National – trying to provoke TPP violence?

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, January 29th, 2016 - 165 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, activism, john key, law and "order", police - Tags: , , , , , , ,

A couple of days ago Chris Trotter set out an interesting theory:

Let’s Not Lose Our Tempers: If John Key wants a riot outside Sky City – don’t give him one

ON THE FACE OF IT John Key has made a serious tactical blunder. By insisting on hosting the signing of the Trans-pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) in New Zealand, just two days before Waitangi Day, at the country’s most notorious beneficiary of crony capitalism, he would appear to have given his opponents an unparalleled opportunity to rally their forces and reinvigorate their campaign. … Is John Key setting them up?

If that is the case, then an angry protest, or, worse, a violent riot, outside the Sky City complex will rebound, almost entirely, to the Government’s advantage. Not only it will reinforce the prejudices of Key’s supporters, but it will also alienate those who are still making up their mind on the TPPA.

It is, therefore, vitally important that any protest against the signing of the TPPA be absolutely non-violent. … If John Key wants a riot at Sky City, then that’s the very last thing the anti-TPPA movement should give him.

Now with the news that the police are visiting (i.e. intimidating) known activists, Jane Kelsy has reached a similar conclusion:

Desperate Key trying to redefine TPPA as law & order issue

News that police have been visiting opponents of the TPPA ahead of next week’s signing is the latest step in an orchestrated move by the Prime Minister to try to redefine the signing of the hugely unpopular Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) as a law and order issue’, said long-time TPPA critic Professor Jane Kelsey.

‘Presumably the National Party’s polling shows they can claw back some of their support base if they can demonise the opposition to the TPPA and divert attention from the substantive issues of affordable medicines, privileged rights for foreign investors, democracy and sovereignty.’ …

I think Kelsey is right, in harassing activists Key is cynically trying to blow the “law and order” dog whistle. Is Trotter right too? Would Key really go so far as to try and provoke open violence for political gain? It worked for his idol Muldoon.

165 comments on “National – trying to provoke TPP violence? ”

  1. Tautuhi 1

    Using Red Squad tactics?

    I wonder if the Clowns will protest this time after the hiding they got from the Red Squad during the Springbok Tour of 1981?

    • Rae 1.1

      But look where it got things.

      • Mike Bond 1.1.1

        Where did it get things to Rae? A democratic government in SA, with more joblessness, more violence and crime and more poverty than ever before! Not so great according to the South Africans I know. Even Minto was shocked when he went to SA and saw first hand the “progress” made in SA and what he fought for!

        • Molly 1.1.1.1

          “A democratic government in SA, with more joblessness, more violence and crime and more poverty than ever before! Not so great according to the South Africans I know. Even Minto was shocked when he went to SA and saw first hand the “progress” made in SA and what he fought for!”

          It is interesting that you believe that those protesting for human rights, have the power to affect such political balm and utopia for countries that have undergone vast internal conflicts.

          The current situation in SA, is not the “result” of protesting against apartheid. The pressure put on the SA government resulted in the legislation being changed – as it should have.

          The resulting conflict and disarray is because the system and principles that put apartheid in place in the first place, is the same one that was given the role of creating unity. It had no experience of doing so, and still doesn’t.

          • Paul 1.1.1.1.1

            Read Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein.
            It explains how the establishment maintained control of SA’s economy, while letting go of the vote.

            • Jax 1.1.1.1.1.1

              Yes Naomi was bang on.
              Those who blame Minto and all for Sth Africa’ills now are the same type who blame Palestinians for dying In Gaza during the last Opera
              tion slow genocide fleeing unarmed or at worst throwing comparitive pebbles against IDF dumdum bullets cluster bombs or white phosperous!

        • Naturesong 1.1.1.2

          Retaining the apartheid system would have prevented the move to neoliberalism?

          You’re dreaming.

          And poverty, crime joblessness and extrajudicial killings were non-existent under apartheid?

          Let me see if I understand you correctly.

          Being subjugated, treated as a second class citizen based on race where the police, or even just some random white guy, can kill you with impunity is better than the current neoliberal political structure?

        • framu 1.1.1.3

          non of which excuses what was going on before hand

          the ideal is democratic, one man one vote isnt it – how that plays out in a given country is a different matter

        • Psycho Milt 1.1.1.4

          Apartheid made the trains run on time!

    • Oliver 1.2

      Today’s Police aren’t as tough as the Police in 81. Nowadays NZ Police are generally over weight and out of shape from sitting in the patrol car all day. Also there are no height restrictions and the physical entry requirements aren’t as challenging as they use to be. Plus there are woman. So if think today’s police wouldn’t be able to contain a decent sized riot.

      • Melvin 1.2.1

        Of course they now have light body armour, OC spray, tasers, expandable batons, Glock pistols and Bushmasters. Plus much better surveillance.

  2. Dialey 2

    Of course he would, it is classic out of the right wing text book, that was taken to extremes in the mid twentieth century. So much for “Lest we forget”.

    • cogito 2.1

      “So much for “Lest we forget”.”

      Well said. The current generation need to understand that the fight for freedom and democracy is not something remote, consigned to history books and remembered once a year. It is a continuing battle that needs to be fought every day, including right here on our own soil.

    • fisiani 2.2

      This is one of the most ridiculous posts ever. How can anyone provoke violence? That is just victim blaming. Would you claim that wife beating was provoked? Would you claim that Jew bashing was provoked by walking in an Islamic area.take some responsibility for your actions and stop blaming.

      • vto 2.2.1

        go do laws101 fool

        • fisiani 2.2.1.1

          You try telling a judge that you had no option but to smash your partners jaw because she insisted on nagging. No one can make you think or respond with violence. Stop justifying violence.

          • vto 2.2.1.1.1

            go do laws101 fool, plus some history
            sheesh, talk about ignorant

            • fisiani 2.2.1.1.1.1

              Are you seriously claiming that laws 101 states that you are allowed to break your partner’s jaw because that was the only possible response to her nagging. You could not have ignored it, gone for a walk, or justified your position. Nope You had to break her jaw because you felt provoked. Try telling a judge that.
              This is exactly the same argument here.
              Signing the TPP does not provoke violence.
              Holding it at Sky City does not provoke violence.
              Nothing that has happened or will happen provokes violence.
              Such a claim is just intellectual sloth. It tries to justify violence. Next you will be claiming that short skirts provoked rape.

      • Paul 2.2.2

        ‘Justify violence.’

        I think the Warsaw Jews were right to use violence against the Nazis..
        I think Mandela was right to use violence against apartheid.
        I think the Vietnamese were right to use violence against French and US colonial rule.
        I think the French were right to use violence in 1789 to remove the ancien regime.
        I think the St Petersburg workers and soldiers were right to use violence to remove the Tsarist regime.
        I think the Cubans were right to use violence to remove Batista.
        I think the US colonists were right to use violence to gain their sovereignty from the British
        I think the indigenous peoples of America were right to use violence to oppose the settlement of their lands by European settlers.

        History shows us many examples of when violence is needed

        However, New Zealanders can and should oppose the TPPA peacefully. Violence will only give Key an excuse to marginalise opposition to this attempted corporate coup.

        • fisiani 2.2.2.1

          Are you seriously claiming that signing a trade deal is comparable with any of the examples above. You have unwittingly just made my point.

          • vto 2.2.2.1.1

            Each of those examples involves one group lording it over another, supposedly legally, in an unsustainable way.

            Given the nature of the TPPA and its effect on law-making by one group as opposed to another it is entirely comparable.

            If you think about it. Which I note is not possible with you today.

      • DoublePlusGood 2.2.3

        Your task for today is to go an learn what the word provoke means, and try some basic reading comprehension on the post you criticised. Because, quite honestly, you’d fail an English test on reading comprehension set for high schoolers.

        • fisiani 2.2.3.1

          It is intellectually dishonest to claim that the actions of your Government provoke violence. Just because you cannot by democratic means persuade people to have a different opinion does not justify violence. A Provocation attempted defence means that you lose your ability to be rational and reasonable. In other words you claim temporary insanity! It is just lazy to blame someone else for your own emotional feelings and actions.
          let’s try again
          Does nagging ever provoke a broken jaw?
          Does wearing a yarmulka provoke a broken jaw?
          Does signing a trade deal really provoke a broken jaw?
          If you accept the last one you must surely accept wife beating and anti Semitism.
          “i had to do it….I was provoked” is just a pathetic plea.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 2.2.3.1.1

            Does being repeatedly shoved by a line of police feel provocative? Is it perhaps, designed to be so?

            How about undercover police dressed as protestors doing their best to incite violence? A citizens’ arrest would definitely be appropriate: all caught on video, naturally.

            How about deliberately underfunding state housing to the extent that some state houses have become death traps? Is that provocative, or is it simply a cause for self-defence?

            You can’t rely on people to just keep turning the other cheek to your relentless assaults upon their children.

            • fisiani 2.2.3.1.1.1

              Is that meant to be an excuse for assaulting the police for simply ensuring your right to peaceful protest.That’s disgraceful!

              • One Anonymous Bloke

                1. Is that meant to be an excuse…no, since:
                2. assaulting the police. Who said anything about assaulting the police? I don’t think a citizens’ arrest comes into the category of assault, does it?
                3. ensuring your right to peaceful protest. You aren’t listening – the example given was right wing elements within the police, inciting violence.
                4. It’s not so much disgraceful as typical of your feeble grasp on things.

                • fisiani

                  of course you mean assaulting the police. You cannot enter Sky City that day as it is hosting a private function with dozens of foreign visitors. The police have every right to protect these people from vigilantes intent on violence. Police do not push unless pushed. Stop being paranoid about the police. Why would police incite violence?? Their job is to prevent violence , Duh.

                  • One Anonymous Bloke

                    Who said anything about entering Sky City? There are plenty of less public opportunities to “meet” National Party trash.

                    There are also plenty of examples of Police creating false identities in the stupid fantasy that they’ll be able to entrap some activists. Either you approve of such things or are ignorant of them and in either case your opinion is worthless.

                    • fisiani

                      meet = arrest = harm. after all you admit that you regard human beings from the Centre-Right as mere trash.
                      activist= violent thug who believes the law does not apply to them.
                      I’m starting to understand Leftspeak.
                      entrap = excuse for thuggery

                    • One Anonymous Bloke

                      Nope, once again you’re looking at this through amygdala-tinted lenses.

                      If you don’t want to be seen as trash, stop denying child poverty and do something about it instead. Something that works. You may have to swallow some rats.

                      As for the law applying to me, it applies to me as much as it applies to Jason Ede, Grant Wormald, and the numpties who (no doubt) followed illegal orders to turn Hager’s place over.

                      The difference between me and them is that I haven’t actually stepped over the line. Activism takes many forms, Fearboy.

                  • Trev

                    The only necessity then is to have a strong security presence at access to the sky city.
                    Protestor will remain peaceful (but noisy!) Without the threat from riot squad or armed police. That would be provocation & could smell of “police state control” from our right wing sector.

                  • clara

                    You sound like a paid national troll. No facts, talking without understanding what you are talking about. Not hearing what others are saying. Thinking you no everything when you actually sound like a twat… hold up JK is that you??!!

      • Jeeves 2.2.4

        Tell that to the Flying Pickets in the ’80’s coal mine strikes-
        The Police herded them into fields with no water or toilets- held them there for the whole day, and then started processing them one by one, aggressively.

        Tell it to the youth in NZ who turned up to watch street racing- and were detained for hours and hours by NZs finest (unlawfully) and treated with aggression and contempt…

        Tell that to the Civil Right movement in NI who had 14 of their number killed by British troops.

        Tell that to the French, or the British, or the Americans in WWII – you idiot.

        Tell that to any SA black.

  3. Sacha 3

    Note recent use of the word ‘security’ in interviews by the PM and his main handler Mr Joyce. Farrar has been busy.

  4. savenz 4

    The TPP protests (and climate change protests) are full of families with kids and have been very peaceful. Not sure why this one would be any different.

    Saying that the NZ police will probably have to defer to the US style police and overreaction could escalate (a sign of things to come under TPP where other countries policing methods and strategies are imposed on NZ police).

    Hey won’t be long before the Natz realise they can cut police wages too, with cheaper overseas police officers flooding in under TPP.

    The Natz are already increasing our international corruption rating, how far can it fall under their leadership?

    • Rosemary McDonald 4.1

      “The TPP protests (and climate change protests) are full of families with kids and have been very peaceful. Not sure why this one would be any different.”

      Families with kids. Retirees…whole lotta them. People on crutches and in wheelchairs. Not exactly your archetypal rentamob demographic.

      Lots of angry Young People…and who can blame them when their future looks so grim?

      We have talked to people who have never protested about anything in their lives.

      And a considerable number are over Our Leader’s arrogance and contempt for the average New Zealander.

      Personally, being told by Our Leader that those of us who rallied and marched last year were ‘misinformed’ and ‘politically irrelevant’ merely cemented our commitment.

      • Jones 4.1.1

        “Personally, being told by Our Leader that those of us who rallied and marched last year were ‘misinformed’ and ‘politically irrelevant’ merely cemented our commitment.”

        +100

    • Magisterium 4.2

      The TPP protests (and climate change protests) are full of families with kids and have been very peaceful. Not sure why this one would be any different.

      Because of muppets like this:

      https://www.facebook.com/Real-Choice-1628388307418789/

      ALSE FAY AG FLAY

  5. Puckish Rogue 5

    So don’t start any trouble, obey the law and everythings fine

    • One Anonymous Bloke 5.1

      First they came for the showerheads, and you spoke out loud and clear.

      Then they came for the lightbulbs, and you drove them back.

      Now they’ve come for the sovereignty of your parliament and you bow and scrape and do their bidding like a good little authoritarian.

      • Pat 5.1.1

        +1

        nothing like a little self interested hypocrisy

      • Puckish Rogue 5.1.2

        The law allows for peaceful demonstration, I’m all for that so no problems

        • cogito 5.1.2.1

          And when your führer removes that right in order to further cement in his power? What will you do then?

          • One Anonymous Bloke 5.1.2.1.1

            He’ll get a special uniform with shiny buttons and help to open and close the gates, of course.

          • Puckish Rogue 5.1.2.1.2

            Typical of the left, always making reference to John Keys jewish background. Thought you guys might have learned from Labours Chinese sounding name debacle that NZers don’t appreciate it

            • One Anonymous Bloke 5.1.2.1.2.1

              🙄

              Pathetically tedious pigfucker strategy. Something must have touched a nerve 😆

            • Naturesong 5.1.2.1.2.2

              Just fuck off.

              No one cares that Key has Jewish ancestry.

              Key is judged on his words and actions.

            • weka 5.1.2.1.2.3

              Key was being compared to a tyrannical leader of the kind associate with Nazi Germany, and you bring up his Jewish ancestry? That’s pretty fucked up even for you.

            • Anno1701 5.1.2.1.2.4

              “Typical of the left, always making reference to John Keys jewish background. ”

              thats pathetic, Id dock your pay for that one….

            • savenz 5.1.2.1.2.5

              @PR – I think Key has got more in common with the Nazi’s than the Jews…. sending a Nation off on an ideological quest, taking over the media with propaganda, sending the police in and increasing surveillance measures, increasing corruption index, reducing free speech, sending troops off to wars for political gain, engulfing Maori by post colonisation colonisation … etc etc

              Of course under the “Animal Farm” scenario, the persecuted became the persecutors….

              Maybe Key is channelling a bit from both – he is dubbed the smiling assassin for his cheerfulness demeanour while firing people….

              I guess TPP and the signing of it within this country is “smiling assassin takes over a country….”

            • The Pink Postman 5.1.2.1.2.6

              Puckish R

              I have never heard or seen any comments on Key’s Jewish background ,other than the fact that he has denied his Yiddish background . His kids went to Christian schools and he goes to church. Be interesting to know if he ever attends the Synagogue in Grey St . He’s a traitor and opportunist and untrustworthy.

              • cogito

                “he goes to church”

                LOL. I can just hear him reciting “Our Dollar who art supreme, hallowed be my greed…”

            • Stuart Munro 5.1.2.1.2.7

              It’s not that he’s a jew, it’s that he’s a crook – and birds of a feather and all that – presumably you’re one too.

          • TopHat 5.1.2.1.3

            “Reductio ad Hitlerum, also argumentum ad Hitlerum (Latin for “reduction to Hitler”, where Hitlerum serves as the accusative case of Adolf Hitler’s surname in Latin) is a term coined by German-American philosopher Leo Strauss in 1951.[1] According to Strauss, the Reductio ad Hitlerum is a humorous observation where someone compares an opponent’s views with those that would be held by Hitler or the Nazi Party.

            According to Strauss, Reductio ad Hitlerum is a form of ad hominem, ad misericordiam, or a fallacy of irrelevance. The suggested rationale is one of guilt by association.

            The term is coined in an analogy with “reductio ad absurdum”.

            Reductio ad Hitlerum is sometimes called “playing the Nazi card”. According to its critics and proponents, it is a tactic often used to derail arguments, because such comparisons tend to distract and anger the opponent, as Hitler and Nazism are seen as unpopular in the modern Western world

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductio_ad_Hitlerum

            never mind racism;

        • Naturesong 5.1.2.2

          Yup, thats the issue.

          Will the police obey the law?

          • Puckish Rogue 5.1.2.2.1

            If they don’t then they should be prosecuted as well

            • Naturesong 5.1.2.2.1.1

              You’re right, they should.

              But this is NZ, so they don’t.

              • Puckish Rogue

                It is true the NZ police are soft when it comes to anything to do with politicians or electoral laws

                • I’m talking about the regularity with which the NZ police use their privileged position to perpetrate large scale organised violence against the people of NZ.

                  Queen St riot, Tahoe raids 2007, riots at Whangamata and the Mount in years gone by. This list is massive,
                  Ask around. Everybody seems to have a story of when they first realised that the police were a law unto themselves.

                  Then there is the individual violence where officers view someone asserting their legal rights to be a legitimate target of violence.

                  And the sort of shit they used to pull in the 80’s in Auckland where if you were a young male and they hadn’t seen you before would arrest you on a pretext in order to fingerprint and photograph you.
                  Then release you without charge at 2.30am (coldest part of the night – no public transport).
                  If you were a māori lad, the period between when you were arrested and when they threw you back onto the street was likely to be very unpleasant.

                  Seriously, where did you grow up?
                  Because if you are ignorant of NZP’s history of abusing their position and the citizens of NZ you’ve been living under a rock.

            • Stuart Munro 5.1.2.2.1.2

              Like they will be for the Hager home invasion? Not holding my breath.

          • cogito 5.1.2.2.2

            @Naturesong

            Only when the law and the Leader’s wishes happen to coincide.

        • adam 5.1.2.3

          So Puckish Rogue if a agent provocateur, starts violence, will you arrest John Key as the head of the secret service for breaking the law?

      • Molly 5.1.3

        🙂

    • fisiani 5.2

      Eleanor Roosevelt once said ” No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
      Fisiani agrees and says ‘No one can make you feel angry without your consent.”

      If protesters are angry that is their choice.
      If protesters are violent that is their choice.
      If protesters break the law that is their choice.
      How dare they try to claim provocation makes them act badly. How dare they try to claim that they are somehow forced to be angry, violent and break the law.
      When will the Left ever take personal responsibility for their thoughts, feelings emotions and reactions?
      Would they smash a woman’s jaw because she was “nagging”?
      Would they smash a policeman’s jaw because he/she was doing their job?

  6. vto 6

    Of course Key would. His type are bastards and hard as nails when needed – do not underestimate. Box clever.

    http://thestandard.org.nz/another-win-for-nicky-hager/#comment-1124440

    The precedents are everywhere.

  7. Anne 7

    This harassment of so-called TPP activists by the police could also be a calculated attempt to frighten people away from protesting. They know their tactics would be widely reported and many ordinary folk will think twice about joining a march.

    It is also a political tactic in that it would allow the government to claim majority of voters in favour of the TPP. Government by intimidation!

    • Rosemary McDonald 7.1

      “This harassment of so-called TPP activists by the police could also be a calculated attempt to frighten people away from protesting. They know their tactics would be widely reported and many ordinary folk will think twice about joining a march.”

      +1000

      We must not let this happen.

      No violence. No vandalism. No chants or placards advocating either. However great the provocation.

      It will be the number of people marching at various venues that will be most effective.

      What would be great is that when the protest screens on telly…a large number of fence sitters will regret not having participated.

  8. Neil 8

    I have a feeling Key will have a group of agitators lined up to kick something off at the protest, so Key can paint the protesters as a bunch of vicious thugs.

    • Puckish Rogue 8.1

      Oh please really? Quit watching American drama shows, how likely is it something like this could be pulled off without someone leaking

      Not very likely at all, its something the ham-fisted Labour party might think about but John Keys smarter then that

      • cogito 8.1.1

        “Quit watching American drama shows”

        What about the Dotcom raid? That was an American drama show right on NZ soil, orchestrated by Key.

        • Puckish Rogue 8.1.1.1

          and look what happened in the aftermath, prosecutions, lawsuits etc etc handled very badly

          Keys smart, hes not going to let that happen again

          • cogito 8.1.1.1.1

            “Keys smart, hes not going to let that happen again”

            Next time there will be no witnesses or loose ends.

            • Puckish Rogue 8.1.1.1.1.1

              NZs too small for that to happen no matter what you’d like to believe…in fact I reckon there are times when some on the left actively hope for something like this

              Its almost like some have a real martyr complex going on

              • framu

                your ignoring that infiltration in order to stir up trouble has happened in NZ – a particular case exposed on this very site comes to mind

              • Don't worry. Be happy

                There were undercover cops on many anti tour marches. particularly obvious in smaller towns,like Dunedin

                • red-blooded

                  I was involved in organising anti-tour marches in ’85 (when the ABs were going to SA – called off in the end because the Labour government wouldn’t issue visas, which meant most went anyway as “The Cavaliers). Our planning group was infiltrated by an undercover cop. As it happens, I’m not ashamed of anything said or done by that group (no, I’ll go further – I’m proud), and there were no prosecutions because it wasn’t the group organising illegal activities, but it’s definitely a case that shows our NZ police infiltrating and spying on a protest group.

          • Stuart Munro 8.1.1.1.2

            All of which is no compensation to the victim of their theatrics. Dotcom would’ve led a significant IT sector in NZ by now – but Key fed him to the corrupt US system for brownie points.

            Think Key wouldn’t drive LAVs over protestors? He wouldn’t even blink.

            • Puckish Rogue 8.1.1.1.2.1

              Bollix, KDC would have shafted everyone he came in contact with. The IT sector in NZ can breath a sigh of relief it didn’t happen.

              • Stuart Munro

                Innocent man and business destroyed by corrupt state – just like SCF. Key is no better than Stalin.

          • McFlock 8.1.1.1.3

            If key were all that smart, it wouldn’t have happened the first time around.

        • Puckish Rogue 8.1.2.1

          Exactly my point, all big, large countries with more resources then NZ yet the media get hold of it so what hope would NZ with its extremely small population be able to pull off something like this?

          Not likely is all, you think someone in an office somewhere wouldn’t gossip about this to someone…then they’d talk to someone and so forth

          Wouldn’t take long for the media or the Left to get hold of this and that would sink National quicker then anything Labour are likely to come up with on their own

          • cogito 8.1.2.1.1

            You’re dreaming mate.

            The media? Like those bunch of paparazzi working for Key’s mate Weldon? They go after every dead cat he throws at them, leaving him all the space he needs to undertake his dirty tricks out of sight.

            As for someone in an office etc, you’re dreaming again. Remember what happened to that poor waitress re ponytail-gate. She was well and truly shafted by Key’s mate Glucina at the Herald. People are scared stiff of spilling the beans or attracting attention. They just take cover and hope they won’t be in the firing line.

            • Puckish Rogue 8.1.2.1.1.1

              and everyone knows about it, the story wasn’t hidden it was right there on the news, in the papers everywhere

              If the media were really in the thrall of the National Party stories like this would never see the light of day

              • cogito

                Thank the Lord for Bomber and The Daily Blog, as that’s who she contacted. Then Key’s mob tried to shaft her.

              • One Anonymous Bloke

                😆 Is that some deliberate misunderstanding much? Or do I need to explain “clickbait” to you?

          • joe90 8.1.2.1.2

            so what hope would NZ with its extremely small population be able to pull off something like this?

            They have.

            /

      • Pasupial 8.1.3

        PR

        NAct couldn’t pull off their dirty politics without leaking, but since they control the media that didn’t hurt them much. Their problem seems to be more one of self-aggrandizing boasting than leaking – for example, take Pannett on the Dotcom raid:

        “Feedback on the New Zealand operation has been extremely positive from our international law enforcement partners including the FBI and the US Department of Justice,” Mr Pannett reported in the February Police online magazine, TenOne.

        http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1210/S00006/key-dotcom-and-hollywood.htm

        Also, perhaps you could suggest an Aotearoan drama show to watch (Shortland St doesn’t count)? Everything on the TV seems to be made overseas – most often in the USA.

        • Puckish Rogue 8.1.3.1

          I’d look to see if this available somewhere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Governor_(TV_series)

          • Pasupial 8.1.3.1.1

            A 1977 series is the most recent example you can recall of a New Zealand drama show? I can think of several more recent than that, just not so many in the last few years. But then I don’t watch a lot of TV these days.

            I’ll take your silence as agreement on my main point that; “[NAct’s] problem seems to be more one of self-aggrandizing boasting than leaking”.

            • Puckish Rogue 8.1.3.1.1.1

              It is, kiwis like a bit of boasting but theres a line and National are very close to it.

              The Governor is still one of the best dramas ever made

      • b waghorn 8.1.4

        A couple of texts to his mate slater would suffice I’m sure. Their would be a few oily fans happy to do a bit of dirty work .

      • Wensleydale 8.1.5

        Watch “Into The Fire”, a documentary freely available on YouTube about the 2010 G20 protests in Toronto. You think agent provocateurs are a figment of left-wing imagination? This film might disabuse you of that notion. There is footage of so-called Black Block activists, smashing up shop-front windows and setting fire to conveniently abandoned police cruisers, only to then retreat behind police lines. You also hear first-hand stories from victims of police brutality, including an elderly amputee who was dragged through a park by the police, and had his prosthetic leg confiscated as a “make-shift weapon”. Anyone who thinks this stuff is pure fantasy has their head buried in the sand.

    • whateva next? 8.2

      wouldn’t surprise me in the least, his answer to everything” throw money at it”, and pay a wadge of cash some idiots to pose as “agitators”.

  9. weka 9

    Hooton appears to be reading from the same dog whistle memo,

    Matthew Hooton …
    28 January 2016 at 9:40 pm

    You make a good point. So why are people going to riot against the signing?

    http://thestandard.org.nz/little-on-tpp-i-dont-support-it-we-dont-support-it/#comment-1125133

    That’s pretty sick.

  10. roy cartland 10

    Is Muldoon really his idol? I was pretty young at the time of Muldoon, but the more I read about him the more he seems like he’d almost be to the left of Labour these days. (Not trolling, btw, any enlightenment welcome.)

    • Puckish Rogue 10.1

      I actually wouldn’t mind a bit of Muldoonism back…like making the entire state highway one four lanes and all bridges on state highways to be at least double lane

  11. Penny Bright 11

    Let’s FOCUS on getting THOUSANDS of concerned New Zealanders to PACK Queen Street, for one hour of peaceful protest on Thursday 4 February 2016, from 12 noon till 1pm.
    Starting from Aotea Square and ending at Britomart, to show this John Key led National Government (and the world!) that we do NOT want NZ to sign the TPPA!

    How are YOU going to get to Aotea Square at 12 noon on Thursday 4 February 2016?

    Who are you going to bring with you?

    How are YOU going to help get the word out to STAND UP and be counted against the TPPA in this colourful, family-friendly peaceful protest up Queen Street – lunchtime Thursday 4 February 2016?

    It’s (peaceful) PEOPLE POWER time!

    Penny Bright
    2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.

  12. Bill 12

    Well, on all the protests I’ve been along to over the years, I’ve never (pickets aside) witnessed any violence.

    Look for the small band of agent provocateurs who may be out to give TVNZ the ‘lobbed brick’ footage the Prime Minister may be craving.

    edit – If it does happen, form a two or three deep human ring around them. Join hands or lock arms. Slowly shuffle out and away from the march. And get your cell phone camera on to it 😉

  13. Bill 13

    Dunedin strikes me as particularly dodgy 😉

    From personal email in-box.

    On Saturday 30th January, 12 pm to 2.30 pm in the Octagon, we are holding a rally/picnic/info and entertainment “TPPA Don’t Sign” action event for all the family. Come along and say ‘Hi!’, bring your lunch or afternoon tea, meet some friends and sign the petition. We welcome participation from people or groups with positive alternatives to share and if you want to take part in any way, please reply by return email.

    • weka 13.1

      Lol, last time Dunedin had a riot it was drunken students trying to uphold their privilege to burn couches on the street. Protestors generally can’t be bothered with that shit (the Tour might be the one exception).

      • Bill 13.1.1

        Not even sure that students were rioting on that occasion, so much as drunken testosterone laden young lads reacting unwisely to a heavy handed police presence.

        Anyway…I’m liking the idea that Dunedin is possibly doing something a bit more involved than the usual “march/rally and…go home” nonsense that’s come to pass itself off as effective participation of society in protest these past years.

  14. Mosa 14

    Key does not make tatical blunders!!
    Make no mistake he is behaving like all tin pot dictators with the silent approval of all NATIONAL MP’S. and Phil Goff who is totally misguided on the ramifications of this on the independence and sovereignty of NZ
    He has a short memory it was not that long ago that he was a victim
    of Keys dirty tricks hit squad. Little has his work cut out on this one.

  15. whateva next? 15

    …and Right Wing agitators, Hooten et al, implying the protests are against a “free” trade agreement, doesn’t look very “free” to me (off shore tribunals insuring corporate welfare), and far from “letting the market” decide, it’s ensuring the big boys decide, and the rest of us can go to hell.

  16. TopHat 16

    This is merely the catalyst for new laws granting greater powers to SIS, GCSB, Police etc.

  17. riffer 17

    I’m of the opinion we have more to fear from agents provocateur creating “video bites” to use against the anti-TPP protests. The likelihood of large scale riot police action against crowds containing large amounts of women and children is much less, and would turn the tide against the government. There’s some sneaky stuff going on all right.

  18. Mosa 18

    Key does not make serious tactical errors!! The Sky city sign up venue is delibrate.
    He wins either way.
    If people are violent it will strengthen his position as it did for Muldoon in 1981 changing the debate to one of law and order and his justification for harsh methods used to contain the increasing violence.
    So much money and influence have been used by Key/Joyce and others for the benefit of Sky City that it was a given that this was the venue for the TPPA sign up.
    The irony of course is that after the Hobbit the Sky city deal was the start of our democracy being signed away.

  19. Anne 19

    Martyn Bradbury’s latest post on DTB.

    American narc put in charge of NZ Police for TPPA protests.

    What this boils down to: any good law abiding citizens who dare to stick their heads above the parapet and acknowledge they are against the TPPA as it currently stands, are now to be treated as prospective terrorists?

    • Heather Grimwood 19.1

      to Anne at 19…..I hear Muldoon’s diatribes re terrorists ringing in my ears!

      • Anne 19.1.1

        We were all dangerous Commies in Muldoon’s day. He had the SIS/Police compile a list of people supposedly involved in subversive Communist activity – 100 of them from memory. Some were well known members of the Communist Party who made no attempt to hide their political sympathies so were unlikely to be subversives. The rest were just common garden Kiwis who were either in the wrong place at the wrong time or who helped organise protests against the Vietnam War, sporting contacts with Apartheid Sth. Africa and French nuclear testing in the Pacific. From memory there were a few successful defamation cases against RD Muldoon over that little saga.

        • vto 19.1.1.1

          Anne “who helped organise protests against the Vietnam War, sporting contacts with Apartheid Sth. Africa and French nuclear testing in the Pacific. ”

          Funny how all major protest movements turn out to be wholly and completely correct in the end.

          Right wing conservative Nat Party members take note (yeah right – some people never learn)

          The protestors have been right in the past.

          They will be shown to be right again now.

          If only said dumbarse right wing conservative folk learned to acknowledge their own limitations, namely an inability to see the future. And enhance their talents, namely acting as ballast in the bottom of the ship

          • Anne 19.1.1.1.1

            Funny how all major protest movements turn out to be wholly and completely correct in the end.

            I made the same observation on this site a few days ago.

            Not sure what you meant by “who helped organise protests……”. There were the well known figures such as the late Tom Newman, Trevor Richards and of course John Minto. But behind them were a host of individuals including a large contingent from the Labour Party who assisted behind the scenes.

  20. framu 20

    theres an easy answer – party as protest

    PA systems make more noise, you can still have signs and its an atmosphere of fun

    bit hard to paint people dancing in the street as thugs

    • Stuart Munro 20.1

      “A revolution without dancing is not a revolution worth having.” – V

    • Richard Christie 20.2

      bit hard to paint people dancing in the street as thugs

      Please recall what happened to “the clowns” in ’81, as they had their skulls cracked.

      • framu 20.2.1

        true – but thats a group of clowns in the middle of a crowd (plus ive known a few Ronald McDonalds who have copped a baton in a crowd as well)

        it becomes a different story if the entire crowd is doing it – which is my point.

        By presenting a protest that is having fun you still get to shout your message to the roof tops and disrupt things – but how you are viewed by the MSM and the public changes

        note: this only works if its everyone doing it

  21. whatisis 21

    Personally I have been tinkering with the all black supporters disguise and making a really good slingshot.
    As I read in a comment the other day protesting just gets ignored and the ptb just rock on.
    So good luck with your peacefull protest. Anarchy and mayhem is whats necessary to make any difference at this late stage in my mind.

    • Naturesong 21.1

      If you choose violence thats your lookout, but please keep it away from the protests.

      There will be families, kids and elderly attending.

    • Stuart Munro 21.2

      Police wear padding, helmets and shields. You’d only make them angry.

      • gsays 21.2.1

        all the padding and helmets and anger doesnt count for much if your thumbs are cable tied behind yr back.
        because an organized, coordinated crowd would quickly overwhelm any constabulary.

        but then what?

        • Stuart Munro 21.2.1.1

          Investigate Key’s involvement in

          * Equiticorp
          *SCF
          *NZ Rail shares
          *GCSB

          These will be sufficient to establish his criminality, which automatically removes him from parliament. Likewise investigate his colleagues. The Blue Team will be down to about three members by the time the new election is called.

    • greywarshark 21.3

      whatisis
      You sound just like a human wrecking ball. It can take quite a few swings before a building tumbles down. The political system and infrastructure that has been built in NZ is already under attack though still standing, trembling a little.

      Your approach would further this attack on the people’s heritage of government and civilisation. The rest of us won’t feel grateful to you. Would you be just after the satisfaction of breaking our toys? If so you are a nasty boy and we don’t want to play with you.

  22. The Trans Pacific Partnership protests have been too peaceful for National. So, because it could not find a threat, it is manufacturing a threat.

    http://willnewzealandberight.com/2016/01/29/police-surveillance-of-t-p-p-a-protestors-a-sign-of-desperation/

  23. whateva next? 23

    The Tories sure are “strong in standing up to the weak, and weak in standing up to the strong” in every way, the TPPA, the attitude to protesters, shows this very clearly, as I have just said on TDB aswell

  24. Sabine 24

    Martin Luther King and this one particular demonstration in Birmingham comes to mind, when the police put watercanons to work and let loose dogs on People dressed in their Sunday finest demonstrating for their right to be considered human.
    It was the one demonstration that changed the mindset. It was one thing to set the dogs loose on Man demonstrating, but water canon, dogs onto women and children?

    http://www.express.co.uk/pictures/galleries/3021/Civil-Rights-Voting-Act-1965-anniversary-Rosa-Parks-Martin-Luther-King-pictures/Firemen-prepare-to-use-water-cannons-to-suppress-African-American-demonstrators-on-the-far-side-of-the-street-during-race-riots-in-Birmingham-Alabama-in-the-1960s-67141

    Me thinks that those that want the police to be going after protesters to show the ‘loony lefty ‘ and the ‘key haters’ and the ‘anti tppa children’ should be careful about the ghosts they are calling. They might not get rid of them and it might back fire.

    Personally I think the best that could be done is what Police Officers in the States did to Barack Obama last year http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/01/why-the-nypd-turned-its-back-on-the-city/384196/ after all what is good for the goose is good for the gander

    • whateva next? 24.1

      The government resorted to same tactics (surveillance , intimidation and public punishment/humiliation) when women dared to ask for a vote in England, how very dare they

  25. Richard@Down South 25

    It’s a pretty shitty situation…

    You can refuse to talk to the police IIRC, if they don’t have a warrant?

    • TopHat 25.1

      You can refuse to talk to the police even if they do have a warrant.

      • Richard@Down South 25.1.1

        Sorry, I meant you don’t have to let them in

        Police “We’re here to have a chat”
        No Warrant? No thanks

        • One Anonymous Bloke 25.1.1.1

          OAB: Hi officer.
          Officer: Hi Mr. OAB. I have few questions to ask regarding your involvement in the TPP demonstrations.
          OAB: I wish to report a crime in progress.
          Officer: ?
          OAB: Officer, who ordered you to illegally interfere in my lawful business? Stop harassing your employer and go and do your job,
          and I’ll try to make sure you get a pay-rise and more front-line colleagues too.

  26. Scott M 27

    Anyone have a reasonable prediction of how many are expected to protest in CBD on 4th Feb?

  27. Mosa 28

    All of you who hated the so called nanny state can now sit back and enjoy the police state instead !!!

  28. anthony 29

    Everyone attending the rally could wear bright happy colored clothing with heads and faces open and uncovered, that way if any naughty folk want to provoke trouble they will stand out like the proverbial ……….

  29. greywarshark 30

    I might be repeating this info heard on RADIONZ this morning but a speaker on non violent protests and when they work or don’t was interesting

    Professor and Associate Dean for Research at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, and expert on non-violent civil resistance, and terrorism.
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/201787445

    8:12 Erica Chenoweth
    Dr Erica Chenoweth is Professor and Associate Dean for Research at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. An expert on non-violent civil resistance, she was named one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers of 2013 by Foreign Policy magazine, and her 22011 book with Maria J Stephan, Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict (Columbia Universiy Press), has won many awards.

    Professor Chenoweth is visiting New Zealand on a William Evans Fellowship as a guest of the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Otago
    (to 12 February).
    While at the university, she will present a seminar, Do Violent Flanks Help or Hurt Campaigns of Nonviolent Resistance? (2 February), and a public lecture, Why Civil Resistance Works (11 February).

  30. Coaster 31

    If there are riots against the tpp it will damage bernie sanders as well, at a very crucial time.

  31. Paul 32

    Anyone else noticed that Hooton felt he had to get his spin right at the top of the recent thread against the TPPA by Andrew Little ?
    I sense the Nats are very nervous about the public’s perception of TPPA.

    • Whateva next? 32.1

      Yep, he sure is putting a lot of energy into undermining Andrew Little, showing himself as the twerp we know he is

  32. TeWhareWhero 33

    I think a mass showing of bare bums would be the most appropriate form of protest.

  33. Just Me 34

    Methinks Key has been watching too many Sleeping Dogs videos.
    It’s a wonderful way for him to bring in American troops to quell the peasant stock(ordinary NZers) to do his bidding. He has never listened to NZers in the past and unlikely to ever do so. It’s John Key’s way or John Key’s way. A lunatic exists within John Key.

    Out of all this I think we now know there is no such thing as an honest National government politician. They are all tainted with the same brush. But it’s a shame they seem to have completely lost touch with NZers because they must always obey their Dearest Leader i.e one American John Key.

    Someday and I am sure it will happen sometime soon I wish Key would start listening to New Zealanders. Right now in his perfect arrogance he has lost complete touch with us Kiwis whilst he pursues his love affair of all things American.

  34. mac1 35

    142 comments so far.
    Comments by fisiani or in reaction to his foolery some 29.
    Comments by Puckish Rogue and his introduction of his misleading comments about Jewishness and racism, and reaction thereto some 40.

    Half of this important topic responsible to two jerk offs and their spawn.

  35. mark tugendhaft 36

    That is why he is using armed guards. But if he gets too heavy maybe it will backfire on him?

    the real next move is a vote of no confidence by a coalition of Labour, Greens, Maori party, NZ First

  36. RangiMarie aka Lady Justice 37

    What is the greatest threat John Key corrupt government faces….the First Maori Queen to replace their queen elizabeth of england who never resided here! Kamutu porangi pakeha haere ra ki Ingarangi Haere ra haere ra! INDEPENDENCE ON HORIZON FOR NEW ZEALAND under Maori Tribal governing.

  37. Rosemary McDonald 38

    Stuff coverage of today’s protest in Christchurch.

    Goodness gracious me!

    I thought the protests were supposed to be peaceful and non violent…so Christchurch rolls out the heavy mob.

    Tut tut tut…Key has every cause to worry.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/76413819/democracy-buried-at-antitppa-protest-in-christchurch

Links to post

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 ...
    4 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
    10 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
    3 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
    8 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
    10 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 2024-03-19T07:36:14+00:00