All posts tagged support

High public approval of NZ Government handling of Covid-19 pandemic

Colmar Brunton polling shows strong public support for the Government handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, with 87% of people saying the approve or strongly approve, with only 9% disapproving.

A poll was done from 3-5 April after the Level 4 lockdown had started, and another has been done from 20-21 April, after the move to Level 3 lockdown was announced on Monday.

The latest poll: How much do you approve or disapprove of how your Government is responding to the Covid-19 pandemic?

  • Strongly approve 68% (up from 55%)
  • Somewhat approve 19% (down from 29%)
  • Total approve 87% (up from 84%)
  • Somewhat disapprove 5% (down from 6%
  • Strongly disapprove 3% (no change)
  • Total disapprove 8% (down from 9%)
  • Neither approve nor disapprove 4% (down from 6%)
  • Don’t know 1% (up from 0)

Colmar Brunton, Margin of error +/- 4%
The poll was conducted via 601 online interviews with New Zealanders over the age of 18 between April 20 and 21.

Stuff: The Government’s Covid-19 lockdown measures have overwhelming public support, according to a poll

Colmar Brunton pollster Edward Langley said New Zealand seemed to be seeing “something special” in the number of new Covid-19 cases each day.

“People feel there’s light there at the end of the tunnel which other nations haven’t seen”.

“I think we are seeing something special. We are setting aside our party political affiliations and we’re getting behind the Government”.

New Zealand support is much higher than G7 countries:

  • Average for G7 countries 50% support their Government (down from 54% two weeks ago)
  • Canada 74% support
  • France 43% (down from 61%)
  • USA 46% support (down from 52%)

France continues with a high death rate currently running at over 500 deaths per day.

USA has the highest total cases (866,148) and deaths (48,868). Deaths increased by 2,341 yesterday. Support there is dropping along with President Trumps approval (and he is publicly arguing with one of his top health officials again today).

32 Comments
by Pete George on 24th April 2020  •  Permalink
Posted in Poll
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Posted by Pete George on 24th April 2020

https://yournz.org/2020/04/24/high-public-approval-of-nz-government-handling-of-covid-19-pandemic/

Community support important dealing with Covid-19

We are all facing an unprecedented health crisis inn dealing with the Covid-19 coronavirus, and the associated financial crisis. Some amongst us will inevitably catch the virus, and all of us will be financially affected.

It is important we support our families, and it is also important to build community support. We need to work through this together as much as possible (but at an appropriate social distance).

Our ways of life are rapidly changing, and are likely to change substantially more.

We already cannot or should not travel out of the country, which cuts some of us off from family.

We are already being asked to limit travel inside the country, and it seems inevitable that some if not most of us will be required to stay at home, possibly for months.

So far, despite having the virus coming into the country via citizens and permanent residents returning here from various places around the world (which indicates how established and spread it is overseas), we seem to have it contained for now, with no obvious community spread. This is being carefully monitored.

It is inevitable there will be community spread of the virus here. It is already happening in many countries, including in New South Wales in Australia, where they are considering locking down other areas or states to confine the spread – Scott Morrison indicated they will be looking at this early next week.

When we get community spread here we may get regional lockdowns. Ardern has been clear we need to prepare for being confined to our homes at some time in the future.

We need to have confidence our Government and MPs are doing everything they can to deal with the huge challenges currently facing us. There is scope for valid and reasonable criticisms, but petty politics should be set aside.

We, families and communities, and work groups, need to learn what we can and do what we can to help and support each other. This is a very big deal and we need to cope with massive changes as best we can. so we need to work together.

With family often spread around cities and the country we may only have remote contact with them. So we should turn to those living close by.

We are encouraged to practice social distancing, but we should still be able to walk in our neighbourhoods and talk to neighbours, offer support, and offer to help others who may be in social isolation imposed due to travel or risky contacts, or to protect their own health.

As has been happening elsewhere in the country I have helped set up a support group in the suburb I live in, have promoted it in related groups on Facebook, and will do a letterbox drop this weekend – not everyone will be on the Internet. People living on their own in particular need to know they have support available if they need it.

We live in a very challenging time. We need to rise to the challenge as best we can, and that means within our households and in our communities, where we can support each other.

 

 

5 Comments
by Pete George on 21st March 2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 21st March 2020

https://yournz.org/2020/03/21/community-support-important-dealing-with-covid-19/

Labour’s election support by district under threat?

From Harry Jamieson@graveyjones5

The Labour party managed to form a coalition government after this election, making @jacindaardern the 2nd youngest PM in NZ history. They performed best in cities (Dunedin, Wellington, Nelson ect) as well as in rural areas with large Maori populations (East Coast).

Image

This excludes special votes but should be approximately the same.  It is done per district rather than per electorate.

Māori support was strong, but that could be challenged this year.

RNZ: Whānau Ora head warns minister over funding allocation

Whānau Ora minister Peeni Henare can kiss Māori progress goodbye if he continues to allow other agencies to dip into its funding, the organisation’s head has warned.

It comes as distinguished Māori leaders seek an urgent Waitangi Tribunal hearing over the government’s handling of Whānau Ora funding.

It received an $80m funding boost over four years in the 2019 Budget, but North Island commissioning agency chair Merepeka Raukawa-Tait said not all of that money was going to Whānau Ora.

“From what we have seen, particularly in the last 12 months, we believe that the government is starting to undermine Whānau Ora,” Raukawa-Tait told RNZ’sCheckpoint.

She – along with Dame Naida Glavish, Dame Tariana Turia, Lady Tureiti Moxon and Dame Iritana Tawhiwhirangi – wrote to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in November last year expressing their concerns, but said they had not had a response.

They are now seeking an urgent Waitangi Tribunal hearing, claiming the government has breached the Treaty of Waitangi by refusing to adequately and transparently fund Whānau Ora.

Of the $20m extra funding Whānau Ora was promised last year, only about $5m was received by the commissioning agencies.

Raukawa-Tait said that did not make any sense, and she had a message for the Minister of Whānau Ora, Peeni Henare.

“Be the minister that we want to have confidence in. At this present moment we do not.”If he does not understand his role and our expectations of him than you can kiss Māori progress goodbye for the next two decades.”

She said if he continued to allow government agencies to use its funding, Whānau Ora faced destruction by stealth.

Henare denied any of the Whānau Ora funding was going to other government agencies, and said the move was politically motivated.

He’s referring to the move to challenge the funding of Whānau Ora – of course there’s politics involved, that’s how the Government is lobbied, especially in an election year.

It’s hard to know how Labour support will be generally this year, but it should actually increase. In the 2017 election they got 36.89% of the party vote, but since then have mostly polled in the 40s:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2020_New_Zealand_general_election

That trend my be a bit of a concern for Labour.

Their poll support peaked at 50.8 in June 2019 (Newshub/Reid Research), but the same pollster had them at 41.6% in October and three polls since then (two from Colmar Brunton and one from YouGov) were 40%, 41% and 39%.

A generally sound economy with promises and money available for big spending boosts this year will be in Labour’s favour, but influential coalition partner NZ First is best known this term for dishing out dollops of money to the regions, and the Greens are pushing for even higher levels of borrowing and spending,

Labour will need to try to get the balance right between buying voter support (with voters’ money) without appearing too financially reckless.

13 Comments
by Pete George on 22nd January 2020  •  Permalink
Posted in Election, government
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Posted by Pete George on 22nd January 2020

https://yournz.org/2020/01/22/labours-election-support-by-district-under-threat/

More New Zealand sympathy and solidarity on show

Dunedin: Community rises in wake of mosque terror

Hundreds of members of the public gathered outside Dunedin’s Al Huda mosque in Clyde St for nearly three hours in a show of support for the city’s Muslim community.

Bouquets of flowers and messages of support have lined the entrance to the mosque since Friday afternoon.

In an emotional address outside the mosque, senior member Haizal Hussaini said his community was still grieving but it was also time to return to some sort of normality.

“This is very emotional at this stage for us, which is why we have been keeping quiet while we grieve, but normalcy needs to go on, children need to go to school tomorrow and we need to pray in our mosque,” Mr Hussaini told the crowd while fighting back tears.

Basin Reserve, Wellington

Thousands gather in Hamilton to show support for victims of Christchurch shootings

Thousands of people stood as one in Hamilton to support the victims of the Christchurch terror attack.

They gathered at Claudelands Park on Saturday night opposite the Jamia Masjid Mosque where flowers, messages of unity, and soft toys covered the footpath.

NZ Herald:  Online donations reach $6.3 million for victims of Christchurch mosque shooting

More than $6.3 million has now been donated to the victims of the Christchurch massacre via online fundraising pages.

The largest of those pages is Givealittle’s official “Christchurch Shooting Victims’ Fund” which as of 9.30pm tonight had raised over $4.3 million from 60,000 plus donors.

The New Zealand Islamic Info Centre has also set up a LaunchGood page which has raised more than $1.7 million from 31,000 plus donors.

A separate online donations page also set up on Victim Support’s own website, after overload on the official Givealittle page, has raised over $120,000.

A handful of other separate Christchurch fundraising pages have also contributed over $100,000.

Memorial events and vigils:

  • Invercargill: A vigil for peace and solidarity will take place at Wachner Place at 11am on Sunday.
  • Timaru: A vigil is being held in Timaru on Sunday at 1:30pm in front of the lookout at Caroline Bay.
  • Christchurch: A memorial event will be held at Cathedral Square on Thursday at 8.30pm.
  • Dunedin: Amnesty Otago will host a vigil at the Octagon on Thursday at 7pm.
  • Auckland: A vigil planned for Aotea Square will take place on March 22.
  • Monday March 18, 6pm, Wairarapa, Masterton Town Hall
  • Thursday March 21, from 7pm, Civic Square, vigil by Amnesty at Vic
  • Friday March 22, 12.30, Nelson Islamic Cultural Society Mosque, 320 Hardy St invite you to hold hands to show solidarity in prayer.
  • Monday 18 March, 1pm, The Soundshell,

22 Comments
by Pete George on 18th March 2019  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 18th March 2019

https://yournz.org/2019/03/18/more-new-zealand-sympathy-and-solidarity-on-show/

If medical cannabis is effective Dunne will back it

One News finally got their medical cannabis report on air on Saturday (from news and interviews gathered on Wednesday).

Medicinal marijuana: If it’s effective Peter Dunne will back it

A group called United in Compassion which wants more trials of medicinal marijuana has met with Mr Dunne to discuss the issue and the ONE News Colmar Brunton poll also backs them.

Nearly half (47%) say marijuana should be legal for medical cases while 21% say it should remain illegal. But just 9% believe marijuana should be legalised for recreational use with 21% saying possession of a small amount should only incur a fine and no criminal conviction.

“I think fundamentally people have some real compassion for people who are suffering who could benefit from the medicinal properties of cannabis,” Drug Foundation chief executive Ross Bell says.

The Government is currently reviewing national drug policy and laws and while Mr Dunne won’t support legalising recreational use he is taking a wait and see approach on medicinal marijuana.

He wants proof of extensive, approved testing processes and says it depends entirely on whether it’s effective.

Like any drug it should be proven effective and relatively safe.

The pool looks poorly done, combining two issues in one response. But playing that game if if you add up the numbers:

  • 77% think marijuana should be legal for medical cases, should be legalised for recreational use, or should only incur a fine and no criminal conviction.
  • 21% say it should remain illegal

This One News item follows up a ‘pre-news’ item on Friday – Should medicinal marijuana become more available in New Zealand?

See a post on that –  Poll supports medical cannabis, Dunne considering

5 Comments
by Pete George on 10th May 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Medical Cannabis
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Posted by Pete George on 10th May 2015

https://yournz.org/2015/05/10/if-medical-cannabis-is-effective-dunne-will-back-it/

Messages of support for Whale Oil

Over the past week or two Whale Oil has posted a number of messages of support. There’s another one today:

Message of Support

by Cameron Slater on August 31, 2014 at 8:30am

From the mail bag

By the way, despite all the haters out there, I and many others continue to enjoy your site. We dont have to like or agree with everything you say – but it is a good platform for you and many others to have their say about whatever is topical at the time.

At times discussions, expressions and sentiments may get a bit carried away, but that is what we should all be able to enjoy in NZ, the freedom of speech and the right to express a view despite how others may view it. It seems the liberal left no longer regard freedom of speech as a a cornerstone of our society and want comments that express a view politically opposed to theirs shut down.

Never mind that they can shout obscenities at the Prime Minister or create songs depicting a despicable act on his daughter – that is not “dirty politics” because it was one of their own saying it. They have such different rules it is laughable.

You have to laugh about it Cam although I am sure you are finding it hard to do this at times. None of us, and I mean none of us would want our personal emails hacked and then put on the public stage for every Tom, Dick & Harry to pick over and come to there own conclusions.

In my group of friends there is a friend of a friend who we think is a cocaine user.

We call him snorter and often make reference to the fact that whenever he makes another stupid decision that he has probably snorted another line of cocaine. We have absolutely no evidence that he has ever taken cocaine and to be fair – he probably hasnt.

However, if someone was to read our personal emails and then put it out there that “so in so” was a cocaine user that would be so wrong.

People say things about others all the time, without actually knowing the truth and never expecting it to get out to the public domain. Rachel Smally called fat women Lards and I am sure she didnt want that to be known.

This could be a genuine message from a supporter. As could the current comments in response.

GoingRight 

Great letter. I concur with all that has been written. We won’t be going elsewhere for our news, anyway where would one go to get a balanced viewpoint? I suspect that for a short while those tips from politicians and journalists might be a little lean, but eventually they will come back as they will need you Cam. Be true to yourself and all will be fine.

rightofleftcentre 

This is a really important point. I work in the health sector – if conversations between staff were recorded and distributed publicly there would be outrageous indignation that such things could be said. This would apply to most occupations. Private communication is not and should never be subject to public broadcast unless there is criminal activity involved. This is a really important privacy issue.
It seems that it’s OK if the “greater good” is being protected – but who is to decide what the “greater good” is? In politics it seems that it is that which your side supports. That’s all.
Well it seems that those who are digging up private communications (illegally!) and hurting others do finally deserve to have it dished up to them.

You have warned them several times.
Go for the jugular, Cam!
They deserve nothing less.

But it’s difficult not to see these as anything other than self promoting PR. Whale Oil has history.

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by Pete George on 31st August 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Politics
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Posted by Pete George on 31st August 2014

https://yournz.org/2014/08/31/messages-of-support-for-whale-oil/