Te Ara Paerangi Com - Research Advocacy Capability

RNZ reports on the logical outcome of running universities as businesses, as described well by the OUSA President Liam White in the Spinoff today.

thespinoff.co.nz/society/10-1...

Government assets aren't a stock portfolio. Governements shouldn't cycle some out because they have are ideologically opposed to them and then bring in something they do approve of

I had a work colleague that was a centrist. His reasoning, In his own words 'I like out of season asparagus'.

The Dems are a centrist ratchet party and have been for most of my lifetime. There are Counterparts here, in Australia, Canada, the UK and other places.

Not news to either of us. Ugh.

The question of asset sales seens to arise three or four years after tax cuts.

2010: tax cuts
2014: partial asset sale of powercos & AirNZ

2024: tax cuts
2026/27: asset sales? (If Nats win next year)

The reason is blindingly obvious: tax cuts means less tax revenue.Nats have to make up shortfall.

Yeah, but I couldn't help it. 😀

Before shifting to Aotearoa, I lived in New York state. A lot of us knew....

This isn't just a thing we do to children. It's a worldwide move for governments and corporates to collect your identity documents before you can speak freely on the socials.

"Removed $2.53billion from the NZ economy" should replace "posted a record $2.53billion" to fully express the magnitude of this crime against everybody.😡💩

This, from OUSA's President, is very good and warrants reading:

"For decades, governments of every stripe have treated universities as businesses to be managed rather than institutions of learning and curiosity. ... Students are rebranded as customers, research, degrees and graduates as outputs."

Totally agree! "We protect the arts and humanities that create citizens, not just workers. We value research even when it’s inconvenient."

Dear NZ: fight civil asset forfeiture with everything you have in you. Love, the US

When any fool knows that if National are re-elected any proceeds from privatising assets the public owns will be squandered in more tax cuts for the rich.

‘Politically neutral’ Treasury officials encourage further privatisation:

"A formal capital recycling programme may be useful where government reallocates or reinvests capital from existing assets or infrastructure projects into new opportunities or projects to meet policy objectives,"

#nzpol 🎯

Science Must Decentralize Knowledge production doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Every great scientific breakthrough is built on prior work, and an ongoing exchange with peers in the field. That’s why we need to address the threat

Funneling scholars into a few major platforms isn’t just annoying, it’s corrosive to intellectual freedom. Institutions should support researchers moving to more democratic and decentralized alternatives. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

Five smart ways to boost your savings (without living a boring life) Self denial never lasts and isn't even the best approach to fast-tracking your savings. Here are five tips for cultivating an effective saver's mindset.

Savings advice. I have some.

1. Vote in a Govt that DOESN’T gut employment, lower wages & kick pay equity to touch.
2. Vote in a Govt committed to affordable housing for all.
3. Vote in a Govt that is committed to affordable childcare, PT and free healthcare - including dentistry. 1/2 #nzpol

That's just such a wonderful moment with your Mum. 🥰

#nzpol Pay attention, Aotearoa New Zealand!!!!

Don't let this awful National Party/NZ First/ACT coalition government permanently change who we are as a nation. We are better than them, and it's time for us to stand up, speak up, and show up. We are empathetic and powerful. Take action NOW!

Remember: There is nothing natural or inevitable about extreme inequality; it’s the result of an economic system that values wealth and power over human dignity and justice.

It doesn't have to be this way.

MAKE SCIENCE AND EVIDENCE GREAT AGAIN #NZPOL

In case anyone is wondering if Watson was really THAT bad, @lpachter.bsky.social compiled a list of quotes that are absolutely not for the faint of heart.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...

And here’s the crowdfunding link if you want to contribute or share www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/852...

Rosalind Franklin died at 37 of ovarian cancer attributed to radiation exposure from the methods she & her assistant used to photograph a cross-section of the DNA double helix.

Meanwhile, Watson won a Nobel off that work & survived to the ripe old age of 97 by simply: stealing those notes!

Rosalind Franklin and the damage of gender harassment Spurred by a recent report on sexual harassment in academia, our columnist revisits a historical case and reflects on what has changed—and what hasn’t

Thinking only of Rosalind Franklin today, and what was stolen from her (and so many other female scientists alongside her).

Nobody under the age of 50 has any idea of what is like to NOT live under the Reagan/Thatcher initiated neo-liberal nightmare.😱
Don't be too hard on them if they tell you they can't imagine any alternative to this shit show.✌️
#OneTermGovernment
#nzpol

Canada announces new incentives for international recruitment of master’s and PhD students On the heels of this week's announcement of a significant reduction in Canada's foreign enrolment cap, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued additional guidance for students

Canada announces new incentives for international recruitment of master’s and PhD students

monitor.icef.com/2025/11/cana...

Exxon funded thinktanks to spread climate denial in Latin America, documents reveal Texas-based fossil fuel company financed Atlas Network in attempt to derail UN-led climate treaty process

YOU NEED TO READ THIS!
Child cooking oil corporation Exxon stepped up its investment in the #AtlasNetwork thinktanks in the 1990s to pump out counter-science disinformation (oil propaganda) to undermine & defeat the UN climate treaty. Now we have the cheques...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

And for only 27,99 € / 30 days anyone can find out about this open access tool....

Is there a pre-print link?

We're told one of these land uses is 'productive', while the other is not.

But in terms of photosynthetic levels, as well as the production of clean air, water, no flooding, a stable climate, etc, etc, the natural ecosystem wins hands down.

As for biodiversity, let's not even go there.

Researchers say healthcare system failing long Covid patients A researcher is calling on the government to provide dedicated funding for long Covid.

Recent research in New Zealand shows that Long Covid sufferers feel let down by the health system:

"The picture painted by participants was bleak with a sense that the world had moved on from Covid-19 and left them behind."

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

#longcovid