Marsden

Unions launch legal action over pay equity changes The Government is about to find itself back in court over claims its pay equity changes breach human rights.

Regime: "stealing $13 billion from women isn't discriminatory because they can still take us to court"
Unions: "Alright then".

newsroom.co.nz/2025/08/18/u...

Fun Ferry Fact: Instead of a single project upgrading both ports, connections, new ferries, passenger infrastructure and the lot - we now have half a job at each port, mystery ferries to fit them, no passenger infrastructure and are supposed to say thank you for a shit job badly done by the govt

As of today there is no rail link between the North and South Island of New Zealand for the first time in 26 years. The replacement is an as yet uncontracted, unbuilt ferry that's supposed to arrive in 2029. The rail ferry that was being built, cancelled in December 2023, was due in February 2026.

Fun Ferry Fact: The "savings" made don't exist. The Government cut it down to reuse end of life infrastructure which will need replacing soon.

Fun Ferry Fact: The iRex was the Government recognising the Cook Strait is lifeline infrastructure and using state funds to maintain it to benefit business.

Fun Ferry Fact: Winston said it would have cost $120 million to maintain a wharf for the Aratere until its replacement arrives in 2029.

Fun Ferry Fact: Winston gave Hyundai $144 million so the Aratere replacement would not arrive in 2026.

this is why i never post any personal information, use "Keith Ng" as a pseudonym and pretend i live on the other side of the world in "wellington, new zealand" (a real place)

Andrew Kadel @DrewKadel@social.coop My daughter, who's had a degree in computer science for 25 years, posted this about ChatGPT on Facebook. It's the best description I've seen. Something that seems fundamental to me about ChatGPT, which gets lost over and over again: When you enter text into it, you're asking "What would a response to this sound like?" If you put in a scientific question, and it comes back with a response citing a non-existent paper with a plausible title, using a real journal name and an author name who's written things related to your question, it's not being tricky or telling lies or doing anything at all surprising! This is what a response to that question would sound like! It did the thing! But people keep wanting the "say something that sounds like an answer" machine to be doing something else, and believing it *is* doing something else. It's good at generating things that sound like responses to being told it was wrong, so people think that it's engaging in introspection or looking up more information or something, but it's not, it's only, ever, saying something that sounds like the next bit of the conversation.

The only thing ChatGPT ever does.

Headlines like this, with their neutral language and "factual statement" vibes, are worse than outright propagandising. It's the normalisation of atrocity. It's insidious. It doesn't matter if buried fifteen paragraphs deep you quote someone pointing out this is a genocide. The message is clear.

The CURRENT DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER was implicated in increased abuse and threats against Green MP Golriz Ghahraman to the point she was the only MP with a police escort aside from PM Jacinda Ardern. We're really going with "oh it's so bad out there, in a very nonspecific way, just generally bad"???

How is it possible that the media coverage of Goldsmith's move to ban protests outside someone's property includes *no* discussion of the disproportionate level of hatred and targeted violence experienced by women and especially women of colour in politics? It's wall-to-wall white men talking

"Its absence in education is likely due ...to its rocky past, as well as to the unflattering whims of public opinion.... As the em dash returns to favor, it is worth exploring the history and merits of this valuable punctuation mark."

#Punctuation #emDash

literaryashland.org?p=11371

Life as a Māori librarian in Trump’s America It’s also a very fraught time to be a librarian in the United States.

"Poet and librarian, Nicola Andrews (Ngāti Paoa, Pākehā), unfurls her life as an open education librarian at the University of San Francisco in the age of president Trump."

#Librarians #OpenEducation #Māori #NZDiaspora

thespinoff.co.nz/books/16-08-...

A close-up photo of me, a gremlin cat artist trying to pass as human 😸

An green/gold illustration of an elven maiden casting spell, with spirits gently surrounding her. Dragon Age inspired.

A portrait of a redhead aasimar with 4 spread wings and a blue eye on her forehead.

A poster-like illustration of Solas, Cass, and Fenris from Dragon Age. A ghostly, shining hand is touching Solas' chest (it's Lavellan!).

Today is my birthday! Could you, please, share my art, it is the best gift an artist can get 💖

Candidate information See who’s standing in your constituency, explore their affiliations, hear their views, and watch their introduction videos.

ECan now has candidate profiles up, for Cantabrians looking to do a Local Government Democracy shortly:
www.ecan.govt.nz/about/your-c...

Celebrating Tamil Language & Culture: Collection Launch at Tūranga – Friday 22 August 2025 5.30pm to 7.30pm Anaivarukkum vanakkam அனைவருக்கும் வணக்கம் The library is launching its Tamil Language Collection on Friday 22 August, join us to celebrate.

Anaivarukkum vanakkam அனைவருக்கும் வணக்கம்
Christchurch City Libraries is officially launching its Tamil Language Collection at Tūranga next Friday 22 August 5.30pm. Find out more and book free tickets: my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/blogs/post/c...

David's off Substack. Go subscribe!

Why homelessness is worse under this government: a story in 10 graphs There are more public houses, shorter housing waitlists and fewer people in emergency housing – so why are more people sleeping rough?

There are more public houses, shorter housing waitlists and fewer people in emergency housing – so why are more people sleeping rough?

thespinoff.co.nz/politics/14-...

Power companies to underinvest in new generation by $1.4 billion

People Watching: Free Church of Tonga, Ōtāhuhu Intermediate Hall, Auckland, on a Sunday afternoon

Bloody dictionary.com has a list of common English words taken from other languages and four of them are te reo Māori (kiwi, mana, moa, waka)

I am steadfastly NOT an "English is a stupid language with too many rules" person, I am an "English is a hot mess and we should lean into it" person

National PArty / ACT $5 million boot camp result is worse than it looks. 1 died.

Of those left, 88% re-offended, and 45% are in jail.

This is what Luxon and Karen Chhour claim is a "success". Worse, Luxon was told this would entrench and harden crime. National just don't care.

#nzpol
#kiwi

“‘No one saw it coming,’ but what they mean is that they consider the people who saw it coming to be no one.”

- Sarah Kendzior

Cats are a liquid.

Nothing I can do in terms of drawing these animals, making merch, and donating some of the profits to charity will ever make a difference if the government doesn’t stop desecrating our environment’s protections. 💔💔💔💔💔

One wahine's mission to uplift the homelessness crisis in Ōtautahi Flow Waaka has spent over a decade feeding and supporting people living rough, and she's urging others to do their part.

#NZPol "She humbles us. She sees us as people... That's aroha." 💪🏾

YASS WHAEA!!!

#nzpol

Trying to get through the day one chore, planned or otherwise, at a time.

'Act of racism': Education Ministry cans children's school book for too many Māori words "Our members see this move as an act of white supremacy. It's an act of racism," says Te Akatea, the Māori Principals' Association.

If your "structured literacy approach" with its "phonics sequencing and decoding suitability" cannot accommodate a handful of commonly-used words of te reo Māori YOUR APPROACH IS NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE. www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Black and white photo of 3 kittens being held in a white upside down "Bobby" style police helmet. The helmet is held by an older man with a moustache.

Happy #InternationalCatLoversDay!
Enjoy this collection of photogenic felines from #CanterburyStories (includes some library cats!)
www.canterburystories.nz/sets/5757 ^MT

* for the record this is NOT what Treasury or the RBNZ was telling the Govt of the day.

Ridiculous revisionist BS to fluff Luxon