Denise

Edvard Munch's 'Scream' but with the text 'I can't believe they're cancelling Art History' in a speech bubble

Could you pls do an old ex-Art History teacher a solid, sign this petition to save the subject in our schools, and pass it on.

These philistines need to hear from you all.

Thank you

petitions.parliament.nz/a1acf19a-72f...

Anne Salmond: Academic freedom and its enemies In NZ there are chilling moves towards illiberal democracy. While they are being strongly resisted so far, political leaders and others must wake up.

newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/07/a...

doomscroll break

An offline stench that was even more odious online, & to an extent that to this day remains grossly under-appreciated by the same folk flagged by Eddie. It was a historic, & unprecedented inflection point for truth decay, far-right narrative foundations, & worsening information disorders in NZ.

I remember when a protester punched the co-leader of the Greens in the face.

Hana Maipi-Clarke had her home broken into by a political stalker.

I recall VFF protesting outside Clarke's parents' home while Jacinda was on holiday.

I dont remember hearing about National's concerns back then??

This is why they target historians, writers, activists, the vulnerable first - anyone who can see history repeating, & who can see the path for what it is.

Fascism isn’t about to come knocking; it’s already present in the US.

The unmitigated erosion of democratic norms should be a warning for NZ.

#nzpol This CoC-up government is clearly investigating its options for voter suppression. Doing this shows clear undue authoritarian influence. Aotearoa New Zealand, you must push back firmly now and make it quite clear that all political sides want to vote in an ethically administered democracy!

This is an intentional tactic to remove women from politics and is experienced primarily by left-leaning women and women of colour.
FACT

reposting with alt text because this feels incredibly significant. the right-wing disinfo machine means a lot of the people grieving Charlie Kirk never heard any of the things he said that would have tarnished his brand as Guy Who Just Wants to Have Dialogue Across the Aisle

Helsinki records zero traffic deaths for full year Helsinki has completed 12 months without a single traffic fatality, a milestone credited to lower speed limits, safer infrastructure, and years of consistent planning, officials say.

The capital of Finland hasn't had a traffic death in a full year. Lower speed limits, plentiful speed cameras, 1,500+ km of bike lanes, infrastructure for pedestrians, and a new tram line.
When you prioritize people and not vehicles, you can save lives while protecting the environment.

I HATE when people compare AI to the printing press, it's so disingenuous. The printing press was opposed by the elites because it put power in the hands of everyday people, and popularized a vernacular. AI does the opposite, by allowing elites to bypass artists and laborers.

Doctors fear law change would gag healthworkers from speaking out But Health Minister Simeon Brown insists the bill does not restrict workers from raising safety concerns.

Doctors are warning: "To suggest that healthcare workers should only support the government of the day has been shown to cost lives"

Simeon already tried last year to restrict health practitioners from speaking out. Now he's putting the boot in under "Healthy Futures" law which is anything but.

You know what’s radical ideology?
Trying to kill the founding document of our nation to make global corporate happy so they can buy our resources.
Giving money to tobacco not hospitals.
Not feeding children, but buying military equipment.
Killing good deals like the ferry deal with lies and spite.

One thing that demonstrates how eroded NZ media has become since late 2023 is the almost universal lack of coverage of the Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill, which recently closed submissions.

This Bill is one of the most consequential to impact New Zealand’s public health system to date.
🧵

NZ facing toughest national security environment of recent times - report The Security Intelligence Service has released its third annual Security Threat Environment report.

"The intelligence service warns threats to national security need to be taken much more seriously than they currently are." But Govt delists The Proud Boys as designated entity. Go figure. | NZ facing toughest national security environment of recent times www.1news.co.nz/2025/08/21/n... #nzpol

Government no longer saying its water reforms will be cheaper than Labour's Local Government Minister Simon Watts has refused to say whether the Government’s water reforms will produce lower costs for households than Labour’s Three Waters reforms. The Government passed into law its Local Water Done Well programme on Monday afternoon, cementing a policy that has replaced the contentious Three Waters reforms Labour had pursued. Local Water Done Well sets up a regime in which councils decide whether to work with their neighbours on delivering water services to meet new standards and regulation, aimed at fixing the country’s patchy drinking, waste and storm water systems.

WE FUCKING TOLD YOU SO
#nzpol

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Key point being (as I'm sure everyone on this thread knows) you can't argue the alternative choice was 15k more deaths & "life as normal". The alternative was 15k more deaths plus overwhelmed hospitals, a traumatized healthcare workforce, a borked economy AND months of restrictions + closures

Ideology is pushing Māori knowledge out of the curriculum | E-Tangata “Elizabeth Rata often equates the inclusion of iwi, hapū and whānau knowledge and values into teaching with an emptying out of academic knowledge. She has been instrumental in shaping the new English ...

So Erica Stanford is being advised by an anti-trans figure, an anti-Maori weirdo and Atlas Network's NZ Initiative and the main media don't think it's an important story?

What the fuck has this country become?

#nzpol
#kiwi

A trenchant anti-vaxxer central to organisation, & promotion of 2022 Parliament Protest, plus smaller ones thereafter is now standing for local government in Gore. Study of content on Telegram, & Facebook indicates clear, sustained anti-govt/anti-establishment/anti-authority/conspiracy bias.

Conversation between Claire Deeks, & Michael Laws on The Platform gives more insights on VFF's local government campaign tactics/strategies. Hiding VFF support, & erasing candidate ties with the far-right network v. problematic. Also, LG elections seen as proto-general election influence operations.

My angel in high-vis | E-Tangata “You didn't just save me from the roadside, Joyce. You saved me from becoming someone who had learned to be silent, someone who had accepted that their voice didn't matter.” — Murdoch Ngahau pens a le...

e-tangata.co.nz/reflections/...

Are our politicians safe from threats and 'free to lead'? MPs discussed online harm and the safety of public figures in a panel at Parliament this week. Why has it worsened and what is fuelling it?

I'm glad to see Duncan Webb acknowledge the gendered divide when it comes to online harassment. But it's not the nature of politics that drives online abuse, it's misogyny (or better, patriarchal attitudes) that seeks to belittle, control & silence (all) women.
#nzpol
www.rnz.co.nz/news/thehous...

Are our politicians safe from threats and 'free to lead'? MPs discussed online harm and the safety of public figures in a panel at Parliament this week. Why has it worsened and what is fuelling it?

I’m glad we’re having this discussion. But id also like to see some accountability from some media and their part in this.

Let’s not forget RNZ published an unverified rumour as fact. That is not ok. #nzpol

www.rnz.co.nz/news/thehous...

media would rather serve up articles on eating like it's 1940 than hold the government to account for impoverishing people and wrecking the economy.

#nzpol

A 'sandbox' in tech terminology being a place where you can test risky stuff that can only do damage within the sandbox.
#nzpol

When Chris Bishop was a tobacco lobbyist, he argued that tobacco companies should be compensated by the Govt for public health policies designed to reduce smoking, policies such as plain packaging, because it damaged tobacco cos intellectual property. Bishop and Seymour are at one on this.

Prof Wiles is taonga. Her unwavering dedication to research shouldn’t have had to deal with awful institutional pushback, & offline hate simultaneously. Now that this is over hope all Uni’s in NZ take better care of their faculty esp. in the face of sustained, networked, violent online harassment.

Suppose it were a woman MP who was caught on camera, maggoted and ranting at an event.

She'd be gearing up for a fortnight-long news cycle in which she'd be forced to admit having an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, encouraged to divulge personal information, and made to apologise repeatedly.

I actually think it’s a mistake to say Luxon is weak when he allows ACT to cut short select committee consideration of the Regulatory Standards Bill and introduce the Treaty Principles Bill.

It’s more accurate to say he agrees with, and supports, ACT policies.