Timeline cleanse: duckling invasion this morning!

Well worth the depressing read. @clrenney.bsky.social gives clear budget analysis #nzpol open.substack.com/pub/craigren...

It's that time of year! Feijoas are back, baby! #kikorangi 🌱🇳🇿

We planted our mostly nz native windbreak, mostly following the miyawaki forest method, and it's growing so fast. Close to 3x as fast as the trees planted on their own! This section is a bit over a year old and started as tiny seedlings. #tinyforest #miyawaki 🌱🇳🇿 #nzgardening

PM Christopher Luxon promised to “supercharge” the EV network. So, how’s that working out? Let me draw you a picture. My Stuff #cartoon today #NZpol #EVs #ClimateTargets #ZeroCarbon

Managed to very the teenager out of his cave on this beautifully sunny day. It feels like AoNZ summer with the flowering pohutukawa. #kikorangi #aonz

A great Saturday morning open to everyone to read/ listen. Bernard nails it as usual! "the Government is playing for time with vague, handwavey and gaslighty comments about both meeting the targets and not doing anything..." #nzpol #climatechange open.substack.com/pub/thekaka/...

New Zealand drug buying agency, Pharmac is planning to stop funding Estradot HRT patches. The planned alternative is universally regarded as shit by medical professionals. Please take a few seconds to sign this petition. www.change.org/p/mandate-go...

Green mulch! I've been so happy with my Tithonia (Mexican sunflower) as a green mulch-grows aggressively and is easy to chop up, easy to propigate, and gives me so much leaf matter. Only issue is, it grows so well it feels a bit like a triffid, ready to take over. 🌱

My strawberries are taking off! There's something so magical about plants giving you food! #kikorangi 🌱

another way to show support for Hīkoi mō te Tiriti is to vote in the Stuff poll. you can be sure they're monitoring all the clicks they get on anything Hīkoi-related and we need to show them it's important - and drown out the noes. #ToituTeTiriti #kikorangi #nzpol www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3503...

So many inspiring speeches in Whangārei today! #ToitūteTiritihīkoi

Swedish author Fredrik Backman talks about creative anxiety and writer's block. Just 4 minutes long but it made my day 😄 #writingcommunity💙📚 youtu.be/NSuSyZ92Cjg?...

I really appreciated the writing in this dystopian book (not a YA novel). As a skimmer of overly detailed descriptions, I found myself having to go back as the writing was sparse and deliberate. There's a core mystery, PNW-setting, and plenty of character-driven storyline. Well worth a read. 💙📚

A bit late, yesterday's WIP Snips word: Bring When you're interviewing neighbors about a missing girl and you bring some banter. #WIPSnips #writingcommunity #authors

#pukapuka 📚💙 Just picked this up on sale at the Warehouse. Will review soon.

When you ask your mentor for help with a murder case. #WIPSnips #writingcommunity #murdermystery #climatefiction

Sanity: "There's very good reasons why we still want parents to keep their kids home if their kids have got the flu, or a cold, or Covid... other kids get sick, teachers get sick, then other parents get sick and it has a flow on consequence for everybody," he said. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

When your bad guy starts on one of his rants, it's hard to not to be sceptical. #WIPSnips #writingcommunity #climatefiction #authors

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity Thought I'd join in with my WIP Cli-fi mystery. Backstory with a glance:

💙📚 Interesting murder mystery. The format is unusual: a collection of written evidence being reviewed by young lawyery types. Good puzzle, but missed having an emotional connection with an investigator-protagonist striving for justice. A busman's holiday as I often search docs for info for my job!

So these kids "push through" and come to school with snot or a cough. So my kid gets the cough, but his symptoms are worse, then I get it... Have we learnt nothing? www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Can't imagine Act voters would like being fined 3k to visit relatives half a world away, what with them being libertarians. #nzpol www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/education...

How to stir up a hornet's nest: "New Zealand First doesn't seem to have much influence at all over what's happening, so it does make us question who is running the country and making the decisions moving forward." Carmel Sepuloni www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic... #nzpol

Thankful for: Eggplant chutney bought at the local market. I bought the beetroot relish, commented on the chutney. That lady knew how to sell. Not many eggplants this year. Her kids took most of it. Last two jars. So I bought and it is the best. Went back this weekend for more but she wasn't there.

Highlight of my week ‐ my @pepperraccoon.bsky.social trash panda, awesome kiwi-artist drinking vessels turned up! My 13yo has bagsed the death moth one.

WTF is this, RNZ? She dies because she is struck by a ute. Oh hang on, third paragraph and after a photo caption: her husband killed her by hitting and dragging her with his ute. Why not lead with that?

So what do the experts with the most at stake from ‘fiscal vandalism’ think about New Zealand’s budget situation? Bond investors actually saw a less risky budget outlook after yesterday’s mini-Budget. The experts don’t agree with the Finance Minister’s rhetoric. thekaka.substack.com/p/a-smoking-...

Can't understand excitement over visiting superyacht. From Guardian article: "superyacht with permanent crew, helicopter pad, submarines and pools emits about 7,020 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, more than 1,500 times higher than a typical family car." #kikorangi www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

'Tis the season for broken sewers, Fa la la la la, la la la la. We need 3 waters #nzpol

#NZpol To hold National to account, we need to account the social and environmental deficits of their policies – to measure the wellbeing impacts of every decision. They can be harder to measure than financial ones, but they’re important too. www.thepost.co.nz/a/nz-news/35...

“Ultimately, the ferries decision looks like it has been taken to rescue National from the political embarrassment of conceding that yes, its tax cuts really were unaffordable all along, just as its critics had argued.”

No way do we want to copy US health system. It's like reverse lotto - even with insurance you're waiting for bad luck and bankruptcy. It's far more expensive for the country, they spend US$11K per person, $6.5K pp public money vs our 3.2K pp public money. #nzpol data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH...

The Kākā has opened up this article about the state of the government. Thanks @bernardchickey.bsky.social. If you have some extra pennies in your pocket, it is worth the subscription - he even has a discount at the moment. #nzpol thekaka.substack.com/p/so-much-no...

It's getting political in our house: American husband commenting on Trump trials, me commenting on Luxon's bitter version of the American Carnage speech as his opener, and our child's frustration with the cellphone ban (creative representation below).

Understand this; indigenous people get in the way of unbridled capitalism and profit seeking. They can frustrate access to natural resources, eg mining, oil & gas, they can demand co-governance, or simply a voice. They can impede the capitalist project. All of this gets in the way of profit

Felt like I needed to be in a happy place this morning. Baking oaty ginger slice got me there! #kikorangi

Got a reply from Luxon. I asked what evidence he had about the increase in crime with the smokefree law change. No evidence in the reply, instead "we think Labour’s changes would have resulted in a black market and an escalation of ram raids" So there you go folks, policy based on feels. #nzpol

After reading today's Kaka, I'm going to have to update my letter to Nicola Willis re the smokefree rollback. The costs are eye wateringly high. Thanks @bernardchickey.bsky.social for opening it up. #nzpol thekaka.substack.com/p/the-very-o...

Today's action: after his statement yesterday, I emailed the PM to ask him what evidence he has that the Smokefree legislation he is repealing would have resulted in an increase in crime (ramraids and a black market). #nzpol

🇳🇿🚭 "The National Party campaigned on "better health outcomes" and said it would "relentlessly focus on results" - but this goal would be completely undermined by the repeals, Swinburn said." Contact every National MP to ask them to vote with their conscience. Smoke no more - Cross the Floor.

Today's action, wrote to Nicola Willis re the $1billion tax cuts taken from reversing the smokefree legislation, and asking her about $1.3b in extra healthcare costs over 20 years. What is her plan to pay for the extra costs? Shall let you know her reply. #nzpol

Decided to channel my fear of this new government into action. Sent my first email to my MP, Reti, to get him to clarify the government's commitment to the Whangarei Hospital (exactly when and how much$). Contacted the council to complain about the cooker billboards in our neighbourhood. #nzpol

Me waiting for the Northland summer to arrive.

A lovely labour day Sunday, and a carboot fair at our school. NZ Summer is on the way, I can feel it!