newsletter #57 for Monday, January 8th, 2024

3 min read

EV fires on Cook Strait ferries: Ministerial expert panel to examine safety

Fire safety for EVs on Cook Strait ferries prioritised by new advisory panel after a $3 billion upgrade plan cancellation.

EV fires pose higher risks than ICE fires, challenging to control and extinguish.

Cook Strait’s harsh conditions and lack of rescue support complicates fire management on ferries.

International warnings highlight the danger.

3 min read

Fact check 2.0 – Excess deaths Part 1

Excess deaths worldwide appear to be spiking.

In NZ the excess deaths (10.4% increase in 2022) are mainly among those over 64.

Is it old age, vaccine related, or something else? 

New Zealand is in a unique position, with low COVID exposure prior to vaccinations. 

NZ doesn’t seem to show excess mortality in younger populations, contrary to what  appears to be the case elsewhere.

3 min read

The media continues to overplay the victim card

Massey University published a study claiming minority and women journalists, reporting on sensitive topics, are being attacked. 

The study doesn’t examine context. A lot of said “reporting” is highly provocative and one sided. 

Meanwhile, ironically, nobody seems to even question if Centrist has women and minorities (we do) and routinely covers sensitive topics, without incident. 

3 min read

Martyn Bradbury’s emotional critique of emotion-driven politics misses the mark

Bradbury critiques the shift from rational debate to emotion-driven politics, and accuses the Government of being far-right racists without any evidence. 

Ironically, Bradbury’s own argument looks to us to be heavily laden with anger and frustration, reflecting the emotional bias he opposes.

His critique fails to consider alternative viewpoints, leading to one-sided conclusions about government policies and motivations.