to sensible policy on energy #nzpol

There has been a movement back toward "traditional media" - vinyl, but also CDs, DVDs, and books. Why? Because digital media were hyped as having all this convenience, and they do...but we've also seen that they're controlled by companies who want your money and won't stop trying to take it.

For reference #NewZealand is using a total of 4.74GW right now

Córy Doctorow with another verbal bullseye: pluralistic.net/2026/01/13/n...

Burning Data: the ecological shadow cast by AI 👇 nicely summarized by @bennjordan.bsky.social with Musk's GrokAI data center in Memphis.

“Higher inequality… is associated with higher crime, worse public health, higher addiction, lower educational attainment…” “…You can search the manifestos of major parties that once belonged to the left, and find no call to make billionaires history.” A great read with strong relevance to #nzpol👇

A fraction of this would actually fix our quite fucked rail network, upgrade our passenger and freight ports, and massively reduce the number of trucks on NZ roads - reducing the need to repair and replace them. Hell, we could even throw in some transit to city for all our international airports.

YEP, hard agree. And as you know, I will Tap The Fucking Sign Again... And will Keep Tapping It *until it breaks through the heads of the Cult of Business Daddy* bsky.app/profile/alan... *Which may be never, but... one tries. Boy does one try...

How embarrassing for us. How terrifying for women and girls. ##nzpol

Let me tell you: some of our countries aren’t where we left them. Jane Zwart, from her luminous collection ODDEST & OLDEST & SADDEST & BEST #smallpoemsunday

The message from the White House this morning is that, once again, it falls on ordinary American citizens to remain calm and professional when dealing with the heavily armed agents of the government because they are very emotional and might fly off into a murderous rage at the slightest insult.