Bridges and his cheerleaders

Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, July 29th, 2018 - 112 comments
Categories: education, john key, national, same old national, Simon Bridges, uncategorized - Tags: , , ,

Reading the media leading up to this weekend’s National Party Conference I could not believe how uniform the analysis was. Basically cheerleading stuff.  Everything is fine.  National’s polling was great and it is early days for Simon Bridges.

It brought back for me strong memories of David Cunliffe’s early months as Labour’s leader.  I appreciate that the situation back then was complex but the contrast in treatment is startling …

Stacey Kirk was first up.  In as idolatry fawning  piece of writing you can imagine she reviewed his early days as a tough nut prosecutor.

It starts with this:

Politicians are routinely accused of speaking for effect, but when it comes to law and order, National Party leader Simon Bridges has walked the walk. Have his crime-fighting days warped his view?

She then reviewed his first major case and suggested that he, single handedly, put a bad bastard away for 21 years.  My 34 years in the law allows me to note that most cases are fairly predictable in their outcome, and a domestic violence case where death ensues from stabbing and there is ample evidence of premeditation and there is only one suspect is generally a foregone conclusion.  Also police do the donkey work in these cases.  The Crown lawyer  is there to present rather than formulate.

She lets Bridges conclude with as good a piece of political propaganda as you could hope for:

Now, as the current Government looks at possible areas for major reform, Labour and National are locked in a battle over how to reduce prisoner numbers and the potential outcome of building a new prison that most official forecasts suggest doesn’t come close to being big enough.

“What my experience in cases like Robertson, Reihana and others shows me is that if you have softer bail laws, sentencing laws and parole laws like some of those proposed, what you’ll effectively do is make the system work less well and you’ll see more crime, more victims,” he says.

But the “easy option” was no option.

“That doesn’t work for me, and I don’t think it works for most New Zealanders because it may mean fewer people in jails, but ultimately mean more crime on the streets.”

I should not be surprised.  Kirk has form for this sort of fawning PR piece about National.

The Herald has also lept in and provided support for Bridges, specifically about National’s recent polling.

First up was Audrey Young who a few days ago let Bridges frame his dismal polling in this way:

So did the voters like him?

“Yeah I think they did. I’d often had the remark that ‘you’re pretty good, we like you, we like what you’re doing’.”

Likeability was important, said Bridges, but it was not the only factor. Work-rate mattered and giving people a sense that you are capable of doing the big job.

“I want to make sure I keep improving. I am a work in progress. I want to evolve. I want to make sure I am rounded in my policy bearings. I want to make sure I feel sharper today that I did even a month ago, that a month ago I was sharper than I was two months ago, that I’m sharp, that I’m giving direct clear answers to the media on behalf of New Zealanders.”

She then makes these comments about his polling:

… [T]he party’s polling average last month was 45.1 per cent, compared to Labour on 42.8 per cent, the Greens on 5.4 per cent and New Zealand First on 3.3 per cent (compiled by Curia on public polls including TV1’s Colmar Brunton and Newshub’s Reid Research).

Bridges himself has pretty dismal ratings as preferred Prime Minister against Jacinda Ardern (9 per cent vs 40 per cent in the latest Reid Research poll and 12 per cent vs 41 per cent in Colmar Brunton’s).

She ignores other polling reported by the Herald that suggested that the Greens and New Zealand First were both doing fine and Labour and National were neck and neck.

Then Claire Trevett let independent political commentator John Key get away with some pretty egregiously biased political analysis in these paragraphs:

Although National’s party polling has held up around 45 and 46 per cent, Bridges is still polling low numbers as preferred Prime Minister, especially compared to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Key’s own rankings were comparatively high from the moment he took over in 2006 and peaked at around 70 per cent in some polls when he was Prime Minister, but he said it was primarily a name recognition thing.

“Of course there will always be a focus on his personal numbers, but preferred Prime Minister is, in many respects, a name recognition issue. The incumbency gives you an enormous amount of benefit in that regard.

“Personally, I don’t have any concerns at all about Simon’s current personal numbers. I think the party numbers are ultimately what really matters and the other numbers will naturally track up over time.”

The outstanding feature of each of these articles is the complete absence of a contrary view, especially important where there is comment suggesting that National’s polling may not be so rosy.

The conference itself is somewhat starting. The level of choreography is high, it is as if the top brass are afraid to let their members say anything, I wonder why.

Yesterday’s big news was the return of charter schools and the writing off of Winston Peters as a possible coalition partner.

The charter schools announcement was frankly weird. Is this the best they can do? Pretend that Labour does not support poor kids by coming up with a policy from the United States whose sole actual aim is to bust the education unions?

And you have to wonder what policy will National announce next?

As for the comments disparaging Winston Peters it is clear what National’s strategy will be, even now, to destroy the Greens and New Zealand First and then beat Labour in a drag race. Good luck with that. Clearly National still does not understand MMP.

This was reinforced by its choice of keynote speaker, John Howard, who was Australian Prime Minister a gazillion years ago and won an election by lying about the Tampa refugees. Howard marked the occasion by suggesting that National was robbed of the last election.  His intolerance of minorities clearly extends to minor parties.

Simon Bridges claims that Howard is his hero but at the same time clearly has no idea of Howard’s past. Way to inspire confidence Simon.

Bridges big speech is today.  Expect something heavy on rhetoric, decrying the lack of business confidence, and short of specifics or vision.

 

112 comments on “Bridges and his cheerleaders ”

  1. Ed 1

    The media lies.
    To protect the deep srate.
    If people don’t know that yet, they’re not paying attention.

  2. tc 2

    WTF is labours reshaping of TVNZ/RNZ along more independent and socially responsible guidelines ? Hootens free soapboxes, the panel and other right sided echo chambers need sorting.

    This is totally expected from nationals Herald and shills such as trevitt, young etc.

    Wasn’t this Currans only job ? sorting out the BS published as news in our media. Ardern needs to step in and sort this out quick smart IMO.

    Start with reversing Collins call on self regulation. A body with teeth over inaccurate statements being published without critique goes a long way to stopping these PR exercises.

    Massive fines for misleading the public or expect more of the same in increasing volumes across Mediawonks as well as they’ve already chimed in with a whinge about TVNZ/RNZ.

    • Wayne 2.1

      It is not the job of Ministers to try and control the editorial comment of public broadcasters. Pretty basic public service 101!

      Nor is it sane to try and change the law to deal with ones political opponents. Last time I looked we were still a democracy.

      This level of interest in National is inevitable given it is the largest party.

      • Drowsy M. Kram 2.1.1

        “Last time I looked we were still a democracy.”

        http://www.lawsociety.org.nz/news-and-communications/news/2012/november-2012/suspension-of-environment-canterbury-elections-breaches-constitutional-values

        “Legislation introduced and passed under urgency in 2010, without public consultation, suspended Environment Canterbury elections until 2013. The Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Amendment Bill proposes to continue the suspension of elections for a further three and a half years, to 2016.”

      • KJT 2.1.2

        “Last time I looked we were still a democracy”.

        Tax cuts for the rich, asset sales, TPPA, no CGT.

        Not to mention the suspension of voting in Christchurch, and elsewhere, because it wasn’t giving the results National wanted.

        “Democracy”, my arse.

        • Wayne 2.1.2.1

          All voted for in three successive elections.

          • Stuart Munro 2.1.2.1.1

            Yeah nah.

            You can’t claim a mandate for asset sales. The referendum showed that unequivocally.

            But, being a useless tyrannical fuck and an asset thief, you did it anyway.

            • Wayne 2.1.2.1.1.1

              Actually you did get to vote on that. The asset sales issue was probably the main issue in the 2011 election. And since National was elected it implemented its manifesto promise to sell 50% of the electricity companies. It is called keeping faith with the voters.

              • Stuart Munro

                Keep telling yourself that lie, buster.

                You sold us out you worthless sons of bitches.

                And if we had a real government you’d see jail for it.

                Where you belong, you and all your crooked accomplices.

          • KJT 2.1.2.1.2

            We didn’t get to vote on any of that. Just on the names of our dictatorship for the next three years. National knew their was a majority opposed to much of their agenda.
            Of course the man who said, “if voting changed anything it would be abolished”, was correct.

      • tc 2.1.3

        I never said anything about ministers dictating content Wayne so that’s a diversion. This is about having standards enforced regarding facts and not allowing anyone an unchecked public soapbox.

        Fawning sycophancy with no fact checking isn’t helping democracy but you know that wayne as it suits National’s dominance of the media. A dominance that’s been proven by quantifiable analysis of the media over time especially at elections.

        It’s another BS PR move designed to sway the gullible which I’ve no issue as long as it’s got the header ” Sponsored by the national party”. Just like any ad which is what they are.

        About time that got addressed in the interests of proper democracy not your ECAN styled one Wayne. But hey you’re a smart guy you know that already.

  3. Anne 3

    The government has been unusually quiet over recent weeks and I’m not sure why. They seem to have been letting their opponents off the hook on a few issues. If they don’t pull their socks up soon people will start to believe the current meme [cultivated by the Nats and their MSM supporters] that they are “weak and in disarray”.

    Watch Bridges enlarge on this theme in his speech to day!

    • One Two 3.1

      Opponents…off the hook…

      Nah it’s intentional, as they’re all on the same team…

      Same sponsors, same ideology…

      Same outcomes…

  4. Cinny 4

    Old white men endorse outgoing national party leader simon bridges.

  5. dV 5

    Is it Odd that Key isn’t there as a cheer leader?

    • veutoviper 5.1

      He is. A good idea is to check before you click.

      • dV 5.1.1

        oops.

        • veutoviper 5.1.1.1

          Sorry, but there has been quite a bit of publicity about two ‘old timers’ being at the conference – Howard and Key – both before the conference and from the conference.

          For example, Claire Trevett’s latest report entitled “National Party conference a bride short of a wedding” quips that –

          The National Party conference is something like a wedding with a nervous groom, something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.

          The blue came in the new hues of blue on the conference programme, more calm and muted shades than the bright teal preferred by former Prime Minister John Key.

          That programme cover promised the ‘new”. “new team, new ideas, new zealand ” it read, all in trendy lower case. The other ‘new’ was National’s place in Opposition rather than Government.

          The old came in the form of Key himself, as well as reassuring noises for the more traditional National supporters from leader Simon Bridges that the party would stick to the old when it came to economic policies. …

          Actually it is quite an entertaining read and has dropped the fawning of her article yesterday morning before the start of the conference.
          https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=12097119

          • dV 5.1.1.1.1

            Yes found that later.
            Enjoyed the heading–
            Nat short of a bride at a wedding.

            • dukeofurl 5.1.1.1.1.1

              I bet the delegates are keen for some ‘hate speech wedding cake’
              One thats all white outside and fruitcake inside.

            • greywarshark 5.1.1.1.1.2

              Could be said to be short of a sandweich at the (wedding) picnic.
              dukeofurl – Very good one.

          • Rosemary McDonald 5.1.1.1.2

            “…a bride short of a wedding” quips that –

            The National Party conference is something like a wedding with a nervous groom, something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.”

            Weird. Watching, for my sins, Our Former Leader doing what he does scenes from this movie….

            ….slithered into my mind.

            Ooooos! Maggots!

    • Incognito 5.2

      Not really, you don’t want one single cheerleader overshadowing the new Captain or, in fact, the whole Team of Players. That said, this Annual Conference is more about the cheerleaders than anything. Do we get a blue fireworks display from the Sky Tower tonight?

      Edit: I did not pre-check, obviously, but my comment stays, anyway …

      • veutoviper 5.2.1

        I agree with your ‘overshadow’ comment, and quite a few people have been surprised at Bridges’ choice to have both Howard and Key there and speaking. also see what Claire Trevett’s article says today. LOL.

        Link and quote at 4.1.1.1 above.

    • mary_a 5.3

      @ dv (4) … Don’t worry Key has been rolled out. He’s there alright as expected, in an effort to raise Natz drooping profile. What a laugh.

      • greywarshark 5.3.1

        Drooping heads, they need a water but have siphoned it off to tyhe dairy farmers and exported overseas. Are they trying to put out the California fires with our water? That will be next – siphon it off for next to nothing and sell it at huge prices loaded with toxic firefighting chemicals in emergencies.
        (If any private equitier/rentier uses this idea I want a decent percentage – will settle for anything over 10%).

  6. Kat 6

    The National party is like a swotted cockroach on its back giving the air a few final limp kicks with its spindly legs.

    • Draco T Bastard 6.1

      You mean before it flips back over and continues as if nothing had happened?

      • Kat 6.1.1

        This particular fat cockroach will have to slim down before it can flip over and carry on.

    • Stuart Munro 6.2

      And, like a cockroach, it runs perfectly well without a brain.

      • greywarshark 6.2.1

        Yes cockroaches are not troubled by brain-driven scruples and are said to be able to survive any disaster – likely to be one of the last living creatures after fires etc.
        * Cockroaches’ ability to withstand extreme radiation exposure may come down to their simple bodies and slower cell cycles.
        Sounds like National supporters!

        https://www.pestworld.org/news-hub/pest-articles/fascinating-cockroach-facts/

        * A cockroach can live for a week without its head.
        * The American cockroach has shown a marked attraction to alcoholic beverages, especially beer. They are most likely attracted by the alcohol mixed with hops and sugar.
        * Because they are cold-blooded insects, cockroaches can live without food for one month, but will only survive one week without water.
        * A cockroach can hold its breath for 40 minutes, and can even survive being submerged under water for half an hour. They hold their breath often to help regulate their loss of water.

  7. AB 7

    National’s cheerleaders reputedly climbed 44% of the way up the Sky tower and declared that “the view from the top is magnificent”.

  8. AB 8

    I can recall John Howard many years ago interviewed on tv by Kim Hill and smugly defending the Iraq invasion.
    The guy is so ethically compromised you need a Dettol bath after mentioning his name.

  9. Incognito 9

    I want to make sure I feel sharper today that I did even a month ago, that a month ago I was sharper than I was two months ago, that I’m sharp …

    Simon sounds like an ad for a razorblade.

    Obviously, Simon is not sharp, he’s slick, but it would make a nice contrast with the bluntness of Judith and the empty-stomach feeling I get when I hear Paula speak.

    The National Party has always been a strictly hierarchical Ponzi scheme organisation with authoritarian tendencies, which I find hugely ironic since they proclaim to have Personal Responsibility as one of their banner values. The incongruence is clearly lost on most of their supporters too.

    • Anne 9.1

      Supporters of the National Party – and right wing parties in general – don’t have thoughts. Instead they are mouth pieces for the propaganda that rolls of the tongues of their leaders. They rarely have any input into policy because policy is the domain of the hierarchy and it is not for mere members to meddle in such activity.

      Their purpose for existing is to
      a) maintian the membership list for public consumption.
      b) donate copiously to the party coffers.
      c) turn up to events… clap and cheer when told to…
      d) support policy and declarations of intent without having a clue exactly what they are and/ or why they support them.
      e) Keep their mouths shut and leave all the talking to their leaders.

      Anyone who doesn’t agree to abide by all of the above will quickly find themselves out in the cold. Contrarian opinions are not tolerated!

      • Incognito 9.1.1

        Indeed, the group think is strong with National and its supporters but I don’t find Labour (or NZF) much better in this regard and it shows here on TS as well, sadly, I have to say.

        It is a hallmark of established power structures and also a typical trait of people in power to show an increasing bias against contrary views and contests of ideas, at least in public. A consensus approach that requires inclusion of and participation by the rank & file is my preferred option as it offers a better (the only?) chance of truly progressive politics.

        I could write a whole Guest Post on it but with Weka’s disappearance from TS this is no longer realistic …

        • Anne 9.1.1.1

          I could write a whole Guest Post on it but with Weka’s disappearance from TS this is no longer realistic …

          Why not Incognito? Plenty of us would welcome your views on this subject.

          I agree, there are aspects of the established power structures that exist in other parties – in particular NZ First – but nothing like to the same degree as National and their off-shoot ACT.

          I can attest to this because I actually joined one of those r.w. parties to check out how they tick. It was years ago but the basic premise on which they operate hasn’t changed. It astonished me how little input the members have in formulating policy or philosophical positions. They would turn up to gatherings and be told what to believe and they would accept it without a murmur. I kid you not!

          Whereas Labour is the opposite. Go to a conference or workshop and the members are fully co-opted into the decision making process. It may not be obvious to those on the outside, but Labour is way more democratic by nature than their r.w. counterparts. Of course the Greens are even more democratic, but they do have the ‘luxury’ of being a smaller party which helps to make it possible.

          • KJT 9.1.1.1.1

            Google. Authoritarian followers.

            In the West, right wing parties appeal to those who want others to do their thinking for them.

          • Incognito 9.1.1.1.2

            Thanks Anne, good comments and insights.

            I am an (political) outsider but the majority would fall in this category. It is important, to me, that parties do show, to outsiders and the public at large, that they have robust internal discussions and sound decision-making processes and that not all is dictated from above by the ‘top brass’ of the party hierarchy (e.g. Caucus). To me, this is a PR issue as much as selling policies to the public, for example.

            I like to think that this would also be reflected by the supporters of such party and that they would be tolerant of opposing/dissenting views, aim for consensus, and be willing to change their thinking …

            By and large, politics in NZ (still) is very much a tribal affair in which talking/taking down opponents, external but even more so internal ones, is viewed & practised as the only way ‘forward’. This is not conducive to progressive politics and moving forward; it is regressive, reactionary, negative, and stale status quo.

            If there were a good vehicle to submit & post Guest Posts I would try (again); I submitted one to Weka around the time she disappeared and she was going to set me up with some rights (?). I’d like to think that more people could and would write Guest Posts; the current pool of TS Authors is (too) small although we recently enjoyed a few ‘old hands’ returning to the fray, so to speak.

            NB I don’t want to put blame anywhere; we’re all short of time, it seems; I’m merely ‘musing aloud’ …

            • Anne 9.1.1.1.2.1

              Yes, I think I know what you mean about guest posts. I submitted one once at the behest of a commenter or two who were interested in my take. However, I made the mistake of listing the points (time-lines in actual fact) without a preliminary explanation, assuming whoever read it would be aware of the background. It never appeared and I suspect nobody actually got around to reading it. A bit off-putting.

              In my view, the problem with Labour is that it sometimes goes to inordinate lengths to keep internal debate on policy and philosophical issues hidden from the public. It is in response to the MSM who, with a few exceptions, are hostile to Labour and will use any hint of disagreement as a punch bag to hit them with. It was particularly apparent during the Key years.

              A good example was the 2012 Labour conference where the media set up David Cunliffe to make it look like he was planning to oust David Shearer at the conference. They did it by rounding up the various parties then editing the subsequent film footage to make it look like there was a bunfight (without the fisticuffs) in progress. I was lucky enough to witness the entire scene. Later in 2013 Cunliffe did become the leader but in quite different circumstances.

              Hence Labour is shy of admitting the ‘robustness’ of their debates behind the scenes because of the way they know it will be portrayed by the MSM.

              This is not meant to be an excuse but does explain their reluctance to admit they don’t always agree with one another.

              • Incognito

                I hear you, Anne, and it is indeed a dilemma for Labour (but not just for them). The thing is, for me, that Labour cannot expect to take people along with them simply by saying “trust us” or “don’t trust the others (e.g. National)”, which is worse. In fact, every politician and political party must engage and talk with the people, not at them (patronising) or even completely ignore them (arrogant). IMO, they should communicate with the people directly and not (mostly) through third parties such as MSM. If not, how long (better: how much longer) can we pretend to have or be a representative democracy?

            • mickysavage 9.1.1.1.2.2

              Hi very happy to consider guest posts. Will work out what happened.

              • Incognito

                Much appreciated and I will try and get your attention when the time comes but I don’t to take up too much of your time; Weka struggled with that too, which is why she wanted to give me some rights (?) I believe [I’ll go back and read her message again].

                You can reach me using the e-mail in my comments; it’s real 😉

        • greywarshark 9.1.1.2

          Don’t like consensus. It gives power to the most demented determined. In practice – try for consensus, debate the dissenting view, note the dissenting views if allowed to vote according to one’s own judgment, make decision for on 80% or more majority.

      • OnceWasTim 9.1.2

        And in the ‘olden days’, tint their hair blue, and advocate for their ability to ‘sponsor’ the arts – little polished brass name plates on theatre chairs, and an interval at those events where they can name-drop and pretend their affinity with the performers.
        Times have changed. Now they have Paula Bennett, Simon Bridges and an enterage of others ready to ‘re-image’ and undertake whatever radical surgery is necessary they see fit to remain relevant. They’d change bloody race, ethnicity, sex, gender and even history if it was possible. The humble Holy Cow – it’s shit stinks just the same now as it did when I was a child

    • dukeofurl 9.2

      That ‘advertising approach’ is straight out of the Persil playbook

      The Cannabis reform is interesting , all done and dusted before the Conference – who would likely only want ‘harsher penalties’ if they were asked ?

  10. Wensleydale 10

    Stacey Kirk’s a journalist in the same way I’m an astrophysicist. Winston Peters gave her a serve a while back, and she felt compelled to write an entire opinion piece on it.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/98117407/stacey-kirk-what-its-like-to-be-on-the-receiving-end-of-a-winston-peters-tonguelashing

    She concludes by stating “The next three years will be exhausting.” Only for anyone who expects journalists to do their jobs properly.

    • dukeofurl 10.1

      There is a year gap in her CV from linkedin when she stopped ‘working in sales’ for Thales in Wellington and started a Journalism course at Massey. That was the same time that national was new in government and took on plenty of new staff ?

  11. veutoviper 11

    If anyone can stomach it, here is a very short video (1.02 min) of john Key speaking to media at the National Party Conference on why he supports Simon Bridges.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/national-video/news/video.cfm?c_id=1503075&gal_cid=1503075&gallery_id=196328

    Is it me, or does Key look decidingly ‘under the weather’ ?

    Update – and here is cheerleader, Stacey Kirk, with a longer video and article on Key again supporting Bridges but also issuing dire warnings about the economy …
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/105838453/john-key-delivers-stark-warning-on-the-economy-endorses-simon-bridges-as-leader

    Sorry, would like to put up some quotes from it but my PC is having a ‘splutter’ day.

    • mary_a 11.1

      @ veutoviper (10) … a quick look and Key seems a bit worn out and bloated looking to me. Perhaps the burden of being a knight of the realm might be wearing him down. Either that, or he’s about to be sprung for treason and other past devious deeds!

      • greywarshark 11.1.1

        Brave Knight Sir John – He has sticking power right till the end and should be a star on youtube.

    • Robert Guyton 11.2

      Key won’t say “Jacinda”.
      Jacinda.
      Jacinda.
      Jacinda.
      Jacinda.
      He knows what’s keeping them out of Government.

    • Obtrectator 11.3

      “Is it me, or does Key look decidingly ‘under the weather’ ?”

      He always did, to me. Especially in those photos of him playing golf with Barack Obama. The contrast that his dumpy slouched physique made with the President’s erect athletic posture was distressing to see.

  12. mary_a 12

    Not surprisingly the first day of Natz conference was spent slagging Labour. Obviously no constructive policies of its own to announce.

    Natz predictably vindictive as usual. At this rate, Labour should have a very good run over the next two/three elections 🙂

  13. SPC 13

    National’s committment to return to “its” charter schools is puzzling.

    This began as an ACT contribution to a coalition agreement.

    So why would there be a focus by them on resuming it?

    I suppose it is indicative of how they use their house monkey (sorry Adams@thunder) aka Epsom Tea Party as a front for policies it secretly supports but does not want to face electorate scrutiny over during campaigns (it was rumoured they wanted to use an ACT coalition agreement to move to welfare term limits if returned 2017).

    • millsy 13.1

      “it was rumoured they wanted to use an ACT coalition agreement to move to welfare term limits if returned 2017”

      There is a press release on scoop put out by Seymour that drops a big hint to that effect

  14. Robert Guyton 14

    Bridges is promising smaller class sizes.
    Bridges is promising smaller class sizes.
    Bridges is promising smaller class sizes.
    Bridges is promising smaller class sizes.
    Bridges is promising smaller class sizes.
    Bridges is promising smaller class sizes.

    National have always believed that smaller class sizes improve learning.
    Always.
    Always.
    Always.
    National: the Party with heart

    • SPC 14.1

      Someone will have to replace much of the rundown classroom stock, then provide more for this to be possible.

      Oh and rebuild teacher training numbers, after the decline under National. Which will involve teacher pay increases.

    • Dennis Frank 14.2

      A puzzle indeed, inasmuch as it is a direct contradiction of their favourite ideology (big is good). No more Think Big? Perhaps the idea here is for Bridges to acknowledge that Muldoon was wrong in a covert manner: `think small’. Gotta be subtle, so don’t expect blue billboards at the next election with THINK SMALL on them!

      Did a journo ask him why National governments have not actually reduced class sizes? I expect not. Too obvious. Gotta be subtle. I remember in the fifties the standard class size was 30. What is it now?

      • KJT 14.2.1

        36 year tens, in a machine shop, last time I was Teaching, but that was still under Labour. I doubt it has improved.

        • greywarshark 14.2.1.1

          My brother was a ‘manual’ teacher, woodwork etc. He has retired promptly, possibly early.
          The kids are difficult to teach and the job was increasingly unpleasant. He is a quiet man and the kids were just too obstreperous to bring up to standard I think.

      • Drowsy M. Kram 14.2.2

        Natioanal – forever ‘learning’.

        Sharp response to planned class size changes (May 2012)

        “However, Ms Parata admitted in the current economy “trade-offs” were required – and there would be a $43 million cap on the number of teachers through increased class sizes.”

        https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10806385

      • Heather Grimwood 14.2.3

        You were lucky Dennis Frank to have known class sizes in the 1950’s of 30! 40 was the legal limit. I taught 43 as a first year teacher and again several times in next 20 years including one year with eight pupils with no English or English as a second language.
        It was in the ’70’s that Labour reduced Years 1 and 13 to 15 pupils.

        • Dennis Frank 14.2.3.1

          Interesting, Heather. What year was it when you had 43 in that class? When Labour introduced that policy in the seventies, did it actually happen? Can you clarify what you mean by “Years 1 and 13”.

          I had 5 years in primary school, 2 in intermediate and 5 in college (12). So are you really suggesting that they created class sizes of 15 all the way through?? I’ve never heard of that happening.

          • Cinny 14.2.3.1.1

            When I was at primary in the early eighties class size was in the low forties.
            This was under Muldoon, I remember this, because us kids all got sweet f.a attention. Especially the ones who needed it.
            Mum encouraged me to write to the education minister, merv wellington and complain, which I did.

            Currently the larger schools in our region have around 30 students per class.

          • Heather Grimwood 14.2.3.1.2

            To DF at 13.2.3.1 : MY first year with 43 was in 1953…….I cannot exactly define the others, but they were fairly closely following.
            NZ primary schools have 8 yearly levels/steps, followed by up to 5 more at secondary school. Many Yr7 and Yr8 primary were and still are in an
            Intermediate school though increasingly these two senior primary classes are incorporated into the secondary school setup.
            15 definitely became required max for infant beginning year ( Yr1). I haven’t personal proof of the Yr 13 (final senior year of secondary school ) situation, but understood the decision was that the first and last years were regarded as to be most in need of reduced numbers. Contemporary research suggested that reduction in class size had little significance to learning success until down to15.
            I realise much more research will have been done since, and learning spaces etc changed ( pretty obviously there was NO room to move about
            in former times, hard for children and teacher alike.}
            The crowding I speak of was partly because of the postwar baby boom, when most Yr7 and YR 8 classes were still incorporated in the primary schools, until more Intermediate schools were built. New immigrants were beginning to arrive too. Hope this helps.

            • Dennis Frank 14.2.3.1.2.1

              Thanks for the details Heather. My schooling was in New Plymouth then college in Wanganui. Your 43 in 1953 is drastically more than my experience but that could be explained by a mid-fifties reduction or regional variations. Anyway unless someone presents evidence to the contrary I’ll continue to believe that both National & Labour governments have continuously maintained class sizes around 30 the past half century and their policies advocating reductions have been false promises.

    • Incognito 14.3

      What Simon means is that National will ‘build’ (better: provide) more pre-fab classes, e.g. using shipping containers as they do for prisoners (nothing wrong with bunking and/or hot-desking), and increasingly replace teachers with BYODs and fully-automated assessment of National Standards. Next thing is to force Tertiary Institutions to provide MOOCs. Yeah, the future looks bright under National.

      • Visubversa 14.3.1

        Nah – it just means that there will be more Charter Schools with kids taught by religious fanatics and/or military dropouts and wannabes.

    • greywarshark 14.4

      But what will be taught under National (in classrooms under Bridges)? Reading and writing of cvcourse.
      Problem-solving? How country’s run and collectively provides for the needs of citizens. How to work out odds on the likely part or full truth of what you hear and read every day.

      What to do when climate change mucks up a tottering economy. How to choose food and grow vegetables that you stuff yourself with instead of sugary stuff and alcohol and drugs making you porky and unhealthy and unhappy, and your teeth and brain to rot..

      These things plus learning kindness to each other are more important than advanced maths and science which are 50-50 whether they are good or bad short-run or long-run.

      All these things are badly needed, and everything should be aligned with making children more self reliant, more questioning about outcomes, and more appreciative of the arts and music, and the wonder of being alive. Then it’s harder to stick it to others, shoot animals for practice in killing things etc.

      • greywarshark 14.4.1

        https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018655303/fostering-independence-and-social-responsibility-in-children

        Fostering independence and social responsibility in children
        From Nine To Noon, 11:24 am on 26 July 2018
        Educator Joseph Driessen talks to Nine to Noon’s Kathryn Ryan about growing independent children who have a strong sense of social responsibility.

        As small human beings, children have an innate drive to want to belong, contribute and feel valued by their “tribe” or family, he says.

        Successful adults – at home, at work and in the community – have developed and practised this drive, and display a high degree of independence and social responsibility.

        He says some families have a developed skills/culture to give their children the opportunity to develop this sense of belonging, contributing and accepting responsibility.
        Other families don’t practise these skills, and the children can stay passive, resistant, and “childish” for a much longer time than needed.

  15. Hooch 15

    I’m enjoying the coverage of the conference, so much material to work with. 9 years of anti teacher sentiment and trying to increase class sizes is simply wiped from memory. John Key warning of a downturn in the global economy, something Winston already warned about and was derided for at the time. Bringing back Nationals charter schools? As mentioned by SPC above, pretty sure that was ACT policy Simon.

    Top this all off with back stage press passes for Stacey Kirk to write her cheerleading articles and remove any credibility she had.

    • Robert Guyton 15.1

      “I’m enjoying the coverage of the conference, so much material to work with. 9 years of anti teacher sentiment and trying to increase class sizes is simply wiped from memory.”
      QFT. Thank you, Hooch.

      • gsays 15.1.1

        You folks do realise that when a Tory says smaller class sizes, they mean: lower ceilings, thinner walls (no need for insulation) and the desks very close together.

  16. Dennis Frank 16

    I’m intrigued by the Labour internal polling result that the Herald guy mentions: “This gives the Coalition plus Greens a seventeen point lead over the opposition.”

    Could the govt plus Greens really be 17% ahead currently? Does this Labour polling methodology have a track record of credibility??

    • veutoviper 16.1

      Which Herald guy and article, Dennis?

      Been out and want to catch up.

    • Craig H 16.2

      UMR results are reasonably accurate.

      • Dennis Frank 16.2.1

        If so, the next Colmar Brunton will have to show a bit jump in govt support. If so, everyone will be strangely reluctant to give Winston the credit. Journos will rush around like headless chooks trying to figure out why the sudden jump.

        • Craig H 16.2.1.1

          They’ll probably link it to a baby…

          • Dennis Frank 16.2.1.1.1

            Good call. Truth in that, eh? Never under-rate the effect of human nature on politics – just seen the AM show commenting on Jacinda & baby showing up on screen coincident with the Nats leader speech (10,000 likes vs 200).

  17. Tricledrown 17

    Bridges school teacher policy was a dumb idea as it highlights Nationals poor record of cost cutting cheapskate policy on education.

  18. cleangreen 18

    Impeachable construct of yours today Micky all hats off to you.

    I was schooled from early 1950’s when we had very few Millionaires and many average middle class people during the halcyon days of a strong socialist egalitarian society where no-one want without much a everything was cheap (except vehicles).

    Now we do live in a divided society where the rich rustle to control the 90% of us at the bottom now.

    Labour are clever as they used the MMP political system to their benefit and national are still stunned by MMP removing them from power.

    By the sound that National Party meeting and speech by ‘Simple Simon Bridges’ he still thinks that his party will take over in 2020??

    Yet he has not laid out any policies that will set them up for a takeover.

    Here is just one instance where bridges fell down recently;

    We meet in Gisborne last week with some local folks fighting to restore their rail services and one of the members of the rail group told me that they met Simon Bridges and asked him to reopen the rail service from Gisborne to Napier again if he got back into power, and he said (quote) “No that will not happen”

    So we and our East Coast/HB communites have just finally got Kiwi rail to re-open the rail from Napier to Wairoa, and that is leaving the rail service just sitting there waiting to be opened to Gisborne just about 43 kms south of Gisborne and clueless Simon Bridges won’t even consider reconnecting Gisborne to rail again?

    Even Bridges is failing to consider the carbon emission lowering of using rail rather than just more trucks by fixing a one km washout between Wairoa and Gisborne is not important to him and his party!!!!

    Simon Bridges should’ve been smart not stupid and considered rail as an asset, he should consider to reopen a rail service to the most isolated City in our country to the NZ rail system?????

    This one issue now has vividly demonstrated why Simon Bridges and his National Party will fail to win back the regions again sorry man he is, as he now is openly stating now he is connected to an iwi as a ‘Maori’, and that was after the iwi’s in Gisborne had asked him to re-open the rail service frim Gisborne to Napier for freight and passengers and he turned them down!!!

    He does not have the sense to ‘capitalise on to capture the people in the provinces like NZF has. He showed his idiotic stupidity to the communities Gisborne and HB already over this single issue never mind all thwe other failings he has carried out .

    • Dennis Frank 18.1

      Ah yes, the old nursery rhyme we acted out at primary school, Simple Simon Says. That was in exercise breaks, remember? Maybe it’ll become a popular acronym as we head toward the next election: SSS we have no regional development policy.

      Or rather, we have to fake one because our regions will go NZF if we don’t. But he won’t tell the conference that. It’ll be done in caucus, eh Wayne? So your point about regional rail is well-made CG.

    • the other pat 18.2

      yeah but to fix that 1km is a major capex…..and the area must get on board with chit to move on rail…..get that on paper with commitments and it may happen….its not just co2 cutting that will do it…..its containers/freight on wagons that pay for the line that count

  19. rod 19

    Harold Wilson had the best advice for Tory Party Conferences. Cut out the speeches and just have standing ovations instead.

  20. Hooch 20

    Blimey even true blue Tova has just given a rather uncomplimentary report on bridges performance

    • Jilly Bee 20.1

      Have a great chuckle just a while ago looking at the various news outlets online and came across this headline for Claire Trevett’s piece about Soimun’s speech this arvo – it’s priceless – and the article isn’t too bad either – Claire did stress in one of her pieces yesterday that she hadn’t indulged in the drinkies supplied to the journalists at the conference as she wasn’t slavishly praising the Nats as she is very inclined to do more often than not, and if she was a little under the weather today before filing her report, well either her or her sub-editor who dreamed up the header made my afternoon.
      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12097422

  21. Robert Guyton 21

    “Within an hour of National leader Simon Bridges’ wrapping up his first party conference, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was peeing on his parade.”

    Sweet.

    • Grey Area 21.1

      I thought it very shabby as well. “Raining on his parade” would have been more genteel. But maybe it is an allusion to the habits of his former boss.

    • greywarshark 21.2

      I think the ‘peeing’ word should be clearly identified with the by line which was from Claire Trevett. Standard of journalism about our life-moulding politicians? Minus 5 I would say.

      • veutoviper 21.2.1

        The columnists and writers rarely write the title/headline. This is usually done by editorial staff.

  22. Pete 22

    I’ve just read on Stuff a lot of stuff from people who think that the National Party should have prior rights to certain days. On those days no-on else should say anything because the National Party has something important to say.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/105839447/bridges-and-ardern-in-battle-of-the-babies

    Just how cretinous are those people?

  23. Jackel 23

    Bridges isn’t Nationals main failing, that goes to the greasy power mongers around him that he cow tows to.

    I find the business confidence numbers curious given the fundamentals. It just goes to show where business in this country gets its self belief from. The Tories aren’t in and they’re all crying in their pretzels. That’s a weak form of self belief indeed for a nations businesses to base themselves on.

  24. swordfish 24

    From the David Cormack piece:

    Simon’s numbers were pretty terrible too. His favourability has gone into the negatives. This means more people dislike him as leader than like him. It’s got to the point where National front bench Mark Mitchell had to deny that there was any threat to Simon’s position. To have that sort of chatter break out less than five months after taking the role is David Shearer like. And Shearer’s now in South Sudan.

    Unfortunately the UMR site is down at the moment … so I can’t compare and contrast with the UMR favourability of previous leaders.

    But … looking at TV3 Reid Research’s somewhat similar Performance ratings … I see that at the same point into their respective tenures (5 months in) … both Phil Goff and David Shearer were still in net positive territory. Not strictly comparable but probably indicative. (Don’t have figures for Cunliffe)

    It’s been a laugh seeing Hooton, Audrey Young and one or two others desperately heading right back to the Clark and Bolger years to try and salvage some sort of positive vibe from Bridges ratings. As Micky implies … they sure as hell weren’t doing that during the Opposition reigns of Phil and the two Davids.

    What’s more, you’d assume from their analysis that Clark was on her notorious 2% Preferred PM rating jusssttttt before winning power in 1999. In reality, it was well before the 96 Election. Bolger, meanwhile, was competing with another more popular politician from his own Party (one Robert David Muldoon in the late 80s and one Winston Raymond Peters in the early 90s). That’s what kept Bolger’s ratings down. Sadly, Bridges doesn’t have that excuse.

    Then, further factor-in the astonishing disparity between Simon’s personal ratings and his Party’s fortunes. When Phil and the two Davids were suffering similar basement-level Preferred PM ratings to Bridges, their Party was also down in the doldrums … Labour in the 20s / 30s (same, incidentally, goes for Helen Clark in that pre-1996 period). Not so with National. Simon, in other words, is conspicuously failing to impress his own Party supporters. Indeed, to an extent that we’ve barely seen before.

    He just aint the innately popular, teflon-coated John Key figure they need to compete with Jacinda-mania (and, indeed, Neve-mania).

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12093806

  25. RosieLee 25

    Simple Simon

    Simple Simon met a pieman,
    Going to the fair;
    Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
    “Let me taste your ware.”

    Says the pieman to Simple Simon,
    “Show me first your penny,”
    Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
    “Indeed, I have not any.”

    Simple Simon went a-fishing
    For to catch a whale;
    All the water he could find
    Was in his mother’s pail!

    Simple Simon went to look
    If plums grew on a thistle;
    He pricked his fingers very much,
    Which made poor Simon whistle.

    He went to catch a dicky bird,
    And thought he could not fail,
    Because he had a little salt,
    To put upon its tail.

    He went for water with a sieve,
    But soon it ran all through;
    And now poor Simple Simon
    Bids you all adieu.

  26. Making 26

    John Howard…only the 2nd sitting Australian PM in history to lose his Seat! As for Key…over 8 years of achieving absolutely nothing!

    • greywarshark 26.1

      Surely those flaming Aussies didn’t pull his Seat out from under him? The first bright thing they have done in a century!

  27. Gabby 27

    Slick’s promising 10 new teachers for every electorate that returns a gnasty candidate. They’ll be used to staff the new charter school.

  28. Skinny 28

    The only reason old has beens Howard and Sir Teflon fronted up was to stop any rebellion and venting by the angry mob.

    Ole Winnie has a handle on it, he has seen it all before. Bridges & Bennett are useless and not leadership material. Anyone of Collins, Adams or Mitchell would clean up Bridges hand down.

    You only have to look back to last week during oral question time where Peters mauled Bridges to the point of embarrassment.

    They were a bit hasty moving on Bill English and should have waited longer before putting a knife in his back. So now they will be flat out to contain the party vote drift Left.

    • veutoviper 28.1

      I am with you on that, Skinny.

      Having Howard there and speaking as he did about the unfairness etc of the election result also allowed all of that BS to be aired at the Conference – but not by anyone in the NZ Nat party.

      Re Winston, he certainly has a handle on it. How did he manage to be on both the Nation and Q & A this weekend ?

      Winnie’s first appearance on the Nation before the Conference got underway meant his comments on Bridges and Bennett got good airing at the Conference even though Bridges was also on the Nation. His appearance last night on Q & A in its new 9.30pm Sunday night slot meant he then got the last word. No Nats on except Liam Hehir doing his darnest to hold up the Nats banner on the panel.

      And Jacinda Ardern’s timely Facebook video complete with multitasking by rocking the baby’s cradle with her foot while doing so was the cherry on top.

      LOL, well played.

  29. sam green 29

    Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
    A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
    Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
    To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
    rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

    So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
    When we come……….

    Oh dear …….

  30. R.P Mcmurphy 30

    Bridges has changed the part in his his hair from left to right in what is a display of childish infantile behaviour. unbelievable.

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    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    3 days ago
  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    3 days ago
  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    3 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    3 days ago
  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago
  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    4 days ago
  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago
  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    5 days ago
  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    5 days ago
  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    6 days ago
  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    7 days ago
  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
    Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago
  • Water is at the heart of farmers’ struggle to survive in Benin
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére Sosou Market gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
    1 week ago
  • At a time of media turmoil, Melissa had nothing to proclaim as Minister – and now she has been dem...
    Buzz from the Beehive   Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
    Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech – Eid al-Fitr
    Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government saves access to medicines
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff.    “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Pharmac Chair appointed
    Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
    Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says.  “Every day, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • New sports complex opens in Kaikohe
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Diplomacy needed more than ever
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges.    “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
    Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service.  It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    Distinguished guests -   It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders.   Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia.   Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
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    1 week ago
  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
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    1 week ago
  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
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    1 week ago
  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
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    1 week ago
  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
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    1 week ago
  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
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    1 week ago
  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
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    1 week ago
  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
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    1 week ago
  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
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    2 weeks ago
  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
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    2 weeks ago

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