Word of the day

Stadle – a sapling or young tree, especially one left when older ones are felled.

Word of the Day: STADLE (n.) a sapling or young tree, especially one left growing while larger ones are felled pic.twitter.com/DRFo7LzPt3

— Haggard Hawks 🦅📚 Words | Language | Etymology (@HaggardHawks) March 20, 2023

Thatcher thinks

Some Socialists seem to believe that people should just be numbers. We believe they should be individuals. We are all unalike. No one, thank heavens, is like anyone else, however much the Socialists may pretend otherwise. pic.twitter.com/MyvFmfs6pb

— Margaret Thatcher (@MrsMThatcher) March 20, 2023

Rural round-up

Disaster in waiting warn south’s farmers – Vanessa Bellew:

Cyclone Gabrielle’s hammering of Hawkes Bay has ignited fears in Southland of bridges failing and farmland flooding through “mismanagement” of accumulated gravel

Southland farmer Barry Taylor is frustrated gravel is being allowed to build up beneath a bridge on one of the country’s key tourist routes despite his years of pushing for its removal.

He worries the bridge across the Whitestone River on State Highway 94 between Gore and Milford Sound will fail and flood his farm.

As chair of the Te Anau catchment liaison committee, one of eight in the province, he advises Environment Southland on river works and flood management bordering waterways. . .

Last-minute decision sees cyclone-hit farmer bag regional title – Annette Scott:

Cut off from town on his devastated farm, the regional heats were slipping down the list of priorities for one Pātoka farmer.

With no way out and his farm severely battered by Cyclone Gabrielle, the prospect of making it to the East Coast Young Farmer regional final appeared out of reach for Patrick Crawshaw.

He had a couple of contingency plans to get out to Dannevirke to take his place in the regional contest, but what lay ahead of him on his farm was too daunting to even contemplate going.        

The devastation was acute, with his farm’s recovery cost estimated at this stage to be in the vicinity of $200,000. . .

What is this weird looking mini cow? pic.twitter.com/F9uV2vpYcP

— Anieka Templer (@AniekaNick) March 20, 2023

”Magical spot’ for $25m whisky distillery – Sally Rae:

It is a question Scapegrace Distilling co-founders Daniel Mclaughlin and Mark Neal are often asked — why on earth would they build a $25million distillery “in the middle of nowhere?”

But as soon as Mr Mclaughlin set foot on the hillside above Lake Dunstan, between Cromwell and Tarras, he knew their search for a suitable location was over.

The 36ha site ticked all their boxes; it was on the 45th degree parallel which meant extremes of high and low temperatures which were ideal for ageing whisky, there was access to high quality water, the expansive site enabled the business to grow and it was also “a magical spot”, he recalled yesterday.

Mr Mclaughlin was addressing a gathering at the Scapegrace site, where Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced a $2.9million convertible loan for its expansion, to meet growing national and international demand and consolidate its three New Zealand production sites into one. . .

Applying old models to modern farming – Sally Rae:

Last year, North Otago-based milk business The Natural Dairy was the very popular winner of the agricultural category and runner-up for the Supreme Award in the Waitaki Business Awards. Business and rural editor Sally Rae talks to owner Glen Claridge about why he ditched a high-flying career to return to his roots.

It’s dairy farming like it used to be.

Cows with story-book names like Buttercup, Dolly and Lily chewing their cud and producing milk which is sold direct from cow-to-consumer in recyclable glass bottles.

And while that might speak to the past, it was also something that The Natural Dairy owner Glen Claridge believed should be the future. . . 

Manawatu Dairy Industry Awards winners announced :

An exceptionally wet spring and summer combined with adverse weather challenges early this year severely impacted entrant numbers in the Manawatū dairy industry awards programme.

Traditionally, when a region has low entrant numbers, places are only offered to winner and runner-up, or just the winner only, and when entrant numbers were very low, the category did not proceed.

However, with entrants wanting to take part in the Awards programme and benefiting from doing so, not allowing them to participate goes against the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards’ philosophy and what the programme is striving to achieve.

That approach also forces a winner of the category when the entrant may not be ready to progress to Nationals. . . .

Healthy little lady … born at 6am .. out on the land .. now heading into shed for a bit of pampering… and mom … out of rain, hail and wind 💨.. come on March pull your socks up 🙏… #shepherdess #lamb #lambing #love #lambingtime @NFUCountryside pic.twitter.com/XONZfsGNbw

— Alison O’Neill ~ Shepherdess (@woolismybread) March 23, 2023

Pāmu updates profit forecast due to adverse events and lower milk prices :

State-owned enterprise Pāmu, also known as Landcorp Farming Limited has updated its Net Operating Profit full-year forecast due to impacts from Cyclone Gabrielle on 24 of its farms and softer milk prices.

The company now expects a full year Net Operating Profit of between $34 and $44 million compared to its original budget forecast of $55m contained in its Statement of Corporate Intent.

Chief Executive Officer Mark Leslie said: “Our early assessment of the damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle is $6.5 million over two years, with $2.5 million falling into the current financial year. The cost will be a mixture of operating and capital expenditure.”

The change to expected Net Operating Profit also reflects a reduction in forecast revenue from both dairy and livestock. The forecast milk price falling from $9.00 per kilogram of milk solids in February to $8.50 per kilogram of milk solids, combined with lower-than-expected milk production has reduced forecast milk revenue by $14.6 million. . .

Getting back to world class

New Zealand used to have a world class education system. National has a plan to get it back:

A National Government will ensure every child gets a world-class education so when they leave school, they can lead the life they want, National Leader Christopher Luxon says.

“Education has the power to change lives. It allows children to gain the skills and knowledge they need for further education and to go on and lead successful lives.

“Since coming to politics, the systemic failure in New Zealand’s education system is what has shocked me more than anything else.

“Two-thirds of secondary school students failed to meet the minimum standard in reading, writing and maths, while 98 per cent of Decile One Year 10 students failed a basic writing test.

“This is utterly unacceptable. That’s why today I am announcing National’s plan for ‘Teaching the Basics Brilliantly’, which will ensure every child has the skills they need in reading, writing, maths and science to set them up for further success.

National will:

1. 1. Require all primary and intermediate schools to teach an hour of reading, an hour of writing and an hour of maths, on average, every day.
   2. Re-write the curriculum so it says what must be taught each year in reading, writing, maths and science to every year group in primary and intermediate schools.
   3. Require standardised, robust assessment of student progress in reading, writing and maths at least twice a year every year from Year 3 to Year 8, with clear reporting to parents.
   4. Ensure that teachers and teacher trainees spend more time learning how to teach the basics. We’ll also provide them with more classroom tools and lesson plans to help them teach reading, writing, maths and science.

“National will set a target of 80 per cent of Year 8 students being at or above the expected curriculum level for their age in reading, writing, maths and science by 2030.  

“Further, we’ll aim to return New Zealand students to the top 10 in the world in maths, reading and science, measured by the OECD’s PISA rankings, by 2033.

“Labour has spent $5 billion more on education and hired 1400 more public servants, yet our children are going backwards. After nearly six years of a Labour government, there’s been no improvement in Year 8’s results. Only 45 per cent of Year 8 kids are at the level they should be in maths and only 35 per cent are at curriculum level in writing.

“This just cannot continue. We won’t lift education achievement in New Zealand by continuing to do the same things that are taking us backwards. National wants every child to have the chance to lead the life they want, and education is a key part of that.

“Today’s announcement is just the first part of National’s wider education policy, and we will have more to say in the lead up to the election.”

You can read the policy here.

The teacher’s union and the Minister of Education don’t like the idea of teaching the basics brilliantly.

Interesting that the Education Minister (and presumably her taxpayer funded ministerial staff) are using their time and resources and the Beehive website, to attack National Party policy.

Jan Tinetti might need to go back to minister school. pic.twitter.com/U5unxznVwi

— Simeon Brown (@SimeonBrownMP) March 23, 2023

Parents, employers and anyone who cares about children being equipped for life will support it.

The current failure rates are not just failing the children who aren’t getting a world class education, its failing the future of the country which needs a well-educated population to stay in the first world.

 

Quotes of the day

Here is the simple truth. You cannot silence people because you disagree with them.

Yes, there will be protests. Yes, there will be rage and Lord knows who will turn up at these protests and attempt to platform off a high-profile situation. That is for the police to oversee. However, the right to protest is an act of a well-functioning democracy in the same way free speech is too. – Rachel Smalley

There are some contentious issues at stake here – transgender rights and women’s rights. In particular, there is a need for meaningful debate on the protection and safety of women in many areas of society. It will likely require regulation. It is inappropriate for members of the Government to be standing among protestors, opposing the Let Women Speak events. That is a clear and political statement from MPs that they don’t believe women should have a voice in this conversation. – Rachel Smalley

Let Women Speak want to discuss the implications of gender self-ID on women’s spaces. It is an entirely valid and necessary conversation. If you identify as a transgender woman, should you automatically be given access to all women’s spaces – prisons, women’s refugees, women’s sports, gyms, and aged-care facilities?

The Greens say yes. I say no – not until we have considered how to ensure all members of society feel safe. The Greens, incredulously, are insisting the needs of transgender women should be prioritised ahead of biological women. And somehow, in all of this, we have found ourselves in the extraordinary situation where men like Green MP Ricardo Menendez-March are telling women they cannot speak about concerns for their personal safety, or have a voice at this table. – Rachel Smalley

New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the vote. And today there are men trying to shut down the democratic right of women to speak.

The Greens are 100 percent right to stand in their truth and oppose the views of Posie Parker. But they are 100 percent wrong to try and block her travelling here because they disagree with her. They cannot control social discourse. They cannot deny women a voice. – Rachel Smalley

Let’s speak. Let’s talk. Let’s korero. Let’s find a way to support women and girls who say they feel concerned for their safety in some environments, and to enable transgender women to co-exist in a space where they also feel safe and validated too. There absolutely IS a conversation to be had.

You cannot silence people on the basis that you don’t agree with them. This is New Zealand – not Russia or Saudi Arabia. – Rachel Smalley

I have watched as brave women have raised their hand and questioned their safety, but what follows is awful – the abuse, the verbal violence, and the impact on their lives and careers has been severe. It is a viciousness that I have never seen before. It is wrong. It is entirely acceptable to raise these issues without fearing for your life, your career, your sanity and your livelihood.

I never thought, in my time, having spent years trying to elevate the voice of women, that we would see Labour and Green MPs advocating and politicking to silence the voices of women. Shame on you all.

I am not anti-trans and I am not pro-Posie Parker. But I will absolutely die in a ditch to protect Parker’s right to speak. I don’t ever want to see a time when the voice of women is silenced. Nor do I want to live in a New Zealand that bans people from these shores because their commentary is disagreeable or disruptive. That is not a democracy. It is a dictatorship. – Rachel Smalley

2/2 Censors seeking to review @theposieParker's entry into NZ only give her more prominence + legitimacy. Protest peacefully, yet, but don't shut her down. Tomorrow, we will fight to protect Kiwis' free speech (including the right to hear others' speech).

— 🗣 Free Speech Union ✊ (@NZFreeSpeech) March 23, 2023

Once again, we are hearing the argument, most recently from the Rainbow Greens, that a speaker with controversial views should be blocked from visiting and speaking in public places in New Zealand.

The objection commonly invokes a heckler’s (or thug’s) veto, arguing that other people’s reactions to whatever the speaker may say pose a risk or threat to public order or health and safety, so allowing the person to speak is not in the public interest.

As in debates about hate speech and censorship generally, the argument blurs and confuses important distinctions between words and weapons, disagreement and hate, and offence and harm. – Dr David Bromell

In a free and open society, and in accordance with international human rights law, we have a right to protection from violence and from speech that intends or is imminently likely to incite violence and acts of hostility or discrimination.

But we do not have a right to protection from disagreement, criticism, satire, offence or hurtful comments. – Dr David Bromell

Words are not weapons. Words are what we use instead of weapons, to express disagreement and assert our claims as we negotiate how to live together despite our differences, under the rule of law and without recourse to violence.

If we equate words with weapons, we risk weapons being seen as no worse than words. – Dr David Bromell

In a diverse society where people want and value different things, I cannot reasonably expect other people to like, agree with, approve of, or affirm my ideas, beliefs, attitudes, values or way of life.

And just because someone criticises or disagrees with me does not necessarily mean they hate me. They just don’t agree with me.

I have lived long enough to change my mind about a great number of things. Criticism and disagreement have played an important role in the evolution of what I think, feel and value. – Dr David Bromell

None of us can learn and grow unless we entertain the possibility that we might after all be wrong. It is self-limiting and socially impoverishing to lead our lives only in an echo chamber of like minds.

Besides, even if people who disagree with me do happen to dislike me, I do not have a right to be liked. As Mahatma Gandhi once explained, the state cannot legislate affection. – Dr David Bromell

Sometimes the best we can hope for is mutual toleration of what we disagree with and dislike (or even hate) in one another. Toleration does not sound like much, but in the history of human conflict, toleration is a significant achievement and certainly preferable to violence.

We may not achieve the best of all possible worlds, but we can avoid the worst. – Dr David Bromell

But states cannot justifiably prohibit communication that is insulting or causes offence or hurt feelings if it does not intend and is not imminently likely to incite violence or acts of hostility or discrimination.

The distinction to maintain here is between objective aspects of a person’s human dignity and their decent treatment in society, and subjective feelings of hurt, shock, offence and anger.

Government intervention to restrict the right to freedom of opinion and expression can justifiably protect the former but not the latter. – Dr David Bromell

Attempts to silence speech to prevent offence are more likely to provoke and amplify offensiveness than eliminate it.

The cure for social divisions and polarisation is not shutting out or shouting down disagreement and debate, with a too-ready labelling of opponents (racist, misogynist, homophobic, transphobic, fascist, Nazi, and so on).

Cancelling, censorship and name-calling do not build social inclusion and social cohesion. That requires something much harder–curiosity, the contestation of ideas in reasoned argument, respect for difference, humility, good humour and letting one another be. – Dr David Bromell

Because it’s one thing to roll out another new face to lead the police portfolio, it’s quite another to have police actually able to get tough and make some headway, other than just pulling offenders aside for a quiet chat, and then letting them go. – Kate Hawkesby

There has been a coup. If you did not realise that the Government that we now have is not the one anybody voted for it is understandable. We switch off politics during national disasters.

The new Prime Minister has received wall-to-wall coverage of him in gumboots reassuring flood victims. The TV pictures distracted us from understanding that we don’t just have a new Prime Minister; we have a new government.

The policy re-set has become a total U-turn. Policies that we were assured last year were “critical” are now not needed.

Chris Hipkins’ Government has a completely different mission. – Richard Prebble

Jacinda Ardern’s resignation – which seemed inexplicable – is now understandable. Her transformational government has changed into Hipkins’ transactional government. It is almost as if the last five years never happened.

We do not have a presidential system. We have government by Cabinet answerable to caucus.

The decision to stage this legal coup must be the result of months of secret debate within the Labour Party. No wonder Ardern did not want to lead the dismantling of her policies. – Richard Prebble

The Government has not just U-turned, it has repudiated the policies it claimed were essential. We were told policies were “critical” less than 12 months ago. Now we are told, “there are actually better ways of achieving emissions reductions”.  – Richard Prebble

While Hipkins has no mandate for any of his changes, the government he has replaced never had a mandate for its policies. The country elected Jacinda Ardern, not Labour. The country voted for Ardern hoping she would keep New Zealand free of Covid. Few voters had any idea what was in the Labour Party’s manifesto. – Richard Prebble

What has not changed is Labour’s economic policy – borrow and spend. The savings Hipkins announced are not real. The PM has cancelled projects that have not yet started.

A focus on the cost of living is doomed to fail. The announced benefit increases will disappear into supermarket checkouts.

The cost of living is a symptom, not a cause. The cause is inflation. – Richard Prebble

Inflation is not coming down before the election. The teachers would not be striking if they thought inflation was under control.

The likelihood is by election day the country will have both a recession and inflation, stagflation. – Richard Prebble

The latest polls show that the electorate is very volatile.

Inflation is a government killer. From 1972 to 1984 we had governments that tried to address the cost of living not the cause. Nothing worked. If we had had MMP, then every three years there would have been a change in government.

Borrowing to compensate us for the cost of bread and butter is a policy bound to fail. – Richard Prebble