Herald Digi is a bit of a relief to nat supporters like me. Yesterday the election coverage seemed to reach a fevered pitch of anti nat sentiment but then eased. Thought JKs perf to Campbell interviewing was good, well controlled and importantly, patient. Corin Danns report on the news that night had a “tide has reached its peak and now turning type feel” – or maybe that is just the optimist in me! My take ilon this whole sorry saga is that it hasn’t dented my view of JK significantly. Judith Collins however is largely finished in my humble view. If nats get back will be very interesting what position she gets if any. Cheers
So you’re happy for Key to have either (a) overseen leaking to a blogger to destroy his enemies or (b) been so clueless that he didn’t know his office was doing that despite huge red flags that it was going on under his nose?
Jepenseque, do you understand that your lack of critical reasoning and appraisal over the actions of John Key, Judith Collins and others within this National cabal allow external strategists to take over the “ownership” and focus of the National Party?
There will be traditional National Party voters whose strong moral, ethical values will make them appalled at the use of abuse of office, misinformation techniques, and smear campaigns orchestrated through third parties as evidenced by the book.
Complacency, such as yours, and lack of transparency of internal processes means that those with little scruples, and access to money can take over an already established party and its loyal membership with very little public bloodletting.
It is no surprise to me that National made continual snide remarks about Labours internal leadership election, it’s agenda for discussion on female/male ratios, the Greens co-leadership, and the completely transparent hui that Mana undertook before joining up with the Internet Party. They did so, because the idea that membership has a transparent process within the party is a complete contradiction of what has been happening in National.
Colin Craig, at least, put his vast financial resources into a fairly honest expression of what he is standing for – Something.
The traditional National Party members should understand that when their leader, and our PM, consistently asks an electorate to vote for another party – this inexcusable public endorsement – is merely the slip of someone involved in much greater machinations behind the scenes. ACT policies are going through at a much higher rate than their 1.1% of support should allow.
Those traditional National Party members who have shown integrity and ethics in the past, need to take a good hard look at what is going on. They may not recognise their own party in the Frankenstein it has become.
I agree. Vote LABOUR, but wait there’s more….. Vote Labour and you get Harawira, Haare, Norman, Turei AND WAIT FOR IT…..Krim Dot Con, all for your one Labour vote.
Hi – I do think standards have dropped and there needs to be better behavior. Am just not seeing anything that implicates the PM such that I’d want to shift my support from the party. You can say that unsavoury elements should be strongly discouraged while still supporting the party platform and leadership.
JK has been a bit too defensive I’ll say that and should have swung the axe more freely against unsavoury behavior. Maybe that would come after winning the election I hope – that is the sad fact of our political discourse that admitting weakness is losing (as DC has discovered also).
“Am just not seeing anything that implicates the PM ..”
I’m guessing that you are not seeing anything, because you are deliberately not bothering to look.
A trait shared by your PM – but it is not a reasonable or ethical one.
And for me, admitting weakness or wrongdoing when it is realised IS strength, and winning. It is a requirement of a high standard – not an indication of a failed one.
Your implied high “National Standard” is flawed – even if John Key passes it with a Merit.
The “explaining is losing” approach has as much meaning as “Working for New Zealand” – a jumble of letters that happen to make up a sentence that translates into nothing of substance.
You’re confirming my feeling that hard core Nact supporters are more like cult members than anything else. Evidence is not enough to make them think. They accept that NAct can break the rules because they’re doing god’s work. They approve of the mentality of coppers who bend the rules and bash confessions out of suspects, knowing that they can because they’re the good guys. That there are so many of you does not fill me with hope for the future of our nation.
So Key lied by his own words he has admitted he was briefed by Tucker during the time Tucker had discussions with the legal advisor he said Tucker advised him at that point due to the no surprises policy. Game over. However now he has made Tucker into a liar and the Ombudsman integrity is also in question I suspect as a result of being lied to by the Prime Minister and Tucker. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11312590
Keys Dog Tucker you cant use the SIS for political purposes and you can not lie around your involvement about such matters. To quote Key “people go to jail for doing so”. Looks like Mr 22% will be back in charge.
funny you say that about English, see my reply below, currently in moderation, about a polling experience I had last night…
Mr Key referred to the briefing from Dr Tucker while being questioned about the matter during his post Cabinet press conference on August 8, 2011, in the days following the document’s release.
Responding to persistent questioning from then Scoop editor Alastair Thompson and Herald political editor Audrey Young, Mr Key said: “What happened is Warren Tucker didn’t come to me, he went to his legal adviser and his legal advisers told him this is the process they have to follow and when he was going through that process it was at that point he told me he’d release it because he has to tell me that under the no-surprises doctrine.”
The footage spotted by a Herald reader comes after Mr Key’s version of events – that he was never directly briefed by Dr Tucker on Slater’s OIA request – was backed up yesterday by two senior public officials.
Two letters emerged yesterday – one from Dr Tucker and another from Ombudsman Dame Beverley Wakem – which referred to Dr Tucker briefing the Prime Minister on the release of the documents.
Dr Tucker and Dame Beverley both said later that they meant they had briefed Mr Key’s office and not the Prime Minister himself.
What happened is Warren Tucker didn’t come to me, he went to his legal adviser and his legal advisers told him this is the process they have to follow and when he was going through that process it was at that point he told me he’d release it because he has to tell me that under the no-surprises doctrine.
And then Tucker lied for me and lied to the Ombudsmen as well. But what i want to talk about is Democracy. All this telling the truth is destroying our democracy. Soon you will expect your votes to count. Cant you all see how badly that could work out?
Now what we need is a ballsy journo to stick a microphone in Keys face and ask
” Prime Minister, were you lying in August 2011 or were you lying yesterday”
Anyone who has done litigation will tell you that when there is a conflict, the version closest to the event everyone is trying to recall carries more weight.
So he lied on the Tucker briefing – his own words condemn him. And somehow he has made liars out of Tucker and the Ombudsman as well. What, after all, did they finally say or finally mean?
The average voter can be forgiven for confusion in this shambles, where ‘clarifications’ are evasions and ‘denials’ turn out to be confirmations.
No wonder Key ‘welcomed’ the official enquiry if it won’t report till after the election.
Meantime, it would be good to see Collins, Ede etc tracked down and put on the spot.
last night Curia polled me. Trying to getting a handle on which policies matter and liar in chiefs honest man image is being tarnished. They didnt put it that way, its my interpretation. Things like name first party that springs to mind
Best education
Best health
Best able to keep interest rates low
Can best form a stable and something government
Regardless of who i will vote for who do i think will win the election
Whose views mirror mine on immigration
And so on
Interesting question stuck in my mind
Chap said he was going to ask my view on party l leaders
I could choose from
Very favourable-favourable-neutral-unfavourable-very unfavourable
Norman
Key
Peters
English
Cunliffe
Given English doesnt actually lead a party…
And
What does this tell us about what the national party and cmr farrar think is important to National….and where they are focusing their attention. No turei, sadly…and no joyce
I had the same Curia Poll last night. (Landline about 7pm, Wellington). – and agree with your interpretation as to what they were after.
The party leader question stuck out for its inclusion of English – but the exclusion of Turei, Flavell, Harawira, Harre. I pointed this out.
Throughout the questions, I made it clear what I thought of Key (not positive!) that I was reasonably politically aware, knew Farrar’s connections to Curia, and knew what the policies of the various parties were – answered with a variety of Labour, Greens, Mana, and even one NZF (definitely not on immigration though).
The question that also stood out for me was the loaded one asking to make a choice between two options as to what was more important in a leader. I cannot remember the exact words as I am currently full of flu and drugs, but I think that the options were something along the lines of honesty and transparency vs experience and stability. Hope you can remember Tracey – and correct me if I am wrong.
Anyway, my response was that that question was totally loaded – and I would expect both options. IIRC the interviewer told me that a lot of people had said the same.
Whaledump’s campaign against the Key regime may use new technology, but it echoes the efforts of generations of left-wing pamphleteers, like the trade unionists who fought National PM Sid Holland’s police state in 1951: http://readingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz/2014/08/the-whaledump-tradition.html
And not just trade unionists. My grandmother was active in helping set-up a civil rights group in 51 aimed at challenging the Holland Government’s draconian moves. It involved a number of Labour Party, liberal and left-wing activists. And I think I’m right in saying both she and my mother were involved in distributing pamphlets around their neighbourhood in Wellington putting forward the wharfies’ side of things. Which, of course, was illegal under the temporary Police State. There were quite a few people doing that throughout urban NZ. Like whaledump, they weren’t gonna just sit back and allow a bunch of overly-privileged Tory smegheads to destroy basic democratic rights.
Great to witness Whaledump’s current efforts. David vs Goliath – and David’s winning.
Last night paddy gower went all conspiracy theorist about who the hacker is. He surmises thatby drip feeding they are showing political savy. Jesus paddy, you dont need a political science degree to work out drip feeding is good.
According to the herald the hacker says this is personal. I am wagering its related to the death of the young man on the coast…
something deep in my bones tells me the hacker is likely female, unexpectedly … and I’ll take that wager with you re the death of Judd, the young coaster.
My gut feeling is also that the hacking was related to the death of the young West Coaster and WO’s despicable response – and that the person fronting Whaledump is a woman. But I also think that there is a possibility that the Whaledump fronter is not in fact the hacker per se.
yeshe and veutoviper. I’ve made a mental note on your feeling about the identity of the Whaledumper (whaledumpress?) and or hacker.
When Campbell Live interviewed the father of Judd Hall earlier this week it went through my mind that it could be someone from the West Coast, when he talked about Judd being an IT student.(A girlfriend or friend who was also an IT student?)
I think I recall Hagar saying the person who sent him the info wasn’t politically motivated.
Speculation aside we owe that person(s) our humble gratitude. They’ve done the right thing.
I’ve never visited WhaleDump, but applying Occam’s razor to this matter and asking who has the technical resources, knowhow and incentive to hack into a secured computer system it’s hard to see past a certain KDC.
just try harder .. cut some eye holes in your barrel !! it’s not him. and the dump today shows that slater paid someone $11k for the work. Def not Kim Dotcom.
Nevertheless were this simply a revenge attack on Slater for his disgusting comments regarding Judd Hall it’s had Collins, Key, Ede et al very firmly in its sights despite the fact they had nothing to do with that particular pile of Slater shit.
And I understand we only have a ‘hint’ from Hager as to the hacker’s motives and misdirecting him, too, would be a very logical thing to do if one wanted one’s motives disguised.
Don’t understand the $11k reference, tho’, or why that would exclude KDC.
If someone gets into a computer, they take everything there. It’s pretty obvious to a reasonable person that a piece of shit that would post what he did about Judd Hall would have a hard drive full of foul excrement. And lo and behold, he did!
You need an air hole in your barrel as well. You’re suffering from lack of oxygen.
Plenty of oxygen in my barrel thank you. And a good view from it, too.
I invite you to apply Occam’s razor to the following three scenarios:
Someone with a reasonable knowledge of IT is deeply offended with Slater’s comments concerning Judd Hall and decides to take action on behalf of Hall. He accordingly assaults WhaleOil with DoS attacks, fills the comments sections with ads for Viagra, penile enhancements, baldness treatments and links to web-sites for sheep-shaggers. If he has a lot more technical knowhow he digs deeper into the site for mailing lists and captures commentators’ email addresses, and sends them boundless revolting spam under the heading “If you like WhaleOil, you’ll like…”
Someone with a high level of IT knowledge hacks Slater’s site in the off-chance of finding embarrassing material, and finds he has a veritable treasure-trove of stuff that embarrasses both Slater and the National Party, and in fact is likely to be more damaging to the latter. Accordingly – presumably on the grounds that revenge is a dish best eaten cold – he hands to lot over to Hager hoping a) that he will use it and b) is willing to wait for the months it takes to make a book out of it and publish it in anticipation that the resulting odium will satisfy his quest for revenge against Slater and despite the fact that his actions will almost certainly result in a Government-whipped Police and Intelligence Service attempt to track him down as the hacker, the latter probably supported by the vast resources of the US counter-intelligence services.
A private individual with huge IT resources and knowhow who already has a very good reasons to be p****d-off with the National Government and who has just launched his own brand-new political party which is never likely to get into bed with the said Government, uses those resources and knowhow to get some extremely damaging dirt against the said Government, and has the nous to know that releasing it himself will considerably undermine its impact – as well as exposing him to criminal charges. Hence he sensible elects to use an innocent and well-respected journalist as cover, and for additional cover points the finger away from himself at someone else with a perfectly understandable motive for releasing it.
And I would add to 3. above that the person concerned has already promised his own startling revelations to come with regard to the said Government, and who stands to gain even more credence for them if the ground has already been prepared.
I’m not convinced. Dotcom has already been arrested for hacking and would be stupid to risk getting caught up in this when he already has his own stuff via Greenwald. Dotcom may be many things, but he’s not silly.
I believe that when Nicky Hager says it’s not Dotcom, it’s not. To use Occam’s razor on your scenarios, I’d have to count up the assumptions in each of them, and you’ve made so many I just don’t have time.
You’re not wrong. KDC would be unwise to get fingered for breaking into Slater’s site. That’s why, IF he did it and I’ve no evidence for that, he would be both wise and likely to cover his tracks.
Maybe it was someone in KDC’s office who did it – in which case we have it on very high authority that no blame can be attached to KDC for what his officials do and would also justify Hager’s claim that it wasn’t DotCom who dun it ‘cos he himself personally didn’t.
You’ve probably seen it Swordfish, but if you look at part 2 of the documentary ‘1951’ (available on NZonScreen) you may see some of the people who were part of that group.
I think it’s evident that however the election turns out, this is dunnokeyo’s last.
He just doesn’t want it any more.
What I find interesting about the poll is that there was no mention of Joyce, just English. If they’re positioning for after the election, maybe Joyce will be inserted as an option in the next poll. Or maybe curia’s working for English, and Joyce is behind the ball when it comes to getting the numbers.
Curia works for National. And the balance of power has begun to shift to the English faction once again.
Re: Joyce. There’s every possibility he has been ruled out (for the moment) because some of the material involves him. Context: Collins would have been keen to undermine Joyce at every turn over the last couple of years.
so joyce and collins knobbled themselves and each other with dirty tricks, and now collins is weak and key is on the back foot Blinglish is about to sneak through the middle?
I’ll add that this may not be about English becoming National leader – it may only be about securing positions for people in his faction. Or it could be both.
indeed sir. Audrey did her piece on the herald poll thru gritted teeth, probably very grateful it showed nats at 50% so she still show some positivity.
Interesting that exactly the same questions were being asked then as now. There was a fair bit of nose pulling from John Key which, as some people have said, looks like was he does when under pressure.
“I think the Greens are on track for 15%. Their clever mix of policies which have targeted the soft urban liberal vote of the National Party rather than tack harder Left in a crowded political spectrum is giving them the ability to pull both sides of the political divide with them which gives the Greens unique prospects at the election…
The Greens definitely do benefit from people who for all intents and purposes are right-wing in outlook but see the Green Party as another type of lifestyle brand.
However, I disagree about NZF, I think they will surge, especially if the Conservatives are looking dire come Election Day.
@Ant …I agree with you…. NZF will SURGE!..Winnie will be working his way around the country doing his magic
(….Bradbury always underestimates Winston Peters …for his own reasons I suspect)
Last election I went to a rally with my Mother and her elderly friend ( both old school teachers)…..and it was amazing the numbers of well heeled farmers and farmers wives there….of the sophisticated,sort ( once were beautiful young people, now beautiful stylish old people) very well and expensively dressed , hair immaculate ( they looked better than your average wannabe venal NACT)…and they looked intelligent and vibrant ! ( unlike your average NACT of the boring unthinking variety)
….they were just eating out of Winnies hand….hanging on every word….and by God what a master he is at wooing the crowd!…what an entertainer!…what a showman!
..Winnie had the regional rural hall packed with several hundred people….no chairs left , people packed around the edges of the hall, struggling to squeeze in through the door( as latecomers we had to stand)….He had the crowd on their feet at times applauding!
…..there was something in his speech for everyone ( and even i ,a committed Greenie, was wooed…it was an experience I wont forget)
…and hardly a mention about the meeting in the newspapers….Winnie flies under the radar
….Just think where New Zealand would be today if the National Party had appointed him as Leader…It would be a very different New Zealand!
(…instead the old National Party has been privatised and corrupted by John Key’s cuckoo NACT Party)
I’d be cautious about reading too much significance into the Greens’ latest poll rating. In previous elections, the Greens have enjoyed an upward poll surge in the final few weeks of the campaign. And on Election day, they generally end up about a point down on their poll average for that final month. So, on past experience, I would expect them to start peaking at about this point.
Having said that, the Greens do tend to do slightly better than their monthly poll averages from 2, 3, 4 or more months out. It’s just that – because of that last-minute surge in the final weeks of the campaign – they finish slightly down relative to where they were in the final round of polls.
I think 13% is significantly more likely than 15%.
@Swordfish-I’m not sure if anyone can predict the script this election will follow. The Greens could surge to 16% if disillusioned Nats drift to other parties.
Yeah, but (despite frequent claims to the contrary on the blogosphere) Tories tend not to swing Green. Twice as likely to swing Labour’s way. And three times as likely to move into Undecided / Non-Vote territory.
I know what the normal trends are but National have lost control of events and the Greens never seem to put a foot wrong. With IMP in the mix, Labour’s policies starting to resonate (especially in Dunners and Chch) and whaledump dropping bombs the election is in a state of flux.
But all good for the Left!
David Parker and Labour’s Waitaki candidate Glenda Alexander were excellent at a meeting in Wanaka last night, btw.
BG and Phillip. Fair enough, but I will say that my Tories tend not to swing Green point is predicated on very recent (ie 2014) poll data, reinforcing the trends of both 2008 and 2011.
I’m a big fan of relying on hard data. And I’m cautious about anything that borders on grand hopes or wishful thinking.
..while i respect yr skills at reading the runes of elections-past..
.i wd submit the differences between now and 2011 mean less weight should be put on looking back..to predict what will happen this time..
..’cos really..2011 and 2014 are chalk and cheese..
..key being at the height of his powers/appeal to the public..going for only his second term..(having spent his first term ‘softening-up’ the electorate..)
..whereas now he is shown by hagers-revelations to be just a lying ‘dirty’-politician..seeking a third term..and with the key-gloss of 2011 well and truly worn off..
..and an ignored mana party last time..vs. the unable to be ignored internet/mana phenomenon now..
..poverty/inequality an unmentionable last time..front and centre now..
..the environment..still serious group-denial last time..a different tack now..
..are just a few of the current factors that must seriously skew any ruminations/conclusions based purely on past results..
..and the greens now are a different beast to 2011..
..and much more appealing to middle-nz/disillusioned/soft-nats..and not only because green-issues/concerns are now mainstream..and they too are looking for politicians with solutions..
..turei in particular has grown in stature since 2011..
..and is far more confident/poised/convincing than just three yrs ago..
..and so the timing for her/norman would seem to be ‘right’..
..all of this leads me to think that all/most past-bets are off..
Things are changing quickly in this election. Key/Cunliffe popularity has changed from 73.3 versus 10.5 to 64.8 versus 14.6. People are getting to know Cunliffe at last.
“Todd has to work on not annoying people. Tim has to work on not being a tool. Louise has her structure and plan in place for 2011. Jonathan is going well, solid guy. Hekia needs to watch her temper. Quinn shouldnt get ticked off at caucus for doing things like points of order when JK is speaking.
Aaron has done a fair bit of the intellectual heavy lifting and will go a long way if he remembers to sing himself the tigger song before breakfast every day. Amy shouldnt dance quite so much but is regarded as very, very safe and capable. Michael Woodhouse is highly regarded as a competent guy in health.
They have been helped a lot by CJ Tremain, but National need to lift their game and professionalise their ongoing training and career management of backbenchers.”
inky, re-reading the tweets, whaledump has made it clear this is not about party politics, and also that today the last political dump. reads to me like there is much more to come … popcorn ready again ! ( anyone know the code for the popcorn emo btw ? thx)
come on left
while we have to sheat home Nationals corruption we are drowning out our own policy like regional development national are very light on Development !
Milk Logs and natural disasters are their policy Joyce is good at getting his meagre policy across but grant Robertson is good also we need to pair back on the exposing of John Keys Corruption be way more considered in and focused on sheating the blame where it lies Pun!
Reduce the column inches on the standard of nationals own doing and focus on our policies at least half the posts should be about the difference in policy between our positive regional and economic development policies!
Better funding for education better funding for preventative health care.
More openness in democracy!
Tracey .. all this, and it’s only two months worth of their comms ? Filthy filthy people .. and look at the names they are quietly advising ( until now anyway !).
Can you see where some prosecutions might come from ?
Now we are just wallowing in their Mire even KDC has recognized thats not a good ststrategy let the News Media have the feeding frenzy the have smelt the blood their not goig to let it go because of ratings !
lets get back to offering a Cleaner more Positive alternative to National!
By the way their Rowing add is better than Labours Muldoon esque reds under the bed !
I hope the greens come up with something better labours add looks decidedly Amateur!
you know you have won the argument when the far left are on your side
Mr Norman says a capital gains tax would bring in over four billion dollars a year, enough to make a significant reduction to debt, and is also advocating capping government borrowing.
telling that he wants to reduce debt and cap borrowing not piss away other peoples money on halfwitted projects like climate change promotion.
you could give him politician of the week for being more fiscally conservative than Bill English who never talks about debt reduction or capping government borrowing. He just watches and commentates.
Listened to David Cunliffe yesterday in his hour long interview with the 4 from the Herald. Very specific and very fluent and very intense. Wide ranging knowledge.Excellent. 9/10
Today I listened to Key in the interview recorded before the “Book.”
He dissembled a lot. Not very knowledgeable about some areas. Mumbled and “ahh” and “umm” a lot. Figures at his fingertips over trade and capital investment. False equivalents. 4/10
I am biased but was not at all impressed. (Bill English is much more fluent and concise but not as loveable.)
Whale Oil blogger Cameron Slater is being prosecuted for the same thing he is complaining about – using someone else’s private communications without their permission.
And the prosecution could see the blogger ordered to produce in court original copies of information used in Nicky Hager’s Dirty Politics.
my personal theory is that it is why he was gifted the best blogger media award – a little help pleading “journo” from the folk who need him for throwing dirt.
AND MORE TO COME FROM WHALEDUMP LATER TODAY !! such a shame for the Nats when this is their launch weekend … and with the timing, it must be truly fetid I think as whaledump seems to have skills … making popcorn ..
i wd expect the next round of polls to show labour slumping further..
..and not only because they are seen by many as too close to the neo-lib fanaticism that got us to this toxic/unequal/poverty-blighted/blighted-rivers country/society..that we currently are..
..and aren’t really promising the wholesale changes/recipies needed..
..but also because parker has been..during this polling period..talking up his/labours’ plans to raise the pension-age..(a policy they have made a pigs’ ear of selling to a sceptical/dubious electorate..and esp to maori/p.i/workingclass..)
..and just that will see the labour vote collapse/fan out further..
…because parker has been..during this polling period..talking up his/labours’ plans to raise the pension-age..(a policy they have made a pigs’ ear of selling to a sceptical/dubious electorate..and esp to maori/p.i/workingclass..)
..and just that will see the labour vote collapse/fan out further..
“i wd expect the next round of polls to show labour slumping further..and not only because they are seen by many as too close to the neo-lib fanaticism that got us to this toxic/unequal/poverty-blighted/blighted-rivers country/society..that we currently are..”
Define many. Do you mean, on current polling, the 45% that vote national, the 30% that vote labour or the 13% that vote green?
That’s 88% accounted for, which doesn’t leave many to be classed as ‘many’. Less partisan and blinkered rethink needed?
The questions become, if he is now in the habit of lying – and it appears, that he has had this habit for some time.
Will rehabilitation be enough?
What drugs can he take to fix this vexing issue?
Is stress exasperating his condition?
If the people around him know he’s lying, do they fib as well to keep him happy, or are the confronting the issue?
Time for some tough love?
Or would isolation be the best option?
Lying continuousness is a serious medical condition – it’s time we took a more sombre approach.
Is CrayCray Craig’s complete and deafening silence on Dirty Politics due to his name being mentioned by Lusk as a potential client included in the dump today?
he is hoping for a poll slump by nats, then a phone call, and then a safe sear. He doesnt want to threaten that by saying what he thinks of the appalling behaviour. At least this is my take on what mr christian moral high ground is doing
I was just asked by RadioNZ if I was the Whaledumper. Chortle….. My response was (paraphased) “Nah. That kind of thing was interesting 30 years ago. I’m 55 – why would I want to do it now”.
They were doing something on the OMSA, the daft online standards. Otherwise known as the complaint line with a wrist slap. Good for people who intend to push the bounds of defamation like Whaleoil. I have to wonder why Farrar is joining….
In other news, Matt Blomfield pointed this article out to me. The privacy commission is targeting Cameron Slater for leaking from stolen emails and documents
Slater filed a complaint with the Privacy Commission after Hager used years of hacked email and social media conversations to write the book, which paints a picture of a National government which encourages attack politics through blogs.
But the Commission has recently decided Slater had breached the privacy of businessman Matt Blomfield after the blogger published dozens of posts on Whale Oil based on a computer hard drive he had obtained.
It passed the case to the office of the Director of Human Rights Proceedings, which is now prosecuting him over five days in October.
Barrister Simon Judd, who is prosecuting the case for the Director of Human Rights Proceedings, said Slater was defending the case by claiming he was a journalist and not subject to the Privacy Act.
He said it would be argued Slater was not a journalist – and even if he was, the material he published on Mr Blomfield was not a “news media activity”.
It is going to be interesting listening to Slater squealing that it is ok when he does releases stolen data, but not when someone else does it to him.
So paradoxically I suspect that his action against Hager will depend on him losing this one…… Oh the irony
Here we are. Panic over.
“Prime Minister John Key says nothing has changed after a video emerged from 2011 appearing to contradict his claim he was never told by the SIS it intended to release politically sensitive secret documents to Whale Oil blogger Cameron Slater.
Speaking to media outside Mt Roskill Grammar school this afternoon, Mr Key denied the video was a contradiction.”
Did anyone else see a reference and clip yesterday from a Q&A segment from August 2011 where Key likewise confirmed what he is now denying ? I heard it last night, but can find no record of it anywhere on line … and Q&A archives seem not to have it either …
thx but no .. that video he is refuting is from his press conference on Aug 8 2011. The Q&A would have been either from the day before Sunday Aug 7 but most likely Sunday Aug 14. Still trying to find it …
maybe we need a new generic term for Key and his office .. I suggest ” Mr Key’s orifice was quoted today” or SIS can claim they briefed Mr Key’s orifice .. would save some time for us all.
His office cannot speak because the people in it are all hiding.
In future I guess any mis-speak from Key can be explained by blaming his office. “No. Not me what done it. Its them silly clowns back in the office. No just because my lips move does not mean it is me who is talking! Are people stupid or sumthing?”
‘Government’s Own Guidelines Show John Key Would Have Been Informed Of SIS Release To Whaleoil’
By Selwyn Manning / August 21, 2014
Analysis by Selwyn Manning.
“SSC-GuidelinesINFORMATION THAT I HAVE ACQUIRED, sourced from the State Services Commission, states in black and white the tight guideline requirements that must be followed whenever the SIS informs a Prime Minister of any pending release of sensitive intelligence information.
The official guidelines further cast doubt over the Prime Minister John Key’s version of events that the Prime Minister was not made aware that intelligence documents were being declassified and prepared for fast-track release to Cameron Slater….
This is a snortingly funny quote from a story on Simon Lusk by Andrea Vance on the stuff site, 25/05/2013, when you consider how tight he is with grace-less Slater and in light of the pair’s grace-less, vicious plotting as outlined in the whaledump postings:
Vance: He [Lusk] says he prefers to work for individuals – and only those on the Centre-Right.
“Many on the Left lack grace and I find it hard to deal with people who lack grace.”
As someone who’s not a political animal but whose interest has been piqued by the whaledump postings, I’m at a loss when Slater and his cronies refer to people by their initials or first name. I’m sure many others are in the same situation, so that the relevance of a lot of it is lost on me, which obviously defeats the purpose.
If anyone here has an “in” with a mainstream journo, it might be useful if it was pointed out to them that printing a “Whaledump Who’s Who” would help a lot of people understand who and what Slater etc are talking about.
Why bother paying for it when Whaledump will give us the slow drip tease !
and we can watch all the natapologists squirming in vain to spin excuse apologize not then shift the blame
Amidst all the Hagersaga I’m missing Colin Craig- (the boy named Sue)
Christine The earnest and soooo sincere advocate for the nuclear’ family..(insert Tui comment)
Jami Wit= the pillosopher supreme.. (well, you see….the answer is yes and know or maybe no.)
Wotsisname ? the ACTor from Epsom. (‘ Never mind who I am, Just vote for me dummies)
but most of all Jonny Banks the convicted one.(Now if I can just get rid of that Commie sex machine, I could be a super mayor – after I’ve finished my PD)
I’m bored… Hopefully Crosby will have sent John a new parrot mantra by the time I’ve read Nicky’s book by the end of this weekend.
Mr Key said he “probably should have” clarified that it was his orifice which was briefed over the OIA release, not him. “But, to be honest, that wasn’t the big issue at the time.” It was “definitely not the case” that he was briefed about the release while on holiday either, he said. “I’d be more than happy for my phone records to be [seen].” “There’s no dispute that somebody in my orifice was briefed. I don’t think anybody disputed that and, in fact, ultimately the inquiry’s undertaken [and] those people will be spoken to. […]
“No, not at all. In the context of that video, I meant ‘my orifice’. Frankly the demarcation wasn’t significant back then.
This whole key issue is a non event, barring key has been lazy in his communication. Did he lie who knows, barring he is willing to swear under oath, as are other parties that he did not . This whole business of trying to turn key into a right wing monster is ridiculous. So is the right demonising of Cunliff I believe both men have good of nz at heart but just have different prescriptions of getting their. People either are more predisposed one way or the other. The personality attacks from the likes of the standard, whaleoil are infantile and reflect extremes of both sides and just turn people off.
Researchers have developed a new type of solar concentrator that when placed over a window creates solar energy while allowing people to actually see through the window. It is called a transparent luminescent solar concentrator and can be used on buildings, cell phones and any other device that has a flat, clear surface.
This is the type of technology that should be getting a priority for government R&D funding simply because we need to replace the use of fossil fuels.
Does this mean that a house could cover all the north facing windows with transparent luminescent solar concentrators and power up the house or in a car etc?
An evolution from solar panels then?
It’s an evolution in directing solar energy onto photo-voltaic cells. I suspect that because the energy so directed would be such a narrow band of electromagnetic spectrum that the cells could also made more efficient as well.
This is interesting. From the whaledump site today:
Cameron Slater, 6/10, 6:38am
haven’t spoken to him
Just got three files of all of labour’s online donations and cc details
Simon Lusk, 6/10, 6:38am
interesting
Cameron Slater, 6/10, 6:38am
from my it support person
only $11k
Simon Lusk, 6/10, 6:39am
they will have the shits with you pretty seriously
Cameron Slater, 6/10, 6:39am
they are fucking broke
its doing my head in on best way to do the story
i thought a post each morning promising a data dump each afternoon
Simon Lusk, 6/10, 6:39am
yes but do a deal with someone too
Cameron Slater, 6/10, 6:39am
then a post dumping data each after noon
Simon Lusk, 6/10, 6:40am
it is worth something
Cameron Slater, 6/10, 6:40am
have to abe a daily
but i want this to drip feed all week
the traffic is going to be masive
Simon Lusk, 6/10, 6:40am
promise to stop
Cameron Slater, 6/10, 6:40am
once i start though they will all have it so maybe not give to a network
Simon Lusk, 6/10, 6:41am
if trev resigns and lets darren have his seat
there are so many cunty plays you can make
Cameron Slater, 6/10, 6:41am
which means the hits will just keep opn flowing
i eant to devastate the cunts
this will make me bigger than nicky hagar
%———————————————————————————————–
Looks like Slugboy paid his IT person $11,000 for the Labour data. Was this for being shown how to access it? He also talks about how much he can make from it. This suggests that it was accessed for financial gain. He thinks it’ll make him being than Nicky Hager. Haha, only in kilograms, you fat fool.
I’m seeing it as more and more likely that he’ll end up behind bars. Great. He’s written often enough about what should happen to prisoners.
In other words, the Gannaway Mercer NZ companies represent the New Zealand end of the international Maharal network.
There’s another link between these Gannaway Mercer NZ companies: each and every one of them is 100% owned by GCSL (New Zealand) Limited, whose director, since January 2011, is Catherine Michelle Odgers of Hong Kong. That’s our Cathy Odgers, of course.
Now, the Maharal network is an important part of the so-called Russian Laundering Machine,
Hi Draco .. OMG ! such an important post .. wanna re-post today where folks can catch it ? And I think maybe they cd read the end four or five paras and conclusions, then go back into all the details.
So sad for NZ, and so shaming it will be when it call comes out, as surely now it must ?
Rethink Homelessness asked homeless people on the streets of Orlando, Florida, to write down a fact about themselves that other people wouldn’t know just by walking past them.
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. 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 ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
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Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
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My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
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A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
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:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track 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 publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
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 publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
Herald Digi is a bit of a relief to nat supporters like me. Yesterday the election coverage seemed to reach a fevered pitch of anti nat sentiment but then eased. Thought JKs perf to Campbell interviewing was good, well controlled and importantly, patient. Corin Danns report on the news that night had a “tide has reached its peak and now turning type feel” – or maybe that is just the optimist in me! My take ilon this whole sorry saga is that it hasn’t dented my view of JK significantly. Judith Collins however is largely finished in my humble view. If nats get back will be very interesting what position she gets if any. Cheers
The Nats drop 5% points.
I expect them to continue to shred support like this every week between now and election leaving them at around 25%.
Be very afraid National list members.
So you’re happy for Key to have either (a) overseen leaking to a blogger to destroy his enemies or (b) been so clueless that he didn’t know his office was doing that despite huge red flags that it was going on under his nose?
Jepenseque, do you understand that your lack of critical reasoning and appraisal over the actions of John Key, Judith Collins and others within this National cabal allow external strategists to take over the “ownership” and focus of the National Party?
There will be traditional National Party voters whose strong moral, ethical values will make them appalled at the use of abuse of office, misinformation techniques, and smear campaigns orchestrated through third parties as evidenced by the book.
Complacency, such as yours, and lack of transparency of internal processes means that those with little scruples, and access to money can take over an already established party and its loyal membership with very little public bloodletting.
It is no surprise to me that National made continual snide remarks about Labours internal leadership election, it’s agenda for discussion on female/male ratios, the Greens co-leadership, and the completely transparent hui that Mana undertook before joining up with the Internet Party. They did so, because the idea that membership has a transparent process within the party is a complete contradiction of what has been happening in National.
Colin Craig, at least, put his vast financial resources into a fairly honest expression of what he is standing for – Something.
The traditional National Party members should understand that when their leader, and our PM, consistently asks an electorate to vote for another party – this inexcusable public endorsement – is merely the slip of someone involved in much greater machinations behind the scenes. ACT policies are going through at a much higher rate than their 1.1% of support should allow.
Those traditional National Party members who have shown integrity and ethics in the past, need to take a good hard look at what is going on. They may not recognise their own party in the Frankenstein it has become.
Very well put Molly
I agree. Vote LABOUR, but wait there’s more….. Vote Labour and you get Harawira, Haare, Norman, Turei AND WAIT FOR IT…..Krim Dot Con, all for your one Labour vote.
Vote Labour. On On.
you must have low standards…
Hi – I do think standards have dropped and there needs to be better behavior. Am just not seeing anything that implicates the PM such that I’d want to shift my support from the party. You can say that unsavoury elements should be strongly discouraged while still supporting the party platform and leadership.
JK has been a bit too defensive I’ll say that and should have swung the axe more freely against unsavoury behavior. Maybe that would come after winning the election I hope – that is the sad fact of our political discourse that admitting weakness is losing (as DC has discovered also).
Cheers
My standards haven’t dropped at all ,
I expect honesty (at the least) from our Politicians/Govt, always have & always will
It seems quite obvious to me that the PM has tried to put in place some “firewalls” for plausible deny-ability ,
whether those walls are going to hold or not is the only question in my eyes
Not only is the PM weak and possibly a crook ,, he also appears to not even be particularly good at covering his tracks
so hes not even very good at being crooked
“Am just not seeing anything that implicates the PM ..”
I’m guessing that you are not seeing anything, because you are deliberately not bothering to look.
A trait shared by your PM – but it is not a reasonable or ethical one.
And for me, admitting weakness or wrongdoing when it is realised IS strength, and winning. It is a requirement of a high standard – not an indication of a failed one.
Your implied high “National Standard” is flawed – even if John Key passes it with a Merit.
The “explaining is losing” approach has as much meaning as “Working for New Zealand” – a jumble of letters that happen to make up a sentence that translates into nothing of substance.
And yet don’t seem willing to do anything about it.
Despite all the evidence.
Dude, he’s been outright lying.
You’re confirming my feeling that hard core Nact supporters are more like cult members than anything else. Evidence is not enough to make them think. They accept that NAct can break the rules because they’re doing god’s work. They approve of the mentality of coppers who bend the rules and bash confessions out of suspects, knowing that they can because they’re the good guys. That there are so many of you does not fill me with hope for the future of our nation.
So Key lied by his own words he has admitted he was briefed by Tucker during the time Tucker had discussions with the legal advisor he said Tucker advised him at that point due to the no surprises policy. Game over. However now he has made Tucker into a liar and the Ombudsman integrity is also in question I suspect as a result of being lied to by the Prime Minister and Tucker. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11312590
Keys Dog Tucker you cant use the SIS for political purposes and you can not lie around your involvement about such matters. To quote Key “people go to jail for doing so”. Looks like Mr 22% will be back in charge.
funny you say that about English, see my reply below, currently in moderation, about a polling experience I had last night…
Mr Key referred to the briefing from Dr Tucker while being questioned about the matter during his post Cabinet press conference on August 8, 2011, in the days following the document’s release.
Responding to persistent questioning from then Scoop editor Alastair Thompson and Herald political editor Audrey Young, Mr Key said: “What happened is Warren Tucker didn’t come to me, he went to his legal adviser and his legal advisers told him this is the process they have to follow and when he was going through that process it was at that point he told me he’d release it because he has to tell me that under the no-surprises doctrine.”
The footage spotted by a Herald reader comes after Mr Key’s version of events – that he was never directly briefed by Dr Tucker on Slater’s OIA request – was backed up yesterday by two senior public officials.
Two letters emerged yesterday – one from Dr Tucker and another from Ombudsman Dame Beverley Wakem – which referred to Dr Tucker briefing the Prime Minister on the release of the documents.
Dr Tucker and Dame Beverley both said later that they meant they had briefed Mr Key’s office and not the Prime Minister himself.
“
Groundhog day 😀
And then Tucker lied for me and lied to the Ombudsmen as well. But what i want to talk about is Democracy. All this telling the truth is destroying our democracy. Soon you will expect your votes to count. Cant you all see how badly that could work out?
@ Tracey,all we need is for John Clarke to channel shonkey,an we have a top rating comedy show.
That looks like a threat. A coup is not off the cards.
But hang on, didn’t Key say he wasn’t told?
And he now says he was told? Is that correct?
..
and didn’t he have a shocker in Christchurch. Tough luck – he has taken on the stench of whaleoil, that much is very very clear.
Key now has a stink about him and the public are screwing up their noses.
Not quite: that quote dates from August 2011 😀
Aha, so he said he was told
But now he is saying he wasn’t told
What a great man our PM is
Now what we need is a ballsy journo to stick a microphone in Keys face and ask
” Prime Minister, were you lying in August 2011 or were you lying yesterday”
Anyone who has done litigation will tell you that when there is a conflict, the version closest to the event everyone is trying to recall carries more weight.
+100 Tracey
What does it make of yesterday’s statement by the SIS that they only told his office? Red faces, clown shoes, totally undermined.
He lied. SIS lied yesterday and SIS lied to Ombudsmen.
Trust the PM and the GCSB and SIS to use their powers carefully? Yea fucking right
Benny Hill music
That ShonKey crew talks so much bollocks, that their theme tune would be; “Yakety BallSax”.
+100% Tracey. Hoist him in own petard. which literally means catch him in the smell of his own farts. This is so Nixonesque.
No, the left are screwing up their noses, the majority of NZ don’t give a fat rats arse. Check the polls.
Rat’s arse ?….you’re hoping DumbArse….in fact you are the rat’s arse.
This all happened on the same day the request came in, must have been a busy day at the SIS…
+1. The Herald link has Key dead to rights.
So he lied on the Tucker briefing – his own words condemn him. And somehow he has made liars out of Tucker and the Ombudsman as well. What, after all, did they finally say or finally mean?
The average voter can be forgiven for confusion in this shambles, where ‘clarifications’ are evasions and ‘denials’ turn out to be confirmations.
No wonder Key ‘welcomed’ the official enquiry if it won’t report till after the election.
Meantime, it would be good to see Collins, Ede etc tracked down and put on the spot.
+100…still no sign of Ede…who is he and what does he do ?! He needs to go under the magnifying glass.
Slater has said Ede is “gutless” ( as if Slater is taking the rap and Ede is into it up to his eyebrows ie far more guilty in the dirty tricks)
….John Key never mentions Ede except to indicate he has nothing to do with leaks…this is a sure sign Ede is pivotal .
I wonder if he’ll now play the “well I can’t comment on that as an inquiry is under way” card?
It must be hard being FJK at the moment. That manion in Hawaii must be looking pretty damn tempting.
Just do it, John – fuck off back behind your towering fences and let the rest of us clean up your mess.
last night Curia polled me. Trying to getting a handle on which policies matter and liar in chiefs honest man image is being tarnished. They didnt put it that way, its my interpretation. Things like name first party that springs to mind
Best education
Best health
Best able to keep interest rates low
Can best form a stable and something government
Regardless of who i will vote for who do i think will win the election
Whose views mirror mine on immigration
And so on
Interesting question stuck in my mind
Chap said he was going to ask my view on party l leaders
I could choose from
Very favourable-favourable-neutral-unfavourable-very unfavourable
Norman
Key
Peters
English
Cunliffe
Given English doesnt actually lead a party…
And
What does this tell us about what the national party and cmr farrar think is important to National….and where they are focusing their attention. No turei, sadly…and no joyce
I had the same Curia Poll last night. (Landline about 7pm, Wellington). – and agree with your interpretation as to what they were after.
The party leader question stuck out for its inclusion of English – but the exclusion of Turei, Flavell, Harawira, Harre. I pointed this out.
Throughout the questions, I made it clear what I thought of Key (not positive!) that I was reasonably politically aware, knew Farrar’s connections to Curia, and knew what the policies of the various parties were – answered with a variety of Labour, Greens, Mana, and even one NZF (definitely not on immigration though).
The question that also stood out for me was the loaded one asking to make a choice between two options as to what was more important in a leader. I cannot remember the exact words as I am currently full of flu and drugs, but I think that the options were something along the lines of honesty and transparency vs experience and stability. Hope you can remember Tracey – and correct me if I am wrong.
Anyway, my response was that that question was totally loaded – and I would expect both options. IIRC the interviewer told me that a lot of people had said the same.
I remembered it much as you did.
Whaledump’s campaign against the Key regime may use new technology, but it echoes the efforts of generations of left-wing pamphleteers, like the trade unionists who fought National PM Sid Holland’s police state in 1951:
http://readingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz/2014/08/the-whaledump-tradition.html
and all the way back to the ‘chapbooks’ of the 17th century..
And not just trade unionists. My grandmother was active in helping set-up a civil rights group in 51 aimed at challenging the Holland Government’s draconian moves. It involved a number of Labour Party, liberal and left-wing activists. And I think I’m right in saying both she and my mother were involved in distributing pamphlets around their neighbourhood in Wellington putting forward the wharfies’ side of things. Which, of course, was illegal under the temporary Police State. There were quite a few people doing that throughout urban NZ. Like whaledump, they weren’t gonna just sit back and allow a bunch of overly-privileged Tory smegheads to destroy basic democratic rights.
Great to witness Whaledump’s current efforts. David vs Goliath – and David’s winning.
Last night paddy gower went all conspiracy theorist about who the hacker is. He surmises thatby drip feeding they are showing political savy. Jesus paddy, you dont need a political science degree to work out drip feeding is good.
According to the herald the hacker says this is personal. I am wagering its related to the death of the young man on the coast…
something deep in my bones tells me the hacker is likely female, unexpectedly … and I’ll take that wager with you re the death of Judd, the young coaster.
My gut feeling is also that the hacking was related to the death of the young West Coaster and WO’s despicable response – and that the person fronting Whaledump is a woman. But I also think that there is a possibility that the Whaledump fronter is not in fact the hacker per se.
and we will likely never know, but at least we can thank her/him/them here on TS.
you dont think the gcsb and sis are working on it
yes, but don’t think they’ll make any progress ! btw new whaledump again lusk 2
If they are using TOR its very unlikely he could be tracked,
unless JK has had a word with his pals at the NSA
even then it wouldnt be easy
yeshe and veutoviper. I’ve made a mental note on your feeling about the identity of the Whaledumper (whaledumpress?) and or hacker.
When Campbell Live interviewed the father of Judd Hall earlier this week it went through my mind that it could be someone from the West Coast, when he talked about Judd being an IT student.(A girlfriend or friend who was also an IT student?)
I think I recall Hagar saying the person who sent him the info wasn’t politically motivated.
Speculation aside we owe that person(s) our humble gratitude. They’ve done the right thing.
I’ve never visited WhaleDump, but applying Occam’s razor to this matter and asking who has the technical resources, knowhow and incentive to hack into a secured computer system it’s hard to see past a certain KDC.
just try harder .. cut some eye holes in your barrel !! it’s not him. and the dump today shows that slater paid someone $11k for the work. Def not Kim Dotcom.
Speculation is fruitless…
Nevertheless were this simply a revenge attack on Slater for his disgusting comments regarding Judd Hall it’s had Collins, Key, Ede et al very firmly in its sights despite the fact they had nothing to do with that particular pile of Slater shit.
And I understand we only have a ‘hint’ from Hager as to the hacker’s motives and misdirecting him, too, would be a very logical thing to do if one wanted one’s motives disguised.
Don’t understand the $11k reference, tho’, or why that would exclude KDC.
If someone gets into a computer, they take everything there. It’s pretty obvious to a reasonable person that a piece of shit that would post what he did about Judd Hall would have a hard drive full of foul excrement. And lo and behold, he did!
You need an air hole in your barrel as well. You’re suffering from lack of oxygen.
Plenty of oxygen in my barrel thank you. And a good view from it, too.
I invite you to apply Occam’s razor to the following three scenarios:
And I would add to 3. above that the person concerned has already promised his own startling revelations to come with regard to the said Government, and who stands to gain even more credence for them if the ground has already been prepared.
I’m not convinced. Dotcom has already been arrested for hacking and would be stupid to risk getting caught up in this when he already has his own stuff via Greenwald. Dotcom may be many things, but he’s not silly.
I believe that when Nicky Hager says it’s not Dotcom, it’s not. To use Occam’s razor on your scenarios, I’d have to count up the assumptions in each of them, and you’ve made so many I just don’t have time.
You’re not wrong. KDC would be unwise to get fingered for breaking into Slater’s site. That’s why, IF he did it and I’ve no evidence for that, he would be both wise and likely to cover his tracks.
Maybe it was someone in KDC’s office who did it – in which case we have it on very high authority that no blame can be attached to KDC for what his officials do and would also justify Hager’s claim that it wasn’t DotCom who dun it ‘cos he himself personally didn’t.
You’ve probably seen it Swordfish, but if you look at part 2 of the documentary ‘1951’ (available on NZonScreen) you may see some of the people who were part of that group.
Cheers, Karen. I’ll take a look.
The video that the Herald has as Craig says has got to be the last nail.
Why? Do you really see him resigning?
Funny it was a reader who found the heralds video, not the herald
No he wont resign now but even if elected the Prime Minister will have to face an inquiry.This will be rehashed over and over.
ah, kind of nixon ish, he might survive the election but not the aftermath?
Curia is polling peoples views of party leaders. The five leaders they have chosen?
Norman
Key
Peters
English*
Cunliffe
Tracey
Might Curia’s poll be paid for by Bill English? (out of his own pocket of course)
i doubt it. That was the only time he was mentioned
I think it’s evident that however the election turns out, this is dunnokeyo’s last.
He just doesn’t want it any more.
What I find interesting about the poll is that there was no mention of Joyce, just English. If they’re positioning for after the election, maybe Joyce will be inserted as an option in the next poll. Or maybe curia’s working for English, and Joyce is behind the ball when it comes to getting the numbers.
Curia works for National. And the balance of power has begun to shift to the English faction once again.
Re: Joyce. There’s every possibility he has been ruled out (for the moment) because some of the material involves him. Context: Collins would have been keen to undermine Joyce at every turn over the last couple of years.
so joyce and collins knobbled themselves and each other with dirty tricks, and now collins is weak and key is on the back foot Blinglish is about to sneak through the middle?
Seems plausible.
I’ll add that this may not be about English becoming National leader – it may only be about securing positions for people in his faction. Or it could be both.
they’re definitely looking a bit unstable, though.
@ tracey..re reader finding vid..
..and what’s with all the journos there in that 2011 press-conference..?
..have they collectively got the memory/attention-spans of fucken goldfish…?
..(and all the relevant action in that 16 min 2011 vid is in the first 7-8 mins..
..the rest just has the odd wry laugh..as key promises..hand on heart..that the asset-sales will pull in $7 billion..and the like..)
indeed sir. Audrey did her piece on the herald poll thru gritted teeth, probably very grateful it showed nats at 50% so she still show some positivity.
Its other reporters stepping up…
there is also a Q&A from that time mentioned yesterday that also proves the question — did he lie then or yesterday ?? will try to find the link
Interesting that exactly the same questions were being asked then as now. There was a fair bit of nose pulling from John Key which, as some people have said, looks like was he does when under pressure.
‘Herald Poll – Why the Greens will hit 15%’
By Martyn Bradbury / August 22, 2014
“I think the Greens are on track for 15%. Their clever mix of policies which have targeted the soft urban liberal vote of the National Party rather than tack harder Left in a crowded political spectrum is giving them the ability to pull both sides of the political divide with them which gives the Greens unique prospects at the election…
The Greens definitely do benefit from people who for all intents and purposes are right-wing in outlook but see the Green Party as another type of lifestyle brand.
However, I disagree about NZF, I think they will surge, especially if the Conservatives are looking dire come Election Day.
@Ant …I agree with you…. NZF will SURGE!..Winnie will be working his way around the country doing his magic
(….Bradbury always underestimates Winston Peters …for his own reasons I suspect)
Last election I went to a rally with my Mother and her elderly friend ( both old school teachers)…..and it was amazing the numbers of well heeled farmers and farmers wives there….of the sophisticated,sort ( once were beautiful young people, now beautiful stylish old people) very well and expensively dressed , hair immaculate ( they looked better than your average wannabe venal NACT)…and they looked intelligent and vibrant ! ( unlike your average NACT of the boring unthinking variety)
….they were just eating out of Winnies hand….hanging on every word….and by God what a master he is at wooing the crowd!…what an entertainer!…what a showman!
..Winnie had the regional rural hall packed with several hundred people….no chairs left , people packed around the edges of the hall, struggling to squeeze in through the door( as latecomers we had to stand)….He had the crowd on their feet at times applauding!
…..there was something in his speech for everyone ( and even i ,a committed Greenie, was wooed…it was an experience I wont forget)
…and hardly a mention about the meeting in the newspapers….Winnie flies under the radar
….Just think where New Zealand would be today if the National Party had appointed him as Leader…It would be a very different New Zealand!
(…instead the old National Party has been privatised and corrupted by John Key’s cuckoo NACT Party)
I’d be cautious about reading too much significance into the Greens’ latest poll rating. In previous elections, the Greens have enjoyed an upward poll surge in the final few weeks of the campaign. And on Election day, they generally end up about a point down on their poll average for that final month. So, on past experience, I would expect them to start peaking at about this point.
Having said that, the Greens do tend to do slightly better than their monthly poll averages from 2, 3, 4 or more months out. It’s just that – because of that last-minute surge in the final weeks of the campaign – they finish slightly down relative to where they were in the final round of polls.
I think 13% is significantly more likely than 15%.
…yes I am aware of that….and Labour usually does much better on the DAY ( when some of those ‘undecided’ for the pollsters go and vote)
…lets hope the ‘undecided’ Labour voters are not so dispirited by the polls they stay home this time (as the NACTs want them to)
@Swordfish-I’m not sure if anyone can predict the script this election will follow. The Greens could surge to 16% if disillusioned Nats drift to other parties.
Yeah, but (despite frequent claims to the contrary on the blogosphere) Tories tend not to swing Green. Twice as likely to swing Labour’s way. And three times as likely to move into Undecided / Non-Vote territory.
@swordfish and agreeing with phillip ure at 6.2.3
I know what the normal trends are but National have lost control of events and the Greens never seem to put a foot wrong. With IMP in the mix, Labour’s policies starting to resonate (especially in Dunners and Chch) and whaledump dropping bombs the election is in a state of flux.
But all good for the Left!
David Parker and Labour’s Waitaki candidate Glenda Alexander were excellent at a meeting in Wanaka last night, btw.
BG and Phillip. Fair enough, but I will say that my Tories tend not to swing Green point is predicated on very recent (ie 2014) poll data, reinforcing the trends of both 2008 and 2011.
I’m a big fan of relying on hard data. And I’m cautious about anything that borders on grand hopes or wishful thinking.
Good to hear.
what is politics if not ‘grand hopes’ and ‘wishful thinking’..?.
@ swordfish..
..while i respect yr skills at reading the runes of elections-past..
.i wd submit the differences between now and 2011 mean less weight should be put on looking back..to predict what will happen this time..
..’cos really..2011 and 2014 are chalk and cheese..
..key being at the height of his powers/appeal to the public..going for only his second term..(having spent his first term ‘softening-up’ the electorate..)
..whereas now he is shown by hagers-revelations to be just a lying ‘dirty’-politician..seeking a third term..and with the key-gloss of 2011 well and truly worn off..
..and an ignored mana party last time..vs. the unable to be ignored internet/mana phenomenon now..
..poverty/inequality an unmentionable last time..front and centre now..
..the environment..still serious group-denial last time..a different tack now..
..are just a few of the current factors that must seriously skew any ruminations/conclusions based purely on past results..
..and the greens now are a different beast to 2011..
..and much more appealing to middle-nz/disillusioned/soft-nats..and not only because green-issues/concerns are now mainstream..and they too are looking for politicians with solutions..
..turei in particular has grown in stature since 2011..
..and is far more confident/poised/convincing than just three yrs ago..
..and so the timing for her/norman would seem to be ‘right’..
..all of this leads me to think that all/most past-bets are off..
Phillip, see my reply to BG at 6.2.2.1
@ swordfish..i am not predicting a wholesale defection to the greens..(and of course those who swing between national/labour cd return to labour..
.(.what is uncertain is just how many in national will still prefer key..dirty hem and all..)
..but the greens are no longer the unthinkable option for many on the right..
..that they were for so long..
..norman and turei don’t ‘scare’ anyone..
..and that change was not apparant as recently as 2011..
..and all of that must translate into votes for the greens..
..if the mud recently worn by key sticks/worsens..
..(and we/he still have the dotcom/greenwald spook-dump five days before election..to look forward to/to dread..)
..and i’m picking that dump won’t reflect well on the clark-labour-govt era..
..key only really ramped-up what was already there..
..so i am sure labour are dreading those townhall revelations as much as national/key..
..and i’m forgetting that master-stroke from the greens..and one guaranteed to assuage any national-voter doubts re the greens..
..their auditing by infometrics of their economic/fiscal-policies..
..(that move is on my ‘smart-thinking-award’ shortlist..)
I think the Greens are untainted by the stench around Wellington.
Non beltway people are just think, typical politics and turning off both major parties.
The Greens have never been in government so can’t be tarred by that brush.
They are principled good people with the best policy and the best brains.
Party Vote Green people for a cleaner Parliament.
@ enough..
..i agree with all you say..
..but wd also add an un’tainted’ internet/mana party as another voting option for those desiring a ‘cleaner’ political world..
..time for some idealism in politics..methinks..
Always time for idealism in politics Phillip.
But then again I’m a unreconstructed anarco-communalist.
there’s nothing wrong with ‘ unreconstructed anarco-communalist’/ism..
..it wd have it’s bumpy-bits..but nothing is perfect..
It would be good to see the Greens with 15%+
Things are changing quickly in this election. Key/Cunliffe popularity has changed from 73.3 versus 10.5 to 64.8 versus 14.6. People are getting to know Cunliffe at last.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/election-2014/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503581&objectid=11312362
In terms of policy it was all positive for Labour and Greens from Dunedin and Christchurch on Morning Report this morning.
new Whaledump … 3 mins ago … http://pastebin.com/ntEhGCtM
after Lusk …
edit .. oh my goodness !! This will have the Nats eating each other .. it’s going to be like honey to fire ants!
THANK YOU, WHALEDUMP, WHOEVER YOU ARE !! THANK YOU.
…and the “last last” political dump later. Someone has a sense of humour 🙂
🙂
Lusk to Slater ( if I am permitted to post it ?)
“Todd has to work on not annoying people. Tim has to work on not being a tool. Louise has her structure and plan in place for 2011. Jonathan is going well, solid guy. Hekia needs to watch her temper. Quinn shouldnt get ticked off at caucus for doing things like points of order when JK is speaking.
Aaron has done a fair bit of the intellectual heavy lifting and will go a long way if he remembers to sing himself the tigger song before breakfast every day. Amy shouldnt dance quite so much but is regarded as very, very safe and capable. Michael Woodhouse is highly regarded as a competent guy in health.
They have been helped a lot by CJ Tremain, but National need to lift their game and professionalise their ongoing training and career management of backbenchers.”
I saw that. Is it possible it’s not a joke and that he/she will be stopping at this point? Surely there’s a lot more ammo in the bandolier?
inky, re-reading the tweets, whaledump has made it clear this is not about party politics, and also that today the last political dump. reads to me like there is much more to come … popcorn ready again ! ( anyone know the code for the popcorn emo btw ? thx)
I think Lusk, is a devil in a blue suit.
If the national party faithful don’t deal with him and his kind, they can kiss their party good-bye.
come on left
while we have to sheat home Nationals corruption we are drowning out our own policy like regional development national are very light on Development !
Milk Logs and natural disasters are their policy Joyce is good at getting his meagre policy across but grant Robertson is good also we need to pair back on the exposing of John Keys Corruption be way more considered in and focused on sheating the blame where it lies Pun!
Reduce the column inches on the standard of nationals own doing and focus on our policies at least half the posts should be about the difference in policy between our positive regional and economic development policies!
Better funding for education better funding for preventative health care.
More openness in democracy!
Cameron Slater, 1/29, 7:20am
just emailed the press council asking how to join
if i join everything the cunts won’t be able to touch me
Tracey .. all this, and it’s only two months worth of their comms ? Filthy filthy people .. and look at the names they are quietly advising ( until now anyway !).
Can you see where some prosecutions might come from ?
Perhaps someone could look at this as well:
Now we are just wallowing in their Mire even KDC has recognized thats not a good ststrategy let the News Media have the feeding frenzy the have smelt the blood their not goig to let it go because of ratings !
lets get back to offering a Cleaner more Positive alternative to National!
By the way their Rowing add is better than Labours Muldoon esque reds under the bed !
I hope the greens come up with something better labours add looks decidedly Amateur!
greens ads were available yesterday
Simon Lusk, 1/29, 11:32pm
you know you have won the argument when the far left are on your side
Mr Norman says a capital gains tax would bring in over four billion dollars a year, enough to make a significant reduction to debt, and is also advocating capping government borrowing.
telling that he wants to reduce debt and cap borrowing not piss away other peoples money on halfwitted projects like climate change promotion.
you could give him politician of the week for being more fiscally conservative than Bill English who never talks about debt reduction or capping government borrowing. He just watches and commentates.
February 3, 2011
Simon Lusk,
Listened to David Cunliffe yesterday in his hour long interview with the 4 from the Herald. Very specific and very fluent and very intense. Wide ranging knowledge.Excellent. 9/10
Today I listened to Key in the interview recorded before the “Book.”
He dissembled a lot. Not very knowledgeable about some areas. Mumbled and “ahh” and “umm” a lot. Figures at his fingertips over trade and capital investment. False equivalents. 4/10
I am biased but was not at all impressed. (Bill English is much more fluent and concise but not as loveable.)
Slater faces prosecution re- the Blomfield case.
i am sure it is all part of slaters plan. He is more intelligent than anyone else remember. I read he said that somewhere so it must be true
my personal theory is that it is why he was gifted the best blogger media award – a little help pleading “journo” from the folk who need him for throwing dirt.
i think amongst his emails he says, about himself, that he is not a journalist. Cant place it right now so only have memory to go on.
lol
Nice for the prosecutors to know exactly what to look for during discovery.
Crsoby and Textor sailed to sea
in a beautiful dark blue boat;
but they sailed away for a year and a day
‘cos Key couldn’t get the vote !
AND MORE TO COME FROM WHALEDUMP LATER TODAY !! such a shame for the Nats when this is their launch weekend … and with the timing, it must be truly fetid I think as whaledump seems to have skills … making popcorn ..
edit:
https://twitter.com/whaledump
with an invoice from slater to lusk 2012
i hope someone is using these whaledumps/dirty-politics’-info..
..and working on/up an infographic detailing/explaining/linking-up this far-right toxic-tree..
..and showing just where all those branches/tendrils extend into..
..i can’t see the right/neo-lib holdouts in labour coming out of that exercise looking too crash-hot..
i wd expect the next round of polls to show labour slumping further..
..and not only because they are seen by many as too close to the neo-lib fanaticism that got us to this toxic/unequal/poverty-blighted/blighted-rivers country/society..that we currently are..
..and aren’t really promising the wholesale changes/recipies needed..
..but also because parker has been..during this polling period..talking up his/labours’ plans to raise the pension-age..(a policy they have made a pigs’ ear of selling to a sceptical/dubious electorate..and esp to maori/p.i/workingclass..)
..and just that will see the labour vote collapse/fan out further..
I fear you might be right.
Absolute electoral tone deafness. NZF and Greens will benefit most from National’s troubles IMO. Winston will be the force to be reckoned with.
“i wd expect the next round of polls to show labour slumping further..and not only because they are seen by many as too close to the neo-lib fanaticism that got us to this toxic/unequal/poverty-blighted/blighted-rivers country/society..that we currently are..”
Define many. Do you mean, on current polling, the 45% that vote national, the 30% that vote labour or the 13% that vote green?
That’s 88% accounted for, which doesn’t leave many to be classed as ‘many’. Less partisan and blinkered rethink needed?
rnz is reporting key is going with yesterdays’-version..
..heh..!..i know it’s an overworked/used word..
..but this is getting fucken more surreal by the minute..
..and the campaign-proper hasn’t even really even started yet..
..whoar..!..
..i dunno about anyone else..but my pulse is racing..
So he was lying in 2011? Even tho, memory wise, thats closer to the actual event.
Thing about lies, is the more you tell, the harder it is to recall them…
The questions become, if he is now in the habit of lying – and it appears, that he has had this habit for some time.
Will rehabilitation be enough?
What drugs can he take to fix this vexing issue?
Is stress exasperating his condition?
If the people around him know he’s lying, do they fib as well to keep him happy, or are the confronting the issue?
Time for some tough love?
Or would isolation be the best option?
Lying continuousness is a serious medical condition – it’s time we took a more sombre approach.
Is CrayCray Craig’s complete and deafening silence on Dirty Politics due to his name being mentioned by Lusk as a potential client included in the dump today?
he is hoping for a poll slump by nats, then a phone call, and then a safe sear. He doesnt want to threaten that by saying what he thinks of the appalling behaviour. At least this is my take on what mr christian moral high ground is doing
interesting thoughts as always .. thx Tracey. Maybe they could gift him Papakura 😀
Hoping someone on the ‘trail’ will ask him a about the Lusk connection.
NEW WHALEDUMP Lusk2 available …
http://wikisend.com/download/438974/Lusk%202 but I couldn’t open it with Adobe .. had to use Office instead.
Master of nothing.
Cameron Slater, 6/10, 6:38am
haven’t spoken to him
Just got three files of all of labour’s online donations and cc details
Simon Lusk, 6/10, 6:38am
interesting
Cameron Slater, 6/10, 6:38am
from my it support person
only $11k
wonder who paid for it Joe ?
I was just asked by RadioNZ if I was the Whaledumper. Chortle….. My response was (paraphased) “Nah. That kind of thing was interesting 30 years ago. I’m 55 – why would I want to do it now”.
They were doing something on the OMSA, the daft online standards. Otherwise known as the complaint line with a wrist slap. Good for people who intend to push the bounds of defamation like Whaleoil. I have to wonder why Farrar is joining….
In other news, Matt Blomfield pointed this article out to me. The privacy commission is targeting Cameron Slater for leaking from stolen emails and documents
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11312691
It is going to be interesting listening to Slater squealing that it is ok when he does releases stolen data, but not when someone else does it to him.
So paradoxically I suspect that his action against Hager will depend on him losing this one…… Oh the irony
😈
investigating the wrong thing i see, the msm
I keep seeing the term MSM popping up everywhere, I’m not familiar with it. Can someone explain?
Also, yesterday someone had transcribed Key’s embarrassing 10 or 11-minute interview and I’ve lost the link. Does anyone have it?
Mainstream media. The short version is derogatory but on a scale depending on who’s using it.
Ho ho ho, Bomber….
https://twitter.com/TheEgonomist/status/502621508905496576
my wish
Whenever the media publish things about Slater, they use a picture of a kitten or flowers in a field, at the end of the day
Here we are. Panic over.
“Prime Minister John Key says nothing has changed after a video emerged from 2011 appearing to contradict his claim he was never told by the SIS it intended to release politically sensitive secret documents to Whale Oil blogger Cameron Slater.
Speaking to media outside Mt Roskill Grammar school this afternoon, Mr Key denied the video was a contradiction.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11312794
Did mr key deny it or his office?
Did anyone else see a reference and clip yesterday from a Q&A segment from August 2011 where Key likewise confirmed what he is now denying ? I heard it last night, but can find no record of it anywhere on line … and Q&A archives seem not to have it either …
Is this it?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10411491/Keys-SIS-claims-contradicted-by-video
thx but no .. that video he is refuting is from his press conference on Aug 8 2011. The Q&A would have been either from the day before Sunday Aug 7 but most likely Sunday Aug 14. Still trying to find it …
maybe we need a new generic term for Key and his office .. I suggest ” Mr Key’s orifice was quoted today” or SIS can claim they briefed Mr Key’s orifice .. would save some time for us all.
His office cannot speak because the people in it are all hiding.
In future I guess any mis-speak from Key can be explained by blaming his office. “No. Not me what done it. Its them silly clowns back in the office. No just because my lips move does not mean it is me who is talking! Are people stupid or sumthing?”
‘Government’s Own Guidelines Show John Key Would Have Been Informed Of SIS Release To Whaleoil’
By Selwyn Manning / August 21, 2014
Analysis by Selwyn Manning.
“SSC-GuidelinesINFORMATION THAT I HAVE ACQUIRED, sourced from the State Services Commission, states in black and white the tight guideline requirements that must be followed whenever the SIS informs a Prime Minister of any pending release of sensitive intelligence information.
The official guidelines further cast doubt over the Prime Minister John Key’s version of events that the Prime Minister was not made aware that intelligence documents were being declassified and prepared for fast-track release to Cameron Slater….
http://wikisend.com/download/782394/0045%20S%20J%20Lusk%20-%20251111%20Invoice.pdf
Now if you’d just told people what it was.
Interesting. Donghua Liu has changed his plea:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11312852
Frank Macskasy have you seen this?
This is a snortingly funny quote from a story on Simon Lusk by Andrea Vance on the stuff site, 25/05/2013, when you consider how tight he is with grace-less Slater and in light of the pair’s grace-less, vicious plotting as outlined in the whaledump postings:
Vance: He [Lusk] says he prefers to work for individuals – and only those on the Centre-Right.
“Many on the Left lack grace and I find it hard to deal with people who lack grace.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8717357/Seriously-happy-to-upset-the-status-quo
Ironic Inky. As you say Slater must be the most graceless inhuman bloke around.
Your find shows just how significant Google is.
As someone who’s not a political animal but whose interest has been piqued by the whaledump postings, I’m at a loss when Slater and his cronies refer to people by their initials or first name. I’m sure many others are in the same situation, so that the relevance of a lot of it is lost on me, which obviously defeats the purpose.
If anyone here has an “in” with a mainstream journo, it might be useful if it was pointed out to them that printing a “Whaledump Who’s Who” would help a lot of people understand who and what Slater etc are talking about.
Buy the book, and support one of our fine journalists:
http://www.amazon.com/Dirty-Politics-poisoning-political-environment-ebook/dp/B00MP7GKZU
Why buy it when you can get a free download. Think about it.
… because some of us reward excellence, not just great networkers…
Why bother paying for it when Whaledump will give us the slow drip tease !
and we can watch all the natapologists squirming in vain to spin excuse apologize not then shift the blame
Amidst all the Hagersaga I’m missing Colin Craig- (the boy named Sue)
Christine The earnest and soooo sincere advocate for the nuclear’ family..(insert Tui comment)
Jami Wit= the pillosopher supreme.. (well, you see….the answer is yes and know or maybe no.)
Wotsisname ? the ACTor from Epsom. (‘ Never mind who I am, Just vote for me dummies)
but most of all Jonny Banks the convicted one.(Now if I can just get rid of that Commie sex machine, I could be a super mayor – after I’ve finished my PD)
I’m bored… Hopefully Crosby will have sent John a new parrot mantra by the time I’ve read Nicky’s book by the end of this weekend.
John Key reckons “[MyOffice] am prepared to give evidence on oath” – Snort – Laugh – Out – Loud.
North
I think you mean John Key’s orifice’?
No. Sorry that’s Cameron.
Yes , Tucker advised John Keys orifice..not Key himself.
(must go to bed)
John Key reckons he’s prepared to give evidence on oath. Snort – Laugh – Out – Loud.
John Key:
Key denies video was a contradiction – Election 2014 – NZ Herald News
BFM interviews of party leaders on tertiary education.
http://www.95bfm.co.nz/assets/sm/217365/3/tertiaryedu.mp3
This whole key issue is a non event, barring key has been lazy in his communication. Did he lie who knows, barring he is willing to swear under oath, as are other parties that he did not . This whole business of trying to turn key into a right wing monster is ridiculous. So is the right demonising of Cunliff I believe both men have good of nz at heart but just have different prescriptions of getting their. People either are more predisposed one way or the other. The personality attacks from the likes of the standard, whaleoil are infantile and reflect extremes of both sides and just turn people off.
Solar energy that doesn’t block the view
This is the type of technology that should be getting a priority for government R&D funding simply because we need to replace the use of fossil fuels.
Does this mean that a house could cover all the north facing windows with transparent luminescent solar concentrators and power up the house or in a car etc?
An evolution from solar panels then?
It’s an evolution in directing solar energy onto photo-voltaic cells. I suspect that because the energy so directed would be such a narrow band of electromagnetic spectrum that the cells could also made more efficient as well.
This is interesting. From the whaledump site today:
Cameron Slater, 6/10, 6:38am
haven’t spoken to him
Just got three files of all of labour’s online donations and cc details
Simon Lusk, 6/10, 6:38am
interesting
Cameron Slater, 6/10, 6:38am
from my it support person
only $11k
Simon Lusk, 6/10, 6:39am
they will have the shits with you pretty seriously
Cameron Slater, 6/10, 6:39am
they are fucking broke
its doing my head in on best way to do the story
i thought a post each morning promising a data dump each afternoon
Simon Lusk, 6/10, 6:39am
yes but do a deal with someone too
Cameron Slater, 6/10, 6:39am
then a post dumping data each after noon
Simon Lusk, 6/10, 6:40am
it is worth something
Cameron Slater, 6/10, 6:40am
have to abe a daily
but i want this to drip feed all week
the traffic is going to be masive
Simon Lusk, 6/10, 6:40am
promise to stop
Cameron Slater, 6/10, 6:40am
once i start though they will all have it so maybe not give to a network
Simon Lusk, 6/10, 6:41am
if trev resigns and lets darren have his seat
there are so many cunty plays you can make
Cameron Slater, 6/10, 6:41am
which means the hits will just keep opn flowing
i eant to devastate the cunts
this will make me bigger than nicky hagar
%———————————————————————————————–
Looks like Slugboy paid his IT person $11,000 for the Labour data. Was this for being shown how to access it? He also talks about how much he can make from it. This suggests that it was accessed for financial gain. He thinks it’ll make him being than Nicky Hager. Haha, only in kilograms, you fat fool.
I’m seeing it as more and more likely that he’ll end up behind bars. Great. He’s written often enough about what should happen to prisoners.
I made a GIF: The next meeting of the National caucus
And the hole gets deeper:
My bold.
Hi Draco .. OMG ! such an important post .. wanna re-post today where folks can catch it ? And I think maybe they cd read the end four or five paras and conclusions, then go back into all the details.
So sad for NZ, and so shaming it will be when it call comes out, as surely now it must ?
http://www.lifebuzz.com/rethink/
Rethink Homelessness asked homeless people on the streets of Orlando, Florida, to write down a fact about themselves that other people wouldn’t know just by walking past them.