Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill (aka Waka Jumping Bill)
There has been a lot of discussion here and elsewhere re the Green Party now supporting the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill (aka the waka jumping Bill) put up by NZF supported by Labour, particularly in light of the views expressed by Jeanette Fitzsimmons at the Green Party AGM last weekend.
What has surprised me is that some (many?) people seem to think that this Bill is something in the future rather than in the very ‘here and now‘. For example, Dennis Frank on OM 20 Aug in his comment at 1.7 said:
I’m still waiting to see if amendments to Winston’s bill have emerged in the select committee process to balance the rights of party and electors against the right of an MP to dissent and then jump the waka.”
This Bill is well passed the select committee process and way down the tracks in its passage through the House. It passed its Second Reading on 2 August, and is already at least halfway through the Committee stages, with only the Third Reading remaining after that. In fact it took up some 10 hours of the House’s time (almost 120 videos!) on 2, 7, 8 and 9 August.
During that time there were many votes – all of which split with Labour, NZF and the GP voting together (63), and National either voting alone (56) or with an extra ACT vote.
But to backtrack slightly re Dennis Frank’s question as to what amendments emerged from the Select Committee process? The answer is none. With the make-up of the Justice Select Committee being 4 Labour members, and 4 National Mps*, the select committee reached an impasse. As a result, the day before they were due to report back to the House (31 July 2018) the Bill was discharged from consideration by the Justice Committee under Standing Order 295(3):
SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS – 295 Time for report
(1) A select committee must finally report to the House on a bill within six months of the bill being referred to it or by such other time as fixed by the House or the Business Committee.
(2) The Business Committee may extend the time for report for any bill.
(3) If the committee has not reported within the time for report, the bill is discharged from further consideration by the committee and set down for its next stage in the House on the third sitting day following.
* Dennis Frank has subsequently asked why the make-up of the Committee does not include GP or NZF members. I will do a separate short comment on this – if not tonight, hopefully in the next day.
So then what happened?
On Thursday 2 August, the Bill appeared at No 2 on the Order Paper for 2nd Reading that day. The House debated the Bill for two hours with speeches from all Parties except ACT, including 8 National speeches, 4 Labour, 1 NZF (Darrock Ball) 1 GP (Golriz Ghahraman). The Bill passed its 2nd Reading with 63 Ayes (L/NZF/GP) and 57 Noes (Nat/ACT).
On Tues afternoon, 7 August, the House then commenced the clause by clause Committee stages of the Bill. Over the next three sitting days (7,8 and 9 August including under urgency/extended hours on Thurs morning, 9 August) the Committee of the House considered and passed Clauses 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Bill with the Ayes 63 (L/G/NZF) and the Noes 56 (N) or 57(N/ACT). This leaves only Clauses 5 and 6 remaining for Committee stage consideration, followed by the Third Reading of the Bill. (More on these below.)
During these debates, the Committee of the House also considered about 20 SOPs raised by the National Party Mps which included attempts to include new clauses (eg new Clause 3A) and to delete Clause 4 in its entirety. None of these SOPs were agreed.
When the House commenced the 2nd Hearing, Nick Smith raised an ‘Instruction to the Committee’ motion calling for the Bill “to be discharged and referred back to the Justice Committee to enable the many amendments proposed by officials and submitters to be considered.” Following debate, this motion was not agreed to with the Ayes 56 (Nat only) and the Noes 63 (L/NZF/GP).
During the Committee stages debates, Smith raised a further two motions, the first to get an Instruction to the Committee to make it explicit that the Bill be considered in terms of the overriding provisions of the Parliamentary Privileges Act. This failed, as did the third Motion “.. that it [the Committee of the Whole House] consider and, if it thinks appropriate, adopt the amendments suggested by many submitters that constituency members of Parliament be exempted from the new power of party leaders to dismiss MPs.” . This motion was raised as earlier attempt to limit the Bill to constituency (electorate) members only had been ruled out of order (procedurally). This third Motion attempt was chaired by Mallard himself, with short speeches by Smith and Brownlee but the motion was not agreed to on a party vote of Ayes 56; Noes 63.
Remaining Clauses of the Bill still to be debated
As stated above, only Clauses 5 and 6 of the Bill still remain to be debated in the Committee stages (plus the final 3rd reading). Clause 6 is a mere editorial amendment to the principal Act (the Electoral Act 1993) consequent upon the outcome on Clause 5.
It should be noted that the Clause 5 proposals appear to seek to reinstate provisions that were introduced by the previous 2001 Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Act but expired on 18 September 2005 under the provisions of that Act. I have not had time to compare the two – and National have been busy over the last week writing new SOPs which may affect clause 5. There are currently 34 SOPs listed against the Bill, with 16 of these filed on 15 August.
Nature of the Debates to date
The debates have been long and heated, with National basically filibustering every inch of the way, mainly through diversions such as Points of Order, off topic and long historical speeches, raising new SOPs – and from time to time berating and heckling the Greens for their support of the Bill and calling on them to change their minds. One memorable attempt was also made by David Bennett to seek the recall of the Speaker, Trevor Mallard, for allegedly remarking to Bennett when the Speaker was leaving the House that “He said that my head would fall off if I shook it at him”. (LOL! See the fourth para below for video.)
During the Committee stages, to date Labour and NZF have put up very few speakers other than Andrew Little and Darroch Ball – except for one amusing instance when Ron Mark heard a call from Mark Mitchell in the debate challenging him, went to the Chamber and took a call where he turned the books on Mitchell and implied he would be leaving National to set up a new party.
At least one Green MP appeared to be in the House at all times during the Committee Stage debates – eg Shaw, Davidson and Hughes. The Green MPs have not sought any calls to speak, although Shaw twice objected to National remarks re the Greens. Many votes were called for with the Greens consistently voting with Labour and NZF.
The various Deputy Speakers chairing the debates (Anne Tolley, Poto Williams and Adrian Ruawhe) have been very clearly frustrated by the filibustering and overall distractions, and have raised concerns at some National MPs (eg Brownlee and Bennett plus others) making comments that brought the impartiality and integrity of the Chairs (= Deputy Speakers) into question. During the morning extended hours debate on 9 August, this resulted in Speaker Mallard being recalled to the House to deal with this issue. Here is the Hansard for that small section: https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansDeb_20180808_20180809_12
This video starting about 11.30 puts this small section into context, and also contains David Bennett complaining about the Speaker immediately afterwards! Then Brownlee immediately questions Williams ruling on that; then Smith, followed by Bennett and so on … Unbelievable. The Hansard on this is the first part of this one. https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansDeb_20180808_20180809_16
Where to from Here?
On 9 August, Chris Hopkins (Leader of the House) advised that several Bills would be introduced the following week (14 – 16 Aug) and the NAIT Amendment Bill would be considered under urgency, but that the Electoral (Integrity) Bill was expected to complete its Third Reading.
Come Tues 14 August, the Bill had been moved down to No 10 on the Order Paper, and did not see light of day last week . The House is now in two weeks’ recess until Tues, 4 September.
Whether that was ‘just life’ or intentional is unknown. In light of the upcoming Green AGM it was probably good to have a breather; likewise in view of the heated situation in many of the debates on the Bill. It would not surprise me if there are things going on behind the scenes on procedural matters – particularly in regard to the lack of regard etc being displayed to the role, rights etc of the Speakers/Chairs. The real question is whether any concessions, changes etc to the actual provisions of the Bill will be considered on either side.
My opinion on the Bill? I am divided and currently too close to the procedural aspects to make a considered decision. I think there is some need for some controls on waka jumping – absolutely in regard to list Members. On electorate Members there is the old dilemma of Party vs Electorate voters.
Is this a good Bill? IMHO not really. A cobbled together rerun with warts and all, but possibly better than nothing. Who knows whether it is really needed at this time. but with some of the alleged movements by National to ‘talk to people’, perhaps it is.
Has the process been good? Ummm. Again, IMHO not really. I will leave it at that, but will be watching with interest as to whether any changes happen before the next round.
Back to the Green Party Dilemma
Quite frankly, if the Greens were to pull the plug now, what do you think the consequences would be?
IMHO for the Greens to change tack this far down the track would bring the viability of the current government into serious question; and probably lead to the confidence and supply agreement falling over. No other party would trust them enough to consider any form of coalition in the future; and many soft or split voters would probably feel the same. Again I will leave it at that right now, although it would be interesting to see what the legal position would be vis a vis the Bill and the status of the votes taken on the various Clauses already agreed.
NOTE – I have not included many links as there are masses – 120 videos (c.10 hours) of Parliament debates for instance! If there are any particular bits of video or Hansard you would like links to, I could probably oblige as I have waded my way through most as the above is a condensation of a more detailed analysis done for other purposes.
Thanks, you’ve done an excellent job there. I hope other readers will give it serious consideration. Quite an eye-opener for me – I’ve never bothered to examine parliamentary process, having only ever been interested in results. I have to say that the select committee process appears to be a total travesty.
Unless you know more than me, we still have no idea why there were no NZF or GP parliamentarians on the justice committee, and a quick scan of your report didn’t show me any evidence that they were able to contribute to the process. How anyone could think this is a suitable result from MMP, I can’t imagine. In no way can this be seen as a genuine consensus-seeking process.
So it looks like Labour is driving the process on behalf of NZF to get the result Winston wants, and the Nats are trying to get sensible improvements incorporated, but with no luck so far. Do you agree?
I listened to that and Greg Newbold is no more crazed than you Ed. He has been there, done that, knows what he is talking about. Sorry if it is in contrast with your favourite opinion.
Brickbats for the MSM.
Prime tv’s trailer said Winston was angry at his press conference with Julie Bishop today and the Herald claimed he snapped.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Winston was relaxed and in good humour and it seems like the press corpse is using a totally different dictionary from the rest of us.
Rachel Stewart is a breath of fresh air.
If only there were 20 commentators with the same courage.
I’ll let both you, and BigAg, in on a secret. Way more revelations are coming. Wait until you hear about winter cropping, and what’s going on there regarding animal welfare.
Not really any different from feedlots, and arguably even more mud and shit everywhere. Fodder beets are commonly used for high carbs and quick fattening, and also with no shelter from the elements. And, environmentally? It’s all bad news.
If you’re shocked now, wait until you hear about foetal blood taken from pregnant cows at slaughter. Wait until you find out how that’s done, and the irony of what it’s used for. The stuff about to come down the pipe will make feedlots look like a walk in the park. Your hair’s gonna curl.
Before you blame animal rights groups for what’s coming, think again. Sure, they’re in the mix. But industry insiders are starting to open up about what they’re seeing too. I applaud them.
If BigAg had any sense, they’d have changed their ways well before upcoming public pressure forces them too.
Maybe this is the sort of stuff she’s alluding to.
As soon as people understand what happens behind the walls of the gigantic gulag of factory farming, people will stop eating meat in droves.
“I cannot tell how long this open water patch will remain open, but even if it closes in few days from now, the harm will be done: the thick old sea ice will have been pushed away from the coast, to an area where it will melt more easily,” he added.
A wee bit of an overkill in my books and I would’ve thought they would’ve have used for the USA bound flights knowing how paranoid the yanks are with terrorists, but really using them for NZ domestic flights come on.
No doubt some muppet from the last Government signed off on this waste of money.
“Devices that produce an unclothed image of a person breach New Zealand’s Aviation Crimes Act, so the scanners will be configured to reveal only a genderless stick figure image that highlights the areas of a passenger’s body that require investigation by security staff.
Suspicious or foreign objects will also not be displayed – they will instead be indicated with a coloured marker.
The scanners use non-ionizing radiation, which has no proven adverse health effects.
Passing through the scanners won’t be mandatory, but those who refuse will have to undergo a “pat-down” search.
There has been no increase in New Zealand’s terror threat level. But documents released by the Aviation Security Service (Avsec) under the Official Information Act note the scanners “are becoming the norm” in international airports.”
Maybe they should just take some advice/direction from one of Sacha Baron Cohens characters from “Who is America?”.
Erran Morad…. he’s a genius on terrorism and how to spot a terrorist and what to do. Here he is with Jason Spencer, who was an elected official, until the show aired… 🙂 5 minute clip below 🙂 enjoy 🙂
Firstly, of course they take nudey pictures. They have to collate the raw data and then match it to the icon listing, and techs would need to see raw images to calibrate the machines, especially if new threats are identified. Do I trust them not to have a c\ache of the raw reference pictures that might be accessible by a technician? Fuck no.
Secondly, it’s a bit unclear: if I don’t want a nudey picture taken of me, do I only get touched up on international flights, or local ones, too? It’s a bit unclear.
Thirdly, did that article say that Soimon Bridgeless okayed this shit just because other people do it (sorry, because ‘it’s increasingly the norm overseas’)?
“The models can’t handle those landscape-scale changes, all of the processes that could lead to rapid change,” says David Lawrence, a permafrost modeler with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. “And it’s going to be a long time before they can.”
By the time some changes are detected, a significant transition may be underway, he says. That means the public and policymakers may not grasp the real risks.
“Most models don’t project major carbon releases until beyond 2100,” Walter Anthony says. That may be the case. But it’s also possible, she says, that they “could actually happen in my children’s lifetime—or my own.”
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Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Asia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...
Asia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda J. Graham, Professor and Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Ryan Tauss/ Unsplash, CC BY Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal. In a dissenting report to the senate inquiry into the legislation, the Coalition says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
Comment: The weekly Monday post-Cabinet press conference is a useful forum for observing Christopher Luxon and how he is developing into the job of Prime Minister. He attempts to convey the impression of a man of action, speaking fast, delivering memorised National Party strategies in a connect-the-slogans kind of way, ...
Double votes, missing ballot boxes, tired tech and stressed staff: how tick-tallying went astray at last year’s election. Cast your mind back to November 2023, that bleary-eyed post-election period duringwhichwewaited, andwaited, for a coalition deal to be hammered out. A distraction from the hotel-hopping of our ...
International audiences are starting to discover what New Zealand already knew about After the Party.When After the Party aired in New Zealand last year, the response was fast and furious. In his preview for Rec Room, Duncan Greive said it was a “gritty, wrenching and highly confronting” series. By ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Convenor of the Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), and Acting Director the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires ...
Claire Mabey reviews the haunting and sexy debut novel from Sinéad Gleeson, who is about to touch down in Aotearoa for a string of live events.When Irish writer Sinéad Gleeson was in Aotearoa in 2018 with her spectacular collection of essays, Constellations, she told me she was working on ...
PNG Post-Courier Bougainville Affairs Minister Manasseh Makiba has described the Post-Courier’s front page story yesterday regarding a meeting between Bougainville and national government leaders as “sensationalised” and without substance. The Autonomous Bougainville Government (AGB) had warned it might use “other avenues to gain its independence” should the PNG government “continue ...
Where some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game.Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.”Some think that’s ...
The March results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 (HYEFU 2023), published on 20 December 2023 and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...
Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an 18-year-old who’s studying and working in hospo shares their approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Transmasc Age: 18 Ethnicity: Pākehā/Māori Role: Student, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Kelsey, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation if drilling rights offered by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Gleeson, Associate Professor of Law, Macquarie University Shutterstock The Albanese government is weighing up the costs of delivering an election promise to protect religious people from discrimination in Commonwealth law. Such protections were relatively uncontroversial when included in state anti-discrimination ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yen Ying Lim, Associate Professor, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio Dementia is often described as “the long goodbye”. Although the person is still alive, dementia slowly and irreversibly chips away at their memories and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judy Bush, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne Adam Calaitzis/Shutterstock I met with a friend for a walk beside Merri Creek, in inner Melbourne. She had lived in the area for a few years, and as we walked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Throsby, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Macquarie University Arts companies and individual artists in Australia are supported by government arts agencies, philanthropists, industry bodies, private donors and patrons. However, it is frequently overlooked that a major source of support for the arts ...
Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa, a new incorporated society dedicated to ending harmful drug policies, officially launched today, seeks a new fit-for-purpose drug law for Aotearoa New Zealand, rooted in science, experience and evidence. ...
The Corrections Minister admits he "muddied the water" after he and the Prime Minister repeatedly provided incorrect information about a $1.9 billion prison spend-up. ...
It took a post-post-cabinet statement to confirm that 810 new beds will be built at Waikeria, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Lili Tokaduadua was only 15 when she left her family in Fiji to pursue her netball dream in New Zealand. She’d been playing the sport for 10 years and was offered a netball scholarship at Auckland’s Howick College. Now, in her first year out of high school, the 19-year-old defender ...
The beloved local grocers lost a legal challenge to stop a new cycleway outside their store. Joel MacManus reports. In the annals of New Zealand legal history, there are a few brave people who have dared to stand up to the powers that be, no matter how bleak the odds ...
How what we produce and what we eat connects us to the world beyond our shores, visualised. Walking around a supermarket or vege shop, it might be obvious that everything on the shelves came from somewhere. But you might ...
A $1.8b funding boost for Pharmac still won’t enable it to buy more drugs, raising questions about the Government’s approach to the agency The post Can Pharmac do more with the same pot of money? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Professor Jemma Geoghegan, of the University of Otago, Otakou Whakaihu Waka, co-leads a Te Niwha project aimed at understanding how and where avian influenza could affect Aotearoa New Zealand, as the highly infectious H5N1 virus spreads globally. The virus has now spread to all continents except Oceania and was recently ...
Thirty years on from Rwanda’s genocide, is guilt over the atrocities is blinding the world to the true nature of its current leadership? The post The repressive underside of Rwanda’s regime appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: Last week, important recommendations for our criminal justice system were made by the international community. Every five years, each member of the United Nations has its human rights practices reviewed. This rolling event – the Universal Periodic Review – is the culmination of a government reporting on its human ...
Highly pathogenic avian influenza – H5N1, or bird flu – has been flying around the world since the late 1990s. New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands are so far free of it, but now it’s been discovered in mainland Antarctica and scientists say it’s only a matter of time ...
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The following interview with auto electrician and former caver Stu Berendt, 68, of Charleston on the West Coast, came about because he was part of the caving team that found the rare and amazing fossil remains of the giant Haast eagle, the subject of one of the year’s best books, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eric Stokan, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County If you live in one of the most economically deprived neighborhoods in your city, you might think the government is directing a smaller share of public funds to your community. ...
Wansolwara The news media’s crucial role in climate change and environment journalism was the focus of The University of the South Pacific’s Journalism Programme 2024 World Press Freedom Day celebrations. The European Union Ambassador to the Pacific, Barbara Plinkert, and Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna were the chief ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Adams, Professor of Corporate Law & Academic Director of UNE Sydney campus, University of New England Last August, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched legal proceedings against Qantas. The consumer watchdog accused the airline of selling thousands of tickets ...
This episode of A View From Afar was recorded LIVE on May 6, 2024 (NZST) which is Sunday evening, May 5, 2024 at 8:30pm (USEST). In an analytical essay titled ‘A moment of friction’ political scientist Dr Paul Buchanan wrote how we are living within a decisive moment ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Taylor, Assistant Professor, Bond University Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures At the crux of the critical response to Luca Guadagnino’s new movie Challengers is one word: “sexy”. The film charts a love triangle between three up-and-coming tennis players: Tashi (Zendaya), ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Stewart, Professor of Public Policy, ADFA Canberra, UNSW Sydney For years, First Nations people have been telling governments they want to be listened to. In particular, they want more ownership of the programs and services that are supposed to help them. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Why do trees have bark? Julien, age 6, Melbourne. This is a great question, Julien. We are so familiar with bark on trees, that most of us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Nasser, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, University of Technology Sydney PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an important ligament in the knee. It runs from the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia) and helps stabilise ...
Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill (aka Waka Jumping Bill)
There has been a lot of discussion here and elsewhere re the Green Party now supporting the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill (aka the waka jumping Bill) put up by NZF supported by Labour, particularly in light of the views expressed by Jeanette Fitzsimmons at the Green Party AGM last weekend.
What has surprised me is that some (many?) people seem to think that this Bill is something in the future rather than in the very ‘here and now‘. For example, Dennis Frank on OM 20 Aug in his comment at 1.7 said:
This Bill is well passed the select committee process and way down the tracks in its passage through the House. It passed its Second Reading on 2 August, and is already at least halfway through the Committee stages, with only the Third Reading remaining after that. In fact it took up some 10 hours of the House’s time (almost 120 videos!) on 2, 7, 8 and 9 August.
During that time there were many votes – all of which split with Labour, NZF and the GP voting together (63), and National either voting alone (56) or with an extra ACT vote.
But to backtrack slightly re Dennis Frank’s question as to what amendments emerged from the Select Committee process? The answer is none. With the make-up of the Justice Select Committee being 4 Labour members, and 4 National Mps*, the select committee reached an impasse. As a result, the day before they were due to report back to the House (31 July 2018) the Bill was discharged from consideration by the Justice Committee under Standing Order 295(3):
* Dennis Frank has subsequently asked why the make-up of the Committee does not include GP or NZF members. I will do a separate short comment on this – if not tonight, hopefully in the next day.
So then what happened?
On Thursday 2 August, the Bill appeared at No 2 on the Order Paper for 2nd Reading that day. The House debated the Bill for two hours with speeches from all Parties except ACT, including 8 National speeches, 4 Labour, 1 NZF (Darrock Ball) 1 GP (Golriz Ghahraman). The Bill passed its 2nd Reading with 63 Ayes (L/NZF/GP) and 57 Noes (Nat/ACT).
On Tues afternoon, 7 August, the House then commenced the clause by clause Committee stages of the Bill. Over the next three sitting days (7,8 and 9 August including under urgency/extended hours on Thurs morning, 9 August) the Committee of the House considered and passed Clauses 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Bill with the Ayes 63 (L/G/NZF) and the Noes 56 (N) or 57(N/ACT). This leaves only Clauses 5 and 6 remaining for Committee stage consideration, followed by the Third Reading of the Bill. (More on these below.)
During these debates, the Committee of the House also considered about 20 SOPs raised by the National Party Mps which included attempts to include new clauses (eg new Clause 3A) and to delete Clause 4 in its entirety. None of these SOPs were agreed.
When the House commenced the 2nd Hearing, Nick Smith raised an ‘Instruction to the Committee’ motion calling for the Bill “to be discharged and referred back to the Justice Committee to enable the many amendments proposed by officials and submitters to be considered.” Following debate, this motion was not agreed to with the Ayes 56 (Nat only) and the Noes 63 (L/NZF/GP).
During the Committee stages debates, Smith raised a further two motions, the first to get an Instruction to the Committee to make it explicit that the Bill be considered in terms of the overriding provisions of the Parliamentary Privileges Act. This failed, as did the third Motion “.. that it [the Committee of the Whole House] consider and, if it thinks appropriate, adopt the amendments suggested by many submitters that constituency members of Parliament be exempted from the new power of party leaders to dismiss MPs.” . This motion was raised as earlier attempt to limit the Bill to constituency (electorate) members only had been ruled out of order (procedurally). This third Motion attempt was chaired by Mallard himself, with short speeches by Smith and Brownlee but the motion was not agreed to on a party vote of Ayes 56; Noes 63.
Remaining Clauses of the Bill still to be debated
As stated above, only Clauses 5 and 6 of the Bill still remain to be debated in the Committee stages (plus the final 3rd reading). Clause 6 is a mere editorial amendment to the principal Act (the Electoral Act 1993) consequent upon the outcome on Clause 5.
However, Clause 5 is likely to continue to attract considerable debate and filibustering as it continues to propose amendments to Clause 55 of the principal Act (as did Clause 4) of a quite ‘meaty’ nature as can be seen from the Clause by Clause section of the Explanatory Note to the Bill itself here (too long to quote).
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2017/0006/latest/whole.html#DLM7514004
Here is the principal Electoral Act 1993 – http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1993/0087/latest/whole.html?search=y_act_2018_1993_ac%40ainf%40anif_an%40bn%40rn_25_a&p=1#DLM307519
It should be noted that the Clause 5 proposals appear to seek to reinstate provisions that were introduced by the previous 2001 Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Act but expired on 18 September 2005 under the provisions of that Act. I have not had time to compare the two – and National have been busy over the last week writing new SOPs which may affect clause 5. There are currently 34 SOPs listed against the Bill, with 16 of these filed on 15 August.
Nature of the Debates to date
The debates have been long and heated, with National basically filibustering every inch of the way, mainly through diversions such as Points of Order, off topic and long historical speeches, raising new SOPs – and from time to time berating and heckling the Greens for their support of the Bill and calling on them to change their minds. One memorable attempt was also made by David Bennett to seek the recall of the Speaker, Trevor Mallard, for allegedly remarking to Bennett when the Speaker was leaving the House that “He said that my head would fall off if I shook it at him”. (LOL! See the fourth para below for video.)
During the Committee stages, to date Labour and NZF have put up very few speakers other than Andrew Little and Darroch Ball – except for one amusing instance when Ron Mark heard a call from Mark Mitchell in the debate challenging him, went to the Chamber and took a call where he turned the books on Mitchell and implied he would be leaving National to set up a new party.
At least one Green MP appeared to be in the House at all times during the Committee Stage debates – eg Shaw, Davidson and Hughes. The Green MPs have not sought any calls to speak, although Shaw twice objected to National remarks re the Greens. Many votes were called for with the Greens consistently voting with Labour and NZF.
The various Deputy Speakers chairing the debates (Anne Tolley, Poto Williams and Adrian Ruawhe) have been very clearly frustrated by the filibustering and overall distractions, and have raised concerns at some National MPs (eg Brownlee and Bennett plus others) making comments that brought the impartiality and integrity of the Chairs (= Deputy Speakers) into question. During the morning extended hours debate on 9 August, this resulted in Speaker Mallard being recalled to the House to deal with this issue. Here is the Hansard for that small section:
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansDeb_20180808_20180809_12
This video starting about 11.30 puts this small section into context, and also contains David Bennett complaining about the Speaker immediately afterwards! Then Brownlee immediately questions Williams ruling on that; then Smith, followed by Bennett and so on … Unbelievable. The Hansard on this is the first part of this one.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansDeb_20180808_20180809_16
Where to from Here?
On 9 August, Chris Hopkins (Leader of the House) advised that several Bills would be introduced the following week (14 – 16 Aug) and the NAIT Amendment Bill would be considered under urgency, but that the Electoral (Integrity) Bill was expected to complete its Third Reading.
Come Tues 14 August, the Bill had been moved down to No 10 on the Order Paper, and did not see light of day last week . The House is now in two weeks’ recess until Tues, 4 September.
Whether that was ‘just life’ or intentional is unknown. In light of the upcoming Green AGM it was probably good to have a breather; likewise in view of the heated situation in many of the debates on the Bill. It would not surprise me if there are things going on behind the scenes on procedural matters – particularly in regard to the lack of regard etc being displayed to the role, rights etc of the Speakers/Chairs. The real question is whether any concessions, changes etc to the actual provisions of the Bill will be considered on either side.
My opinion on the Bill? I am divided and currently too close to the procedural aspects to make a considered decision. I think there is some need for some controls on waka jumping – absolutely in regard to list Members. On electorate Members there is the old dilemma of Party vs Electorate voters.
Is this a good Bill? IMHO not really. A cobbled together rerun with warts and all, but possibly better than nothing. Who knows whether it is really needed at this time. but with some of the alleged movements by National to ‘talk to people’, perhaps it is.
Has the process been good? Ummm. Again, IMHO not really. I will leave it at that, but will be watching with interest as to whether any changes happen before the next round.
Back to the Green Party Dilemma
Quite frankly, if the Greens were to pull the plug now, what do you think the consequences would be?
IMHO for the Greens to change tack this far down the track would bring the viability of the current government into serious question; and probably lead to the confidence and supply agreement falling over. No other party would trust them enough to consider any form of coalition in the future; and many soft or split voters would probably feel the same. Again I will leave it at that right now, although it would be interesting to see what the legal position would be vis a vis the Bill and the status of the votes taken on the various Clauses already agreed.
NOTE – I have not included many links as there are masses – 120 videos (c.10 hours) of Parliament debates for instance! If there are any particular bits of video or Hansard you would like links to, I could probably oblige as I have waded my way through most as the above is a condensation of a more detailed analysis done for other purposes.
Damn – Blockquote should have ended at the end of the Standing Order 295 quote.
That is, before the * note. From there down should be further left-aligned .
[Fixed for ya. This is a tough issue. There needs to be a comprehensive post on it but no one has put their hand up yet … MS]
Thanks, you’ve done an excellent job there. I hope other readers will give it serious consideration. Quite an eye-opener for me – I’ve never bothered to examine parliamentary process, having only ever been interested in results. I have to say that the select committee process appears to be a total travesty.
Unless you know more than me, we still have no idea why there were no NZF or GP parliamentarians on the justice committee, and a quick scan of your report didn’t show me any evidence that they were able to contribute to the process. How anyone could think this is a suitable result from MMP, I can’t imagine. In no way can this be seen as a genuine consensus-seeking process.
So it looks like Labour is driving the process on behalf of NZF to get the result Winston wants, and the Nats are trying to get sensible improvements incorporated, but with no luck so far. Do you agree?
lol…Joe Bennet is a delight of common sense
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel/audio/2018659264/the-panel-with-rebekah-white-and-joe-bennett-part-1
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel/audio/2018659272/the-panel-with-rebekah-white-and-joe-bennett-part-2
I loved hearing Mora desperately trying to prevent him challenge the crazed Greg Newbold.
challenge??
I listened to that and Greg Newbold is no more crazed than you Ed. He has been there, done that, knows what he is talking about. Sorry if it is in contrast with your favourite opinion.
Listened to that Pat.
The guys a bloody treasure
Brickbats for the MSM.
Prime tv’s trailer said Winston was angry at his press conference with Julie Bishop today and the Herald claimed he snapped.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Winston was relaxed and in good humour and it seems like the press corpse is using a totally different dictionary from the rest of us.
Agreed. He was really funny and mischevious.
Rachel Stewart is a breath of fresh air.
If only there were 20 commentators with the same courage.
Rachel Stewart: Animal cruelty – a storm is coming
And just a reminder about those feedlots.
Maybe this is the sort of stuff she’s alluding to.
As soon as people understand what happens behind the walls of the gigantic gulag of factory farming, people will stop eating meat in droves.
Thought provoking
Thank you Ed. Dominion is a wonderful and powerful film.
James and Carly recommend it.
They are not wrong. Love how they have their pets with them too.
So how do they feed their cat? Cats can’t be healthy on a vegan diet.
So have you actually watched it now, or just the trailer?
I sense you support animal cruelty……
How long have you been a vegan ed?
Is maui an animal? If you could convince me of this i would certainly be less cruel.
Would you though (“certainly be less cruel”), would you really?
Time to ‘pile in’ on Ed, and (apparently) those who have the temerity to ‘voice’ their support, again.
Broken record vs broken record (EoE). Who will ‘win’ – is anyone keeping score?
Yes i actually care a lot about animal welfare. Ed knows this through the ‘discussions’ we have had here.
“Is maui an animal?” – solkta
Apologies solkta, clearly I misunderstood the intent of your question.
I have watched it and it is excellent. I have also seen the trailer.
Inspiring.
‘Your Democracy Has Been Stolen; It’s Time For Revolution’
“I cannot tell how long this open water patch will remain open, but even if it closes in few days from now, the harm will be done: the thick old sea ice will have been pushed away from the coast, to an area where it will melt more easily,” he added.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/21/arctics-strongest-sea-ice-breaks-up-for-first-time-on-record
Climate change?….no worries
NZ (aka Terror Central) is getting body scanners at airports.
Ffs.
Hope no exemptions are permitted for the MPs who supported spending millions to put these fuckers in place. Hey, with terror you never know.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/travel/106469801/expect-delays-full-body-xray-scanners-coming-to-new-zealand-airports
A wee bit of an overkill in my books and I would’ve thought they would’ve have used for the USA bound flights knowing how paranoid the yanks are with terrorists, but really using them for NZ domestic flights come on.
No doubt some muppet from the last Government signed off on this waste of money.
fucken hell – this is shit.
“Devices that produce an unclothed image of a person breach New Zealand’s Aviation Crimes Act, so the scanners will be configured to reveal only a genderless stick figure image that highlights the areas of a passenger’s body that require investigation by security staff.
Suspicious or foreign objects will also not be displayed – they will instead be indicated with a coloured marker.
The scanners use non-ionizing radiation, which has no proven adverse health effects.
Passing through the scanners won’t be mandatory, but those who refuse will have to undergo a “pat-down” search.
There has been no increase in New Zealand’s terror threat level. But documents released by the Aviation Security Service (Avsec) under the Official Information Act note the scanners “are becoming the norm” in international airports.”
Crikey that’s an overkill.
Maybe they should just take some advice/direction from one of Sacha Baron Cohens characters from “Who is America?”.
Erran Morad…. he’s a genius on terrorism and how to spot a terrorist and what to do. Here he is with Jason Spencer, who was an elected official, until the show aired… 🙂 5 minute clip below 🙂 enjoy 🙂
Firstly, of course they take nudey pictures. They have to collate the raw data and then match it to the icon listing, and techs would need to see raw images to calibrate the machines, especially if new threats are identified. Do I trust them not to have a c\ache of the raw reference pictures that might be accessible by a technician? Fuck no.
Secondly, it’s a bit unclear: if I don’t want a nudey picture taken of me, do I only get touched up on international flights, or local ones, too? It’s a bit unclear.
Thirdly, did that article say that Soimon Bridgeless okayed this shit just because other people do it (sorry, because ‘it’s increasingly the norm overseas’)?
Leaving aside the signals and intention of this technology rollout…
There will of course need to be nude scans taken…will they be stored/sent etc?
Exactly which scanners are being deployed in NZ?
http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/30/did-airport-scanners-give-boston-tsa-agents-cancer/
http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/11/17/europe-bans-airport-x-ray-scanners-that-u-s-still-uses/
The ‘non ionizing radiation’ ‘is safe’ position, does not stand up to the shallowest of investigations…
Airport ‘security’ is of course a perpetual charade…one which the article acknowledges…
The next steps:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/15/us/los-angeles-metro-body-scanners.html
It’s ‘the norm’ internationally…best we follow along…
The low level of the explanation is staggering…
Just when you thought it was over, the aussies are at it again and Turnbull could be ousted tonight!
“The models can’t handle those landscape-scale changes, all of the processes that could lead to rapid change,” says David Lawrence, a permafrost modeler with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. “And it’s going to be a long time before they can.”
By the time some changes are detected, a significant transition may be underway, he says. That means the public and policymakers may not grasp the real risks.
“Most models don’t project major carbon releases until beyond 2100,” Walter Anthony says. That may be the case. But it’s also possible, she says, that they “could actually happen in my children’s lifetime—or my own.”
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/08/news-arctic-permafrost-may-thaw-faster-than-expected/