Corrections minister in trouble

Written By: - Date published: 3:39 pm, July 22nd, 2015 - 67 comments
Categories: accountability, prisons - Tags: , , , ,

Update: Kelvin Davis’s question in Parliamentary Questions today.

67 comments on “Corrections minister in trouble ”

  1. wyndham 1

    Lotu-liga has never been other than a lightweight and is completely out of his depth on this issue. Doubtless the Nats will close ranks and bullshit their way out of it. Talking of bullshit, what has happened to the Arabian Sheep farm ? Have they got away with that too?

    QT today, Key appeared unusually tetchy and his jolly joker persona gave way to sourpuss. He looks like Hawaii didn’t do much good.

    • Draco T Bastard 1.1

      Everything that I’ve seen indicates that Lotu-Liga is out of his depth on pretty much everything. He comes across as the stereo-typical conservative ignoramus that the Dunning-Kruger Effect describes perfectly.

      • Clemgeopin 1.1.1

        Thanks for that link, Draco. Good to know. Very interesting.

        “The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias wherein unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly assessing their ability to be much higher than is accurate. This bias is attributed to a metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their ineptitude. Conversely, highly skilled individuals tend to underestimate their relative competence, erroneously assuming that tasks that are easy for them are also easy for others.[1]

        David Dunning and Justin Kruger of Cornell University have postulated that the effect is the result of internal illusion in the unskilled, and external misperception in the skilled: “The miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others.”[1]”

        The rest of the article, including the results of tests/research is also interesting to read and learn from. Cheers!

      • adam 1.1.2

        You just described half of the front bench of this current Tory government. Actually maybe more than half – the way they flapping it around when ever a camera is present.

      • McFlock 1.1.3

        There’s also the other type of incomeptent person I’ve met: the person who is in over their head, knows they’re in over their head, but also knows that if they shut up and stick to the basics while looking confident, they’ll probably be promoted or shifted sideways before they get put under any pressure.

        But then sometimes they do actually have to do their job (like read letters that refer to deaths in custody and recognise that it needs follow-up) and the shit hits the fan.

      • Brendan 1.1.4

        I think Don “trump card” Trump suffers from this too.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvPNLtziUOk

  2. Akldnut 2

    Peseta Sam Lotu-“LIAR”
    Standard fare for this bunch.

  3. infused 3

    So on talk back today, apparently you can’t ‘drop’ anyone. There’s meshing everywhere.

    • dukeofurl 3.1

      If theres a way around that, the prisoners would find it.

    • Pascals bookie 3.2

      “on talkback” eh.

      Is this gonna be like that time you heard on the internet that there was gonna be a big war break out with North Korea and Iran and all sorts of shit was def. about to happen?

      • infused 3.2.1

        Hey. We were very close. You have a good memory thought I must say.

        • Pascals bookie 3.2.1.1

          Fair enough, I’ll stop hassling you about it now.

          But don’t you think it likely, if talkback is correct about this, that Serco would be saying it too?

          They could have put it in their press release instead of the silly argument they made that it can’t be happening all the time or there’d be prisoners off to hospital all the time.

          So I reckon, if it was true that droppings aren’t possible ‘coz meshing’ they’d have said that. They didn’t say that, so I’m guessing talkback is talking shit.

      • infused 3.3.1

        Well there should be some evidence to all this then. I can’t see how people would be dropped in a central area like that. Surely there would be guards there. If not, it should be on camera.

        • McFlock 3.3.1.1

          Oh, there’re not really a claim that the guards aren’t there or don’t know about it, as far as I can recall.

          The gist of the claims is that the prisoners rule the roost and resulting injuries are kept out of the paperwork.

        • weizguy 3.3.1.2

          When your business plan involves cutting costs by cutting staff, there doesn’t tend to be anyone around to see.

        • Huginn 3.3.1.3

          Indeed.
          It should be on camera.

    • North 3.4

      “There’s meshing everywhere……” – short for – “My name’s Infused and I am Confused oh hang on have I got that the wrong way round ? oh ne’er mind fuck you all whatever you say I’m not gonna address the issues and I’m not gonna listen to anything directed to the issues because I just don’t wanna know but I’ll wank on interminably doing what I’ve just described SO THERE !”

      My God you’re a fuckwit whatever your name is ! As your fatuousness seen above and below evidences so vividly.

    • Anno1701 3.5

      “So on talk back today, apparently you can’t ‘drop’ anyone. There’s meshing everywhere”

      I can tell you first hand that this isnt the case in at least one mens prison

      unless it has been added in the last 3 years

  4. NZJester 4

    You would think also with all this known dropping happening from the balcony that they would have erected something to prevent it from happening again like tall fencing and or catchment nets. Security cameras and gates on stairways to prevent prisoners from pushing anyone down stairs if the balconies get preventative measures installed would also be a good idea.

    • McFlock 4.1

      testament to government operations in the past that they have apparently not been needed.

    • infused 4.2

      Well apparently there are.

    • Rodel 4.3

      Suzie Ferguson? asked the $erco CEO on radio about mesh. He said there wasn’t mesh. She asked if he was going to put it in. He replied that they, $erco just worked with the prison structure as it was when they took over. Easy to detect that he was saying…’no he wouldn’t put in safety mesh because it would involve spending money.’
      Suzie elicited this implication out of him quite skilfully and showed the true nature of his business..I thought he was going to say that the government should put in safety mesh.Wouldn’t surprise me if that happens.
      Ah well..business is business!

  5. Tiger Mountain 5

    if dear leader had been genuine about “higher standards for ministers in my government” he would have few left by now, this shocker should see Lotu-liga relieved of his ministerial warrant, but probably won’t

    incarceration is the strongest sanction the state can make against a citizen barring capital punishment so it was always way too important to entrust prisons to the likes of “baked beans on paper plates” serco

    • North 5.1

      Course it won’t……for now. Peseta Sam was The Ponce Key’s fiapalgi ‘bait’ in ‘The-Great-Push-for-Polynesian-South-Auckland’ nonsense of the last election campaign.

      And all poor Sam could do was stand behind him, along with that Ngaro character, looking shame-faced. Because he knows that many, many, many, many Polynesians rate him as nought more than a fiapalagi arse licker. Those many include members of his own aiga, for years me and them, them and me, personally and closely engaged.

      Peseta Sam……..the guy who said on nationwide television that a $130,000 cash deposit was a reasonably capturable savings goal for ordinary people to buy a house. What ??????

  6. Clemgeopin 6

    Kelvin Davies with fresh allegations against corrections minister, Sam Lotu-Iiga today:
    http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/video/38422

    • Ovid 7.1

      Bloody hell, that was a mauling. I can’t imagine him accepting any interviews for a while.

      • Skinny 7.1.1

        Sammy is one slippery character and deeply involved in dirty politics allegations, it’s very nice to see the slippery prick caught in the head lights like a stunned possum. I think poor old Sammy will be sent to the snake oil department for some media training. From what I saw just before on the TV news Gower got a soft road kill, couldn’t have happened to a more deserving rodent 🙂

      • Sacha 7.1.2

        And yes, the Minister, Corrections and Serco are all refusing interviews now. Reckon the PM’s office intervened to shut the Minister down at least.

        • Skinny 7.1.2.1

          Will Collins force a slam dunk on Sammy and return to the front bench as Corrections Minister again. The return of Crusher Collins to the role is Snake Oil Joyce’s worst nightmare.

          “It’s big time wrestling with Crusher ready to wrap her thighs around Snake Oil’s bald head and enforcing his future leadership with the death rattle.”

          • Clemgeopin 7.1.2.1.1

            Oh dear! The Mademoiselle will need to proceed with a bit of caution as that said bald head may suddenly implode because, in my observation, it seems to be filled with quite a lot of horseshit inside and not really with as much of real worthy substance as the owner of the said bald head often pretentiously projects to our pathetic press and the peoples parliament.

    • maui 7.2

      Geez severe alright, refreshingly so. But inevitable if for a full ten minutes you say you know nothing, were told nothing and can’t tell anyone anything. If the Minister, effectively the King of all prisons doesn’t know what happened then who the hell does.

  7. Shona 8

    Good to hear Plunkett giving a government minister the heavy treatment. Now if he would just do it more often to Key and English and Parata and Bennett etc etc.

    • North 8.1

      Unfortunately we’ve been led by the MSM to swallow an horrific fiction where The Ponce Key is somehow above it all……I cite the way in which they’ll harshly lash individual members of this government then call in The Ponce Key to express how “disappointed” he would be IF whatever it’s all about is true. The ‘expert’ (no responsibility for any of it) ‘appraisal’. Somehow Espiner on Radio NZ is a once-in-a-while exception to this. Recall “Is it OK Prime Minister……?”

      While in hard cold fact The Ponce Key (backed by an equally bloodless inner-cabal, Joyce et al) is and always has been the puppeteer.

      Peseta Sam is today’s hapless victim of the phenomenon, poor fiapalagi bastard. Beat up the expendable ‘made-man’, never the ‘don’.

  8. rational thinker 9

    Could someone please explain how a company can provide the same service as the government in prisons and still make a profit?? Either the prisons were being mismanaged or there has to be a lesser service provided to make a profit. seems like common sense really

  9. Roycartland 10

    The profit incentive makes favourable REPORTING the goal, not a favourable service. Same with charter schools – the test score becomes the goal, not education. The door to corruption is left open much too wide.

  10. North 11

    Roycart’…….insightful comment there. Not thought about it that way previously. Excellent ! Guess Serco finds its styles in the styles of The Ponce Key – “I’m gonna ponce New Zealand !”. How fucking fabulous is that ???

  11. b waghorn 12

    Hoskings climbed into dodgy Sam and made quite an issue over the fact that the nats on the select committee voted down the opportunity to question serco officials. Which shows how in the shit snake oil Sam must be in, if even hoskings hooks into him.

    • dv 12.1

      Sam had to be pushed to say it was the nats majority that voted it down!!!
      Duh

      • b waghorn 12.1.1

        He sure did that’s twice he’s had an admission forced out of him in one day ,I can only imagine how many other things he’s hiding.

        • dv 12.1.1.1

          Hardly a secret that there are a majority of bats opps Nats on the committee.
          I ‘liked’ the way he tried to avoid the direct question by saying there are a number of different parties on the committee!!!!

          Sort of really weird.

          • b waghorn 12.1.1.1.1

            I’ve always viewed his public communication style as being modelled very much on keys so of course telling the truth even on obvious things is next to impossible.

  12. Pascals bookie 13

    Shitload of things in this piece that will need to be followed up.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/70434261/Corrections-Minister-Sam-Lotu-Iiga-confirms-police-were-not-called-in-to-investigate-inmate-death?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

    Numerous claims made of various pieces of advice and instructions given.

    • mickysavage 13.1

      Yep this is third world stuff.

    • Nordy 13.2

      From the Stuff article –

      “Key said Davis was making serious allegations about Prisoner Evans and he had a moral obligation to go to the police.”

      So it’s not ‘his’ government’s responsibility to actually do anything?

      Being a Minister, being in Government, apparently brings with it no accountability for the actions or inactions of government agencies or contractors.

      As anyone who has held a position of responsibility, knows:

      “You can delegate responsibility, but you can’t delegate accountability to anyone. If someone gives you a job to do, you can get someone else to do it, but you are still accountable to produce the results. If the job isn’t done right the only person to blame is you, because even though you’ve delegated the responsibility, you are still accountable.”

      It’s a damning indictment of this government that they don’t know the basics of management, responsibility and accountability.

  13. Michael 14

    The phrase “lying politician” is tautologous. Of course Lout-lita might not have been lying, as this action requires intent, which he may well be too stupid to generate.

  14. TC 15

    There’s CCTV in all those wings so it will be pretty easy to tell if he was dropped off a balcony or not.

  15. G C 16

    The truth is we have people on Wall-Street trading shears based on how many people are incarcerated. These are of course American prisons and companies.

    When America privatised its prisons they soon learnt 4 things:

    1. The private contractors would save money by having the minimum possible staffing levels and understaffing become acceptable.

    2. Rehabilitation of prisoners was bad for business, even if the government offered generous financial incentives. Repeat offenders became their bread and butter.

    3. Lobby groups were funded by the private contractors. Such groups lobbied government to increase minimum sentences and reduce paroles.

    4. Shear holders profited and a ‘prison industrial complex’ was born. Now America has more people incarcerated per-head-of-population than any country on earth.

    New Zealand just wonders after this Beast…

    • Rodel 16.1

      GC
      Also in the US, Private prison management soon learnt that bad reports by prison staff meant that prisoners would be denied early parole and keep the inmate inside for longer. = more money.

  16. North 17

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/25/pennsylvania-prison-builder-kids-for-cash-sentenced

    Private prisons……..part of The Ponce Key’s “Brighter Future” ?

    As regards New Zealand rightly note the absence of judicial corruption, but the principle, the motivation, the using of the weak and poor as raw material for private gain……yeah.

  17. Les 18

    Paul Henry actually sliced and diced Sam L this morning.

    • Clemgeopin 18.1

      Yes, but did you notice the endearment/empathy he was displaying towards ‘Sam’?

      • Les 18.1.1

        Can’t say I did and I’m no fan of Henry.Davis needs to sharpen up and prepare better.He should be able to anticipate the line of questioning.

  18. Clemgeopin 19

    Corrections Minister keeps giving stupid excuses and is still trying to pass the buck, showing his shocking incompetence. Watch the often loving way Paul Henry deals with Sam compared to his continuous rudeness towards Kelvin. Paul Henry, just another quite biased unbalanced RW ‘journalist’.

    Henry-Davies
    http://www.3news.co.nz/TVShows/PaulHenry
    —————–
    Henry-Sam
    http://www.3news.co.nz/tvshows/paulhenry/corrections-minister-to-ask-serco-serious-questions-2015072307#axzz3ges1QjCQ

  19. AmaKiwi 20

    Children know what the word “liar” means and know when to use it.

    Why doesn’t the NZ main stream media?

  20. s y d 21

    I can’t be bothered rading through this, but a quick google search turned up this document. It does have ‘commercial in confidence’ along the top but is freely available on line?

    Balls Up – might be worth checking to see what penalties apply for a prisoner being killed on site?

    https://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CDAQFjADahUKEwjC4ufo-O_GAhXGGpQKHT5IB-c&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.corrections.govt.nz%2F__data%2Fassets%2Fpdf_file%2F0010%2F674380%2FCMOP.pdf&ei=NS6wVYL0Jsa10AS-kJ24Dg&usg=AFQjCNFU1iXPl_I1ZTRutJFUSy5Qpl7apg&bvm=bv.98476267,d.dGo&cad=rja

    • s y d 21.1

      Oh hang on, $150k for a death, so better ship them out to a govt run prison eh.
      refer schedule 3.3

  21. reason 22

    If National properly regulated the Alcohol drug industry we would be closing prisons:

    • 31% of all crime in New Zealand can be attributable to alcohol (2007-08).[12]

    • At least one third of recorded violence offences committed in 2007-2008 occurred where the offender had consumed alcohol prior to committing the offence.[13]

    • Alcohol-related crime is estimated to cost New Zealand NZ$716.5m a year with NZ$200.1m alone spend on policing.[14]

    • On average, 33% of all recorded offences are committed on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday mornings. However, when the number of offences where it is not known if an offender was affected by alcohol is accounted for, the overall most probable percentage is expected to be 46% of all offences.[15]

    • Approximately half (49.5%) of all homicides recorded between 1999-2008 involved either a suspect or victim being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. 207 (42.3%) involved at least one suspect and 175 (36%) involved at least one victim under the influence of alcohol at the time of incident.[16]

    • In 2005-06, net healthcare costs related to alcohol use only was $343m. The largest component of this number was inpatient hospital costs of $121.0 million, or around a third.[17] .

    • BERL estimated the social costs of the harmful use of alcohol in 2005-2006 (expressed in 2008 dollar terms) to be $5.3 billion, of which 76 per cent ($3.7 billion) were tangible costs.[18]”

    ….. and when it comes to safer drugs like Cannabis or MDMA instead of using science or evidence our creep of a prime minister promoted ‘experts’ like mike sabin who have been good at filling prisons in the past.

    It’s a simple fact that if Alcohol and other drug were regulated correctly we would be slashing prisoner numbers.

    The new private prison would be empty ……

    It should also be noted that Judith Collins played her part in subverting the Alcohol law review when it took place, and after repeated meetings with liquor industry reps she agreed that self regulation of Roastbuster RTDs alcohol content was the type of regulations she liked the best ………….

    She and others in the Government are responsible for keeping rates of serious crime up.

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  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    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
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    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
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    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
    4 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
    9 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
    11 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
    12 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
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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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