NRT on the most important issue

Written By: - Date published: 12:50 pm, November 2nd, 2011 - 39 comments
Categories: economy, Environment, polls - Tags: , ,

NRT on the issue that is most important to Kiwis…

Out of touch

The way the leaders of the two major parties are talking, this election is all about the economy. “Balancing the books”, raising the retirement age, savings, deregulation, growth – other issues have trouble getting a word in edgewise. Given that these parties are chasing our votes, and spend a lot of effort trying to find out what we care about, you’d think therefore that the economy was foremost on our mind, right?

Wrong. According to a 3 News Reid Research poll last night, the most important issue to kiwis this election is the cleanliness and quality of our natural environment. Economic issues come well down the list:

3 News gave 21,000 voters a list of 21 options and asked for a ranking; 10 being most important, 1 being least important.

The environment came out on top at 8.2.

Second equal were food prices and the quality of our schools at 7.9.

Hospital care was third at 7.8.

The price of petrol was fourth at 7.7.

The number of people living in poverty was fifth 7.5.

This isn’t an aberration. The environment consistently beats the economy on surveys such as the New Zealand Values Survey and the Growth and Innovation Advisory Board survey. Our politicians, however, seem absolutely blind to this. For them, its “economy, economy, economy”, with the environment and quality of life issues as an afterthought.

The conclusion? Our major parties are completely out of touch with the electorate. They reflect the interests of their big business donors, not us. The only way this will change is if we vote them out, and replace them with people who do reflect our concerns.

39 comments on “NRT on the most important issue ”

  1. vto 1

    Yeah, Vote Them Out !

  2. clandestino 2

    It seems though that what people say in one survey doesn’t impact another poll, with National still above 50%.

    • Ari 2.1

      Given that polls only get people on landlines who they can ring at a convenient time, it’s no surprise National is doing well in them, but- much like the Greens- they’ve never achieved a result anywhere near as high as polling has suggested.

      Besides, National NEEDS almost 50% to win anyway, at best they can rely on three MPs to go into coalition with them. Five percent less and they’re toast.

  3. Afewknowthetruth 3

    David Suzuki put it so well. It’s time to put ECO back into economy.

    What are currently enduring is a gross distortion of the Greek origin of the word; it is simply a system for looting the planet and transferring wealth to corporations and greedy, psychotic sociopaths at the top.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwxedZG21ZE
    Dr. David Suzuki – Message to The World_from Occupy Vancouver

    Actually, the present economic system and protection of the environment are mutually exclusive concepts, so at some point people will have to choose whether they want a planet for their children to live on or contination of the consumerism which is ‘killing’ it for a little while longer.

    At the moment, despite surveys, people still want consumerism.

    Ask how many NZers want shopping malls to close, overseas holidays to cease and there to be no more use gas barbeques and leaf blowers.

  4. Curious 4

    I guess that’s why most people vote for the Green party

    • Ari 4.1

      A little glib, but you have a good point- sadly for many people voting is about who they think they are, not about what they care about and want for their country. If people genuinely voted on policies alone, we’d have probably had a Green government with a Labour opposition by now.

  5. The Southland Times has made the state of our local rivers the main election priority even before the results of this poll. It is amazing the power of the media when they put public good before profit and gossip.
    http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.com/2011/11/clean-rivers-green-priority.html

  6. I guess that’s why most people will vote for the Green party, Curious, once they choose, as AFKTT says “whether they want a planet for their children to live on or contination of the consumerism which is ‘killing’ it for a little while longer.”

  7. The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 7

    That may be what people say but it rather avoids the basic truth that you cannot have first class services if your economy is fucked.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 7.1

      So why is Brand Key so determined to fuck it then?

      • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 7.1.1

        You seriously believe he is setting out to fuck it, don’t you? In the world you inhabit, everyone knows what ought to be done, but one group deliberately sets out to do the opposite because they are sadists.

        And this is why you feel obliged to be so beastly to me, and me to you.

        • Colonial Viper 7.1.1.1

          Hey Ole, shall we get out there and make life harder for a bunch of solo mums?

          It’ll be fun I promise, they’re powerless and weak and don’t have much resources to fight back, so they are good for the moral majority like us to lay into.

          Bring your steel capped boots, you’ll enjoy it more.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 7.1.1.2

          Name one country anywhere in the world where the policies Brand Key espouses have improved the lot of the citizens. Just one. Everywhere you look, the countries that follow these policies are failing.
          One example: National Standards – failed everywhere in the world they’ve been tried, all the places that have tried them are throwing them out. Brand Key’s own advisor, John Hattie, said as much.
          So what’s your excuse for them? You might accuse the left of being soft on crime (itself another malicious lie) but I say you’re soft on incompetence.

          • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 7.1.1.2.1

            He’s following pretty much the same policies as the last Labour government in New Zealand. Success or failure, ya reckon?

            • Dave Kennedy 7.1.1.2.1.1

              National desperately wants to emulate the US who have taken capitalism to the ultimate conclusion.

              During the Rogernomic years we actually even led the US in capitalist, Neo liberal thinking and I loved a Tom Scott cartoon of an IMF official talking to a New Zealand official in a whispering aside “So you’ve implemented everything we recommend………….does it work?

              Well it doesn’t, it never has and National will never learn.

    • Draco T Bastard 7.2

      The environment is the economy – NAct are for destroying it altogether, Labour are for destroying it a little less.

  8. Craig 8

    I suspect that given the Rena disaster, there would always be a stronger focus on National’s woeful attitude toward environmental protection and risk at this election.

  9. Rusty Shackleford 9

    Richer countries have better environments. So, yea, economic growth is still kind of the main factor.

    • Afewknowthetruth 9.1

      RS.

      ‘Richer countries have better environments’

      Yep, like Japan, with 127 million people crammed onto a small group of islands, one of which is radioactive. Meanwhile, the economy is slowly caving in.

      http://au.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=%5EN225&t=my&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=

      Yep. like the US, where fracking is poisoning water tables, where they no longer bother mining for coal -they just blow the tops off mountains, where the last of the topsoil is being used to grow crops to keep SUVs polluting the air, and much of the ewnvironment is collapsing, due to the year-long drought.

      http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

      Meanwhile, the US economy is slowly caving in.

      Yep, like Britain, which has a population overshoot of around 50 million and native mammals and birds that are disappearing so quickly they’ll be gone in a generation. Meanwhile, the economy is caving in.

      Yep, like Canada, which is ripping the top soil off Alberta to get to the tar sands while beetle infestations chew through boreal forests. (As far as I know the economy is not yet caving in because there are still resources to be looted.)

      Yep, like the PIIGS of Europe that cannot pay the interest on their loans and are almost totally dependent on oil imports to keep their populations fed because traditional agriculture was decimated decades ago.

      Need I continue?

    • Colonial Viper 9.2

      Richer countries have better environments. So, yea, economic growth is still kind of the main factor.

      That’s because they export entropy to places like Nigeria, Alberta and the Amazon, fuck them up to extract the resources which the west needs to keep itself rich and clean.

      So yeah thats one big reason why the west is environmentally cleaner and typically free of sweatshops.

      They get wealthy by positioning that stuff elsewhere.

    • mik e 9.3

      Rusty your steel plate in your head is causing your memory to rust people I know in Japan have to use an oxygen mask to breath Tokyo’s atmosphere as you can’t call it air. besides half the population glow in the darken even though their govt tells them lies .

  10. Bill 10

    The only way this will change is if we vote them out, and replace them with people who do reflect our concerns.

    Not going to happen. All goverments, regardless of their make up, will serve the market, either willingly or through various mechanisms of financial compulsion.

    You want change? Stop placing authority for making social, political and economic decisions in the hands of those relative few who inhabit the higher echelons of those various hierarchies.

    Take it (the authority) back and in doing so, be the change we collectively need.

    • Afewknowthetruth 10.1

      Bill.

      Excellent point.

      The only problem is, so few people are awake to reality that whatever action they take will make negligible difference.

      Take the ‘Occupy’ movement in NZ, for instance. Most people did nothing to support it, but they will undoubtedly all be grizzling when the next phase of auterity is introduced.

      • Bill 10.1.1

        Unfortunately, ‘Occupy’ has been about talking rather than taking.

        If, in my mind, the talking had focussed on how to develop genuinely empowering decision making processes, and through reasoned calculation or small scale experimentation workied out how well they would translate as decisions around identified executable actions that would have a real and immediate effect in peoples lives, then ‘occupy’ could have been the beginnings of change.

        But, so far, I’ve seen little to suggest that any ‘occupies’ are moving beyond the position of ‘negative protest’ to positions of ‘affirmative action’…ie assuming control in the stead of recognised authorities in neighbourhoods etc. (I mention neighbourhoods, because it would seem to be the least problematic sphere to begin in. Much easier than in, say, places of education or in workplaces etc)

        • Draco T Bastard 10.1.1.1

          Time and encouragement. Remember, for it to work we need to get the majority behind the movement.

          • Bill 10.1.1.1.1

            Remember, for it to work we need to get the majority behind the movement.

            Which means tapping into the general sentiments of (whether we like it or not) the middle class. Or more correctly, the middle class ( and ‘everyone’ else) tapping into their own sentiments and then seeking to articulate them in thought and action. Which is all a matter of timing. From discussions I’ve had of late with fairly successful ‘go-getters’, (a fair number) there is an instinctive knowledge that things have pretty well ‘had it’. But, they are of the persuasion that they have room for manouveuere and may be able to be avoid the worst of what’s to come. In that respect they are not going to gather around any nodes of discontent that pop up.

            Which is a somewhat crucial aspect of movements. It’s not useful to convince people to join a movement because of this, that or the other political argument. It’s only useful if people gravitate to them on the basis of what they themselves feel or think. And it is only after they have engaged to some degree or other, that articulations of grievances and solutions can be the subject of further development. And the articulations of those grievances and the exploration of possible solutions will be multifarious and inevitably contradictory.

            And that’s why it’s necessary to have screeds of information and analyses available in such a fashion as to allow people to find their own position or comfort zone within a movement. And sure, envelopes are pushed. But they are pushed by individual people exploring available information on their own terms and challenging their own assumptions based on that material. People or organisations ‘standing over’ others pushing ‘correct thoughts’ isn’t useful and leads to disengagement.

            Working ‘to get the majority behind the movement’ is an excercise in ‘conversion’. Not useful. The very fact that particular arguments will be used, narrows the range of possible entry points into a movement and tends to be counter productive. In short, if a person ascribes or is convinced by a particular argument, they’re ‘in’. And if they don’t they’re not…and probably won’t be in the future because, to them, the movement has been defined and limited in such a way as to exclude their voice.

            Movements can only offer up opportunities for people to engage. In that respect they are passive. If they seek to push themselves on people then they are pushing prescriptions on people and the core element of what makes a movement a movement as opposed to ‘just another protest’ that will make demands before fading away, is lost.

            • Lisa 10.1.1.1.1.1

              Very astute, Bill. I have voiced my concerns to the Occupy Auckland movement that they are behaving in an exclusionary fashion (many people who are sympathetic to their overall message feel the same way) but they have not responded to my concerns at all. They have remained absolutely silent. Perhaps because I am not converting enough by voicing these concerns.

              • Bill

                If the environment has characteristics that create barriers/obstacles to more widespread participation, or that present closed doors where open ones would be preferable; and if people are unwilling or unable to acknowledge those charcteristics/dynamics and take corrective measures, then it’s not so much a case of ‘converting’ them, as disengaging from that environment and creating an inclusive one that is freed from their destructive or limiting dynamics.

                This is precisely what happened in Wall Street. The original ‘Occupy’ embraced top/down organisational structures and the established organisations that employ such structures as a matter of course. There was argument, followed by disengagement on the part of those who wanted a more empowering and inclusive environment. And it was they who set up at Zuccotti Park.

                Given the length of time that some ‘Occupies’ have been running on exclusive dynamics, it’s probably fair to say that the damage has been done and any reformation of such ‘Occupies’ is too late; that esrtwhile prospective supporters have become, in many cases, somewhat resolutely disengaged and that such ‘Occupies’ have become too heavily identified with partisan interest groups and their politics to recover any meaningful semblance of a movement.

                • Lisa

                  So what do the disengaged do? There are a lot of people who want to work towards structural change in a more collective environment, but don’t even know where to begin to create such an environment. Yes, there needs to be something far more inclusive and far less hierarchical, exclusionary and “holier-than-thou” than Occupy, especially if, in your opinion, the Occupies have gone past the point of no return, but I have no idea how. I would be interested to hear your thoughts, Bill.

                  • Bill

                    My thoughts at this point of time, for what they’re worth, are that those who can identify one another as being drawn towards horizontal and inclusive organisational strategies get together and begin (where necessary) to figure out how to create such an environment and how to safe-guard it from the influences of traditional forms of organisation/organising.

                    I don’t think it can be about launching a movement. The timing’s all wrong for that. But it can be about being better prepared for any future organisational opportunities, ensuring that they espouse genuine democratic characteristics and being in a position to ‘hit the ground running’.

                    In other words, the cynically disengaged can get down to work. The casually disengaged being by the by for now.

                    There are valuable lessons to be learned from the experiences and shortcomings of the various ‘Occupy’s’… for those with an inclination to learn. And it might still be worthwhile making suggestions to present Occupations….with no expectations that a movement forms or takes root. A little something here or there might be picked up on and lessons learned about the efficacy of particular suggestions and ideas about how they might be better honed in the future.

                    • Lisa

                      Thanks for sharing your insights, Bill. Yes, there are plenty of lessons to be learned from the Occupy movement. It’s a shame, though, that the movement is stonewalling those who are making suggestions – it’s hard to engage when there is no response.

                      I guess, looking past Occupy, many people are practising their politics every day, and so if Occupy won’t genuinely include them, then they will keep on fighting on their own as they have done for a long time. If anything, perhaps Occupy has started a dialogue amongst many I know about how exclusionary such activism can get sometimes, and sparked more sustained thinking around how to avoid Occupy’s pitfalls, which can only be a good thing.

                      I’m curious about why you think the timing is wrong to launch a movement?

  11. Terry 11

    People are rightly very concerned about the environment. Yet they seem to have short memories. This is the time to issue reminders of what the Tories wanted to do to our conservation land, tear it to pieces for filthy wealth. Remember? Remember that for once victory came to the people, probably the only time National backed down due to that tremendous march. Any government that could have wrecked the environment as it wanted, is capable of just about anything! Yes, think about the environment for sure. And remember.

  12. Drakula 12

    Anyone who can’t see that the economy is very much dependent on the environment is an absolute imbecile!! But we do have them don’t we?

    Unfortunately they are running the country!!!!!!!

  13. Afewknowthetruth 13

    In his Portland speech, Mike Ruppert clearly elucidates the argument that “until we change the way money works, we change nothing”.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbiyCldxG8s

    The first few minutes are a ‘slow’ but Mike then gets to the heart of the matter and is very thought-provoking..

    He points out what many of us have known for years, that Fractional Reserve Banking, in combination with Compound Interest, is a fraudulent, omnicidal, suicidal system which requires the environment to be destroyed in order that the system can persist.

    That is one of the many reasons why the election of a Labour government will make almost no difference to to downward trajectory NZ is on (along with the rest of the world). As has been pointed out on numerous occasions, governments are the agents of money-lenders and corporations and simply WILL NOT tackle the nub of the predicament we are in.

    There is also the matter of the failure of so many so-called Christians to be good custodians of the Earth -prefering to have dominion over it and ravage it in order to feed the materialism they have become slaves to.

    Therefore, the downward trajectory will continue (whoever forms the next government) until conditions become intolerable for a large sector of the populace, at which point anything could happen.

    Of course, the situation in many countries is far worse than in NZ (and deteriorating rapidly), so it is exceedingly likely NZ will get caught up in some kind of global meltdown well before the end of 2015 which may trigger ‘something big’ here.

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    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    1 day ago
  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    1 day ago
  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago
  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    1 day ago
  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    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 ...
    3 days ago
  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    3 days ago
  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    3 days ago
  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    3 days ago
  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    4 days ago
  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
    5 days ago
  • Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts

    Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...

    5 days ago
  • Or is that just they want us to think?
    Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...
    6 days ago
  • Arguing over a moot point.
    I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    Turning Point: What has turned me away from the mainstream news media is the very strong message that its been sending out for the last few years.” “And what message might that be?” “That the people who own it, the people who run it, and the people who provide its content, really don’t ...
    6 days ago
  • Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
    No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago
  • Sad tales from the left
    Michael Bassett writes –  Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperation
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research.   “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
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