Hipkins is doing his SotN speech in about a week's time. I believe it is taking place in South Auckland. In the meantime he did this 30 min. stand-up for the media at Labour's recent retreat. No comparison to Luxon. Hipkins talks substance. Luxon favours platitudes and hyperbole over substance:
Despite those dire times the government, which for part of this time included NZF, managed the economy so that it survived relatively intact. In particular the lockdowns enabled the economy to keep working pretty much as normal except for tourism. We were the envy of the world.
Now we have Luxon and Peters rewriting economic history without a mention of Covid. In fact Robertson's handling of government debt levels over this period put NZ in a much better state than most of the OECD economies.
New Zealand should not be afraid of borrowing and spending more money because the government books are one of the tidiest the world, a senior economist says.
Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr told Morning Report high net migration was great, but infrastructure was not keeping up.
The problem is that, although the OECD countries only had a rise in their debt levels in 2020 Robbo, having got a severe case of borrow and waste, just kept going. Other countries have lower levels of borrowing than they did at the end of 2020. We are, thanks to Robertson, much more in debt than we were in 2020.
It isn't the $20 billion or so that we borrowed and spent in 2020 that is the problem. It is the much greater amount that he got through in the 3 years when Labour Governed alone.
Where did it all end up? We certainly don't have anything to show for it?
The first graph in Michael Reddell's link (Croaking Cassandra) shows exactly what I said. New Zealand debt rose in a nearly straight line from about 4% in 2019 to around 16% in 2023. It never declined at all and was forecast, by the OECD to keep going up if Labour Party policy continued in 2024-2025
The median result for OECD countries rose from about 30% to 38% in 2020 and then dropped abruptly to around 26% in 2023. They stopped throwing money away and we kept going.
There was no need to keep going as Robertson did. The worst of Covid was over by the beginning of 2021. We just wouldn't accept it.
There are two complications. NZ has the Cullen Fund. I don't know if it is now being drawn upon, but I suspect it is the closest we have got to a Sovereign Fund such as Norway have. Good investment Returns are what got the current Governor of the Reserve Bank his job; that fund and other government actions resulted in us having an increase in net GDP despite higher borrowing on at least one occasion. New Zealand has a higher level of private debt than most countries – and now sadly a higher level of companies operating in New Zealand but substantially owned by overseas shareholders. Tis sees us sending a lot of profit overseas rather than having it to help us through hard times. Hence the discussion about why it would make sense to retain at least some NZ ownership of assets like the Wellington Airport, and similar organisations in other cities.
I don't accept that argument at all Alwyn. You are again parroting Luxon, Seymour and (to his shame) Peters.
Recovering from Covid required some serious government intervention. We are already in a GDP per capita recession despite all of that government spending-it would have been a full-blown economic death-spiral without it.
The Croaking Cassandra graph shows NZ's net government liabilities as a percentage of GDP at 19% versus 28% for the OECD in 2025, which is creditable, and not the disaster you and your C of C friends paint it.
Your argument appears to be that the NZ debt percentage line would have continued to go up after 2025. That would not have happened. As the post-covid economic recovery became complete a Labour-led government would have eased expenditure.
Yes, and I also realise that the interest we have to pay on the $100 billion or so that Robbo borrowed isn't making it any easier to get to a budget surplus. It might not matter if it had actually been invested in something useful but it just seems to have been tossed out with the dishwater.
Things such as upgrading schools and infrastructure, road safety improvements to name just a few. Keeping everyone in jobs during and after COVID. Wasted?
You really want to see waste. Just hold my beer, for the next three years. Watch the recession, happening right now that National, ACT and the reserve Bank have talked the country in to over the past year.
As Key borrowed for tax cuts for the wealthy, while neglecting infrastructure, health, education and other investments for the future. Even road maintenance. While bringing in hundreds of thousands to give the illusion of a growing economy, while leaving a huge spending deficit for a future Government to repair, this Government is determined to go down the same path.
Out of her depth – feel sorry for the kids, missing out on their movies.
Here's how Willis reacted when asked about how much she stood to personally receive from her party’s tax cut proposals:
’In our family of two incomes we’d get $80 a fortnight. And kids, that means instead of movie night meaning DVDs and Tip Top at home, we might go out to the movies.”
Can you give me the exact make up of what that $100 billion was spent on please?
In reality it is a number plucked from the air by Luxon to berate Labour with, when in fact, despite the Covid Crash and despite the Ukraine war induced cost of living/inflation/high interest rates crisis, Robertson kept NZ government borrowing well below the OECD average as the graph I posted above demonstrates.
I have no idea where Robertson squandered all the money he borrowed. I doubt if even he could tell you.
Of course the borrowing was below the OECD average. That was because when he started we had almost no debt. According to the graph you posted it must have been about 1% of GDP
I have no idea where Robertson squandered all the money he borrowed.
Alwyn, if you have no idea, then why would you believe the money was "squandered"? Is it just that not enough dosh was squandered on you?
Our self-serving CoC govt is bent, on squandering tax cuts on landLords.
Optics and illusions in politics [16 March 2024]
There must have been at least some degree of political discomfort about a tax break for landlords coming when so many New Zealanders who don’t own rental properties are “doing it tough”, as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon likes to say. It didn’t help that it came just days after a previous optical failure. That was when Luxon was tangled up in an entirely foreseeable story about claiming a $52,000 accommodation allowance rather than staying in Premier House, in order to live instead in his own mortgage-free Wellington apartment.
Luxon kept repeating that he was “entitled” to the allowance until he saw the light. “Entitled” proved to be an unfortunate choice of word.
Officials side with Government on rent debate, but Treasury wants effective capital gains tax [15 March 2024]
“Treasury considers it unlikely that landlords will pass on the tax change through lower rents in the short run,” the statement said.
…
There was a sting in the tail. The Government is also reducing the 10-year bright-line test, which taxes the capital gains made on rental properties if they are sold within 10 years, back to just two years. Treasury said the Government should can that idea and double the bright-line test to 20 years, or consider extending it even longer, turning it into a capital gains tax on rental property in all but name.
That is what really incensed the, laughably called "centre right" .
The country had an example of the effectiveness of Government putting people first, ahead of 'their' profits. A people working together for good, instead of for the increased wealth of those with the real power.
That can never be forgiven, and must be rubbished as soon as possible. Propaganda mouthpieces and "useful idiots" endlessly chanting the same memes about "economic incompetence" and ‘debt" until people internalise them. Funding and insidious support for US style cookers, to undermine the narrative of the COVID effort. Before we, as a country, remember how "looking after each other" once gave us one of the highest standards of living in the world.
The concerted effort of the right, the enquiry being one, to destroy any idea of the real achievements of the Adern Government over COVID and after, is to ensure that "never again"! are "people to be put before profit." And never again are we to be reminded of the effectiveness of "Governments power for good" if a Government chooses to use it.
“How dare a Government prioritise the ongoing welfare of the people they represent, over short term corporate advantage”.
I have zero sympathy for those who voted for NAct and NZ1. Your example BG is a case in point.
The media are well aware of the CoC's lies and deceit, but they seem afraid to say so – with the surprising exception of Tova O'Brien. It will be interesting to see if her career is affected in any way.
It's happened before. The most notable: when Muldoon banned Tom Scott from media interviews and his speeches – not sure now whether that included the Parliamentary Press Gallery. Fortunately Scott's brilliant writing ability in particular saved his career from disintegrating.
Not sure it works like that Ad. There is virtually nothing Hipkins could do at the moment that would get "mainstream cut-through" – unless it's something that reflects badly on him, the Labour Party or the left generally.
To view the media as a neutral sounding board ignores most of what we know about it. It will change, but the coalition of crackpots has to go even more bonkers and sustain it for longer. Hipkins should still do it of course – no white flags should be raised.
Because most of the the media don't really have any interest in ideas. They are like sports commentators. So for now it's all about how Labour got smashed in an election – will they change leaders, how do they recover, how is their morale, are their fans deserting them, blah blah blah. That story will just get tired – and it eventually becomes that National are underperforming, making mistakes, missing tackles while Labour have new talent and is the new talent up to it, etc. So much of it is rooted in the primacy of personalities over ideas. In that sort of culture, losers are meant to be contrite and ask for forgiveness.
Oh please. What it simply requires is for Hipkins to try. Here's how Hipkins looked so far from Steve Braunias on the weekend:
'Winning an election does not entitle you to act like a dictatorship.
To act like a dictatorship, you need to lose an election. One of the first things I did after leading Labour to a catastrophic loss is that I gathered the few MPs lift standing, and said to them:
"You have no fight left in you. You are without hope. You are weak, in a bad way, finished. The last thing you want to do right now is mount any kind of leadership challenge.
Just go about your business. Walk in circles. Hide in dark corners. The important thing to remember is that I am the leader of the Labour Party. I will always be the leader of the Labour Party. You are feeling sleepy. Close your eyes. I am the leader of the Labour Party. I will always be the leader of the Labour Party. Sleep now. Sleep."
It's worked really well.'
The contrast to Chloe Swarbrick last week could not be starker.
You only have to imagine what an integrated State of the Nation summit with Labour, Greens and TMP would look like.
Unfortunately that's not happening so imagining is all we've got.
It does require that – as I said. But for a period after a heavy election defeat, that is usually not enough. And it’s part of the broader culture which the media reflects back at us – recent losers are worthless, everything they say is to be discounted. Every story, as I said above, is about how down and out they are.
I realize that many of you will not want to read this excellent article byYvonne Van Dongen because it was published on The Platform.
So I will summarize.
Puberty Blockers have been banned for under 18 years in the UK (unless as part of a high quality research study). These drugs are prescribed off label and there is concerning long term side effects and questions over the impact of these drugs on the developing brain.
The Wpath Files. A whistle blower supplied to journalists video chat and email correspondance between members of Wpath, showing that these members of WPath know that kids can't consent to treatments such as PBs, that side effects of hormones include liver cancer.
Comedy genius Graham Lineham who wrote the IT crowd and Father Ted visited NZ and despite having many media interviews lined up, the msm didn't cover his visit. Why? Because he stood up against trans rights activists, speaking up for women and girls and against gender affirming care and was disgracefully de platformed.
You mean the MSM that cheerfully reported various reckons that Posie Parker was a transphobe and Nazi adjacent? That amplified the voices of several politicians that were happy to do a bit of bandwagon jumping, and wave their virtue signaling and ignorant opinions around?
The same cowardly and captured bunch that called Shane Toko (Ashley) Winter a woman and showered him with female pronouns all through his trial, conviction and sentencing for the torture and murder of a vulnerable young woman?
That same media Visubversa! There will be questions asked surely when what some are suggesting is the greatest medical scandal ever, i.e. the medical transition of vulnerable children is exposed. Such as "why didn't we know?" However that excuse wears a bit thin, where sites such as the Standard have allowed us to exercise our free speech rights and allowed us to publish GC stuff and I truly thank the Standard for that
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Nicola Willis denies the $5.6 [billion] shortfall, but says she won't guarantee promised tax cuts will arrive in July until the policy has been discussed by Cabinet.
There seems to be some debate about just how big Willis' hole is – hope more service cuts and infrastructure project cancellations aren’t on the cards.
The fiscal gap of $5.6bn currently identified is very likely an underestimate. Climate change funding is supposed to provide $2.4bn for tax cuts. That's now in doubt – with the Climate Commission calling ETS revenue "not a reliable source of income"
Seeing as (going on his words) it is luxons life- mission to give tax cuts to the poor/working class ..(he never mentions the already rich..who of course are lined up for the lions share of those cuts)..
And it seems they haven't got enough dosh to do this..
So here's an idea:..
Yes..give the cuts to those he says he cares the most about..
..but don't give them to the already rich…who don't really need them anyway..
..they are just being greedy/uncaring bastards..if they claim they do..
Anyhoo..that will take care of much of that fiscal hole..eh..?
..and will bring luxons life mission to fruition..
NAct1st talk about reducing taxes, but I do wonder how much greater net income someone on average earnings will have after paying 15% higher rates (either directly or through rent), and paying higher costs for running a vehicle. Then a similar calculation for a beneficiary having the same increase in rates, but higher costs for public transport (and even more if a child was getting free rides . . .
Did National follow through on putting charges back on prescriptions?
big banner headlines in todays WAirarapa Times Age. $375 Million to maintain the wairarapa railway line. how many owners have NZ Rail had since 1984 and why has there been no maintenance done till now?
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Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Curious to see the Deputy Prime Minister do a "state of the nation" speech a week after the Prime Minister did one.
To get a little rise out of mainstream media in politics these days, you need set piece moves like this.
Surely it's time Hipkins did his own "state of the nation" speech, to get similar mainstream cut-through.
Hipkins is doing his SotN speech in about a week's time. I believe it is taking place in South Auckland. In the meantime he did this 30 min. stand-up for the media at Labour's recent retreat. No comparison to Luxon. Hipkins talks substance. Luxon favours platitudes and hyperbole over substance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs0h7Fa8daU
Look forward to it.
What gets up my nose about Luxon and his coalition followers is their lies about the NZ economy.
For instance, in the second quarter of 2020, due to Covid, NZ's GDP fell a massive 12.2%, "by far the highest on record."
https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/covid-19-sees-record-12-2-percent-fall-in-new-zealands-economy
Despite those dire times the government, which for part of this time included NZF, managed the economy so that it survived relatively intact. In particular the lockdowns enabled the economy to keep working pretty much as normal except for tourism. We were the envy of the world.
Now we have Luxon and Peters rewriting economic history without a mention of Covid. In fact Robertson's handling of government debt levels over this period put NZ in a much better state than most of the OECD economies.
https://croakingcassandra.com/2023/12/02/government-net-debt-how-does-nz-compare/
I wish that they would stop telling lies.
is the MSM calling NACTF out on this?
Of course not….that seems to be the job of the Standardistas.
feel like writing a Guest Post?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/511766/independent-infrastructure-body-will-help-sustain-record-immigration-economist
https://twitter.com/cameronbagrie/status/1768521403392012389
Too right!! Lying conniving name calling righties we are coming for you.
The problem is that, although the OECD countries only had a rise in their debt levels in 2020 Robbo, having got a severe case of borrow and waste, just kept going. Other countries have lower levels of borrowing than they did at the end of 2020. We are, thanks to Robertson, much more in debt than we were in 2020.
It isn't the $20 billion or so that we borrowed and spent in 2020 that is the problem. It is the much greater amount that he got through in the 3 years when Labour Governed alone.
Where did it all end up? We certainly don't have anything to show for it?
I love right wing tragics when they are being satirical.
I'm afraid that it was Robertson's two terms as Minister of Finance that demonstrated the truth of Karl Marx's statement. To paraphrase what he said.
Robertson's two terms were an example of history repeating. His first term was tragedy. His second was repeating it as farce.
That is not what the graphs show that I posted above Alwyn. You are just perpetuating the lies of your masters.
All 3 years of that Labour-only government was affected by Covid or Covid recovery.
The first graph in Michael Reddell's link (Croaking Cassandra) shows exactly what I said. New Zealand debt rose in a nearly straight line from about 4% in 2019 to around 16% in 2023. It never declined at all and was forecast, by the OECD to keep going up if Labour Party policy continued in 2024-2025
The median result for OECD countries rose from about 30% to 38% in 2020 and then dropped abruptly to around 26% in 2023. They stopped throwing money away and we kept going.
There was no need to keep going as Robertson did. The worst of Covid was over by the beginning of 2021. We just wouldn't accept it.
There are two complications. NZ has the Cullen Fund. I don't know if it is now being drawn upon, but I suspect it is the closest we have got to a Sovereign Fund such as Norway have. Good investment Returns are what got the current Governor of the Reserve Bank his job; that fund and other government actions resulted in us having an increase in net GDP despite higher borrowing on at least one occasion. New Zealand has a higher level of private debt than most countries – and now sadly a higher level of companies operating in New Zealand but substantially owned by overseas shareholders. Tis sees us sending a lot of profit overseas rather than having it to help us through hard times. Hence the discussion about why it would make sense to retain at least some NZ ownership of assets like the Wellington Airport, and similar organisations in other cities.
I don't accept that argument at all Alwyn. You are again parroting Luxon, Seymour and (to his shame) Peters.
Recovering from Covid required some serious government intervention. We are already in a GDP per capita recession despite all of that government spending-it would have been a full-blown economic death-spiral without it.
The Croaking Cassandra graph shows NZ's net government liabilities as a percentage of GDP at 19% versus 28% for the OECD in 2025, which is creditable, and not the disaster you and your C of C friends paint it.
Your argument appears to be that the NZ debt percentage line would have continued to go up after 2025. That would not have happened. As the post-covid economic recovery became complete a Labour-led government would have eased expenditure.
You do realise that the government is no better placed as to reaching a budget surplus and debt levels than Labour?
And not only are we below OECD average debt
https://data.oecd.org/gga/general-government-debt.htm
We are one of the few with net wealth
https://data.oecd.org/gga/general-government-financial-wealth.htm#indicator-chart
"You do realise that ….. "
Yes, and I also realise that the interest we have to pay on the $100 billion or so that Robbo borrowed isn't making it any easier to get to a budget surplus. It might not matter if it had actually been invested in something useful but it just seems to have been tossed out with the dishwater.
Things such as upgrading schools and infrastructure, road safety improvements to name just a few. Keeping everyone in jobs during and after COVID. Wasted?
You really want to see waste. Just hold my beer, for the next three years. Watch the recession, happening right now that National, ACT and the reserve Bank have talked the country in to over the past year.
As Key borrowed for tax cuts for the wealthy, while neglecting infrastructure, health, education and other investments for the future. Even road maintenance. While bringing in hundreds of thousands to give the illusion of a growing economy, while leaving a huge spending deficit for a future Government to repair, this Government is determined to go down the same path.
Was Willo unaware of the impact of this 'technical number' on tax cuts?
Out of her depth – feel sorry for the kids, missing out on their movies.
Reddell notes, as he did last year, that the governments revenues plans are in ruins. So no tax cuts.
The KiwiBank economist says we need to spend more on infrastructure. So not tax cuts, deficit spend (have higher debt) on the right stuff.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/03/18/ex-reserve-bank-economist-says-nows-not-the-time-for-tax-cuts/
Can you give me the exact make up of what that $100 billion was spent on please?
In reality it is a number plucked from the air by Luxon to berate Labour with, when in fact, despite the Covid Crash and despite the Ukraine war induced cost of living/inflation/high interest rates crisis, Robertson kept NZ government borrowing well below the OECD average as the graph I posted above demonstrates.
I have no idea where Robertson squandered all the money he borrowed. I doubt if even he could tell you.
Of course the borrowing was below the OECD average. That was because when he started we had almost no debt. According to the graph you posted it must have been about 1% of GDP
Alwyn, if you have no idea, then why would you believe the money was "squandered"? Is it just that not enough dosh was squandered on you?
Our self-serving CoC govt is bent, on squandering tax cuts on landLords.
Not so many dead people Alwyn. That is something to show.
That is what really incensed the, laughably called "centre right" .
The country had an example of the effectiveness of Government putting people first, ahead of 'their' profits. A people working together for good, instead of for the increased wealth of those with the real power.
That can never be forgiven, and must be rubbished as soon as possible. Propaganda mouthpieces and "useful idiots" endlessly chanting the same memes about "economic incompetence" and ‘debt" until people internalise them. Funding and insidious support for US style cookers, to undermine the narrative of the COVID effort. Before we, as a country, remember how "looking after each other" once gave us one of the highest standards of living in the world.
The concerted effort of the right, the enquiry being one, to destroy any idea of the real achievements of the Adern Government over COVID and after, is to ensure that "never again"! are "people to be put before profit." And never again are we to be reminded of the effectiveness of "Governments power for good" if a Government chooses to use it.
“How dare a Government prioritise the ongoing welfare of the people they represent, over short term corporate advantage”.
I have zero sympathy for those who voted for NAct and NZ1. Your example BG is a case in point.
The media are well aware of the CoC's lies and deceit, but they seem afraid to say so – with the surprising exception of Tova O'Brien. It will be interesting to see if her career is affected in any way.
It's happened before. The most notable: when Muldoon banned Tom Scott from media interviews and his speeches – not sure now whether that included the Parliamentary Press Gallery. Fortunately Scott's brilliant writing ability in particular saved his career from disintegrating.
Why do you have zero sympathy for those voters?
We need a large number of them and come back and vote for Labour/Green if we ever want to see the back of this government.
6 months in and not many of them (if any) seem like they are in a hurry to move left.
I'm reading Tom Scott's autobiography at the moment. Looking forward to the parts where he meets Muldoon.
What is it called BG? I would like to read it.
Suspect it's "Drawn out" by Tom Scott.
You can get it from Auckland Libraries
yep…"Drawn Out"
…how history gets written by election victors
Not sure it works like that Ad. There is virtually nothing Hipkins could do at the moment that would get "mainstream cut-through" – unless it's something that reflects badly on him, the Labour Party or the left generally.
To view the media as a neutral sounding board ignores most of what we know about it. It will change, but the coalition of crackpots has to go even more bonkers and sustain it for longer. Hipkins should still do it of course – no white flags should be raised.
why at the moment?
Because most of the the media don't really have any interest in ideas. They are like sports commentators. So for now it's all about how Labour got smashed in an election – will they change leaders, how do they recover, how is their morale, are their fans deserting them, blah blah blah. That story will just get tired – and it eventually becomes that National are underperforming, making mistakes, missing tackles while Labour have new talent and is the new talent up to it, etc. So much of it is rooted in the primacy of personalities over ideas. In that sort of culture, losers are meant to be contrite and ask for forgiveness.
Oh please. What it simply requires is for Hipkins to try. Here's how Hipkins looked so far from Steve Braunias on the weekend:
'Winning an election does not entitle you to act like a dictatorship.
To act like a dictatorship, you need to lose an election. One of the first things I did after leading Labour to a catastrophic loss is that I gathered the few MPs lift standing, and said to them:
"You have no fight left in you. You are without hope. You are weak, in a bad way, finished. The last thing you want to do right now is mount any kind of leadership challenge.
Just go about your business. Walk in circles. Hide in dark corners. The important thing to remember is that I am the leader of the Labour Party. I will always be the leader of the Labour Party. You are feeling sleepy. Close your eyes. I am the leader of the Labour Party. I will always be the leader of the Labour Party. Sleep now. Sleep."
It's worked really well.'
The contrast to Chloe Swarbrick last week could not be starker.
You only have to imagine what an integrated State of the Nation summit with Labour, Greens and TMP would look like.
Unfortunately that's not happening so imagining is all we've got.
It does require that – as I said. But for a period after a heavy election defeat, that is usually not enough. And it’s part of the broader culture which the media reflects back at us – recent losers are worthless, everything they say is to be discounted. Every story, as I said above, is about how down and out they are.
If that really is the case then all of those Opposition MPs should resign.
But I know they are capable of more.
I also think the voters don't want to know about labour..
..and what they have to say….
They are losers…thrown out of office for non-delivery..
..just yesterday..in term terms..
And I think this will last for about 18 months..
..when hopefully a coherent coalition of the left will be standing there…
..all primed and ready to go..
..and of course hipkins must keep on trying..
..but until then he is pretty much pissing into the prevailing political winds..
..I see ms. swarbrick as the banner-flyer for now..
..as I said..interest in what labour has to say couldn't be lower..
..this leavened with a degree of impatience..that they are even speaking…
I don't know, calling out winstink for acting like the drunk uncle is gold,
I think Peters has finally lost his touch.
Even more curious is that he said there is a 5.6 billion dollar hole facing the present government, which Finance Minister Nicola Willis denies.
Obviously you can't go ahead with tax cuts with such a hole, assuming you don't want to create a banana republic economy, so who's right?
Is Peters giving us advanced notice that National's biggest promise – tax cuts – will no longer be possible?
Or is he just mouthing off, talking a load of nonsense because the audience that he addressed yesterday wouldn't know the difference?
Either is possible.
Peters today retorts that "Hipkins would get drunk on a wine biscuit."
That's Winston's Cossie Club comedy schtick slipping from a groove to a rut.
I thought that both hipkins's 'drunk uncle' jibe..
..and peter's ' drunk on a wine biscuit' retort..
..had comedic merit…
https://theplatform.kiwi/opinions/sex-is-real
I realize that many of you will not want to read this excellent article byYvonne Van Dongen because it was published on The Platform.
So I will summarize.
Puberty Blockers have been banned for under 18 years in the UK (unless as part of a high quality research study). These drugs are prescribed off label and there is concerning long term side effects and questions over the impact of these drugs on the developing brain.
The Wpath Files. A whistle blower supplied to journalists video chat and email correspondance between members of Wpath, showing that these members of WPath know that kids can't consent to treatments such as PBs, that side effects of hormones include liver cancer.
Comedy genius Graham Lineham who wrote the IT crowd and Father Ted visited NZ and despite having many media interviews lined up, the msm didn't cover his visit. Why? Because he stood up against trans rights activists, speaking up for women and girls and against gender affirming care and was disgracefully de platformed.
You mean the MSM that cheerfully reported various reckons that Posie Parker was a transphobe and Nazi adjacent? That amplified the voices of several politicians that were happy to do a bit of bandwagon jumping, and wave their virtue signaling and ignorant opinions around?
The same cowardly and captured bunch that called Shane Toko (Ashley) Winter a woman and showered him with female pronouns all through his trial, conviction and sentencing for the torture and murder of a vulnerable young woman?
That same media Visubversa! There will be questions asked surely when what some are suggesting is the greatest medical scandal ever, i.e. the medical transition of vulnerable children is exposed. Such as "why didn't we know?" However that excuse wears a bit thin, where sites such as the Standard have allowed us to exercise our free speech rights and allowed us to publish GC stuff and I truly thank the Standard for that
Forget about “the technical numbers” – it's all about "the vibe"
There seems to be some debate about just how big Willis' hole is – hope more service cuts and infrastructure project cancellations aren’t on the cards.
She’s still digging…
Craig Renney
@CLRenney
The fiscal gap of $5.6bn currently identified is very likely an underestimate. Climate change funding is supposed to provide $2.4bn for tax cuts. That's now in doubt – with the Climate Commission calling ETS revenue "not a reliable source of income"
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/climate-change-commission-gives-government-a-burping-taxing-inflationary-headache/4QK4JGCHM5DZPAOH2PLG3GWZJ4/
( https://archive.li/BeZMg )
https://twitter.com/CLRenney/status/1769476092182880498
Chaser.
@CLRenney
Please note the date.
https://twitter.com/CLRenney/status/1769476087615303681
We live in a mirror image of a Robin Hood society, one in which resources are indeed being redistributed, not downward, from rich to poor, as Robin Hood was reputed to do, but upward, from poor to rich," Case and Deaton argued.
Seeing as (going on his words) it is luxons life- mission to give tax cuts to the poor/working class ..(he never mentions the already rich..who of course are lined up for the lions share of those cuts)..
And it seems they haven't got enough dosh to do this..
So here's an idea:..
Yes..give the cuts to those he says he cares the most about..
..but don't give them to the already rich…who don't really need them anyway..
..they are just being greedy/uncaring bastards..if they claim they do..
Anyhoo..that will take care of much of that fiscal hole..eh..?
..and will bring luxons life mission to fruition..
..win win..all around..
NAct1st talk about reducing taxes, but I do wonder how much greater net income someone on average earnings will have after paying 15% higher rates (either directly or through rent), and paying higher costs for running a vehicle. Then a similar calculation for a beneficiary having the same increase in rates, but higher costs for public transport (and even more if a child was getting free rides . . .
Did National follow through on putting charges back on prescriptions?
It's national the bottom 75% will get a block of cheese at best, while the 25% get huge amounts ,
big banner headlines in todays WAirarapa Times Age. $375 Million to maintain the wairarapa railway line. how many owners have NZ Rail had since 1984 and why has there been no maintenance done till now?