Open mike 11/12/2014

Written By: - Date published: 6:30 am, December 11th, 2014 - 219 comments
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cut-the-crapOpen mike is your post.

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Step up to the mike …

219 comments on “Open mike 11/12/2014 ”

  1. Manuka AOR 1

    In defense of Andrew Little:

    Following the passage of the warrantless surveillance bill “under urgency”, some people are blaming A.L for this. Andrew has been on the job for how long? Three weeks or so? Certainly less than a month. While the dastardly ones have been refining their devious tricks of the trade for years – They are in their 3rd term, remember. AL was caught between a rock and hard place – I’m not sure what more he could have done.

    Significant concessions were achieved. The original wording of the bill, according to Jacinda (link below) was “to detect activities prejudicial to security or for the purpose of gathering foreign intelligence information that is essential to security.” In other words, just about any activist for any cause, if they wished to spin it that way. Now they at least have to bring in a ‘foreign fighters’ link if they want legitimacy. http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/video/35363

    • Paul 1.1

      Labour should stand for the people, not deep power.

      • Manuka AOR 1.1.1

        The Labour movement arose from the people. I believe that Andrew is representing we – the people, not ‘the power’.

        • Paul 1.1.1.1

          So why give more powers to the SIS, who have already been found to be spying on NZers illegally..for the US?

          • The Al1en 1.1.1.1.1

            It’s labour playing the same hand of cards they have done for six years – Sacrificing principals to appear nat lite in an attempt to appeal to the narrow band of middle voters who may (or not as has been the case) switch in a general election.

            Bad look for little’s labour after such a good start.
            Perhaps Andrew can ‘cut the crap’ and get labour representing the constituency who voted for him.

            • les 1.1.1.1.1.1

              and stay stuck on 25% and an eternity in opposition.

              • The Al1en

                “and stay stuck on 25% and an eternity in opposition.”

                My first paragraph explains away your ‘point’, but two questions.

                How did they sink to that level in the first place?
                Is backing this spy bill going to get them more votes?

                • les

                  they sunk to that level by not being pragmatic.NZ’ers rejected their policies as has been debated endlessly since the elections.Will backing the bill get them more votes,probably not,but it shouldn’t lose them any either.The positive side is that this legislation has a sunset clause and a new Labour Govt can put it to bed.

                  • The Al1en

                    Not being pragmatic or not being true to the movements ideals that went before it. I pick the latter.

                    • les

                      many will.That banishes ideology to the wilderness.Even the Greens have woken up to the reality of pragmatism.

                    • The Al1en

                      Did the greens not oppose the spy bill?

                    • Colonial Rawshark

                      Of course Les, your political analysis is BS.

                      The truth is this: NZers are waiting for a real alternative to the neoliberal paradigm. They are waiting for Labour to get its shit together.

                      And the more the Greens drift towards upper middle class market led centrism, the weaker and weaker they will get.

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      many will.That banishes ideology to the wilderness.Even the Greens have woken up to the reality of pragmatism.

                      What a load of bollocks.

                      Pragmatism is about doing what can be done rather than what should be done or what you’d like to do. In politics that means staying within the dominant political paradigms limits.

                      To put it another way: Pragmatism in politics is pure bloody ideology.

                    • TheContrarian

                      “Pragmatism in politics is pure bloody ideology”

                      As opposed to…actual ideology?

                  • Maisie

                    In a nutshell. Bravo les.

              • Paul

                As if you’d ever vote for a left wing party.

                • les

                  depends how you define left wing I guess.

                  • Colonial Rawshark

                    I guess to you anything left of Margaret Thatcher is positively Marxist.

                    • les

                      what gives you that impression?

                    • Colonial Rawshark

                      Don’t you agree? Feel free to define what a left wing party is to you then, if you have an honest wish to clarify.

                      Stop tip toeing.

                    • les

                      So you decided to make a guess based on nothing of any substance.I do not have to justify myself to you.And you must know you are not fit to judge me.

                    • Colonial Rawshark

                      Quit tip toeing and be upfront for a change. What is a left wing party to you?

                    • les

                      ‘The truth is this: NZers are waiting for a real alternative to the neoliberal paradigm. They are waiting for Labour to get its shit together.’…………you are deluded.NZ’ers are voting right wing ,more and more based on the election results….Natz,NZ First,Conservatives,ACT,UF.

                    • Colonial Rawshark

                      National won the election by maybe 80,000 votes.

                      If Labour and Greens hadn’t been so strategically stupid about MMP, National’s winning margin would have been under 40,000 votes.

                      That’s a knife edge buddy. And your electoral analysis (like everything else) is shite.

                      Now, stop tip toeing. What’s a left wing party to you.

                    • framu

                      “NZ’ers are voting right wing”

                      yet traditional left wing concepts still rate very highly in polling

                      so is it the policy or the package?

                    • batweka

                      “NZ’ers are voting right wing”

                      You mean 30% of people allowed to vote, voted National.

                    • The Al1en

                      “You mean 30% of people allowed to vote, voted National.”

                      What does this mean? Specifically the “allowed” bit.

                    • batweka

                      Anyone 18 or over and who is a NZ citizen or resident of x years (or whatever the exact criteria are. Irrespective of being on the roll).

                      http://imgur.com/BKvIGZU (looks like roughly 33% voted on the right across parties).

                      Just sick of righties claiming that National has a mandate.

            • Manuka AOR 1.1.1.1.1.2

              @ The Al1en: No, you have it the wrong way around. Had they gone for the appearance rather than the reality, and made loud noises of apparent opposing, the reality is that many more people would now be vulnerable to surveillance.

              • The Al1en

                I don’t get what you’re saying.
                Opposing the shockingly poor spy bill is for appearance only and not in any way protecting the rights of New Zealanders?

                • Manuka AOR

                  In real terms, the DID oppose it, both while it was going through – by requiring concessions, and by saying exactly what they thought about the bill at the end – That many aspects are still wrong.

                  “Opposing” is meaningless if it achieves nothing. They had no power to stop the bill going through, so any loud claims to oppose it, while doing nothing, would have been meaningless.

                  • and this is all why they voted for it..?

                    ..and since when did opposition become ‘meaningless’..

                  • tracey

                    does the leader of the Labour party and all other parties get access tot he secret service to provide oversight that the basis for the warrantless surveillance was justified?

                    • Manuka AOR

                      @Tracey: There is an odd bit in Jacinda’s speech where she says something to the effect that she “accepts there is some security information that the Opposition should not have access to”. That is a paraphrase from memory – I’ll check it out again at the link. But it left a sense that ‘Something is not right here’. Too much power was being placed in the hands of too few, and those few have already shown they will act from partisan motives at times. http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/video/35363

                    • Mainlander

                      Good question Tracey
                      But somehow i doubt they will be involved in that part of the process, probably something they should have thought about while haggling down they surveillance time, and far more important imo

                    • tracey

                      That would be one way to ensure the oversight and the process is trustworthy.

                      John Key saying “trust us” just doesnt fill me with confidence.

                  • The Al1en

                    Really? Opposing when you haven’t got the numbers is meaningless? I thought it was demonstrating to your constituents you purport to represent that you are indeed representing them.
                    I’d guess that why labour has issues with retaining votes. If there own people can’t trust them, who will?

                    Simple fact that you start with “in defence of Andrew Little” shows that he directed the party in a piss poor way and are trying damage limitation exercises to minimise the fallout.

                    • les

                      having an erection and nowhere to stick it…is little different to …impotence.

                    • The Al1en

                      Except Little waved it around a bit and then stuck it in jk’s (got that adam) back pocket.

                    • Manuka AOR

                      @ The Al1en: “Simple fact that you start with “in defence of Andrew Little” shows that he directed the party in a piss poor way and are trying damage limitation exercises to minimise the fallout.”

                      The Al1en seems to be suggesting that I am in some way working for the Labour Party. This is absolute rubbish. I am neither affiliated with nor working for any political party (though I am keenly observing and generally supportive of all the parties of the Left).

                      When the surveillance bill passed I felt anger and despair for NZ, and left comments to that effect. Then I followed up on it all a bit more and today made the initial comment above.

                      The fact that The Al1en would try to turn my comment into a political party action makes me wonder if he is one of the 288 spin doctors presently employed by the Nats: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/63849330/Public-servant-numbers-climb

                    • The Al1en

                      Firstly, if you’re going to make a point about me, you should really direct it at me rather than an invisible audience, mainly because it’s rude and childish, but mostly because it immediately undermines your position. But anyway…

                      I don’t think you’re working for the party, which is why I didn’t post or imply or infer it, but I do think you’re spinning on their behalf for the reason stated originally. It was a piss poor show from the, for now, main opposition.

                      Is voting in the house a party political action? Yes! Unless it’s a conscience vote. To my knowledge the spy bill was not a personal vote, but you may be able to clarify that if so inclined.

                      Am I working for the nats? No, no I am not. 😆

                  • ankerawshark

                    Manuka AOr 100+

                  • tracey

                    Have you heard any justification, from anyone who voted for the Bill, as to why we had to rush it through when the UK, itself victim to many acts of terrorism, is taking months to put theirs through?

                    Because Key has used the secret services for his political ends he has essentially cried woolf on the NZ citizenry making it hard to swallow that we are a genuine haven for terrorists

              • Murray Rawshark

                How has the number of possible targets changed? Do you mean the Labour caucus won’t be spied on now, since they’ve shown which side they’re on?

          • Manuka AOR 1.1.1.1.2

            @pu: They did not “Give more powers to the SIS”. Labour lacked the numbers and the time to prevent the bill going through. Had they not worked for concessions, we could now all be under “legitimised” surveillance.

            • Colonial Rawshark 1.1.1.1.2.1

              And this is what our broken political system has come down to (we can give you an option which is mildly less shite than the blue team), and why Labour constantly gives up chances to differentiate itself and position itself in voters minds as a source of true political alternatives.

              The irony of course is that Labour supporters and politicians will be the first ones targeted by these increased powers.

              Secondly, if you think linking people to foreign fighters is in the least bit difficult for the intelligence services, you don’t understand the realities of surveillance. You are linked to a foreign fighter if anyone within 2 degrees of internet or comms separation from you has shown the slightest inclination towards sympathy towards the issue of foreign fighters. That’s 2 degrees on phone lists, email lists, facebook friends, twitter followers etc.

              That’s almost every fucking person they decide they want to target. But you didn’t know that did you.

              • Chooky

                CR +100 …the irony is that Labour by supporting this Bill is now seen by New Zealanders to have endorsed it….which is exactly what John Key wanted…support from other major opposition Parties in Parliament ( so he and the Nacts didnt carry the burden alone of bringing in a Police State)

                …Labour has supported unwarranted surveillance on who ever John Key and friends want….on any hidden personal trumped up reason …because there is NO accountability.

                The potential for personal intrusion and blackmail of opponents is huge ( no matter how upright and innocent the target and how justified their opposition is to this government and policies)…and have we not seen in recent weeks how Labour was disadvantaged by the twisting of hidden knowledge and the way Goff was played by the SIS and John Key’s office and Slater just before a General Election?..Goff was made out to to be incompetent or a liar…It probably lost Labour that Election.

                Labour has endorsed unwarranted surveillance on New Zealanders….but New Zealanders can refuse to endorse Labour….unless Labour changes its position

              • Clemgeopin

                +1

              • Manuka AOR

                @Colonial: “The irony of course is that Labour supporters and politicians will be the first ones targeted by these increased powers.”

                True. In the lead-up to the next election, the new model Ede will have a far easier and more colourful cruise through the lives of, well, anyone they wish to ‘investigate’.

                And yes, I agree that it is simplicity itself to link just about anyone to some perceived ‘foreign fighter’. Look at what happened in Sydney – the guy apprehended had been the recipient of a phoned message from someone, which left him mystified. The guy who made the ph call, apparently exhorting him fight, was an actor. He had been an actor in Melbourne, so for all anyone knows, he thought he was auditioning for his next role.

                As you say, it is the System itself that is broken. For now, we are all caught within that system.

                • Colonial Rawshark

                  And we will remain being caught in it as long as we continue to justify, rationalise and support politics and political behaviour which fucks us over as citizens.

                • tracey

                  And the plastic sword, brandished by the police in the media, that is part of most practising muslim homes…

          • Manuka AOR 1.1.1.1.3

            @Paul: See my reply to pu. They did NOT “Give more powers to the SIS”. There was simply no way they could stop that bill going through. They were able to concede lesser powers than were in the original bill.

            • The Al1en 1.1.1.1.3.1

              That’s weak politics from a fucked up opposition.

              • framu

                amen – especially when just before hand they were giving the nats quite a bit of shit in public over it – then they turn around and vote for it, while saying it was a terrible bill and a terrible way to treat the public and democracy

                considering that

                1) “what the fuck does labour even stand for now anyway?” was a major issue for them in the elections
                2) theyve given the nats a PR stick to beat them with now
                3) theyve yet again sent mixed messages to the public
                4) they cant back peddle from this in the future without a lot of long winded explanations that no one will listen too
                5) if they back peddle in future they will gift the nats yet another PR stick to beat them with
                6) the MSM is hardly going to report them honestly anyway

                trying to claim that they somehow made a win for NZ by being party to a slightly less shit law isnt just silly – its insulting.

              • greywarshark

                @ The Allen
                That’s fucked-up politics from a weakened opposition. FIFY

                Labour had been weakened by years of game-playing by Labour pollies and strategy wonks, when they should have been dealing with the realities out there and keeping faith with their core membership. Then it refused to use the political ploys available to it in the run-up to the election to maximise the left bloc.

                It’s getting better though I see Bryan Gould talking about it looking and behaving as if it wants to be a leader of the left. I think that a sports strategist might be more useful advisor in what feints and game plans to make than going for this simplistic shtick.

                At present it is doing as well as it can to protect us from the barbarous right. We knew that if Labour did not sharpen up it would be the loser from the election and we would be fighting this type of shitty policy.

            • phillip ure 1.1.1.1.3.2

              @ manuka..

              or..they cd have opposed it..and promised to repeal it/roll back the surveillance state when elected..

              (and puhl-eeze..!..the cut from 48 hrs to 24..in the grand scheme of things..is s.f.a..and certainly not reason to support it..f.f.s..!..)

              ..but that is the thing with labour..

              ..when push comes to shove…

              ..they always sell you out…

              ..and it is not only national who have built this surveillance-state..

              ..come on down..!..helen clark..!

    • “.. AL was caught between a rock and hard place – I’m not sure what more he could have done..”

      he/labour cd have flat-out opposed this further erosion of our civil liberties..

      ..(‘civil-liberties?..what civil liberties?’..)

      ..but no..little continued on as labour has always done..

      ..worked in collusion with national to create a police-state..

      ..(and that is all pretty much now a done-deal..)

      ..no matter how ya fucken spin it..

      ..little/labour sold us out…again..

      • Manuka AOR 1.2.1

        @pu: “he/labour cd have flat-out opposed this further erosion of our civil liberties..”

        And achieved .. what exactly?

        Had the concessions not been won, you yourself could well be targeted, for example, with your pro-active stance on dope smoking.

        • phillip ure 1.2.1.1

          “..And achieved .. what exactly?..”

          oh..!..i dunno..!..a moral-victory..?..the moral high-ground..?

          ..the promise of a ‘new labour’..?

          ..there’s three reasons..

          (and..)

          “..you yourself could well be targeted, for example, with your pro-active stance on dope smoking..”

          ..no so much for pot-advocacy..but that i am vegan/arguing animal-rights..

          ..means i am one of those ‘with a chip on my shoulder’..who finlayson says they target..

          ..and because i am arguing against dairy/factory-farming..

          ..this makes me an ‘economic-terrorist’..in their eyes..

          ..there’s two reasons..

          ..face it manuka..you are trying to defend the indefensible..

          ..on this matter..little/labour both suck and blow..

          (and i say that more in sadness..than in anger..)

          • Manuka AOR 1.2.1.1.1

            @pu

            AL will bring about actual changes for the better in Aotearoa.
            PU’s arrogant pontificating… not so much (imo)

            • framu 1.2.1.1.1.1

              but they can never repeal this law without a big bullshit fight and gleeful mischief making from the nats – thats the problem

              If you vigourously oppose a law, then vote for a very slightly watered down version you cant come in and criticise it later and change back without looking like you dont have a fricken clue what your doing

              the law is still bad – they voted for it – now they own this bad law as much as those who wrote it

              • Manuka AOR

                @framu: Why do you say they can never repeal it? It runs out in 2017, and a comprehensive review of security services is to get underway next year, I believe.

                • framu

                  “If you vigourously oppose a law, then vote for a very slightly watered down version you cant come in and criticise it later and change back without looking like you dont have a fricken clue what your doing”

                  i never said the cant repeal it and my explanation is pretty clear – im saying theyve made a rod for themselves and gifted the nats yet another free pass to make them look like they dont have a clue

                  if a say bananas are bad – then vote for a bill to increase the banana supply – whats going to be your reaction when i turn around and say “bananas are bad” in two years time?

                  ” and a comprehensive review of security services is to get underway next year, I believe.”

                  seriously? – you have faith in that? considering what the nats and now labour are doing thats somewhat overly trusting to me. Skepticism of those who hold or seek power isnt just good for you – its vital

                • BassGuy

                  The Patriot Act is still alive and kicking, years after it was due to expire. Unless Parliament is under some kind of restriction I’m not aware of (which is quite possible), there’s no reason to believe it will be allowed to expire.

                  There will always be some emergency requiring those extra powers, they aren’t particularly hard to manufacture.

                  Oh, and he didn’t say they can’t repeal it, he said they can’t repeal it without a big fight: National will easily be able to mock them for not knowing what direction they want to take.

                  • Manuka AOR

                    “There will always be some emergency requiring those extra powers, they aren’t particularly hard to manufacture.”

                    True that.

                  • Colonial Rawshark

                    The Patriot Act is still alive and kicking, years after it was due to expire.

                    Correct. The intrusive and civil liberties degrading aspects of the Patriot Act which were regarded as very controversial at the time quickly became normalised behaviour.

                    Nowadays, every time the Patriot Act is due to expire, it is rubber stamped renewed with virtually no debate, and utterly unopposed through the House.

                    Lefties are really stupid and naïve about this stuff. Unpicking the security and surveillance state once you have let it grow stronger than all other arms of government?

                    Good luck.

            • phillip ure 1.2.1.1.1.2

              @ manuka..

              ..and you walk off with todays’ false-equivalence award..

              ..(i can’t see anyone bettering that one..)

            • Chooky 1.2.1.1.1.3

              “Get a Warrant!”!….Warrantless surveillance = Police State =unaccountability = human rights violations = political undermining of NZ democracy and law

              http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/12/10/labour-sell-us-out-on-warrantless-surveillance/

              http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/12/10/3-simple-words-for-the-labour-party/

              Vote Green or NZF or Mana or Maori

      • Murray Rawshark 1.2.2

        +1
        I agree with you on this one. There is nothing positive in Labour voting for this law, either for them or for us. They have once again confirmed their weakness and uselessness in the eyes of many voters.

    • Morrissey 1.3

      I’m not sure what more he could have done.

      He could have voted against it. Principles, morality, legality, human rights and justice do not seem to count for a great deal in your view.

      Significant concessions were achieved.

      They certainly were. Labour conceded its moral authority and the political power it would have had if it had combined with the parties that did have the courage to oppose this bill. Labour, under its dynamic new leadership, supported the government, and Andrew Little lamely assured us that “next time” he won’t be such a pushover.

      The fact is: Labour—and Little—failed dismally. Yet again.

      • Paul 1.3.1

        Things the Labour Party could have done…
        1. Not voted for it.
        2. Called a press conference and explained why the Labour Party voted against.
        3. Pulled their support of the speaker.
        4. Organised talks around the country against it.
        5. Mobilised their supporters and led marches around the country.
        6. Go to the Waihopai spy base and picket it.
        7. Invite worked experts over to talk on the subject to NZers

        Or they could give in and vote for it.

        • Chooky 1.3.1.1

          +100…Labour is either naive or culpable

          • Paul 1.3.1.1.1

            or scared
            or compromised

          • Puckish Rogue 1.3.1.1.2

            No, Little wants to win and hes going a long way towards doing just that*

            *I don’t wan’t Labour to win as it still needs a big clean out but I think Little is doing the right thing to get into power

            • CATMAN 1.3.1.1.2.1

              No-one cares what you think, creepy pr guy

            • Draco T Bastard 1.3.1.1.2.2

              *I don’t wan’t Labour to win as it still needs a big clean out but I think Little is doing the right thing to get into power

              Translation: You think that Little is doing the right thing turning Labour into National.

              • McFlock

                pr thinks that if he repeats the lie enough he can reignite the divisions of the last few years, just as Labour seem to be getting a bit more discipline.

                What he doesn’t understand is that his credibility is equivalent to the greasy cetacean’s. Labour will rise or fall on their own merits, not on anything the puckwit has to say

              • Puckish Rogue

                Translation: You think that Little is doing the right thing turning Labour into National.

                Thats a different kettle of fish

                • Draco T Bastard

                  Nope. Every time that Little does something you approve of it’s taking Labour further to the right or just not challenging the neo-liberal paradigm.

              • tricle up

                Draco the problem is in the language or is the language.Any ideology that doesn’t have sensible values and some conscience should be kicked at the bin reducing the moral compass to nothing but a better way of doing things is ambiguous to as it is not defined in a structure..sorry to annoy you its just that there are two branches, the defining and the problems in ideology

        • CATMAN 1.3.1.2

          Paul, you forgot to add number 8 to your list:

          Do all that, then watch National pass the bill they were definitely going to pass anyway, which allowed more spying on more people for more reasons than the one we have now

          You’re castigating Labour for doing what they could to get a better outcome for NZ, preferring that they had put on a good show and achieved a worse outcome

          • les 1.3.1.2.1

            your last line nails it….how people cant see that amazes me.

            • framu 1.3.1.2.1.1

              so they made a pathetically small and virtually irrelevant gain for a much greater and long term loss

              yippee

              • les

                how is it a long term loss?The legislation can be repealed in 2017.

                • framu

                  If you vigourously oppose a law, then vote for a very slightly watered down version you cant come in and criticise it later and change back without looking like you dont have a fricken clue what your doing

                  do you think the nats and the MSM wont enjoy sticking it labour on this one in a huge way when that happens?

                  And we still have warrentless spying – its in, its not going away anytime soon, and labour will be made to look like fools the second they discuss any kind of change to what is considered just re: the populace. Ergo – its not changing – ever

                  weve had six years of “labour dont know who they are or what they believe” – welcome to several more but now with yet even more increased spying on you and me

                • BassGuy

                  I notice you say “can” and not “will,” why is that? Is it perhaps because similar “temporary” law changes overseas have gone from a limited duration to indefinite?

                  We’re going to have to fight tooth-and-nail to get these changes out again, if it’s at all possible.

                  Paul is quite correct to be annoyed with Labour. It’s like someone telling you they will take your pay for the year, but the guy you hired for protection talks them down to only taking half of it. Why does it matter how much he talks them down by? You’re still losing your pay.

                  As I say, 24 hours of surveillance without a warrant is still surveillance without a warrant. You may worship Isis, from the faith Kemet. You may consider unions to be a necessity to combat exploitative employers. You might be a political opponent, or a student activist. It doesn’t really matter what you are, as long as you oppose the mook in charge, you will be a target.

                  We are now stuck with this law, and only a few minor parties will be uncontested in their opposition to it. Labour voted for it, and as a result they will be easy to deflect because they’ve lost their moral high ground when calling for the changes to be reverted.

                  • CATMAN

                    So you’d rather “the guy you hired for protection” refused to negotiate and you get no wages? Because like it or not, that was the other available option

                    Also, forget the 24/48 hr thing – you’re right, it’s irrelevant, the important thing is that now they can’t do *any* warrantless surveillance that isn’t related to terrorism/foreign fighters

                    Without Labour’s efforts the warrantless surveillance would have applied to anyone, anytime, for just about any reason – that’s what you’re saying they should have let pass

                    • McFlock

                      yeah, it’s a thorny one.

                      It all depends, really, on whether Labour are going to go into 2017 with a blanket repeal list for most of the shit over the previous 9 years, and preferably 35 years.

                      If they are, then Little’s made the best of a temporarily bad situation.

                      If they just hem the edges like they largely did under Clark, then basically we’re all just as fucked in the long run.

                    • CATMAN

                      Clark’s govt was the first Labour govt post-neoliberalism, let’s hope the next one has learned from the mistakes

                    • BLiP

                      . . . Without Labour’s efforts the warrantless surveillance would have applied to anyone, anytime, for just about any reason – that’s what you’re saying they should have let pass . . .

                      That’s what we have now. Labour’s efforts have amounted to zero in terms of who the SIS can spy on or for what reason. What restrictions do you believe apply under the new legislation?

                    • CATMAN

                      Have a look at the changes noted under 4IB (3), (a) vs (aa)

                      These are the changes Labour inserted, and which everyone here seems unaware of

                      http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2014/0001/latest/DLM6316050.html

                    • BLiP

                      . . . Have a look at the changes noted under 4IB (3), (a) vs (aa) . . .

                      There is no definition of “terrorism” or “terrorist”. Those terms, as the law stands, mean whatever the Director says they mean. As far as the Attorney General is concerned, those terms apply to “alienated people with a chip on their shoulder”. The lack of definitions renders the so-called moderations Labour is crowing about as cosmetic, except for those sections which increase the fine for not complying with the instructions to enable warrantless spying from $1,000 to $10,000. If anything, that particular tweak makes the law *more* extreme.

                    • CATMAN

                      The lack of definitions is a concern, but I disagree that the difference is cosmetic

                      It’s the difference between having something to hold a minister answerable for and not having it

                    • McFlock

                      the absence of a definition in that act simply means that if an issue comes before a court, the court would apply the definitions from other acts, e.g. the terrorism suppression act or the international terrorism emergency powers act.

                      And if the DG hadn’t been using the same definition as the court does, then the surveillance would have been unlawful. Not that that means a fucking thing under this government, but never mind. The point is that it’s not like the meaning of the term is a clean slate for the security services to surveil anyone without warrant.

                    • BLiP

                      . . . It’s the difference between having something to hold a minister answerable for and not having it . . .

                      “Mr Speaker – the question asked deals with matters of national security”.

                    • BLiP

                      . . . The point is that it’s not like the meaning of the term is a clean slate for the security services to surveil anyone without warrant . . .

                      That’s exacltly what it means and exactly why the terms have not been defined. Other definitions do not, legally, apply. Even Assistant Cheer Leader David Shearer admitted as much in his Third Reading speech.

                      http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/video/35352

                    • McFlock

                      Other definitions do not, legally, apply.

                      If shearer said that, he’s wrong.

                      If there is no definition of a key term, and no other definitions do not apply, then the key term means nothing and the entire act means and enables nothing.

                    • mickysavage

                      Felix has hit the fulcrum point really well. I thought Labour should be more staunch but he has a point …

                    • BassGuy

                      Actually, I’d rather the police arrest the guy who took all my wages and prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law, and I’d certainly never hire the security guard again because he’s bad at his job.

                      As for the duration being unimportant, what is important is that our rights are still being violated. It’s that simple.

                      Let’s approach this another way: are our human rights being violated? Yes.

                      Does a reduction in the duration of said violation stop it from being a violation? No.

                      Conclusion: it’s a violation, and you are supporting it.

                      Now, let’s look at your claim that it may only be used on terrorists and foreign fighters. Are you aware that, under the Terrorism Suppression Amendment Act 2007, the Prime Minister gets to designate who is a terrorist? Not so hard now, is it?

                      Also, let’s stop twisting what I said into something I didn’t: I didn’t say Labour should let the bill pass, as it was going to pass regardless.

                      What Labour should have done was taken advantage of the opportunity to skewer National for bringing us closer to being a Police state.

                      tl;dr:
                      Duration is irrelevant, it’s still a violation of our rights.

                      The PM gets to decide who’s a terrorist, so they can watch anybody.

                      Labour didn’t have a choice in the matter, so why support it? We gained nothing and they lost the moral high ground.

                    • CATMAN

                      Sorry Bass Guy, but Labour are not the police in your analogy. There was no possible course of action Labour could have taken that could have stopped the bill being passed.

                      However much you wanted Superman and the Hulk to save the day, there were only two available outcomes here, regardless of the politics in between.

                      Scenario 1 (your preferred outcome) is that teh SIS spy on you, you complain, and they say fuck you, we’re allowed.

                      Scenario 2 (which I happen to think is a lot better) is that the SIS spy on you, you complain, and someone has some ‘splaining to do to show how you were actually a terrorist and they were allowed to.

                      It’s not ideal, and I never said it was. It’s just better than the only available alternative.

                  • les

                    so what would have prevented the Natz passing the bill then?

                    • Colonial Rawshark

                      Nothing. But you then paint the NATs as absolutists, alarmists and authoritarians, setting up the narrative for 2017.

                    • McFlock

                      lol
                      Yes. That “narrative” will work when raiding the media, the gcsb/echelon, blatant corruption, dirty politics, and outright lying still didn’t stop the nats being reelected. /sarc

                      Mighty thin angle to justify allowing blanket 48hr warrantless surveillance when it could have been stopped.

        • Matthew Hooton 1.3.1.3

          If Labour did what you suggest, most voters would think they were utterly paranoid and obsessed on a single issue, and they would have go down in the polls.

          • RedBaronCV 1.3.1.3.1

            Well if JK had nothing to fear and nothing to hide he would have put the SIS/GCSB (and the warrantless survey too ) under the control of a small parliamentary committee of one NACT, one Labour & one from the minor parties so they no longer just report to the ruling party. Why didn’t he do that?

          • mickysavage 1.3.1.3.2

            It is a strange day in hell when Felix and Hoots agree …

          • framu 1.3.1.3.3

            or they could have said the only way they would support it was to allow proper public submissions and a democratically just timeline, just like in places with far greater and pressing terrorist threats

            which puts the ball squarely back in the nats court and makes the issue the method, timing and reasons

            thats the kind of standing on principle i would have expected. It would have worked by not making them look like flip floppers or paranoid hysterics and instead made them look like they give a shit about NZers

          • Paul 1.3.1.3.4

            Really Mr Spinner?

      • Kiwiri - Raided of the Last Shark 1.3.2

        Little was badly advised on this Bill. Was he on the select committee?

        Who were the Labour MPs who were responsible for this Bill?

        What was done, or not done, in terms of the public communication and internal party messaging for this Bill?

        • Karen 1.3.2.1

          Shearer and Goff were on the select committee and it was inevitable that these two would concede to National.There are some important concessions that Labour got through, but my suspicion that National were always willing to accept these.

          My preference would be for Labour to have stood its ground on the warrantless surveillance in particular, but there are too many in the caucus who would have agreed with Goff. Little still has to pick his fights unfortunately. This bill was going to pass anyway so perhaps he decided it wasn’t worth it.

          • Colonial Rawshark 1.3.2.1.1

            Shearer and Goff were onboard with this. How surprising. Putting them on the Select Committee was a tacit tick from the start.

            • tracey 1.3.2.1.1.1

              Agree… Goff would sign TPP in a heartbeat too

              • goff initiated tpp..he was the one who first invited america into what up until then was a regional discussion/plan..

                ..of course he wd ‘sign up in a heartbeat’..(and that is one of the main reasons he is still there/so loath to just fuck off..(as he shd have done a long time ago..)..he wants to make sure ‘his’ tpp goes thru..

                ..just as he has a long history of eroding our human rights/tightening the screws of the surveillance-state..

                ..’signing’ that away in (serial)-‘heartbeats’..

                ..goff is part of the problem..(with shearer not far behind him..)

          • Murray Rawshark 1.3.2.1.2

            Who decides the makeup of a select committee? I can’t think of any worse candidates than Shearer and Goff in terms of protecting civil rights. Goff’s instinct is to back law agencies to the hilt, and Shearer probably thinks the SIS will be able to catch a few roof painters. FJK and FAL too.

    • tracey 1.4

      Do you know what, if any, sanction is in place for those wrongly surveilled for 48 hours withoyt a warrant? Who oversees the destruction of information wrongly gathered?

  2. Paul 2

    Recession now being predicted.
    Wonder how all those muppets feel who believed the crap the Key cult said about our wonderful economy.
    I feel sorry for farmers.
    Key’s banker friends must be licking their lips as they plan a fire sale of NZ’s farm lands as vulnerable farmers crash into debt.

    ‘The cut to Fonterra’s milk price payout could push some regions into recession, an economist says.

    Fonterra yesterday slashed its forecast for this season’s farmgate milk price from $5.30/kg milksolids to $4.70/kg, 44 per cent down from last year’s record of $8.40/kg.

    This would mean a $6.8 billion reduction in payout to the nation’s dairy farmers, according to Infometrics senior economist Benje Patterson.’

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/dairy/64033879/Regions-brace-for-hard-times

  3. millsy 3

    No “chair of caucus” moment from Little in the past 3 weeks. So far, apart from the SIS bill, no foot wrong. The true test of his leadership will come next year. He probably has a very small amount of time to get some movement in the polls.

  4. les 4

    with the Auck and Chch housing mkts in particular,this needs addressing urgently.. Institute of Economic Research principal economist Shamubeel Eaqub also wants a better deal for tenants.

    He believes New Zealand has some of the most restrictive rules in the developed world for renters.

    “New Zealand is strangely different in that we have made this almost special provision around renting of residential property versus other types of renting,” he said.

  5. Communist outlaws in a Papatoetoe cave: Public Films releases a promo for its study of the suppressed left-wing history of Auckland: http://readingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz/2014/12/deep-diving.html

    • Sans Cle 5.1

      Interesting – is the whole film about lava caves, or about underground communist activities….or both?

  6. Morrissey 6

    “A bit of torture [snort]“….”A triumph for American values”
    Two leading thinkers grapple with the problem of evil

    The Huddle, NewstalkZB, Wednesday 10 December 2014
    Larry “Lackwit” Williams, Jordan Williams, Maria Slade

    While it was all bleeding heart liberals on National Radio yesterday*, over at NewstalkZimBecile, there is never any problem finding shills for anything, whether it be the Chinese regime oppressing dissidents, the mass murder of civilians in Gaza, drone strikes in Afghanistan and Yemen, street killings of Māori children, or (this afternoon) the kidnapping, torture and killing of captives by government terrorists…..

    LARRY LACKWIT WILLIAMS: [with exaggerated delicacy] First up, ummmm, ahhhhh, this Seeeee Aiiiiiii Aeeeeeee report. There’s been a bit of waterboarding going on, a bit of torture. [snort] What do you think, Jordan?
    JORDAN WILLIAMS: Well I just thought: what a triumph for American values. This came out in a public inquiry. I can’t imagine that happening in China or Russia or North Korea.
    LARRY LACKWIT WILLIAMS: Yeah. You can’t imagine that happening in China, Maria.
    MARIA SLADE: It’s WRONG. You don’t torture. It’s barbaric. A modern democracy does not torture. It’s wrong. And as the report shows, it’s useless. It doesn’t work.
    LARRY LACKWIT WILLIAMS: Y-y-yes, but….
    MARIA SLADE: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was waterboarded one hundred and eighty-three times and he still didn’t crack. It doesn’t work.
    JORDAN WILLIAMS: Yes that’s right Larry. If someone is deluded enough to want to fly passenger jets into skyscrapers, they’re not going to break under torture.
    LARRY LACKWIT WILLIAMS: [confused] Hrrumph.
    MARIA SLADE: Modern, democratic states do not torture. There is never any excuse for it.
    LARRY LACKWIT WILLIAMS: But the CIA are denying the report. They say they don’t torture.
    MARIA SLADE: Of course. What do you EXPECT them to say?
    LARRY LACKWIT WILLIAMS: This Sheikh fella, you’d just give him a hug and a cuddle, would you?
    MARIA SLADE: Torture is wrong. There is no excuse for it, ever.
    LARRY LACKWIT WILLIAMS: [befuddled] Back after the break.

    ….…..[COMMERCIAL BREAK]………

    LARRY LACKWIT WILLIAMS: Some of your texts and emails: “The CIA didn’t cut off any heads did they.” That’s RIGHT! “Larry, you’re sounding like a fascist Cheney and Rumsfeld USED the 9/11 attacks to enrich themselves.” ….. [extended pause for effect, then a burst of hysterical derisive laughter]…. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ohhh, dear. “I’m all for torturing these SAVAGES. All power to the CIA.” Thank you for that, Dale….

    ….ad nauseam, ad absurdum, ad infinitum…..

    * http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-10122014/#comment-938187

    • miravox 6.1

      Man these Williams people are sick. Thank you Maria Slade.

      I’m looking for someone to start mentioning sanctions against this rogue state until they bring the perpetrators to ‘justice’. Iran, Russia do you want to start the ball rolling? I mean, that’s how the West sorts out States who won’t conform to civilised values isn’t it?

      Maybe NZ might be the little State who could – especially given our Security Council profile?

    • alwyn 6.2

      There was discussion on this topic on Morning Report today.
      The general opinion, at least from those quoted, seemed to be that anyone involved with this could be charged with war crimes. The way it was being discussed seemed to be arguing that anyone who was even peripherally connected could be charged.
      Given that we had troops in Afghanistan throughout the Bush era and that they handed captives over to the US forces does that mean the Helen Clark, Mark Burton and Phil Goff, who all visited the area and obviously knew exactly what was going on become liable for prosecution?
      Remember the various photos of then in the country wearing uniforms as if they were front line soldiers?
      Will they consider what was being recommended for Dick Cheney, that they take their vacations locally in the future to avoid being arrested and charged?

      • Anne 6.2.1

        Except they didn’t know what was going on. If you had read Hager’s “Other People’s Wars”, he made it crystal clear the govt. of the day did NOT know that certain NZ Defence Force officials were clandestinely working hand in glove with the Americans in a combative-type role.

        As for the photos. Of course they were wearing fatigues. Everyone in a war zone area has to wear them.

        Did Jason Ede give you lessons in the art of dirty politics alwyn? I have to say you’re quite good at it – sometimes.

        • Morrissey 6.2.1.1

          Anne, you’re on a hiding to nothing trying to defend Clark and her ministers for their craven behaviour. Clark was bullied and harangued into sending NZ personnel into both Iraq and Afghanistan. I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard, a decade ago, some National Party politician or media drone repeat the propaganda phrase “New Zealand is not pulling its weight.”

          She had the option of resisting the American pressure, as her predecessors had done in 1984. Instead, she played a minor—but, for U.S. “diplomatic” purposes, invaluable—role in the aggression against and destruction of two countries.

          Her menacing, angry demeanour while she participated, reluctantly perhaps but dutifully nonetheless, in the (discredited) campaign of her secret service agencies against Ahmed Zaoui, and her snarling display of unmitigated fury against the Catholic peace protestors who sabotaged the dome at Waihopai show how committed to peace and justice she and her government were.

          http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-06012014/#comment-753962

          • Clemgeopin 6.2.1.1.1

            I was under the impression that NZ sent troops to Afghanistan as it was under UN decision, but that NZ did not sent troops to Iraq as it was opposed by UN.
            Are you sure in what you are claiming about Helen Clark?

      • Murray Rawshark 6.2.2

        If there is evidence that they knew the captives might be tortured then, yes they should be in the dock. I’d suggest that the main offenders went first though. Trials of Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney et al. would help clear up who had known what and what the culpability of Clark etc. was. Given that the US and A doesn’t invade countries without committing war crimes, they could at least apologise and resign from their public positions.

    • Paul 6.3

      You are a brave person to listen to ZB’s Williams.
      Just the sort to facilitate a totalitarian state.
      A miserable and wrethced man.

      • phillip ure 6.3.1

        i sometimes feel i listen to national radio more out of a sense of duty..

        ..but having to voluntarily listen to the likes of williams/leighton smith/hosking et al..?..(as in that not being a form of torture/formalised-punishment..)

        ..whoar..!

        ..that is above and beyond the call of duty..

        ..and a step farm too far for me..

        (i am a total radio-snob…my radio-listening arc has been bfm to nat-rad…i just cant listen to that other crap..

        ..without wanting to run headfirst into a wall/gouge out my ears..)

        • Morrissey 6.3.1.1

          Sadly, Phillip, National Radio uses largely the same pool of commentators. Jordan Williams is not a bit more restrained or sensible when he is on Jim Mora’s programme than when he is talking to Larry Lackwit Williams. Other Panel regulars that are often on NewstalkZimBecile include: Jock Anderson, David Farrar, Chris (Haw Haw) Trotter, Ellen Read, Josie Pagani, and Tim Watkin.

          What they say on one is pretty much indistinguishable from the other. The only difference is in the quality of the host: Larry Lackwit Williams is not nearly as intelligent or as witty as Jim Mora.

          • phillip ure 6.3.1.1.1

            the latest addition to that roster of fools is perhaps the worst of them..

            ..tau (never had an original thought in my life) henare..

            ..he appeared on the panel..heralded as a new regular..

            ..and he was as gobsmackingly awful as he always is..

            ..w.t.f. were they thinking..?

            • tracey 6.3.1.1.1.1

              Do they pay the panel members? If RNZ pays them, why isnt jordan williams on behalf of the Taxpayers Union railing against the appalling misuse of taxpayer money?

            • Benad 6.3.1.1.1.2

              Tau is an idiot. An imbecile. Don’t know which is worse!
              The fools that invite him in are pretty stupid too!

  7. Paul 7

    With new anti worker employment laws in place, I am hearing more and more stories about students and the young being exploited over this Christmas period with dodgy employers using people working short term.
    But I don’t want to rely on my anecdotes as Paula Bennett on this.
    Anyone heard of any stats on this subject or heard of similar stories?

  8. Paul 8

    New Zealand ………

    Land of the haves
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11372276

    and have nots
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11372283

    Shame on the governments of the past 30 years to sell this country.
    Micky Savage would not believe what has happened to the state he built.

    • BassGuy 8.1

      That second link, I’m just speechless:

      “…a 20-year-old solo mum cradling her 5-month-old son Te Kahurangi, pays $400 a week rent and usually has only $20-$40 a week for food.”

      $400 a week? Is the rental made of gold and magic? For that price it better be doing more than just keeping the rain and wind off them.

      After skimming that article, all I can say is “Merry f**king Christmas.” My jaw is so tight my dentist would have a fit. “Angry” doesn’t begin to describe my mood.

      • phillip ure 8.1.1

        then there are all those who don’t get there..

        ..who don’t get that food-parcel/help..

        ..there are many many more of them…

      • Wonderpup 8.1.2

        $400 a week rent is why the Nasty Nats want to sell state houses. So their slumlord friends are not being undercut by the state.

        Though I applaud Little’s recent appeals to the petite bourgeoisie (the small business owners) I think special attention needs to be paid to landlords. Housing warrants of fitness, rent appeals through a third party – especially for those receiving any kind of state support – and if renting is to become a way of life rather than buying, European style tenant protections so people can rely on stable homes for life for them and their families.

      • Clemgeopin 8.1.3

        Who is the minister of housing? He should be looking into this with lightning speed if he has any sense, decency, sense of duty or integrity!

  9. greywarshark 9

    Education is the answer to progress. There is no need to look at any other indicator for wellbeing. Just say that you are pouring $millions into it and the Government can sit down and look smug. End of story.

    I heard someone analysing the report from the OECD and finding it used information and techniques in a confusing way. Nothing useful to learn from it. Who was it. Why the Man from Initiative NZ. My response from LIARNZ (Lack of Initiative and Reason NZ)
    is that his analysis is woefully inadequate and not fit for the purpose of helping NZ rise to the demanding challenges of this century to help our population and country thrive.
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/20160658

    Luckily for the reason side Tim Hazledine was on hand and mentioned that after education there need to be stable jobs.
    edited

  10. “..Serious Question: Should Humans Extend Personhood to Animals?..

    ..We know more about the complex inner lives of animals than ever before.

    Are we ready to recognize their right to be free?..”

    (cont..)

    http://www.alternet.org/environment/serious-question-should-humans-extend-personhood-animals

    • les 10.1

      Outlaw Zoos but -do you want to give them the vote as well?

      • phillip ure 10.1.1

        ok..so you’ve played yr silly-card..

        ..got anything else..?

        • les 10.1.1.1

          I have actually…enough work to do about mans inhumanity to his fellow man without worrying about the animals atm.

      • phillip ure 10.1.2

        and maybe not ‘give them the vote’..outright/as it were..

        ..but if/when the mmp threshold becomes more democratic in nature..

        ..and drops to 3%..

        ..well then consideration wd have to be given to the viability of an animal rights party..

        ..(let’s give it the working-name of a.r.p…)

        ..and this all will happen..

        ..so in a sense..then they will get ‘a vote as well’..

        ..they certainly are in need of one..

        and as an aside..the similarities between human-slavery and animal slavery are potent/real..

        ..you only have to look at how owners of both..

        ..spoke/speak of those sentient-beings they enslave/abuse for profit..

        ..both are ‘de-humanised’..in every way possible..

        ..their common sentience denied..

        ..the pig is such an animal..intelligent/funny beautiful animals..

        ..if i think for too long how they are treated..

        ..tears start rolling down my cheeks..)

        • b waghorn 10.1.2.1

          How doe’s keeping a pet and probably a desexed pet at that fit with you animal emancipation views. Not to mention denying a dog a bone.

          • phillip ure 10.1.2.1.1

            one dog..not desexed..(male..)

            ..and as one who makes his money from animal exploitation..

            ..questioning the joys of real animal/human relationships is a bit rich..eh..?

            ..(and you never have any internal questions..?..about what you do..?..as you load the bobby-calves(veal) into the trucks taking them to the slaughterhouse..?

            ..and that crying/keening from the cows/calves after they are separated..for forever..so you can get their milk to sell..that anguish doesn’t effect you at all..?..)

            ..and as for ‘bones’..if dog finds old bone in park..and chews on it for awhile..?

            ..meh..!

            ..anyway..you’ll be able to judge him for yrslf soon..

            ..he’s about to get his own youtube-channel..(as am i…)

            ..so his endearing idiosyncrisies can receive the attention they deserve..

            ..(him blissing out riding on the scooter with me is as funny as fuck..

            ..and his screaming-complaints when/if left behind/at home..

            ..are a sight to behold in themselves..kinda ‘awesome’..

            ..and also as funny as fuck..)

            ..his name is ‘bo’…

            • b waghorn 10.1.2.1.1.1

              I couldn’t do my job with out a real relationship with my team of dogs , and I do get sympathetic feelings at times it would take a cold person not to and that sort shouldn’t be around animals anyway.
              The point I’m getting at is you’re dog hasn’t got the free will true freedom would give him infact if man hadn’t interfered he’d still be a wolf.
              A little experiment for you put some mince down and put some what ever you feed bo beside it and see what he choose’s.

            • Chooky 10.1.2.1.1.2

              re dogs and bones… an anecdote….we once had a spaniel called Wags or Wagifer …and after our cat Myrtle McCaw was run over and then buried with ceremony in the garden, Wagifer went and dug up her friend and horror of horrors ate her….no Vegan that dog!….but then Wagifer also went and dug up a row of carrots and ate them!….so not strictly carnivore either…just a disgusting doggy

    • BM 10.2

      Zoos are about breeding programs, the entertainment side pays for it.

    • The Al1en 10.3

      “Should Humans Extend Personhood to Animals?..”

      Just as soon as they ask for it.

      ” “..Serious Question: ”

      😆

      And what’s with all the flourishing, capitalist, upper class capital letters? Won the lotto or the pension plan mature?

  11. Once wasTim 11

    @les (above)
    except that the politician’s definition of pragmatism is often more one of expediency – it’s become their buzzword.
    No doubt the Kenyan administration consider extra-judicial killings as ‘pragmatic’, as do ISIS in their warped quest to convert their opposition. Obama’s reluctance to prosecute rogue CIA operatives is “pragmatic” (Not)
    Pragmatism – use with caution!

    • les 11.1

      How can you change things without the power of govt?Revolution?

      • phillip ure 11.1.1

        we don’t need ‘revolution’ per se here in nz..

        ..we are fortunate in that thanks to mmp..

        ..we can have our ‘revolution’ at the ballot-box..

        ..taking power/making change..is in our hands..

        ..and in that we are far more fortunate than most..

        • adam 11.1.1.1

          I think a non-violent revolution is a very real possiblty in this economic environment. As the just in time economy, has lots of vulnerability.

          • adam 11.1.1.1.1

            *possibility*

          • Puckish Rogue 11.1.1.1.2

            Yes but its not like National are a minor party that cobbled together a coilition is it

            47% of voters decided they wanted National back so thats a pretty big hurdle to overcome right there

            • McFlock 11.1.1.1.2.1

              Nope.

              A touch over a third of voters actively supported the current government.

              Of those, quite a few would have been unaware just how much they’ve been lied to by fuckwits like you.

              • Puckish Rogue

                Seriously?

                http://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2014/

                or

                http://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2014/partystatus.html

                I’m going to go with them rather then you on this one

                However the point is its difficult to start a revolution when the ruling party is as popular as National still is

                • McFlock

                  Yes.
                  Your fundamental error, other than being a fucking liar, is that “Voters who voted in the general election” != “all voters”

                  If you weren’t a lying piece of shit you’d have looked at the turnout statistics, rather than focusing on the subset of voters who haven’t been completely alienated from non-compulsory parts of the electoral system.

                  One element you need for a revolution is a disenfranchised section of the society who see no effective means to improve the system using conventional means.

                  Another element that is required is substantial economic and social inequality to go alongside that lack of means of substantive change.

                  Personally, I don’t think we’re yet on the cusp of a revolution – but fuckwits like key might sleep easier having their little Marcos-style shelters to flee to, just in case.

  12. greywarshark 12

    I’m assuming that my inability to see any of my comments after 25 November is due to the fact that I haven’t updated my Firefox. But does anyone else have this problem. It would be useful to know – would you note if you do.

    • Olwyn 12.1

      That is the same for me and I use Chrome, but don’t update all that often.

      • Anne 12.1.1

        I haven’t been able to read mine since 25 Nov – both Chrome and Firefox.

        Umm… what do you mean exactly by “update?” Occasionally I will be told there’s an update available, and I will hit the ‘go ahead’ (start) button, but that hasn’t happened for either of them for some time. Is that what is being referred to?

        • phillip ure 12.1.1.1

          i’ve never read mine..should i..?..why..?

          • Anne 12.1.1.1.1

            Some of us are no longer in the first bloom of our youth and we forget what we’ve said. 😉

            • Chooky 12.1.1.1.1.1

              @Anne…aiming for consistency are we?…or non-repetition?….lol…quite frankly i dont think people remember much what we say …just the general gist..or the more outrageous comments

          • Chooky 12.1.1.1.2

            @ pu…yes you would be ( or should be) embarrassed if you read yours!

            ….and this is the reason i dont go anywhere near trying to read what i have said…die of embarrassment ( it was another me that said that )

            …lol… greywarshark is a brave man

            • Anne 12.1.1.1.2.1

              Well my problem is I sometimes forget I said anything at all, then somebody replies and I need to go back to see what they are replying to…

              Oh dear… 🙁

        • Olwyn 12.1.1.2

          Yes it is. I tend to ignore those signs if I am busy with something and don’t want the interruption.

    • BassGuy 12.2

      Sometimes I can’t see my replies, but it hasn’t been a problem this week (that I can remember).

      I can only sometimes see the replies tab, just now and once last night.

      edit: I forgot to mention, Firefox 34 (Mozilla Firefox for Ubuntu canonical 1.0)

    • Draco T Bastard 12.3

      The only reason why you wouldn’t be able to see them that is related to the server is if they’d gone to spam but then no one else would be able to see them either. If you can’t see them then there’s probably something wrong at your end.

      My suggestion would be to update Firefox (A new version came out yesterday) and then to delete all cookies and cache.

  13. miravox 13

    5.25tn plastic particles in the oceans

    You put a net through it for half an hour and there’s more plastic than marine life there,” she said. “It’s hard to visualise the sheer amount, but the weight of it is more than the entire biomass of humans. It’s quite an alarming problem that’s likely to get worse

    • Draco T Bastard 13.1

      Yep, we’ve really got to start thinking up ways of cleaning the plastic out of the oceans. While also not dumping any more into them.

  14. Paul 14

    Ireland in revolt.

    ‘Thousands of demonstrators surround Irish Dáil in protest over water charges
    Missiles thrown at police lines as up to 100,000 protesters bring Dublin to a standstill over imposition of water charges.’

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/10/demonstrators-surround-irish-parliament-protest-over-water-charges

    Is this Ireland’s Cochabamba protest?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_Cochabamba_protests

    • Colonial Rawshark 14.1

      What Ireland really needs now are some new anti-terrorism and security/surveillance laws, to enable the authorities to really put down these protests. In the name of freedom, stability, democracy, etc.

  15. Morrissey 15

    Leighton Smith: “Fruit and veges are the perfect market”
    NewstalkZB, Monday 5 July 2010 (from the Archives)

    The following took place a few minutes ago on NewstalkZimBecile. While it is largely banal, it is interesting in as far as it reveals the poverty of thought and analysis, and the condescension, that Leighton Smith routinely inflicts on NewstalkZB sufferers….

    LEIGHTON SMITH: It seems to me that the fruit and vege market is the market working in its purest form. Take avacadoes for example. In the summertime you can buy five for a dollar, but yesterday I saw ONE selling for three dollars and sixty-seven cents. That suggests that avacadoes are in short supply right now, hence the high price. It’s a perfect market.

    Unlike Smith, a caller called Hayden actually has some knowledge of the fruit and vege markets, and is having none of this nonsense…

    HAYDEN: I used to work in a New World store and it bothered me when I found out that the markup on fruit and veges was 20 per cent or more. And the manager told me it was because they were selling Coke and rubbish like that as loss leaders, and they made up for it on things like vegetables.

    LEIGHTON SMITH: Why would they DO that? Tell me, WHY would they do that? Why would they put a huge margin on health foods which many of their clientele just by-pass anyway? That makes no SENSE!

    Of course, the idea that people actually DO have to buy fruit and vegetables does not seem to have occurred to Smith. In spite of his bafflement and sneering condescension, nearly all people, even the poor, do actually buy fruit and vegetables and do not eat a diet exclusively of hot dogs and fish and chips.

    The thought that the selling of fruit and vegetables is anything but a perfect market and that the supermarkets ruthlessly manipulate the prices, does not seem to have occurred to Leighton Smith.

    • Paul 15.1

      You listened to Leighton Smith as well as Larry Williams.
      Beyond the call of duty.

    • greywarshark 15.2

      20% markup seems very reasonable. I understand that often it is much higher than that. A point to remember is that fruit and veg selling is a very labour intensive product, ie needing care and rotation and is perishable. Tins of things are so much easier to market, and even biscuits (which can have a period of a year to the best before date).

      Supermarkets play around with their specials, and that is why it is not going to make a huge difference pushing for no GST on food, as there wouldn’t be a clear and straight-forward set markup on any particular item based on its cost price at all times.

      And Leighton Smith has an addictive quality, he acts as a magnet to people not strong enough to pull away and maintain their own perspective. Perhaps babies have heard him while in the womb and grow up attuned to his wavelength, and his voice goes straight past their thinking brain to their hypocritical campus and resonates there.
      edited

      • Morrissey 15.2.1

        That’s a fine piece of analysis, greywarshark. Thanks very much.

        • greywarshark 15.2.1.1

          Hey thanks Morrissey. Do you actually mean that positively or are you giving me irony or sar/? You often don’t like my comments.

          • Morrissey 15.2.1.1.1

            Hey thanks Morrissey. Do you actually mean that positively or are you giving me irony or sar/?

            No, I mean it. I usually try to avoid sarcasm, what with it being the lowest form, etc. I’m also not too keen on irony, which seems to me to be a cop-out most of the time, part of a strategy of avoiding serious grappling with an issue.

            You often don’t like my comments.

            Actually, I often DO like your comments. I’ve clashed at some stage with nearly everybody on this board, including the headmaster Mr Prent—who has banned me on three separate occasions. Just this morning I even had a disagreement with the venerable Anne.

  16. adam 16

    If you have any late Christmas shopping to do may I suggest you read this report

    It’s a report on new LUX leaks. Yes that’s right, more corporations looking for ways to not pay tax.

    Do yourself, and working people a favour this Christmas – Don’t buy anything from this collection of corporations.

    http://www.icij.org/project/luxembourg-leaks/new-leak-reveals-luxembourg-tax-deals-disney-koch-brothers-empire?goal=0_ffd1d0160d-1ada28693c-100020097&mc_cid=1ada28693c&mc_eid=c346e018f7

  17. Pat O'Dea 17

    A bold move by Andrew Little. My congratulations go to Matt McCarten in being reappointed Labour Party Chief of Staff.

    Matt’s first task I would suspect, is to organise a campaign to challenge the recently passed anti-worker legislation around the right to smoko breaks and employer cancellation of negotiations.
    If Matt knows his history, and I know he does. He knows the Labour movement was invigorated by the campaign for proper smoko breaks by the Blackball miners.

    It is time to repeat history.

    As we used to say back in the day:
    “Workers who fight Left, Vote Left”
    Because it is only in struggle that workers can properly identify their political allies and enemies.
    Bravo!

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11372642

    • swordfish 17.1

      Yeah, Blackball led directly to the rise of The Red Feds and hence the reinvigoration of Trade Unionism, then to the formation of the Social Democratic Party, and ultimately to the Labour Party in 1916. All led by some great (and mainly Aussie, it has to be said) Unionists-turned-politicians. Pat Hickey (my personal favourite) being the only Kiwi amongst these leaders.

  18. aerobubble 18

    So the US after 9/11 goes off the rails and starts torturing, given many Muslims in the world a new cause. Now we rush a video in homes law, of suspected individuals, who are likely to be muslim and have a religious thing about others watching their spouses.

    Now I loath religion, especially my local library who cant help themselves or so frustrate in their beliefs like playing the same damn christmas tape over and over,god is great music it seems, despite the obvious breach of my religious freedom… but hey, more power to the state to target religion, maybe they will hopeful start investigating the local christisns sects who seem quite intolerent. I mean, that the actions of pesting others, in unwarrented ways, is a sign of extremism and cause for the state to use the 24hr seek and peek.

    So I get it CIA over stepped, now we are, tis the season for overzealous state security.

  19. aerobubble 19

    Key government MInister, in answer to a question, declares that those who lost their life savings to Hanover, alledgedly, should get over it. Last day before recess for xmas.
    What a sentiment! “move on!”

  20. The Chairman 20

    Grant Robertson said the OECD report highlights the need for redistribution of taxes and benefits to prevent inequality.

    Is this a sign Labour plan to increase taxes to then increase benefits?

    Or is it merely lip-service?

    Thoughts?

    • aerobubble 20.1

      neither. its about undermining neolibs economics of just worrying about profits which eans foregoing having govern middle and lower incomers needs. i.e. rich people values matter, not the rest.

  21. greywarshark 21

    Tom Lehrer commented a while ago on the upturning of social mores. He said that when he was younger it was bad to swear in front of a lady. But time moved on and now it was okay to swear in front of a woman but bad to call her a lady.

    Last century there were rules instigated about fair fighting called the Queensberry rules.
    These were instigated by the Marquess of Q. who was the father of young Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas, the third son, for whom Oscar Wilde had a passion. Oscar was imprisoned for his unlawful passion and died in prison soon after. (Wikipedia says about the father. He was notorious for his abuse, immorality, and his reputation as a lunatic.)

    Now homosexuals are free to have relationships without these unreasonable controls, but the Queensberry rules of fair play are being abandoned. A sportsperson can break another person’s jaw, be forgiven and not go to prison, because it will harm his career. This was the decision given today in Dunedin and I think it is a disgrace, and that sport is being allowed to degenerate into bullying brutality, which demeans both the sportspeople involved and the audience, with each incident being used to publicise the games and arouse controversy and interest, for monetary gain by the promoters and sports management.

    From google – I can’t get a link in my normal way to Pressreader, can’t get extract. It all seems sewn up tight as a fish’s a..e there.
    PressReader – The New Zealand Herald – December 11, 2014
    http://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/the-new-zealand-herald/textview
    8 hours ago – At Dunedin District Court this week, Judge Kevin Phillips said a conviction would end … Dr Chris Gallavin, dean of law at University of Canterbury, said sportspeople were the …

    • Murray Rawshark 21.1

      I remember a case back in the 90s when a club league player was convicted of disorderly behaviour, or maybe affray. The judge went into a huge rave about rugby league violence and thuggery, and spoke about how the defendant demanded a deterrent sentence. Union players get discharges and often name suppression, but then FJK is the All Black captain.

      • greywarshark 21.1.1

        @ Murray R 2.23 a.m.
        The Standard never sleeps! The Russians decided against putting an eye of Saurun up on a high building. Too symbolic for any government? But here we have Te Standard.

  22. Morrissey 22

    How to belittle and sideline the reaction to the Senate Investigations Committee report: Treat it not as genuine outrage, but as political posturing

    “Afghanistan, China, Russia and Iran are some of the countries condemning the United States….”
    —-Al Jazeera news, 6 p.m., Thursday 11 December 2014

    Of course, many other countries have condemned the United States regime’s program of terror, torture, kidnapping and murder. But Al Jazeera highlights China, Russia and Iran, which might lead some people to infer that the protests are nothing more than political posturing.

    We need to remember that Al Jazeera is the organ of the utterly undemocratic Qatari regime, and its “news” coverage is often as slanted as that of the BBC, the ABC, DW, RT, Fox News or any other outlet.

  23. rawshark-yeshe 23

    Our inheritance from the bloody awful Tony Ryall and the filthy money-grubbing Nat government … try getting well on this mess …

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/64061995/Broccoli-from-China-for-patients

    and here come the Mekong Delta farmed catfish to nourish sick Southlanders … yuk.

    • b waghorn 23.1

      Not only is it probably poor nutrition but its more tax payer dollars leaving the country instead of supporting local growers and fishermen not to mention food miles .

    • RedBaronCV 23.2

      and I believe washed in formaldehye and oversprayed so that it keeps. Urrg. Given that gardening is the main national sport beyond a certain age why don’t they ask for local garden surplus for a small price topped up with local purchases.

    • Colonial Rawshark 23.3

      Bet you it’s Jenny Shipley and Pansy Wong’s Chinese contacts behind this shite

    • Murray Rawshark 23.4

      Vietnamese sewerage cod. Yum!
      Over here in Brisbane I saw something in a fish shop labelled fresh water dory. Having never heard of it, I did a bit of research and found out it was basa, a catfish farmed in sewerage downstream of Saigon. They had a bit of an investigation of it and it is not the sort of thing that should be fed to sick people.

  24. batweka 24

    Twitter rumour is that SST left wing counterpart to Collins is Phil Goff.

    • Olwyn 24.1

      Not just a rumour – from the horse’s mouth:

      http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/64071710/new-columnist-phil-goff-goes-toetotoe-with-judith-collins

      Finally, for those who believe commissioning Judith Collins was an outrage, I have more bad news … as foreshadowed, I’ve taken on a second MP, too. Phil Goff will go toe-to-toe with Collins in the Sunday Star-Times every week. Goff, once the leader of the Labour Party, has now been moved off new leader Andrew Little’s front benches. Like Judith Collins, he is freed of the constraints of collective responsibility – both of them can call it like they see it. If that means they sometimes criticise their own leaders, so be it. This weekend, the former foreign affairs minister will examine whether Kiwis should be allowed to go take up arms in foreign wars like those in Syria and Iraq.

      A bit uneasy about the second-to-last sentence, as well as Goff being touted as a “hard-hitting left winger.”

  25. adam 25

    Big ups to the English firefighters for their actions yesterday.

    http://www.fbu.org.uk/

    http://libcom.org/blog/top-10-reasons-support-firefighter-strikes-09122014

    Never think you’re alone.

  26. Colonial Rawshark 26

    IMF house price and rental charts

    Just for you, RL. NZ is shite on just about every count.

    http://www.imf.org/external/research/housing/

  27. Pat O'Dea 27

    “You will not get your coal mine… Believe it in your hearts”

    On the Monday of the 26th day of August 2013, the above promise is the one I gave to the high powered Fonterra executives and engineers and their crack team of expensive lawyers, who had gathered at the Mangatangi Marae that morning to begin the hearings for consent from the Waikato Regional and District Councils to establish a new open cast coal mine in Mangatangi. I wasn’t bluffing, I was deadly serious, I meant it, and I believed it.

    Hearings for Fonterra’s new coal mine begins

    “The concept is simple, we all understand it. Coal is putting a pane of glass over the world.”

    “To the Commissioners and representatives of Fonterra gathered here. I would like to say to you before the paepae, that whatever the outcome of these hearings and the decisions you make, you will not get your coal mine.

    “We are the people who stopped nuclear ships. We are the people who stopped racist sporting tours. We are the people who stopped the sub-division of Bastion Point.

    “To the Commissioners especially. I would like to say, that if you approve the consents for this coal mine your names will be all over this economic, environmental and political disaster.

    “If there is one message I would like you to hear, it is this: We will stop your mine. It will never go ahead. Believe it in your hearts.”

    PAT O’DEA

    Mana Spokesperson for Climate Change and member of Auckland Coal Action. August 26, 2013

    Despite gaining all the consents they sought, Fonterra’s coal mine at Mangatangi has been stopped.

    This isn’t a fluke. I did not make my promise before the Paepae at Mangatangi to Fonterra’s gathered executives, and the Regional politicians and resource commissioners lightly.
    Like many others I have come to realise, that climate change is a deadly threat to humanity, and that we must do everything within our power to stop it. Coal has been identified as the number 1 single greatest cause of climate change. This is the reason Green Party and Mana Movement official policy is to oppose all new coal mines. Myself and many others know that we must prevent all new coal mining in this country, at any and all personal cost. We were determined to stop this mine and we succeeded.

    Many people ask me, why coal? Why not some other fossil fuel?
    My usual answer is this: ‘We all know how addicted we are to oil and petrol and how hard it is to give up our cars. But coal is something that is rarely required in modern life and is something we could easily do without. As well as being the most dangerous of the fossil fuels, coal is the most easiest to get rid of.’

    And rid of it we must. James Hansen formerly a director at NASA has said, that if we can’t get rid of coal it is all over for the climate.

    But there is another reason. Australia.

    Australia is the world’s biggest exporter of coal, and unlike New Zealand, a major emitter. Being another English speaking settler country, and also containing a strong unquenchable indigenous culture, our nearest neighbor Australia is a close cultural cousin. If we can get rid of coal they can too. And they want to, many Australians are frightened by the devastating affects of climate change that is ravishing their country.

    But the battle against new coal mines here, is not over yet, not by a long shot. Despite Auckland Coal Action presenting Fonterra a rigorous scientific study showing that they could use sustainable wood chips to fire their dairy plants. Fonterra refuse to take us seriously and are determined to use coal and ignore our submissions.

    Fonterra despite saying a number of times that they would not buy coal from Solid Energy because it is too expensive. Now, with the confounding of their plans to mine at Mangatangi, Fonterra plan to do just that.

    Fonterra have gone to Solid Energy to supply them. In response Solid Energy who are “Technically Insolvent” have been given a lifeline by Fonterra to reopen an old coal mine that they abandoned in the ’90s to provide Fonterra with the coal fix they crave. Just 5ks up the road from Mangatangi at Maramarua, Solid Energy plan to reopen the old Kopuku open cast mine that once supplied coal to the decommissioned Meremere coal fired power station.

    Stopping this second mine will not be as easy as stopping the first one, but it can be done. But it will require more than just the resources that Auckland Coal Action can muster. This is why I am writing this, to appeal to all groups who are concerned about climate change to add your strength and numbers against the reopening of the Kopuku open cast coal mine at Maramarua.

    If you join us, I can again promise “We will stop your mine, believe it in your hearts”

    Sources;

    Government announces another bail out of “Technically Insolvent” Solid Energy:
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/10515618/Solid-Energy-gets-103-million-lifeline

    Solid Energy continues round of savage layoffs:
    (I) http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/business/9048873/Heartbreak-for-Huntly-East-miners
    (II) http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/7719822/Last-ditch-bid-to-save-mine-jobs

    Green Party on First Solid Energy Bail Out. October 1, 2013
    https://home.greens.org.nz/press-releases/govt-bail-out-solid-energy-privatisation-stealth

    “Coal is not going to be the fuel of our future if we are to stabilise our climate.

    “New Zealanders and Solid Energy workers need a just transition into more sustainable jobs – jobs that don’t fry the planet.”

    2012 Fonterra says developing Mangatangi Mine cheaper than reopening Kopako
    http://nzresources.com/showarticle.aspx?id=3794&gid=30003794

    2009 Solid Energy Kopako reopening plan.
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/business/3118224/Mines-good-for-the-Waikato-company

    Kopako-Whangamarino Wetland. Threatened plants/birds/animals
    http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/waikato-places/page-3

    2006 consent to reopen Kopako
    http://www.crl.co.nz/downloads/geology/Maramarua/resource_consent/Maramarua_RC_EnviroWaikato_ResourceConsents_AllResourceConsents.pdf

    2014 Solid Energy Annual Report – Mysterious unnamed “new customer”?
    http://www.solidenergy.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/solid-energy-annual-report-2014.pdf

    “We renewed long-term contracts with key North Island customers, New Zealand Steel and Genesis Energy and concluded a thermal coal supply agreement, for more than 100,000 tonnes a year, with a new customer.”

    Solid Energy job advertisement: Closing date for applications, December 16, 2014
    https://solidenergy.careercentre.net.nz/Job/Diesel-Mechanic-Leading-Hands/Maramarua/955

    “The site has seen considerable historic opencast mining activity and was first developed in 1958 to deliver coal to the Meremere Power Station. This power station was decommissioned in 1991 but the original mine continued to deliver coal to industriall customers until the late 1990’s.
    Plans to recommence mining withing this area are underway. There is a large remaining coal resource at Maramarua and the recommencement of mining here should be the start of a long life operation.”

    Solid Energy job advertisement: Closing date for applications, December 10, 2014
    https://solidenergy.careercentre.net.nz/Job/Site-Administrator/Maramarua/949

    “Plans to resume mining in this area are now under way. There is a good immediate coal resource available and we have potential at Maramarua to consent and develop further resources if this is supported by customer demand.”

    A just transition away from coal
    https://coalactionnetworkaotearoa.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/jobs_after_coal_may2104_lowres.pdf

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    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

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

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