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newsletter #35 for Sunday, July 16th, 2023

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A review of Dawn Raid tactics calls for law changes to limit their use

The Dawn Raids were “out-of-hours immigration visits” targeting the Polynesian community in the 1970s. The use of certain tactics have continued, despite an official apology in 2021, sparking a review by MBIE. Several recommendations have been made tightening Dawn Raid tactics. Despite controversy, there is some support for Dawn Raids from migrant communities because they want to be seen as law abiding.

A closer look at one of NZ’s most high profile trans rights activists

Shaneel Lal is a trans rights activist known for lobbying against conversion therapy. Lal has been accused of racism, intolerance and expletive filled attacks. The Kiwibank Young New Zealander of the year was instrumental in the mob stopping Posie Parker’s Let Women Speak tour. Lal was initially successful in having major NZ telecoms echo radical pro trans stances, but they soon backtracked.

Does colonisation explain poor outcomes for Māori or justify co-governance?

Colonisation doesn’t always explain poor outcomes for Māori, but is used to justify divisive policies. An example: Māori life expectancy lags behind Pākehā, but has more than doubled since 1840. Pākehā, who were the Colonisers, aren’t even in the top 50% of longest living groups in New Zealand. Poverty is strongly linked to poor health, and broken families, which only became more widespread, in New Zealand, in the late 1960s.

Science curriculum refresh long on ideology, but short on science

Teachers appalled at leaked “draft” science curriculum’s lack of science. Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge), which contains folklore and mysticism, is the core of it. Minister Tinetti assures there will be more conventional science than the draft shows, but many are concerned. What should voters make of Hipkins’ mother’s involvement?

Twitter founder calls for innovation to avoid government censorship

Founder and former CEO of Twitter advocates for censorship-resistant technology to support social media. Decentralised systems make it difficult for any single authority to control or remove specific content. Making changes to existing “centralised” platforms is probably faster than trying to build audiences for new, decentralised ones.

How well has NZ’s climate policy worked?

The Greens have not been effective on climate issues. James Shaw’s time as Minister of Climate Change from 2017 to 2021 saw NZ go backwards on emissions. Can NZ afford more pricey mitigation schemes while Kiwis struggle with the cost of living? Adaptation means dealing with impacts of climate change. Is this a more sensible strategy for a small country?

When in doubt tell the truth.
-Mark Twain

NZ News Essentials Ltd.

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