True Lies

 

A new report has found that vegans emit five times more carbon than those on a meat-based diet. That’s according to a new report prepared by an Auckland University researcher. Dr Heather Winkelbottom says the high-fibre vegan diet causes high levels of flatulence. “Most humans pass gas between 13 to 21 times a day. This increases to between 60 to 120 times a day for vegans, or once every 15 minutes. Not only does this contribute to global warming, but flatulence also contains dangerous levels of methane which is potentially harmful to human health. I consider it dangerous to be confined with a vegan in a small space like a lift for more than 10 minutes.”

Dr Winklebottom said further research is required and has applied to the Marsden Fund for funding assistance. 

Is this true or a lie?

Three Waters Guinea Pig

Auckland and Northland will be the guinea pigs in a revised Three Waters model. Entity A (which includes four councils: Auckland, Kaipara, Whangarei and the Far North) will be the first of the now 10 water entities to be created. The Auckland North entity takes effect from July next year. The remaining nine entities will be staggered through to mid-2026.

The Three Waters reform is being imposed on councils despite widespread opposition. More than 60,000 submissions opposed the reform, but the government continued with only minor changes. The co-governance provisions remain, which give local iwi half of the seats on an entity’s regional representative group. The other half are shared between the local councils. The iwi and hapu Te Mana o te Wai statements, which must be put into effect by the water entity, have also been retained.

National on track to win back Northand

Polling released by Reality Check Radio on the 27th of July shows the National Party is on track to retake the Northland electorate seat.

National’s Grant McCallum is well ahead of Willow-Jean Prime (Labour) who won the seat from National in 2020. He is also well ahead of Matt King from Democracy NZ and Shane Jones from NZ First. 

Both NZ First and Democracy NZ are polling well below the 5% party vote threshold and need to win the seat to guarantee their party a place in Parliament. Both have previously expressed confidence that they have the support to win, but the poll results show otherwise.

Race-based healthcare in Northland

According to the NZ Herald, the Government’s controversial health tool that prioritises Māori and Pasifika patients for surgeries has been used in Northland since May, despite Te Whatu Ora Tai telling the Northern Advocate on the 21st of June that it is not.

What’s referred to as the “equity adjuster waitlist policy” gives priority to Māori and Pasifika ahead of European New Zealanders and other ethnicities in urology and orthopaedic healthcare in Northland since May 2023.

Crime: The good news and the bad news

GOOD NEWS & BAD NEWS

It's good news from Labour – we have reduced the prison population by 21%! 

And it's bad news from National - violent crime is up 33%!

Garrick Tremain cartoon - The newspaper is half the size it used to be!

 

Reality Check Radio: Paul Brennan interviews Dr Matt Shelton

Paul Brennan interviews Dr Matt Shelton about New Zealand’s ’Died Suddenly’ Cases

Click here to listen >>>