Herald says weird things about Cunliffe and Labour Clutha Southland candidate

Written By: - Date published: 6:06 pm, July 21st, 2014 - 110 comments
Categories: david cunliffe, labour, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

Cunliffe David CraIG lIZ

The Herald’s use of sub headings needs a real rethink.

It ran a Cameron Slater sourced smear this morning and talked about Cunliffe meeting a prominent New Zealander who had been given name suppression on charges of performing an indecent act.  The juxtaposition of the photo to the sub headings is unfortunate.  Can I assure everyone that Liz Craig is not the sex offender they are talking about.

The Herald said:

… the Labour leader threatens to be distracted by internal ill-discipline and criticisms over his judgment, including the holiday itself and a meeting last week with a prominent New Zealander given name suppression on charges of performing an indecent act.

Mr Cunliffe confirmed to the Herald last night that he had arranged for the person – whose case has been the topic of media coverage – to meet a Labour candidate but said he had no idea about the controversial background until yesterday.

“If I had known of the suggestion, no such meeting would have taken place.”

You have to wonder why the meeting was mentioned and why it was thought that it would cause a distraction to Cunliffe.  No doubt the intent is to continue with the bad news narrative that the right have been pushing but what was Cunliffe to do?  Have a Police vette conducted of all people that he may meet?  Even this would not have helped because the person involved received a discharge without conviction and had all details suppressed.  And Cunliffe confirmed to the Herald he had no idea of the background until yesterday.

The article reinforces National’s Modus operand.  Jason Ede’s black ops accumulates damaging information on people.  It is fed to Slater who dresses it up and posts about it.  The main stream then repeats it.

And another day will be spent dealing with the distraction caused by a right wing smear.  It is going to be a long campaign if this sort of crap is going to be repeated every day.

If they really want to analyse corruption and dirty dealing can I suggest they run this sub headings:

National Chief selects as Cabinet Minister man found guilty of electoral fraud but says he didn’t know the background

And this photo:

John Key Banks thick as thievesComments speculating on who the prominent New Zealander may be will be deleted.

 

110 comments on “Herald says weird things about Cunliffe and Labour Clutha Southland candidate ”

  1. Sacha 1

    I hope Labour formally complains to the rag’s publisher about that photo and wording. Also note Cunliffe talks about arranging a meeting, not attending it.

    • Monty 1.1

      Sacha, the problem is that there is a photo circulating with mr Cunliffe and the person in question together with a gift from the said person. I think mr Cunliffe has been set up, and possibly by someone close.

      • mickysavage 1.1.1

        Gee Monty I am sure that your comment is meant to be helpful.

        So there is a photo of David with this prominent New Zealander and (gasp) a bottle of wine given by the said person. And David has been set up by someone to have a chat with a prominent New Zealander and being photographed with them but not knowing that this person had suppression orders stopping the publication of some unfortunate details.

        Are you being real? How was David meant to know about this?

        Honest you RWNJs live on a different planet. You are criticising Cunliffe for not being all seeing and all knowing. Give it a rest. He did not know about the scandal. Insisting that he should of is basically a really weird thing to say.

        Of course the reality is that you just want to criticise and attack and this is the subject of attack today. Tomorrow it will be another subject and you keyboard warriors will then again be attacking for all your worth.

        • fender 1.1.1.1

          “Honest you RWNJs live on a different planet.”

          This is the problem. Their planet is a gossiping pit where secrets are currency and blackmail prevails. And of course there’s no toilets on their planet, as Key revealed.

      • Olwyn 1.1.2

        If there’s a photo going round, isn’t the person who is putting around in breach of the name suppression order? Surely you can’t say, this well-known guy has name suppression, but look, here’s a picture of him talking to the leader of the opposition.

    • David H 1.2

      Or like me you can E-Mail the Hack in person and tell her to stop interviewing her Keyboard. And to start reporting the real news.

  2. Kat 2

    Audrey Young….. sigh! Thick stupid political editor or conniving complicit National Party hack?

    Or both.

  3. Ergo Robertina 3

    MS I think you mean sub-heading. The byline is the reporter’s name.

  4. Disraeli Gladstone 4

    I feel like there’s two explanations for this. Cunliffe’s either incompetence or he’s been cursed by some ancient evil.

    Cunliffe rightly attacks New Zealand’s problem with domestic violence (ignoring perhaps a naive way of phrasing it). Not a month later, he then meets with a man who’s offending is ghastly and seem to regard his loss of reputation as the bigger damage than the impact on the victim of his offending.

    Cunliffe is either terrible at politics or some cosmic evil really want John Key to win in 2014 (I for one welcome our new Old Gods overloads).

    Because no one that’s bloody unlucky.

    • felix 4.1

      It’s nothing to do with luck. The process is explained (yet again) in the post:

      Jason Ede, on behalf of John Key, feeds lies and smears and innuendo to Slater who publishes it where it is picked up by a lazy stupid fourth estate.

      No cosmic overlords involved. Just dirty corrupt lying fucks spreading their dirty corrupt lying muck.

      • Sacha 4.1.1

        And those whose job it is to anticipate and neutralise the muck not doing their jobs. It’s not Cunliffe who is incompetent.

        • freedom 4.1.1.1

          Sacha, how exactly do his staff do this job you criticize them for not doing? Do they check for potential problems relating to crimes that resulted in name suppression orders and the ramifications for David Cunliffe’s itinerary, or any politician for that matter. Especially those name suppression orders pertaining to a highly sensitive topic! How do they go about collecting collating controlling and protecting all related information on every person on every day that a busy politician is arranging meetings?

          Are his staff meant to track and trace every court case in New Zealand and abroad and build a comprehensive database to cross-check against, at any time and on a moment’s notice, in case a meeting is ever organised with anyone anywhere which shows that person happened to have been in court the same time as court records show a name suppression order was made, work out if the order was for a sensitive topic, then go back and look at every special interest group’s web page in every part of the internet in case there happens to be a name suppression case that has been made public involving that name suppression order?

          Here is a subtle clue as to why this probably cannot happen, and I do not mean the not so simple logistics or the big brother aspects that I am confident you really don’t want put in the hands of a political party that is not restrained by the same rules that a government would have if they chose to install such an operational system.

          NAME SUPPRESSION.

          I’m no lawyer, but sure sounds like a whole lot of legal issues bundled up in there too, or is privacy and the vestiges of integrity that remain within our [far from perfect] legal system not a big deal?

          [lprent: One of the problems with name suppression is that I had to have someone point me to an instance of the suppressed name being concealed in a comment before I could ban the arsehole putting this site at risk. So they are now permanently banned and I am probably now in the possession of information that I am not meant to have. Since I couldn’t verify the person, then I may even be wrong.

          However it was clear from the comment that Chuck Bird was trying to breach the suppression order. Anyone wanting to follow his example will also follow his fate. ]

        • mickysavage 4.1.1.2

          I know some of his staff and you could not ask for a more intelligent or dedicated group. Anticipating the sort of sick spin that the right will put on something as innocent as meeting with someone is beyond their considerable talents. Honest, things are really, really weird and the best of advice will not cover it.

      • Disraeli Gladstone 4.1.2

        But Cunliffe still had to meet the guy in the first place.

        Look, I completely agree with you that the media is playing favourites and that the right-wing blogs and actual fourth estate have a cycle that feed off each other. I don’t doubt that.

        But John Key didn’t make Cunliffe have a secret trust. John Key didn’t make Cunliffe describe his home as a do’er upper. John Key didn’t make Cunliffe meet with a sex offender after trying to tackle domestic violence.

        There’s no smoke without fire isn’t exactly applicable here. The media is going overboard on relatively small matters where they would give Key a free run.

        But there’s still a lot of match sticks that Cunliffe seems to keep on lighting. And we know the media are going to make a cloud of smog from the tiniest flame, so why does he keep on playing with matches?

        • felix 4.1.2.1

          I think it literally doesn’t matter what he does, they’ll still try to spin anything and nothing against him.

          And you’ll still blame him for getting out of bed/sleeping in/whatever the line happens to be today.

          You did it just now. Cunliffe didn’t meet a sex offender at all, as you well know.

          These. Are. Not. Real. Stories. They’re lies and smears from John Key’s office. Cunliffe’s actions have no bearing on this dirty tricks campaign whatsoever.

          • Blue 4.1.2.1.1

            David Cunliffe could help a little old lady cross the road and the media would find a way to crucify him for it.

            Either he’s neglecting his duties by taking time out to help the elderly, or he’s being condescending to older New Zealanders or he’s desperately trying to get Grey Power votes.

            Meanwhile, if John Key did the same thing, they would say how wonderful it is that the Prime Minister took time out of his busy schedule to assist Mrs Jones, who is voting National and thinks the PM is ‘a lovely man’.

          • Disraeli Gladstone 4.1.2.1.2

            “These. Are. Not. Real. Stories”

            But they are true. That’s the crux of my issues. If Labour was competent, yeah, the media would still rail against them but they wouldn’t be plunging to Bill English vote-winning territory either.

            Labour owes it to the entire left of NZ politics to fucking sort out some sort of political party that can actually work. The Greens get smeared as lunatics all the time and you know what, they handle it.

            Labour rolls into a ball.

            • felix 4.1.2.1.2.1

              “But they are true. That’s the crux of my issues. “

              You say that. And yet Cunliffe didn’t meet with a sex offender, and you keep saying he did.

              So either you’re lying, or you’re not too bright, or I’m right and you’re wrong.

              There was nothing wrong with what Cunliffe did in this instance. Certainly nothing you’ve managed to pinpoint anyway.

              • Disraeli Gladstone

                He met with a man who indecently assaulted a woman.

                Is that phrasing better for you?

                • felix

                  No, because it didn’t happen. You are misinformed.

                  • Disraeli Gladstone

                    … umm.

                    Are you saying that Cunliffe didn’t meet with him?

                    Or that the man in question didn’t indecently assault someone?

                    • felix

                      I haven’t seen any reports that he met anyone of the sort.

                      (Except from you, and so far you haven’t proven to be a particularly reliable source of information.)

                    • Colonial Viper

                      What are you, 13 and idealistic? Grow up.

                      I interacted with about 80 different people today during the course of my ordinary activities. And according to the stats, likely including a couple of saints, a couple of mongrel deviants, a convicted crim and a couple of spouse beaters. So fucking what. That’s called living in a society, interacting with people as if they are people not lepers, and it ain’t some sort of fucking crime.

                • mickysavage

                  Wow, you know if that test was applied to me I have met about ten murderers, 50 or so robbers, hundreds of wife and child beaters, drug addicts, perverts and an assorted collection of real crazy people.

                  Unless you barricade yourself in your home and never leave you will run the possibility of running into someone with some sort of stuff in their background. If you insist on getting police clearances before you met them you would be considered really really weird.

                  Anyway the police clearance would not work here.

                  Before I go to Court tomorrow should I ask the Judge to provide a police clearance to show she has nothing bad in her background.

                  Honest DG you are getting pretty weird with your criticism.

                  • Disraeli Gladstone

                    Oh for Christ sake.

                    Of course people are going to meet not very nice people. Stop being so obtuse.

                    My issue is this: David Cunliffe made a big (necessary, 99% excellent) speech on domestic violence. He then a few weeks later meets with a man who committed an indecent act.

                    Now I don’t think Cunliffe knew that. I take him fully at his word. But this isn’t some spark out of the blue. Rodney Hide had been going on about this man for at least a fortnight. His name was posted in Australia. I heard his name while going to get a coffee. It wasn’t that typical of a case of name suppression.

                    Somebody, somebody in either Cunliffe’s (or more likely, perhaps Craig’s) team had to know about it. I expect the Leader of the Opposition’s team to relatively aware of current events.

                    If it was that Cunliffe had met with someone who nobody knew had committed indecent assault because of name suppression, then it’s not poor from Cunliffe, it’s just bad luck. However, this wasn’t a case that no one knew. This was like a mini Ryan Giggs superinjunction.

                    • mickysavage

                      Do you know how many people Cunliffe meets each week? I am pleased you accept that he did not know of the allegation. So you are saying that the failure by his limited staff numbers from knowing about an issue concerning a person who was not a member of the Labour Party and who had a suppression order is some sort of failure? Honest you have to be kidding.

                    • JK

                      Lucky You, Disraeli that you managed to hear the sex offender’s name when going for coffee – was that coffee outside a courtroom, in a major city, or a village. Or in An Australian paper or wherever.
                      And could you come and have coffee in my village and whisper his name to me – because I don’t have a clue who he is. And I don’t have a clue who are the big names around the southern towns (like Cunliffe, I’m a northerner) so how the heck could anyone except those in the “know” know what’s going on. Come on….. spill the beans, give us a clue …. so we can try and work out who it is ….. and then we can tell Cunliffe to steer clear of him. (I assume its a him – most sex / violent offenders are him.)

                    • Colonial Viper

                      Hey Disraeli Fuck Head

                      Do you really want Members of Parliament to start avoiding entire classes of people in society as if they were lepers?

                      What are you, sick?

                    • wtl

                      1) The whole f***king point of name suppression is NAME SUPPRESSION. If a convicted criminal is granted name suppression, then it whatever they did is NOT meant to be known.

                      2) Wouldn’t it be illegal for someone to tell Cunliffe the name of someone granted name suppression?

                    • Populuxe1

                      Um, yeah. Can we all stop pretending that Gogle doesn’t exist and anyone of average intelligence should be able to work out the relevant search words even if they hadn’t heard in this tiny, gossipy little country because they had been on Mars hiding under a rock with their fingers in their ears and eyes closed because they are so holier than fucking thou?

                    • felix

                      Well I hadn’t heard of it Pop, and I spend a bit of time following news stories online and googling things.

                      Now that I have, I’m utterly stunned that a bunch of Nats working directly for the John Key would try to make this a Lab/Nat fight.

                      It shows how desperate they are, given the massive risk of blowback on the National party from publicising this particular offender. And it shows yet again that in spite of them working around the clock to find dirt on Cunliffe, they’ve got nothing.

                    • wtl

                      1) As I said, the whole f***king point of name suppression is NAME SUPPRESSION. If a judge has granted name suppression, then the judge has deemed it necessary for that information to be suppressed. Trying to find a way around name suppression would be disrespecting the judge’s decision to grant it in the first place, at the very least. Would it be appropriate to seek to name of a person who has name suppression because they were the victim of a crime? (If someone has name suppression, it is not possible to know a priori the reason name suppression was granted, so a ‘hunt’ for suppressed details could very well end up uncovering such information.)

                      2) You would have to be a paranoid nutjob to Google every single person you are about to meet just in case they have had their name suppressed for something.

                    • Populuxe1

                      If I was up against an utterly amoral smearlord in their second term in a very tight election being watched by hostile media, being a paranoid nutjob is the only sane stance.

                    • wtl

                      If I was up against an utterly amoral smearlord in their second term in a very tight election being watched by hostile media, being a paranoid nutjob is the only sane stance.

                      No, because then you are falling into the trap of playing their game, which you can’t really win at. They’ll always find something else to criticise, e.g. Cunliffe is not “sexy”. A determined smear campaign will always find something to criticise or jump onto, simply because it is impossible to make absolutely zero mistakes. Even if you made absolutely no mistakes, they could always make up blatant lies and they’ll still be reported as fact. So the best response is to avoid making major errors and simply concentrate on what you are good at.

                • David H

                  And who had NAME SUPPRESSION are you dense Disreli or just a Troll????

          • Chooky 4.1.2.1.3

            …shows how scared they actually are of Cunliffe!!!!

            …it is encouraging in a perverse sort of way

            …i heard Matthew Hooton on radionz nine-to- noon saying Labour really has to get rid of Cunliffe!…. and replace him with Shearer!….i thought this is actually a very good sign!!!!!

            GO Cunliffe!!!!….you are scaring the shit out of them!

        • anker 4.1.2.2

          Disraeli Gladstone. This is bullshit. They are picking on stuff that is insignificant irrelevant and inaccurate and blowing it way out of proportion. Anyone who follows the media and can’t see it is a fool

          • Disraeli Gladstone 4.1.2.2.1

            That’s exactly what I said.

            “And we know the media are going to make a cloud of smog from the tiniest flame”

            They are blowing it out of all proportion. But the insignificant things still have to happen. Minus Liu where the Herald straight up lied (and really should be taken to the cleaners for), everything else has been self-inflicted. Blown out of all proportion. But still self-inflicted.

            • anker 4.1.2.2.1.1

              DG yes insignificant things will happen. They happen to all of us everyday. And that is the point, they are insignificant and don’t need any focus.

              You appear to be blaming the victim here. I.e DC is the victim of a malicious smear campaign.

              By the way Mickey can the Labour Party take legal action against the herald over the photo?

        • Anne 4.1.2.3

          FFS Disraeli Gladstone. Let me spell it out for you.

          How. was. he. to. know. that. the. bloke is. alleged. to. have. a. sexual. deviant. history. if. nobody. told. him. Especially. since. he. had. name. suppression.

          If I hopped on a bus and a stranger sitting beside me started a friendly conversation with me and I responded by being friendly back… am I responsible for not knowing that the person was a convicted murderer? Jesus what is happening to this country. Balance and reason has gone out the window.

          • Disraeli Gladstone 4.1.2.3.1

            A: The name suppression became a minor story in the last two weeks.

            B: The name is largely common knowledge, even the man himself has said everyone knows it was him in his hometown.

            C: Even if Cunliffe didn’t know, how did someone in Labour for either Cunliffe’s office or Craig’s office not know? Just one person. One person to go “Dave, whoa, hold up.”

            The Labour Party’s organisation is shot. The media is one-sided but Labour is still causing a lot of self-inflicted problems.

            So I get to party vote Green, watch Labour fucking implode again, and spend another three more years with Key.

            • anker 4.1.2.3.1.1

              Well you have choices DG. You could vote Labour.

              Your post at 4.1.2.3.1 has an underlying message of “they should have known it”.

              Actually who says they should have? They didn’t. They weren’t suppose to (that’s what name suppression is all about) and it is completely irrelevant. If you want to critcize incompetence how about you pick on something serious like Mfat, Murray Mc, the PM and the Malaysian diplomat.

              • Disraeli Gladstone

                I do. I have to people I know and discuss politics with in my real life. Hopefully those conversations will have led to some changed votes.

                But I don’t do it here because we all know how badly Key and Murray handled and are still handling it. I don’t engage in congratulatory pats on the back.

              • Anne

                If you want to critcize incompetence how about you pick on something serious like Mfat, Murray Mc, the PM and the Malaysian diplomat.

                And skulduggery like Judith Collins using ministerial clout to assist her husband’s business affairs in China!

            • mickysavage 4.1.2.3.1.2

              Really disingenuous DG. I did not know about the name. Cunliffe’s staff do not do exhaustive checks on everyone he meets, hell his staff may not have even known about it.

              • Disraeli Gladstone

                Then he’s cursed by some cosmic evil then! Because Cameron Slater could not have wished for a better event to happen.

                Has David Cunliffe ever insulted H.P Lovecraft or M.R James?

                • mickysavage

                  No and I am sure that no self respecting Labour activist reads Rodney Hide and takes him seriously. Honest this seems to be the high point of your argument, Rodney Hide said something 8 days ago and Labour should have thrown all of its limited resources into investigating it fully.

                • RedLogix

                  DS

                  If John Key is happy being associated with Cameron Slater using him as a National mouthpiece – then what possible problem can anyone have with Cunliffe having a one-off meeting with this person?

                  Or is John Key really, really unlucky with the bloggers who support him?

    • Mike the Savage One 4.2

      “Cunliffe is either terrible at politics or some cosmic evil really want John Key to win in 2014 (I for one welcome our new Old Gods overloads).”

      What a bizarre “reasoning” is this?

      It appears the mainstream media being largely Fairfax, the Herald, the two main TV channels and the increasingly misinforming, rather commercial product pushing radio stations expect David Cunliffe to have staff screen and check on every individual person he may meet, that may run into him, to do all this in advance, and then brief him in advance.

      The PM does instead get the generous treatment of “statesman”, and even though whatever he says about the plane shooting in East Ukraine or any other event, here it is spread as if the world is listening to Key, while in reality nobody in Washington, New York, in London, Europe, Beijing, Tokyo or anywhere else gives a damn about this idiot clown running this government.

      Key still has not fronted to questions the media were going to ask him a week ago, and it seems the MSM have not even bothered to ask him about the fiasco with the Malaysian diplomat, that was able to escape from justice, due to a stuff up or worse of MFAT and other agencies.

      BIAS is the only word for it, whatever Key stuffs up, it is excused and understood, not even talked about, but whatever Cunliffe does, gets seen in the worst of light.

      Forget the election, bring in a proper dictatorship, perhaps?

    • darkhorse 4.3

      The ancient evil may not be so evil.

      There is a high probability of the global economy going cold turkey in the next three years (and us with it).

      It may be that the fates want this to occur on John Key’s watch. Fundamentals like share value to earnings across the global sharemarkets are at levels only seen before dramatic events like the great crash of 1929. There are laws about these things that are like gravity fundamentally inescapblle

      It is fortuitous to not be the one holding the can at times like these. Labour needs to be developing a “plan b” – a strategy for recovery – because post when it blows there will be a wonderful opportunity to purge much of the foolish ideology and the defective insitiutions foisted on us by Roger Douglas and his ilk that are at the root of the current situation

  5. Colonial Viper 5

    once proper press standards get written up and enforced by the next Labour Govt, the NZ Herald is going to be a very thin newspaper.

    • nigel 5.1

      What ‘proper’ press standards would those be then? We already have a press standards authority, we have blogs on all sides of the political spectrum, we have probably more newspapers per capita than any other country, plus a highly vociferous talkbalk radio culture. The last couple of days of the Herald and Stuff websites have lashed the National Party over John Key’s non-apology, raised the issue of parliamentary misuse of a credit card by a National MP, printed some Labour MP’s supposed comments about David Cunliffe, and hammered Mr Cunliffe over his holiday. It looks to me like it’s been relatively even-handed, (from my viewpoint). What concerns me the most is your apparent suggestion that a Labout Government would censor the media. I can only take it from your comment that under a Labour Government, a number of articles in the Herald would be unable to be printed, (hence the ‘very thin newspaper’). Is that actually your stance? And what changes would you make to our media laws?

      • Colonial Viper 5.1.1

        Oh its fairly simple, you self classify yourself as a news source undertaking journalistic enterprise, or you self classify yourself as a gossip/rumour rag.

        If you self classify yourself as the former, you will be expected to meet high standards of journalistic, editorial and evidential performance, on pain of demotion to the latter.

        • nigel 5.1.1.1

          So you ‘self classify’. Well clearly all media would classify as news source, so then even assuming some authoritative body demoted you, as you say, I can’t see how that would make one iota of difference to what was published. Assuming your theory happened, and the Herald was ‘demoted’, I can’t see what change that would make to their reporting. Frankly, if you look at the lead items on either Herald or Stuff websites, generally two of the top five items are gossipy ‘entertainment’ issues or ‘man bites dog’ haha features. On that basis they are gossip mags already, but doesn’t seem to change their content. I still can’t see how your changes would thin the Herald. The only thing that could change content would either be censorship (abhorrent), a change to the laws revealing sources (I’m not a fan), a fact-check summary linked to any article, (not a bad idea), or a rider on every article stating any potential conflicts the reporter may have in terms of the article (possibly useful, but difficult in practise, ie: would a sports reporter have to say they were a fan of the Highlanders etc..). I’m all for better journalistic standards, but wording that, in actual operation, is tougher than it sounds.

          • felix 5.1.1.1.1

            “difficult in practise, ie: would a sports reporter have to say they were a fan of the Highlanders etc”

            Err, how is that difficult?

            • nigel 5.1.1.1.1.1

              Because every article would have to cover any possible connection the reporter may have, if there was any point to it. So if you wrote an article about a local MP attending a dog show, you would probably have to state which political party you supported, whether you preferred dogs or cats, if you had ever been bitten by a Schnauzer etc etc. As soon as you start detailing reporter connections, how far do you go? Fair enough if it’s an ‘opinion’ article, but a bit tricky to detail every potential conflict. And if I was a Highlanders supporter I would find it difficult to mention it in public 🙂

              • Colonial Viper

                stating your connections and preferences for the sake of transparency is required but is also the most superficial level of journalistic accountability. Journalistic integrity goes far beyond that, to a dedication to get to and accurately convey the truth around events, the people involved, and the context behind what has happened.

              • felix

                “if you wrote an article about a local MP attending a dog show, you would probably have to state which political party you supported, whether you preferred dogs or cats, if you had ever been bitten by a Schnauzer etc etc.”

                Why? None of that stuff about dogs and cats matters. It’s not important. Same for your sporting example. It’s a report on a sports match. It doesn’t matter.

                “As soon as you start detailing reporter connections, how far do you go?”

                To the point of meaningfulness, approximately.

  6. Anne 6

    Cunliffe’s either incompetence or he’s been cursed by some ancient evil.

    It’s neither and you know it DG.

    It’s an orchestrated black ops. campaign and it’s being run out of Key’s office!!!

  7. Rodel 7

    If the sex offender really is the same person identified by [possibly too close sorry Rodel – MS] then the NZ propagandists attempt to link him with the Labour party and David Cunliffe is about the most unbelievable attempt at reverse spin nonsense I’ve ever witnessed.

    • cricklewood 7.1

      I think you will find that you have just breached the suppression order Rodel

      [Not necessarily but as a precaution I have deleted the particular words – MS]

  8. deep throat 8

    Thats right Anne.
    Its a hootonboagey job and all the press is in on it.
    Their job is to sell stuff and they are shit scared of what is coming down the pike and they are thrashing around trying to defend themselves with everything they have got.
    I think the people of new zealand are goin gto wake up very sooon.
    btw. is keys back from his holiday yet?

    • karol 8.1

      btw. is keys back from his holiday yet?

      Yes, and second up (after talking tough about what he’s going to do to/about Putin, comes his statement explicitly rejecting making an apology to Tania Billingsley. And not even an expression of concern about what Billingsley has been put through as a result of a cabinet minister’s actions.

      A formal written apology from the Government had been sent to Ms Billingsley and a public apology via the media had been made.

      Today Mr Key did not want to comment on the case, but did not offer an apology to Ms Billingsley for the handling of the case.

      “I don’t make apologies unless there’s a serious reason for me to do that. As I said, at the time I relied on the advice that was given to me by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. We’ll have to go through the inquiry to check the veracity of that advice.”

      • RedLogix 8.1.1

        comes his statement explicitly rejecting making an apology to Tania Billingsley. And not even an expression of concern about what Billingsley has been put through as a result of a cabinet minister’s actions.

        Utterly appalling karol.

        I’ve been sitting here for quite a while trying to think what to say – and in the end I’m going to settle for just saying that yes you are right. Lesson learned.

  9. Jenny 9

    This is outrageous. I can’t believe that the Herald is not being seriously censured for this.

    Mistake or no. To infer a Labour candidate is a sex offender and then say that the Labour leader is ‘meeting with this prominent New Zealander given name suppression on charges of performing an indecent act.’ goes way beyond the pale, especially in the midst of an election campaign.

    I would demanding no less than an immediate and prominent front page apology, or face very heavy legal action for damages, with costs in the $millions.

  10. anker 10

    Thanks for this post Mickey. On a daily basis I am outraged by this very overt campaign to discredit David. It is disgraceful.

    I have to add this piece of rubbish I found on Stuff today by Deborah Cone Hill who needs to go for career counselling ( I am being extremely kind here).

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11296527

    SERIOUSLY MICKEY WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS? I feel we need some sort of campaign to speak up about this crap. Its disgraceful.

    • mac1 10.1

      Dreadful stuff indeed. It says a lot more about her narcissism than it does about Cunliffe.

      It also says something about our media that allow such stuff to get print time, and also about their view of the public who they think might be interested in such crap written by narcissistic, unintelligent and shallow writers.

      It also says something that some media and people in general are so bound up in celebrity imaging that they are so deflected away from what is real and important in politics- like issues, thought, analysis, philosophy and actions, or would deflect us away, in this case.

      I wonder what sort of backlash she would have got if she had written in a similar vein about our women leaders- Shipley, Clark? She would probably have joined in such a deserved criticism had someone else have criticised a woman leader for her lack of ‘sexiness’.

      There are some very wrong things about what Ms Cone has produced- saddening, disturbing and worrying things.

      • RedLogix 10.1.1

        D H-C is however not too far off the mark.

        Most low information voters rely on emotional and social cues that have have nothing to do with governance or policy. And this is what she’s writing about – from her perspective of course.

        • Colonial Viper 10.1.1.1

          And Labour had cornered itself into this ridiculous belief that if only it would push out enough technically detailed, intellectually sound, research evidenced based, socially liberal, identity politics congruent policy, it will of course win Kiwis over in droves.

          And if it is not winning Kiwis over in droves, the answer must be MOAR of the same formula until it happens.

          David Talbot and Rob Salmond, self-styled campaign managers, how is the campaign going so far, lads.

          • mac1 10.1.1.1.1

            Also agreed, CV.
            The operative word is ‘only’. Conversely, poorly researched, unsound etc policy would be hammered by the Nats and the media and rightly so. But as Redlogix points out, the emotional quotient is also very important for many.

            Labour PMs have been good at this- Kirk, Savage, Lange even Clark. Cunliffe will develop and expand up to the election. I saw this side of him at the Grey Power AGM this year.

        • mac1 10.1.1.2

          Agreed, RedLogix, the emotional side is very important in politics for voting appeal- along with ‘big hair’.

  11. RedLogix 11

    Feed them rope ….

    • Tom Jackson 11.1

      Yes.

      • McFlock 11.1.1

        … and the high fibre diet will ensure they distribute copious amounts of crap.

        They’ll keep doing this with impunity. It’s a dying medium, anyway. The “controversy” will keep their sales up for a little bit longer, like paul henry taking the lazy way on tv.

        • RedLogix 11.1.1.1

          Their only advantage is that people read/watch them out of habit.

          To break that habit ….

        • Ergo Robertina 11.1.1.2

          The link in question is to an online story – digital media is certainly not in decline.
          It is the print version of newspapers that may be ‘dying’, or at any rate declining. You seem to herald this as progress, but it is this very move away from print that is exacerbating the trend to sensational and often unfair reporting. The printed word will always carry more weight – and more care will inevitably be taken during the process of preparing, presenting, and processing the words for publication. Interestingly, recent research has shown that people understand and recall information more readily in printed form than in a digital format. This should be taken into account by political parties wishing to disseminate their messages.

          • RedLogix 11.1.1.2.1

            Or in one word – their credibility.

          • Colonial Viper 11.1.1.2.2

            Which is why The Standard 1.0 was so formidable. According to Chris Hedges, print is in many ways a far more powerful and democratic a medium than anything online, and you have outlined some of the reasons why.

          • McFlock 11.1.1.2.3

            apart from the fact that news generation will never be as profitable as news aggregation. So yeah, digital news based on old print brands is in decline – a shoddier product from fewer producers, recirculating unchecked drivel from comeptitors, bloggers, spoof sites and content auto-generators like sudoku programs.

            Fearfacts has an advantage because it is the dominant player in the print market place, and uses those resources to subsidise Stuff’s content. But it’s well and truly on the way out of the news biz into TMZ territory.

  12. RedBaronCV 12

    If they indulging in this type of smear over Cunliffe and the Clutha Southland candidate then the Nact polling in this area must be truely awful. And this should be pointed out early and often.
    Wouldn’t surprise me if the polling was that bad in this area. Locals not interested in the mining of Aspiring National park and sick of the limited health services.

    And yes I agree with Rodel above.

  13. deep throat 13

    q. can things get any weirder.
    a. yes!
    big ride coming up.
    this blog is where people come for ideas so get ready and blow the fuckers right out of the water.
    have a holiday.
    and chew some gum so you can stick it on susan woods nose on q&a on s
    Sunday morning.
    like a big wart.
    chanel 5 now.

  14. lurgee 14

    To be honest, as long as this site is hosting material like the current “Colin Craig – New Zealand’s Biggest Member’ crap, I’m not sure how much higher above Cameron’s sewer our moral high ground is. Maybe the outrage is that National’s smear and besmirch machine is far more effect than ours. If the left are going to play that game, they can’t really complain about being outclassed, because it is going to happen at every time; and if we do want to be able to be Genuinely Offended by Whaleoil spewing, we need to raise our own moral game.

    • deep throat 14.1

      I used to vote national but after they said they would give colin craig a membership deal I will not vote for them anymore.
      colin craig may have a big member for all I know but he is a martian.
      but if you want to talk morals then the national party have none at all.
      they have wasted the taxpayers money and performed like a bag of pygmy chimpanzees in scrooge mcducks mcvault.
      now it is time for them to go.
      begone.
      I know whaleboil slater spews every time he realises I have never been to his shit factory and I dont give a stuff about it.
      anyway according to the sunday star times whale flesh contributes to the rate of carbon sink in the oceans.
      Impeach the shifty one now!

    • nigel 14.2

      Couldn’t agree more. I check into both sites to try to keep up to date on what’s happening that isn’t on Herald or Stuff, and find this site’s comments section appalling (in some cases). It appears WO has cleaned up its act in terms of comments, but seeing how people get spoken to on here is more than a little disappointing. Not that it’s happened to me, but if this is supposed to be a site for reasoned debate then some people need to pull their head in, or someone needs to set some standards.

  15. Mr Oh Well 15

    Ever watched the Comedian Bill Hicks, he really hates marketing. I suspect that is all the MSM are. Just Johns personal little marketing campaign managers.

    I think Bill Hicks message to the marketing people (in this case Crosby/Dictator, The Ferald, TVPee, C. Potata and the fourth estate et al.) is spot on. Just a little comedy to lighten the load, otherwise one would go insane:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEnA29wK7uM

    Bill Hicks: By the way, if anyone here is in advertising or marketing… kill yourself.
    [audience laughs and claps]

    Bill Hicks: Thank you. Just a little thought. I’m just trying to plant seeds. Maybe one day, they’ll take root. I don’t know. You try, you do what you can. Kill yourself. Seriously though, if you are, do.
    [audience laughs]

    Bill Hicks: Aaah, no really, there’s no rationalisation for what you do and you are Satan’s little helpers, okay? Kill yourself, seriously. You’re the ruiner of all things good, seriously. No, no, this is not a joke, you’re going, “there’s gonna to be a joke coming,” there’s no fucking joke coming. You are Satan’s spawn filling the world with bile and garbage. You are fucked and you are fucking us. Kill yourself. It’s the only way to save your fucking soul. Kill yourself.
    [audience claps and whoops]

    Bill Hicks: Planting seeds. I know all the marketing people are going, “he’s doing a joke…” there’s no joke here whatsoever. Suck a tail-pipe, fucking hang yourself, borrow a gun from a Yank friend. I don’t care how you do it. Rid the world of your evil fucking machinations. Machi… whatever, you know what I mean. I know what all the marketing people are thinking right now too, “Oh, you know what Bill’s doing, he’s going for that anti-marketing dollar. That’s a good market, he’s very smart.”
    [audience laughs]

    Bill Hicks: Oh man, I am not doing that, you fucking evil scumbags. “Ooh, you know what Bill’s doing now, he’s going for the righteous indignation dollar. That’s a big dollar. A lot of people are feeling that indignation. We’ve done research. Huge market. He’s doing a good thing.” Goddammit, I’m not doing that, you scumbags. Quit putting a goddamm dollar sign on every fucking thing on this planet! “Ooh, the anger dollar. Huge. Huge in times of recession. Giant market. Bill’s very bright to do that.” God, I’m just caught in a fucking web. “Ooh, the trapped dollar, big dollar, huge dollar. Good market. Look at our research. We see that many people feel trapped. If we play to that and then separate them into the trapped dollar…” God, how do you live like that? I bet you sleep like fucking babies at night, don’t you? “What did ya do tonight honey?” “Oh, we made ah, we made ah, arsenic ah, childhood food now, goodnight.”
    [lays down and snores]

    Bill Hicks: “Yeah, we just said you know is your baby really too loud? You know?”
    [snores]

    Bill Hicks: “Yeah, it’ll… you know the mums will love it.”
    [snores]

    Bill Hicks: [stands up] Sleep like fucking children, don’t you? This is your world isn’t it?

    Bill Hicks: You know, the world’s twelve-thousand years old, and dinosaurs existed in that time, you’d think it would’ve been mentioned in the fucking bible at some point. “And o, Jesus and the disciples walked to Nazareth, but the trail was blocked by a giant brontosaurus with a splinter in his paw. And o, the disciples did run a-shrieking ‘What a big fucking lizard, Lord.’ But Jesus was unafraid, and he took the splinter from the brontosaurus’ paw, and the big lizard became his friend. And Jesus sent him to Scotland where he lived in a Loch for oh so many years, inviting thousands of American tourists to bring their fat fucking families and their fat dollar bills. And O Scotland did praise the Lord. Thank you, Lord.”

  16. Whateva next? 16

    +100 to anklet and all the other people who are waiting for something right to happen in this most appalling election campaign

  17. Whateva next? 17

    +100 to anker and all the other people who are waiting for something right to happen in this most appalling election campaign

  18. Charlieboy 18

    And don’t forget the daily reminder, the best reply to any troll, any spinner,any boofhead argumentative Natz fan…….Vote Labour.
    You have one vote, it is so eloquent.

  19. Michael 19

    The person Cunliffe met is as far removed from the Labour Party as anyone can be. I don’t know what the meeting was about, and I don’t care, but neither Cunliffe nor Labour needed that person’s blessing. AFAIK, they didn’t ask for it either.

    • Hami Shearlie 19.1

      Correct, and for any right -leaning commentators to criticise anyone from Labour for their brief and unknowing association with “this person” , well, I frankly can’t believe the hypocrisy and GALL considering from whence “this person” hails!

  20. deep throat 20

    NEWSFLASH
    dateline monday:
    john key does a bunk.
    “I’m not coming back”.
    “I got a better offer in New York”.
    seeya

  21. Sable 21

    There is a need for legal reform of journalism in NZ. Question is will it ever happen? Not while Shonkey is running things, that’s for sure…

  22. Mr Oh Well 22

    The MSM is getting WEIRD…. hell yes.

    Even RNZ this morning seem to be jumping on the band wagon (and on other many other occasions).

    On morning report, Susie Ferguson (I think), first introduced the up and coming interview with Mr Cunliffe. Highlighting that it would be about J. Keys refusal to apologize to the women caught in the events with the Malaysian Diplomat and then secondly the holiday criticisms David received for taking a small break.

    A few questions/observations:

    1. The first, is why would you combine the 2 topics in a single interview or sound bite? They are not related! Particularly in that time slot on morning report.
    2. The second, was the proportion of time dedicated on the interview to the 2 subjects, which topic was most important? It seemed 10% was dedicated by Susie to asking David about the J. Keys refusal to aplogise. The other 90% dedicated to talking over the top (steam rolling) David on his leadership ability utilizing the vehicle of the ‘holiday scandal’. Even my 10 year old noticed this, without prompting from my usual biased self.
    3. To me, maybe I am biased (you can hammer me on that), but both Susie Ferguson and Guyon Espiner are to me, shadows of the former RNZ presenters. Lift your game. I wont suggest the details of how (you should know this), but consistency of interviewing style across both sides of the political spectrum would be a good start.
    • Hami Shearlie 22.1

      Agreed, I rarely tune in to Nat Radio anymore – I was an avid listener when Geoff was there, now, it is an embarrassment and frankly, they are fast losing all the good will and esteem that Geoff built up with the public over decades!

  23. Crunchtime 23

    What is Cunliffe to do? I’m not sure if suing for defamation would help, but it keeps occurring to me.

  24. Edward Not Murrow 24

    Anker, you mentioned that Deborah Cone Hill wrote a rather pathetic article. It was about Davids apparent lack of sex appeal and snobbery. Well all I can say about her is she looks like what a budgie would chirp……. cheap, cheap, cheap.

    Seriously, how can one entertain such crap. Although trying to balance the piece with a jibe at the right, she never mentions JK?

    Does JK have sex appeal, yes maybe he does. Now what could it be?
    1. Is it the hermaphrodite accented like drawl that seeps out his/its mouth and therefore appeals to both kaywee suxes?

    1. Or is it that little miss nobodies of the press have to hang on the shirt tail of successful people and pimp them in the press galleries to in order to be on the success train (and or put down the opposition)?
    2. He has a xxxx load of money…. wads of.

    Or is it all the above combined…. I know not.

    Just a little “Think Piece”, isn’t that what patronising pithy little princesses of the right wing press say?

    XXXXing hell, I have just dropped to her level….

  25. JAN 25

    After all this fuss about name suppression it could hardly be easier to find out ! After a former Labour MP pointed out to me that the name suppression only applies to NZ I thought of our favourite lad for outing scoundrels and went there – all I can say now is yuk, yuk, yuk, and surely something could be done to make this a major cockup for the Nats ? The last thing they want to be doing is bringing it to the attention of Labour….

    • wtl 25.1

      1) It only applies to NZ because NZ courts have no jurisdiction in other countries. In my opinion, however, it is more ethical to respect a judge’s decision to grant name suppression than to try to find a way around it.

      2) Once you are aware of a particular case, of course it is easy to search for details surrounding that case. But if you are not aware of a particular case, how would you know what to search for in the first place?

      • Jan 25.1.1

        Ethical or not I’m a nosy bitch – is that sufficient ? And I think you need work on your No. 2 – it makes no sense no matter how often I read it. Judges don’t have gold-plated haloes, they make mistakes all the time. But it did seem to me that an inordinate fuss was being made about this so-called meeting with David Cunliffe, so I wanted to know why?

        Actually I read David’s statement to say that he had arranged a meeting, not that he had one himself, and that if he had known who wanted to talk to his Labour MP – “the meeting would never have happened”, but then I’m a woman and we always see things differently to men.

        Thank you for the gratuitous advice in your first sentence, I did go to school.

        • wtl 25.1.1.1

          1) Just because it’s sufficient to you, doesn’t make it sufficient for anyone else. As I suggested above, what if the reason name suppression was granted was to protect the identity of a victim of a crime? Is it then okay for you to ignore the judge’s order and violate the victim’s privacy just because you are a “nosy bitch”? Even if you are okay with that, why should everyone else follow your example? Others might be more ethical and respectful of judges than you.

          2) The reason you can find information about e.g. a “prominent NZer in Auckland guilty of assault” is because are already aware of a particular case and you can search for exactly that. If you had no idea that a particular case even exists (because details of the case are suppressed) how would you even know what to search for?

  26. TeWhareWhero 26

    DHC is an airhead and no-one with any claim to intelligence and discernment would expect anything other than frothy tasteless trivia from her but it’s a tragedy that so many Kiwis have been so dumbed down and are so in thrall to that sort of dross.

    When I get depressed about living in the Age of the Airhead – I take solace from people of great heart and spirit – like Euan McColl. His poem Items of News (from memory) about sums it all up:

    “Living by proxy in the half light,
    items of news slip by like flakes of food in a fish tank.
    Between the unseating of a royal jockey
    and the bland insincerities of talking heads,
    we see, for an instant, the awkward dead,
    heaped carelessly at the corner of a street like brushwood piled for burning.
    This wood is green, unsuitable for firing;
    sap still oozes from the stricken limbs of striplings,
    broken boys and girls with faces made anonymous by death.
    Only a tear in the knee of a pair of jeans,
    a shoeless foot unnaturally bent,
    a rucked up sweat shirt revealing pitiful flesh,
    reminds us that they once possessed a singularity
    beyond the comprehension of their killers
    who stare at the camera lens with eyes as blank as bottle tops.”

  27. TeWhareWhero 27

    And it’s tragically apposite in light of recent world events ….

  28. One Anonymous Bloke 28

    Gosh, the predicted (by me) media tantrum at losing their influence over the choice of NZLP leader is still going on. It’s having the desired effect too.

    Civil war isn’t pretty. The National Party is a slow civil war against New Zealand. Suck it in, Labour.

  29. Just by looking at the clip of the article was already enough to embed thoughts into my head, and mostly negative ones. I guess sub-headings are really essential to complement the headline but so does the photo that is being used. When one of them is wrong or very misleading, the entire article could be perceived very differently from the actual story. The same goes for advertisements, like a photo of a self storage followed by the company name alongside a constructive caption would attract customers. However, some companies prefer a publicity stunt, thus coming up with crazy taglines.

  30. Daveosaurus 30

    So, basically: Cunliffe didn’t know the identity of someone, knowledge of whose identity New Zealanders are all forbidden by a court of law? This is supposed to be a scandal?

    If anyone has now shared that forbidden knowledge with Cunliffe, then Cunliffe had better get cracking in severing any ties between Labour and that person, and any party that person may have been involved with (there isn’t much chance that any person meeting with a politician at Cunliffe’s level at this point in the electoral cycle won’t be involved with politics); because if that person’s identity does get leaked between now and the election, any party or politician that person is involved with will be destroyed.

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  • 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    8 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
    13 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
    15 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
    15 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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