Thinking about lost causes, what’s happening with the the prosecution of Kim Dotcom?
We have had:
~ Search warrants found to be defective and then reinterpreted to be constructive.
~ The GSCB shown to have acted unlawfully by spying on him.
~ illegal bugging of him after his arrest that was said to have stopped, and then latter it was reavealed not to have stopped and continued for another month.
~ The then-police commissioner Peter Marshall sign an Agreement which would allow Dotcom to sue New Zealand if it emerged the FBI case against him was unfair and unfounded. (Dotcom has claimed the loss of Megaupload cost him more than $2 billion although others have argued the impact is far less…)
~ Dotcom has spent at least $10m on his legal defence so far, and the NZ Police will probably have spent at least $15m.
~ 5 days ago the NZ Police have backed down and reached a confidential settlement with Dotcom over their use of excessive force in undertaking the arrest, paying a six figure sum as settlement to him.
~ His arrest occurred in 2012: it’s now nearly 2018.
And remember, this is all about deporting him for a crime that is not a crime in NZ. (Whereas the USA will not deport a US citizen Dean Fletcher to Tonga for a very real crime. Fletcher is the murder suspect for the killing of his wife on his yacht there. It stinks of being a case of “him white ‘merican, them not white and foreigners.”)
Dotcom may not be the most likeable of people, but at what stage does the Government say to the NZ Police that there is a budget cap on this particular little cluster fuck. Is it time to say “Find a deal and get it done?”
This case has its own life, essentially independent of politics.
I can’t imagine the Attorney General interfering in the case at this stage. That would be a blatant political interference in the independence of the police and the courts. Besides New Zealand, as a state party to an extradition treaty with the US, has formal obligations under the treaty to do everything to facilitate extraditions. Not the reverse, which is what you are proposing.
The Court of Appeal is currently considering KDC’s appeal against his extradition, which was ordered by the District Court and which decision was approved in the High Court when KDC appealed.
Whoever loses in the Court of Appeal is likely to go to the Supreme Court.
If ultimately KDC’s extradition is confirmed, say around 2020, then the Minister of Justice has to actually decide to extradite. He/she, I am sure, will just go along with the court decision.
But that ministerial decision is also judicially reviewable. So another round of proceedings, High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court (if the SC agrees to take the case). So lets say another 3 to 5 five years beyond 2020.
However, it is not appropriate to give a particularly well heeled litigant the advantage of them spending money and getting hearings at every possible point on every single arguable issue, to be able to say, “stop the proceedings, it has taken too long”. That would be justice for sale.
So no-one is going to give up now. Both parties, being KDC and NZ/US, have way too much invested in the case. And for the US, it is a case of “the FBI always gets its man” (even though they often don’t).
The case will simply go through to its final end, even though it is likely to be a 12 to 13 year long legal saga.
The benefits of unlimited resources (on both sides)!
Jennens v Jennens is not a situation that should be encouraged: 117 years of litigation before a draw was declared (due to insufficient funds.)
NZ’s big investment in this case is in the political relationship with US. Having a new Government does create the opportunity to reset the situation.
As to having a formal obligation to do “everything possible” to facilitate an extradition, this obviously does not mean everything. Anticipating this type of objection I had pointed to a very recent situation where the USA didn’t do go anywhere doing enough to to facilitate an extradition.
Sooner or later this becomes a political decision in that the Minister has sign off on the extradition. Discretion is available at this point.
It would be very inappropriate for a Minister to cut across a decision of the Supreme Court (because if KDC is to be extradited it will be the result of a SC decision) and effectively block a extradition on political grounds.
The only legitimate question for the Minister would be whether a person will get a fair trial. I can’t see a Minister suggesting US Federal courts are not independent courts applying the rule of law.
So I would be amazed (and frankly appalled) if a Minister of Justice exercising an extradition authority acted in such a manner. It would make a mockery of his/her duty to uphold the law.
I would also note that KDC might win in the Supreme Court. In that case it is the end of the matter, and he gets to stay in New Zealand.
So that is how the issue should be resolved; in the Supreme Court. If he wins in the SC he stays. If he loses he goes. A simple resolution to the case.
I would also note that it would be much harder in the US for a litigant as well heeled as KDC to delay the main proceedings by the number of interlocutory matters that KDC had. In the KDC case the various procedural hearings and associated appeals delayed the actual extradition hearing held in the District Court for 5 years.
In the US the judge has much more control over what happens in the court, and unhappy parties just can’t go and appeal procedural decisions of the judge they don’t like. They have to accept the trial judges decision on such matters, and proceed with the substantive hearing. Only after that has happened can they appeal.
I think that is because the US system is much more accustomed to dealing with very rich defendants, and doesn’t really let them game the system. That is why the the various criminal trials in New York following the GFC were all dealt within a year or so after the GFC. And most of the people charged were convicted and did jail time. As with New Zealand once convicted you immediately start your time, and have to appeal from inside the prison.
In NZ the cases arising from GFC issues typically took a at least one or more years longer than in the US before they happened.
The government has confirmed it is dumping National’s controversial data-for-funding plan that would have forced groups like Women’s Refuge to hand over personal client details.
Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni said she was scrapping the plan because it was dangerous and unnecessary.
Under the policy, which was meant to be in place from July, the National government made it a contractual requirement for providers to hand over the personal details – such as the names, birth dates and ethnicities of their clients.
Excellent indeed. All small steps to overturn dangerous and petty (well it is petty, and just plain nasty) Natz policy are more than welcome. Keep at it!
Did the lost comment begin “Thanks, weka. I think there have been one or two women killing multiple people. But when I looked …”
I just newly found it sitting in “trash”. I can’t send it back to Weka’s post, but can cut and paste it there if you want. (Don’t know why it would have gone to the “trash” folder btw)
Probably got bumped in auto-moderation because Carolyn has a login as a subscriber on TS. Any comment that she writes when not logged in shows up as a probable attempt to impersonate a author and goes into auto-moderation
Can I reiterate. If you have a login to the site, then please login. It causes issues for moderators if you don’t as they have to release all your comments. If you don’t know your password, then slip me a email with your handle and a valid email, and I’ll reset and send you a new password via email.
In my view the best gift the world should give all Our small Island nations
Is renewable energy and with this energy they will be able to have safe drinking water they could grow vegetables hydroponicly there are many low costs systems out there this could miter gate salt water leaching there land. And give them the research information to survive climate change humanly. With the education thing with OUR Australian cousins well the cost of living is so high here and the lack of houseing In my view coming here won’t be attractive.
Ka pai
1. It is the Commission Opening of Parliament starting at 11am (with the State opening tomorrow at 10.30am – could be fun seeing Trevor Mallard being ‘reluctantly’ dragged to the Speaker’s Chair.
“The opening of Parliament consists of two ceremonies – the Commission Opening on Tuesday 7 November and the State Opening on Wednesday 8 November.
The Commission Opening will take place at 11.00am on Tuesday 7 November. The Chief Justice, acting as a Royal Commissioner, will open Parliament so that members can be sworn in and a Speaker elected.
The formal State Opening will be on the next day, Wednesday 8 November at 10.30am.
The Speech from the Throne takes place at the State Opening when the Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy sets out the Labour-led Government’s intentions for the next three years.
On a much more serious note, than my earlier comments here today, it is also a Big Day for the Manus Island refugees.
The PNG Supreme Court (which in March this year ordered the closing of the Centre) is to rule today on the resumption of supplying power, food, water, medicines etc to the men remaining in the Centre. An application filed by a lawyer last week was heard by the Supreme Court yesterday. More here:
RNZ is doing a good job of keeping up to date with the situation IMHO.
Yesterday, I also found a regularly updated resource on Facebook for “from the horse’s mouth” reporting well worth reading – somewhat surprisingly the PNG Govt Today site.
“cause international embarrassment” to Australia if they do not accept an offer for New Zealand to take up to 150 people a year from offshore detention centres, Labour leader Andrew Little says.
“If the Australians aren’t going to cooperate and allow New Zealand’s offer to assist – which is the right thing to do – then John Key should cause international embarrassment to Australia,” Little said today.
“This is a time to step up and say, in an age of world wide humanitarian crises, one that is on our doorstep, one that involves our nearest neighbour physically and diplomatically then we need to be applying a bit of a stiff arm on it and say, ‘we can help.”
So where is Labour on this now.
Seems like Jacinda just rolled over and said “OK” – there certainly (as far as I have seen) been anything else she has done.
Where is Andrew Little on this now? Kelvin Davis? nothing from them – do they find this acceptable now Jacinda is leaving the government.
James you are an idiot for making up stuff. Get your facts straight, what Ardern said about the Aussie rejection, was ” our offer is still on the table”.
I do realize you are not a fond Labour supporter, but stop lying.
“Seems like Jacinda just rolled over and said “OK” – there certainly (as far as I have seen) been anything else she has done.” As I said Ardern did not roll-over, the offer is still on the table. Australia don’t wan’t any detainees in New Zealand simply because they may end up across the ditch, some time in the future.
Secondly, I say something like this: “I’m sure you’ve heard the expression ‘everyone is entitled to their opinion.’ Perhaps you’ve even said it yourself, maybe to head off an argument or bring one to a close. Well, as soon as you walk into this room, it’s no longer true. You are not entitled to your opinion. You are only entitled to what you can argue for.”
A bit harsh? Perhaps, but philosophy teachers owe it to our students to teach them how to construct and defend an argument – and to recognize when a belief has become indefensible.
You may be right, I don’t know, but mere conjecture isn’t good enough.
Radio NZ reporting in the news that the government didn’t have enough MPs in the House today to ensure the election of Trevor Mallard as Speaker? A deal had to be cut with National, trading off the number of Select Committee places from 96 to 108. Pretty messy stuff.
It wasn’t just pretty messy stuff. I wasn’t just a big whoopsie. It was diabolical, inexcusable, it was beyond amateurish. The fact that so many weren’t there was inexcusable. Nothing at all should have had precedence over being in the House, anywhere in the world.
They were expecting to kick the conversion when they hadn’t even scored the try.
If the level of awareness is so low of what is likely to happen with that Opposition they may as well resign now.
I’m trying to figure it out. Reports say the government was down 5 MPs (from 63 to 58) and Opposition was down 1 (from 58 to 57? So technically the government still had a majority?
That’s right Scott. I hate to say it but Bridges and the Nats bluffed and it worked. Jacinda and Hipkins were quite simply panicked possums in the headlights. They are going to have to do about 1000 percent better than that from tomorrow onwards or we are all in for some miserable times when parliament is sitting. Talk about amateur hour. And the Nats got the select committee MP numbers increased to 108 from 97 in the on-the-spot deal they talked Hipkins and Jacinda into on the floor of the house as a result of their bluff.
It’s not a deal that was diabolical, double-inexcuseable, yadda yadda, no.
It was a fuckup that might make things more difficult in a select committee or two, but everything needs to go through the House anyway, ministers will still be able to regulate, and if the committee is particularly obstructive then urgency still exists.
It’s not the end of the government, and frankly I doubt it will particularly affect the government’s agenda.
On the flipside, if it had been a vote on welfare reform, or getting rid of the fire at will act or hobbit law, that would have been a major blow, delaying any reintroduction of that bill for the remainder of the year.
No you did not say that! However, in fact, the small increase in select committee numbers from 96 to 108 will not make much difference as National are not the sole beneficiary of the 12 places. The increase is split almost evenly between National on the one hand, and Labour, NZF and the Greens on the other hand.
As you said it was not like a vote on the Budget, or vote of confidence, and Mallard was still elected to Speaker unopposed. But several lessons learnt today, for example:
1. The Labour, NZF and Green whips need to work very closely together to avoid a repeat.
2. Check everything National says before accepting it.
I suspect the PM will pull finger – three strikes? . Hipkins and she go back a long way but I have no doubt that she will pull the plug if necessary.
Re my comment above, I have now checked and the 12 extra select committee places will be split evenly – 6 to National/Act and 4 to Labour and 1 each to NZF and Greens.
Great fun for National no doubt. You’d have to think though that pulling a stunt for no more reason than trying to embarrass the government is likely to wear thin for the general public pretty smartly.
The MPs not present were David Parker (L) , Winston Peters (NZF) , Poto Williams (L) , Priyanca Radhakrishanan (L), and Gareth Hughes (G).
I wonder whether Parker (as Trade Minister) and Winston Peters (as Foreign Minister) were tied up with MFAT on TPP negotiation matters; or have already left for the APEC meetings which start in Vietnam tomorrow (8 Nov) with TPP negotiations happening on the sidelines. They were due to fly out with the PM either tomorrow night or Thursday morning.
English and Co may have won that small concession on select committee numbers; but good ole Peters has today filed legal action against English, several other National Ministers, a couple of beaurocrats, and two journalists re the leak of information on his having been overpaid his superannuation.
UPDATE – RNZ is now reporting that Labour DID have the numbers to elect Mallard as Speaker but fell for National telling them that they did not have the numbers…. Dirty Politics anyone?
If the Government carry on like this they won’t last to the end of their first term. They deserve this – Winston and Parker were valid absentees – where the hell were the other two that supposedly were missing – if they did have the correct numbers then surely they can tell National to get stuffed over the 108 select committee members they had to negotiate over – lying in the House surely is against the parliamentary laws.
Cringe making – sorry folks but it just won’t cut it if they think they’re going to be able to combat the evil bastards on the other side of the House. They will be mincemeat.
Well, Kate is right, and so are you. It’s one of those “if these trends continue…” things.
Unlike AGW, we have little reason to assume that these trends will continue. But then… Trump. So who knows?
I suspect it was Hipkins who made the fuckup, because Hipkins seemed to do the negotiating. But maybe Hipkins wasn’t the one supposed to count. Either way, someone needs to stand up and take a rap across the knuckles, and smarten up. They’re in government now, they need to get up to speed quickly.
I doubt it was habitual incompentence, probably more a change in pace that caught them wrong-footed. But still…
It’s a passing giggle compared to the belly-laugh the election brought.
Did Bridges play sneaky today?
Or was it a genuine mistake on his part, claiming Labour had too few MPs in the House?
Ummmm… I’d say, sneaky going by a number of indicators.
“Or was it a genuine mistake on his part, claiming Labour had too few MPs in the House?”
citation that he made that claim Robert?
“However, in what is an embarrassing oversight for the new Government, at least five of its MPs were absent and things threatened to go pear-shaped when National MP and shadow leader of the House Simon Bridges raised a point of order, querying whether MPs who weren’t sworn-in could participate in the vote.”
I cannot see anywhere that he made the claim you stated?
Disgusting.
Demeaning.
Embarrassing.
Humiliating.
And incorrect…*
“I, Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern, solemnly, sincerely, and truly declare and affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her heirs and successors, according to law.”
Did we campaign and vote for our Labour PM to swear allegiance to a foreign monarch rather than than The People of New Zealand?
When can we stop this trite insulting infuriating shite?
I look forward to Labour immediately scrapping the knight and dame garbage that the Natz reintroduced.
I look forward to Labour declaring Aotearoa an Independent republic with an elected Head of State.
*NZs current head of state is the monarch of the UK. There was no Queen Elizabeth the First of the United Kingdom. There was one for England and Ireland from 1558 to 1603.
“I look forward to Labour declaring Aotearoa an Independent republic with an elected Head of State”
Yeah because Labour has the mandate for that tiny constitutional change???
Are you going to consult one of the two signatories to the treaty before doing so. I think Maori may have a fairly strong view on your republican opinion.
“New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. This system is based on the Westminster system, although that term is increasingly inapt given constitutional developments particular to New Zealand. The head of state, the monarch of New Zealand is represented in the Realm of New Zealand by the Governor-General and is the source of executive, judicial and legislative power.”
The Monarch of NZ is Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. She is not a ‘foreign ‘monarch.
Well, lovely for her – and if the illness indeed lasted only a week per person then they were lucky; 7-10 days is the norm for uncomplicated measles. But measles infection carries a range of costs and risks, about which she seemed blissfully ignorant. Or couldn’t care less; on that thread, it was hard to tell sometimes.
It then goes on to detail all the added costs of having the measles.
There was a pretty hard core of anti-vax kooks long before Wakefield’s lies. But fuck me, Wakefield certainly managed to inflate it from a minor lunatic fringe nuisance into a full-blown public-health problem.
Or National looking sneaky. Either way, it’s unbecoming. Minor glitch though, like getting stung by one hornet and noticing the nest you were about to step on. I guess we should thank Sneaky Simon 🙂
Its not looking sneaky – its just shows when there is such a large opposition how they can make life difficult for the government, and that they really intend to.
maybe it’s about time James the national party grew up and realize they are not in high school anymore, they are a party of has been’s so desperate to cling to power, it is not about people at all but there own ego’s and what they get out of it, Collins and Bennett people loath those two, I personally loath the whole party actually, none of them of them have any scruples
Being a strong opposition for Natz, is playing dirty politics. It’s all it knows.
As it is now a proven fact government did actually after all have the numbers over Natz for the Speaker vote, why isn’t it possible to withdraw the select committees deal?
Today’s events I’m sure will be a wake up call for the government to be even more alert for the expected Natz cesspit of murk and filth to raise its odorous stench to score points.
Sore losers Natz obviously still stinging badly about being sent to the opposition benches!
Mediaz having a poor property investor moment saying they might not be able to afford to stuff some basic insulation in a house and provide just one source of heating for their tenants.
No talk of how a family could be freezing to death in there, no just how the investor could shock horror lose everything with these additional costs and how the bastard investors would make the tenants pay for it.
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
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 ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
This episode of A View From Afar was recorded LIVE on May 6, 2024 (NZST) which is Sunday evening, May 5, 2024 at 8:30pm (USEST). In an analytical essay titled ‘A moment of friction’ political scientist Dr Paul Buchanan wrote how we are living within a decisive moment ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Taylor, Assistant Professor, Bond University Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures At the crux of the critical response to Luca Guadagnino’s new movie Challengers is one word: “sexy”. The film charts a love triangle between three up-and-coming tennis players: Tashi (Zendaya), ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Stewart, Professor of Public Policy, ADFA Canberra, UNSW Sydney For years, First Nations people have been telling governments they want to be listened to. In particular, they want more ownership of the programs and services that are supposed to help them. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Why do trees have bark? Julien, age 6, Melbourne. This is a great question, Julien. We are so familiar with bark on trees, that most of us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Nasser, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, University of Technology Sydney PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an important ligament in the knee. It runs from the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia) and helps stabilise ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne I covered the May 2 United Kingdom local government elections for The Poll Bludger. The Blackpool South parliamentary byelection was also held, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deanna Grant-Smith, Professor of Management, University of the Sunshine Coast The federal government has announced a “Commonwealth Prac Payment” to support selected groups of students doing mandatory work placements. Those who are studying to be a teacher, nurse, midwife or social ...
We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you love a dark comedy: Bodkin (Netflix, May 9)An English podcaster, an Irish podcaster and American podcaster walk into a pub and…make a TV show? ...
By Eleisha Foon, RNZ Pacific senior journalist A Pacific regionalism academic has called out New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS and says the security deal “raises serious questions for the Pacific region”. Auckland University of Technology academic Dr Marco de Jong ...
How worried should we be about the cloud? This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. I currently have a few thousand unread emails languishing in my inbox, mostly old marketing newsletters and piles of unread science journal press releases. I have a similar number ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nuurrianti Jalli, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies College of Arts and Sciences Department of Languages, Literature, and Communication Studies, Northern State University Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Southeast Asian governments not only have to deal with the virus but also with the false ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Murakami Wood, Professor of Critical Surveillance and Securities Studies, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa The skyline of Riyadh, the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia.(Shutterstock) There is a long history of planned city building by both governments ...
The LIVE Recording of A View from Afar podcast will begin today at 12:45pm May 6, 2024 (NZST) which is Sunday evening, 8:30pm (USEST). In an analytical essay titled ‘A moment of friction’ political scientist Dr Paul Buchanan wrote how we are living within a decisive moment of ...
The Boil Up’s Lucinda Bennett considers the oyster – from freshness to pearls to the joy of shucking your own. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. In Carmen Maria Machado’s short story ‘Eight Bites’, a woman begins her last supper before bariatric surgery with “a cavalcade ...
Asia Pacific Report A group of 65 Auckland University academics have written an open letter to vice-chancellor Dawn Freshwater criticising the institution’s stance over students protesting in solidarity with Palestine. They have called on her administration to “support” the students who were denied permission to establish an “overnight encampment” by ...
The Student Volunteer Army is on the march, generating approximately 1.6 million hours of volunteering from roughly 35,000 secondary school students in just five years. For Rebekah Brown, the pathway to volunteering started with her singing coach. With a passion for the arts, the suggestion to volunteer at Acting Antics, ...
Keeping up with online communication can be exhausting, so Fran Barclay enlisted the help of Meta’s new ‘intelligent assistant’ to respond to all her messages. Could her mates tell the difference? For centuries, technology has ruled the ways in which we communicate. From the dawn of written language, to the ...
Jamie Arbuckle, a councillor who has become an member of parliament, says he has settled into having two roles so comfortably he's going to keep both pay cheques. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luis Gómez Romero, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, University of Wollongong Fifty years ago, Australian feminist Anne Summers denounced “the ideology of sexism” governing over so many women’s lives. Unfortunately, sexism is as lethal today as it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez, Senior Researcher in Architecture, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images The COVID-19 pandemic and the hybrid work patterns it fostered have changed the way we think about office space, and central business districts in general. While fears ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dale Boccabella, Associate Professor of Taxation Law, UNSW Sydney There’s a good reason your local volunteer-run netball club doesn’t pay tax. In Australia, various nonprofit organisations are exempt from paying income tax, including those that do charitable work, such as churches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marina Deller, Casual Academic, Creative Writing and English Literature, Flinders University NetflixComedy is opening up spaces for silences to be broken and trauma stories to be told. In 2018, Hannah Gadsby started a revolution with Nanette, asking audiences to rethink ...
The workplace can be a minefield of bad comms and passive aggression. Kinksters can help you navigate it. A friend and colleague recently gave me a compliment I loved. They told me I’d always been good at emotional communication and making people feel comfortable. “But I feel like it’s really ...
Even if some students are now just texting on their laptops. Stewart Sowman-Lund writes in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Councils from Horowhenua, Kāpiti, Wairarapa, the Hutt Valley, Porirua and Wellington City will meet this Friday to work together on a plan for a Greater Wellington region water deal. ...
Renowned musician, advocate, and proud born and raised daughter of Tauranga, Ria Hall, is announcing her candidacy for Mayor of Tauranga and Pāpāmoa Ward for the upcoming election on July 20th. ...
The new Aotearoa histories curriculum is rich with potential. There’s still work to be done, but the education minister’s criticisms about ‘balance’ miss the mark, argues primary school teacher Jessie Moss. In 2015, Ōtorohanga College students presented to parliament a petition signed by more than 10,000 people calling for a ...
For too long our so-called national bird has maintained its stranglehold on the economy of regional New Zealand. Thanks to the fast track legislation, we will have our revenge. Theories abound on what ails New Zealand’s economy. National leader Chris Luxon has posited that we’re negative, wet, whiny, and inward-looking; ...
Late one afternoon in March 1860 a man in a thin green velveteen jacket and a wide-awake hat arrived on foot at a sheep station named Glenmark, about 65 kilometres north of Christchurch. The man was in his mid-fifties but he looked older. Several people who met him that day ...
If building one of Auckland’s possible waterfront stadiums was funded privately, it would need to hold a sold-out Ed Sherran concert every weekday for 25 years. That’s Rob Hamlin’s finding – he’s a senior marketing lecturer at the University of Otago. “It’s not going to happen; forget about it,” he ...
Comment: The debate over the future relationship between news and social media is bringing us closer to a long-overdue reckoning. Social media isn’t trying to kill journalism, because social media has never really cared about journalism. Social media is resolutely in the attention business. News propels some attention — perhaps ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 6 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
For the past 12 years, Georgia-Rose Brown has balanced on the brink of making an Olympic Games – but always landed gracefully on the wrong side. Reaching the Olympics is a dream the gymnast has harboured since she was a six-year-old; a dream that would dwindle every four years, yet ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A new Commonwealth Prac Payment will provide students with $319.50 a week when they are on clinical and professional placements. The payment will be means tested and start from July 1 next year, which ...
Asia Pacific Report About 500 people honoured Palestinian journalists in the heart of the New Zealand city of Auckland today for their brave coverage of Israel’s War on Gaza, now in its seventh month with almost 35,000 people killed, mostly women and children. Marking the annual May 3 World Press ...
The Government Communications Security Bureau denies hosting a foreign spying capability flagged by the watchdog, differentiating it from the system recently criticised. ...
RNZ News A group of academic staff at New Zealand’s largest university have expressed concern at the administration’s move to block a protest encampment that was planned to take place on campus calling for support for the rights of Palestinians. This week, the University of Auckland warned that while it ...
Genterwocky After a hard days marching, Sir Doocey calls in at the Village Tavern For a pint of ale and a pork pie. The grim villagers stare at him. “Do not be travelling on the forest road,” warns a crusty old beak. “And why is that, antique peasant?” Grins Sir ...
Political conferences after a party returns to power are usually a chance for some healthy, even unhealthy backslapping. Yet National Party president Sylvia Wood’s address to its mainland representatives on Saturday hardly contained the unalloyed delight that one might have expected following National’s escape from the wilderness of opposition. Yes, ...
Comment: Almost half the world is voting in national elections this year and artificial intelligence is the elephant in the room. There are genuine fears AI-generated or AI-edited deepfakes will potentially manipulate election outcomes not just in the US and UK, but critically in countries such as India. For that ...
Ahead of the reality franchise’s return to New Zealand, allow us to introduce the eight brides and grooms. Chuck on a veil and tie back your man bun, because it’s time to say “I do” to a new season of Married at First Sight NZ. The reality TV “social experiment” ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University Every year on June 1, student debt in Australia is indexed to inflation. In 2023, high inflation pushed the indexation rate to 7.1%, the highest since 1990. This ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Changes in the May 14 budget will cut the student debt of more than three million people, wiping more than $3 billion from what people owe. The government will cap the HELP indexation rate ...
Asia Pacific Report The prosecutor’s office at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has appealed for an end to what it calls intimidation of its staff, saying such threats could constitute an offence against the “administration of justice” by the world’s permanent war crimes court. The Hague-based office of ICC Prosecutor ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk A women’s union in New Caledonia has staged a sit-in protest this week to support senior Kanak indigenous journalist Thérèse Waia, who works for public broadcaster Nouvelle-Calédonie la Première, after a smear attack by critics. The peaceful demonstration was held on ...
New Zealand Food Safety is monitoring overseas recalls of Indian packaged spice products manufactured by MDH and Everest due to concerns over a cancer-causing pesticide. ...
By Stephen Wright and Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews Fiji’s ranking in a global press freedom index has jumped into the top tier of countries with free or mostly free media after its government last year repealed a draconian law that threatened journalists with prison for doing their jobs. Fiji’s improvement ...
We might be in Invercargill but all anyone can talk about is Gore. Specifically, Salford Street. That’s where three-year-old Lachlan Jones lived, south of the centre of town, between the A&P Showgrounds and the Mataura River. Roughly 1.2 km away from the single level home he lived in with his ...
MONDAY I lined up the latest round of civil servants from city hall against the wall, and signalled for the firing squad to drop their rifles. I stepped up onto a wooden crate to look at the office workers in the eye. But that didn’t feel right, so I found ...
Keen hiker and second-year MSc student Liam Hewson wears two hats when he’s in the great outdoors. “The scientist in me appreciates nature and goes, ‘Oh, there’s that thing and there’s another thing,’ but then the tramper and the outdoorsy person in me thinks, ‘Cool bush.’” Born and bred in ...
Thinking about lost causes, what’s happening with the the prosecution of Kim Dotcom?
We have had:
~ Search warrants found to be defective and then reinterpreted to be constructive.
~ The GSCB shown to have acted unlawfully by spying on him.
~ illegal bugging of him after his arrest that was said to have stopped, and then latter it was reavealed not to have stopped and continued for another month.
~ The then-police commissioner Peter Marshall sign an Agreement which would allow Dotcom to sue New Zealand if it emerged the FBI case against him was unfair and unfounded. (Dotcom has claimed the loss of Megaupload cost him more than $2 billion although others have argued the impact is far less…)
~ Dotcom has spent at least $10m on his legal defence so far, and the NZ Police will probably have spent at least $15m.
~ 5 days ago the NZ Police have backed down and reached a confidential settlement with Dotcom over their use of excessive force in undertaking the arrest, paying a six figure sum as settlement to him.
~ His arrest occurred in 2012: it’s now nearly 2018.
And remember, this is all about deporting him for a crime that is not a crime in NZ. (Whereas the USA will not deport a US citizen Dean Fletcher to Tonga for a very real crime. Fletcher is the murder suspect for the killing of his wife on his yacht there. It stinks of being a case of “him white ‘merican, them not white and foreigners.”)
Dotcom may not be the most likeable of people, but at what stage does the Government say to the NZ Police that there is a budget cap on this particular little cluster fuck. Is it time to say “Find a deal and get it done?”
This case has its own life, essentially independent of politics.
I can’t imagine the Attorney General interfering in the case at this stage. That would be a blatant political interference in the independence of the police and the courts. Besides New Zealand, as a state party to an extradition treaty with the US, has formal obligations under the treaty to do everything to facilitate extraditions. Not the reverse, which is what you are proposing.
The Court of Appeal is currently considering KDC’s appeal against his extradition, which was ordered by the District Court and which decision was approved in the High Court when KDC appealed.
Whoever loses in the Court of Appeal is likely to go to the Supreme Court.
If ultimately KDC’s extradition is confirmed, say around 2020, then the Minister of Justice has to actually decide to extradite. He/she, I am sure, will just go along with the court decision.
But that ministerial decision is also judicially reviewable. So another round of proceedings, High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court (if the SC agrees to take the case). So lets say another 3 to 5 five years beyond 2020.
However, it is not appropriate to give a particularly well heeled litigant the advantage of them spending money and getting hearings at every possible point on every single arguable issue, to be able to say, “stop the proceedings, it has taken too long”. That would be justice for sale.
So no-one is going to give up now. Both parties, being KDC and NZ/US, have way too much invested in the case. And for the US, it is a case of “the FBI always gets its man” (even though they often don’t).
The case will simply go through to its final end, even though it is likely to be a 12 to 13 year long legal saga.
The benefits of unlimited resources (on both sides)!
Jennens v Jennens is not a situation that should be encouraged: 117 years of litigation before a draw was declared (due to insufficient funds.)
NZ’s big investment in this case is in the political relationship with US. Having a new Government does create the opportunity to reset the situation.
As to having a formal obligation to do “everything possible” to facilitate an extradition, this obviously does not mean everything. Anticipating this type of objection I had pointed to a very recent situation where the USA didn’t do go anywhere doing enough to to facilitate an extradition.
Sooner or later this becomes a political decision in that the Minister has sign off on the extradition. Discretion is available at this point.
It would be very inappropriate for a Minister to cut across a decision of the Supreme Court (because if KDC is to be extradited it will be the result of a SC decision) and effectively block a extradition on political grounds.
The only legitimate question for the Minister would be whether a person will get a fair trial. I can’t see a Minister suggesting US Federal courts are not independent courts applying the rule of law.
So I would be amazed (and frankly appalled) if a Minister of Justice exercising an extradition authority acted in such a manner. It would make a mockery of his/her duty to uphold the law.
I would also note that KDC might win in the Supreme Court. In that case it is the end of the matter, and he gets to stay in New Zealand.
So that is how the issue should be resolved; in the Supreme Court. If he wins in the SC he stays. If he loses he goes. A simple resolution to the case.
Spoken as a Law Commissioner. Just looking back at Parihaka and the actions of the Judiciary to accommodate political outcomes.
I would also note that it would be much harder in the US for a litigant as well heeled as KDC to delay the main proceedings by the number of interlocutory matters that KDC had. In the KDC case the various procedural hearings and associated appeals delayed the actual extradition hearing held in the District Court for 5 years.
In the US the judge has much more control over what happens in the court, and unhappy parties just can’t go and appeal procedural decisions of the judge they don’t like. They have to accept the trial judges decision on such matters, and proceed with the substantive hearing. Only after that has happened can they appeal.
I think that is because the US system is much more accustomed to dealing with very rich defendants, and doesn’t really let them game the system. That is why the the various criminal trials in New York following the GFC were all dealt within a year or so after the GFC. And most of the people charged were convicted and did jail time. As with New Zealand once convicted you immediately start your time, and have to appeal from inside the prison.
In NZ the cases arising from GFC issues typically took a at least one or more years longer than in the US before they happened.
Enron collapsed in 2001. Ten years on US prosecutions were still being litigated.
Other cases of well heeled defendants pushing cases out are easy to find with a Google search.
We cannot afford the rich.
The Paradise Papers reveals even more of their tax dodging.
And who and what they are.
Bono.
The Queen.
Uber.
Apple
Nike
https://www.theguardian.com/news/live/2017/nov/06/reaction-around-world-release-paradise-papers-live
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/paradise-papers-latest-apple-nike-glencore-everton-fc-tax-leak-offshore-investment-haven-companies-a8040056.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/paradise-papers-latest-jeremy-corbyn-queen-apology-investing-millions-offshore-tax-leaks-haven-a8040061.html
Excellent news from Carmel Sepuloni – reported on RNZ:
Excellent indeed. All small steps to overturn dangerous and petty (well it is petty, and just plain nasty) Natz policy are more than welcome. Keep at it!
yep – a petty and nasty measure we’re well rid of.
I submitted a comment under weka’s “Guns don’t shoot people…” post. It disappeared into the ether. Are comments under that post being fully moderated?
Oh. A second attempt to post a comment under that post went straight through. Don’t know what happened to the first one.
Did the lost comment begin “Thanks, weka. I think there have been one or two women killing multiple people. But when I looked …”
I just newly found it sitting in “trash”. I can’t send it back to Weka’s post, but can cut and paste it there if you want. (Don’t know why it would have gone to the “trash” folder btw)
Probably got bumped in auto-moderation because Carolyn has a login as a subscriber on TS. Any comment that she writes when not logged in shows up as a probable attempt to impersonate a author and goes into auto-moderation
Can I reiterate. If you have a login to the site, then please login. It causes issues for moderators if you don’t as they have to release all your comments. If you don’t know your password, then slip me a email with your handle and a valid email, and I’ll reset and send you a new password via email.
Otherwise create a new identity
The work around appears to be using a different email address.
Ah. OK. Thanks.
Yes, that was it, Bill.
If you have a bucket nearby , you could try this…
https://youtu.be/zotdxQGCM0s
Oh My God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Wayne – have you seen this?
Y’know, if there was any hint of intentional self-parody in that, it would actually be funny. But as it is, well, my eyes and ears are still in pain.
Think…Thelma and Louise, final scene
Think…Thelma and Louise, final scene
In my view the best gift the world should give all Our small Island nations
Is renewable energy and with this energy they will be able to have safe drinking water they could grow vegetables hydroponicly there are many low costs systems out there this could miter gate salt water leaching there land. And give them the research information to survive climate change humanly. With the education thing with OUR Australian cousins well the cost of living is so high here and the lack of houseing In my view coming here won’t be attractive.
Ka pai
Woman who gave Trump the finger fired.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11941192
@ (7) James … give that woman a medal 🙂
I think she would prefer a job.
Kim Hill had English on the ropes this morning…..
Looks like he makes her skin crawl. Or something.
Still skewered the lying scumbag though.
Today is a Big Day …
1. It is the Commission Opening of Parliament starting at 11am (with the State opening tomorrow at 10.30am – could be fun seeing Trevor Mallard being ‘reluctantly’ dragged to the Speaker’s Chair.
“The opening of Parliament consists of two ceremonies – the Commission Opening on Tuesday 7 November and the State Opening on Wednesday 8 November.
The Commission Opening will take place at 11.00am on Tuesday 7 November. The Chief Justice, acting as a Royal Commissioner, will open Parliament so that members can be sworn in and a Speaker elected.
The formal State Opening will be on the next day, Wednesday 8 November at 10.30am.
The Speech from the Throne takes place at the State Opening when the Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy sets out the Labour-led Government’s intentions for the next three years.
The public can watch both ceremonies in Parliament grounds or live on Parliament TV and RNZ.”
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1710/S00072/state-opening-of-the-52nd-parliament.htm
2. Then the Melbourne Cup at 5pm – Jacinda is apparently having a bet according to Morning Report …
3, If you have not had enough, then Jacinda Ardern on TVNZ1 at 8.30pm in The DNA Detectives finding her ancestors.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11939688
Parliament is getting with it – great little guide to the opening of Parliament
https://www.parliament.nz/en/visit-and-learn/parliament-in-election-year/te-whakatuwheratanga-o-te-p%C4%81remata-opening-of-parliament/step-by-step-guide-to-the-opening-of-parliament/
h/t Claire Trevett Twitter
Manus Island Update
On a much more serious note, than my earlier comments here today, it is also a Big Day for the Manus Island refugees.
The PNG Supreme Court (which in March this year ordered the closing of the Centre) is to rule today on the resumption of supplying power, food, water, medicines etc to the men remaining in the Centre. An application filed by a lawyer last week was heard by the Supreme Court yesterday. More here:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/pacific/343232/court-decision-on-manus-detention-centre-services-due
In the meantime the health of the men is deteriorating badly
http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/343217/emergency-exposes-manus-island-healthcare-deficit
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018620560/the-health-of-the-manus-island-detainees
RNZ is doing a good job of keeping up to date with the situation IMHO.
Yesterday, I also found a regularly updated resource on Facebook for “from the horse’s mouth” reporting well worth reading – somewhat surprisingly the PNG Govt Today site.
https://www.facebook.com/PNG-Govt-Today-1974657442816433/?ref=nf&hc_ref=ARTQH9l6DNb_R7OSY9bhIVhmGjs–Ud_lY49K7qKVxop5LDi-JSYneZy4ZOTmvHO9tI
This contains a number of local PNG media reports yesterday on the situation – eg
http://www.thenational.com.pg/asylum-seekers-claim-situation-worsening-manus/
http://postcourier.com.pg/refugees-application-go-sir-salamo/
It also contains this PNG govt photo and statement that did not give me much comfort re the refugee’s safety …
https://www.facebook.com/1974657442816433/photos/a.1981407718808072.1073741828.1974657442816433/2008672982748212/?type=3&theater
IMHO this is a disaster in waiting which needs to be sorted urgently – regardless of ideologies, rights and wrongs etc.
“cause international embarrassment” to Australia if they do not accept an offer for New Zealand to take up to 150 people a year from offshore detention centres, Labour leader Andrew Little says.
“If the Australians aren’t going to cooperate and allow New Zealand’s offer to assist – which is the right thing to do – then John Key should cause international embarrassment to Australia,” Little said today.
“This is a time to step up and say, in an age of world wide humanitarian crises, one that is on our doorstep, one that involves our nearest neighbour physically and diplomatically then we need to be applying a bit of a stiff arm on it and say, ‘we can help.”
So where is Labour on this now.
Seems like Jacinda just rolled over and said “OK” – there certainly (as far as I have seen) been anything else she has done.
Where is Andrew Little on this now? Kelvin Davis? nothing from them – do they find this acceptable now Jacinda is leaving the government.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11730987
James you are an idiot for making up stuff. Get your facts straight, what Ardern said about the Aussie rejection, was ” our offer is still on the table”.
I do realize you are not a fond Labour supporter, but stop lying.
Where have I lied. Where is the fight that labour had before on this issue ?
Are they doing anything about it?
“Seems like Jacinda just rolled over and said “OK” – there certainly (as far as I have seen) been anything else she has done.” As I said Ardern did not roll-over, the offer is still on the table. Australia don’t wan’t any detainees in New Zealand simply because they may end up across the ditch, some time in the future.
Bit of a “tell’ there James. Now Jacinda is leaving ? (leading)? government.
Oops. Apologies.
fingers crossed for them.
Good article with accessable and interesting information.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/06-11-2017/gods-whanau-body-parts-making-sense-of-health-with-whakapapa/
Yep that pissed them off LOL you no what they can go and do
And with that I’d say that you’re talking out your arse.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
You, of course, have a much better idea than I so as such your opinion must be more valid than mine
Well, you’re the one who made the assertion in the first place – now you need to back it up.
And, as always, No, you’re not entitled to your opinion:
You may be right, I don’t know, but mere conjecture isn’t good enough.
Radio NZ reporting in the news that the government didn’t have enough MPs in the House today to ensure the election of Trevor Mallard as Speaker? A deal had to be cut with National, trading off the number of Select Committee places from 96 to 108. Pretty messy stuff.
well, that’s a big whoopsie.
I was watching and guessed what was unfolding.
It wasn’t just pretty messy stuff. I wasn’t just a big whoopsie. It was diabolical, inexcusable, it was beyond amateurish. The fact that so many weren’t there was inexcusable. Nothing at all should have had precedence over being in the House, anywhere in the world.
They were expecting to kick the conversion when they hadn’t even scored the try.
If the level of awareness is so low of what is likely to happen with that Opposition they may as well resign now.
wtaf?
Was that Hipkin’s fault? Or the MPs who weren’t present?
Mallard’s Speaker…but the Government has crow for dinner tonight.
I’m trying to figure it out. Reports say the government was down 5 MPs (from 63 to 58) and Opposition was down 1 (from 58 to 57? So technically the government still had a majority?
You are right – see my comment at 14.2.
That’s right Scott. I hate to say it but Bridges and the Nats bluffed and it worked. Jacinda and Hipkins were quite simply panicked possums in the headlights. They are going to have to do about 1000 percent better than that from tomorrow onwards or we are all in for some miserable times when parliament is sitting. Talk about amateur hour. And the Nats got the select committee MP numbers increased to 108 from 97 in the on-the-spot deal they talked Hipkins and Jacinda into on the floor of the house as a result of their bluff.
geez, chill, dude.
Yeah, the whip screwed up. But it’s not like it was budget day or something.
You don’t think the numbers on select committees is very important? How come?
Did I say that?
I thought you implied that it wasn’t such a big deal, which is why I asked for clarification.
It’s not a deal that was diabolical, double-inexcuseable, yadda yadda, no.
It was a fuckup that might make things more difficult in a select committee or two, but everything needs to go through the House anyway, ministers will still be able to regulate, and if the committee is particularly obstructive then urgency still exists.
It’s not the end of the government, and frankly I doubt it will particularly affect the government’s agenda.
On the flipside, if it had been a vote on welfare reform, or getting rid of the fire at will act or hobbit law, that would have been a major blow, delaying any reintroduction of that bill for the remainder of the year.
No you did not say that! However, in fact, the small increase in select committee numbers from 96 to 108 will not make much difference as National are not the sole beneficiary of the 12 places. The increase is split almost evenly between National on the one hand, and Labour, NZF and the Greens on the other hand.
As you said it was not like a vote on the Budget, or vote of confidence, and Mallard was still elected to Speaker unopposed. But several lessons learnt today, for example:
1. The Labour, NZF and Green whips need to work very closely together to avoid a repeat.
2. Check everything National says before accepting it.
Exactly – it was a slap and a rude awakening.
Although too many of these oversights will be a rust on the government. Someone needs to pull finger.
I suspect the PM will pull finger – three strikes? . Hipkins and she go back a long way but I have no doubt that she will pull the plug if necessary.
Re my comment above, I have now checked and the 12 extra select committee places will be split evenly – 6 to National/Act and 4 to Labour and 1 each to NZF and Greens.
There’s a new post up too,
https://thestandard.org.nz/build-a-bridge-and-get-over-it/
Great fun for National no doubt. You’d have to think though that pulling a stunt for no more reason than trying to embarrass the government is likely to wear thin for the general public pretty smartly.
It wasnt for no reason – there were at least 2.
1 – to get the select committee numbers where National wanted them – tick (a good win for National)
2 – to make the government look like fools – tick ( http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11941411 )
Yes, that certainly was messy.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11941362
The MPs not present were David Parker (L) , Winston Peters (NZF) , Poto Williams (L) , Priyanca Radhakrishanan (L), and Gareth Hughes (G).
I wonder whether Parker (as Trade Minister) and Winston Peters (as Foreign Minister) were tied up with MFAT on TPP negotiation matters; or have already left for the APEC meetings which start in Vietnam tomorrow (8 Nov) with TPP negotiations happening on the sidelines. They were due to fly out with the PM either tomorrow night or Thursday morning.
English and Co may have won that small concession on select committee numbers; but good ole Peters has today filed legal action against English, several other National Ministers, a couple of beaurocrats, and two journalists re the leak of information on his having been overpaid his superannuation.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11941372
UPDATE – RNZ is now reporting that Labour DID have the numbers to elect Mallard as Speaker but fell for National telling them that they did not have the numbers…. Dirty Politics anyone?
lol nah, fair cop. Someone’s in the schtuck.
My guess is that the whips were looking to their own parties, and not too closely with their colleagues.
If the Government carry on like this they won’t last to the end of their first term. They deserve this – Winston and Parker were valid absentees – where the hell were the other two that supposedly were missing – if they did have the correct numbers then surely they can tell National to get stuffed over the 108 select committee members they had to negotiate over – lying in the House surely is against the parliamentary laws.
Cringe making – sorry folks but it just won’t cut it if they think they’re going to be able to combat the evil bastards on the other side of the House. They will be mincemeat.
They didn’t lie – read the news reports. Labour just didn’t count their people.
It’s hilarious.
Gee, Whispering, you’re quick to doom-monger! Does getting caught out by National’s sneakiness really bode so ill? Mincemeat Nah!
Well, Kate is right, and so are you. It’s one of those “if these trends continue…” things.
Unlike AGW, we have little reason to assume that these trends will continue. But then… Trump. So who knows?
I suspect it was Hipkins who made the fuckup, because Hipkins seemed to do the negotiating. But maybe Hipkins wasn’t the one supposed to count. Either way, someone needs to stand up and take a rap across the knuckles, and smarten up. They’re in government now, they need to get up to speed quickly.
I doubt it was habitual incompentence, probably more a change in pace that caught them wrong-footed. But still…
That’s not dirty politics- it just labour cannot count. By god it’s laughable.
It’s a passing giggle compared to the belly-laugh the election brought.
Did Bridges play sneaky today?
Or was it a genuine mistake on his part, claiming Labour had too few MPs in the House?
Ummmm… I’d say, sneaky going by a number of indicators.
“Or was it a genuine mistake on his part, claiming Labour had too few MPs in the House?”
citation that he made that claim Robert?
“However, in what is an embarrassing oversight for the new Government, at least five of its MPs were absent and things threatened to go pear-shaped when National MP and shadow leader of the House Simon Bridges raised a point of order, querying whether MPs who weren’t sworn-in could participate in the vote.”
I cannot see anywhere that he made the claim you stated?
Disgusting.
Demeaning.
Embarrassing.
Humiliating.
And incorrect…*
“I, Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern, solemnly, sincerely, and truly declare and affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her heirs and successors, according to law.”
Did we campaign and vote for our Labour PM to swear allegiance to a foreign monarch rather than than The People of New Zealand?
When can we stop this trite insulting infuriating shite?
I look forward to Labour immediately scrapping the knight and dame garbage that the Natz reintroduced.
I look forward to Labour declaring Aotearoa an Independent republic with an elected Head of State.
*NZs current head of state is the monarch of the UK. There was no Queen Elizabeth the First of the United Kingdom. There was one for England and Ireland from 1558 to 1603.
“I look forward to Labour declaring Aotearoa an Independent republic with an elected Head of State”
Yeah because Labour has the mandate for that tiny constitutional change???
Are you going to consult one of the two signatories to the treaty before doing so. I think Maori may have a fairly strong view on your republican opinion.
Ignorance of the level in PB’s comment is just not worth replying to. LOL.
Back up your remark please or don’t write at all.
Try these for a start
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_New_Zealand
“New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. This system is based on the Westminster system, although that term is increasingly inapt given constitutional developments particular to New Zealand. The head of state, the monarch of New Zealand is represented in the Realm of New Zealand by the Governor-General and is the source of executive, judicial and legislative power.”
The Monarch of NZ is Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. She is not a ‘foreign ‘monarch.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy_of_New_Zealand
…….a bit change resistant sweetie?
This is what happens when vaccination levels aren’t good enough:
This is a good article on the added costs of measles:
It then goes on to detail all the added costs of having the measles.
All still fall out from that fraud Wakefield.
There was a pretty hard core of anti-vax kooks long before Wakefield’s lies. But fuck me, Wakefield certainly managed to inflate it from a minor lunatic fringe nuisance into a full-blown public-health problem.
NZ Herald on how the new government looked today.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11941411
Guess the news tonight will be the new government looking stupid on day 1.
once bitten, twice shy.
Or National looking sneaky. Either way, it’s unbecoming. Minor glitch though, like getting stung by one hornet and noticing the nest you were about to step on. I guess we should thank Sneaky Simon 🙂
Its not looking sneaky – its just shows when there is such a large opposition how they can make life difficult for the government, and that they really intend to.
maybe it’s about time James the national party grew up and realize they are not in high school anymore, they are a party of has been’s so desperate to cling to power, it is not about people at all but there own ego’s and what they get out of it, Collins and Bennett people loath those two, I personally loath the whole party actually, none of them of them have any scruples
No – not in high school – agreed.
However if Labour was smart enough to count to a high school level – then they wouldn’t have made this stupid mistake.
Now National have the majority in 7 of the 12 select committees.
Do you mean a majority or a plurality?
It is not a “large opposition” – actually one seat smaller than in the last term. However a govt that cannot count looks foolish, yes.
simple simon met a pieman
“Simple Simon met a pieman”,
trying to elect a speaker;
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
Ill take all the select committee seats we want”
It dosnt rhyme, but its the end result.
Ten Reasons We Got Rid of National
No. 3: Dr. Jian Yang
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11937380
Being a strong opposition for Natz, is playing dirty politics. It’s all it knows.
As it is now a proven fact government did actually after all have the numbers over Natz for the Speaker vote, why isn’t it possible to withdraw the select committees deal?
Today’s events I’m sure will be a wake up call for the government to be even more alert for the expected Natz cesspit of murk and filth to raise its odorous stench to score points.
Sore losers Natz obviously still stinging badly about being sent to the opposition benches!
So Mary_A – nobody said that they didnt have the numbers, so nobody has ever disputed the fact you are pointing out.
Bridges asked if people who were not sworn in could vote.
Labour are bumbling idiots, who couldn’t count and panicked. But at no point in this did Bridges tell a lie.
So no dirty politics – its incompetence.
But a great result on the select committee seats !
Mediaz having a poor property investor moment saying they might not be able to afford to stuff some basic insulation in a house and provide just one source of heating for their tenants.
No talk of how a family could be freezing to death in there, no just how the investor could shock horror lose everything with these additional costs and how the bastard investors would make the tenants pay for it.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/houses/98628647/proposed-changes-spell-trouble-for-young-landlord