Brassneck

Written By: - Date published: 12:21 pm, March 2nd, 2015 - 64 comments
Categories: boycott, clayton cosgrove, corruption, election funding, Ethics, labour, Politics, Unions, workers' rights - Tags: , , , ,

The release of the candidate donation returns has shown us that the National Party have found a new way to rort the system and give the lie to John Key’s promise of higher standards. However, there are issues for the NZ Labour Party as well. In particular, four MP’s have been shown to have taken money from sources that do not have the interests of the Labour party or, indeed, the majority of Kiwis at heart.

Trevor Mallard received $11,000 from Bob Jones and one of his employees. This is probably the least worrying as Jones is a local resident and clearly didn’t rate the National party candidate for Hutt South. Given how tight the race in the electorate was, it’s hard to say it was unreasonable for Mallard to cash that particular cheque.

Jones also donated to Stuart Nash, who also received a whopping $67,000 from two men who appear to have actively canvassed the possibility of Nash forming a breakaway party. It has been reported that Nash rejected the plan, but it’s clear he didn’t reject the money. Nash is a complicated character, who is rated quite highly by some in the party. Well, rated quite highly by one MP from Napier. To take this money, flirt with the possibility of launching a rival centre party and at the same time try to win the leadership of the Labour Party is truly astonishing cheek.

Clayton Cosgrove took $10,000 from the Vela family, who have business interests in racing and fishing and have been previously accused of using political donations to curry favour. Like Mallard, Cosgrove faced an uphill battle to win his electorate seat, so the incentive to take the money is obvious. He failed anyway, but due to a puzzlingly high list placing made it back into Parliament. Hopefully the list moderation committee won’t make the same mistake again.

The worst donation is one of the smallest. While Talley’s employees are still battling to get their collective employment agreement settled after a year of negotiations, the West Coast Tasman MP Damien O’Connor took $5000 from a company accurately described on the Standard 6 years ago as corporate scum. Tellingly, Talley’s donated to many Tory MP’s, but only one from Labour. It can only be coincidence that three of the recipients, Chester Borrows, Stuart Smith and Damien O’Connor, are members of the primary production select committee.

These donations will be seen by some as big business attempting to buy off or corrupt the Labour MP’s concerned. Certainly all four have been incredibly disloyal to the party in recent years and O’Connor and Nash clearly have nothing in common with the history and values the party holds dear. Happily, Trevor Mallard seems to have abandoned his political fitness regime which involved repeatedly hoisting his foot into his mouth and it’s no small credit to him that he retains Hutt South despite the changing demographics of the seat.

Nash will probably be gone next election anyway. The vote splitting of the Conservative Party candidate and the local issue of council amalgamation aren’t likely to help him next time around.

Clayton Cosgrove? Well, I have to acknowledge he did good work when he was an electorate MP. I’m personally aware of him going out of his way to help and protect a young woman in Kaiapoi who was campaigning against the opening of a party pill shop in the town and had received some particularly nasty threats from the (now deceased) gangster businessman involved. Good on him for that. But it’s time to go, Clayton. I just decided I don’t trust you any more.

And O’Connor? The difficulty for Labour is this right wing buffoon holds one of the few provincial seats left. We’re probably stuck with him. But he absolutely should get his own chequebook out and make a donation to the meat worker’s union equivalent to the tainted Talley’s money. The party can probably tolerate brassneck MP’s but never a blackleg.

64 comments on “Brassneck ”

  1. Puckish Rogue 1

    Did National break any laws? No they didn’t so another mud-slinging attempt falls flat.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1

      Own goal, fool.

      Thanks for confirming that ‘the letter of the law’ is the National Party’s ethical benchmark.

      • ghostwhowalksnz 1.1.1

        More likely they have been caught out by the John Banks trial which established that a donation has to be totally anonymous at the time of the donation and not as a bit of a game decided later when the return is signed off.

        The only way to keep the buggers honest… I mean anoymous was to reroute it through the national party head office.

        It would news to a lot of people that the party hq has total control over the electorate and regional finances. Usually the party president has turn up with guys with baseball bats to get the money for a campaign.

      • weka 1.1.2

        “Own goal, fool.”

        Not to mention demonstrating that they didn’t read the post. What a dick.

    • mickysavage 1.2

      I would not be so confident PR …

      http://pundit.co.nz/content/you-cant-have-it-both-ways

    • Tracey 1.3

      John Key is proven a liar though for promising higher standards.

    • Draco T Bastard 1.4

      Just because something is legal does not make it right. What National did was obviously wrong and now we have the RWNJs showing their own immorality by defending that immoral action.

      • exStatic 1.4.1

        Lets see who pops up to defend Hone’s apparent trousering of KDC’s huge “donations”?

        • Draco T Bastard 1.4.1.1

          And a RWNJ pops in to try to distract from their own immorality.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 1.4.1.2

          Fire-and-forget smears from a hypocrite who wets the bed that a party that won no seats had a resident backer, and was completely open about it.

          Meanwhile, thanks to Blabbermouth Goodfellow and Loose Lips Lusk, we know the National Party has “relationships” with foreign residents and pretends they’re anonymous, while selling legislation in return for financial rewards – “trading on their time as MPs to build lucrative business careers”.

          Exstatic will now run away like a coward and look for another place to dump.

  2. ghostwhowalksnz 2

    Pleeese. This is such a mish mash of bullshit and speculation its hard to know where to begin.
    Just as the ‘The Standard’ isnt one drone hive but has many voices , so is the labour party MPs.

    Im wondering if you have any real insights about politics .
    Its a bit disquieting than you have taken on a self appointed role as the modern McCarthy.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 2.1

      You don’t see anything unwise about a Labour MP who sits on the PPSC taking money from Talleys?

      At the very least it’s poor judgement.

      A conflict of interest can be:
       actual: where the conflict already exists
       potential: where the conflict is about to happen, or could happen
       perceived: where other people might reasonably think that a person has been compromised.
      A poorly managed ‘perceived’ conflict of interest can be just as damaging as a poorly managed ‘actual’ conflict of interest.

      MBIE.

      • McFlock 2.1.1

        I agree.

        Regardless of whether they pull the Francis bacon defense (the money they received did not affect their judgement), it still looks dodgy as fuck. Very similar to US campaign “donations” (bribes).

        Would Talleys be donating if they thought O’Conner would not give them the decisions they want? Doubt it.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 2.1.1.1

          It doesn’t matter: all parties can be as pure as the driven snow, and the perception is as much to be avoided as the reality.

          In the case of perceived CFIs, we think about them as instances in which no conflict exists, but the potential for financial gain as a result of what we publish is strong enough to give our readers the impression of an actual conflict.

          Nature editorial

  3. Skinny 3

    I agree Cosgrove needs to go, however no problems with taking money from Talley’s, an outfit that locked out meat workers (they own Affco) I helped raise thousands of dollars during the lock out. I credit them for going against the grain of sealords and insisting on employing Kwi workers only. Must be the son as the old man is a prick.

    I hear Hooton paid good money for a bottle of vodka signed by Nash. I take it Hooton is
    meddling to get a rightwinger into to Labour. Matthews is just reliving the Douglas and Prebble days.

    • greywarshark 3.1

      Hooton has found you don’t have to live in a beehive to set up a honey trap.

      • Skinny 3.1.1

        I will cut Nash some slack having met him a few times. He is very personable guy. The first time I met him he was on a Labour election tour bus (Helens last stand) and out of all the male LP MP’s Nash was the most friendly, I mean if you were an outsider you would think the others were fuckwits. So on that level I can see why Nash is popular. As for his idealodgical view not so popular.

        • Colonial Rawshark 3.1.1.1

          I like hanging out with personable, sociable types for a beer. But if they can’t get my kind of politics done then they’re useless in Wellington. And yeah, too many of those other MPs are a strain just to hang out with.

          • Skinny 3.1.1.1.1

            Yeah it all turned to custard when it got past the superficial chit chat. And seeing some of the suspect candidates that stood in the last election, one has to question Labours vetting process, or should I say lack of.

            • Colonial Rawshark 3.1.1.1.1.1

              It’s not really their vetting process which is suspect, IMO it’s the cultural gulf between what the Labour Party internally prefers as MP material and what Joe Public Labour Leaning voter is actually hoping to see from the party’s candidates and MPs.

              Also, people who want to be politicians are weird enough to start with.

        • Tracey 3.1.1.2

          Half the population think John Key is a nice and personable guy skinny

        • Saarbo 3.1.1.3

          I will cut Nash some slack having met him a few times. He is very personable guy.

          Agree, but he still come across as a wanker…an over confident “personable” wanker perhaps.

          I mean if you were an outsider you would think the others were fuckwits

          In general I agree with this, the male Labour MP’s need to gain some serious social skills if they want to win voters…or maybe that’s just the way they treat Labour party members. Exceptions: Little and Cunliffe.

          I agree strongly with the sentiments of this post, it does seem that the donors have influenced the recipients of the donations…i.e. it wasnt surprising hearing which Labour MP’s received from Talleys et al.

          No problem with labour taking money from these arseholes however.

    • It wasn’t signed by Nash. That wouldn’t be worth anything. It was signed by Dan Aykroyd. But I lost it.

      • Skinny 3.2.1

        Oh right that now makes sense. How about you front at my timeline of truth gig and I will get you a bottle of Clayton’s signed by Bill Murray. It will take a while but I will get it, you’ll have to put it on tick tho and Peters will have to approve you gracing the blue rinse brigade with your presence. Hmm think we need CV there to keep you honest.

  4. greywarshark 4

    To take this money, flirt with the possibility of launching a rival centre party and at the same time try to win the leadership of the Labour Party is truly astonishing cheek.
    If the story about Nash is true, that’s not chutzpah from Nash. that’s duplicity. Smiling assassin-type duplicity.

    • Colonial Rawshark 4.1

      Precisely. And let’s remember his ‘attempt’ to win the leadership of the Labour Party started with him as a newly re-elected MP firing media broadsides at Labour and at Cunliffe straight after the election. I know people in the party who rate him highly but honestly, the guy represents yet another generation of Labour careerist shite.

  5. MrSmith 5

    A little off subject, but surprising to see the Greens out spend Labour in election advertising at the last election, good news for the Greens, I would have thought, sure they didn’t convert that money into votes, but nice to know you have members that are willing to put their money where their mouths are.

    And now Labour, (like they have an endless supply of cash) are about to waste around 80k contesting the upcoming by-election.

    • mickysavage 5.1

      It depends on the local spend. I have not done the analysis but that figure relates only to the party vote spend. Every green billboard would have been 100% party vote attributed whereas off the top of my head every labour billboard featuring the local candidate would have been 50%. Apples and oranges comparison.

    • Colonial Rawshark 5.2

      I’m very interested in seeing if the Greens are building up a portfolio of income earning assets with the fundraising that they are managing.

      • Ad 5.2.1

        … Whereas many Labour MPs are quite happy to live (campaign-wise) off the earnings of their LEC rental property – and who betide anyone who asks for some of it.

        I think the first question for an activist with intersecting sympathies between the Greens and Labour is: who would you donate to now?

        • Colonial Rawshark 5.2.1.1

          Well, I do donate to Labour, god knows what they do with it; I don’t donate to the Greens.

  6. weka 6

    Very good blogging TRP, well done.

  7. Bill 7

    It’s not where the money comes from that matters. It’s what the money does.

    If there’s an allegation that these MPs will allow the money to corrupt them, then that matters…a lot. But such an allegation, if it was made, would need to be substantiated.

    Failing that, a reasonable, even circumstantial, case should be laid out for the likelihood of corruption occurring. eg – A Primary Production Select Committee Industries Labour MP receiving a donation if that Labour MP was the only Labour MP on the committee and there was no other reasonable reason (aside from buying influence) as to why Talleys would make the donation…that might do it.

    But, without that allegation/case being made, the money could come from Beelzebub and, well… it’d just be money. And scurrilous gossip and casting aspersions would just be, yeah…just that.

    • Colonial Rawshark 7.1

      It’s unlikely that Lusk and co. would be donating to someone they think is going to make a good anarcho-syndicalist. Quite the opposite, I would have thought.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 7.2

      The rules are really clear: a perceived conflict can be just as damaging as an actual one.

      That isn’t some sort of ombudsman’s whim.

    • Tracey 7.3

      And how would anyone prove it? Even this one is hardly cast-iron.

  8. Michael 8

    Taking money from right-wing business interests corrupts the Labour Party. Those who took these bungs should be given the arse card by the new Party president.

  9. Tracey 9

    Bearing in mind that Cosgrove didn’t even campaign for his own party on some of his advertising material….

    • mickysavage 9.1

      Which was strange because if anyone depended on party vote it was him.

      • Colonial Rawshark 9.1.1

        You gotta be suspicious of the ones who can’t even do basic maths.

      • Tracey 9.1.2

        exactly…

        perhaps he thought he was more popular than he was, and could win the seat? Or he s just not terribly bright. I hear tell he was an awful Sports Minister to deal with.

  10. exStatic 10

    Interesting also, the huge sums that some Internet/Mana candidates (especially Hone) received and then spent very little of it.
    Wonder where the balance is? Oh, and speaking of Right Wing business interests – and foreign as well??

    • One Anonymous Bloke 10.1

      Yes, it would suck if any party that was funded from overseas won seats in Parliament, eh.

      Goodfellow confirmed a “small number” of donations had been rejected by National …”We generally know our funders because we’ve got a relationship with them and there are very few foreign funders…

      Fairfax.

      So much for “anonymous” donations.

      Oh, and I almost forgot, please accept my deepest and most sincere contempt for your hypocrisy.

      • exStatic 10.1.1

        OK then, just don’t mindlessly rave about RWNJs when the most obvious rort here is by the left.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 10.1.1.1

          Ah, a liar and a hypocrite.

          The National Party: funded by more than one non-resident foreigner. Forms a government. Nothing to see here, except a string of lies and hypocrisy.

          IMP: funded by a resident. Gets no seats after the Left stymies them in TTT. Bed-wetting, Chicken Little, and dirty smears.

          Speaking of mindless, that’s you.

        • ghostwhowalksnz 10.1.1.2

          Considering YOU dont understand the election funding laws. Your foot is in your mouth

        • greywarshark 10.1.1.3

          wx static
          You hum it and I’ll play it. Good words for your little pop song. Bit of static going through the amplifier though.

    • ghostwhowalksnz 10.2

      Only SOME spending is required to be listed, in general its only advertising. Plus they only cover the pre election period of 3 months. Anything before is not required to be listed

      Specific items are excluded , like polling, staff salaries , running costs of vehicles etc

      You can put your warrior helmet back in the hot water cupboard, as there is no battle to fight on this one

  11. Greg Loveridge is not “one of [Bob Jones’] employees”. He is a Labour Party loyalist. His interest in Labour politics meant his first job was for Trevor Mallard. Now he has made a lot of money in property (see http://www.nbr.co.nz/greg-loveridge ) it is not really surprising he would give an election-year donation to Trevor Mallard. Don’t be so quick to put people in boxes.

    • mickysavage 11.1

      How was the $1k bottle of vodka from Nash’s Auckland Club fundraiser Matthew?

      • It was consumed collectively within a few minutes of purchase. I then lost bottle (signed by Dan Aykroyd of Ghostbusters) the same evening. I hope the Labour Party spent my money more wisely!

        • mickysavage 11.1.1.1

          I am not sure we ever saw it but if you want a bottle of Pinot Noir signed by Helen (although she did not brew it) this can be arranged for a suitable price …

          • Matthew Hooton 11.1.1.1.1

            Partly as a result of the Nash lunch I no longer drink at all, so will have to pass. At least one other at the lunch decided the very next morning “never again” and hasn’t touched a drop since. I’m not sure any of us actually vote Labour but we were certainly well fleeced.

            • Colonial Rawshark 11.1.1.1.1.1

              Good health to ya Matthew. The poison has never done any man any good in the long run.

    • Don’t blame me Matthew, I got it from your pals at the Herald: “Labour’s Trevor Mallard represents a middle-income Hutt South electorate but his campaign last year was funded by $11,000 in donations from two richlisters – Sir Robert Jones and Sir Bob’s managing director Greg Loveridge.”

      • Well it’s not untrue, just incomplete. He does work for Bob Jones, but that is not really relevant to the donation. In fact, it was probably Loveridge who put his new boss up to donating to his old.

  12. Northsider 12

    An excellent and much needed post: thank you Te Reo Putake.

    Mallard is in the departure lounge and gagging for an ambassadorial position. Anyone with a gram of pride would not take a cent from Jones.

    Cosgrove: Andrew Little has the measure of him and hence his bottom position in the rankings.

    ___________________________________________________
    “Nash is a complicated character”
    ___________________________________________________
    You are tooooooo charitable: your mother did a good job bringing you up. Gladly he will evaporate at the next election: if Andrew puts him at the same level on the list as Cosgrove.

    You have identified the core of the ABC bunch. They kept us out of government for half a decade with their smart-arse approach to politics.

    Grant Robertson used them but has managed, to a point, to avoid being soiled by them.

    [Can some admin delete my previous unfinished post?] [Done. And thank you. You were right about my mum. TRP]

  13. Sable 13

    As I keep saying there is little separating National from Labour these days. Neither can be trusted with the welfare of this country or its people.

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    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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