Great ideas. But I hope Marama knows about the rules on treating.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[seeing as how there was literally nothing in the post suggesting that Davidson was treating, your comment looks like concern trolling. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt here but suggest more care in future. – weka]
I see no suggestion that Marama was offering food or drink to people while encouraging people to vote. The post makes no mention of it.
I know Auckland Action Against Poverty offer food when providing benefit advocacy outside W&I offices. So maybe that is where the reference to food and drink came from in the post.
Offering food and drink is a normal part of Maaori culture. I’m sure that the Green Party are aware of both the culture and the rules, and have their MP’s act in accordance with both. I’d be very surprised if that was not the case.
Radio NZ has updated their Poll of Polls to include the latest Colmar Brunton.
National 43.7
Labour 35.5
NZ First 9.1
Greens 6.9
TOP 2.4
Māori Party 1.3
ACT 0.5
Almost at the end of the article is an intriguing snippet of info; Curia, who poll for the National Party have stopped providing data to Colin James for this poll.
That is very interesting about Curia not supplying polling data. Could possibly have National even lower than the recent TV polls and don’t want to bring their average down further.
It also ties in with a tweet from Hooten, reported here a few days ago, saying that National’s campaign manager Steven Joyce hadn’t updated his caucus on their internal polling from Curia last Tuesday because, apparently, ‘the data was incomplete’.
Agreed Scott and Devo. Very odd that a party that has trumpeted the polls for the last 9 years is now shutting them down.
If Curia is showing the Nats at 41-42% they will not want that out there. This is perfectly feasible given Colmar Brunton has them at 44% and Swordfish has demonstrated CB’s pro-National bias above.
To get them panicking this much it must show a drop bigger than just to 41-42%. IMO, They’re probably looking at sub 40% and they know damn well that they won’t be in government with that no matter how many seats that they try to give away to get over-hang seats (Wonder if their polling is telling them that giving away seats isn’t working).
And polls lead via the Bandwagon Effect. If the polls show people leaving National in droves more people will leave.
James refers to “the faction-ridden Greens.” Nice, isn’t it – two MPs quit over a dispute with the leadership, rest of the caucus says “Don’t let the door smack your arse on the way out,” and to Colin James that means the party’s “faction-ridden.” National and Labour successfully keep a lid on the constant devious plotting and back-stabbing, and to Colin James there’s no factions to see here folks, what shining examples of unity these two parties offer! I thought he was supposed to be some kind of expert at this stuff?
I’m aware that the Green Party has a big problem and is effectively in a fight for its survival. Its senior MPs are saying the same thing in public, albeit more diplomatically worded. However, I’m also aware that conservatives and the mainstream media are extremely hostile to left-wing parties, and might occasionally point out examples of it in comments.
Although Colin James has always leant towards the right, he used to be one of the very few journalists who could be trusted to put his brain into gear before going into print – oh dear!
I respect Colin James for mentioning reality and trying to explain it in the lights of NZ. If he learnt anything from America you just let the rich have their way. Where it falls down. Long live us, even Colin.
I personally are hopeful the Greens stay below 5%. Labour governing without them is more palatable to me. My biggest concern is Winston pushing the untried Labour leadership around. Overall I’m very happy with the poll results.
I do want action on the environment. The Greens went off environmental issues and more in to social issues which is what Labour stands for. I don’t think the answer to NZ’s poverty is to throw more money at beneficiaries which was the message Turei was sending. On Shane Jones I can take or leave him. He doesn’t offend ne as much as Turei did.
I’m not sure where it was stated that the poor had to pay for it?
On Turei, I am over the moon she will be gone from NZ politics. NZ is better off without having that lying fraudster in office. Only a blind twit wouldn’t be able to see that.
“throw money at”. You really need to stop getting your lines from right wing spin machines.
And that’s extremely offensive to beneficiaries. Turei’s message included the one about not demonising beneficiaries, and the one about the need to change the punitive W&I culture. Clearly you want to keep beneficaries marginalised as as if they are unfortunates in the corner you throw pennies to.
The Greens went off environmental issues and more in to social issues which is what Labour stands for.
You left out the important, meaning-changing word “used” in that sentence, ie it should read “social issues that Labur used to stand for.” When James Shaw says his is the only party taking poverty seriously, he’s correct.
The Greens went off environmental issues and more in to social issues which is what Labour stands for.
What a load of bollocks.
But, then, you just seem to be one of these people who want people to fit into nice, tidy little boxes.
The Greens have always covered social issues. Labour, not so much even when it was a labour party and not just another pro business party.
I don’t think the answer to NZ’s poverty is to throw more money at beneficiaries which was the message Turei was sending.
That would indicate that you’re not thinking. If beneficiaries can’t afford to live on their incomes now then how else do you suggest we make it so that they can?
Draco, feel free to promote the Greens, but stop trying to undermine Labour. If it’s “just another pro business party”, how come it’s the only one that the sainted Greens are ready to cooperate with and go into coalition with?
Labour puts people at the heart of all policy. There’s a big focus on strengthening public services and lessoning inequality. There’s also a recognition that NZers value our natural environment. These are not the values of “just another pro business party”.
So, where’s their policy for raising benefits by the amount needed to bring them in line with reality?
Where’s their policy on cutting back the intrusive and punishing regime of WINZ?
There’s a big focus on strengthening public services and lessoning inequality.
Public services, yes. Inequality, no. Nothing they have will cut inequality. It may keep it level rather than increase it but it won’t address it.
There’s also a recognition that NZers value our natural environment.
It’s just taken them four decades to get there.
These are not the values of “just another pro business party”.
Yes they are because they’re still only see business and rich people as the way forward rather than the dead and that they are.
No they didnt. Media focus went to social justice. Anyone who has gone anywhere near their facebook or website or press relesses would know this. Stop swallowing the media/right memes you are better than that
@ Phil (6.1.1) … History reminds us Shane Jones is a grubby little man! As a senior Labour MP, Jones at taxpayers expense hired porn movies on his parliamentary credit card, for his own debauched gratification in a hotel room, for which he got caught out through recorded credit card receipts!
Metiria Turei on the other hand, as a struggling single parent, did defraud social welfare during her time on the DPB, to help her and her infant daughter to survive, which she belatedly owned up to and has now paid a heavy price for admitting her past misdemeanour. However, this occurred prior to her becoming an MP.
Unlike Turei though, Jones lives to see another political day!
Shane Jones abused his privileges, while in the trusted position of being an MP, a representative of the people of NZ. Personally I find his betrayal of trust, in particular the reason behind it, far more offensive than the past actions of Metiria Turei!
The problem for the Greens is that they will struggle to differentiate themselves from Labour now. I predict they will not get over the 5% threshold.
I actually like the idea of a Green party in parliament. But I would much prefer one that makes Green issues its sole focus (as its name suggests) and is able to work with either Labour or National.
Others such as John Armstrong have suggested the same:
They need to reposition themselves in the centre of the political spectrum so that if they have the numbers to be a player in post-election talks on government formation, they have the flexibility to engage in serious negotiations with either Labour or National or both major parties.
While I expect the Greens to be above 5% on election day, I would say that the last two polls that show the Greens collapse are the Nats worse nightmare coming true before their eyes.
How will they convince their heartland voters to stay away from NZF, if they cant paint a picture the Labour/Greens/NZF ugly coalition of equals.
A Labour/NZF coalition with the Greens on the outside looking in would present as a stable alternative.
And thats the last thing that the Nats would want.
But the Nats dont want change – and their sole electoral message is vote for stability. Nat voters like stability and the soft side of their voters may well like a Labour/NZF stability.
Now the world may want change Brexit/Trump/Macron style but I do note that theres a fair number in both the UK and the USA who may not be completely sold on the change they voted for.
Parties do not. Own, voters.
The MOU said nothing against Labour/Greens putting their own policies out there.
A bigger Green presence in Government means more concern for people and the environment. Something the right wing in both Labour and NACT are terrified of.
Fortunately Labour rank and file are happy to work with the Greens, as we have common goals.
yeah we get it – right wingers want an environmental party to make them feel better – so what. The day the Greens take advice from right wingers is the day they go and that day ain’t coming – so take your troll tears and piss off tsm.
+ 1 exactly – ffs green swinging supporters??? – the Greens will get there in style without your help, support or advice thanks ad and also to any right wingers who want to offer tears of support lol
this is the advice I listen to – Sue Bradford on fbook
“It’s critical that the Greens don’t get spooked by this week’s poll. There is a bedrock base of support built on decades of work on ecological & social justice issues, the latter strengthened by the welfare policy release so overshadowed by subsequent events. James Shaw can’t carry this alone & I’m hoping that the newer MPs & candidates suddenly thrust to the fore will step up now, beyond style to energetic substance.”
Sue said the same on Morning Report. She was on with political scientist Bronwyn Hayward who pointed out that single polls are not significant in themselves and the poll of polls, which shows the Greens at 6.9%, is a better indication of their current position.
I found it interesting that David Farrar’s polling company Curia refused to supply their latest poll to RNZ. I suspect the reason is that it showed the Nats in a much lower position, and possibly also showed the Greens higher than the 4.3% in CB. James Shaw said their internal polling had the Greens higher.
I am sure that the Greens will bounce back, maybe not up to 15%, but considerably higher than 4%. Of course Hooton et al are doing their best to suggest a vote for the Greens is a wasted vote, but I think this will actually give the Greens a boost. Nobody on the left wants to lose the Greens.
On social media and blogs I am seeing some support swinging behind the GP from people who may otherwise have voted Labour or some other party. They don’t want a Labour-led government too dependent on NZ First, and without support from the GP.
Sorry. The Greens will continue to disturb your self satisfied middle class life. And rise again in the polls. By challenging the poverty of comprehension, that thinks social and environmental sustainability are not linked.
Others such as John Armstrong have suggested the same:
Others such as National supporter and embarrassingly-effusive Key sycophant John Armstrong share your thoughts on the Green Party? Shouldn’t that have alarm bells ringing for you?
Thank you. Recent convert to supporting the Green Party, so feeling plenty of enthusiasm for supportive commenting. Of course, me deciding to support them was swiftly followed by them tanking in the polls, but correlation != causation…
How do you propose that the Greens work with National, when National are actively trying to opening up mining on conservation land, expanding oil and gas exploration and refuse to do anything meaningful on water quality and air emissions?
It seems to me that if people want the Greens to work with National, they need National to change not the Greens. National are an anti-green party, and the concept of a “blue-green” is an oxymoron.
On the other side, when will you advocate for Act to start being a liberal party and start to look like they can work with Labour, this way they can start to grow their vote to over 5%.
But I would much prefer one that makes Green issues its sole focus (as its name suggests) and is able to work with either Labour or National.
BOLLOCKS
You just want to be able to sideline them as National and the RWNJs tried last century when they said that the Greens were only a single issue party (which weren’t then either).
Sadly, the Greens don’t seem to be listening.
Why would they listen to people out to destroy them?
Of course when you quote a toxic far right flake like John Armstrong – who bayed for Cunliffe’s blood for no reason at all – you destroy whatever flimsy shreds of credibility your argument might otherwise have mustered.
The Greens have always been prepared to work with other parties – but with National up to crazy shit like creating a market for fraudulent carbon credits, filling Lake Forsythe with poo, and poisoning the whole goddamn country with 1080, the Greens simply cannot accommodate them.
Here are a couple of good movies that enlighten me now I wont tell you what to look for as that would be cheating.
The real Rocknrola main actors Tom Hardy and Gerard Butler.
Good Cop Bad Cop Woody Harrelson Matthew Mc Conaughey.
Some people I aspire to
1 Tim Berners Lee
2 Julian Assange
3 Elon Musk
4 Michael Lawley Founder of ecoinnovation NZ he invented the smart drive hydro turbine.
His advice go solar as it less maintenance and solar is cheap to build a DIY system
5 Bernie Sanders
6 Noam Chomsky
7 Obama now Noam bashes Obama abit But in Politic one has to give and take to
get your Ideal policy’s into law especially when you do not have the number of
seats in your own party to change make laws
Apirana Ngata yes I have read his book its is a real good read. He is the one of the main people to help persevere Maori culture/song.
Most of the Maraeis in NZ are here because of him and his helpers Tepuia she was a great Woman to
Most of the Maori trust farms in NZ are because of his influences .
His favorite past time was recording a lot of ancient Maori Waiata/ songs.
His Home land of Ngati Porou east coast is a shadow of its former glory.
The East coast In the end I think he was taken down by the powers that be
Because his accounting was on little bits of paper so the opposition party used that to discredit him for fraud He was a great man.
That book was the best gift my mom gave me
Chris Trotter is on the money today, in particular:
“This is what Aussie economist, Professor Bill Mitchell, from the University of Newcastle, NSW, said when asked to comment on the rigid fiscal parameters set down in Labour’s and the Greens’ budget rules. He described them as “the height of economic irresponsibility”……. Mitchell went on to argue that, since roughly 1 in 8 New Zealanders are either underemployed or unemployed; a third of our children live in poverty; and we have record levels of household debt ……. the very idea of running a fiscal surplus is, in Mitchell’s own words, “irresponsible in the extreme….the Labour Party are Neoliberal-Lite. They say we’ll do austerity – but we’ll do it fairer…..There’s no such thing as fair austerity when a third of your children are living in poverty.”
In the old days Labour were all economically literate and would not have fallen for Douglas’s crap for a moment. The generation that was the product of the decent society however, had no personal understanding either of poverty, or of the dishonest employer narratives used to justify it.
Cullen at least understood it – whether he took sufficient action is arguable. But the mass of contemporary Labour grew up on the assumption that major socioeconomic matters had been resolved, leaving them free to pursue progressive issues that were important to them. The slew of disastrous socioeconomic indicators shows that the assumption hasn’t held for some time, and that responsible left government is going to have to dig us out of the neo-liberal rut as quickly as possible.
If we give Ardern the benefit of the doubt we must presume that her administration will address these issues forcefully. But indications are not especially promising – by failing to support Metiria’s anti-poverty position Ardern essentially endorsed the murderous failure that is contemporary social policy.
I am sure a read an article in just the last couple of days in which they detail how even though the economy is seemingly good real wage increases for anyone not in the top 10% of earners is either flat or negative when inflation is taken into account.
Whilst businesses are making good profits at the moment this is on the back of poor wages and even poorer social outcomes. So yes if all you want to look at is GDP and trade deficits you can sell it as good. I would imagine most people now are starting to wonder however why this good economy is not reducing the numbers of homeless or the number of children considered to be living in poverty.
Ad your view is of course a short term one. In the end those people who are on crap wages are the same people that are expected to buy the products that keep our economy turning over. As ability to feed coins into the machine reduces so will the performance of the economy. Of course at that point conservative minded people will blame those same poor people calling them bludgers and claiming that all they need to do is work harder. However as more of them end up under the boot (remember most people aren’t in the 10% that are doing better every year) we will see the support for other options increase.
Real wages down.
Terms of trade, down.
Per capita GDP, down.
Per capita real incomes, down.
Borrowings up.
Poverty, up.
Growth. Negative without immigration and natural disasters.
Unemployment. National changed the basis it was counted to hide the real rate.
Environment. Need we start?
Health. Per capita funding down.
Education. Funding cut to pay for idealogical failures.
Manufacturing, down.
National has been a failure, even by their own measurements.
adam, being “underutilised” isn’t the same as being unemployed. I agree the unemployment rate is higher than 4.9(?)%, with some long-term unemployed not counted in the official figures because they’re not actively seeking work, but if we’re going to criticise the massaging of figures that makes the rate look artificially low, we shouldn’t massage them ourselves, the other way.
I’m a full time teacher. I have colleagues who work part time (and that might mean an 80% teaching load). They’re not unemployed – they work bloody hard and have longterm, stable jobs – but they may well be counted as “underutilised” as many would welcome fulltime positions if they were available.
As for the spin of underutilised, I’m sure many of a Tory on here would be impressed with your utterance, and be more than happy to add it to their parlor tricks.
The key words might be ‘narrow economy’.
If you’re operating in that particular economy, it’s haymaking time, if you’re not, well, in the words of Sir John…. “you probably won’t be voting for us anyway”.
Can you point to your source for the economy being broader?
I often hear people (including my own family) lament the poor books Labour left for NACT in 2008. I seem to remember as the finical crisis bit the current PM praising the previous Labour government for paying down debt as it put us in a strong position to ride the GFC out. Funny how that message has changed so much over a period of 9 years.
Where’s Paula Bennett? Has her star faded so much that Steven Joyce is actually hiding her away? We were told she was going to be a highlight for National on the campaign trail?
She’s fucked. The fact they didn’t use her against Turei suggests there are similar and possibly worse skeletons in her closet and their opponents will be aware of them. Too risky to have her visible in this campaign.
Bennett a policy wonk? She might produce policy but none of it works. I’m beginning to think KJT @11.2.1 is right. You spend a lot of time visiting another planet.
A not very bright apparatchik, promoted because she can regurgitate propaganda and bullshit with a straight face, and are happy to do National’s dirty work.
Ad – What pounds are you going on about – pounds as in sterling or pounds as in weight – if its weight you are comparing a feather with a brick with these two ladies. A better description could have been found here.
But she is a very solid performer in the House, and Ardern never so much as laid a finger on her when they opposed each other on Social Welfare portfolios.
Bennett holds State Services, Women,Tourism, Police, and Climate Change Portfolios, as well as being Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of the National Party.
She’s also been across Tourism, Housing, Finance, and a bunch of Select Committees. She also did an Eisenhower Fellowship, which is only awarded to 20 outstanding women leaders at a time.
She has risen through the ranks of National in fairly quick order as a Minister who is to be reckoned with, takes no prisoners, and delivers their policy.
The left have spent far too long losing because they underestimated the trust of a huge section of the public who accept that this National leadership is competent, stable leadership.
She is far too polarising. As said previously I come from a family that is very much in the life long National supports group and even they can’t stand Paula. She is far too abrasive and has shown herself to be a bully.
If National truly thought of her as a future PM she would not have been so regularly trotted out to do the Bennie bashing when a distraction was needed. She is the next Crusher Collins. Be tough, take the negative press, completely disposable when you need someone to take a fall.
The accusations in the back ground and what has just happened to MT just give those who are really in line to lead a good reason to shunt her aside when the time comes. Would not be surprised if it is Kiwiblog or WO that swing the axe.
She might have been “across many portfolios” but I would hazard a guess she knows stuff-all about most of them. Her Climate Change credentials are non existent. She knows nothing about it and understand less…
What she is good at is bullshitting the public that she knows stuff when she knows nothing. In other words, she’s a fake.
Here is Paula
Talking about Bill English and doorways.
““One of the main challenges he’s had as Prime Minister is every time he’d go to walk through a door, he said he was so used to always waiting for other people, because that’s just his nature – he’s a gentleman you know, it’s just what you do.
“Then he said everyone else would wait for him to walk through the door, so as the Minister for Women he came to me and [said], ‘So what do I do?’…
“I said to him, ‘Walk through the door Bill, no woman will think that you’re being discourteous’.”
“If you looked back in 2008, what we were heading into, my God, I was the brand new Minister of Social Development and we were talking about going well into double figures of unemployment, we were talking about literally hundreds of thousands of people going onto the benefit, we were gearing up for the worst of times…
“I think we’ve done an outstanding job against the odds of where we were and the circumstances that came with us, and most of them are the circumstances of success.”
Social housing, a particular interest of Bennett’s, was “a mess” before they came in, and has taken time to turn around, she says.
Yeah Paula B. We were heading into a global financail crisis caused by your neoliberal mentors. Chooses not to mention that.
Outstanding job? Sells off state and social housing. More homeless people than ever. Fiddles the stats to make it look like unemployment is lower than it is. Throws others off the system altogether.
Success? A dismal failure who shat on solo mums just because she could!
“…and we were talking about going well into double figures of unemployment, we were talking about literally hundreds of thousands of people going onto the benefit, we were gearing up for the worst of times…”
—
Simple solution, classify 1 hour of work as being in employment and hey, presto! Unemployment issue solved. This government shit is soooooo easy.
Imagine if the time our media devoting to polls was replaced by policy analysis? Tracy Watkins is in a live blog blathwring on about poll ramifications. It is lazy and fuels the gambling/sporting style of voting rather than information. I despair.
The atmosphere on the Right wing blogs is one of resignation; they’re resigned to losing, to having to endure a Jacinda-led Labour Government. They’re hopeful though, of a Green collapse, though their more candid commenters say this won’t happen, no matter how they screw up their eyes, bunch their little fisties and wish really hard for it.
I do feel sad for Matthew Hooton, as I do for anyone who battles addiction. It must be a terrible affliction. But wtf is he doing using addiction as a derogatory term for GP supporters? POT….KETTLE….BLACK?
Perhaps! Has he broken his addiction with this site? I don’t see him commenting here anymore (but I have only recently returned here). Is he banned or just disinterested in The Standard?
He (hooton) decided to spewed one of his lies on/at lprent. lprent gave him a chance to retract, he doubled down, then lprent banned him for life.
Atmosphere got a lot cleaner around here after that. We have our tiffs, but the gutter/sewer/cesspool politics of the hooton era, does not appear as much.
Oh hooton is still into his gutter/sewer/cesspool politics but we just don’t have to see or listen to it, if we choice not to. Personally I chose not to. Trolls and gutter rats are going to go on being what they are, and I don’t need it in my life.
Which by the way, leads to a major thanks to lprent, in one afternoon you made this site 100% more pleasant. Thank you.
I have been told that the reason the young are not registering to vote is because they are not inspired by words but by video clips. So perhaps Labour needs to invest in a number of short animated video clips to attract the young.
Further to my comment above. One hundred odd years ago a lot of people could not read or if they could, could not afford to buy papers or books so young people were employed to read to them while they worked. Now a days people, especially those who were not read to when they were young, watch YouTube of Facebook. That is where they get their information from. So if a party wants to get to those unregistered 400,000 people they must use those formats with animated video clips. It is a no brainer.
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When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Photo by Jari Hytönen on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed the total dollar savings target from public sector cuts has been met, but the reductions have not been felt evenly across public agencies. Government departments were told to make savings set at 6.5 percent or 7.5 percent where headcount had grown by more than ...
The District Plan is a blueprint for a bigger, better Wellington, through tens of thousands of new apartments and townhouses and a new approach to urban growth. Joel MacManus lays out the vision. The process of putting together Wellington’s new District Plan has been long and excruciating. As a city, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Williams Veazey, ARC DECRA Research Fellow, University of Sydney DavideAngelini/Shutterstock In the 2007 film The Bucket List Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman play two main characters who respond to their terminal cancer diagnoses by rejecting experimental treatment. Instead, they go ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mohan Singh, Professor of Agri-Food Biotechnology, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences at the University of Melbourne., The University of Melbourne Tanja Esser/Shutterstock Australia’s vital agriculture sector will be hit hard by steadily rising global temperatures. Our climate is already ...
The Acumen Edelman Trust barometer reported that New Zealand’s political trust score now sits below the global average, a topic explored in a recent discussion paper by Maxim Institute. ...
Greenpeace Aotearoa executive director Russel Norman says, "The Fast-Track Bill is the most damaging piece of environmental legislation any Government has introduced in living memory. People are angry, and it’s time to march." ...
The school lunches programme has been retained – and will be extended to some preschoolers. So how is it going to cost $107 million less? To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. The minister with many hats David Seymour wears a number of hats, but this week ...
“Show us the bird,” I found myself muttering at times while reading Hard by the Cloud House by Peter Walker, a deeply thoughtful, often hilarious, at times rambling – but somehow delightfully so – search for the story of a big bird. But not just any bird: the bird. This ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jack Marley, Environment + Energy Editor, UK edition DPVUE .images/Shutterstock Your home was probably designed for a climate that no longer exists. As long as humanity continues to burn fossil fuel, padding the heat-trapping blanket of gases in Earth’s atmosphere, the ...
A senior lawyer has filed a complaint about tikanga becoming a required law school module. Law lecturer Carwyn Jones explains what he’s getting wrong. “…the first law of Aotearoa, a law that served the needs of tangata whenua for a thousand years before the arrival of tauiwi.”– Ani Mikaere ...
In 2019, an Auckland woman woke up from surgery to find that she had undergone a treatment she didn’t consent to. She tells Alex Casey about her experience. From her very first period at the age of 14, Laura experienced “debilitating” levels of pain that forced her to withdraw from ...
In the gloom following director-general Al Morrison’s job cuts in 2013, the Department of Conservation restructured its operations arm. Eleven conservancy districts were whittled into six new “conservation delivery” regions, under which the Rēkohu/Wharekauri/Chatham Islands area, comprising 40 scattered islands more than 800km east of Christchurch, was tethered to the ...
One of th e country’s top litigation lawyers says New Zealand is seeing a lift in court action between companies. Chapman Tripp partner Justin Graham, who oversees a team of around 80 litigation specialists, says the courts are now so log-jammed that it’s taking over two years to get cases ...
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Comparisons (2008-17)
Colmar Brunton (Five Weeks out)
CB Aug 2017 ………. Aug 2014 ……….. Oct 2011 ……….. Oct 2008
Nat 44 ……………………. 50 ……………………. 56 ……………. 52
Lab 37 ……………………. 26 ……………………. 30 …………… 33
NZF 10 …………………..… 5 ……………….………2 ….………..… 2
Green 4 ……………………11 …………….…….…. 9 ….…….…… 7
UMR & Newshub Reid Research Comparisons
https://thestandard.org.nz/two-good-polls-for-labour-and-a-call-to-arms-for-the-greens/#comment-1366124
https://thestandard.org.nz/it-is-nationals-time-for-the-brown-trousers/
If National continues to trend down, and Labour up, the Greens rally to 9ish, who needs Winston?
What is the undecided %
13% I think ( down from 20%)
Comparisons (2008-17)
Colmar Brunton (Five Weeks out)
CB Aug 2017 ………. Aug 2014 ……….. Oct 2011 ……….. Oct 2008
English 30 ………………Key 45 ……………Key 56 ……………. Key 41
Ardern 30 ………… Cunliffe 10 …………Goff 12 ……….….•Clark 31
Great ideas. But I hope Marama knows about the rules on treating.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[seeing as how there was literally nothing in the post suggesting that Davidson was treating, your comment looks like concern trolling. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt here but suggest more care in future. – weka]
I see no suggestion that Marama was offering food or drink to people while encouraging people to vote. The post makes no mention of it.
I know Auckland Action Against Poverty offer food when providing benefit advocacy outside W&I offices. So maybe that is where the reference to food and drink came from in the post.
Offering food and drink is a normal part of Maaori culture. I’m sure that the Green Party are aware of both the culture and the rules, and have their MP’s act in accordance with both. I’d be very surprised if that was not the case.
Radio NZ has updated their Poll of Polls to include the latest Colmar Brunton.
National 43.7
Labour 35.5
NZ First 9.1
Greens 6.9
TOP 2.4
Māori Party 1.3
ACT 0.5
Almost at the end of the article is an intriguing snippet of info; Curia, who poll for the National Party have stopped providing data to Colin James for this poll.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/337443/ardern-turns-the-worm-but-green-losses-threaten-left
That is very interesting about Curia not supplying polling data. Could possibly have National even lower than the recent TV polls and don’t want to bring their average down further.
It also ties in with a tweet from Hooten, reported here a few days ago, saying that National’s campaign manager Steven Joyce hadn’t updated his caucus on their internal polling from Curia last Tuesday because, apparently, ‘the data was incomplete’.
“The Jacindaroller” takes no prisoners
Agreed Scott and Devo. Very odd that a party that has trumpeted the polls for the last 9 years is now shutting them down.
If Curia is showing the Nats at 41-42% they will not want that out there. This is perfectly feasible given Colmar Brunton has them at 44% and Swordfish has demonstrated CB’s pro-National bias above.
To get them panicking this much it must show a drop bigger than just to 41-42%. IMO, They’re probably looking at sub 40% and they know damn well that they won’t be in government with that no matter how many seats that they try to give away to get over-hang seats (Wonder if their polling is telling them that giving away seats isn’t working).
And polls lead via the Bandwagon Effect. If the polls show people leaving National in droves more people will leave.
Yep
Hoots on Twitter (50 mins ago)
@MatthewHootonNZ
James refers to “the faction-ridden Greens.” Nice, isn’t it – two MPs quit over a dispute with the leadership, rest of the caucus says “Don’t let the door smack your arse on the way out,” and to Colin James that means the party’s “faction-ridden.” National and Labour successfully keep a lid on the constant devious plotting and back-stabbing, and to Colin James there’s no factions to see here folks, what shining examples of unity these two parties offer! I thought he was supposed to be some kind of expert at this stuff?
Nothing’s changed,
no one’s hurt,
there’s no problem, and
it’s someone else’s fault.
Every Green supporter needs to support Shaw like their very political survival is at stake. Because it is.
I’m aware that the Green Party has a big problem and is effectively in a fight for its survival. Its senior MPs are saying the same thing in public, albeit more diplomatically worded. However, I’m also aware that conservatives and the mainstream media are extremely hostile to left-wing parties, and might occasionally point out examples of it in comments.
Although Colin James has always leant towards the right, he used to be one of the very few journalists who could be trusted to put his brain into gear before going into print – oh dear!
I respect Colin James for mentioning reality and trying to explain it in the lights of NZ. If he learnt anything from America you just let the rich have their way. Where it falls down. Long live us, even Colin.
Well said. In fact if it had been nats they would have said of the 2 dissenters treatment. ” dealth with decisively”
I personally are hopeful the Greens stay below 5%. Labour governing without them is more palatable to me. My biggest concern is Winston pushing the untried Labour leadership around. Overall I’m very happy with the poll results.
What a shame you don’t want any concerted action on the enviroment, climate or poverty and our social security system.
For me these are pressing issues that, for NZ’s future, need to be acted on ASAP.
I also do not like the idea of Shane Jones being involved in any future NZ government – not at all. Anti-Green. Pro-big bizniz.
I do want action on the environment. The Greens went off environmental issues and more in to social issues which is what Labour stands for. I don’t think the answer to NZ’s poverty is to throw more money at beneficiaries which was the message Turei was sending. On Shane Jones I can take or leave him. He doesn’t offend ne as much as Turei did.
So. You want “action on the environment” but you want the poor to pay for it.
Turei doesn’t offend me. It was a brave stand. Self righteous twits who are offended by having to face up to the poverty in New Zealand, do.
I’m not sure where it was stated that the poor had to pay for it?
On Turei, I am over the moon she will be gone from NZ politics. NZ is better off without having that lying fraudster in office. Only a blind twit wouldn’t be able to see that.
Not good at self reflection are you.
What about the other lying fraudsters still there. Happy with them?
Edit: Not too you KJT but Phil above.
Metiria told the truth about being on welfare. That is what upsets the Phil’s.
Being confronted with your own hypocrisy and meanness can’t be pleasant.
+111
Well said
“throw money at”. You really need to stop getting your lines from right wing spin machines.
And that’s extremely offensive to beneficiaries. Turei’s message included the one about not demonising beneficiaries, and the one about the need to change the punitive W&I culture. Clearly you want to keep beneficaries marginalised as as if they are unfortunates in the corner you throw pennies to.
+1
The Greens went off environmental issues and more in to social issues which is what Labour stands for.
You left out the important, meaning-changing word “used” in that sentence, ie it should read “social issues that Labur used to stand for.” When James Shaw says his is the only party taking poverty seriously, he’s correct.
What a load of bollocks.
But, then, you just seem to be one of these people who want people to fit into nice, tidy little boxes.
The Greens have always covered social issues. Labour, not so much even when it was a labour party and not just another pro business party.
That would indicate that you’re not thinking. If beneficiaries can’t afford to live on their incomes now then how else do you suggest we make it so that they can?
Draco, feel free to promote the Greens, but stop trying to undermine Labour. If it’s “just another pro business party”, how come it’s the only one that the sainted Greens are ready to cooperate with and go into coalition with?
Labour puts people at the heart of all policy. There’s a big focus on strengthening public services and lessoning inequality. There’s also a recognition that NZers value our natural environment. These are not the values of “just another pro business party”.
So, where’s their policy for raising benefits by the amount needed to bring them in line with reality?
Where’s their policy on cutting back the intrusive and punishing regime of WINZ?
Public services, yes. Inequality, no. Nothing they have will cut inequality. It may keep it level rather than increase it but it won’t address it.
It’s just taken them four decades to get there.
Yes they are because they’re still only see business and rich people as the way forward rather than the dead and that they are.
No they didnt. Media focus went to social justice. Anyone who has gone anywhere near their facebook or website or press relesses would know this. Stop swallowing the media/right memes you are better than that
@ Phil (6.1.1) … History reminds us Shane Jones is a grubby little man! As a senior Labour MP, Jones at taxpayers expense hired porn movies on his parliamentary credit card, for his own debauched gratification in a hotel room, for which he got caught out through recorded credit card receipts!
Metiria Turei on the other hand, as a struggling single parent, did defraud social welfare during her time on the DPB, to help her and her infant daughter to survive, which she belatedly owned up to and has now paid a heavy price for admitting her past misdemeanour. However, this occurred prior to her becoming an MP.
Unlike Turei though, Jones lives to see another political day!
Shane Jones abused his privileges, while in the trusted position of being an MP, a representative of the people of NZ. Personally I find his betrayal of trust, in particular the reason behind it, far more offensive than the past actions of Metiria Turei!
Very happy with the momentum, hope the Greens steady the ship and natz shed some more. Jacinda has looked great so far. Knock off dunne too.
The problem for the Greens is that they will struggle to differentiate themselves from Labour now. I predict they will not get over the 5% threshold.
I actually like the idea of a Green party in parliament. But I would much prefer one that makes Green issues its sole focus (as its name suggests) and is able to work with either Labour or National.
Others such as John Armstrong have suggested the same:
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/john-armstrong-greens-in-election-no-mans-land-after-metiria-turei-shambles
Sadly, the Greens don’t seem to be listening.
While I expect the Greens to be above 5% on election day, I would say that the last two polls that show the Greens collapse are the Nats worse nightmare coming true before their eyes.
How will they convince their heartland voters to stay away from NZF, if they cant paint a picture the Labour/Greens/NZF ugly coalition of equals.
A Labour/NZF coalition with the Greens on the outside looking in would present as a stable alternative.
And thats the last thing that the Nats would want.
People don’t want stability, they want change.
Which is why the enthusiasm for a different Labour.
Meanwhile National is rowing, efficiently, briskly and in authoritarian unison towards third world status. Just like the USA, they admire.
But the Nats dont want change – and their sole electoral message is vote for stability. Nat voters like stability and the soft side of their voters may well like a Labour/NZF stability.
Now the world may want change Brexit/Trump/Macron style but I do note that theres a fair number in both the UK and the USA who may not be completely sold on the change they voted for.
No. The world wants Corbyn or Sanders.
But the establishment tried to ensure they were not given that choice.
KJT,
Enthusiasm for a different Labour – as in different policies or as in a different face on the billboards?
Despite the MoU, it seems that both the Greens and Labour are not averse to eating the other for the sole benefit of their own party’s betterment.
Parties do not. Own, voters.
The MOU said nothing against Labour/Greens putting their own policies out there.
A bigger Green presence in Government means more concern for people and the environment. Something the right wing in both Labour and NACT are terrified of.
Fortunately Labour rank and file are happy to work with the Greens, as we have common goals.
yeah we get it – right wingers want an environmental party to make them feel better – so what. The day the Greens take advice from right wingers is the day they go and that day ain’t coming – so take your troll tears and piss off tsm.
Not the moment to burn off green-swinging supporters.
They need every single vote they can get back.
Won’t get them back by listening to you.
+ 1 exactly – ffs green swinging supporters??? – the Greens will get there in style without your help, support or advice thanks ad and also to any right wingers who want to offer tears of support lol
this is the advice I listen to – Sue Bradford on fbook
“It’s critical that the Greens don’t get spooked by this week’s poll. There is a bedrock base of support built on decades of work on ecological & social justice issues, the latter strengthened by the welfare policy release so overshadowed by subsequent events. James Shaw can’t carry this alone & I’m hoping that the newer MPs & candidates suddenly thrust to the fore will step up now, beyond style to energetic substance.”
Sue said the same on Morning Report. She was on with political scientist Bronwyn Hayward who pointed out that single polls are not significant in themselves and the poll of polls, which shows the Greens at 6.9%, is a better indication of their current position.
I found it interesting that David Farrar’s polling company Curia refused to supply their latest poll to RNZ. I suspect the reason is that it showed the Nats in a much lower position, and possibly also showed the Greens higher than the 4.3% in CB. James Shaw said their internal polling had the Greens higher.
I am sure that the Greens will bounce back, maybe not up to 15%, but considerably higher than 4%. Of course Hooton et al are doing their best to suggest a vote for the Greens is a wasted vote, but I think this will actually give the Greens a boost. Nobody on the left wants to lose the Greens.
On social media and blogs I am seeing some support swinging behind the GP from people who may otherwise have voted Labour or some other party. They don’t want a Labour-led government too dependent on NZ First, and without support from the GP.
I have never voted green in my life. That is about to change.
🙂
Onya!
Great to hear Peter 🙂
tsm is most definitely not a swing voter. He’s a National Party sycophant.
They won’t want to chuck away the support of voters who find labour insufficiently socially focused.
Thanks for the, well meaning advice, LOL,
Sorry. The Greens will continue to disturb your self satisfied middle class life. And rise again in the polls. By challenging the poverty of comprehension, that thinks social and environmental sustainability are not linked.
Others such as John Armstrong have suggested the same:
Others such as National supporter and embarrassingly-effusive Key sycophant John Armstrong share your thoughts on the Green Party? Shouldn’t that have alarm bells ringing for you?
Loving your comments in this thread PM
Thank you. Recent convert to supporting the Green Party, so feeling plenty of enthusiasm for supportive commenting. Of course, me deciding to support them was swiftly followed by them tanking in the polls, but correlation != causation…
LOL I had noticed the change. I am a more firmed up GP supporter since the Turei massacre.
How do you propose that the Greens work with National, when National are actively trying to opening up mining on conservation land, expanding oil and gas exploration and refuse to do anything meaningful on water quality and air emissions?
It seems to me that if people want the Greens to work with National, they need National to change not the Greens. National are an anti-green party, and the concept of a “blue-green” is an oxymoron.
On the other side, when will you advocate for Act to start being a liberal party and start to look like they can work with Labour, this way they can start to grow their vote to over 5%.
+111
BOLLOCKS
You just want to be able to sideline them as National and the RWNJs tried last century when they said that the Greens were only a single issue party (which weren’t then either).
Why would they listen to people out to destroy them?
Given you arent voting for them or a member it isnt relevant what you want them to be.
Of course when you quote a toxic far right flake like John Armstrong – who bayed for Cunliffe’s blood for no reason at all – you destroy whatever flimsy shreds of credibility your argument might otherwise have mustered.
The Greens have always been prepared to work with other parties – but with National up to crazy shit like creating a market for fraudulent carbon credits, filling Lake Forsythe with poo, and poisoning the whole goddamn country with 1080, the Greens simply cannot accommodate them.
Go fritter yourself in the golden blood of non-senescence where the rich have commonality with finitude.
Here are a couple of good movies that enlighten me now I wont tell you what to look for as that would be cheating.
The real Rocknrola main actors Tom Hardy and Gerard Butler.
Good Cop Bad Cop Woody Harrelson Matthew Mc Conaughey.
Some people I aspire to
1 Tim Berners Lee
2 Julian Assange
3 Elon Musk
4 Michael Lawley Founder of ecoinnovation NZ he invented the smart drive hydro turbine.
His advice go solar as it less maintenance and solar is cheap to build a DIY system
5 Bernie Sanders
6 Noam Chomsky
7 Obama now Noam bashes Obama abit But in Politic one has to give and take to
get your Ideal policy’s into law especially when you do not have the number of
seats in your own party to change make laws
Apirana Ngata is the my number one person I aspire to
Aspiring to be ones own self…
Surpasses aspiring to mimic others, 100% of the time…
But if you had to aspire to be anyone, Apirana Ngata would be pretty hard to beat… Greatest New Zealander ever??
“A formless void is only possible in existential human observation”
Hello, McFlock
Was that a comment from Andre which you pasted?
Either way, it’s unoriginal..
Stop copying others, and maybe you can understand the comment I made..
Or perhaps your response was triggered because you felt a sense of shame, at being unoriginal..
And decided to lash out!
“Your heart self interacts with an abundance of potentiality”
Can you tell us more about Apirana Ngata?
Apirana Ngata yes I have read his book its is a real good read. He is the one of the main people to help persevere Maori culture/song.
Most of the Maraeis in NZ are here because of him and his helpers Tepuia she was a great Woman to
Most of the Maori trust farms in NZ are because of his influences .
His favorite past time was recording a lot of ancient Maori Waiata/ songs.
His Home land of Ngati Porou east coast is a shadow of its former glory.
The East coast In the end I think he was taken down by the powers that be
Because his accounting was on little bits of paper so the opposition party used that to discredit him for fraud He was a great man.
That book was the best gift my mom gave me
Thanks, so much good Māori history we haven’t been taught.
Weka you do know that’s Sir Apirana Ngata on the fifty dollar bill?
Maybe, but it’s pretty rare for me to see a fifty dollar bill.
His Wikipedia page manages to stay rather sterile while hinting at some very impressive nuances.
Chris Trotter is on the money today, in particular:
“This is what Aussie economist, Professor Bill Mitchell, from the University of Newcastle, NSW, said when asked to comment on the rigid fiscal parameters set down in Labour’s and the Greens’ budget rules. He described them as “the height of economic irresponsibility”……. Mitchell went on to argue that, since roughly 1 in 8 New Zealanders are either underemployed or unemployed; a third of our children live in poverty; and we have record levels of household debt ……. the very idea of running a fiscal surplus is, in Mitchell’s own words, “irresponsible in the extreme….the Labour Party are Neoliberal-Lite. They say we’ll do austerity – but we’ll do it fairer…..There’s no such thing as fair austerity when a third of your children are living in poverty.”
It’s here: http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2017/08/dont-you-dare-jacinda-ardern-dont-you.html
Jacinda take note, or become a puppet for the steady as it goes (look after the top 10% and forget the homeless and those in poverty) brigade.
Jacinda has ‘no choice’
Assuming she has a fundamental understanding of ‘money’…which Jacinda might not even have that level…
The ‘money mirage’ must not be exposed
Exposure will not be tolerated, and will be swiftly dealt with
money main objective is it is a sham
Why would you assume that Ardern is not financially literate? A bit of latent sexism, maybe..?
In the old days Labour were all economically literate and would not have fallen for Douglas’s crap for a moment. The generation that was the product of the decent society however, had no personal understanding either of poverty, or of the dishonest employer narratives used to justify it.
Cullen at least understood it – whether he took sufficient action is arguable. But the mass of contemporary Labour grew up on the assumption that major socioeconomic matters had been resolved, leaving them free to pursue progressive issues that were important to them. The slew of disastrous socioeconomic indicators shows that the assumption hasn’t held for some time, and that responsible left government is going to have to dig us out of the neo-liberal rut as quickly as possible.
If we give Ardern the benefit of the doubt we must presume that her administration will address these issues forcefully. But indications are not especially promising – by failing to support Metiria’s anti-poverty position Ardern essentially endorsed the murderous failure that is contemporary social policy.
Perhaps pause and consider why, not ONE single politician, doesn’t can’t or won’t talk openly and hosestly about ‘money/debt’..
Norman mentioned ‘printing’ years back..but that got radio silence..
SO either…
1. They don’t understand
2. They understand but have a ‘gun’ to their head
Those are the only options..
The subject was Jacinda Adern..stop degrading yourself looking for what does not exist!
Jacinda doesn’t need advice right now.
If she wins, she will inherit a strong, narrow economy with low unemployment. Her tasks are pretty obvious.
Watch for the full Labour manifesto release next Wednesday. All the detail you could wish for.
A strong economy.?
Are you on the same planet?
Would you like to go through the industry sectors with me one by one?
The left currently do not have an economic message to respond to National’s sustained narrative of economic success.
All the left currently do is tell everyone about how poorly off some people are. Which is useful, but only to a point.
It’s not enough.
I am sure a read an article in just the last couple of days in which they detail how even though the economy is seemingly good real wage increases for anyone not in the top 10% of earners is either flat or negative when inflation is taken into account.
Whilst businesses are making good profits at the moment this is on the back of poor wages and even poorer social outcomes. So yes if all you want to look at is GDP and trade deficits you can sell it as good. I would imagine most people now are starting to wonder however why this good economy is not reducing the numbers of homeless or the number of children considered to be living in poverty.
Ad your view is of course a short term one. In the end those people who are on crap wages are the same people that are expected to buy the products that keep our economy turning over. As ability to feed coins into the machine reduces so will the performance of the economy. Of course at that point conservative minded people will blame those same poor people calling them bludgers and claiming that all they need to do is work harder. However as more of them end up under the boot (remember most people aren’t in the 10% that are doing better every year) we will see the support for other options increase.
Real wages down.
Terms of trade, down.
Per capita GDP, down.
Per capita real incomes, down.
Borrowings up.
Poverty, up.
Growth. Negative without immigration and natural disasters.
Unemployment. National changed the basis it was counted to hide the real rate.
Environment. Need we start?
Health. Per capita funding down.
Education. Funding cut to pay for idealogical failures.
Manufacturing, down.
National has been a failure, even by their own measurements.
Over 11% unemployment and Ad says we have low unemployment, and a good economy.
Can I have what ever it is you are smoking, I need a pick me up.
adam, being “underutilised” isn’t the same as being unemployed. I agree the unemployment rate is higher than 4.9(?)%, with some long-term unemployed not counted in the official figures because they’re not actively seeking work, but if we’re going to criticise the massaging of figures that makes the rate look artificially low, we shouldn’t massage them ourselves, the other way.
I’m a full time teacher. I have colleagues who work part time (and that might mean an 80% teaching load). They’re not unemployed – they work bloody hard and have longterm, stable jobs – but they may well be counted as “underutilised” as many would welcome fulltime positions if they were available.
Try reading this piece from Frank.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2017/08/09/msm-catches-up-on-unemployment-stats-rort/
Or the one One Two put up below.
As for the spin of underutilised, I’m sure many of a Tory on here would be impressed with your utterance, and be more than happy to add it to their parlor tricks.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/08/unemployment-bad-news-nz-it-s-much-worse-than-you-think.html#.WYOoQGi5WF0.twitter
Strong economy…low unemployment
Not even the MSM believe that!
The key words might be ‘narrow economy’.
If you’re operating in that particular economy, it’s haymaking time, if you’re not, well, in the words of Sir John…. “you probably won’t be voting for us anyway”.
Narrow and still brittle.
A whole bunch broader and better off than when Labour left office in 2008, but there’s still not an alternative narrative about success.
Can you point to your source for the economy being broader?
I often hear people (including my own family) lament the poor books Labour left for NACT in 2008. I seem to remember as the finical crisis bit the current PM praising the previous Labour government for paying down debt as it put us in a strong position to ride the GFC out. Funny how that message has changed so much over a period of 9 years.
Ad is a true believer.
Its a joke, you cannot have low unemployment and stagnant wage growth. Doesn’t happen.
Where’s Paula Bennett? Has her star faded so much that Steven Joyce is actually hiding her away? We were told she was going to be a highlight for National on the campaign trail?
She’s fucked. The fact they didn’t use her against Turei suggests there are similar and possibly worse skeletons in her closet and their opponents will be aware of them. Too risky to have her visible in this campaign.
Hiding. Because no one can survive on welfare for long, without extra help or resources.
And National knows it.
Bennett is well groomed to take over in October if Bill resigns.
Pound for pound Ardern and Bennett are policy wonks with oodles of pedigree.
National have refreshed very well.
Bennett a policy wonk? She might produce policy but none of it works. I’m beginning to think KJT @11.2.1 is right. You spend a lot of time visiting another planet.
Do tell us you’re being sarcastic.
Agree. She said she didnt deliberately mislead winz. I lied but 20 years on I cant say that. Off scot free. Again.
“Bennett are policy wonks with oodles of pedigree”
lol you are really delusional if you think bennett is a policy wonk
A not very bright apparatchik, promoted because she can regurgitate propaganda and bullshit with a straight face, and are happy to do National’s dirty work.
Like the most National MP’s.
Ad – What pounds are you going on about – pounds as in sterling or pounds as in weight – if its weight you are comparing a feather with a brick with these two ladies. A better description could have been found here.
I’m not saying I like her.
But she is a very solid performer in the House, and Ardern never so much as laid a finger on her when they opposed each other on Social Welfare portfolios.
Bennett holds State Services, Women,Tourism, Police, and Climate Change Portfolios, as well as being Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of the National Party.
She’s also been across Tourism, Housing, Finance, and a bunch of Select Committees. She also did an Eisenhower Fellowship, which is only awarded to 20 outstanding women leaders at a time.
She has risen through the ranks of National in fairly quick order as a Minister who is to be reckoned with, takes no prisoners, and delivers their policy.
The left have spent far too long losing because they underestimated the trust of a huge section of the public who accept that this National leadership is competent, stable leadership.
Paula Bennett is ready to be top of the pile.
She is far too polarising. As said previously I come from a family that is very much in the life long National supports group and even they can’t stand Paula. She is far too abrasive and has shown herself to be a bully.
If National truly thought of her as a future PM she would not have been so regularly trotted out to do the Bennie bashing when a distraction was needed. She is the next Crusher Collins. Be tough, take the negative press, completely disposable when you need someone to take a fall.
The accusations in the back ground and what has just happened to MT just give those who are really in line to lead a good reason to shunt her aside when the time comes. Would not be surprised if it is Kiwiblog or WO that swing the axe.
She might have been “across many portfolios” but I would hazard a guess she knows stuff-all about most of them. Her Climate Change credentials are non existent. She knows nothing about it and understand less…
What she is good at is bullshitting the public that she knows stuff when she knows nothing. In other words, she’s a fake.
“across many portfolios”.
I though of something rude here, but I don’t want to denigrate an even older, but more honest profession.
😀
Ad. You really do live in a fantasy world.
Bennett is like so many hatchet men i have seen in corporations.
A useful idiot to front the destructive policies of management. To be disposed of, when convenient.
Here is Paula
Talking about Bill English and doorways.
““One of the main challenges he’s had as Prime Minister is every time he’d go to walk through a door, he said he was so used to always waiting for other people, because that’s just his nature – he’s a gentleman you know, it’s just what you do.
“Then he said everyone else would wait for him to walk through the door, so as the Minister for Women he came to me and [said], ‘So what do I do?’…
“I said to him, ‘Walk through the door Bill, no woman will think that you’re being discourteous’.”
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/08/17/43546/nationals-battle-to-move-on-from-john-key
Here is Paula
Talking about her achievements.
Yeah Paula B. We were heading into a global financail crisis caused by your neoliberal mentors. Chooses not to mention that.
Outstanding job? Sells off state and social housing. More homeless people than ever. Fiddles the stats to make it look like unemployment is lower than it is. Throws others off the system altogether.
Success? A dismal failure who shat on solo mums just because she could!
“…and we were talking about going well into double figures of unemployment, we were talking about literally hundreds of thousands of people going onto the benefit, we were gearing up for the worst of times…”
—
Simple solution, classify 1 hour of work as being in employment and hey, presto! Unemployment issue solved. This government shit is soooooo easy.
That happened in the 1980s.
Fixed unemployment nos. by changing the way it was counted.
Snap Kevin
Imagine if the time our media devoting to polls was replaced by policy analysis? Tracy Watkins is in a live blog blathwring on about poll ramifications. It is lazy and fuels the gambling/sporting style of voting rather than information. I despair.
The atmosphere on the Right wing blogs is one of resignation; they’re resigned to losing, to having to endure a Jacinda-led Labour Government. They’re hopeful though, of a Green collapse, though their more candid commenters say this won’t happen, no matter how they screw up their eyes, bunch their little fisties and wish really hard for it.
Yep. And as for the hooting one: calling the remaining GP voters addicts, when he has admitted alcohol problems, is not a very good look.
And this tweet from Julie Fairey:
yes hooton is pathetic – hollow hooton is irrelevant and he is hating it. Who? who? who?
I do feel sad for Matthew Hooton, as I do for anyone who battles addiction. It must be a terrible affliction. But wtf is he doing using addiction as a derogatory term for GP supporters? POT….KETTLE….BLACK?
Might be experiencing a bit of the Black Dog at the moment ?
Perhaps! Has he broken his addiction with this site? I don’t see him commenting here anymore (but I have only recently returned here). Is he banned or just disinterested in The Standard?
He (hooton) decided to spewed one of his lies on/at lprent. lprent gave him a chance to retract, he doubled down, then lprent banned him for life.
Atmosphere got a lot cleaner around here after that. We have our tiffs, but the gutter/sewer/cesspool politics of the hooton era, does not appear as much.
Oh hooton is still into his gutter/sewer/cesspool politics but we just don’t have to see or listen to it, if we choice not to. Personally I chose not to. Trolls and gutter rats are going to go on being what they are, and I don’t need it in my life.
Which by the way, leads to a major thanks to lprent, in one afternoon you made this site 100% more pleasant. Thank you.
You expect self awareness from Hooter?
There does seem to be a rabid dislike on the Right and in some media quarters. Irrationally so.
I have been told that the reason the young are not registering to vote is because they are not inspired by words but by video clips. So perhaps Labour needs to invest in a number of short animated video clips to attract the young.
Further to my comment above. One hundred odd years ago a lot of people could not read or if they could, could not afford to buy papers or books so young people were employed to read to them while they worked. Now a days people, especially those who were not read to when they were young, watch YouTube of Facebook. That is where they get their information from. So if a party wants to get to those unregistered 400,000 people they must use those formats with animated video clips. It is a no brainer.
Clever.
http://www.sirmitchell.com/product/45-enamel-pin
They’re tumbling like ninepins in Canberra;
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/nick-xenophon-checking-whether-hes-a-british-citizen-in-shock-new-twist-in-citizenship-crisis-20170818-gxyzo2.html
Far too many clerks on this site – technicians – where victory for the people is a heart you can’t refuse: fight with 8 limbs.