Lessons from the ’30s and 40’s: culture and the left

Written By: - Date published: 2:05 pm, November 10th, 2014 - 70 comments
Categories: broadcasting, capitalism, cartoons, democratic participation, film, greens, labour, Left, news, telecommunications, tv, workers' rights - Tags:

Many of us on the Standard, look back the the first Labour Government (1935-49) as the basis for locating core left wing values, and a political way forward for the left.  In doing this we tend to focus on the policies and legislation that resulted in a massive restructuring of the NZ the economy, the workplace, welfare and housing.  We tend to overlook the accompanying moves to intervene and reconstruct cultural production and its reception by the general public.

Micky Savage crowd

Wikipedia lays out the policies and legislation of the First NZ Labour Government. This includes measures aimed at improving industrial relations, wages, industrial relations, wage increases, working conditions and hours, introduction of state housing, public works, changes to the economy, health service, welfare and education.

Under “education” are listed these provisions, that focused on “culture” in the broadest sense: activities that influenced people’s understanding of every aspect of life, and that are necessary for an informed public to take an active part in democratic processes:

  • A Literary Fund was established in 1946 to subsidise the arts[4] and to assist writers.[5]
  • […]
  • Broadcasts to schoolchildren were extended.[5] 
  • […]
  • A Country Library Service was established (1938) 
  • […]
  • The establishment of the Library Centre and National Library Service 
  • […]
  • The writing of historical books was commissioned (1940) to celebrate New Zealand’s centenary.[5]
  • State support was provided for music, literature, drama, ballet, and the plastic arts, while grants were introduced for students of these fields who wished to undertake further study.[5]
  • […]
  • Social studies, music, and art were included in the secondary school curriculum.[3]
  • […]
  • A National Orchestra was established.[5]

Alongside these initiatives from the Government, was a broader movement of left-wing intellectuals and activists.  This informed and influenced the Labour Government of the time.  In turn, the broader cultural left was informed by events and left wing activities in Britain, Europe and the US.  [see the Introduction to Rachel Barrowman’s 1991 book, Popular Vision: The arts and the left in new Zealand 1930-1950]

The intellectuals and artists included literary people like R.A.K. Mason, Denis Glover, Alan Curnow, Frank Sargeson.  There were lively contemporary analyses and debates in journals and periodicals like the left wing journal Tomorrow, and the Phoenix literary journal.

Both the Labour Government, and the broader left were aware of the impact of popular culture on the wider public.  The popular culture of the time included popular music, movies and comics. The broader left tended to have a fairly patronising attitude to the working classes, and/or the “masses”. They tended to see the “masses” as being brainwashed with capitalist propaganda, particularly that coming from the US.  The rising Hollywood movie system was seen as a degraded form of culture, peddling capitalist propaganda, and having particular appeal to the working classes.

The Government’s solution included state controlled radio (The New Zealand Broadcasting Service 1936-1962), as well as state intervention in the censorship of film, the setting up of the National Film Library (1942), and some of the other provisions included in education policies. PM Michael Savage considered the Broadcasting Service to be so important that he made himself Minister of Broadcasting.

The broader left in the 1930s were impressed by the state interventions by the German Government in popular culture, like film production and distribution.  Prior to Second World War, many on the left were unaware of the dangers of government control of popular communications, media and culture.

The new right in the Western world, since the 1980s, have become increasingly sophisticated in its manipulative influences, which make maximum use of modern commercial systems of communication and media.  They tend to use more covert manipulations, and Dirty (two-track) Politics, rather than direct state control.

newscorp harmful if swallowed

The left of the 21st century, is pretty much aware of this, and thus tends to advocate for a reconfigured public service media, that is supported by, but not controlled by, the state.  Such a public service media would  contrast with the corporate media, be organised in the public interest, and have a direct engagement with communities at the flax roots. This should include the core public service aims to entertain, inform and educate.

Both Labour and the Greens have comprehensive broadcasting policies.  These also need to be extended into the realms of digital media, on and offline, and include both factual content as well as more fictional popular culture. It would need to be done in such a way as to prevent the corrupting and undemocratic influence of the government, state authorities, and corporate or other powerful vested interests.

media-democracy-logo

 

70 comments on “Lessons from the ’30s and 40’s: culture and the left ”

  1. Ad 1

    Any suggestions Karol on how to do this? Get ready for tinfoil-hatted slippery slope arguments about the inevitability of totoalitarian messaging.

    Recall Marianne Hobbs in the Clark government tried to impo a Charter on TVNZ, and it was an abysmal failure.

    Can either the Greens or Labour harness the digital activists as a shared network? Not so far. I think the blogosphere is now better suited to reviving a bit of democracy than the MSM will now ever be.

    • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 1.1

      I think the blogosphere is now better suited to reviving a bit of democracy than the MSM will now ever be.

      Must disagree. This is a funny little world and most people still pay it no attention.

      • RedLogixFormes 1.1.1

        I disagree.

        While it’s true TS is a small corner of the net – a whole generation of kidz are growing up connected and completely engaged with social media.

        Now while it’s also true that this generation is pretty apolitical at the moment – that may not always remain so.

        • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 1.1.1.1

          They are engaged in social media but not political social media? How will that “revive” democracy?

          • RedLogixFormes 1.1.1.1.1

            Most young people never get engaged in politics. They have bigger priorities in life – defining themselves, finding a mate, sorting career and income, starting families or just having fun.

            Eventually a portion of them will become politically engaged at some later point in their adult lives. And social media will be the tool they turn to.

          • karol 1.1.1.1.2

            My post is about a broad public interest medi, that includes more than news and politics – that includes entertainment and cultural critique.

            The First Labour Government had cultural policies that went beyond the news and politics, to arts, culture and popular culture.

            There were concerns about the way Hollywood films were peddling US capitalist propaganda.

            Journals like Tomorrow, critiqued politics and culture – and tended to treat them as intertwined.

            The idea of the First Labour Government was state sponsored arts and culture, plus public broadcasting and promotion of “quality” films and entertainment.

            Today, the closest we have to that is RNZ and Maori TV – and the key Government seems to be gradually increasing its influence of both.

            I checked some stats.

            Weekly audience for RNZ National = 503,000

            And there’s this:

            Morning Report 374,000 listeners
            Nine to Noon with Kathryn Ryan 247,000
            Afternoons 247,000
            Checkpoint 225,000
            Nights with Bryan Crump 174,000
            Saturday Morning with Kim Hill 215,000
            Sunday Morning 192,000

            Compare that with the Sept 2014 monthly blog stats.

            For MR that’s 1496,000 per month approx

            For MR + 9-2Noon + Afternoons + Checkpoint + Sat & Sun Mornings = 6,000,000 per month approx.

            Rank Blog —– Visits/month —–Page Views/month
            1 WO ——————– 3716364 ——— ————-5309045
            2 Kiwiblog ————–695190 ————————-1093806
            3 The Daily BloG ——504304 ————————-813779
            4 The Standard ——–429438 ———————868342

            TVNZ7 got a smaller share of viewers – assessed at being 207,000 viewers per week. that’s about 828,000 per month.

      • lprent 1.1.2

        FFS *most* people pay little attention to the news. Perhaps you should qualify your statement just a tad.

        You mean except for the kiwi politicians, their gophers, the younger party members of the left, and much of the political media who seem to know all about it. When I’m talking to most of those people I usually get chapter and verse about how we should change the way we operate.

        Of course most people don’t pay attention to it…. You are raising an impossible strawman goal, one that the TV news and the largest newspapers in NZ fail to meet.

        • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 1.1.2.1

          Have you done that thing where you come in half ay through, lprent? RedLogixFormes’ point was the blogosphere is better suited to reviving democracy than the MSM. It is a direct comparison. So if your point is no-one listens to the news in any form, that’s not really helping.

          • lprent 1.1.2.1.1

            So if your point is no-one listens to the news in any form, that’s not really helping.

            So you just deliberately lied about what I said. What I said was “most” not “no-one”.

            This is a funny little world and most people still pay it no attention.

            I was referring to your gormless stupidity in using something as imprecise as “most”, when by any objective measure exactly the same applies to all media.

            I’d normally have a go at your stupidity. However my alter-ego has already handed out a ban for you doing a blatant diversion at the top of this post.

      • Tracey 1.1.3

        except for the tv news and newspapers who use people like slater and farrar as sources… and thereby bring their lies and smears and deceptions to about a million a day masquerading as fact…

    • karol 1.2

      I would include the blogosphere in the digital media of today, that would be covered.

      I would rather have diverse community reps on the boards of public service media, than government-led appointments.

      Hobbs’ Charter was a half-hearted effort, that tried to compromise between a TVNZ as commercial and public service organisation.

  2. The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 2

    organised in the public interest

    Who decides this, and can we send him or her to Chile right now?

  3. Ad 3

    Karol, If you were feeling particularly gung-ho and socialist, what would your Christmas list be to add or replace some of these efforts:

    •A Literary Fund was established in 1946 to subsidise the arts[4] and to assist writers.[5]
    •[…]
    •Broadcasts to schoolchildren were extended.[5]
    •[…]
    •A Country Library Service was established (1938)
    •[…]
    •The establishment of the Library Centre and National Library Service
    •[…]
    •The writing of historical books was commissioned (1940) to celebrate New Zealand’s centenary.[5]
    •State support was provided for music, literature, drama, ballet, and the plastic arts, while grants were introduced for students of these fields who wished to undertake further study.[5]
    •[…]
    •Social studies, music, and art were included in the secondary school curriculum.[3]
    •[…]

    • karol 3.1

      I actually didn’t include all the cultural measures from the first Labour Govt – it was making the post too long.

      But I would update it to include digital media and online access. I’d also do some of what the Clark Govt did – subsidised more popular culture – music, film & TV making (NZ productions not Hollywood LOtR type stuff).

      And I’d also restructure the control of the likes of Maori TV & RNZ – The Key govt has been gradually getting more of their people in charge. it needs a controlling organisation that is totally separate from govt influence.

      And I’d promote (largely non-commercial) platforms for discussing and critquing popular culture – TV, radio, blogs, online, etc.

      • Murray Rawshark 3.1.1

        That’s one good thing the Clark government did – supported popular culture, as well as science. We can make great little tv programs and films – stuff like Outrageous Fortune and Goodbye Pork Pie, which not many in the world can do. Most of them might have a small market, but they’re ours, unlike that LOTR type stuff. She was much more of a KIwi than the Hawaiian overstayer.

    • karol 3.2

      And I’d return TVNZ7 or something like it, and entrench it so it’s Nat-proof. It is affordable, as Peter Thompson argued when TVNZ7 was axed.

  4. Colonial Rawshark 4

    Encouraging participation and appreciation of the broadest scope of art, literature, history and the performance arts is a must for any left wing movement. Having a true public service broadcaster does play some role in that. But to be something society changing, talented people must be able to make a decent living in these fields.

    That is rarely ever possible nowadays.

  5. RedLogixFormes 5

    @karol.

    Superb OP. Well worth the effort in putting that together.

    • karol 5.1

      Thanks, Red. It relates to some stuff I’ve been reading lately – for me, uncovered some interesting aspects of the 30s & 40s & the left.

      There’s more than one post in my head from this.

      • swordfish 5.1.1

        Yep, interesting stuff, karol. I read Barrowman’s book (and her original thesis) back in the 90s. My grandmother was a long-time member of the Left Book Club. She was involved in a whole range of Labour/Left/socially liberal/Feminist activist groups of one sort or another. All of these books by international Left-leaning writers and academics greatly influenced the thinking of this mid-century generation of campaigners – whether it be Equal Pay, Social Housing, Progressive Town Planning, Penal Reform or whatever.

        I’d take slight issue, though, with the idea that the broad Left “tended to have a fairly patronising attitude to the working classes” and that they “tended to see the “masses” as being brainwashed with capitalist propaganda…..the rising Hollywood movie system was seen as a degraded form of culture, peddling capitalist propaganda, and having particular appeal to the working classes.”

        That sounds more like the patronising, disapproving, finger-wagging, culturally-austere Upper-Middle Class British intellectuals of the Left – key figures like Sydney and Beatrice Webb for instance. It doesn’t sound like New Zealand Labour Party politicians and activists – most of whom were (or had emerged from) the skilled and unskilled working class and were pretty down-to-earth. Some of the mid-Century artists and writers, of course, may have been a different kettle of fish. Certainly my grandmother and her friends and family always greatly enjoyed American, British and Australian popular culture (albeit in a discerning way, mind you).

        I’d also mention the fundamental importance of the National Film Unit in contesting the views of the Right-leaning Press.

        And, on a related note, don’t forget the cultural importance of some of the more progressive/radical/internationalist Unions like the Watersiders. The Wharfies’ Debating Club started in Wellington during the Second World War (and probably in Auckland and other port cities around New Zealand). They organised proper, formal debates on politics and culture, often inviting guest speakers to debate with them. Guests, for instance, included National Party politicians (this is both in the years before and after the ‘Big Blue’ of 51). These were really dynamic affairs and they sometimes attracted quite large audiences (my grandmother, mother, aunts and uncles would occasionally go along – particularly if there were high-profile or compelling speakers).

        And last, I’ll mention the Art Deco buildings built by the First Labour Government in Wellington and elsewhere specifically to house new Government Departments. Apart from the post-quake Napier rebuild, New Zealanders had only ever seen Art Deco in American movies and they considered them highly attractive and ultra-modern, especially the interiors with their rounded corners and pastel colours. Suddenly in the later 30s and 40s, we started having our own built and it caused quite a sensation. The Griffins Biscuit Factory out in the Hutt Valley was an exemplar (and what particularly impressed my grandmother was that it also included a pre-school crèche for the staff’s children). All very progressive.

        • karol 5.1.1.1

          Thanks, swordfish. Yes, I remembered a while after I published the post, that I had left out the National Film Unit. I will mention it in a future post.

          I may have been too sweeping about the patronising attitudes of the broader left. I was thinking particularly of some of the writings in Tomorrow – and that did include a load of left wing intellectuals, poets, artists, etc. So possibly I should say the intellectual and artistic left – a lot of those poets, novelists, artists, etc, were strongly influenced by the classical culture of Britain and Europe – so tended to be a bit condescending to the new media, communications and popular culture of their time – especially that coming from the US.

          My grandparents from working class backgrounds in Scotland, gave talks at places like the WEA. They also tended to favour the older forms of creativity: literature, poetry and art, over the newer forms like film and comics, etc.

          But I do think some of the intellectual left of the time provide a cautionary tale about being too dismissive of people who consume some of the more populist, popular culture today. Sometimes, for instance, movies and songs that promote the dominant ideals of the land of the free and the home of the brave, can inspire some people to be more politically active and critical.

          I do think it is partly about how discerning people are about popular culture.

  6. The lost sheep 6

    “The broader left tended to have a fairly patronising attitude to the working classes, and/or the “masses”. They tended to see the “masses” as being brainwashed with capitalist propaganda…”

    Some things haven’t changed then.
    Current left wing blogs are absolutely awash with the attitude that the ‘average’ NZ’er only votes Right because they have been ‘brainwashed’ by the ‘MSM’.
    And the further left you go, the more dismissive and patronising the comments…

    Yup, treating people like idiots and dismissing their intellectual Independence is a sure fire way to get them back on your side!

    • One Anonymous Bloke 6.1

      There isn’t any nice way to put it: low IQ predicts for right wing political beliefs, so it’s not so much that I believe wingnuts are stupid, as that I’ve seen the evidence with my own eyes.

      Of course, I am not the NZLP or The Green Party, and you will struggle to find any statement from them that says anything of the sort.

      Speaking of patronising, sneering, smearing and dismissive, have you met our resident right wing commenters?

    • Tracey 6.2

      ever wondered why companies spend billions annually on advertising if it doesnt sway people subconsciously and or consciously? the right employ similar strategies and tactics.

      🙄

      • The lost sheep 6.2.1

        And the Left don’t?

        • Colonial Rawshark 6.2.1.1

          Your comment marks you as a disingenuous, thoughtless troll. Nevertheless, I will answer it.

          Corporations and oligarchs control the flow of trillions of dollars of financial assets and monies.

          The Left has nothing in comparison. Ordinary people just trying to get by day to day. Ordinary people who do not control banks, who do not control media corporations, who do not control legislators. What the Left does have has been systematically destroyed through co-ordinated and very successful austerity and union-busting efforts of the right wing.

          • Tracey 6.2.1.1.1

            yup, the unsubstantiated “but the left do it too” line, unusual in the intellectually independant.

          • The lost sheep 6.2.1.1.2

            “Your comment marks you as a disingenuous, thoughtless troll.’

            Er, really?
            I thought I was merely stating the obvious – that all sides in modern politics are using all the available avenues to reach and influence the voting public.
            It would actually be quite stupid not to? To know where the opposition was gaining an advantage and not attempt to compete in that area?

            But isn’t there another little logic link missing here? The assumption that you can successfully sway the voting public through spending money?
            How did that work for Craig and Hone and Kim?

            I come from the middle ground, and have voted Left most of my life, and so let me assure you that we retain our critical faculties and intellectual independence. I can also tell you that among the large number of people I know who are naturally left leaning but have voted National this time round, there was no especial zeal for the Nats.
            The real issue was a disquiet about the state of the Left.

            The increasingly loud note of conspiracy theory thinking on the Left, (as nicely displayed in this posts’ comments), is certainly a major factor in the rejection of the Left by the middle ground.

            You’ll laugh, oh and sneer, but here’s an alternative narrative.

            Most NZ’ers are reasonably well educated people who have a critical faculty and a mind of their own.
            At this time a significant % that used to vote Left no longer do.

            Maybe the Left should stop sneering and start listening?

            • Draco T Bastard 6.2.1.1.2.1

              The assumption that you can successfully sway the voting public through spending money?

              Not an assumption.

              I come from the middle ground, and have voted Left most of my life, and so let me assure you that we retain our critical faculties and intellectual independence.

              You probably need to read what Puddleglum said.

              Most NZ’ers are reasonably well educated people who have a critical faculty and a mind of their own.
              At this time a significant % that used to vote Left no longer do.

              Voting National would indicate the complete lack of critical faculties. If they had critical faculties then they would never, ever vote National as National does nothing but lie and they failed to pick up on those lies despite the fact that they’re well documented.

        • Tracey 6.2.1.2

          well john key apparently pays crosby textor ten grand each time he needs that kind of advice. i know the greens dont have that kind of money.

          so my answer is yes, the left dont. go read dirty politics unless your mind is completely closed and you are scared of intellectual independence. peter dunne was so scared of intellectual independence he refused to read it and its evidence.

      • Draco T Bastard 6.2.2

        Yep, advertising actually needs to be banned because it’s pure psychopathic manipulation of the populace.

    • karol 6.3

      Well, there is no doubt that the corporate world, and many on the right wing of politics, use very sophisticated politics of deception.

      But, I also think the left should not under-estimate the ability of the general public to be critical of the media, if they are given the information in a way that cuts through, or goes around the media spin.

      I also think some popular culture is Hollywood & US propaganda, but there is other stuff that is critical of the status quote – music, films, TV programmes, online videos, etc.

      The aim of a left wing policy on culture and the media, should be to provide a diversity of views and productions, and stimulating open enquiry.

      John Key’s government has been doing everything to closed down the options – close TVNZ7, pricing community TV channels out of the freeview platform, turning the screws on RNZ and Maori TV, making it harder for working people to be critical of the employers and the government, etc. And WO & KB had a role in some of that.

      • Tracey 6.3.1

        and currently when you speak to nat voters about why they voted that way they tend to repeat all the oft repeated, often deceptive smartly rehearsed lines used by key et al and regurgitated by msm… and, presumably to their friends and colleagues.

        • karol 6.3.1.1

          And the things friends and colleagues say can influence how critically we look at the mainstream media. Word of mouth is important.

          • Colonial Rawshark 6.3.1.1.1

            Successful propaganda propagates itself. Usually via the specific people in social circles who have more sway or standing. And people want to be seen and heard to be ‘in tune’ and ‘up to date’ with the prevailing political and economic sensibilities, as described via the MSM.

            • karol 6.3.1.1.1.1

              I guess that’s why some political parties go for celebrity endorsements.

              Back in the 30s and 40s influential artists, poets and novelists were writing for the left wing journal Tomorrrow.

              I guess the equivalent today would be an NZ left wing blog which has among its authors, Don McGlashan, Eleanor Catton, Anika Moa, King Kapisi, Robyn Malcolm, Jennifer Ward-Lealand, Toa Fraser…etc.

      • Chooky 6.3.2

        +100…”John Key’s government has been doing everything to close down the options”…make NZ a closed society

  7. Chooky 7

    +100 Great Post karol…thanks…a reminder of a more socialist and idealistic New Zealand…a society that was more caring for everyone within it

  8. Ecosse_Maidy 8

    A reminder of a more socialist and idealistic New Zealand…A society that was more caring for everyone within it….tis to be applauded. ok dokey in the 30s and 40s all sorts of media was in its infancy and that a True Labour Socialist govt didn’t manage to nail it all in respect of cultural issues/arts/media etc etc could be forgiven.
    However given what the 1930’s 40’s Socialist Labour achieved a wee blotch in respect of cultural issues is regretable.
    So from the Flax Roots up I have a suggestion for you, If you wish to learn from history, Join True Labour and some of your points and criticisms, can be put right in due course.

  9. Chooky 9

    …who is “True Labour” ?….Mana/Int or the Greens …or both?

  10. Ecosse_Maidy 10

    True Labour is Labour minus the Greens and other parties ( no disrespect to the other parties)
    …It exemplifies Labour in is purest form not undiluted .not New Labour..It is what Labour should always stand for..the People in this nation..not the few but all and is what Labour should be concentrating on right now

    • Draco T Bastard 10.1

      Incorrect. Labour hasn’t been True Labour for thirty years.

      The real problem though is that even Labour is, and always has been, a capitalist party and capitalism just doesn’t work.

      • Chooky 10.1.1

        DTB +100….although imo…capitalism can possibly work in Scandinavian countries but with the lasisez faire cronyist brand severely shackled by the State

        …and with high corporate and wealth taxes and also high State social welfare spending

        • chris73 10.1.1.1

          Bollix

          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_rankings_of_New_Zealand

          Much as you lefties don’t want to admit it NZ is doing well and will continue to do better

          Could we be doing better well certainly but the party to deliver that is the party in power

          • Paul 10.1.1.1.1

            Ignore the tr***

            • chris73 10.1.1.1.1.1

              Oh I’m sorry, is pointing out (with links) that NZ is not doing anywhere near as bad as posters on here say now considered trolling?

              • BassGuy

                Tell you what, when I’ve worked five hours without a break for minimum wage this coming Wednesday, you try and convince me that I am better off under National.

                There’s always Wednesday next week, when I’ll have worked seven hours, again without a break.

                But why wait? Do it now. Try and explain to me how working shifts without a break for a pathetic wage is beneficial for me. Go on.

              • Draco T Bastard

                Here’s the point that you seem to be missing: NZ is doing as bad as we expected. The ‘Rockstar’ economy is nothing but smoke and mirrors.

              • framu

                who wrote that wiki?

                while wikipedia is a good starting point you would be somewhat foolish to claim it as 100% robust and honest truth.

                and chirs – ahem, right at the top of the damn page

                “This article is outdated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (February 2011)”

                nice try champ but you should have read your own link first

          • miravox 10.1.1.1.2

            Income Equality – 54th most equal, at 36.2 (Gini Index) and
            Unemployment rate – 48th lowest (and the 4% quoted is just plain wrong ) bother me a lot and I reckon they’re related to:

            Economic Freedom – 4th freest, at 82.1 and
            Ease Of Doing Business Index, ranked 3rd overall in 2013 out of 185 countries, 1st in the sub-categories of Starting a Business and Protecting Investors.

            And as for literacy rates…

            While the rest of the world’s literacy rates have been improving, New Zealand’s have flatlined for more than a decade, education experts say.

      • Ecosse_Maidy 10.1.2

        Well that’s the point isn’t it Draco?..Thank you for making it for me..I want the Labour Party to represent its core values like it did, back in the day.They weren’t wrong then and they aren’t wrong now..

    • greywarshark 10.2

      I hate purists. They will carry on refining and cleansing until there is nothing left – or just a homeopathic remedy.

  11. Aerobubble 11

    Its the economy stupid. The amount of complexity for the economy is directly proportional to the energy inputs. Also the economy gets stuck, like the wharfs in the 30s and 40s. Technology came along and undermined the bargaining power of wharfies. So what can be learned. Well we are currently stuck, over paying executives. Just like the wharfies of the past they have a market advantage. Some say we don’t have enough nurses, we have an oversupply, this is why we don’t pay them enough. This misses the point, given Ebola, where nurses are asked to put their lives on the line, they get more pay as the job changed. Deregulation pushes up CEO pay because you have to pay more to keep them honest… …or have greater oversight of companies, more transparency. Strong unions therefore come about from legislating, or not, the society, in the 30 and 40s technology broke union power. Now the left needs to break CEO power.

  12. Gosman 12

    If you wish to beef up public service broadcasting you will need to make a better case than just ‘ It is to counter the influence of the right leaning corporate controlled private media’. This is because you will likely require Taxpayers funds to support it and much of these funds will be sourced from people who are likely to be voting for right leaning parties. They will not look favourably to taxpayers money being used to support what they perceive to be left wing propaganda. Hence you need to convince enough people on the left and on the right that public broadcasting will not be politicised.

    • Draco T Bastard 12.1

      I figure quality broadcasting without adverts would probably do it.

    • karol 12.2

      I certainly would like public service media to be politically neutral, and stated that in my post. I do not want government appointed or government friendly people appointed to senior positions in public broadcasting, the way it has been happening under Key’s watch.

      This means that public service media needs to have a structure whereby people are appointed to senior positions from diverse community roles are seen to be disconnected from government. And this means transparent processes of appointment and management.

      There are various funding models as outlined by Peter Thompson.

      The first would entail rebalancing the asymmetrical relationship between the pay-tv sector and the free-to-air sector by the introduction of ‘must-carry-must-pay’ rules. This would require pay-tv providers to carry free-to-air channels and pay a modest retransmission licence fee. This would redress the current set-up whereby Sky pays nothing for carrying FTA channels, even though their absence would detract significantly from the appeal of its own platforms.
      […]
      The other key funding option is the introduction of a marginal levy on all subscription service media, including pay television, telecommunications, telephone and internet services. A 1% levy on all these services could raise, at a conservative estimate, around $50-60m per year.

      That would be sufficient to save TVNZ7 twice over and still put additional funding into Radio RZ, NZ on Air’s platinum fund, Maori Television, or community radio. It could also be used to support regulatory services such as the Broadcasting Standards Authority, Office of Film & Literature Classification, and the Telecommunication Commissioner. Alternatively, such a levy could support a new stand-alone public service television channel to take up TVNZ7’s place in the media ecology.

      • Ecosse_Maidy 12.2.1

        You’re not going to get them fulfilled by waiting for a green administration or influence.
        Why not send of your suggestions/criticisms to Bryan Gould whom is part of TVcak….maybe he can include your thoughts in his enquiry that he’s conducting on the results of the last election..where no doubt he’s looking into media and any bias they may have…orrrr..perhaps you’d like to drop a line to NZ on air or the BSA?
        Yet if u sent your suggestions to him or others to actually do something, you would have to stand by them, outside of the standard on a wider platform.Your choice.
        Yes you would have to stand by your suggestions and take ownership and responsibility of them. I look forward to you sending them to Gould or another T.V execs.
        I am sure they would love to hear your suggestions.

        • karol 12.2.1.1

          These suggestions have already been submitted to campaigns into broadcasting. Labour MPs have also looked into it. These aren’t originally my suggestions.

          I learned from other campaigners, and from Peter Thompson of Vic Uni. He is pretty much the NZ expert on public broadcasting, and is also involved with the Coalition For Better Broadcasting.

          CfBB people.

          I have been supporting them for a long time – have added my voice/printed words to various campaigns – have given the donations, etc.
          Went to a media debate they organised during the election, which had reps from the main parties – Internet-Mana, Labour, Nats, Greens, NZF, etc.

          There were better informed people than me there providing their views to the MPs/candidates.

          I’m just letting some people here know a bit of what’s happening and some of the background.

          Both Labour and the Greens have fairly strong and detailed broadcasting policies.

    • karol 12.3

      And see here for various ways to ensure there is no political interference in public service media. Putting various, and if necessary, mulitple buffers between the broadcaster and the government:

      http://global.asc.upenn.edu/fileLibrary/PDFs/PSB_in_Transition.pdf

      Examples given from public broadcasting places liek Aussie, Canada, France.

      Managers reporting to board in detail. board reports to govt dept in general. Having an independent watch body who the managers also report to in detail – transparency all round.

      And possibly an ombudsman that the public can complain to or raise questions with.

      It’s also a myth that there is no political interference in the commercial media. And that kind of influence is most often far from transparent.

  13. DS 13

    The other thing about the First Labour Government: this strategy was consciously trying to get around the problem that the newspapers (the major source of news at the time) were universally right-wing.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • At a glance – Does CO2 always correlate with temperature?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    1 hour ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    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
    4 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
    4 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 ...
    5 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
    5 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 ...
    5 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
    6 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
    7 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
    10 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
    10 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
    10 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
    11 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
    12 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
    13 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
    15 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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 ...
    1 day 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
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T07:47:53+00:00