Grooming Bennett

Written By: - Date published: 7:20 am, September 30th, 2014 - 85 comments
Categories: leadership, national, paula bennett - Tags:

Labour’s leadership process involves the members – democracy in all its participatory, messy glory. The Nats prefer to do things the old fashioned way – smoke filled rooms, their members content to be dictated to. Speaking of leadership, Key is clearly grooming Bennett for succession:

Finance role for Bennett — Key

Prime Minister John Key is not expected to detail National’s post-election reshuffle until later his week. He has already previewed one change, however, telling RNZ that Paula Bennett will move from social development to a finance role.

“We have a lot of faith in Paula, we think she’s has a pretty bright future with the party, and she’s keen to, I think, widen out her cabinet experience and demonstrate she’s got skills in other areas,” the PM-elect said. … Ms Bennett is increasingly seen as a future leader by party insiders.

Paula Bennett ‘a big asset’ for National – Key

Prime Minister John Key has praised Paula Bennett as “a big asset” for National, but will not go as far as tipping her to succeed him. … Asked at a press conference today if she could lead National one day, Mr Key said “I hope so”, before adding that there were many contenders.

That muffled shrieking sound you hear in the background is just Judith Collins expressing her full support. Pay it no mind.

85 comments on “Grooming Bennett ”

  1. Tiger Mountain 1

    Pull’yer Benefit has more derogatory nicknames than most tory MPs and deservedly so. Dominatrix styled Nat women can give other women a bad rap. And this one has set noteworthy lows of personal hypocrisy and dodgy behaviour. Privacy violator, electorate jumper and more aggressive than passive bennie basher.

    The Nats have a good eye for succession as few, particularly back benchers, seem to linger too long. Generous compensation being one allegation–“don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out”… Crusher’s aspirations look crushed for all money too.

    Some resources have been put into Paula’s ‘professional development’ with her US trips and behind the scenes training. Arch right winger–Rebstock–the other Paula,took her under her Randian cape and developed the real War on the Poor that WINZ and MSD have been waging. Bashing dirty filthy bennies is the second most popular kiwi sport after rugby and doesn’t Bennett know it.

    • cogito 1.1

      “Some resources have been put into Paula’s ‘professional development’ with her US trips and behind the scenes training”.

      A viper with lipstick, that’s all she is…. par for the course. And it shows through in just about every interview, the moment she is pressed on a topic and her sickly smile starts to fade.

    • Andrea 1.2

      Never mine the leadership!

      Which unfortunates are going to get her leopard-print paws in their lives NOW?!

      (Health? Please, no. Jiggly shades of Shipley.)

    • Murray Olsen 1.3

      One if my relatives who had a youthful dalliance with NAct, said she was totally thick, and to such an extent that it stood out at their events. Among that company, that’s saying something. I haven’t seen anything to suggest he might be wrong.

  2. srylands 2

    The Labour Party’s new “way” of electing Parliamantary leaders, and hence a potential Prime Minister, is both unusual, and undesirable. It provides vested interests (unions) with the capacity to dictate a will to elected Parliamentary respresentataves. As we can see now, those representatives then rebel, understanding that their role is to represent all New Zealanders they represent, not the interests of Party members.

    Apart from the recent experiment in the ALP, it is not a practice that is present, in this form, in any of the constitutional monarchies or parliamentary republics. It won’t catch on.

    As for the central premise of the article, well duh. Ms Bennett is a candidate for future Leader. How surprising. From the ipredict market, I think we all were aware of that.

    As for smoke filled rooms, I think you will find that the rooms smell of Proraso and Chanel. You must be thinking of your Caucus rooms circa 1992.

    • Enough is Enough 2.1

      It mirrors the British Labour Party selection process.

      • Mark 2.1.1

        So that makes it OK then

        • Enough is Enough 2.1.1.1

          no necessarily. I was just pointing out the error of Sry’s that it is not present anywhere else.

          • framu 2.1.1.1.1

            hes also got it backwards – the internal selection process happens before an election so its impossible for the membership to exert their will on the electorate

            what really happens is the party presents its team and the electorate does or doesnt choose it

            • alwyn 2.1.1.1.1.1

              “what really happens is the party presents its team and the electorate does or doesnt choose it”
              Well that worked really well for the Labour Party didn’t it?
              Thumbs down all round for Labour.

      • Tracey 2.1.2

        slylands isnt very good at mathematics. he thinks 20% is a majority. it explains why he supports ACT though.

  3. Phil 3

    Last time I checked, Labour party members don’t get any say in who gets what portfolio.

    Beyond that, you (and the reporters) are just grasping at straws.

  4. just saying 4

    Very wryly put, Anthony.
    That muffled shreiking is a bit of a joy to my ears.
    It seems that taking on the “social” portfolios and demonstrating sufficient brutality is the woman’s career path is the National Party. I’m thinking of Jenny Shipley, but I think Ruth Richardson cut her teeth on the vulnerable and powerless on her way to finance. Her continued ascension was curtailed by a sudden squeamishness on the part of Jo public. I suspect this particular barrier has been largely neutralised now. Cruelity will out.

  5. Tom Gould 5

    It was sickening to see Bennett slinking around Ashburton after having built her career on demonising beneficiaries for years, and then only days later, putting the boot in again with another dog whistle policy. Why does no one ever call her out on this dirty politics and hypocrisy? Or is she the one ‘in step’ with public opinion and those offended by her approach the ones ‘out of step’?

    • just saying 5.1

      Why does no one ever call her out on this dirty politics and hypocrisy?

      Mana was deliberately destroyed by the five parties of the right (well ACT didn’t have much power but I’m sure they were cheering from the sidelines).

      That’s Labour’s moral principles for you.

      Turei and a few other Greens, have been great but drowned out by the chorus of hatred. The opposition parties would have needed to be unflinching and united to get any kind of public hearing on the issue.

      • waikatosinger 5.1.1

        And here was me thinking Hone destroyed himself by selling out to Dotcom, and Kelvin Davis helped finish him off and buried the political corpse. But no – apparently it was all part of a dastardly plot by the five parties of the right.

        I think you credit the parties of the right with far more deviousness and capability than they actually have. Things do happen, even in politics, that are not part of a right wing conspiracy hatched in a dark smoke filled room.

      • marty mars 5.1.2

        +1 js – yes, deliberately destroyed and imo the KDC stuff is/are red herrings designed to distract from the point – Hone and Mana not in the house. The gnats and their crew think longer term which is why Mana had to go and also why everyone with a pulse should be very very afraid of paula bennett getting more power or becoming (and I think she will) the eventual leader of the gnats – dark days ahead when that happens.

        • just saying 5.1.2.1

          Actually I shouldn’t have said “destroyed”. The movement continues, But Mana’s parliamentary voice has been silenced.

          When I heard Cunliffe playing the race-bigot card with his “wont work with race-based parties” in the last week of the campaign claiming it to be a point of ‘principle’ I really wondered how much lower they would/will go. Disgust and contempt aren’t strong enough words to describe what I felt.

          • Murray Olsen 5.1.2.1.1

            When did Cunliffe say that? Is there a link. I was already struggling with him having called Dotcom’s intervention reprehensible, but this would be the final straw for me. Saying that puts him in the same boat as Ansell, Jamie Whyte Power and that fat skinhead in Christchurch. There is also the little detail that Mana is not race-based.

            • just saying 5.1.2.1.1.1

              It was in a clip from the TV news a few days before the election. If I knew all the details I would retrieve it for you, but I don’t. I turned the TV off.

  6. The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 6

    That muffled shrieking sound you hear in the background is just Judith Collins expressing her full support. Pay it no mind.

    Oh noes, division in the National Party! Whatever will they do?

    Bit rich.

  7. Ffloyd 7

    Paulabennett being groomed. Shudder!!

  8. greywarbler 8

    I’m just reading a Joe Klein piece from The Guardian Year 2001 on the methods of Tony Blair to win support. Joe was in a line that Blair was working along, he shook hands on Joe’s right side, saw Joe in his peripheral vision, circled on the spot to greet someone behind him, circled back again and shook hands with the person on Joe’s left. Neat maneouvre.

    Joe defines it, ‘he might have to be friendly for a moment. Waste of time. ‘It is a remarkable thing, really: a reflexive act of efficiency by a hyper-alert politician.” He refers to ‘Tony Blair on the campaign trail: how sleek he is, sleek as a shark’…that ‘fierce, metallic smile’ seems a bit shark-like…. Very much the same as Yek I think.

    Joe notes, [British] ‘New Labour anal-compulsive tidiness of the project is often hilarious. Organising flags in the crowd, to the extent of taking from one Asian person and forcing onto another, a flagless woman. Very aware of photo effects. If you want to win there are lessons on management for Labour here? Plan, organise well and be alert. We definitely need more lerts.

    And yek and Poorer will have that ability. Adjust your smile and frown, theatrically, show the appropriate face to whichever audience. Shake hands with the right people.
    Fudge where necessary, be cool or effusive where appropriate.

  9. joe90 9

    Groomed by Key, mentored by Osborne.
    /

    He then outlined some of the measures to achieve the extra £25bn in permanent spending cuts to achieve the surplus. These included:

    • freezing working-age benefits for two years, saving more than £3bn. He said: “We can’t afford to spend £100bn on welfare payments for people of working age when we have such debts. Even with the reforming decisions Iain Duncan Smith and I have taken benefits have risen by more than earnings since Labour’s great recession. That is not sustainable for any nation and it is not fair either.

    “Working-age benefits in Britain will have to be frozen for two years. This is the choice Britain needs to take to protect our economic stability and to secure a better future. The fairest way to reduce welfare bills is to make sure that benefits are not rising faster than the wages of the taxpayers who are paying for them.”

    The chancellor made clear that pensioner benefits and disability benefits would be excluded.

    • Reducing Whitehall departmental spending by at least the same rate for the first two years of the next parliament, saving £13bn.

    • Maintaining restraint on public sector pay.

    http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/29/george-osborne-working-age-benefits-frozen

  10. Puckish Rogue 10

    I agree National should stop what they’re doing and immediately follow Labours lead, yeah right.

    Theres a saying that goes something like if it ain’t broke don’t fix it and what Nationals doing is working so they don’t need to fix anything whereas Labour…well if it was a horse they’d take it out back and shoot it

    • framu 10.1

      but in the nats case isnt it key himself thats the “it aint broke”?

      ergo – PB as successor is more of a case of fixing a future nat party with its only vote attractor no longer in the picture

      bennet is no key – i wouldnt look at this via a lens of current nat popularity as that is directly tied to JK

      • Puckish Rogue 10.1.1

        I’ll be completely honest with you (no seriously) in the next three years I’ll have completely sorted out my retirement plans so whatever happens won’t really affect me a whole lot

        Sure it’d be nice for National to win again because the howls of the left are quite amusing (lets have a petition because we think somethings wrong with the result) but the reality is for me that if Labour get in it won’t make much of a difference

        Although I don’t think Bennet (at the moment) should be leader, reminds me a bit much of Shipley

        • framu 10.1.1.1

          “so whatever happens won’t really affect me a whole lot”

          i wouldnt bank on that – unless your plan is to go somewhere where they dont do politics

          • Puckish Rogue 10.1.1.1.1

            Well thats why I put in the whole lot bit, I mean of course the government of the day has an effect but on the whole unless the country goes to hell in a hand basket (which would only happen if the Greens got more MPs then Labour) it really won’t do much to affect me

        • cogito 10.1.1.2

          “whatever happens won’t really affect me a whole lot”

          The words of an arrogant fool.

          • Puckish Rogue 10.1.1.2.1

            Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance and being that I’ve planned to try to ensure that whatever government gets doesn’t affect me too much means its not arrogance

            • One Anonymous Bloke 10.1.1.2.1.1

              More naivety than arrogance I suspect. Certainly your “analysis” of green policy is beyond childish.

              Your narrow focus on financial security is equally simplistic, even without allowing for the likelihood (such as it is – I have my doubts) of significant financial collapse in our lifetimes.

              You’ve worked for your self-proclaimed security, I’m sure, perhaps motivated by dread of poverty? What do you imagine dread of poverty does to people who see their opportunities and wages dwindling decade after decade?

              How do you suppose the death of collective bargaining is going to affect wage rates, after six years of wages going backwards?

              What do you care? All you have to worry about is extreme weather events destroying the clubhouse.

            • cogito 10.1.1.2.1.2

              It’s not only governments that send things belly up… look at how many hot-shot moneymen, developers, finance company directors etc have been done for fraud and corruption or have gone completely bust, and how many investors have been left without their life savings.

              Then there are any number of unforeseens… think of that poor guy who went under a truck in chch yesterday. It doesn’t take much for one’s life to be turned upside down, believe me…. one knock and you could end up like Michael Schumacher. Only a fool thinks he is bulletproof.

              Incidentally, did you see Peter Williams QC on Paul Henry last night – he’s spending $10,000 a month on cancer medication!

              Reality check, sunshine!

        • minarch 10.1.1.3

          “I’ll be completely honest with you (no seriously) in the next three years I’ll have completely sorted out my retirement plans so whatever happens won’t really affect me a whole lot”

          you obviously haven’t realized the Middle Classes and Upper/middle classes are next & you voted for it.

          the poor and working class have already been squeezed dry, there’s nothing left ,

          but infinite growth requires resources, So your next my gullible friend…

          or perhaps you have some mistaken ideas about your real status in the world PR ?

          or are your really dumb enough to think the Fox isnt going to eat the fat chickens as well as the skinny ones ?

          of course not the skinny chickens are just easier to catch so they go first.

  11. shorts 11

    If Bennet hasn’t the stomach… or has the cunning to know leaving her current position is strategically best for her “brand”… and has Key’s support in a move I worry for those stuck on state support – for the next Minister will probably be tougher and the next wave of reforms much more draconian than those we’ve seen enacted over the past 6 years

    these are the people being not only left behind but also demonised. This next term of govt is going to be horrendous for those least able to cope

  12. “..That muffled shrieking sound you hear in the background is just Judith Collins expressing her full support. Pay it no mind..”

    .heh..!

  13. Not a PS Staffer 13

    Key is NOT grooming Bennett for the leadership role.
    Tories do not let their servants sit at the main table!

    Key is keeping her focused and happy. Key is making sure Bennett, and her admirers, remain on-side and obedient.

    Key will select someone who the banks, the large law firms and Federated Farmers are “comfortable” with.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 13.1

      That would be the whole point of the grooming, no?

      • Not a PS Staffer 13.1.1

        The story above is about “grooming for succession”.

        My point is that she has not been picked to succeed to the Party Leader role for the reasons I outlined.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 13.1.1.1

          No, your “reasons” are predicated on the notion that she is a “servant”, and yet you have provided no explanation of how she differs from John Key in this respect.

          I think your assertions are based on prejudice.

          • Murray Olsen 13.1.1.1.1

            They may be based on prejudices held by powerful Tories. Not may well be right.

  14. ghostwhowalksnz 14

    This is Bennett and her” 360 Spin”

    On 10 July, on Third Degree, Bennett accepted that her government had failed Tania Billingsley;

    “Could things have been handled differently? We’re the first ones that have said yes it should have been. But for her I feel incredibly sad that the incident has happened in the beginning. And that’s where most of her hurt and anger is.”

    Again, after two days, Bennett’s views seemed to have changed, as this exchange on The Nation showed;

    Lisa Owen: “Ok, so how do you think that your male colleagues handled the alleged assault on Tania Billingsley and the departure of the Malaysian diplomat? Did they lose sight of the victim? Did they trivialise that?”

    Paula Bennett: “Well look I’m not prepared to go into what has happened in that case. But my short answer to that would be no.”

    https://fmacskasy.wordpress.com/tag/paula-bennett/

    So this is really high class bullshit, learnt at the feet of the master SharKey.

    Admit it, but then when confronted by it deny it.

    Its all very tricky

  15. emergency mike 15

    I’ve heard the Aussies laughed at us for electing a Merrill Lynch corporate manager, then they elected Tony Abbott. If we end up with Paula “Zip it sweetie” Benebash as PM we will reclaim the Stupid Trophy.

    Aside from her general hideousness, I just can’t see how she’s ‘head of state’ material myself.

  16. Fats 16

    “The Nats prefer to do things the old fashioned way – smoke filled rooms, their members content to be dictated to.”

    For sheer hypocrisy, Mr Robins deserves a medal. One reason why Labour’s in a mess is because Cunliffe was imposed on the caucus by a small group of unions. It’s not unlike Labor’s predicament across the Tasman, where Kevin Rudd had party backing but was loathed by anyone who actually had to work with him. He was imposed on the caucus. The rest is history.

    Cunliffe was imposed on the Labour caucus. The rest is history. As for democratic methods, I’m sure the party management will make all the right noises, but I’d be surprised if the winning candidate truly has a mandate. That’s one reason why Labour’s in such a deep hole right now…

    [lprent: Border line diversion. But close enough to dealing with the post that it isn’t worth a ban. However if I see too many of them you could find that you are commenting dangerously. FFS we provide Open Mike for people to push their own barrows. Use it so I don’t give at least a few people a day a 16 week holiday from commenting here.

    I see that Fats already picked up a ban for diversion in another post… 😈 ]

    • One Anonymous Bloke 16.1

      Why do hate freedom of expression and association when it’s practised by the Left? Why do you make up lies and misrepresent reality?

      Cabinet Club says you’re a transparent hypocrite, motivated by hate.

      Choke on it.

    • Bob 16.2

      Spot on Fats, in National, the members choose the local representative (in a democratic process) and the caucus then choose the leader that best fits the majority of MP’s and therefore (in theory) the majority of members.
      In Labour, the members choose the local representative (in a democratic process) then the caucus are landed with whoever the Unions prefer to be leader whether the Caucus likes it or not (if there is more than one leader nominated then there is obviously a split vote in caucus, this then gives the Unions an effective veto on what the majority of caucus may want i.e David Cunliffe).
      The rediculous thing is, people like Anthony Robins and OAB above think that this is more democratic than National. It gives the appearance on the outside that it is a more democratic way of doing things, but it is simply a way of giving the Unions more power over the party (only one of the six Unions actually let their members vote, the rest are dictated too via their delegates, very undemocratic) while causing disunity in caucus.
      Stupid process that will continue to hinder the Labour party.

      • framu 16.2.1

        never mind the fact your wrong about the unions having the power over caucus – but how does national select their list MPs bob

        what your describing re: local reps is for electorates only?

        just thinking how the greens manage a one member one vote system and how that compares to nat or lab (obviously not having electorate MPs helps the greens selection process – but put that aside for now)

  17. Stuart Munro 17

    She’s a fitting successor to Bill English in finance, because she doesn’t have a clue about economics either. Great deputy for Key – stupid and loyal rather than inconveniently ambitious, and about 40 IQ points higher than Brownlee – almost as smart as Forrest Gump or pond scum – for a Gnat she’s downright stellar.

    • higherstandard 17.1

      But they still annihilate their opposites ?

      What’s that about ?

      • McFlock 17.1.1

        There was a recent book about part of it.
        Not all of it, but a part.

        • higherstandard 17.1.1.1

          If Labour think that a couple of bloggers are a large part of their problems then the election loss and leadership issues they’re having at he moment are the least of their problems.

          • framu 17.1.1.1.1

            the book wasnt about a couple of bloggers – and your showing a stunning ignorance of how the news cycle and the role bloggers play in that, operates

            bit sad really that you still wont or cant get it – bet you complained about nanny state didnt you

            • Tracey 17.1.1.1.1.1

              you have to read everything he/she writes as being opposite, starting with the handle 😉

            • higherstandard 17.1.1.1.1.2

              Most of NZ met the revelations (if that’s what you can call them) within the book with a resounding yawn.

              • Murray Olsen

                Most of Aotearoa still wouldn’t know about the revelations. They would know that Key spoke about left wing smears, and that’s about it. Once farmers start losing their land, and the position of the ashprishnil becomes more precarious, people will remember that people at the top of government were playing silly games with a revolting piece of shit rather than doing their job. Slowly, they’ll wake up and turn on Key. Unfortunately, they might look to Winston First and the chemtrail party.

              • framu

                see how you just shifted the goal posts?

                werent we discussing whether the book was about a couple of bloggers or not?

    • Tracey 17.2

      she is an example of what people can do within a welfare system that gives them a helping hand. of course she and nats are doing the reverse so we can probably expect it to fail.

  18. Jay 18

    Threats against winz have always been common for loads of reasons, they just got more publicity after the shootings. Drawing the conclusion that there must be a systemic problem at winz is like blaming rising domestic violence on women. I mean, there must be a good reason their husbands smack them over right? These shootings were selfish, cowardly and evil, and the last moments of those two poor ladies must have been terrifying. I expect the perpetrator felt his perceived hardships justified him in committing crimes that have now caused immeasurably more hardship for the families of the victims. None of us know if he was treated fairly or not, but if his way to win an argument is to murder two people it suggests to me that this guy is likely to be less reasonable than winz or any of its staff, so I’m on their side at this stage. Justifying him or others in any way when they threaten people or are violent is text-book victim blaming, and we see it now in the most extreme case of male assaults female imaginable. Disgraceful

    • just saying 18.1

      It’s not the same as, or equivalent to domestic violence, Jay.
      The power is in the other direction.
      I don’t know of anyone who is blaming the victims, but I do know from personal and others’ experience that there is a sytemic problem at WINZ and I think it is highly likely that it was a major contributing factor in this tragedy. That these two women were victims, of not just the “perpetrator” but probably also in a large part of a system in which those with the power are sitting in flash offices on fat salaries never having to personally deal with any of the consequences of their decisions – that’s a tragedy too.
      People are hurting and there is only so much any person can take. WINZ offices never had security guards when they were social security agencies. The system was never perfect, but the staff never had to be physically protected, at all times, from the people in hardship their jobs exist to help.
      There is no excuse for violence – physical, psychological, systemic, any kind. But the fact is that violence begets violence and many more WINZ clients at the end of their tether will kill themselves than the person across the desk.

    • framu 18.2

      your making the all too common mistake of not differentiating between reasons and excuses

      you discuss reasons to understand
      you put forward excuses to excuse

      discussing why person x did crime y isnt an attempt to shift blame – in fact its has to accept blame first.
      We cant discuss why jay (for example) did a whole lot of burglary untill we first accept jays guilt in said burglaries

  19. Jay 19

    We cannot go down the path of Justifying violence in any way whatsoever. Hundreds of thousands deal with winz and other agencies and don’t use violence when they don’t get their own way. If anyone has a right to speak out and blame winz it’s the families of the victims. Notice that they haven’t.

    How can we even consider sympathising with the offenders without therefore setting us on the road to Justifying their actions. Are your children allowed to belt each other or you when they don’t get their own way? No. In this country we are taught that violence or threats are never justified unless to physically defend ourselves.

    How dare you say that people are pushed to doing these things. Is that what you do when the going gets tough? The people I have met who threaten or assault others are invariably violent and selfish bullies. This should not even be a topic for argument. Governments shouldn’t be reconsidering policy based on how many of their employees are being threatened, assaulted or murdered by disgruntled members of the public.

    • just saying 19.1

      Did you read the responses to your comment, Jay? Because this is a classic straw-man reply to them.

    • framu 19.2

      who are you even talking to jay?

      “Governments shouldn’t be reconsidering policy based on how many of their employees are being threatened, assaulted or murdered by disgruntled members of the public.”

      wow – compassion and humanity is a two way street dont you know. If the govt has put in place a policy that has its staff being exposed to increased risk then the govt should consider changing the policy – but at the same time that doesnt make the perpertrators of said violence innocent

      is that really such a hard concept to grasp?

  20. SeanExile 20

    Ok, so now after the nutty loony wing of The Standard posters, half of which didnt vote labour, have decided that everyone who isnt DC or further leftwing is a neoliberal. Hmm must be great to live in that world where as soon as you disagree you call a person a neoliberal and put the hands over the ears and scream out loud neo liberal. Seems so constructive. My 1 year old uses the same strategy. Wonder how well it really works in adult world…

    Paula Bennet groomed for succession, possibly.
    And if she is good for National. They need to ensure that they have a future after John Key. I know way to little about National to say who that is a good candidate among them, but forward thinking, grooming potentials seem to be the right way to do things.
    Having met Paula Bennet, she is no John Key and she is distinctively more beatable than he is. Thats good for the Labour party. And if you look 5 years into the future, a national under Paula Bennet, id say we with the right kind of leader stand a chance then. That is if we ensure the monsterloony lefties who calls everyone a neoliberal and puts their hands above their ears screaming when someone disagrees dont destroy us from within.
    However, fortunately for us who prefers a successful Labour, a Labour who can hold office, some of the unions seems to have realised that they get more from a Labour party thats electable than from a Labour party that has had its worst electionresults since 1922 and who is led by a leader that just isnt appealing to the electorate.

    Question is, how many more election losses do we need to suffer before the activist members understand this and realises that the days of electability is preferable to those who want to advance a Labour agenda.

    • cogito 20.1

      Absolutely…. ditch the red flag and go for soft pastel blue instead. Never mind all those who sweated blood and tears, soft blue is what it’s all about today…. Maybe we could even still have Paula Bennett, just with pastel blue lipstick.

      Not me mate.

  21. word 21

    What happened with can’t fix anything Steven Joyce then? he is ambitious to take that top spot.

  22. Craig Y 22

    Word, I think that Bennett will serve a period of apprenticeship as Steven Joyce’s deputy after National loses any forthcoming election in the intermediate future. If Joyce proves an unsatisfactory Leader of the Opposition, then Bennett succeeds him after he’s served a term in that office and lost an election.

    • word 22.1

      @Craig. I think you are being hoodwinked if you think Bennett will ever be a leader. She’s a foot soldier and has been useful as a distraction. But the tragic, dire and avoidable consequences of her administration of MSD is the reason she is being removed and placed elsewhere, so her image is not tarnished further. Bennett will always be someone’s lackey.

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    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    8 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    8 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    8 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    9 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    9 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    10 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    14 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    15 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    16 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    18 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 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
    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
  • 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
    4 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
    5 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 ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 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
    12 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
    14 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
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