Open mike 20/04/2014

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, April 20th, 2014 - 183 comments
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183 comments on “Open mike 20/04/2014 ”

  1. What are people’s thoughts here about what part cannabis plays in the synthetic drug issue?

    Is cannabis as risky, riskier or is it safer?
    If cannabis was available the same as synthetics would the problem be better, worse or similar?
    If no synthetics pass the safety test of the new Act and nothing else changes will the problems get better or worse?
    Should the laws related to cannabis use be reviewed?
    Should the laws related to cannabis cultivation be reviewed?
    Should the laws related to cannabis supply be reviewed?
    Should all psychoactive substances be banned (including cannabis)?

    When the Psychoactive Substances Act kicks in we may have no synthetic drugs legally for sale or we may have a reduced number of them for sale. Regardless, we will still have issues with drug use, drug addiction and associated problems – especially health and crime.

    • freedom 1.1

      tell you what Pete. Why don’t you ask those same questions about alcohol use in NZ, then we can have an honest discussion.

      • Pete George 1.1.1

        That’s a different issue, or rather issues. Entrenched issues with no easy solutions. Alcohol is interwoven with the social and commercial fabrics of New Zealand, and impossible to unpick. We have to learn to deal with it better.

        • vto 1.1.1.1

          What on earth makes you think cannabis and other similar things are any different?

          Pete, have you ever smoked cannabis? And I mean, not just once or twice at some pissed party, I mean smoked it enough to learn and understand what happens to the mind ? And Pete, same question with synthetic stuff…

          • Pete George 1.1.1.1.1

            Cannabis has been illegal for how long? Alcohol has been legal for how long?

            Cannabis is substantially supplied via major criminal interests. Alcohol is supplied via long established commercial interests.

            Self supply of cannabis is illegal, self supply of alcohol is legal.

            Cannabis is associated with underground social practices, alcohol is a major part of open and accepted social practices.

            I’m quite surprised you asked that question.

            I’ve never smoked cannabis or used any synthetic or illegal drugs. I don’t have any interest in drugs personally, but I recognise major social issues and growing discussion and demands about the use of synthetics and natural cannabis.

            • vto 1.1.1.1.1.1

              Did you know cannabis used to be legal?
              Did you know alcohol used to be illegal?
              Did you know alcohol used to be supplied by major criminal interests?
              Did you know alcohol is associated with NZ’s worst underground social practices?
              Do you know how much trouble people cause due to cannabis, compared to alcohol?

              … oh forget it

            • phillip ure 1.1.1.1.1.2

              “..I’ve never smoked cannabis or used any synthetic or illegal drugs..”

              gee..!..that comes as no real surprise..eh..?

              ..heh..!

              ..is professional-fretting/auntying/walter-mitty-dreamings of ‘influence’.. yr drugs of choice there..?..petey..?

              ..heh..!

              ..drugs don’t just come in powered/herb-form..eh..?

            • Bill 1.1.1.1.1.3

              ffs PG, please think a wee bit about what you type and then take this morning’s nonsense away from here.

              “Cannabis is associated with underground social practices,” (socialising, sharing, etc)
              “alcohol is a major part of open and accepted social practices” (violence, vomiting, absenteeism, death, etc).

              • FFS Bill, please think a wee bit about what you read before you launch.

                Of course there are positive aspects of underground drug social practices, and of course there many well known negative aspects of open and accepted alcohol social practices.

                • Bill

                  Pete. You wrote about (quote) “underground social practices”. That suggests illegality, unlawfulness, maybe even unacceptable deviance, and as such screams bigotry on your part.

                  You didn’t write about (quote) “underground drug social practices”. That, of course, is something completely different and casts the so-called “underground drugs” rather than the “social practices” in the realms of illegality, unlawfulness etc.

                • freedom

                  “of course there many well known negative aspects of open and accepted alcohol social practices.”

                  Which is why you refuse to ever engage honestly about them because you know they expose the hypocrisy of every bullshit argument ever used against cannabis.

                  Did I mention Yaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwn?
                  and how is that weekly budget for poor people coming along Pete?

            • marty mars 1.1.1.1.1.4

              “but I recognise major social issues and growing discussion and demands about the use of synthetics and natural cannabis.”

              pete you are just doing again what you have tried to do previously – that is, take an issue and try to use it to increase your personal profile. Is this part of your factchecker role or smply a personal brainfart. To be honest pete you are a lot dimmer than you think you are and your transparent nonsense is, well, transparent and nonsense imo.

              • Then you will be surprised who else has committed to doing something about this. There’s a growing network of concern and a recognition this needs to be addressed far more proactively.

                It’s a bit sad to see here amongst a number is the only forum obsessed with diverting with petty personal pissiness.

                • freedom

                  “It’s a bit sad to see here amongst a number is the only forum obsessed with diverting with petty personal pissiness.”

                  wtf is that even trying to say?

                  We know Easter is a 4/20 this year but maybe you should have had a smaller cone?

                • So I am correct. They need a leader, a visionary, someone who sees the bigger picture, who isn’t influenced by petty politics but wants that arena to be better, kinder, less extreme – and there is a person within the political sphere who fits the bill, who stands like a colossus with legs astride the political landscape, impervious to the arrows of the unimaginative. Your time has come pete – will you stand tall and accept your destiny. This could be your catapult to the national stage.

                • cricklewood

                  Had you considered Pete, that the pissiness is due entirely to your habit of getting up early and spraying an ever so earnest cut n paste over the various blogs as early as possible.
                  If people really wanted to ‘discuss’ these issues with you they would head over to your place.
                  The passive aggressive behavior you display on here is hardly raising the political discourse and generally sucks a thread into a petty nah nah nah followed by a look at what they said at the standard post on kiwiblog.
                  If your true aim is to improve the standard of political discourse perhaps you should consider your posting habits and the effects they have on it….

                • Tracey

                  do you think alcohol should be made illegal?

            • felix 1.1.1.1.1.5

              What the fuck is an “underground social practice”, Pete?

            • weka 1.1.1.1.1.6

              “Cannabis is substantially supplied via major criminal interests. Alcohol is supplied via long established commercial interests.

              Self supply of cannabis is illegal, self supply of alcohol is legal.

              Cannabis is associated with underground social practices, alcohol is a major part of open and accepted social practices.”

              Pete, you often say that people don’t know you so are wrong to judge, but what you just wrote is breaktaking in its bias and ignorance. Nothing shameful about that ignorance apart from the fact that you seem unwilling to do anything about it.

              You’ve basically just laid out how incredibly disconnected you are from whole swathes of NZ society that use currently illegal drugs.

            • amirite 1.1.1.1.1.7

              Pete, are you aware that a huge chunk of cannabis users in NZ comprises of middle class young professional people?

              • @ amrite..

                ..no they aren’t…they could be extras in trainspotting..

                ..pete has nightmares of hordes of them shuffling towards him..

                ..bongs outstretched…

              • I’m aware of a wide range of people using cannabis. They all either produce it illegally or source it illegally, which means they get it off criminals.

                It’s a lot more complicated than just changing the law (that in itself is complicated enough). If it is de-criminalised or legalised there’s a lot to be worked out about what type of production, distribution and use is allowed.

                It’s not as simple as just passing a bill through Parliament.

        • freedom 1.1.1.2

          YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWN

          come back with some honest material

          Every syllable you wrote oozes deliberate hypocrisy, or is it just wilful ignorance.

          so i will repeat myself,

          YAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWN

        • David H 1.1.1.3

          Oh Horseshit you don’t want to talk about Alcohol, because your BOSS says not to. So just stand there in the corner like a good little boy, hold the Comb, and Shut UP.

          • Pete George 1.1.1.3.1

            Totally false claims, totally unsupportable, but you will probably be allowed to get away making false accusations here.

            Dear Right Wingers. Before you tell the Labour Party what it is doing wrong can you firstly get your facts straight.

            Apparently a double standard applies.

            • bad12 1.1.1.3.1.1

              🙄 , 🙄 , 🙄 ….

              • Rosie

                Glad to see you’re getting good use out of your new skill there bad12…………my thoughts exactly, the moment I saw this thread kick off.

                7.05am on Easter Sunday, Pete, really?

                Really?

                🙄

            • rhinocrates 1.1.1.3.1.2

              Martyrdom was a sign of holiness, indicating overwhelming faith and sacrifice.

              Self-martydom is masturbation for the impotent.

    • what are peoples’ thoughts here about what part (former dunne-party candidate for dunedin nth) petey george plays in anything..?

      ..does he just leave a big ‘why?..lord..!..why..?’..in most minds..?

      ..or is it only me..?

      • Paul 1.2.1

        Why do you reply to him?

        • phillip ure 1.2.1.1

          ‘cos if you don’t..he is like a tap..left running..

          ..and i find that laughing at him/his wall-to-wall bullshit..(and hopefully causing/helping others to laugh at him..the former dunne-party-candidate for dunedin nth..see what i mean..?..there’s a giggle or two right there)

          ..works best..

          ..that’s why..

          ..and re the former-candidate in his disciple-stage..

          ..it really was a case of ‘catch a falling star’..for him..

          ..eh..?

          ..(see what i mean..!..the comedic raw-material is there in spades..)

          ..and i haven’t even got to the with bearded-face full-body massages he gives to that edwards-the-younger..

          ..as payment for his weekly mentions in his/edwards’ once-over-lightly roundups in that rightwing-rag..

          ..the man is comedy-gold..!..)

          • phillip ure 1.2.1.1.1

            and by doing that..you can turn him from a rightwing-tr*ll doing his dissembling-work..

            ..into a foil..

            ..to be used to highlight just what utter rightwing bullshit it is he peddles..

            pete george:..i pretend to fret..therefor i am..

          • freedom 1.2.1.1.2

            Paul: “Why do you reply to him?”
            Phillip Ure: “‘cos if you don’t..he is like a tap..left running..”

            a perfect metaphor 🙂

            • Paul 1.2.1.1.2.1

              16 comments (out of 41 in total to date) on Open Mike devoted to responding to a dull diversionary question from PG.

              • bad12

                Exactly Paul, PG likes to lead people round by the nose, that’s where He gets His thrills, only deserving of this, 🙄 ,this 🙄 ,and this 🙄 …

                • freedom

                  Every now and then it is handy to use his blatherings to get readers to face the questions raised by his obvious hypocrisy. And let’s face it, when it comes to Pete crusading on this particular issue, at least the hypocrisy will be consistent 🙂

        • Once was Tim 1.2.1.2

          because its sometimes like investigating the characteristics of a fossil?
          there’s a chance – a hope even that sometimes something worthwhile might emerge – though usually NOT
          in PG’s case, it’s the most charitable explanation

    • These questions are very oddly framed. The issue of risk isn’t a matter of opinion – it’s something which, although complex, can be quantified and measured. Making policy on the basis of ‘I reckon …’ may be flattering to our egos but probably doesn’t result in good policy.

      • weka 1.3.1

        “The issue of risk isn’t a matter of opinion – it’s something which, although complex, can be quantified and measured.”

        How so?

        • How many users of X experience significant side effects compared to users of Y? How much does mitigating factor B reduce side effect C?

          The complexity comes from issues like legality, accessibility, ruling out other factors (such as the crossover between drug use and mental illness), but my point is it’s not a pure matter of opinion as Pete George has framed it.

      • RedLogix 1.3.2

        The other point worth making is that comparing one type of risk/harm against another is usually not valid.

        Personally I believe both cannabis and alcohol have harms associated with them. There is no doubt the risk associated with alcohol is very spectacular and pervasive in our society; but there is good evidence to suggest that there are a less obvious set of risks associated with cannabis of a very different nature.

        For that reason I’m not all that keen on consuming much of either of them. I limit my alcohol to about one or two glasses of red a month, and I’ve not bothered with cannabis since I was a teenager. After a short while I found it boring and I rapidly became suspicious of it’s persistent after-effects.

    • millsy 1.4

      I am more or less anti-drugs, and I wouldnt encourage people to use pot, or any other substance.

      That said I dont judge those who use it, and I dont think people should be dragged through the courts for having a joint in their bag or having a cone with their mates on a Saturday night. I think allowing people to grow the stuff for personal use and allowing tobacconists to sell seed and equipment would be a suitable course.

      • weka 1.4.1

        Do you realise that alcohol, coffee, and sugar are all drugs?

        • RedLogix 1.4.1.1

          Yes but they are not all the same drug.

          Personally I enjoy a little alcohol, but I never get drunk. (I’ve only had one hangover in my whole life and that was a very long time ago. I do feel considerable sympathy for those people who are wired to become addicted to the stuff. It must be an awful life.)

          Caffeine in modest amounts seems to be fairly neutral, but again I find it best to limit it to once a day at most. Sometimes I go off it for months at a time.

          Sugar is dreadful stuff metabolically. I do my best to avoid added sugar completely.

          My point is – while it’s fair to label all three as ‘drugs’; it’s not fair to them treat them all the same. Different risks, different responses.

          • weka 1.4.1.1.1

            Of course, but you can apply that to cannabis and most other drugs too 🙂

            • RedLogix 1.4.1.1.1.1

              Like a lot of people I’m not all that keen on using drugs of any kind, and I accept there is not a neat one-size-fits-all definition of them, nor a nice clean set of risks and harms associated with them.

              Equally I’m not all that enamoured with the legal shambles around them. Prohibition/criminalisation is a crude, counter-productive tool to use in response to the very wide diversity of ‘drugs’ we use in our society.

              As a result I’m caught between a reluctance to see the doors opened to an uncontrolled smorgasbord of ‘drugs’ available anytime, anywhere – and the frank acknowledgement that prohibition just makes matters worse.

              Yet I’ve managed to blithely wander through most of my life quite detached from drugs. This doesn’t make me a better person or special in any fashion – but it does prompt me to ask why it is that some people are so very prone to harm from drug use and others appear to be quite removed from them altogether. I want find out more about the root cause of this difference – and if we understood it better would it help us to move on from this ‘decriminalisation’ dilemma?

              • lprent

                Apart from my ex-addition to tobacco and my occasional taste for alcohol, the most addictive drugs I have ever used are the 4 that I now take daily to make sure that I stay healthy and alive. For some reason I’m addicted to living (to code)

                But I had a few acquaintances who died from heroin in the 70s – mostly from bad drugs or determined suicide attempts as far as I could tell. There have been a whole lot of friends, family and acquaintances I have seen who used illegal recreational drugs. Over the decades I can’t see much difference in outcomes from the ones who used legal drugs.

                Incidentally when I was in my late teens I did try a few drugs. However I was already addicted to writing code so they never had a chance after they interfered with that.

                • RedLogix

                  Heh – the big reason why I drink so little is that any code written the following day – needs a complete re-write the next day after!

                  But I had a few acquaintances who died from heroin in the 70s – mostly from bad drugs or determined suicide attempts as far as I could tell.

                  And yes. I don’t dwell on those memories, but they are haunting nonetheless.

              • weka

                People take drugs for all sorts of reasons, so if we want to look at why some people experience harm from use we need to look past the drug and instead look at the context. Risk from a substance is highly individual, so to my mind it’s a nonsense to look at the risk of say cannabis outside the context of the person using it. Where that gets a bit tricky is the public health aspect, and wether there are untoward effects on society as a whole. But even there, there is no getting around the fact that alcohol is legal for no good reason in terms of risk assessment.

                Some of the contexts connected with risk are poverty, violence, colonisation, oppression, historical child abuse, genetics, family dynamics, biology, mental health, peer pressure, socialisation, self-esteem, the need for self-medication…

                The other thing that’s important to know is that taking drugs is fun! It’s fine that you don’t do this 🙂 but there is nothing wrong per se with getting out of it. And people with the above contexts also take drugs for fun.

                For me this isn’t that hard. Legalise cannabis. We don’t have to even look at legalising other drugs in order to do that. Put in place some good educational resources on use and harm minimisation, some rules around thigns like age or driving etc, and then let people make their own decisions just like we let them make those decisions about everything else. The idea that cannabis is a risk to indviduals or society is a red herring. Yes there is risk, but not in a way that legitimises making criminals out of cannabis users.

                • For me this isn’t that hard. Legalise cannabis.

                  Except that so far that’s proven to be not possible. We don’t seem to have come close. So it is hard. And future prospects look hard.

                  Putting politics and arrogance aside can be hard.

                  What’s needed is a concerted campaign to move things in that direction. Otherwise the next person to come along suggesting something be done will probably be ridiculed and nothing will change. That’s what’s not hard, petty bitching and same old.

                  • Draco T Bastard

                    It’s only hard because of idiots like you who refuse to see the sense of simply legalising marijuana.

                  • freedom

                    “Except that so far that’s proven to be not possible.”

                    complete horse shit
                    (we see above you have already called out for the waaambulance )

                    Governments choosing not to even try to do something, is not the same thing as something being possible or not.

                    You could not have supplied a better example of the very central flaw in most of your comments that so many have tried to point out to you so often.

                    Read this slowly…. Just because you say something, does not mean it is true.

                    Now, the obsequious little nugget of nothingness that started your final paragraph…
                    “What’s needed is a concerted campaign to move things in that direction. ”

                    When did you last pick up the phone to the ALCP and say, ‘hi guys, Pete George here, what can I do to help bring balance and objectivity to the discussion of cannabis reform in New Zealand?

                    wow cannabis reform… maybe that is a politically and economically important topic that a fact checking site would be interested in covering ……… cue tumbleweeds

                    • When did you last pick up the phone to the ALCP and say, ‘hi guys, Pete George here, what can I do to help bring balance and objectivity to the discussion of cannabis reform in New Zealand?

                      Last Thursday, after they called me, after I emailed them.

                    • freedom

                      Great to hear that Pete, and what did you ask them?
                      Wearing which hat by the way?
                      What was their response?

                      or is it all secret and stuff?

                      Was your bizarre Easter Sunday questions research for a Politicheck article?
                      If so why did you not say so?

                      Should we just assume everything you now post is for Politicheck research?

                  • rhinocrates

                    Putting politics and arrogance aside can be hard.

                    Indeed.

                    bitching and same old.

                    You da man!
                    Dat’s the bomb!
                    Groovy, man.
                    Like totally cool, dude.
                    Gag me with a spoon!
                    You’re a real hep cat!

                • RedLogix

                  Yes I’m ok with legalising cannabis for the time being. It seems the most pragmatic thing to do at the moment.

                  Some of the contexts connected with risk are poverty, violence, colonisation, oppression, historical child abuse, genetics, family dynamics, biology, mental health, peer pressure, socialisation, self-esteem, the need for self-medication…

                  Absolutely. Yet the tragedy is that in self-medicating the end result is often a compounding and entrenchment of all these issues.

                  I’m with Lynn on this. I too get my fun from solving coding puzzles. Yesterday I worked around 14 hrs on a project, and along the way I finally managed to build and debug a Scalar Kalman filter algorithm that I’ve been thinking about for years. (All actual experts in digital signal processing feel free to LOL now.) And I got a real kick from it – that opportunity to creatively express myself is central to my reason for living.

                  The opportunity to be creative, to excel at some skill or artform, or to work in a group towards a meaningful goal seem to be the three expansive motivations for humans.

                  • Murray Olsen

                    I’m not going to LOL, because I don’t know exactly what you did. However, I am curious as to how you managed to spend years thinking about what I would have considered a fairly simple problem. What made it so time consuming?

                    • RedLogix

                      Well three things; one is that I only looked at it briefly on a handful of occasions over the years – so the total time spent wasn’t all that long. I found the story behind how Rudolf Kalman solved the Apollo lunar landing module radar guidance problem inspiring – and I guess I was always curious to get my head around at least the basics of what he achieved.

                      Secondly most of the references on the web are for the general MIMO case with lots of very abstract matrix maths I’m not at all good at. As a result for a long time I had in my mind a wrong idea about how a Kalman filter actually worked. I had completely misunderstood what the a priori was meant to be in practical terms.

                      Thirdly until recently I didn’t really have a pressing need to make one work, but when faced with the desirability of using one in my current project, I spent a day banging away at the much simpler SISO case and finally the penny dropped.

                      Like a lot of people I can handle maths as long as I can map it onto something concrete in my mind – it’s the pure abstractions that baffle me unfortunately.

                    • RedLogix

                      I have to add that after spending years looking at time series trend plots with conventional filters that always add a phase delay – the first time I saw the Kalman filter respond to a step input with zero delay was rather spooky.

                      I knew in my head that was how it was supposed to work, but actually seeing it was still a surprise.

                      I know this had drifted OT but it speaks to what Lynn was saying earlier above.

                  • Murray Olsen

                    I didn’t think you could drift off topic in open mike 🙂
                    Thanks for your answer. I have problems with abstract maths as well, which is a bit of a drawback in my job as a theoretical quantum physicist, but can also be an advantage. I tend to look more at what can be achieved with real systems than developing abstract theorems.

    • weka 1.5

      “What are people’s thoughts here about what part cannabis plays in the synthetic drug issue?”

      As a friend pointed out recently, the only reason that legal highs are legal and cannabis isn’t is because the law hasn’t found a way to make legal highs illegal (I think there is probably a commerical incentive in there too to not ban them outright). It’s simply an anomaly that alcohol is legal and cannabis isn’t. So let’s stop pretending that this is an issue of risk and safety. It’s not. It’s about the need of some people to control morality and the need of other people to control money.

      The blindingly obvious solution to the very real problems of legal highs is to legalise cannabis. There are risks to many things that humans do. The line that cannabis has risks is a redherring. We already have models for managing risk including harm minimisation, so risk sin’t a good reason to keep cannabis illegal.

      Pete, you are several decades behind the game here. All the questions you are asking have been answered many many times.

      • Pete George 1.5.1

        Pete, you are several decades behind the game here. All the questions you are asking have been answered many many times.

        Blindingly obvious solution or not today, still, nothing has happened about it. Can’t have been obvious enough or made obvious to the right people.

        So should we do nothing now and change nothing?

        • weka 1.5.1.1

          Don’t know what you mean by ‘we’ in that sentence. People have been working in this issue already, and progress has been made. That doesn’t include you as far as I can tell.

          As for the ‘right’ people, you still fail to understand what the issue is here. The ‘right’ people are the people with the power, and those people aren’t traditional cannabis users (they drink alcohol). The reasons they don’t work outside their experience are varied (commerce, control, ignorance). Until the GP came along, there was no-one putting the decriminalisation issue on mainstream agenda. It’s people like you who wring your hands that are keeping the issue unresolved. Your astounding ignorance isn’t the problem, it’s your inability to recognise you are ignorant and do something about it. But beyond that, I am pretty sure when it comes down to it, you want the power to remain in the hands of the few, and that you don’t trust people in general to make their own decisions about drug use. For you, the decisions should be made by people who are of your class and ilk, otherwise you would already be talking to expert drug users and learning from them.

          Plus what Tracey said above about making alcohol illegal.

          • Pete George 1.5.1.1.1

            But beyond that, I am pretty sure when it comes down to it, you want the power to remain in the hands of the few, and that you don’t trust people in general to make their own decisions about drug use.

            You’re a long way off the mark with that assumption.

            For you, the decisions should be made by people who are of your class and ilk,

            And that one. You seem to have pigeon hole pique.

            otherwise you would already be talking to expert drug users and learning from them.

            I’ve been doing that. And I’ve been working now with three parties with various interests in this.

            • phillip ure 1.5.1.1.1.1

              “..And I’ve been working now with three parties with various interests in this…”

              wow..!..(all pomposities/self-regard/importance to one side..)

              ..so yr now a multi-party go-to person on drug policy too..eh..?

              ..is there no end to yr (nelson mandela-like) skills..?

              ..and where do you find the time..?..

              ..’wot with all yr politicheking…eh..?..

              (we are all holding our breath for yr first big scoop/expose..eh..?..

              ..(and don’t disappoint me now..!..i’ve got money on it being a left-attacking little number..

              ..my money’s safe..eh..?..)

              ..i mean those taxpayer union trouts had that provincial flight done by that green mp..eh..?

              ..them breaking that important story must have had you green with envy..eh..?..

              ..you must dream of getting anything like that good at this rightwing-pressure-group thing..eh..?..)

    • freedom 1.6

      In the name of fairness -Pete did ask some questions and if we want him to honestly answer ours …. (like a 40 year old virgin, we must believe there will be a first time)

      Is cannabis as risky, riskier or is it safer?
      It is less risky, in the same way that driving with a seat belt is generally regarded as being safer than driving without one.

      If cannabis was available the same as synthetics would the problem be better, worse or similar?
      There would not be a problem. Period! The entire market would disappear, largely overnight. The residual problems would be the ongoing addictions relating to those who have already been poisoned by the toxic products created and sold under the blinkered myopia of the current hypocrisy. (have to assume you are referring to ‘synthetic cannabis’ even though no such thing exists. It needs to be said that there are also many other ‘synthetic’ products that this new testing might help make safer for all and less stigmatic. Many of the products that this law wants to ban are actually safer, more natural and less risky than some foods sold in supermarkets. Certainly safer than alcohol)

      If no synthetics pass the safety test of the new Act and nothing else changes will the problems get better or worse?
      The distribution of even more dangerous compounds will make the problem a lot worse. You only have to look at the poison people drink during periods of alcohol prohibition/scarcity.

      Should the laws related to cannabis use be reviewed?
      well d’uh

      Should the laws related to cannabis cultivation be reviewed?
      well d’uh

      Should the laws related to cannabis supply be reviewed?
      well d’uh

      Should all psychoactive substances be banned (including cannabis)?
      You do know, that to be anything but a pandering to predetermination, testing must include alcohol right? We all know alcohol has an exemption so the entire testing to make us safer argument holds about as much water as a fishing net. Some schools of thought would even say sugar falls into the category of a psychoactive substance. So yes, let’s review the whole bag of tricks Pete. You may not like the results though. You would have to watch your smug fall away revealing decades of illusion and propaganda.

      • weka 1.6.1

        I think Pete is one of those people who thinks that drugs are the bad chemicals, as if there is some inherent moral underpinning to chemistry.

    • felix 1.7

      Taking Pete’s questions at face value, my genuine response is that they are all mostly irrelevant.

      What’s relevant is creating a society where where young people have faith that their lives are meaningful and worth living, and where adults find enough stimulation and satisfaction in their activities that they don’t feel like wiping themselves out at the end of every week.

      The legality or otherwise of different substances then becomes a non-issue.

      • Pete George 1.7.1

        I think that’s idealistic and unrealistic.

        There’s no sign of anything anywhere close to this being achieved and it’s very unlikely to be achieved.

        Humans have liked using drugs for thousands of years. It’s been suggested that agriculture became established through the desire to produce beer. Whether that’s accurate or not alcohol and other drugs go back a long way.

        Many people want to experience drug effects and that’s not likely to change.

        • felix 1.7.1.1

          Yes Pete but I’m not really concerned with people using drugs per se because the drugs are not really the problem.

          Harmful behaviour is the problem (well actually a symptom of a problem).

          Why are people engaging in such soul-destroying, abusive, hurtful behaviour with such monotonous regularity?

          Why does our society and culture seem to encourage and even reward some of this behaviour?

          Weekly wreckings are an accepted and glorified norm. Why? Who gains?

          Why do we think there is anything natural about a lifestyle with these destructive, regressive activities so ingrained within it?

          • RedLogix 1.7.1.1.1

            Oh yes felix. I shouldn’t say this out loud – but reading these few sentences above brought tears.

            There’s a large pragmatic part of me that just wants to try and muddle on with the ‘realities’ of modern life. Pay the mortgage, hold down that job, dress right and behave right and maybe I’ll get to a decent retirement.

            And the idealist in me weeps.

        • felix 1.7.1.2

          Also Pete, I can’t let this slip by: “a society where young people have faith that their lives are meaningful and worth living, and where adults find enough stimulation and satisfaction in their activities that they don’t feel like wiping themselves out at the end of every week.”

          If you really, genuinely believe that’s an “unrealistic” goal, then what’s the point of all your efforts?

          Seriously. What’s the point? What do you want to see in the world if not that?

          • karol 1.7.1.2.1

            I’m still waiting to see the answer to that question by felix. That’s the guts of it. It’s not just a question of getting facts correct and then miraculously arriving at a (non-political?) solution. We all have underlying values that guide the facts and issues we focus on, and the analysis of such. And it is the difference in underlying values that generally differentiates various poltiical positions: left or right; liberal or conservative….etc.

            That’s why it’s important to make our basic values and perspectives explicit.

          • Pete George 1.7.1.2.2

            You let slip a part of that quote. Here it is with an important final paragraph.

            What’s relevant is creating a society where where young people have faith that their lives are meaningful and worth living, and where adults find enough stimulation and satisfaction in their activities that they don’t feel like wiping themselves out at the end of every week.

            The legality or otherwise of different substances then becomes a non-issue.

            I responded “I think that’s idealistic and unrealistic”. That was in reference to the whole statement.

            I think “creating a society where where young people have faith that their lives are meaningful and worth living” is a great ideal and worth working towards.

            I think “where adults find enough stimulation and satisfaction in their activities that they don’t feel like wiping themselves out at the end of every week” is a fine aim but idealistic and I doubt we can ever get close to to that. For example being a parent wipes you out daily, it’s the nature of the job. It’s not uncommon for parents to want a drink or a smoke at the end of another busy day.

            “The legality or otherwise of different substances then becomes a non-issue.” I took that as meaning that people wouldn’t use drugs any more. That’s naive and unrealistic. Many poor people don’t have the time or money to do drugs much if at all, and most have more sense than to waste their money and minds.

            Drug use and abuse happens across the income spectrum. A wealthy person can be stressed about their money like a poor person stressed about their lack of money.

            And no matter how ideal we can make our society I think there will always be a significant number of people who keep using drugs, so the legalities will remain issues. It’s idealistic to think that it could become a non-issue.

            • felix 1.7.1.2.2.1

              If you’re going to say nothing at all Pete, could you use fewer words? You’re just wasting everyone’s time and it’s becoming clear why.

    • Not a PS Staffer 1.8

      To smoke or not to smoke is not the question.

      Dunne has deeply damaged the credibility of the office of a minister.

      All around the country kids are hearing that the Toxic Shot is legal and that it will not be banned by the minister, whose son is making a living out of selling the Toxic shit.

      No wonder so many do not vote when they see such self serving bullshit.

      Dear Standardistas. Do not engage with Peter George on the decriminalization of Cannabis. etc. It is a smoke screen for his hero Peter Dunne and his drug industry son, James.
      The issue is the moral void that is the Dunnes, Pere et Fils

  2. Paul 2

    Top story in the Herald
    ‘Bubble about to burst’

    If the Herald reports it, the right wing must be worried….

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/personal-finance/news/article.cfm?c_id=12&objectid=11241125

    The actual report.
    12 reasons why we aren’t a rock star economy!

    1) Interest rates have been at all-time lows for almost a half-decade
    2) Property prices have doubled since 2004
    3) New Zealand has the world’s third most overvalued property market
    4) New Zealand’s mortgage bubble grew by 165% since 2002
    5) Nearly half of mortgages have floating interest rates
    6) Mortgages account for 60% of banks’ loan portfolios
    7) Finance, not agriculture, is New Zealand’s largest industry
    8) New Zealand’s banks are exposed to Australia’s bubble
    9) Australian and Chinese buyers are inflating the property bubble
    10) New Zealand has a household debt problem
    11) Government overseas debt has nearly tripled since 2008
    12) The New Zealand dollar is overvalued

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/jessecolombo/2014/04/17/12-reasons-why-new-zealands-economic-bubble-will-end-in-disaster/
    http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/04/19/12-things-forbes-has-to-say-about-nzs-about-to-burst-economic-bubble/

    Now if the opposition cannot get some traction on Numbers 3, 9 and 11, then they may as well give up!
    This is dynamite.

    • karol 2.1

      Well, Steven Joyce has the perfect response – well that’s if you’re a right winger keen to keep on fiddling until the bubble bursts. He says it’s being “alarmist” and that Colombo is a “bubble-ologist”.

      • Pete George 2.1.1

        That’s very a very selective representation of that article. It wasn’t just Joyce questioning the claims.

        Infometrics managing director Gareth Kiernan…

        …said Colombo had picked out all the high-risk metrics he could find to build an “end of the world scenario”.

        If his predictions ever came to pass then the economy would be in trouble, but no one was really forecasting that to happen, he said.

        Interest.co.nz contributing editor Bernard Hickey…

        …said many of the risks identified by Colombo were real but they were old news to those who ran the economy.

        “For him to come out and say we’ve got a bubble, therefore it’s going to burst, which will lead to a crisis is a little bit simplistic,” he said.

        Kiwis had already seen the Reserve Bank step in to curb the risk of rising house prices by introducing a new loan-to-value ratio, he said.

        “Should we all be running for the hills with our hands in the air screaming the end is nigh? Probably not.”

        Hickey added that it appeared Colombo’s article had not been published in Forbes magazine proper, which was important when judging its credibility. Instead it was published on the Forbes website with a disclaimer saying Colombo’s opinions were his own.

        I’m not sure if Hickey would be generally regarded as a keen right winger.

        • Awww 2.1.1.1

          No control over foreign buyers has influenced:

          Increasing residential house prices
          Over leveraged residential property
          NZ government paying massive supplements to overseas investors via the Accommodation Supplement each year.

          http://www.greenenergyinvestors.com/index.php?showtopic=10738&hl=%2Bzealand+%2Bresidential+%2Bproperty

        • phillip ure 2.1.1.2

          nothing to see there..eh pg..?

          ..now..where can we put more dairy farms..?

          ..she’ll be right..!

          what’s that..?..national have tripled our foreign debt since they came to power..?

          ..no worries..!

          ..eh pete..?

          ..but didn’t they say they had sell off all the assets…

          ..so they didn’t have ‘to run to the foreign bankers..like labour wants to do..’..?

          ..wasn’t that the story/spin..?

          ..so..perhaps you cd apply yr politichek-editor skills to explain that one..?

          ..’cos they not only flogged off the assets..

          ..they have tripled our foreign debt..(!)

          ..w.t.f..!..eh pg..?..

          ..who is telling all the lies there..eh..?

          ..but..really..nothing to see there..eh..?..

          ..you good little rightwing tr*ll you..eh..?..

        • karol 2.1.1.3

          Yes, you’re right. I was selective. I was just laughing so hard at Joyce’s clumsy neologism.

          I think Hickey is a right winger, but one who has become increasingly skeptical about the neoliberal version of capitalism.

          I don’t think there’ll be a sudden catastrophic crisis. But, there will be a down turn as the bubble starts to deflate. And the article does have that quote about the bubble being widely acknowledged.

          • phillip ure 2.1.1.3.1

            @ karol..

            ..i don’t share yr optimism..

            ..we are bubbling like crazy..

            ..we are exposed to the australian bubbles..

            ..we are exposed to the chinese bubbles…

            ..and when any one of those pops..

            ..we go with it..

            ..so it isn’t really a matter of ‘if’…but ‘when?’.

            ..yeah..!..this govt knows what it is doing…

            ..more dairying..!

            ..sell more land..!

            ..dig more coal..!

            ..drill..!..baby..!..drill..!..

            ..more low-wage economy..!

            ..fuck the poor..!

            ..and how about some more tax cuts for the richest..?..eh..?

            ..it’s been a while..

            ..and we spent all the last ones..

            ..buying our share of those power-companies..

            ..eh..?

          • Paul 2.1.1.3.2

            This graph shows an interesting parallel. are we on the brink of a massive world economic crash?
            http://www.marketwatch.com/story/scary-1929-market-chart-gains-traction-2014-02-11

            • BM 2.1.1.3.2.1

              No. What a ridiculous comparison.

            • vto 2.1.1.3.2.2

              Yes we are Paul, it should have happened post-GFC. Governments got taxpayers to bail the corporates out, but it wont last. The world’s banking system is a Ponzi scheme nearing its end.

        • Bill 2.1.1.4

          “That’s very a very selective representation of that article.”

          No it fucking well wasn’t Pete. It was a fair representation of quotes from Joyce including a link to the source. Like I said above, think about what you type and then take your nonsense away from here.

          • Pete George 2.1.1.4.1

            Why so tetchy Bill? Has Easter Bunny not delivered for you yet?

            karol has accepted “Yes, you’re right. I was selective. I was just laughing so hard at Joyce’s clumsy neologism.”

            If I quoted such a small part of an article I suspect you would be lining up to grump at me for that.

            • karol 2.1.1.4.1.1

              Actually, I agree with Bill as well. My comment wasn’t intended to represent the whole article. It was a brief comment focused on Joyce’s clumsy neologism – which I found very funny while I was eating breakfast. The arguments for and against the Colombo argument are being looked at in more detail re-micky’s post.

              • freedom

                that’s why Pete basically copy pastes whole paragraphs/articles, so he has lots of wriggle room when people try to pin down whatever it is he is referring to or is commenting on. He could save himself a lot of hassle (and free up his fact-checking time) if he just posted links to the NZH front page and simply said …

                ‘In the future, we need to discuss what would lead to a real dialogue, allowing us to frame the conversation we desperately need to have”

                … would anyone notice the difference ?

            • Bill 2.1.1.4.1.2

              “Why so tetchy Bill?”

              It’s like this Pete. I’ve no problem with people saying stupid things or jumping on their own wee hobby horses from time to time.

              But for the past wee while most of your comments have been a mix of stuff that’s annoyingly off beam and/or concern troll nonsense. And I don’t like it. ‘N fact, I’m getting really fucked off by it.

              Also, just so you know, I don’t like that even your very occasional sensible comment gets mobbed and even those threads trashed as a result. But then people, I think, are simply and understandably reacting to your comments on the basis of expectation rather than actual content on those occasions.

              Now, go away and think about what I’ve said in light of the fact that I disagree with many of the comments and opinions here. I’m telling (not asking) you do that so that you don’t start whining in some narcissistic or self important way about how your picked on by some kind of evil Labour Party/leftsist hive mind that you sometimes appear to imagine ‘the standard’ as.

              • Now, go away and think about what I’ve said in light of the fact that I disagree with many of the comments and opinions here. I’m telling (not asking) you do that…

                Is it just you doing the whining? Or is it a round about moderator instruction to me to go away and not to comment here?

                • Bill

                  Sheesh, that comment from the guy who accused Karol of misrepresentation up the thread!

                  I’m giving you information based on observation, providing my own opinion and suggesting a course of action. (The telling is to do with a lens you keep at hand for the sake of any reflection)

                  If you can’t see what I’ve been observing, then you haven’t been paying attention to the responses you generate. I mean, it’s all rather fucking blatantly obvious, though…from your latest response it would seem reasonable to assume that you simply can’t understand what people say, or see where they’re coming from, even when it’s fairly straight forward. I don’t expect you to have any insight as to why that might be. I have my own thoughts on the matter. I’ll be keeping them to myself.

                  • Funny thing Bill is it seems to be something peculiar to here, and it doesn’t just happen with me.

                    KIA’s essay is a good example. Most of the initial response was attacking KIA for irrelevant things from the past and attacking me for quoting and linking etc, and denying and diverting.

                    But sometimes worthwhile discussions eventuate. When micky and KIA started actually addressing and debating things it has resulted in some interesting stuff. Neither is right or wrong (generally), they both make some good points from different views.

                    Robust discussion or bitching sessions where no alternative views are tolerated?

      • phillip ure 2.1.2

        joyce calls this guy a ‘bubbleologist’..

        ..can we call joyce what he is..?

        ..’a lying prick’..

      • Paul 2.1.3

        I think Jesse Colombo may know more than Joyce about the matter.
        http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120516005606/en/Analyst-Warned-Millions-Crash-%E2%80%9808-Age-22

        Wonder how the government will defend their ramping up of New Zealand’s overseas debt( point 11) and not dealing with factors causing the property bubble (point 9)?

        Their management of the economy, so praised by the NZ corporate media, has been wretched (as many of us have been saying for a while)

    • BM 2.2

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Colombo

      He makes is money off predicting when bubbles are about to burst as Joyce said he’s a “bubble-ologist”.No doubt all his investments are heavily weighted toward ones that do very well when markets crash.

      From experience it’s very hard to find financial opinion that doesn’t have a massive slant that favors the author especially when the author’s American.

      • phillip ure 2.2.1

        @ bm..

        “..From experience it’s very hard to find financial opinion that doesn’t have a massive slant that favors the author especially when the author’s American..”

        so best just stuff yr fists in yr ears and go ‘nah!..nah..!..nah..!’..eh..?

        ..especially when it is something you don’t want to hear..eh..?

        ..something that ideologically-grates..?..

        ..how about nouriel roubini..?

        ..y’know..!..that guy who was one of the first to predict reasons/timeline of the great financial clusterfuck..?..and one who i relied on for the early predictions/warnings@whoar..)

        ..(and ..oh..!..how you all laughed at him..eh..?..’dr doom!’..and all that..?..eh..?..)

        ..well guess what..!..roubini is now saying it is all about to go pop again…

        ..and soon…

        http://whoar.co.nz/?s=roubini

        (oh..!..roubini has also noted that we have the housing market in most peril..

        ..100% mortgage (french def:..’death-grip’)..anyone..?..

        ..and like peter sellars in the final scene of dr strangelove..

        ..you’ll ride that sucker ’till it explodes..eh?…)

        • BM 2.2.1.1

          From what I’ve noticed, in America everyone’s an “expert”, this young guy’s a “bubble expert”.
          All his investment advice/opinion is bubble related.

          The way it seems to work is you’re either a Bull or a Bear, this chap is definitely in the Bear camp so he specifically targets to people who have a negative outlook.
          That’s how he makes his money.

          • phillip ure 2.2.1.1.1

            and yr casual dismissal of roubint..?..is..?

            • BM 2.2.1.1.1.1

              Roubini’s critical and consistently bearish economic views have earned him the nicknames “Dr. Doom” and “permabear” in the media

              http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nouriel_Roubini#cite_note-NYT-2

              There’s only two ways a market can go, up or down.

              If you pick a position and stick with it eventually you’re going to be right, it’s getting the timing correct which is the hard thing and that’s when you make your money.

              • yr obviously a deep-thinker there..bm..

                ..i’ll just leave you to get on with it..

              • Paul

                From the article you quote….I just copied a bit more as your quote was very selective.

                “Roubini’s critical and consistently bearish economic views have earned him the nicknames “Dr. Doom” and “permabear” in the media.[2] In 2008, Fortune magazine wrote, “In 2005 Roubini said home prices were riding a speculative wave that would soon sink the economy. Back then the professor was called a Cassandra. Now he’s a sage”.[3] The New York Times notes that he foresaw “homeowners defaulting on mortgages, trillions of dollars of mortgage-backed securities unraveling worldwide and the global financial system shuddering to a halt”.[2] In September 2006, he warned a skeptical IMF that “the United States was likely to face a once-in-a-lifetime housing bust, an oil shock, sharply declining consumer confidence, and, ultimately, a deep recession”. Nobel laureate Paul Krugman adds that his once “seemingly outlandish” predictions have been matched “or even exceeded by reality.”[4]”

                So they may have given him those nicknames …but he was accurate in his predictions.
                If this is an example of how you extract quotes to make your points, you are clearly an unreliable source of information.

              • newsense

                I don’t see any response to his critique of issues with NZ’s economy

                • Paul

                  Same…attempts to bluster and divert and a concerted effort to attack the messenger.
                  But no argument explaining why the issues he mentions ( 12 of them!) aren’t a concern.
                  Self interest trumps an ability to look critically at an issue.

          • North 2.2.1.1.2

            What a foolish foolish person you are BM ! – “from experience. it’s very hard to find financial opinion that doesn’t…….etc” – what experience BM ? Establish what you say, please.

            “From what I’ve noticed …….” Well that’s so powerful (not). Say what you’ve noticed BM. And establish how it proves your point, if you actually have a point other than cheerleading for John Key’s omnipresence as claimed by you and various other trolls.

            In fact if you’re going to go into the mythology of US arch-capitalism then it’s extraordinarily dishonest of you not to acknowledge and analyse the place in that of John Key and myriad other banksters.

            Because BM from what I’ve noticed…….Merrill Lynch, Goldmann Sachs etc etc etc.

            Dishonest Dunce BM.

          • Tracey 2.2.1.1.3

            I wonder what keys statements looked like when he was a currency trader and expert for j p morgan? probably self serving like your description of this guy. yet you cannot see his self serving statements as pm for what they are.

          • amirite 2.2.1.1.4

            BM I would put my bets on Jesse Colombo’s forecast over a BSc in Zoology Steven Joyce’s any day.

      • ‘He makes is money off predicting when bubbles are about to burst’

        So, by rightwing logic, wouldn’t that mean he’s very good at it?

        • blue leopard 2.2.2.1

          Exactly

          • BM 2.2.2.1.1

            Yep he makes money telling others what they should do.
            I get the feeling he doesn’t invest too much himself.

            According to Wikipedia

            Jesse took a hiatus from blogging and anti-economic bubble activism after the U.S. housing bubble popped in 2008, and focused on a career as a private investor and consultant.

            In June 2011, Jesse launched his second anti-economic bubble activism campaign to warn of post-2009 economic bubbles.

            Obviously his personal investment results weren’t quite as stellar as he hoped.

            • blue leopard 2.2.2.1.1.1

              I think you’ll find that when an entire economic global system gets a lot of its profits from bubbles it also gets a lot of losses when the bubbles burst ergo there will be a high incidence of losses when the sytem ‘rebalances’; when the exaggerated prices adjust back to realistic ones.

              It appears this is the type of information Jesse is attempting to warn people about. That he has been one of the victims of such an irrational system, doesn’t make his warnings any less realistic – in fact if anything it indicates he is too conservative in his views.

  3. (a re-worked workers’ anthem:..for the use of/by shane jones..and his ilk..)

    (cloth-caps doffed..and placed across hearts:..all together now..!..after me..!..)

    “..the workers flag..is deepest red..

    ..neither poofters nor feminists..share our bed..

    ..we’re kiwi-guys..thru and thru..

    ..and we’ll have none of that funny business..

    ..no thank you..!..

    ..oh why can’t it be – like it used to be..?

    ..when blokes like me – were all you could see..”

  4. Paul 4

    The results of 30 years of neo-liberalism and the cult of corporate and individual greed.
    An ideology afflicting the UK and New Zealand .

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11241149

  5. karol 5

    The Craig manipulators – it’s a family affair.

    And now it looks like a bit of a struggle between McCully and Crafty Craig for the East Coast Bays seat.

  6. North 6

    Hypocrite Hide – butter wouldn’t melt in his Epsom mouth what ?

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11241035

    “Oh God…….Hone’s being tricky !”

    • bad12 6.1

      Wasn’t that a laugh, i particularly enjoyed Hides rewriting of history where all along it was an evil plot by DotCom to give money to Banks,

      ”Tried to shower Banks with gifts, but, Banks rebuffed Him”, i just cannot fathom how any of us could have missed this important side to the story,

      A laugh out loud column from a washed up politician that deserves as many if not more of these 🙄 than PG does…

      • marty mars 6.1.1

        Yep what a spew article but good for a sunday lol – I thought this was terrible “Dotcom is not even a New Zealand European but a European European.” Is this an actual distinction? Do some people think like that?

        “Harawira believes “white motherf****** have been raping our lands and ripping us off for centuries”. Dotcom is as white as white.”

        Gutter politics from the gutterdog-Hide. First Dotcom isn’t a ‘proper kiwi’ according to snide-hide and then he’s been ripping us off for centuries – which is it. Hide is a fail as a politician and a person imo and this article is even more evidence of that.

      • Tracey 6.1.2

        thats like saying owen glenn only gave money to peters so he could later bring he and helen down. dont think even the right suggested that?

  7. Red Rosa 7

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9960334/NZ-dodged-bullet-on-Brash-ex-MP

    Still rankles with Brash that he was sacked when he came within a whisker of success.

    But lying over the Brethren was too much, even for the Nats.

    To win next time, they needed a smoother, slicker version of the Extreme Right to lull the electorate.

    And under MMP they needed to double cross Maori, not take them on directly.

    Key fitted the bill perfectly.

    Same policies, though. What has Key done that Brash has disapproved of? The Maori Party have left their people in a worse situation than before, and in total disarray.

    Key’s great success has been to sneak in Extreme Right policies, in several policy areas, under the bland unctuous mumbling of ‘Centre-Right’.

    • Paul 7.1

      Yes, the myth of Key being moderate is exactly that. A myth.
      A story repeated by the corporate media so their owners could loot New Zealand.

    • Awww 7.2

      Brash has always come off as vaguely reptilian, even without the insider details:

      Asked by Hill about Orewa 2005, the welfare dependency speech, Brash said he didn’t even think welfare spokesperson Katherine Rich wrote the welfare white paper.

      This is an outrageous accusation from the former leader. Rich had been given the portfolio by Bill English just after her second baby was born and spent hours writing it.

      The leader’s office edited it two years before Brash was leader, but he seems to think it was beyond a women’s capabilities.

      He may remember Rich’s corrections to Brash’s first draft of Orewa 05, when she took issue with his repeated references to “bludgers”, “satan”, “free lunches”, “ripping off the system taken for granted” and “an army of dependants on the march”.

      Rich said she didn’t think using military language was helpful.

      She vehemently objected to Brash’s intention to bring back adoption, compulsory immunisation and forcing beneficiaries to exhaust other means of income so welfare was the last resort.

      “I’m not comfortable about making those with Downs syndrome, cerebral palsy or cancer prove they are not able to contribute to their own support before accessing welfare,” she wrote to Brash.

      Mothers having second babies would be forced back to fulltime work even when breastfeeding, and Brash was okay with this.

      Rich resigned the portfolio.

      Georgina te Heu Heu had already lost Maori Affairs, and Hekia Parata left the party.

      Other caucus women were unhappy.

      I was flatting with Rich and remember her dismay when Michael Bassett’s Post column slated her for criticising her leader in public, saying she deserved to go.

      I suggested Rich ask Brash to get this mistake corrected (she’d never criticised him), a simple matter, surely. Brash couldn’t, he told her, because he’d read the column pre-publication and okayed it.

      Now Brash is miffed that John Key won’t take his calls, because they once shared a motel room where Brash said he’d hand over prime ministership to Key.

      Big problem with that, Don, you need the numbers and caucus support. You were not a king passing the crown to an heir. Key probably muttered something like: “Yeah, now shuddup and get some sleep.”

      And some wise National insiders probably leaked those emails, printed out and clamped in a big bulldog clip, so Brash would never become prime minister. We’re incredibly lucky they did.

  8. Tautoko Viper 8

    I found an interesting line in Deborah Coddington’s article concerning Katherine Rich who resigned her portfolio due to Brash’s views.
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9960334/NZ-dodged-bullet-on-Brash-ex-MP

    “I’m not comfortable about making those with Downs syndrome, cerebral palsy or cancer prove they are not able to contribute to their own support before accessing welfare,” she wrote to Brash.

    Now compare this with the article titled
    “Bureaucratic hurdles mean few parents get paid to care for disabled children”
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11240668

    “But many families have been put off by the system, which requires the disabled people to become their parents’ employers, responsible for paying tax, ACC levies, KiwiSaver, annual leave and sick leave.”
    The disabled people are required to set up bank accounts, which some banks do not allow for people who are not intellectually competent.”
    The parallels are obvious. Dodged what bullet?
    Edit Red Rosa is on to it.

    • millsy 8.1

      Most of these disabled clients would have no concept of what an employer is, and the government expect them to be one. Am I alone in thinking that this policy is whacko?

  9. bad12 9

    Just had a watch of ‘The Nation’ on TV3, this weeks program seems to have got at least one commenter hot under the cranial covering,

    Seems to me that the main message from Green Party leader Metiria Turei was that if Labour/NZFirst need the Green Party to guarantee ”confidence and supply” then Labour/NZFirst will need the Green Party ”in Government”,

    Questioned on the ‘meaning’ of this Metiria chose to simply repeat the statement, and a snigger developed when the ”end game” move that i would imagine Labour/NZFirst will put to the Greens after the election was put to Mets,

    ”So you will refuse confidence and supply to Labour/NZFirst if you are not given Cabinet seats and enable a National Government then”,???

    That’s laughable, BUT, i can see this as being the main plank of negotiation with the Green Party after the 2014 election,

    My suggestion to the Green Party is that the correct answer to this little piece of blame gaming which i fully expect to be the negotiating position is the answer that Metiria gave on ‘The Nation’ interview,

    ”The Green Party is either ”in” the next Government or they are not”…full stop.

    • Pascal's bookie 9.1

      “If there’s a minority govt then we’ll have to decide about C&S whenever such votes come up, and such a government would need to talk to us about the shape of any legislation it wants to pass.”

  10. “..If You Support Legal Marijuana, Memorize These 13 Stats..

    With Colorado and Washington starting to tax and regulate recreational weed sales –

    and medical marijuana legal in 18 other states –
    we can finally start to put some hard numbers on the industry’s value..”

    (cont..)

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/19/benefits-legalizing-weed-by-the-numbers_n_5173785.html?ref=topbar

  11. captain hook 11

    remember kiddies to keep a smile in your hearts when ya smashing the state. abbie hoofman.

    • it’s a great quote/line..

      “..remember kiddies..!

      ..when smashing the state..

      ..always keep a smile on yr lips..

      ..and a song in yr heart..!”

      and wasn’t it robert crumb/furry freak bros..?

  12. captain hook 12

    I wuz kinda hoping that pete geroge wuz gonna choke on his Easter eggg.
    bit no he’s back.heading the readers list.
    hmmmm.

  13. Penny Bright 13

    Seen this folks?

    Is New Zealand in need of an ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption)?

    I think so.

    http://laudafinem.com/2014/04/19/why-cant-new-zealand-have-honest-and-capable-politicians-is-nz-in-need-of-an-icac/

    NSW Premier Barry O’Farrelly had to resign over his $3000 bottle of wine ‘brainfade’.

    The difference between NZ and NSW is that NSW has an INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION (ICAC).

    High time for an NZ INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION (ICAC)?

    Some of us have been advocating this for some time:

    http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ANTI-CORRUPTION-WHITE-COLLAR-CRIME-CORPORATE-WELFARE-ACTION-PLAN-Ak-Mayoral-campaign-19-July-2013-2.pdf

    Which political parties are now going to pick up the ball, and make support for a New Zealand ICAC, a core election policy?

    In my considered opinion, there would be significant public support for such a policy, especially in light of the latest on-going corruption scandals at New Zealand central and local government level.

    (Remember – in the 2013 Auckland mayoralty, I polled 4th with nearly 12,000 votes, campaigning against corrupt corporate control of the Auckland region, which, in my opinion, shows growing public understanding and concern about this HUGE issue.)

    Seen this?

    http://www.transparency.net.nz/

    Penny Bright

  14. Anne 14

    Oh dear, Tariana Turia is still very bitter and twisted with Labour.

    Labour doesn’t deserve our vote.

    Imo, all she has achieved in confirming is: the creation of the Maori Party was really all about herself.

    • amirite 14.1

      Also, she should have asked – do Maori feel and live better after 6 years of National /Maori Party government?
      I think not.

      • Paul 14.1.1

        Of course, given the Herald’s editorial bias, this was elevated to their top online story.

    • millsy 14.2

      Sir Apriana Ngata, a prominent advocate of Maori economic development and self-determination would be disgusted at some of the stances held by the woman who wants to follow in his footsteps. For a start, he would balk at the continued use of floating sweatshops to fish Maori quota, which Turia and her Maori Party cronies continue to try and justify, instead of encourging iwi to invest in their own boats and crews, creating real jobs.

  15. rhinocrates 15

    This, I need not remind you, is Easter, the time in which we must observe the martyrdom of Pete George the most Holy.

    It is He who has instructed us in the utmost selective pedantry of our sins of lack of reverence for Himself. Let us not forget that. It is we who have crucified Him on the Cross of Snark.

    Let us all retreat to the Hallowed Ground of our Lifestyle Blocks, don the sacred vestments of the Beige Cardigans of Repentance, climb upon our Horses Most High and make the Holy Gestures of the Wagging Finger and the Wrung Hands.

    Then let us Check Our Facts and observe the proper period of Calling For More Study.

    Amen.

    • don’t forget the other ‘holy gestures’..

      ..the slow stroking of the beard..

      ..and the shaking of the head..’no!’..

      ..the looking ‘sad’/disappointed..

      ..and the pursed-lips..

      ..and that ‘beige-cardigan’ had better be a twin-set…

      ..and those grey shoes had better have velcro-‘laces’…!

      ..and those pants had better be permanent-press..!

      ..and that strange ritual that has built up over time..

      ..of ‘followers’ gathering to remember him by smoking joints..

      ..(they say it is because thru is sacrifices for us all..he had none..oh..!..the humanity of the man..!..)

      ..and to chant rounds of:..’more study’..and ‘but what about?’..

      ..and of course how they all affect the pompadour of st petes’ former hero/god-figure..

      ..st peter the dunne…the great- equivocater..

      ..he who pete came to call ‘the fallen-one’..

      ..after the great schism of 2013..

      ..and so it was written..

      ..and so it did come to pass..

      • mac1 15.1.1

        And let it be that the beige cardigan be appointed with leather patches to reduce wear in the penitent’s elbows as he holds his head in his hands whilst at prayer or in conference with his acolytes; as do we poor listeners and readers whilst receiving the Word from Our Pete (aka PG tips!).

        • phillip ure 15.1.1.1

          then of course there is the serious hair-loss..

          ..all from excessive forelock-tugging..

          ..(at/to the pompadoured-one/he-whose-name-must-never-now-be-mentioned..

          ..as i understand it..)

          ..and of course there is also his brave-banner /spitting back into the teeth of ridicule..

          ..of carrying on that now much-sneered-at/reviled facial-hair-affectation..

          ..the roger douglas mo’..

    • greywarbler 15.2

      Rhino
      The satire is….very funny.

  16. fisiani 16

    Imagine a political spectrum as a 0-100 line. 0 = Far left and 100 =Far Right I cannot draw a graph on this posting so bear with me.
    In the 1990’s Labour was probably 20-65 and National was 35-80
    in 2014 Labour is 10-55 and National is 35-80. Each still a 45 point spread. Just a 10 point drift but a significant one.
    Then draw a mean distribution curve graph and you will see that the numbers under the curve are heavily in favour of National
    The 55-65 group of Labour voters have shifted over to National.
    If Labour go further Left eg 5-50 the maths gets substantially worse for Labour
    This assumes that political opinion follows a mean distribution curve graph. It does.
    The vast majority are in the mid zone and these are the voters that National as a mildly Left to moderate Right Party has increasingly gained in 2005,2008 2011 and 2014 as Labour has drifted Left.

    • felix 16.1

      Those numbers are fascinating. How did you make them up?

      • phillip ure 16.1.1

        it’s called a lowest-orifice-pluck..

        • fisiani 16.1.1.1

          Just look at the election returns and remember that in the 1980’s Labour was home to the likes of Roger Douglas and Richard Prebble. Such people in 2014 would never join or vote Labour. Helen Clark kept in power by keeping in the 20-60 range. Labour have changed their rules and have a leader supported by 30% of caucus. The Labour activists have taken over the party and will shape it in their own image. They are delighted. So am I, I can do the arithmetic.

  17. Penny Bright 17

    FYI – seen this?

    Minister for Corruption (sorry – Minister for Justice) Judith Collins promised an ‘Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill’.

    Hardly surprising that this ‘Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill’. has yet to surface in the Parliamentary legislative ‘sausage machine’?

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1310/S00301/bill-supports-zero-tolerance-for-organised-crime.htm

    Minister of Justice

    18 October 2013 Media Statement

    Bill supports zero-tolerance for organised crime

    Justice Minister Judith Collins says the Government’s comprehensive approach to fighting all forms of organised crime will help safeguard New Zealand’s economy, international reputation and public safety.

    This month a number of international bodies are evaluating New Zealand’s compliance with international standards related to financial crimes – including the OECD, which will report on New Zealand’s compliance with an international convention to combat bribery of foreign public officials.

    “I welcome the release of these reports.

    This Government takes all forms of organised crime and corruption very seriously,” Ms Collins says.

    http://www.3news.co.nz/New-laws-to-fight-organised-crime/tabid/1607/articleID/317781/Default.aspx
    New laws to fight organised crime
    Friday 18 Oct 2013 10:33a.m.

    The Government will bring in a bill before the end of the year to strengthen laws against money laundering, identity theft, human trafficking and corruption.

    Justice Minister Judith Collins says she intends to have a comprehensive set of laws in place to fight all forms of organised crime.

    “It’s important to consider bribery and corruption within the big picture of organised crime, which undermines public safety, national security, economic development and good governance,” she said today.

    “This bill will help ensure New Zealand maintains its reputation as a responsible international citizen and that our domestic law enforcement agencies have the tolls they need to fight all forms of organised crime.”

    So WHERE’S Minister for Corruption (sorry – Minister for Justice) Judith Collin’s Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill?

    I checked today on the NZ Parliamentary website:

    http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/legislation/bills/?Criteria.Keyword=Organised+Crime+and+Anti-Corruption+Legislation+Bill%2C&Criteria.Timeframe=&Criteria.Parliament=-1&Criteria.DocumentType=&Criteria.Status=&Search=Go

    Legislation
    Bills
    This section lists bills before the House and its committees, and provides access to more detailed information about each one. You will also find the schedule of divided bills and progress of legislationhere. To find out more about bills before select committees, see the committee business summary.

    Close Bills search
    Keyword

    Date

    Parliament

    Document type

    Status

    No documents were found

    Oh dear – Minister for Corruption (oops! Justice – yeah right) Judith Collins’ Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill is NOWHERE to be found.

    Talk about the corrupt fox in charge of the chook house?

    Again – file under ‘You Couldn’t Make This Sh*t Up’?

    Penny Bright

    • Naki Man 17.1

      That reminds me have you paid your rates yet Penny?

      • Penny Bright 17.1.1

        Absolutely not.

        Auckland citizens and ratepayers are not being told EXACTLY where our public monies are being spent (which is a statutory requirement under the Public Records Act 2005).

        So – if I’m not being told EXACTLY where my rates monies are being spent, I’m not paying any.

        Not many folks have the guts to do what I’m doing, but, ‘faint heart never won fair go’.

        I take full personal responsibility for my actions.

        Penny Bright

        http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz

        • Blue 17.1.1.1

          If you take full responsibility stop bitching about it and face the consequences. It doesn’t take guts to not pay your way in life, it’s laziness and spectacular stupidity. When they order your house sold from under you. will you still be taking responsibility or blaming the Council ?

          • Draco T Bastard 17.1.1.1.1

            She’s got a point – we really should be told exactly where every penny of our money is being spent.

  18. Has Deborah Coddington finally seen the light.
    She is certainly making some interesting comments lately.In fact she is begining to sound like a real Leftie. Perhaps her local Labour Party branch should ask her for a donation .If she lived in Cambridge I certainly would.

  19. Penny Bright 19

    Seen this folks?

    Shining a light on New Zealand CORRUPTION …….

    http://beehive.govt.nz/release/collins-welcomes-transparency-assessment

    Judith Collins 19 NOVEMBER, 2013
    Collins welcomes transparency assessment

    Justice Minister Judith Collins today welcomed Transparency International New Zealand’s evaluation of our nation’s governance and anti-corruption efforts.

    Ms Collins launched key findings from the National Integrity Study (NIS) Assessment tonight, at the annual general meeting of Transparency International’s New Zealand arm.

    “New Zealand consistently ranks as the least corrupt country on Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index,” Ms Collins says.

    “It’s important we maintain our strong international reputation, for being free from – and intolerant of – corruption, to further enhance our nation’s trade, business and economic prosperity.”

    The report evaluates key pillars of New Zealand’s governance system, such as the legislature, executive, judiciary, public sector, law enforcement and business sectors.

    Ms Collins says there are still improvements to be made to counter corruption and bribery and the Government is actively working to implement change.

    “Our efforts include the development of a national anti-corruption strategy, the upcoming Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill, and efforts to raise public trust and confidence in the Courts.”

    Ms Collins says the Government values its close working relationship with Transparency International New Zealand and she looks forward to working through the report’s recommendations.

    “In many ways we share a common purpose – promoting clean government, increasing transparency and reducing corruption. Together, our efforts help ensure New Zealand maintains its reputation as one of the least corrupt countries in the world.”

    Pity about the lack of transparency with Transparency International NZ?

    http://kiwisfirst.com/

    RAMPANT CORRUPTION STINGS TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL

    2 March 2014

    ‘Corruption destroys lives and communities’ is its motto and its publicly advertised mission is to promote transparency which lays bare the conflicts and bribes which suck the soul out of all countries to varying degrees. But Berlin-based non-profit Transparency International is better known for telling the world which countries are doing a good job at combating corruption and which ones are not through its annual ‘perception index’ which rates 177 countries from 1 to 177.

    Media organisations such as Forbes rely on Transparency International’s findings in promoting its own world perspective.

    In its own ‘perception’, Transparency International ranked New Zealand lowest (along with Finland) in corruption – and its local chapter is the non-profit’s golden child and keeper of the faith. In contrast, New Zealanders question a charter which received almost all of its funding from the New Zealand government, routinely turned away new members – individual memberships have been relatively constant at 50 – and declared its “over-arching principle” is it “will not be involved in investigating or exposing individual cases (of corruption)”.

    Finally, a dose of reality has set in, with revelations of rampant corruption within the New Zealand chapter oozing from its opaque façade. Berlin has known since early December that NZ chapter director Suzanne Snively was running a fraudulent company trading on the Transparency International name to sell her consulting services to unsuspecting foreign companies seeking trade with New Zealand. They have done nothing but cover it up. Triple dipping Ms Snively is also a contractor to the New Zealand government and her TINZ salary is funded by the government.

    This week it was revealed that another Transparency International New Zealand director Michael Vukcevic falsely claimed in his CV that he had a law degree and other qualifications in order to get an appointment in 2012 to promote New Zealand’s bid for a free trade agreement in the Middle East.

    Yet another TINZ director Claire Johnstone was a government official running a private consultancy business which promoted her ability to “access grant funding from government for many of our clients”. Her husband Ash Johnstone, a serving NZ police officer, was profiled on the company website as in charge of conducting security background checks for private clients.

    It came to light last year that at least two directors of TINZ made repeated visits to the Ministry of Justice in Cambodia seeking personal fortune on the door-opening coattails of Dame Sylvia Cartwright who was one of two international judges appointed to the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia, filling a vacuum in the war ravaged country.

    Fraud examiner and former police prosecutor Grace Haden, who was denied membership in TINZ and consequently launched her own “Transparency New Zealand” is not surprised by the corruption or cover up by Transparency International. “They don’t want to know the reality because it differs from the myth they promote.” Late yesterday, Ms Haden sent out an open letter offering Transparency International her services to verify degrees and credentials of its directors.
    ……”

    Seen for yourselves who ‘sponsors’ Transparency International NZ?

    http://www.transparency.org.nz/Partners-and-Sponsors

    Partners and Sponsors

    Cornerstone Platinum

    The Office of the Auditor General

    NIS Gold

    School of Government, VUW
    Ministry for Justice
    Statistics New Zealand
    The Human Rights Commission
    Ministry of Social Development
    The Treasury
    Inland Revenue
    Department of Internal Affairs
    Corrections
    Department of Conservation
    Ministry of Transport
    Civil Aviation Authority
    New Zealand Transport Authority
    Maritime New Zealand
    Te Puni Kokiri
    The State Services Commission
    The Ombudsman
    Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs
    The New Zealand Defence Force

    NIS Silver

    Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
    The Serious Fraud Office
    Crown Law

    NIS Bronze

    NZ Public Service Association
    Sponsors
    The Gama Foundation
    In Kind Donations
    Bell Gully
    VUW School of Government
    PwC
    Deloitte
    KPMG
    Human Rights Commission Launch Day
    School of Government Institute for Governance and Policy Studies Wellington
    Wellington Girls College
    Thorndon New World
    NZTE
    Institute of Directors
    BDO Spicers
    Russell McVeigh
    Chapman Tripp
    Gibson Sheat
    Susan Gluck-Hornsby
    Chen Palmer
    Juliet McKee
    Claudia Orange
    Te Papa

    So – how INDEPENDENT is Transparency International NZ, when so much of their funding comes from NZ Government Departments, which all arguably have a vested interest in maintaining this RORT and FRAUD – that New Zealand is ‘perceived’ to be ‘the least corrupt country in the world’?

    Remember?

    Under NZ Minister of Corruption (oops! sorry – Justice) Judith Collins’ watch – NZ STILL has not yet ratified the UN Convention Against Corruption, and her Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill has STILL not yet surfaced in Parliament.

    Funny that.

    Penny Bright

    SELF-FUNDED full-time ‘anti-corruption / anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’.

    PS: What does NZ need for a genuine platform for transparency?

    Try this :

    http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ANTI-CORRUPTION-WHITE-COLLAR-CRIME-CORPORATE-WELFARE-ACTION-PLAN-Ak-Mayoral-campaign-

  20. Paul 20

    Australia heading down the savage neoliberal route and copying NZ.
    The consequences of them voting in Tony Abbott now becoming clear.
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9961464/Australia-looks-to-NZ-for-disability-reform-ideas

  21. Penny Bright 22

    Good call Green Party:

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1404/S00340/time-for-greater-ministerial-accountability.htm

    Time for greater ministerial accountability

    Saturday, 19 April 2014, 12:09 pm
    Press Release: Green Party
    Time for greater ministerial accountability

    The Green Party has today released a proposal to introduce a ministerial disclosure regime in New Zealand to improve the transparency and accountability of government.

    The proposal, based on the system used in the United Kingdom since 2010, would require all Ministers to publically release records of their meetings with external organisations, overseas travel, gifts given and received, and hospitality received.
    The records would be released on a quarterly basis and published online.

    “A ministerial disclosure regime will bring a much-needed boost to the transparency and accountability of government in New Zealand,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei.

    “The public will be able to see, on a regular basis, who Ministers are meeting with, who they’re receiving gifts and hospitality from, and details of their overseas travel.

    “Some of this information is already made public through the Registrar of Pecuniary Interests, but that doesn’t tell us the whole story and it only happens once a year.

    “Regular, proactive disclosure of this information, particularly records of who Ministers are meeting with, will bring a greater measure of transparency to decision-making and will improve ministerial accountability.

    ……………………

    https://www.greens.org.nz/sites/default/files/ministerial_disclosure_fact_sheet.pdf

    I support this proposal.

    “Nothing to hide – nothing to fear?”

    Who is meeting the Ministers?

    Who in this John Key led National/ACT Government is NOT going to support this initiative?

    hmmmm………… let me guess ……

    Penny Bright

  22. Sacha 23

    Penny, this the internet not a gestetner. It has these things called links. Please do not waste our attention by pasting screeds of material we can go and read ourselves.

  23. DunneDeals 25

    Fantastic discussion!

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    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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