Eleanor Howden

Half of heart attack patients not treated within accepted timeframes, study finds The report commissioned by Kia Manawanui Trust suggests half of heart attack patients are not treated within accepted timeframes.

"Heart care in New Zealand isn't just stretched - it's on the verge of collapse," she said. "We are failing in all aspects and it's costing New Zealanders their lives."

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

'They’re preparing for the end not because they fear it —
but because they assume they’ll win it.' #NZpol - adjacent

The challenges we now face must be met by a bold progressive populist movement that strengthens democracy and shakes up the system.

We can’t simply return to the path we were on before Trump.

We cannot accept the status quo of Big Money dominating our politics and economy.

Quick video for the 'we saved too many lives, spent too much $, sent inflation to the moon, made interest rates go up, and now we have to pay for our sins 😢' crowd.
The idea that NZ could have 'opted out' of global inflation surge is daft. Almost as daft as NZ opting almost uniquely for a recession.

Remember: The recipe for economic growth isn’t tax cuts for the rich. It’s investment in our people — in health care, infrastructure and education — to build a strong middle class. 

You don't grow the economy through trickle-down nonsense.

Luxon wants to sell or exchange up to 67% of NZ's conservation lands National say they will "unleash growth". That may be by selling / exchanging 5 million hectares of conservation land, much of it with "high ecological value" - representing 2/3 of the entire estate.

It's true - Luxon & National want to sell or exchange up to 67% of NZ's conservation lands

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment states:

“This proposal would represent a major change to New Zealand conservation law...The vast majority of this land is of high ecological value.”

#nzpol

RFK Jr cancels $500m in mRNA vaccine development in the US - BBC News Since taking office, the vaccine sceptic has made a number of changes to how vaccines are regulated.

News item: RFK Jr replaces handle on Broad Street pump

If I have to explain to you why it's a bad idea to use a machine that makes shit up 15-80% of the time AND destroys the environment AND contributes to rising fascism and genocide AND puts brilliant skillful creatives out of work by stealing their work, then we're already speaking different languages

Please note:
You can't 'reach net zero by 2050 or sooner' by exploiting the 'largest global oil and gas discovery in 25 years' and 'shift away from renewable energy to refocus on fossil fuels.'

NCEA’s Future Decided. Beaton vs Welby Ings and the Pretence of Consultation by Rebecca ThomasStory We Are Being SoldAs the Government’s announcement about the future of NCEA lands, we need to pause and think carefully about the story we are being sold.We are told NCEA is brok...

"We are told NCEA is failing, but where is the robust evidence to back up such drastic change? How many of our kids are at university right now having followed the NCEA pathway and are thriving?"
Exactly. Rebecca nails it again
www.engaginglearningvoices.com/post/ncea-s-...

The bottom line on EPA's effort to overturn the #endangerment finding?
It's purely a political argument cloaked in false, misleading, dishonest scientific language, because actual #climate science unambiguously supports the conclusion greenhouse gases are dangerous to the climate and society.

Hush and rush of Govt lawmaking undermines trust and quality Analysis: The Govt responsible for the Regulatory Standards Bill, which aims to improve legislative quality, is the same one rushing through laws in secret.

Hush and rush of Govt lawmaking undermines trust and quality newsroom.co.nz/2025/08/04/h...

Why drilling for fossil fuels is not expected to fix our energy crisis The government is touting oil and gas exploration as the answer. But there are grave doubts it will work.

Gambling NZ's energy security on a vain hope of finding new fossil gas, which might then come into production in a decade or more, is grossly irresponsible for climate, energy security and economic reasons. We have great clean energy options if we had a smarter govt. www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Continental Drying - the world is losing freshwater at dangerous rates Climate change is driving profound changes across the whole Earth system including the water cycle which is now changing at unprecedented rates with impacts on society, ecology and sea level rise.

A new satellite study has identified an alarming loss of global freshwater with implications for society, ecology and sea level rise. Four mega-drying regions are identified, all in the northern hemisphere.
drtomharris.substack.com/p/continenta...
#climatechange #drying #drought #sealevelrise

As predicted ... here is the NZBORA s7 report on the Government's Electoral Amendment Bill, in which the removal of same-day enrolment and voting for the entire advance voting period is declared to be an unjustifiable limit on the right to vote.

Note that this s7 notice was not attached to the Bill when introduced into the House on Thursday (as the NZBORA requires), so the Govt got a clean 24 hours to sell it without having to answer pesky questions about why they don't care about rights. But, hey ... no reason to be so cynical, right?

The way ACT Party MP Todd Stephenson talks about voters is disgusting. The right to vote isn’t something you earn by being organised. It’s a right. Full stop.

Integrity Briefing: Waikato Medical School – A Costly case study in policy capture The Government's decision to proceed with establishing a new medical school at the University of Waikato is not, at its core, a decision about health policy.

“The Waikato medical school greenlight might be a political win for a few, but it’s a loss for New Zealand’s standards of governance. It undermines confidence that our health investments are made wisely and fairly.” Bryce Edwards from

open.substack.com/pub/theinteg...

Europe's reliance on fossil fuel imports funds autocratic regimes, creating a dangerous vulnerability.

The transition to clean, homegrown energy isn't just an environmental goal—it's a national security imperative.

Thrilled to share my new commentary in Nature Reviews Clean Technology, co-authored with @soxenaar.bsky.social of @regassistproj.bsky.social

We argue for electrifying industrial heat in Europe—a game-changer for efficiency, resilience, and competitiveness.

Full version here rdcu.be/evPO0

Long-term changes needed to bailouts, natural disaster responses - Christopher Luxon The government is looking at what the Tasman district needs, but in the long-term it can't keep bailing people out after disasters, the PM says.

After introducing dozens of policies to increase greenhouse emissions, undermining global efforts to cut the climate pollution which drives more extreme flooding events, Luxon says his Govt wants to take LESS responsibility for the damage caused by ITS OWN policies. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Fact check: Did an ocean current reverse? A report from a European news wire agency on the reversal of an important ocean current has sparked alarm online.

OH MY GOD, NO… 🙄

The current systems of the Southern Ocean did NOT reverse. Not even close.

This was all based on a b.s. press release — not a scientific paper — that is wildly, absurdly wrong.

www.newsweek.com/fact-check-o...

Cartoon. Title: “Grease” Two men shaking hands, with just their arms and hands visible. One is wearing a watch with the Beehive on the face. The other has “Business” written on his watch strap. Black grease is squeezing out between their hands, with a $ sign in the grease below the hands. “Slap!” Is written above the hands, and “Squelch!” is written below the hands.

Greasy.
My Stuff #cartoon today about #politicians, #donations, and suspicion of favour.
#NZpol #integrity #Corruption #Accountability

Luxon’s War on the Climate - a deliberate effort to increase emissions - Greenpeace Aotearoa The Luxon Government claims they are serious about climate change. They say they are simply taking a different approach to cutting emissions, such as using price signals rather than regulations. 

As we face more flooding, made worse by climate change, it can be hard to keep track of the multitude of climate policies of the Luxon Govt. This is made harder by their misleading statements. So I have built a timeline up to June 2025. www.greenpeace.org/aotearoa/sto...

The destruction of Palestine is breaking the world | Moustafa Bayoumi The rules of the institutions that define our lives bend like reeds when it comes to Israel – so much that the whole global order is on the verge of collapse

“If they are so afraid of a student with a sign or a chalked message or a demand for justice, then we are stronger than they want us to believe.”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

When rainforests died, the planet caught fire: New clues from Earth’s greatest extinction When Siberian volcanoes kicked off the Great Dying, the real climate villain turned out to be the rainforests themselves: once they collapsed, Earth’s biggest carbon sponge vanished, CO₂ rocketed, and...

When rainforests died, the planet caught fire: New clues from Earth’s greatest extinction
once they collapsed, Earth’s biggest carbon sponge vanished, CO₂ rocketed, and a five-million-year heatwave followed
Now humans are obliterating these forests
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...

Long COVID science, research and policy - Nature Medicine This Review outlines the current state of scientific evidence on long COVID, discusses its impacts on patients, health systems, economies and global health metrics, and proposes a forward-looking rese...

The science is clear - Long Covid is hugely consequential - is that why this news is suppressed?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Yeah, there's been a fair bit of work on this in the last few years. My take on sea ice is that it is now on the way out around Antarctica because of ocean warming finally being expressed at the surface, tied to circulation changes etc. Bad news!

'Passing Regulatory Standards Bill will exact high political price'

Former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer analyses what's wrong with the Bill and whether we've reached a new low in NZ political life.