Well said, Susan #NZpol

Just your regular reminder of the profound conflict of interest at the heart of the Luxon fast track: Chris Bishop is both chair of the National Party Campaign Committee, dependent on business donations, and as Infrastructure Minister decides which businesses get access to the fast track.

Opinion: By trying to silence health professionals, the Government risks smothering advocacy, equity and reform, writes Barbara Fountain.

Peters: “All sorts of things are happening these days and we are saying, frankly, enough's enough... costs [are] well over millions and millions of dollars... and every year, it just compounds.” Crikey, for a moment I thought he was talking about smoking! tinyurl.com/yzdekv9k

Opinion from the University of Otago: How a Citizens' Assembly on our approach to drugs can reach sensible and nuanced solutions to reducing harm.

"He did not believe the coalition Government’s use of urgency and truncated select committee processes was behind the rise in submissions..." Of course he would say this, but he's wrong, and disingenous. The evidence suggests that an overall poor legislative process IS significantly implicated.

These amused me. This government has invited the largest strike in 47 years. That's quite an accomplishment. #nzpol

Paywall now lifted: Just eight of the Government's 17 Roads of National Significance have already seen costs blow out by $5.1 billion - before any shovels are even in the ground. The full programme would cost $44-$54 billion on the latest numbers. newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/23/5...

In today’s NZ Herald #megastrike

100 reasons to support the mega strike - Emily Writes #Oct23Strike

Wow! Town Council in Tiburon (Marin County) unanimously passed a tobacco product sales ban ordinance (third in the state of California)! #MakeTobaccoHistory #Tobacco #endgame #PublicHealthSky @ash.org @simonchapman.bsky.social @mhef.bsky.social @mikedaube.bsky.social

Doctors cross ethical line says man who raised speed limits for no reason despite extensive evidence it would lead to more injuries and death. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Labour MUST put an end to the corruption that appears to have fuelled this and other bills. Corruption laws must have real consequences and be policed by independent bodies. We cannot afford to have governments in the pockets of tobacco & other lobbyists.

Reporting on @tcrgbath.bsky.social, Investigative Desk and Tax Justice Network Africa analysis of British American Tobacco in Africa - and the mysterious missing millions open.substack.com/pub/p/unmask...

The NZ Drug Foundation has a major new report pressing the case for a replacement of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, which turns 50 this month. Thing is, its recommendations – for a complete realignment to health, not criminalisation and punishment, are ... drugfoundation.org.nz/topics/polic...

Six surgeons general: It’s our duty to warn the nation about RFK Jr. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Dropping #TobaccoTax will not reduce #IllicitTrade. Empowering States and Territories to swiftly shut down retailers engaging in illicit tobacco trade is likely to be far more effective. @coralgartner.bsky.social @chenealpuljevic.bsky.social theconversation.com/queensland-l...

The Govt wants to cut Health NZ staff working on alcohol harm & end its research & social marketing campaigns. Sixty five organisations have signed an open letter to the PM, calling for alcohol industry to be excluded from policy making. My #cartoon today #NZpol #alcohol #Health #PublicHealth

Feed that fire and we all own the ashes, including those who fan it. I don't condone what happened to the Rt Hon, but this ahi was accelerated during that occupation.

It was an honor to be part of the Expert Panel that prepared this report for #FCTCCOP11 #tobacco Available now on COP11 site

South Australian landlords who turn a blind eye on illegal tobacco can now be fined, while Queensland is proposing bigger fines and even a year in jail.

October Editorial: Forward-looking measures to end the tobacco epidemic: the need for specialist civil society support and coordination for Article 2.1 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. https://bit.ly/3Wqfxf3

🎵"There is no cancel-culture in New Zealand ..."🎵

With alt-Text IN CASE OF POLLING EMERGENCY SMASH BENEFICIARIES #nzpol

Luxonomics is really killing NZ's economy #nzpol #kiwi

Santa Cruz passes law disallowing sales of cigarettes containing filters from 01 Jan, 2027. Filters do NOT reduce the risks of smoking but mislead people who smoke and create plastic waste. tinyurl.com/mrxdknvv Time for Aotearoa to adopt similar measures.

October is National #SafeWorkMonth! This year’s theme, safety: every job, every day, encourages workplaces to prioritise safety. This year, we’re stepping through the risk assessment process for addressing #AOD risks at work. worklife.flinders.edu.au #worklife #safeworkmonth

Marie Maynard Daly co-discovered the link between high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and the clogged arteries that can cause heart disease and strokes. She also investigated the damage that cigarettes have on the heart and lung circulatory systems. adalovelaceday.subst...

Minister "for" the Environment, Penny Simmonds pressuring environmental regulator, Horizons Regional Council, to give water abstraction consents to the agribusiness owned by her colleague, National Party MP Suzy Redmayne. If only she cared this much about the rivers. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

"Luxon's office admits leaking Hipkins letter to Herald". This pathetic and incompetent Government can't even get an empty stunt right.

Time to Shut the Shops: Experts Call for Fewer Tobacconists A new editorial in the @anzjph.bsky.social highlights the urgent need to reduce the number of tobacco and nicotine retailers in Australia. Anita Dessaix | @drbfreeman.bsky.social | Raglan Maddox | Emily Stone

‘Further, the guessing game around the decision on this, keeping it under wraps until Mr Peters’ UN speech, was gutless, unnecessary, and insulting to New Zealanders. The decision was clearly not a last-minute one.’ Searing editorial in this morning’s ODT.

Good, policy-relevant paper.

When a nation that’s committing genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity praises you, it’s time to look in the mirror and ask yourself, ‘Are we the fucking bad guys?’

This horseshit just turned up on my Insta feed. Shame on our incumbent mayor for linking himself to these racist, venal pricks, shame on them for pushing this crap. Vote this ignorant, useless clown out. #nzpol #Dunedin

“despite knowing the risks, - Government is proposing to bulldoze the fences, signs and safe paths in our health system through its now ironically-named Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill, -would do away with almost all of New Zealand’s preventive health infrastructure.” archive.today/YsJY6

There was tension in the air but a statement performance from the Silver Ferns capped a tumultuous fortnight for NZ netball.

1/2 When the only thing growing is leadership speculation Andrea Vance September 21, 2025 Some highlights below, source in threaded post #NZPol

Carmel on fire at the pay equity rally in Auckland. Labour WILL reverse the changes this wretched government has made to pay equity.

#nzpol Big turnout for the Women’s Day of Action for pay equity. Billions of dollars have been stolen from low-paid female dominated workforces. This government can find huge tax cuts for tobacco companies, landlords, and big businesses - but not fair pay. That must change.

Stand up. Fight back. www.together.org.nz/women_s_day_...

new zealand government reaching new heights of stupidity next year our public dollars will go more to AI grants ($70 million) than all investigator-initiated basic science combined ($56 million in the Marsden fund)

Environment Canterbury has declared a nitrate emergency over drinking water pollution worries. The intensive dairy industry has contaminated lakes, rivers, and drinking water with unsafe levels of nitrate - putting rural communities' health at risk. Image credit: Sharon Murdoch / Stuff #nzpol

My entire operating theatre (surgeon, anaesthetist, nurses, techs, registrars) stayed late today so that a patient could get her procedure done instead of having to sit around waiting for a slot next week. And not that this sniveling weasel will care, but the SMOs involved did it for free.

Costello’s continued insistence that she didn’t know who wrote the doc and it “was a collation of previous NZ First policy positions” is hilarious in that she’s repeatedly highlighting that NZF as a whole is utterly compromised by Big Tobacco, not just her. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

🧵👇

“The club is chaired by the prime minister, Anthony Albanese. Its corporate members include fossil fuel company Ampol, alcohol companies Lion and Diageo, outsourcing company Serco, consultancy firm Canberra Consulting and other companies.” www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Does Luxon have any standards? Costello seems able to break all the rules with impunity. More evidence, as if we needed it: www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

New Zealand media institutions have been running stories on the murder of an obscure US podcaster for the better part of a week, and I'm not sure I like what that says about the editorial judgment of those organisations.

Aotearoa NZ has not changed on-pack warning labels since these were introduced in 2018. Our latest Conversation op-ed examines how this important policy could be reinvigorated : theconversation.com/graphic-warn...