There is a lot of "performative partnership" being revealed in these times. First sign of political winds changing, Te Tiriti based language and values are abandoned. Being a good partner must surely mean committing to the kaupapa when it is most difficult.

Advice on managing oil demand from the IEA

Petrol Stop. Time to look more seriously at other energy sources? My Stuff #cartoon today #NZpol #USA #Iran #Fuel #FossilFuels

Awkward for Shane Jones. Former head of Marsden Oil refinery: "Most other countries in the world outside MAGA US states and New Zealand are [going for 100% renewables and electrifying transport] now, at pace. For some reason, New Zealand 's going down the 1980s' path." #nzpol

About 70% of the U.S. economy runs on consumer spending. But as wealth concentrates at the top, the richest 10% can’t spend enough to sustain it — while everyone else can’t afford to. Reminder that trickle-down economics simply doesn’t make sense. It’s a hoax.

Paywall now lifted: NZ has rejected post-pandemic changes to the WHO's global health rules without providing a reason, making it one of just five countries to do so. "This is reputation-wrecking. People will think that we’ve lost our mind," says former PM Helen Clark. newsroom.co.nz/2026/03/18/n...

"Introducing rationing or restriction measures before there is clear evidence of a genuine shortage won’t create more fuel in the system" This is an interesting situation for system resilience. What actions can we take now to create"capacity for manoeuvre" in the future? Anticipatory vs reactive.

Scoop: NZ has rejected post-pandemic changes to the WHO's global health rules without providing a reason, making it one of just five countries to do so. "This is reputation-wrecking. People will think that we’ve lost our mind," says former PM Helen Clark. newsroom.co.nz/2026/03/18/n...

Petrol is so expensive. Hopefully we’ve been reducing our dependence on it?

Yeah nah, the video speaks for itself. #nzpol

I keep thinking of how relevant Cipolla's "The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity" are to understanding these times. "A stupid people is the most dangerous type of person. A stupid person is more dangerous than a bandit" ia801609.us.archive.org/29/items/kau...

The irony of the government being taken to court for cutting climate policies that would have significantly reduced NZ’s oil consumption from cars - our biggest user - and freight, just as the country faces an oil shock is ... difficult to ignore www.rnz.co.nz/news/environ...

Centralisation-decentralisation cycles always disrupt roles and lose expertise. Too much focus on org charts and cost cutting. Not enough focus on functions and relationships across system levels. Papers show 'extreme risk' around Health NZ decentralisation | RNZ News share.google/gLOpvIfD4pvq...

Bertrand Russell's writing from the 1930s on "The Ancestry of Fascism" seems to be more relevant than ever.

Emerson on the money, as per In today's Herald? Oh, no. Two years ago.

Remembrance and hope this March 15.

What I always hear: “We can’t afford to pay our workers more than $15 an hour.” What I never hear: “We can’t afford to pay our CEO millions of dollars a year.” Funny how that works.

"Madman Theory" is meant to be where a leader "simulates" irrationality or unpredictability. Actual unpredictability and irrationality is just being a madman. Current situation: madman theconversation.com/rebirth-of-t...

A timely piece on Aotearoa's preparedness in the event of an oil supply crisis due to issues in the Strait of Hormuz from... 2024. newsroom.co.nz/2024/11/05/o...

Ways the govt could quickly help New Zealanders reduce fuel usage, but probably won’t 🤷, for reasons: ⚠️ Lower speed limits 🚌 Encourage PT (eg bring back half-priced fares) 🚲 Encourage active modes (eg pop-up bike paths) 🛤️ Move freight from road to rail (eg ramp up KiwiRail) 🏡 Support work-from-home

Time to pass a law that any party spokesperson of media outlet that opines with hindsight reckons on pandemic management has to show this chart in the background at all times #nzpol

What folk seem to forget is that the same people [surgeons & anaesthetists mostly] who work in public health part-time, also work in private part-time. The key limitation is access to a fully staffed and functioning theatre. Just where does Brown think he will magic the people from?

Interested in how to get public transport that works, even in traffic-heavy suburban cities? My book lays out the ins and outs of transit planning, with theory and practice grounded in years of experience on what works. Now available in print and eBook formats: www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0GRPZ4VHD/

For those who have forgotten the past 40 years: Tax cuts for the rich ...don’t trickle down Boosting military spending ...doesn’t bring peace Slashing regulations ...doesn’t create jobs Folks, we’ve seen this all before.

Birds. So many birds. Great day out at Miranda shorebirds.org.nz

At some point we will have a conversation about the bogus claim that running a financially successful company equips you for leadership more broadly.

"The Arithmetic Of Climate Failure". my response to a series of questions posed by Alma Asfalto & published last week. A link to the publication (with abridged answers) and including my full answers is at: climateuncensored.com/the-arithmet...

Really disappointing to hear this news "Human error" is the starting point of an investigation, not the conclusion. Lots of organisational issuesabd messy technology that are common in modern accidents. Simple narratives and scapegoating= blame, not learning www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360...

Study finds ChatGPT Health did not recommend a hospital visit when medically necessary in more than half of cases. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

#NZpol I’m not liking the tone or angle he takes with this. It feels like foreshadowing pushing negative views "because it was Labour". This would be rewriting the past to suit election-year politics. Many of us warned that the second "add-on" phase looked to include political motivations, 1/n

I often hear "AI transcription is great, it will allow me to focus on spending more time with my patients" The Law of Stretched Systems would like a word... www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

If your GP practice is using an AI scribe I have two suggestions: first, demand clarity on privacy (storage, access, policy). Second, ensure they personally verify accuracy. We’ve seen clinically important errors, and doctors who couldn’t explain where the data was going. Patient safety failures.

Three weeks ago I spent a few days in one of our global dark sky sanctuaries in Rakiura Stewart Island New Zealand. Never has deep time felt so real or so close. But every now and then one of Elon's dumbfuck satellites would interrupt the eternal rhythms of the stars. Let's not let it get worse.

Job market so bad that even former Prime Ministers moving to Australia

Looks like this podcast series of a trailer and 8 episodes. It took some finding, but the nzpod page does have an actual RSS link, making it actually a podcast rather than just sparkling streaming audio. www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3609... www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo3i... nzpod.co.nz/podcast/quar...

Good to be part of this important piece. "The future seems improbable, the past incredible" The retrospective reckons don't really capture the interesting and values based decision making that was happening early on.

Carney on climate leadership: "Actions to reduce tail risks have no immediate political benefit... But true leaders are stewards of the organisation, system or society they inherit. They recognise that leadership is temporary and they are custodians" Short term thinking = discounting the future

I love how quickly New Zealand media gloss over that Jacinda Ardern is still the most popular politician according to polls measuring favourability, and she always was as Prime Minister as well which was always contrary to the dominant gallery narrative that she had become a figure of division

The launch of every piece of AI-driven surveillance/security/criminal justice software basically goes like this: AI COMPANY: this is an error free, bias free, state of the art, highly intelligent software system Two Weeks Later: …aaaand it’s racist

Hey, at least Chuck and Mary will have a Beggar-free Britomart to enjoy! I dive deeper over at my Substack: yeehawtheboys.substack.com/p/chuck-and-...

Except literally every data analysis or model I've ever asked AI to build has contained at least one error: www.nature.com/articles/d41... Common response: "But someone just needs to give AI detailed instructions..." But who is the "someone" in that sentence? And how did they get their expertise?

When National, ACT, and NZ First gutted pay equity last year, they didn’t listen to the voices of women, workers, or experts. The People’s Select Committee was formed so that the voices of Aotearoa could be heard on pay equity - and their findings are damning for the National-led Govt. #nzpol

The govt is considering banning homeless people and rough sleepers in city centres. My Stuff #cartoon today #homelessness #poverty #homeless

Not believing in or wanting to deal with the impacts climate change doesn't mean you won't have to deal with the impacts of climate change. Climate change is here. NZ isn't ready - Newsroom share.google/5YPTKa8XZdL6...

"I venture the challenging statement that if American democracy ceases to move forward as a living force, seeking day and night by peaceful means to better the lot of our citizens, fascism will grow in strength in our land" Franklin Roosevelt November 4, 1938 #equalitymatters

More extreme weather more often. What do our leaders think we should do? In a word, not much. My Stuff #cartoon today #NZpol #Climate

New Zealand is badly unprepared for what climate change is going to bring in the coming years. This is just a taste of what’s to come. www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360...

Whenever the topic of OKRs comes up, I think about Drucker vs Deming. Not a particularly topical thing to write about, but I think it's evergreen. surfingcomplexity.blog/2026/02/16/p...

Corruption Perception Index Leadership country trends chart over time showing New Zealand's rapid decline. #nzpol