Monthly Archives: August 2022

CLEVELAND, Ohio While bands in the United States were forced to perform virtual shows or refrain from live performances altogether in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, it was a different scene in New Zealand.

Thanks to the countrys famously strict lockdowns early-on in the diseases spread, bands were able to play out when the rest of the music world hit pause and indie-rock standout The Beths was one of them. The band, named after singer-guitarist Elizabeth Stokes, went on a tour in late 2020, performed at Christmastime festivals in its home country and even released a live album, Auckland, New Zealand, 2020, from one of the shows.

We were pretty lucky for a long time, Stokes said. Omicron caught up in late 2021, so New Zealand is in a similar boat to the rest of the world now. Luckily, the vaccination rate is very high.

Just this month, New Zealand finally fully opened its borders for the first time since 2020 but The Beths have already been traveling around the world, supporting its 2020 album Jump Rope Gazers and its upcoming album Expert in a Dying Field.

The bands tour is set to reach the Grog Shop for a show on Thursday, Aug. 11, with support from Rosie Tucker. Tickets, $10-$20 are still available to the concert on Grog Shops website.

The new tunes were flavored by the pandemic, but Stokes doesnt call Expert in a Dying Field a pandemic album. Here, expect the bands consistent upbeat approach to indie-rock fitting for energizing live shows.

It would be difficult not to have the last couple of years leak into whatever art you make. Even if you specifically were avoiding it, it would still affect the way people listening to it would experience it. So definitely its there, Stokes said. What we knew we wanted was an album that we could picture playing live, touring and really having fun with. We realized how important the live experience is to us.

Though some songs from Expert will be shared at the Grog Shop show, expect more of a focus on the bands earlier releases 2018s stellar Future Me Hates Me and 2020s dynamic Jump Rope Gazers.

Were conscious that this is our first show in Cleveland since 2019, so were making sure to play a good selection from the last album too, and plenty of first album faves, Stokes said. It should hopefully be a well-rounded smorgasbord.

As for The Beths current tour which has brought the group around the globe in recent months the band feels right at home while on the road, especially after the past few harrowing years.

It just feels right. Its super busy and exhausting, but in the best way, Stokes said. We feel like penguins whove been on land for the last couple of years, and now were back in the sea. We just need to avoid leopard seals.

Find more information about The Beths upcoming Cleveland show at grogshop.gs.

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New Zealands The Beths bringing smorgasbord of music to Grog Shop next week - cleveland.com

New Zealand has a research ticket to work on the International Space Station.

The country partnered with commercial research company Axiom Space on July 28 to fly experiments on future missions with the Houston-based company.

"We at Axiom Space are pleased to partner with Aotearoa [the original Maori name for New Zealand] to offer new access to space and create opportunities for companies, scientists and researchers," Michael Suffredini, Axiom's president and CEO, said in a July 28 statement (opens in new tab).

Photos: The first space tourists

New Zealand will focus on manufacturing and biotechnology on the International Space Station (ISS) as a part of the agreement, which includes research teams from the University of Canterbury and the University of Auckland.

The new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Axiom appears to be part of the country's ongoing expansion of work in space. In 2021, New Zealand was the 11th country to sign the Artemis Accords, a set of international agreements governing future lunar exploration under NASA's leadership.

New Zealand signed on to the accords, focused on lunar exploration through the Artemis program that aims to put boots on the surface, to discuss space resource management on the moon. (NASA plans to mine moon waterto bring down the cost and complication of long-term settlement of the moon.)

Institutions in New Zealand will use the MOU with Axiom for matters such as drug and vaccine development, along with an artificial intelligence system meant to simplify clinical decision-making, the statement said.

"Initiating development to help manage astronaut health, the tool could help health professionals assess health risks and treatment planning when they are very remote from patient locations, such as those in space or in Antarctica," Axiom and New Zealand officials wrote. "Axiom Space will contribute in-space operational experience to the study, with the New Zealand team providing computational, medical, and human performance expertise."

Axiom Space, founded in 2016, ran the first ever private research mission on the ISS earlier in 2022. The mission, called Ax-1, flew three paying space tourists and a retired NASA astronaut to the International Space Station on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

As the company prepares to launch more missions already approved by NASA, Axiom has ambitious plans to create new structures to attach to the orbital outpost many of them dedicated to research. When the space station is decommissioned (which is expected to happen in the early 2030s), these structures will collectively detach as a self-sufficient private space station in low Earth orbit.

Axiom Space's first module is scheduled to reach the space station sometime in late 2024, according to the company's website (opens in new tab).

Prior to New Zealand, Axiom signed similar MOUs with Italy, Hungary, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), including bringing Emirati astronaut Sultan AlNeyadifor the first Arab nation long-duration mission on the ISS in spring 2023.

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter@howellspace (opens in new tab). Follow us on Twitter@Spacedotcom (opens in new tab)and onFacebook (opens in new tab).

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Axiom Space will put New Zealand on International Space Station - Space.com

Coast House is a minimalist retreat in the heart of New Zealands South Island

Stacey Farrells contemporary retreat is a stealthy passive design that keeps a low profile amidst the natural splendour ofNew Zealands wild south coast

This low-energy retreat, the Coast House,sits between two of New Zealands most spectacular areas, the Fiordland National Park and the sparsely populated, densely forested Catlins. Fiordand is the countrys largest national park at nearly 5,000 square miles. It occupies a substantial chunk of the most westerly part of South Island, while the Catlins lie on the south coast.

A terrace opens off the main living space

Building anything in proximity to these remote wildernesses presents a significant challenge.

The climate is relentless, with very high annual rainfall and moisture-laden winds blowing in from the Tasman Sea.

The Coast House is nestled into the landscape

Stacey Farrell designed the Coast House to Passive House standards, embracing a sustainable architecture approach and ensuring it was highly insulated to minimise the amount of energy it consumed.

Modestly sized, its set low into the scrub, close to sand dunes on a site sprinkled with wind-blasted trees.

The aim was to keep things low and work with the landscape, the architect explains, pointing out how the materials palette is kept simple and unadorned.

The Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPs) used to create the internal walls havebeen meticulously hand-stained and left unadorned, rather than covered over, for example.

The exterior is finished with low-maintenance cladding that slopes towards a water-collection system, as well as keeping the structure out of the winds.

It also makes the dark house hard to see from the surrounding landscape.

Inside, there are two cocoon-like bedrooms and an open-plan kitchen living area, heated by a wood burner.

The dining table doubles up as kitchen island and table tennis table, complete with hand-stitched leather net, for when the weather keeps you indoors.

The build process avoided as many complications as possible. The house sits on driven timber piles, theoretically allowing it to be moved if required. If sea levels rise, or if coastal erosion in this little pocket of the world becomes an issue, Farrell says.

Inside, the SIPs have been left exposed, with rooms sized to make use of single panels without any additional cuts or wastage. Reclaimed timber is also used wherever possible.

Farrell has practised for over 20 years, building up a portfolio of modest, hard-wearing houses that have garnered a clutch of awards in her native New Zealand.

Based in Queenstown, her studio is committed to using modern materials in a minimal way, often working on dramatic sites that require careful approaches to design and energy use.

The main bedroom

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Coast House is a minimalist retreat in the heart of New Zealands South Island - Wallpaper*

New Zealand take on the Netherlands in a two-match T20I series after clean sweeping Scotland in a T20I series. The first T20I will be played on August 4 at the Sportpark Westvliet, The Hague. The second T20I will be played at the same venue on August 5. This is a short series and the games will be played on back-to-back days.

The Kiwis played a T20I series against Scotland and beat them in all three games. New Zealand defeatedScotlandin the 1st T20I by 68 runs, 2nd T20I by 102 runs, and 3rd T20I by 7 wickets.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands are yet to play a T20I game this year. They played an ODI series against England earlier this year which was their last international assignment. They lost the 1st ODI by 232 runs, 2nd ODI by 6 wickets, and 3rd ODI by 8 wickets. The Netherlands and New Zealand have only played 1 T20I game with each other so far which was won by New Zealand.

The Kiwis will be led by Mitchell Santner as Kane Williamson continues to rest ahead of the T20 World Cup. Martin Guptill, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson and Santner himself form the core of the side without the other senior players.

In India

Fan Code will live stream the New Zealand Tour of Netherlands 2022 for Indian fans.

In the Caribbean

In the Caribbean islands (West Indies), SportsMax will present the live telecast of the NED vs NZ and T20I series. Flow Sports will present the live streaming of the matches.

In Australia

In Australia, Fox Sports and Channel 7 will present the live telecast of the matches between the Netherlands and New Zealand.

In New Zealand

In New Zealand, SKY Sport NZ will present a live telecast of the matches between the Netherlands and New Zealand.

In South Africa

In South Africa, SuperSport will present the live telecast of the New Zealand Tour of the Netherlands.

In USA and Canada

In the USA, Willow TV will present the live telecast of the series. In Canada, ATN Cricket Plus will present the live-action of matches.

In the UK

In United Kingdon, Sky Sports Cricket will present the live-action of New Zealand Tour of the Netherlands.

Also Read: Hardik Pandya & KL Rahul Get Relief From Jodhpur Court For Their Comments On Koffee With Karan Show 3 Years Ago

Link:

NED vs NZ Live Streaming Details- When And Where To Watch Netherlands vs New Zealand Live In Your Country? New Zealand Tour Of Netherlands 2022, 1st...

New Zealand will continue to cooperate on shared interests with China, even as tensions increase in the region and China grows more assertive in the pursuit of its interests, Jacinda Ardern has said.

Speaking to the China Business Summit in Auckland on Monday, the prime minister said she was planning a trip to China to seize new opportunities for dialogue, support the trade relationship, and further cooperate on the climate crisis.

Even as China becomes more assertive in the pursuit of its interests, there are still shared interests on which we can and should cooperate, she said.

The prime ministers speech comes during a tense period for the Indo-Pacific, with western allies concerned about Chinas push for influence, particularly its proposed regional Pacific security deal. Ardern called for Beijing to respect and support the institutions that she said undergirded regional and international peace and stability.

Both New Zealand and China had been major beneficiaries of relative peace, stability and prosperity The rules, norms and institutions, such as the United Nations, that underlie that stability and prosperity remain indispensable, Ardern said, but are also under threat.

We see how much we have to lose should the international rules-based system falter, she said.

The speech was closely wedded to the party line of Arderns second-term governments foreign policy. The policy has emphasised respect, consistency, and predictability in dealings with China: essentially, that the government will continue to cooperate and work closely with China on mutually beneficial matters, particularly trade, while calling out differences typically on foreign policy and human rights.

That balancing act has, at times, been a difficult one to manage. New Zealand remains highly dependent on China for trade the country is its largest trading partner, accounting for 23% of total trade and 32% of goods exports.

But as Chinas economic importance to New Zealand has grown, ideological differences with Beijing have become increasingly stark, with reports of severe human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Beijings push into the Pacific and South China Sea, and erosion of democracy in Hong Kong.

In response to increasing tensions or risks in the region be they in the Pacific, the South China Sea, or the Taiwan Strait New Zealands position remains consistent we call for adherence to international rules and norms; for diplomacy, de-escalation and dialogue rather than threats, force and coercion, Ardern said.

Our differences need not define us. But we cannot ignore them. This will mean continuing to speak out on some issues sometimes with others and sometimes alone, she said.

We have done this recently on issues in the Pacific. We also have consistently expressed our concerns about economic coercion, human rights, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong.

One of the prime ministers primary examples of faltering institutions and norms was Putins war on Ukraine, and she called on China to to be clear that it does not support the Russian invasion and to use its access and influence to help bring an end to the conflict.

Over the past year, the Pacific has become an arena for broader geopolitical competition: with increasing interest from China, the US has also been looking to beef up its connections and alliances in the region.

Following Arderns speech on Monday, the commander of the US military in the Pacific said he wanted to expand and strengthen its ties with New Zealand.

Adm John Aquilino, head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, was in Wellington to meet top New Zealand defence force and government officials.

Our partnership runs very deep, Aquilino said. We are doing many things together to continue to ensure peace and prosperity for both of our nations and for all the nations in the region.

He said the leadership of Australia and New Zealand in the Pacific was critically important.

In June, the US signed Partners in the Blue Pacific, a cooperation agreement between Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the UK, and US.

The United States has been a Pacific nation our entire life. We will continue to operate in the Pacific no matter what else you might hear, Aquilino said.

Originally posted here:

New Zealand will continue to cooperate with more assertive China, Ardern says - The Guardian

New Zealand health officials have revealed they are stuck in the queue to order monkeypox vaccine and are unsure when it will arrive.

Monkeypox cases continue to rise globally more than 23,000 people in at least 75 countries have caught the virus. New Zealand confirmed a third case this week.

The director of the National Public Health Service, Dr Nick Chamberlain, said New Zealand agencies have been working to procure vaccines and antiviral treatments since we had our first case of monkeypox, which was on 9 July.

By that point, cases of monkeypox had already appeared in more than 30 non-endemic countries.

The vaccine is only manufactured by one company in the world and theres a global shortage and there is considerable international demand, Chamberlain said. We are part of a large number of countries who are endeavouring to access vaccine. Many have been unsuccessful.

Unlike New Zealand, Australia has received vaccine doses already, and on Thursday announced it had secured 450,000 doses of third-generation vaccine, which can also act as a treatment.

On Thursday afternoon, associate health minister Ayesha Verrall said vaccines would be just one part of a multi-factorial public health response.

Were working to develop a public health response that includes all elements of keeping people safe, she said, saying New Zealand was pushing very hard to get a vaccine.

This week, the Burnet Foundation Aotearoa and Sexual Health Society sounded the alarm on New Zealands lax response to the global outbreak, calling for a suite of measures.

The most at-risk community is men who have sex with men.

Verrall said she had been very clear with officials my expectation is that they work with members of the affected community to make sure that we do have effective and human rights compliant health promotional approach.

Meanwhile, thousands continue to catch Covid-19 every day. Health authorities, however, are still to sign off on expanding eligibility for a second booster shot, which remains unavailable to those under 50.

Opposition Covid spokesperson Chris Bishop said that was the wrong decision. Australia has gone to 30-plus. I dont understand why we wouldnt do that here, he said.

Previous director of health Ashley Bloomfield had said a decision on vaccine eligibility was due this week, but on Thursday the deputy director general of health, Andrew Old, said it was still being considered.

The evidence for repeat boosters for over-50s is pretty good, in younger age groups its less clear, he said.

Old said the current wave looked to have peaked, but hospitalisations and deaths may continue to rise. On Thursday, 49 New Zealanders were added to the death toll, with 140 deaths over the last week having Covid-19 as a contributing factor.

Read the original here:

New Zealand unable to say when monkeypox vaccines will arrive - The Guardian

Businesses in New Zealand are scrambling to find workers and competitively pushing up wages as they do, increasing the central bank's challenge in fighting inflation

WELLINGTON, New Zealand New Zealand video game developer PikPok found a solution to prolonged difficulty in finding experienced workers: Colombia.

The company, which is behind such mobile game apps as Clusterduck and Into the Dead, bought a studio in Medellin, Colombia, in February, increasing its staff of 180 by 35.

Its incredibly difficult to get to people with experience, said Mario Wynands, managing director of PikPok. By acquiring the studio in Colombia, thats given us the opportunity to recruit talent from Latin America and scale up that way.

Other industries do not have that solution. Businesses from farms to retirement villages and hotels are scrambling to find workers and competitively pushing up wages as they do, increasing the central banks challenge in fighting inflation.

In many cases, activity is simply disrupted by a lack of people exacerbated by suspension of immigration in the pandemic and, now, the slowness of its revival.

The unemployment rate was just 3.3% in the second quarter. Wages in the quarter were 3.4% higher than a year earlier, rising at the fastest rate in 14 years.

The aged-care sector had only 78% of the 5,000 registered nurses it needed, said Rhonda Sheriff, co-owner of Chatswood Retirement Village and clinical advisor to the NZ Aged Care Association. As a result, there are aged-care beds throughout the country that cannot be used, she said.

Her solution is higher pay. The government should pay nurses in aged care as much as it paid those in public hospitals, she said.

The meat processing sector has been raising concerns about labor shortages for months. According to the Meat Industry Association, the sector has 23,000 staff but needs 25,000.

At peak times, not all carcasses could be processed on time, and plants could not run at capacity, it said.

Willie Wiese, general manager manufacturing at red meat cooperative Alliance, said this year his staff had gone to help in processing plants because of the shortages.

New Zealands nursing and agricultural industries have long relied on immigrant labor, the supply of which dried up when the country closed its border during the pandemic.

In 2021, the government said it was simplifying immigration, but it also made changes that raised barriers to low-wage migrants. The immigration minister at the time said this was to help transition the country to a higher-wage, higher-skill economy.

Borders were reopened partially in February and fully this week, but New Zealanders are also leaving for other countries, especially Australia. Wynands and Sheriff both said they were losing staff to overseas employers offering higher pay.

Economists do not expect to see net immigration until next year, because recruiting foreign workers, getting visas for them, and moving them into the country takes time.

That leaves challenges for now. Dairy farmer Richard McIntyre, the spokesman for farming lobby group Federated Farmers, said his industry had been short-staffed for a year. Farmers had to work longer hours, and some jobs, such as pasture management, were being missed.

The real difficulty is if I attract someone on to my farm, there are only so many people and Im really just taking a staffer off someone else and that creates a problem for them, he said.

Theres just this fundamental shortage of people. Rappler.com

The rest is here:

Help wanted: New Zealand industries struggle to find workers - Rappler

Its a familiar scene Saturday night out on the town, a few drinks too deep, stumbling into the old faithful karaoke bar.

What will you bless the other equally intoxicated patrons and bar staff trying to make money to pay rent with tonight?

ABBA and Shania Twain have never failed you before, but after reading the room youre thinking perhaps a ballad.

While youre mulling over your options, the hens party on the other side of the bar has already swarmed to the microphone. You hear the beginning of Taylor Swifts Love Story start up and the squealing begin.

Purple Rain will have to wait until the next round.

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From Celine Dion and Queen to Neil Diamond and the Spice Girls, this nation of supposedly shy small poppies seems to love a late-night croon.

So, what is New Zealands go-to karaoke song?

I asked around some of New Zealands favourite karaoke bars to find out what keeps Kiwis singing through the night and into the early hours of the morning.

As it turns out, the overall winner wasnt so clear. There were songs that popped up over and over again, but many answers tended to differ in terms of style and age depending on where in the country you asked.

Getty Images

Which karaoke songs are Kiwis belting out into the night?

A bar I talked to in Queenstown said Fergies Fergalicious and Britney Spears Toxic were frequently on repeat, while no other bar mentioned these songs at all.

Up in Northland, another bar told me theyd always get Tennessee Whisky, while one bartender in Auckland said she has to listen to Frank Sinatras My Way every night.

In Wellington, the most played song on one bars karaoke machine was Queens Bohemian Rhapsody, while another bar keeps a Valerie jar in the back kitchen to track how many times the Amy Winehouse hit is requested.

Alexander Koerner/Getty Images

The popularity of Robbie Williams Angels is one of the worlds many wonders.

And through it all, this song seems to have a choke hold on karaoke-goers, particularly those of the white male variety.

As a Gen Z, can someone please tell me if this song was actually popular when it was released? Ive only ever heard it played in karaoke bars. Does it exist outside of karaoke?

Supplied

Amy Winehouses Valerie is beloved by tone-deaf drunks and talented vocalists alike.

Sure, those notes arent made for everyone, but the great thing about singing karaoke in New Zealand is that if you suck, people probably wont try to boo you or kick you offstage (although you might catch some shady looks).

Of all the overdone karaoke songs out there, Valerie is pretty harmless. The lyrics are sweet and simple, the song is danceable, and its a tune beloved by many.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Darius Rucker covered Old Crow Medicine Shows Wagon Wheel in 2013.

Where did this song come from? Ive never heard it before, but apparently Kiwis across the country are belting it out like their life depends on it.

After giving it a listen I see the karaoke potential in it the chorus is catchy, the vocal range required isnt demanding, and I can imagine exactly the kind of crowd this song would be a hit with.

There must be a reason why New Zealanders are so drawn to those classic all-American country songs: Tennessee Whisky; Take Me Home, Country Roads; and apparently Wagon Wheel.

Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

At six minutes long, Queens Bohemian Rhapsody is test of stamina.

Many people underestimate the value of adding theatrics to their karaoke performance, and Bohemian Rhapsody provides an outlet for your inner performer to run wild and free.

Its a three-part act, first operatic-rock, then art rock, and then a slow-burn ending to draw in the crowd to an emotional finale. You dont even need the vocal range of Freddie Mercury, but good stamina and lung capacity will help.

I do have one gripe with Bohemian Rhapsody being played at karaoke requesting this song automatically makes you a microphone-hog.

Seriously, a six-minute song? When someones aunty and uncle are at the bar demanding Here Is My Heart from Once Were Warriors and the drunk girls want to sing ABBA for the fifth time? Read the room, people!

Mark Davis/Getty Images

Ive been inclined to believe Neil Diamonds Sweet Caroline will never fade in popularity.

From the football pitch to the karaoke stage, people around the world seem to love chanting this Neil Diamond classic released 53 years ago.

Even Atlanta rap group Migos sang it during their Carpool Karaoke feature with James Cordon if that isnt a sign of how far-reaching this song is, I dont know what is.

Its a safe choice as it doesnt require a lot of vocal ability and the voices of other karaoke-goers inevitably joining in will drown you out, but maybe thats why this song works so well.

The draw of Sweet Caroline seems to be its simplicity, nostalgia, and synonymity with the sports field.

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The most requested karaoke songs in New Zealand - Stuff