Open Mike 10/07/2018

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, July 10th, 2018 - 75 comments
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75 comments on “Open Mike 10/07/2018 ”

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  1. AsleepWhileWalking 1
    10 July 2018 at 7:25 am

    Eight miracles!

    Let’s pray for five more.

    • Ffloyd 1.1
      10 July 2018 at 7:42 am

      Amen to that AWW.

      • DH 1.1.1
        10 July 2018 at 11:10 am

        They’ve done an amazing job, must have really thought everything through and worked out a solution to every conceivable obstacle.

        Diving in low vis is bloody scary if you’re even slightly claustrophobic, I don’t know how cave divers do it.

      • halfcrown 1.1.2
        10 July 2018 at 12:30 pm

        +100%

        • Ankerrawshark 1.1.2.1
          10 July 2018 at 1:06 pm

          Yes hopes and prayers (even though I am not religious). The governor running the show has been hugely impressive as has everyone involved. The governor has recently been moved sideways as it sounds like he was assertively calling out corruption

  2. AsleepWhileWalking 2
    10 July 2018 at 7:30 am

    https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/361462/pressure-mounts-for-government-to-ban-gay-conversion-therapy

    In a statement, the Human Rights Commission said there were no specific laws prohibiting conversion therapy in New Zealand.

    Well that’s debatable especially if someone is paying for a service

    *Fair trading act, false and misleading claims

    *Human rights act, financial exploitation

    *Got to be something in the Health Practitioners Act or Health and Disabilities Act

  3. cleangreen 3
    10 July 2018 at 7:46 am

    The ‘NZ Human Rights Comission’ has been a puppet for big bussiness and global corporations for years and years.

    Now this new Government needs to ‘remove all these “stool pidgeons”‘ and really act for the interests of those of us all with out any power to change the system stacked against us by the powerful lobbyists who run government policy now.

    The corporaste lobbyists, are keeping this phoney agency in NZ afloat with all “their double speak, diversions, and lies”.

    As a disabled person I have first hand experience & knowledge of concerted actions of collussion used to keep this agency from representing the ‘human rights of the disabled’ -from obtaining their rights given under the global UN agreement made by the NZ Government in the last nine years under the last national Government.

  4. Jenny 4
    10 July 2018 at 8:19 am

    In December, in a podcasted interview with reporters, Jason Beattie and Alison Philips, British Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, “urged” the people of Britain and the UK to “protest in force” against any visit by Donald Trump.

    “Jeremy Corbyn urges British public to protest in force when Donald Trump visits the UK”

    The Mirror – December 22, 2017

    The Trump, Alt-Right, Assad, Axis.

    Why Donald Trump should never have been allowed to enter Britain.

    Remember Jo Cox

    Assassinated British Labour MP Jo Cox is attacked posthumously by Assad apologist, and genocide denier, Professor Paul Dixon, Honorary Visiting Fellow, Birkbeck College, London.

    “The most notable aspect of Jo Cox’s tragically short parliamentary career was her outspoken stance for escalating war in support of the so-called ‘moderate rebels’ in Syria”

    Paul Dixon – June 29, 2017

    https://www.opendemocracy.net/paul-dix/jo-cox-mp-compassionate-road-to-war

    Jo Cox’s neo-fascist assassin yelled “Britain First” as he shot her at close range and then finished her off with a knife.

    Britain First
    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Britain First is a British fascist political organisation formed in 2011 by former members of the British National Party (BNP). A part of the far-right, the group was founded by Jim Dowson, an anti-abortion and far-right campaigner. The organisation’s leader is former BNP councillor Paul Golding, and its deputy leader is Jayda Fransen.

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

    Britain First is the British based neo-fascist group that Donald Trump scrolled through to select false white supremacist propaganda to retweet.

    Thomas Mair, who murdered the Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox one week before the EU referendum in 2016, shouted “Britain first!” when he fired his gun. Cox’s widower, Brendan, said on Wednesday that Trump “should be ashamed of himself”.

    He accused Trump of spreading hatred and trying to legitimise the far right in Britain.

    Brendan Cox@MrBrendanCox
    Trump has legitimised the far right in his own country, now he’s trying to do it in ours. Spreading hatred has consequences & the President should be ashamed of himself.

    10:06 PM – Nov 29, 2017
    74.2K
    31.9K people are talking about this

    ….Trump has often used his Twitter account to promote dubious figures. Earlier this week, he highlighted a website called MagaPill which promotes avariety of conspiracies.He has also used his account toretweet a Mussolini quote, toshare a postfrom the account @whitegenocidetm and to circulatefalse and racially inflammatorycrime statistics.

    When asked in 2015, he said that he consideredretweets endorsements.“You know, I retweet, I retweet for a reason.”

  5. R.P Mcmurphy 5
    10 July 2018 at 9:04 am

    I get really fed up with the current cohort of whiners employed by the mass media in New Zealand to conduct their swingeing attacks on the left. I nealry puked when slimy gluon espiner presumed to tell MInister Twyford hwow to behave. Who are these no talents who infest the public discourse with their dreary blabber. They come from nowhere and all of a sudden they are let loose to whine over the whole country in a double whammy. First their voices are so horrible that you want to turn them off asap and second after that you miss out on what the real people have to say. ungggggh!

  6. R.P Mcmurphy 6
    10 July 2018 at 9:17 am

    Brief on RNZ tv page says Ron Mark urged not to put missiles and bombs on the new P8’s. talk about making a boxer get in the ring with BOTH hands tied behind his back. Dumbstuff.

  7. Gabby 7
    10 July 2018 at 9:22 am

    They’re recruited by The Combine murph. Keep it under your pillow.

  8. corodale 8
    10 July 2018 at 9:27 am

    Turkey getting interesting, with big internal security measures in Public Sector. International media also talking of increasing Turkish influence on the eastern side of Jesus-town down in the Holy-land.

    “Erdogan previously said that there will not be any members or parliamentarians of his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in the new cabinet, hinting that it will be made up of ex-politicians and bureaucrats.
    The AK Party took 42.5 percent in the parliamentary polls, also conducted on June 24, while its ally, the far-right National Movement Party (MHP), got 11.1 percent, enabling the two parties’ bloc to secure a majority in parliament.” aljazeera.com

    The Kurd party did get 12%, but the 11.1% Nationalist party is in coalition with the Turkish President.

    Actually Erdogan is talking about restoring full and strengthened democracy.

    But who’s keen for a peace tour to Gallipoli anyway? Mid September suits me. Visit the local AK Party Office and talk synergy on Social Credit policy. Should make it to their local news papers.

    • Kevin 9.1
      10 July 2018 at 10:36 am

      Why?

      European coaching methods are at the forefront of the game internationally. Guardiola, Klopp, Conte etc. Just look at the final four at the World Cup. (Although I would not put Gareth Southgate in that esteemed company of coaches just yet!).

      Taking into account the ‘Kiwi way’, I would say he is probably 100% correct.

      • marty mars 9.1.1
        10 July 2018 at 10:45 am

        You’d be wrong.

        The euro style may not slot into the south seas here and his particular style and personality definitely don’t as evidenced by most saying they wouldn’t play for him.

        • Kevin 9.1.1.1
          10 July 2018 at 11:03 am

          Ahhh, the old ‘kiwi’s are different’ theme that runs through practically everything in this country.

          Its simple, if the current team is too precious to learn, then get players who are. Players who expect to be treated and paid as professionals need to learn that they will not be mollycoddled or treated like family members.

          I doubt very much that the current coach got the job by default.

          • mauī 9.1.1.1.1
            10 July 2018 at 12:45 pm

            Many of the current team play for some of the best club teams around the world. They are professionals.

            I thought the whole idea of coaching was to get the best out of your players. If your players think you’re a total asshole then that will never happen.

          • marty mars 9.1.1.1.2
            10 July 2018 at 3:39 pm

            Lol shhh hey kev, kiwis ARE different. Remember the long plane ride…

      • Gabby 9.1.2
        10 July 2018 at 12:13 pm

        Or, he’s a dick with an inflated opinion of himself pandered to by cargo cultist foreigner worship. Kev.

      • You_Fool 9.1.3
        10 July 2018 at 1:35 pm

        The football ferns top players play in europe, I am sure they are used to the european style, so if they complain about a coach, it is not because of his european style.

        Also the Football Ferns are a decent team on the world stage, 20th at the moment (out of 177) so better positioned than the mens team (120th of 206), and fully capable of holding their own against the likes of Japan (6th) despite what Mr know-nothing thinks…

  11. adam 11
    10 July 2018 at 11:19 am

    Drain the swamp, Scott Pruitt Resigns From EPA.

  12. James 12
    10 July 2018 at 11:41 am

    Could the UK end up with PM Boris ?

    Here is hoping.

    Boris for PM !!!!!

    • Gabby 12.1
      10 July 2018 at 12:14 pm

      Blobby Jobby on a zipwire jimbo!

    • bwaghorn 12.2
      10 July 2018 at 12:20 pm

      Is that the clown that was pro Brexit till the vote came in and he realised his lies fucked the UK up properly.

      • james 12.2.1
        10 July 2018 at 2:06 pm

        Remember the clowns who were anti TPPA until they got in government and realised their position would fuck up NZ properly.

        • McFlock 12.2.1.1
          10 July 2018 at 2:11 pm

          what, the ones who had five bottom lines, realised the us-free treaty didn’t violate any of those bottom lines, so signed the deal?

    • adam 12.3
      10 July 2018 at 3:26 pm

      To paraphrase Sean Lock

      “Boris, he’s too blond even for the Nazi’s”

    • Draco T Bastard 13.1
      10 July 2018 at 4:17 pm

      “Why we can’t afford the rich” by Andrew Sayer, Richard Wilkinson

      “Of course finance has a vital role to play as a servant to the economy, in oiling the wheels of business, in arranging credit and dealing with risk, but it can easily become the master and make the rest of the economy its servant. The occupational hazard of finance is that in seeking to make money out of money through lending, value-skimming and speculating, it focuses on wealth extraction and loses sight of the necessity of wealth creation in goods and services. In the bubble that preceded the crisis, bank lending to productive businesses declined from 30% to 10% as lending to other financial institutions and the property market grew. The financial sector’s control of financial assets – ultimately, claims on the labour and products of others – means that, unless it is strongly regulated it can dominate governments to serve its interests. Mainstream economics, with its obsession with idealised models of markets and its evasion of the difference between earned and unearned income, is complicit in this.”

      My bold.

  14. adam 14
    10 July 2018 at 12:24 pm

    Best protest Ad ever – some bad language – if that offends please avoid.

  15. adam 15
    10 July 2018 at 12:33 pm

    One more, cause a laugh always helps. This time slagging off the AUstralian government.

  16. halfcrown 16
    10 July 2018 at 1:01 pm

    Just seen this quote by David Attenborough. Well worth repeating here.

    “Anyone who believes in indefinite growth on a physically finite planet is either mad or an economist.”………………………………..David Attenborough

  17. joe90 17
    10 July 2018 at 1:32 pm

    A plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it Pooh.

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DhiktirVAAAFp5z.jpg

  18. Ad 18
    10 July 2018 at 1:54 pm

    Steve Bannon: Australia Is On the Front Line With China

    https://www.theage.com.au/world/asia/australia-on-the-front-line-of-clash-with-china-says-steve-bannon-20180709-p4zqfi.html

    “If we continue on this path we’re down, China will control all of the countries of South East Asia and they will control Australia,” argues Bannon, the chief executive of Trump’s victorious election campaign and the man credited with the creation of “Trumpism”.

    He says that China’s advances in Australia persuaded him that the US had to act to defend itself against Beijing’s economic advances.

    And Trump took the first decisive action on this agenda on Friday night after months of threats and bluster. The President had promised to impose punitive US tariffs on imports from China unless Beijing made dramatic changes to its rules on trade and investment.

    So how could Australia be what Bannon describes as “the canary in the mineshaft”? Because, he says, the struggle is not about trade in itself but about domination by the Chinese Communist Party.
    “Australia is an object lesson in what to avoid. People [in Australia] played by the rules. It came up gradually, and then it was there.”

    Chinese investment went into “natural resources, tech, then you have overseas Chinese putting money into politics and now you finally wake up”, a reference to the bills now passed by the Parliament to curb foreign interference.

    “And you wake up and you say, ‘hold on – who controls our economic base’, because doesn’t politics ultimately come off who controls the economic base?”

    “Because of Australia’s example, it will not happen here in the US,” says Bannon. “It will not be allowed to happen. People are woke.”

    “You,” he tells me, meaning Australia, “are the San Andreas fault between China and the West. These are the two great systems that have built up over 2000 years. You are the representative of Athens and the democratic Western tradition, and China is a Confucian totalitarian system.

    “The South China Sea is very quickly going to become the front line. The South China Sea will be the focus of an intense global crisis.”

    Chilling when the anti-globalist right, intelligence community, defence community, and the anti-trade hard left sound near-identical. And you can replace “Australia” with “New Zealand” in most of the sentences.

    • RedLogix 18.1
      10 July 2018 at 2:07 pm

      Yes. The Australian media isn’t ignoring it the way NZ’s is.

      China is promoting itself on the world stage as a modern, responsible state, capable of taking the leadership on global trade and climate change but many China experts say those ambitions cannot sit with an inward looking, brutal, autocratic regime.

      http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-05/china-npc-moves-xi-jinping-towards-dictatorship/9504680

      Or a longer piece here:

      https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/03/china-xi-jinping-president/554795/

    • Exkiwiforces 18.2
      10 July 2018 at 2:22 pm

      Yes Ad,

      If China does have a crack at closing or restrict access to the SCS the ramifications of that will be felt across the whole Asia- Pacific Region and all the way back to little old NZ because of our major trading partners in Asia which generate our wealth. It’s the indirect threats not the directs (not including climate change) that we are facing in our Foreign Affairs, Trade, Defence, Aid and Climate Change polices.

      If and whenever China makes it move on Taiwan then the ramifications of the whole Asia- Pacific would be huge and would turn the whole International Base Rules Principles/ System on it’s head and again the effects to NZ would be huge which ever way NZ chooses.

      Pablo over at kiwipolitico did a post http://www.kiwipolitico.com/2018/06/pick-your-poison/ on it mean if China or the US makes it move.

      ATM the indirect threat is NZ is the most likely and most dangerous threat to NZ than a direct the threat to NZ.

      • Ad 18.2.1
        10 July 2018 at 3:17 pm

        The scenarios in the Kiwipolitico blog are a lot of fun.

        I think if we were really threatened in any form we would be calling Australia fast – as we usually do. And I think they would expect the same of us, insofar as that matters. We’re right in the middle of rehearsing together in the Pacific with the US as we speak.

        Hence Redlogix’s throwaway line yesterday about military interoperability being the most likely reason we would ally politically with Australia.

    • Gabby 18.3
      10 July 2018 at 5:21 pm

      It’s just conceivable that Bannon is full of selfserving crap up to his lying eyeballs.

  19. joe90 19
    10 July 2018 at 2:10 pm

    so, tRump’s SCOTUS nominee reckons U.S. Presidents should be exempt from “time-consuming and distracting” lawsuits and investigations, which “would ill serve the public interest, especially in times of financial or national security crisis.

    • alwyn 19.1
      10 July 2018 at 2:52 pm

      He (Kavanaugh) actually published that opinion after observing what happened when Bill Clinton was being investigated. He served on Kenneth Starr’s team that carried out a seemingly never ending investigation.
      That went on and on and on, continually changing the focus away from the purpose for which it was originally set up. I lasted for more than four years in fact, mostly wandering from trivia to trivia and finally about all they settled on was that Clinton hadn’t admitted to being guilty of adultery with Monica Lewinsky.

      Kavanaugh doesn’t claim that Presidents should be immune from investigation. He says that that is the purpose of the impeachment process.
      I wonder if Trump, or his staff were aware of this? It was published in 2009 in what is probably a little read journal.
      https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/top-supreme-court-prospect-has-argued-presidents-should-not-be-distracted-by-investigations-and-lawsuits/2018/06/29/2dd9c1cc-7baa-11e8-80be-6d32e182a3bc_story.html?utm_term=.bbe5e60a68de

      • Sabine 19.1.1
        10 July 2018 at 3:14 pm

        its ok when you are a Republican.

        • alwyn 19.1.1.1
          10 July 2018 at 3:44 pm

          Can I remind you that Bill Clinton was a Democrat?
          Kavanaugh, who is presumably a Republican, wrote in that article that Clinton should not have been investigated in the way that he was.
          The article cannot possibly be talking about Trump can it? It was written in 2009, long before anyone sane could possibly have envisaged that Trump would become President.
          The Starr investigation of Clinton was a total travesty. It was basically a die-hard Republican way of getting revenge for the Watergate investigation that was driven by a Democratically controlled Congress against a Republican President.

      • joe90 19.1.2
        10 July 2018 at 4:44 pm

        I wonder if Trump, or his staff were aware of this?

        The fuckers have spent years looking to stack the court and saving tRump from any prosecution means they’ll likely get to appoint more of their ilk.

        So IMO, yes, Kavanaugh’s scholarship would be front and centre of the Xtian extremist’s advice to nominate him.

        .

        When President Donald Trump nominates a justice to the Supreme Court on Monday night, he will be carrying out the agenda of a small, secretive network of extremely conservative Catholic activists already responsible for placing three justices (Alito, Roberts, and Gorsuch) on the high court.

        And yet few people know who they are—until now.

        At the center of the network is Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society, the association of legal professionals that has been the pipeline for nearly all of Trump’s judicial nominees. (Leo is on leave from the Federalist Society to personally assist Trump in picking a replacement for Justice Anthony Kennedy.) His formal title is executive vice president, but that role belies Leo’s influence.

        […]

        “Leonard Leo was a visionary,” said Tom Carter, who served as Leo’s media relations director when he was chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), in an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast. “He figured out twenty years ago that conservatives had lost the culture war. Abortion, gay rights, contraception—conservatives didn’t have a chance if public opinion prevailed. So they needed to stack the courts.”

        Amazingly, said Carter, Leo has succeeded in this mission with few people taking notice.

        “The Christian right has been written about a lot, but hardly anyone talks about the Catholic right,” Carter said. “Four Supreme Court justices—they’re more successful than anybody: the NRA, the Israel lobby, Big Pharma, no one else has had that kind of impact.

        https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-secrets-of-leonard-leo-the-man-behind-trumps-supreme-court-pick

      • joe90 19.1.3
        10 July 2018 at 7:43 pm

        All class.

        Brett Kavanaugh wanted to ask Bill Clinton, under oath, about the specific places he ejaculated onto pic.twitter.com/V87Cj9OKED— Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt) July 6, 2018

  20. James 20
    10 July 2018 at 2:52 pm

    Not in the slightest.

    I’ve said using terms like chubby, bitch, cock sucker, wanker and cunt reflect poorly on the people using them on this blog. You don’t need to be an elected official.

    [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.]

    • Robert Guyton 20.1
      10 July 2018 at 2:58 pm

      I don’t need to be, but I am 🙂
      Elected representatives have different obligations when they speak publicly, than unelected individuals, yes, James?

      • james 20.1.1
        10 July 2018 at 3:20 pm

        Not really when its just in the context of bad language and insults.

        Both reflect on the person – poorly.

        and the people who are happy to accept others being insulted.

        In short (I have no idea if you are married or have kids) – but lets assume that someone called your wife a chubby cock sucking cunt – just because they disagreed with her (or your) views. I doubt you would just think – oh they are not an elected official – so thats OK?

        It would not be unsurprising if you thought badly of that person.

        • Robert Guyton 20.1.1.1
          10 July 2018 at 3:25 pm

          James; again and again on this blog you delight in repeating offensive words, under the pretext that you didn’t say them, “someone else did”. Your habit is creepy. Please stop doing it. You make my skin creep.

  22. Puckish Rogue 22
    10 July 2018 at 3:19 pm

    This is the nice one:

    [Link deleted – BLiP]

    the rest are just plain nasty

    [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.]

    • Robert Guyton 22.1
      10 July 2018 at 3:31 pm

      LoL(ita)

      • Puckish Rogue 22.1.1
        10 July 2018 at 4:06 pm

        I feel it should be pointed out that she was enrolled at university when the pic was taken however she is one of the lucky people to have an ageless nay even ethereal beauty that transcends all known standards of cultural norms of hotness (not that her considerable attractiveness should detract from her immense intellect)

        • Robert Guyton 22.1.1.1
          10 July 2018 at 4:32 pm

          “off topic and or irrelevant”
          Pucky. Let her go (she’s no longer 16).

  23. timeforacupoftea 23
    10 July 2018 at 3:28 pm

    Angry Andrew is about to redact prisoners on drug charges shortly, should save a few thousand beds by doing so.

    [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.]

  24. Penny Bright 24
    10 July 2018 at 3:39 pm

    I have a proven track record in defence of freedom of expression (particularly under former Auckland City Council at Town Hall and the former Ak City Council Building).

    I don’t accept Mayor Phil Goff has the lawful right to decide who has access to Ak Council venues.

    Which section of which Act gives Mayor Phil Goff that LAWFUL authority.

    I support the Judicial Review into Mayor Phil Goff’s decision.

    #WhosNext ?

    Penny Bright

  25. OnceWasTim 25
    10 July 2018 at 5:11 pm

    Just a thought…
    Has RNZ now so underfunded that they’re reliant on audio and other technical staff who’re fresh out of broadcasting school?
    The case of the missing ‘sting’
    The case of fluctuating audio volume levels
    The case of the complicated buttons on a panel

    Or maybe it’s that panel operators are preoccupied with their cell phone messages

    Can someone give me another explanation for RNZ ‘gremlins’?

  26. patricia bremner 26
    10 July 2018 at 5:19 pm

    Watching an art programme on tv, during which it was stated Albert Namatjira was at his most successful and applied for a permit to buy a cattle run. He was turned down.

    He then applied to build a home on his land in Alice Springs. You guessed. He was turned down. They did make him the first Aboriginal Australian. How about that?

    After such awful treatment of that outstanding individual, and his jailing for sharing alcohol with family, it should come as no surprise that they treat Kiwis badly.

  27. Sumsuch 27
    11 July 2018 at 12:11 am

    Quite amazed at no one picking up the most exciting to me event since David Cunliffe said he would contest the leadership of the Labour Party after the 2014 election. The nurses strike. What do you do when you get another soft Left-wing govt that won’t even spend the money economists say is fine for it to spend? Do you wait, as we’ve waited since 84. Or do you initiate another, different sort of Winter of Discontent, on the streets. To remind the rich that the other 90 % are equal partners, which they’ve forgotten since 84, since 35.

    You coffee club conversationalists.

  28. eco maori 28
    11 July 2018 at 6:41 pm

    Good Evening Newshub there you go trump neigbours at one of his golf course in Scotland lets us know exactly how he behaves he had power and water cut to the Neigbour that his golf course surrounds I can see his bulling behavior in every bone in his body its all about him winning .
    Tova that’s exactly how it is in Aotearoas reality a flightless bird against a te Red Dragon enough said .
    Thats is always a stupid move to stop training our Mokopunas in the trade sectors you know whos bright idea that was educating the mokopunas is what will help lift Aotearoas productivity .
    Yes a sugar tax is a need for this modern times I bet there are much more bottle stores in common tangata area we must use the law to protect the innocent tangata
    Ka kite ano

  29. eco maori 29
    11 July 2018 at 7:20 pm

    The Crowd Goes Wild Wairangi and James they take there Football seriously its is one Game that most of Papatuanuku plays hot crossed heads see.
    So long as Te Warriors rank better than last year than that’s positive after all Papatuanuku was not built in a day .
    State of Origin Rugby Leauge has been Exciting this year ka pai
    That was good ball skills guys were Kronfeild .
    Ka kite ano P.S Eco Maori backs Joe to be the best in his trade

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    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: ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 hours ago

  • Brainwashed People Think Everyone Else is Brainwashed
    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 ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    7 hours ago

  • Peters’ real foreign policy threat is Helen Clark
    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 ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    8 hours ago

  • NZ’s trans lobby is fighting a rearguard action
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    16 hours ago

  • Your mandate is imaginary
    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 ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    21 hours ago

  • 14,000 unemployed under National
    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 ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    24 hours ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Discontent and gloom dominate NZ’s political mood
    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 ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    24 hours ago

  • Taking Tea with 42 & 38.
    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 ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago

  • Beware political propaganda: statistics are pointing to Grant Robertson never protecting “Lives an...
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Winding back the hands of history’s clock
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
     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 ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    1 day ago

  • Business confidence sliding into winter of discontent
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the coalition’s awful, not good, very bad poll results
    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 ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    1 day ago

  • New HOP readers for future payment options
    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 ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 day ago

  • 2024 Reading Summary: April (+ Writing Update)
    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 ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • At a glance – Clearing up misconceptions regarding 'hide the decline'
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Road photos
    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 ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
    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, ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • NZDF is still hostile to oversight
    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 ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Winding Back The Hands Of History’s Clock.
    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 ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.
    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 ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • A clear warning
    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 ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Listening To The Traffic.
    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 ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
    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 ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Ending The Quest.
    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 ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. 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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    3 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    4 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • NZ not backing down in Canada dairy dispute
    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’ ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago

  • Stronger oversight for our most vulnerable children
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago

  • Streamlining Building Consent Changes
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    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.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
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