Cam Slater: politely being called a lying arsehole

Written By: - Date published: 2:28 am, October 22nd, 2013 - 130 comments
Categories: blogs - Tags: , , , ,

I’ve been trying to think of a way of expressing my complete and utter distaste for the arsehole of the local blogs and politics. But someone beat me to it. Hamish Price has been attacked in the usual way by Cameron Slater. I’d guess it is because he doesn’t want to play politics in the dirty and disgusting way that Cam thinks it should be played. Here is his facebook statement in response to something I haven’t seen in the sewer.

This rings quite true to me from what I know of the people and timelines. In fact I’d say that it is one of the few truthful statements made in this sorry saga. It has been evident for some time that the amount of deliberate lying by the Palino team is approaching critical mass proportions. Cameron Slater of course would refuse to acknowledge The Truth is the last news spike from that sad rag penetrated to the peanut that he uses in his occasional excursions to rational thought.

But have fun reading this…. I know I did.  I even altered the banner to paraphrase a Pratchett joke while I was waiting for a server upgrade.

Hamish Price gets a bit testy with both Slaters and John Palino.

Just as a counterpoint to Cameron Slater’s statement over the weekend on The Nation where he said

Slater: Well, Auckland politics is like where any politics is, in that it’s a dirty, disgusting, despicable game. And it involves dirty, disgusting despicable people at all levels.  And to have this sort of high and mighty belief that New Zealand politics is clean, isn’t.

Only a complete political dickhead would think that. It speaks of the approach of an amateur who is too busy grasping at small victories to seek the larger ones. Politics is almost invariably a generational process when the political system is operating reasonably well and the political and economic changes aren’t jammed up. If the political system is doing its job then revolutionary changes are not required and the grubby style of politics that attracts scavenging maggots like Cameron Slater isn’t used much.

Chasing the dirt on people in the way that Cameron Slater does simply builds up a wellspring of distrust.  But politics and political change depends on a level of mutual respect and trust between people, if only so the changes that are brought in aren’t summarily chucked out by the other side as soon as they get a chance. You don’t have to look far to see this amongst politicians and activists. Looking at the videos of Mapp and Kelsey last week arguing about the TPPA is a pretty good demonstration of the way that politics actually works.

In my experience it is only the politically toxic and ineffective who think as Cameron thinks if only because they can’t work with others in anything more than a scavenger pack mode fighting over left-over offal and other peoples misery. Such hyenas become permanently politically toxic and slowly sidelined by those of us who have to work in the real worlds of business and politics. Even as rampant an individualistic and abrasive eccentric as I have been for most of my life recognises that.

But more importantly you don’t get things actually being done if you act like the moronic dickhead with a head trauma like Cameron has been doing for many years. Trying to shift things by fear may be all that the fool knows. But it isn’t effective in shifting the culture. For that you have to carry people with you. And the noisy but small minority that carefully cluster behind Cameron are neither smart enough nor socially aware enough to do anything of value for anyone else. They’re just parasites of society.

But of course there are many countries where toxic politics are the norm, mainly because they have rather bankrupted both their political and economic systems. The USA and Italy come to mind. As well as the refugees from those countries (it is noticeable the number of Americans we’re seeing moving here at present)  we also seen some of the dregs and their tactics…

But if politically toxic is where Cam has finally made it to, he has dragged or been dragged by Cook, Palino, Wewege, and probably others.

My main interest is he has succeeded in making me lose a bet I made back in 2008. He should have held out for another two years. I figured that he’d be useful to someone in National’s internal factionalism after the next election. But he was never particularly patient. As has been shown by the incompetence of this particular bit of political threatre. Imagine what someone like Winston Peters could have done with it drawing out the pain. But of course Winston isn’t a complete arsehole like Cameron, so he’d never have done shat on peoples lives for such a petty matter anyway.

130 comments on “Cam Slater: politely being called a lying arsehole ”

  1. Gruntie 1

    Why doesn’t someone sue Whale Fat for slander – I’m willing to donate $100 to the legal fund

    • chris73 1.1

      Possibly because everyone involved knows you’d then have to prove it in court? Much cheaper and less burden of proof to stick to the court of popular opinion I’m guessing…

      • karol 1.1.1

        So it’s just the costs that are causing people to sit on some details in a Chuang affadavit? Russel Brown:

        I have a copy of the second Chuang affadavit, the one that seems to land John Palino squarely in the middle of the plot. There’s more in it than has been reported so far, which I suspect is partly because she directly attributes words to both Slater and Palino that could constitute grounds for a criminal prosecution. They have both denied its contents. Stephen Cook’s she-was-totally-up-for-it version of his interactions with Chuang is contradicted by her account of him demanding to know only the most salacious detals: how was Brown in bed? What’s his penis size? Journalists have been left with a situation in which no one can truly be regarded as reliable witness.

        Or maybe it’s just that it will take more time checking out all the contradictory stories?

        There does seem to be grounds for a prosecution, especially with what Price has posted publicly. Price will know what hes doing, and he is pointing out to Slater et all, that he knows a lot of details that would damn them in a court of law.

        • mickysavage 1.1.1.1

          Yep I have seen the affidavit. The B word is mentioned a couple of times. The Herald was not prepared to repeat this but the SST did in its editorial on Sunday which I can’t find on line.

          • karol 1.1.1.1.1

            Thanks for the tip, micky. Just read the SST editorial on Press display. Extracts:

            His wife and children may disagree but right now the only person in the Len Brown imbroglio who seems trustworthy is Len Brown.
            […]
            The new text messages released by Stephen Cook , who broke the story, indicate that Chuang was part of a plan to bring down Brown, to smear him enough to make him unelectable.

            The roles played in this by Auckland mayoral contender John Palino, his campaign manager john Slater, Slater’s son Cameron, Palino campaign team member Luigi Wewege (allegedly Chuang’s other lover) and Chuang herself seem, on the surface, to be far more worthy of investigation than where and when Brown and Chuang had sex or what sort of underwear Brown bought his mistress. The Palino Camp’s orchestrated campaign was designed to force Brown to quit the mayoralty but Brown called his bluff, confessed to his wife, and stayed on.
            […]

            Those manipulating and encouraging Chuang to dish dirt on Brown should exit politics in disgrace as their tactics are effectively blackmail.
            […]

            The whole thing is like a plot from a movie about ham-fisted conspirators with half a plan and no idea of how to carry it out.

            – Sunday Star Times editorial, 20 Oct 2013, p A15

            • tinfoilhat 1.1.1.1.1.1

              “His wife and children may disagree but right now the only person in the Len Brown imbroglio who seems trustworthy is Len Brown”

              Really ? Is Len Brown ghost writing for the Sunday Star Times ?

              Facts are Len brown behaved abominably and looks like he’ll stay on as auckland mayor regardless of his behaviour hopefully he’ll be kicked out next time round and we’ll have a credible and respectable left wing candidate voted in.

              All the other characters are a sideshow and the blog and political war of personalities seems to be a case of multiple pots calling each other various shades of black a pox on all their houses.

              • Draco T Bastard

                Facts are Len brown behaved abominably

                That’s not a fact, just your opinion and one backed up more, IMO, by you hatred of Brown than anything else.

                All the other characters are a sideshow
                Nope, the other actors have proven themselves completely untrustworthy by their actions and lies.

                • greywarbler

                  All the other characters are a sideshow and the blog and political war of personalities seems to be a case of multiple pots calling each other various shades of black a pox on all their houses.

                  It’s a Punch and Judy show folks. The traditional sideshow complete with a Policeman with a very long truncheon to give good measure.
                  ‘Now clear the way people, return to your homes, nothing to see here.’

                • tinfoilhat

                  “That’s not a fact, just your opinion and one backed up more, IMO, by you hatred of Brown than anything else.”

                  I had reflected on the whether it was the behaviour or the person that was affecting my opinion and thought whether my opinion would change if the behaviour was attached to my political preference and I can assure you it would not.

              • Hanswurst

                I disagree. Neither do I see Len Brown as a particularly left-wing candidate, nor do I see how an extramarital affair affects his ability to be mayor. Similarly, if such a fate had befallen a more decidedly right-wing candidate such as John Banks or Christine Fletcher, I’d have been vocally opposing their policies while resoundingly failing to give a shit where or with whom they slept.

                • tinfoilhat

                  “Neither do I see Len Brown as a particularly left-wing candidate”

                  Oh I agree completely he’s more to the right than the left and will change his story depending on which groups he’s talking to.

                  I also agree that an extramarital affair in and of itself is not of itself a hangable offence but having conducted it on council premises and time is very poor and the possibility of further impropriety/favourtism in terms of freebies and favours is very bad.

            • Rhinocrates 1.1.1.1.1.2

              “It was worse than a crime; it was a blunder.”

              And for historical pedants (like me):

              http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Antoine,_Duke_of_Enghien

              [On Napoleon’s execution of duc d’Enghien] Either Antoine Boulay de la Meurthe[3] (deputy from Meurthe in the Corps législatif) or Napoleon’s chief of police, Joseph Fouché,[4] said about his execution “C’est pire qu’un crime, c’est une faute”, a statement often rendered in English as “It was worse than a crime; it was a blunder.” The statement is also sometimes attributed to French diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord. Sometimes the quote is given as, “It was worse than a crime; it was a mistake.”

    • ghostwhowalksnz 1.2

      He has no assets ?

    • AsleepWhileWalking 1.3

      I’ll donate! If nothing else I’m sure I’ll get my monies worth through entertainment value alone.

    • Murray Olsen 1.4

      Probably because he’s got no worthwhile income and would have all his assets protected in some sort of trusts. The case would be easy to prove, but collecting on any judgment would be difficult.

      What would be more interesting would be to take him to court with a view to seeking a penalty along the lines of what was served up to Derryn Hinch. He was banned from accessing the internet for a period. Now, if someone can come up with a plan with a reasonable chance of success to achieve that, I’d certainly help with funding it.

  2. tc 2

    Good points and yet again the hollowmen show the depth of talent they draw on to get what they want.

    Slater, banks etc were all needed at some point but unlike the likes of farrar who keeps his cool and doesnt bite the hand that feeds whereas cameron needs help/therapy on a few fronts.

  3. geoff 3

    Wow, the National Party is imploding.

  4. Tracey 4

    I posted last week on narcissistic personality. Slater fits so many traits. I have always struggled to understand how someone with a mental illness expects to find health and peace embroiling themselves in a hate filled vitiolic site like wo and the vengeful way he pursues his ideology.

    brett dale disputes he is narcissistic. I stand by it. His use and abuse of people to achieve his own engrandisement shows little or no empathy.

    • Rhinocrates 4.1

      I could recommend a psychiatrist. Unfortunately he lives in Baltimore but he does throw excellent dinner parties.

    • repateet 4.2

      re “shows little or no empathy.”

      I attended a most enlightening session about the autism spectrum. I am sometimes reminded of things I heard there when I see Cameron Slater talking and responding to questions and relate them to people I have been in contact with who fit the autism profiles. I don’t know about narcissism but another commentator said Slater was a sociopath. Slater’s writings might give an indication as to the accuracy of that.

      • Rhinocrates 4.2.1

        My comment above was a dark joke, no more. A chocolate fish for those who get the reference (OK… Hannibal Lecter eats the rude).

        I attended a most enlightening session about the autism spectrum. I am sometimes reminded of things

        Beware confirmation bias.

        As someone with autism and an anxiety disorder, I really get disturbed by amateur medical diagnoses AND the branding that goes with it.

        Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Cambridge Autism Research Centre has often noted in interviews that autists are almost always very moral people. My own experience is that I’m awkward in reading cues in real time, but people credit me with very high emotional intelligence – it’s just that the inputs are SO overwhelming (stick your head inside a pinball machine and you’ll get the idea), that as a survival mechanism I have to erect layers of filtering and rules to get by (hence Baron-Cohen’s comment about morality – we need rules that work).

        Please leave the amateur diagnoses to Shearer… or not even that idiot.

        • NickS 4.2.1.1

          THIS.

          People who are otherwise normal are also perfectly capable of being complete arseholes, and while depression can make sufferers more grumpy/angry, in Slater’s case he was just as much a douche before developing depression. Only now he’s much more open about it and has time to kill…

          Also – I’m sort of the same, though my filters are more there to deal with depression triggers.

        • Molly 4.2.1.2

          Agree +100.

          I have a son on the spectrum and he has one of the usual traits of being unable to lie. This trait makes him a social timebomb occasionally, but his integrity and honesty are without fault.

          • Rhinocrates 4.2.1.2.1

            If someone asks “How are you?”, I struggle to say “Fine”, because I want to be accurate.

            Them: “How are you?”

            Me: [Internally: well, I have this persistent strain in my right popliteal fascia due to the posture I keep at my desk and my left foot is half a size bigger than my right, so that there is this constriction in my boot and my left big toe always feels as though there’s something under it and the little toe has a corn, and there’s this pale patch on my jacket that really upsets the colour scheme and I really should lay out that rug again and did you know that Gliese 667C has three planets in the Goldlilocks Zone, though solar wind combined with weak magnetic fields – due to them most likely being tidally locked – suggest that the inner two might be uninhabitable due to atmosphere loss, just like Mars, which has only a fragmentary magnetic field, though life might exist underground, even if it is a Godawful small affair to the girl with the mousy hair and…]. “Urgh… fine, thanks for asking.”

            And I’m “high functioning”.

            • Molly 4.2.1.2.1.1

              Wow – I knew there was a reason why my son is one of my favourite people.

              • Rhinocrates

                Hi Molly – that’s good! My best wishes for you and your son.

                By the way, those “bombs” (see below – 4.2.1.2.1.2) are FUN.

            • Rhinocrates 4.2.1.2.1.2

              The short version being, if anyone with autism gives you a blank stare, it’s not because there’s nothing going on behind their eyes – on the contrary, a bomb of associations has just detonated, once again, and they’re trying to assemble the pieces into a simple object that they can give back to you.

        • ianmac 4.2.1.3

          In my experience Autistics and ADHD seem to take “rules” literally and get upset when a grey interpretation of a rule is so unsettling.
          You seem well able to manage your autism Rhino.

          • Rhinocrates 4.2.1.3.1

            grey interpretation of a rule is so unsettling.

            Everything that is automatic for neurotypical people has to be manual for us, I like to say. It makes us more aware in some ways, but requires a bit of (legal) self-medication due to the effort it requires…

            I’ve had time to learn the tricks at least. I feel sorry for those who haven’t yet.

      • emergency mike 4.2.2

        Slater, autism? Nah, can’t see it. As Rhino said, those on the autism spectrum usually have a strong moral code, and as far as I can see don’t generally covet the limelight.

        To me Slater, Banks, and Brownlee are both textbook cases of narcissistic personality disorder. Otherwise known as ‘being a complete arsehole’.

        Also as Rhino said, be careful about labeling people with psychological disorders, it’s very easy to work backwards from a conclusion about someone and see what you want to see to confirm that conclusion. It’s probably best avoided.

        However I’m happy to make exceptions for the turds I’ve mentioned. And for good measure – John Key: sociopath.

        • dpalenski 4.2.2.1

          If Slater is autistic, I’m one super out going party people in this altervative universe and I have girlfriend too. In this universe Slater properly suffers from arsehole disorder like Micheal Laws does when he claimed to be autistic.

          BTW does else’s ablity to spell go backwards when they write about Micheal Laws the guy dumbs me just writing about him in passing :p

    • SpaceMonkey 4.3

      Actually I think Cameron Slater oscillates between narsissist and psychopath…

    • Mary 4.4

      Yes, and part of that will be loving the attention he’s getting.

    • Tracy:

      I dont think he is narcissistic, he maybe something else, but not this.
      Also why oh why do you feel the need to use my full name when writing a
      message?

      • Mary 4.5.1

        Because it’s got a nice ring to it.

      • the pigman 4.5.2

        If Tracey just said “Brett” you might be confused with any number of other TS users (whose names might be Brett).

        I mean you chose the name, are you seriously complaining when people call you by it?

  5. Tiger Mountain 5

    Well it is rather refreshing to read Hamish Price’s words. Articulate and thoughtful. There are old fashioned decent torys in the modern world as contradictory as that seems.

    Don’t agree with them and the damage their comprador (crony) capitalism does to our country in so many ways but Price’s remarks are fresh air after the Whalespew stench. Cam Slater really needs to be “sectioned” for assessment at least.

  6. karol 6

    Ha! I didn’t know about the Terry Prachett thing before, but it does suit your reworking of it in TS banner above:

    The Standard
    Because The Truth will make you fret
    especially if a misogynist creep ran it.

    Indeed.

    Such a sloppy conspiracy to undermine Brown using a smear that is all tabloidish bluster and sleaze, with little real ammunition. Meanwhile Slater, Cook,Wewege and Palino were leaving track marks all over town.

    That Price and many others knew of the attempt to “embarrass” Brown makes a lie of Slater claiming only people close to Brown would have known, and therefore someone in the Brown camp must have sent the texts.

    And WO claimed on The Nation that he hadn’t lied about anything? Didn’t he first say Chuang came to him with the story? And then later claimed, after Wewege’s role was exposed, that Wewege brought Chuang to him?

    How many more lies?

    • lprent 6.1

      Not quite..

      The Standard
      Because The Truth will make you fret.
      Especially if a misogynist creep still ran it.

      For the space of one word I could add the boot.. And in the best tradition of the Ankh-Morpork Times could I do less. The book is called The Truth and it stands out even amongst his many other books. I was reading it last night while waiting, and it seemed so appropiate

    • Such a sloppy conspiracy to undermine Brown using a smear that is all tabloidish bluster and sleaze, with little real ammunition.

      Brown flies the flag of family values during his campaign and then has initiates an affair in which his role as mayor played a significant part.

      Is hypocrisy an accepted part of politics now?

      • karol 6.2.1

        Show me where Brown campaigned on “family values” – whatever that term may mean?

        As an Auckland voter, I’d never heard the term “family values” being associated with Len Brown before this news of the affair broke.

      • amirite 6.2.2

        qI; is hypocrisy an accepted part of politics now?

        a: Yes it is, cue: Banks voting for gay marriage and the casino laws while being a fundy Bible basher, Dunne voting for the very law that allowed the GCSB to spy on him too and cause him a massive tantrum.
        There are countless other examples, I’m sure everyone can contribute with theirs,

        • Ugly Truth 6.2.2.1

          Yes it is

          This hypocrisy is consistent with the perversion of law which is sold by the state. It isn’t restricted to either the left or the right of the political arena. The perversion is the atheistic interpretation of law which is fundmentally theistic.

          Incidentally hypocrisy is connected to Christianity via Paul. Paul was a Pharisee, and they were collectively characterised as being hypocrites. The connection between Christianity and the state is underscored by the fact that the NZ head of state is also the “Supreme Governor” of the Anglican Church.

  7. bad12 7

    i quite like this bloke Hamish Price, i just listened to Him on RadioNZ National saying much the same things as what the Facebook page does,

    Price isn’t afraid to air nationally His belief that Slater/Cook and Palino are lying their faces off about their knowledge of and involvement in the sub-plot surrounding Len’s dalliance to force Him from the Mayoralty,

    Isn’t it great tho to see them take to each other, the right that is, it can be heard from down here in Wellington, riiiiippp, as the National Party power base in Auckland tears itself apart, the laughable mainstream media at pains to try and distance the Party from the blood-bath among the ‘activist’ cadre tasked with holding the lefts feet to the fire, have in reality shown the whole country that National are now riven with intercine factional fighting out-side of the Parliament and i would suggest that while patently not involved in this ugly mess, Slippery’s National Government will not avoid being splashed in the offal as the blood-letting continues…

    • SpaceMonkey 7.1

      What I know of Cameron Slater… if Price wasn’t right, Slater would be in like a robber’s dog suing Price for defamation and slander.

  8. Tracey 9

    Yup…. eating their young. Certain nats will be bemoaning how clumsy this was. It shows you get what u pay for even when playing dirty…

    has collins tweeted cam recently…

    I saw cactus kate commented here when it broke but no comment since it turned on her boy?

    • Pascal's bookie 9.1

      nah. the SOP is to lay low until it all blows over and then to start being public friends with him again when he says something funny about a greenie.

      And if anyone ever says ‘how about all that crap?’ you go on about how ‘no one can control Cameron, but to those who know him, they know he is a big lovely and you just don’t understand.’

    • Murray Olsen 9.2

      A person less trusting than myself would be wondering if the prickly one, with her links to Hong Kong, actually played some role with Bevan Chuang, also from Hong Kong. Of course, they would be totally wrong, and Cam is one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet.

  9. JK 10

    Have a look at Richard Harman’s comments on Front Page. Its about the factions in National. And Harman having been a press gallery journo for years, and right-wing leaning – it sounds credible to me. Sorry – don’t know how to do links, but the link is in Bryce Edwards’ column in today’s Herald – somewhere down near the end of it.

  10. Tat Loo 11

    “As well as the refugees from those countries (it is noticeable the number of Americans we’re seeing moving here at present) we also seen some of the dregs and their tactics…”

    There’s no doubt that NZ is seen as a “lifeboat” by some Americans seeking shelter from the fallout of a struggling empire. As tides rise in the pacific and the Washington DC gridlock worsens (next budget showdown is being replayed in Jan) we’ll have to carefully consider what this lifeboat status means for us.

    • vto 11.1

      Yep. One of the biggest and most unavoidable issues of our time.

      Our population will soar at some few points in time over the next period to a density comparable to most other similar nations (UK? Japan? Fancy 50million living here?).

      And there virtually nothing a government or a nation can do at those points in time.

      • Tat Loo 11.1.1

        I think NZ should implement policies to maintain a hard cap on total population of 9M or less. That’s double today’s and a high limit, but we are in an over populated world living beyond its carrying capacity, where these issues have to be thought about.

        To put that into perspective, that’s an Auckland with over 3M people. All I can say is… Good luck with that 🙂

    • Rogue Trooper 11.2

      The number of mass shootings in the US has tripled in recent years- A.G Eric Holder. The apart, hide.

    • greywarbler 11.3

      Tat
      Yes, who will come. I keep thinking of the Ossies and writing about them. I wonder how bad things have to get there before they overcome their illogical prejudices and start seeing us as a green alternative. After their houses have burnt down three times? Water gets very expensive?
      They have been feeding themselves a good life story for a long while, with nights out to sometimes lavish RSL clubs built with gambling profits.

      But is it a house of straw? The gambling profits were an incentive for us to get them by the past governments of Tw’dee and dumb. The whole mindset is addictive and hard to cure.

      Chinese are so smart and focussed they can run twice as fast as us on half the breath. They are coming too, and I hope they bring the better part of Mao’s Revolution with them but fear that they will revert to looking after No.1 Family first. Which means they may be drawn to the Right here. Patsy Wong and hubby are go-getters, probably examples of the industrious, ambitious achievers.

      South Africans. I think I catch a hint of the accent in many leaders voices in business, public roles.

      And USA. They have been sliding to the Right so long they probably have scoliosis and we could ban them as being health risks. They will bring all their bad habits with them, won’t have learned a thing from the crunchie bar strength of their country.

  11. Saarbo 12

    Absolutely agree!

    • Tat Loo 13.1

      Thx!

    • miravox 13.2

      Slater’s comment on Harman’s blog:

      Actually the point remains tenuous at best Richard…there are no factions, only bitter people like Boag and Price.

      So that’s ok then. That’s not making Harman’s point for him at all…

    • bad12 13.3

      Lolz, what a excellent piece of journalism, all i could think while reading it was ‘fight you bastards fight’,

      A fight like this isn’t going to disappear anytime soon, it’s a smouldering ruin spurred on by Nationals abysmal polling and it will now morph into the dog chasing it’s tail as the support base in Auckland walks away from National not being able to stand the stench,

      The ramifications of this explosion within Nationals elite arm of movers and shakers will sooner or later become apparent in the Parliament,

      I picked Slippery the Prime Minister’s recent prolonged sojourn into the heady realm of international diplomacy as Judith Collin’s best chance to roll Him for the leadership position and i am going to assume here it is in fact the abysmally low polling numbers that have in fact stopped Her leadership challenge albeit temporarily so,

      Having picked Maurice Williamson quite some time ago as one quietly painting a large target on the back of Slippery the PM i am not surprised now that He is showing up in more mainstream commentary as the ‘other half’ of the Collins leadership ticket, it was obvious when Slippery urged Maurice to take up the Speakers role in the Parliament that He was trying to get rid of Maurice and just as obvious from Williamson’s refusal to take the Speakers Chair(usually followed by a plum ambassadorial role), that He had ‘unfinished business’,

      i am picking that Collins/Williamson, one or the other astutely reading the political landscape, have decided amidst the National Governments dramatic fall from electoral grace that they will face after November 2014 a Labour/Green Government of at least two terms and that there is far more to be gained by playing the waiting game,

      Should this be true i would expect Collins/Williamson to ‘allow’ Bill English to take the National Party leadership into the first term of Opposition in what is beginning to have the faint whiff of a total electoral rout for National,

      Expect then a woeful election fought by Bill English as leader in 2017 followed by a Collins/Williamson takeover soon after, of course they just might be able to scrape together the numbers to roll Slippery prior to the 2014 election but time for this to gain the pair any political traction is fast running out,

      i can only add again, fight you bastards, fight….

      • gnomic 13.3.1

        I bow to your apparent superior knowledge of the factions in the National Party, but I for one will not be putting any money on Mozza W as a future contender for its leadership. He may slip the odd dagger between the ribs no doubt, but surely not a face for prime time? Perhaps his bungling incompetence across a range of portfolios would not be an impediment alas.

      • Murray Olsen 13.3.2

        One thing to watch for with NAct’s Auckland support base if the stench becomes unbearable is that they will look for Labour MPs to do their filthy work for them again. It worked better than they could have dreamed of with Douglas and co. The pressure really needs to be kept on Labour from its support base.

  12. captain hook 14

    is there anyway of politely calling a lying arsehole a lying arsehole?

  13. Natwest 15

    Ah! got it – Slater, Cooke and company are lying arseholes – because Len didn’t really have an affair after all. Glad we have cleared that mess up!

    [lprent: It looks like the Palino team have been systematically lying in order to do what? That is politically interesting.

    Len Brown boning looks a whole lot less interesting for people who are actually interested in politics. It is probably more of an issue for gossips – you perhaps?. ]

    • karol 15.1

      Bwhahahahaha!

      It’s curious to keep seeing the strange (il)logicality of Slater’s supporters, making comments that have little relation to the evidence as it has been presented, and still trying to hammer the line that the mere having of an affair is the biggest sin a politician can commit. Welcome to the 19th century!

    • framu 15.2

      “because Len didn’t really have an affair”

      no ones saying that! –

      this is yet another thread where your stinking up the place repeating things that exist only in your head

      Do you actually have anything to say?

  14. Sable 16

    Personally sick and tired of hearing about the Slater/Brown affair.

    If the polls are anything to go by most people, including myself, believe the attack is politically motivated.

    Time to ignore little creepy crawlies like the Slater’s of this world and get on with the job of running Auckland.

  15. Mary 17

    Referring to Slater as “Cam” reminds me of that horrible photo of Mallard and Slater with their arms around each other after that silly bike race.

  16. lez howard 18

    Sperm Oil Does not have an a-hole rating.Hes regarded in Tauranga as an ankle,much lower

  17. Natwest 19

    Oh Karol get a grip – this is about the man’s integrity (or lack of it), it’s not the first affair he has been involved in. He cheated on his first wife, with his now second – and now he’s cheated on her (for 2 years). He then provided his mistress with a reference and then personally endorsed her into that council position. He also had her appointed to a board. Thirdly, he abused his position by using the council credit card for personal use – for which he stated was unnaceptable behaviour and, nothing would again occur to tarnish his reputation. He is a proven liar – so stop being an “excuser” for his lack of moral judgement. Mayor of our largest and most strategic city – what a joke. This story ain’t going away any time soon, because where there is smoke there is fire – and I’m absolutely certain there is more revelations to come – watch this space.

    • Te Reo Putake 19.1

      Who are you talking about? The first couple of lines made me think you were dissing Cam Slater, then you drifted off into rant mode.

      On an unrelated matter, nice to see a poll on stuff showing only a minority of people think Len Brown has handled the revelations badly. Looks like he’ll be mayor for many, many more terms now.

    • framu 19.2

      well you made a comment at least – pity its still you interviewing your imagination

    • McFlock 19.3

      🙄
      In order:
      mind your own business
      being investigated
      dealt with years ago
      wouldn’t be surprised if you are, too

      This story ain’t going away any time soon, because where there is smoke there is fire – and I’m absolutely certain there is more revelations to come – watch this space.
      no matter how hard you fan the embers, this is going to be a short dog-end of a cigarette, compared to the bushfire of which muckrakers knew what in Camp Palino – and why on earth would someone send a threatening text to Williamson?

      • greywarbler 19.3.1

        McFlock
        what a fine summation of a rambling rant you make. And totally right. It’s definite ly the way to go through a lot of verbiage for the nub. I guess if I had done my critical thinking paper better I wouldn’t be struck by that thought.

  18. Natwest 20

    Deluded deniers – pathetic, pitiful responses.

    • Varity 20.1

      ok, fine, you’re right … except slater and you supporters … nobodies cares about the affair anymore and you lot banging on about it isn’t going to change that.

      it’s been kind of amusing seeing slater become more n more unhinged but i do have a heart and think for his own sanity he needs to stop. he lost, he should just accept that and move on.

    • Galrandra 20.2

      @ NW
      The mayor’s probity in relation to responsibilities mayoral is currently being examined elsewhere; this post is about the lack of moral compass in a considerable section of the Auckland’s National party machine.
      Do spend a little time and tell us why you see only shine where the rest of us see sleaze.
      So what appears very much like coercion, blackmail, calumny and the subversion of the democratic process is acceptable, in order to punish what you judge to be sexual transgression?

  19. tricledrown 21

    Ratnest Brown did what the right can never do Hey came out and told the horrible truth.
    Now those who flung the dung have been sprung.
    They have not been able to lie in unison so they have been the arhitects of their own demise.
    It would have been far more effective to just say len had an affair and leave it at that.
    Let the media have a feilday.
    But the bunch of slippery shisters wanted to maximise the damage it has backfired and the shit has largly bounced off len and stuck to the palino slater wewege cook .
    LoL poor little natwest !

  20. NickS 22

    I see Slater is spewing on his blog again, probably would have been wiser for him to take a vacation.

    *grabs popcorn*

    • Rhinocrates 22.1

      Ever read or seen Sartre’s Huis Clos or No Exit as it’s known in English? That’s where the famous Existentialist quote “Hell is other people” comes from – the torture being the eternal desire to be right, to have the last word, no matter what one has done, no matter what the means. Whalecum is in that Hell right now.

      • NickS 22.1.1

        *chuckle*

        Except that’s usually fractally wrong, even more so in this case, so he’s also cursed with the hell that is that delusion of being right and the lack insight to see just how wrongzors he be 👿

  21. captain hook 23

    was that from the front or the back?

  22. phil 24

    Will JK jump b4 the election? He appears more stressed by each passing day. Leaving the party to fight it out, in private? Hahaha. Sadly we are paying for this veneer of Dumocravy.

  23. captain hook 25

    well if he is going then he is doing his best to make sure no MP gets a rise this year.
    what a turkey.
    Some MP’s work extremely hard and deserve what ever emolument they can get.

  24. Rodel 26

    A. I object to your calling Slater an arsehole.
    B. Sorry. Are you a friend of his?
    A. No. I’m an arshole.

  25. Rogue Trooper 27

    a little Cameo Creme from Karloff 😀

  26. amirite 28

    I lol at the MSM comparing Len Brown’s affair to the army guy’s – conveniently forgetting that the army have been threatening to ruin the lives and the livelihoods of his former mistress and her daughter.
    Also, the Righwingers request for investigation into the SkyCity gift of freebie hotel room use to Len- let’s see what sort of freebies has ShonKey received in return for the Convention Centre and the 300 + pokies deal. This weeks picture in the Sunday Herald supplement shows him and Bronwyn smiling like possums in the headlights in front of the camera just before they were to go to dinner at the Skycity restaurant.
    Yeah, let’s look into both cases, for the sake of consistency and fairness.

  27. Hamish 29

    Dear Whale Blubber, I know you read these comments:

    “237 Blackmail

    (1) Every one commits blackmail who threatens, expressly or by implication, to make any accusation against any person (whether living or dead), to disclose something about any person (whether living or dead), or to cause serious damage to property or endanger the safety of any person with intent—

    (a) to cause the person to whom the threat is made to act in accordance with the will of the person making the threat; and

    (b) to obtain any benefit or to cause loss to any other person.

    (2) Every one who acts in the manner described in subsection (1) is guilty of blackmail, even though that person believes that he or she is entitled to the benefit or to cause the loss, unless the making of the threat is, in the circumstances, a reasonable and proper means for effecting his or her purpose.

    (3) In this section and in section 239, benefit means any benefit, pecuniary advantage, privilege, property, service, or valuable consideration.”

    Punishment of blackmail

    238 Every one who commits blackmail is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years.

    http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1961/0043/latest/DLM330263.html
    http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1961/0043/latest/DLM330268.html

    • toad 29.1

      Not sure which Hamish you are in this story (or you may be none of them), but you are onto it with that comment.

      There is a serious stench of criminal offending here if we accept what Bevan Chuang is reported as having said.

  28. Just Like Tiger Woods 30

    Get ready, Comrades.

    Incoming……

    Tomorrow, by the looks of it.

  29. Hamish 31

    I’m Sorry Comrade, but I’m too busy working to care whether Len was boning other people on the side. That’s between him and his family, and the people involved…

    Meanwhile, Blubber boy spends the whole day masturbating and getting off on this affair. Is he still a sickness beneficiary? If not where does he get his income from?

  30. gobsmacked 32

    Anyone who thinks this is Left vs Right (like one or two t/rollies above) really needs to wake up. This is the Right fighting themselves – the establishment versus the embarrassment.

    And you should read the latest from inside the Palino camp … heartfelt, frustrated and deserving a response from Palino.

    Will there ever be one?

    http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Hamish-Coleman-Ross-Palino-Auckland-must-hear-you/tabid/721/articleID/38516/Default.aspx

  31. appleboy 33

    Slater is scum – he’s been boasting of his web site getting lots of hits – yeah well xxxtube porn site gets more than Whaleoil, so he’s in good company.

  32. georgecom 34

    The more gets revealed, the more words like “incompetent”, “ham-fisted”, “bumbling” etc come to mind.

  33. hoom 35

    I find it quite fascinating how this affair which was obviously thought to be a knock out blow to the Left on Auckland Council has so quickly reversed into an exposé of & shitfight within the internal workings of the Right.

  34. Cactus Kate 36

    Murray
    Up until the day her name was published in the Herald I had never heard of Bevan Chaung. Funnily enough I don’t know everyone living in Hong Kong let alone those Hong Kong born people not living here. I’m also not a Nat or a Tory.

    Try again.

    I’ve lost track of the story and it’s diversions at the time Brown was accused of writing a reference for a woman he had the hots for/was shagging.

    Nick Smith resigned for such and at that point so should Len. Then there’s the Sky City murk as well.

    I’ve changed my mind now as for a man as weird as Len is this rooting is absolutely legendary and he’s just the sort of person I think should be Mayor. It’s not a very important job anyway.

    • unsol 36.1

      “Nick Smith resigned for such and at that point so should Len”. Not so. If it comes out that he was only on general/acquaintance terms with Chuang then the whole issue is moot. Surely you know more than anyone that it is best to draw conclusions based on facts, not hearsay.

      “I’ve changed my mind now as for a man as weird as Len is this rooting is absolutely legendary and he’s just the sort of person I think should be Mayor. It’s not a very important job anyway.”

      You’re wrong about legendary – girls keen to get their leg over to procure political leverage no doubt require very little persuasion and 2 minutes is hardly indicative of someone who really knows their way around.

      But if dirty politics is how NZ wants to progress then what we need now, you know, so that it is a level playing field, is for Slater’s ex mistress Debbie Brown (funny she shares not only the same surname as Len, but his lack of common decency) to come out sharing how many times she slept with him & his prowess….or lack thereof. After all, the political commentators are in the public arena so surely we should be holding their personal lives up to the same scrutiny, otherwise how do we know they can be trusted?

      “…and he’s just the sort of person I think should be Mayor. It’s not a very important job anyway”.

      I agree. The role of mayor is no more than a simple mouthpiece.

    • Tat Loo 36.2

      Nick Smith resigned for such and at that point so should Len. Then there’s the Sky City murk as well.

      Nick Smith resigned?

      How come he is still in Parliament, then?

    • gnomic 36.3

      ‘I’ve changed my mind now as for a man as weird as Len is this rooting is absolutely legendary and he’s just the sort of person I think should be Mayor. It’s not a very important job anyway.’

      OMG! Agree with the Cactus, oh noes. Len is a headcase, no doubt about it. Up there with JFK and Slick Willy on the flopping it out front it seems.

      And anyway who cares who is the ‘Mayor’ since as Penny Bright has pointed out, certain dark forces actually call the shots anyway. She mentioned the Committee for Dorkland and the Property Council.

  35. unsol 37

    Nice response from Price – he is not only much better looking (mind you, most people are), but classier when he responds to accusations.

    I don’t consider politics to be an honourable profession, but Cameron Slater’s gutter politics is a whole new low. It is one thing to expose the affair, but entirely another to provide the kind of information he has.

    The whole thing is embarrassing – not only for Brown & NZ politics, but for Slater & his family. How can he, as a father & so-called Christian justify this kind of garbage to his family? His church?

    The irony of course is that his actions have pretty much guaranteed zero chance of his desired result coming to fruition – Brown will stay as mayor.

  36. captain hook 38

    it’s really great to see banks whining on the telly that the whole country is agianst him.
    Well the thing is that the whole country is just about sick of banks and slater and their vitriol and hatred that passes for politicis.

  37. gnomic 39

    Did some one mention Cameron Slater? How strange that the king of the ratbags (imho) hates ratbags. Most perverse, psychologically. Depressed was it, after his business failed? Diddums. Well worth big sums of cash. Or not, as the insurers eventually decided, last I heard. Daddy was a nasty piece of work too, or perhaps he was a lovely bloke? Despite being a senior official in the ‘National’ party which some might think meant he was scum floating on the surface..

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    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
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    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
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
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    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 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
    5 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
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
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    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 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
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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
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    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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours 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
    11 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
    13 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
    14 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    6 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 ...
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    6 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 ...
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    6 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
    6 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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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
    7 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
    1 week 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
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
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    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
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    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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