The National Party has raked in more than seven times more in donations than Labour since the start of 2021, raising concerns our political donation rules are tilted towards those with the deepest pockets.
The donation figures tell the story, the parasite class are terrified of a wealth tax–“it burnses usss…” but seem to have enough loot sloshing around to fund Natzos/Act/NZ First in the 2023 election campaign, for rather obvious reasons.
Even Chris Hipkins tried referring in a veiled way to capital flight when questioned on TVNZ last night on a wealth tax and free dental that have increasing support–up to 70%–from all sides of the political spectrum.
The Greens and TPM are fronting up well now, and NZ Labour needs to join them in informing voters what they are in for. If NACTfirst as PsyclingLeft succinctly puts it, attain office, working class people are going to lose a lot more than free prescriptions.
I am pleased Labour's last call to members has passed the goal set, and shows members and the public are beginning to recognise what is at stake. Most raised in six years. $413 000 in 4 days. $5 to $5000 put up by members, doubled by supporters. So we are growing a fighting fund which is open to further donations.
We should stop "buying into" National's "They have done nothing", and list the real meaningful gains for people. There are many. Start lauding the progress made in spite of the opposition, who have already "walked back" support they offered formerly.
The constant comparison of Aotearoa NZ with Aussie.
They have assets we don't, but they also have some huge issues with collapsing big businesses, growing unemployment, falling house prices, wilder weather, and wild fires are already a worry with the change in weather patterns. Plus pests at higher levels. Pest plagues actually.
I have family in three states. They have family renting and paying in excess of $700+ a week for houses. Granted pay levels are better, but not that much better as at one point a cauliflower was $13.00
They are now entering the "contracted/part time" unprotected work in many places, as businesses shed staff and then take people on in a temporary way.
If you are injured at work, you have to rely on insurances to help you.
They do have more sunshine hours, but more roads showing flood signs 2meters+.
We are more community minded, and admire Ed Hillary for his humanitarian work in Nepal, rather than the glitz of New York, a place many Australians aspire to visit.
My grand niece was shocked at the rows of tents housing homeless in New York city. Dislocation and hardship caused by covid is everywhere. A huge change from her prior visit a few years previously.
We are told this is a disorganised bad government. Really? They have managed six+ major crises while bringing forward changes.
Not at the speed we had hoped, and at greater debt levels than we hoped, but they have kept employment high, tried to improve work conditions and pay, provide the services in a world competing for skilled people.
In a pandemic which has now settled to infecting 4 to 5 thousand each week and hospitalising 200 odd and killing 12 to 20 we complain about the "inefficiency" of our hospital systems, as we have longer waits for other procedures and treatments.
Our systems strained but never broke under the load. We have been fortunate, but to hear National and a few of our own you could be led to believe it is "all bad"
Come on the Left, donate and believe we can do even better, because becoming despondent means they win as our voters fail to get out and vote. What we want fixed won’t be fixed by National and Act.
Excellent comment, Patricia. Hubby and I have a monthly automatic payment set up to donate to Labour, but we have scraped up an extra $100 following the email from Helen Clark and I'm delighted the plea for funds has brought in some much needed funding for the campaign – heaven only knows it is sorely needed. In the immortal words of Fred Dagg – 'we don't know how lucky we are', which reminds me of the campaign when Bill Rowling was running for PM – there was a TV advert where he ran into Fred Dagg, they had a short conversation and if I recall, Fred finished up with those words. Sadly – Rob's mob won the day.
Sometimes I wonder if I am shouting at the moon! But like you I donate fortnightly, and because I have a modest pension from 21 years of saving ( GSF )
I am able to give fortnightly, and Norm agreed twice to $500 gifts for their funds. I am awaiting a board in front of our place, but guess Hayden got busy.
The money that Paula Bennett has raised for National is so over the top, it is like they are trying to buy the election.
If we don't win we still need a strong opposition, but by working together we may pull this off. Every dollar counts.
Thank you for your kind words. Let us hope our PM's daughter is out of hospital soon and he can campaign.
The Greens and TPM are fronting up well now, and NZ Labour needs to join them in informing voters what they are in for.
And therein lies a major problem – one that I have banged on about for years:
Labour over-estimates the ability of the public in general to see through the sycophantic NActoids who suck up to the big money boys and girls at the expense of the rest of us. Add to that a noisy, dishonest bunch of tabloid journos who are more than happy to enable them because they know some of the spoils will trickle down to them by way of perks and positions.
Labour are way too timid when it comes to stepping up and calling them out at every opportunity. That includes the tabloid rats. Too late now. The government of chaos meme is fully entrenched.
Being nice and kind does not cut it in a political climate like we have now. The old truism 'fight fire with fire' is as true today as it ever was.
PS. Anyone who was part of the political scene in the Muldoon days will know what I am talking about. He rode roughshod over his 'enemies' and few had the guts to stand up to him. He brought the country to the brink of bankruptcy and paved the way for neo-liberalism.
Was thinking just yesterday what my retirement might have looked like if the super scheme he killed off would have looked like after 35 years of working life so far.
The government put a loaded gun to it's head when during the pandemic it did the most unforgiveable thing in contemporary neoliberal capitalism – it briefly prioritised the public good over private profit and became hugely popular as a result. Such contagion of the proper order of things had to be stopped, and all it took after that was for big money to come along and pull the trigger.
Agree AB, for a glorious few months Public Health was put ahead of Capital accumulation. In retrospect also Robbo should have ensured COVID payments were made direct via IRD rather than through employers, but hey, too late now.
They worked around that by having he bright-line test going to 5, then 10 years and the end of mortgage cost deduction against rent income for existing property. This to incentivise sale of rental property and to collect some bright-line test CG tax revenue – and move the landlord capital into new builds to increase supply.
That issue had moved onto either an estate tax or a wealth tax (2/3rd of nations have an estate tax and some have a CG that includes the family homes of the wealthy elite).
Yes indeed, also death duties could be renovated into something that will work better. I think part of the reason it fell into disfavour in the past was that the levels were not regularly reviewed.
I personally think all but say very small estates under say $5000 (might be too low) could be caught, then a low percentage or several flat rates until it got to levels such as the Labour Government was thinking of using in its wealth tax ideas.
Treasury estimates reckoned the wealth tax would have hit about 25,000 people – the top 0.5 per cent of New Zealanders. Their total wealth reckoned to be $300b, or 26 per cent of the total wealth held by New Zealanders.
Dead right, they gambled on luxon's buffoonery to see them through so decided holding the line was the best bet after realising the surprising level of support Hipkins had after Ardern's departure. What they didn't gamble on were ministers getting up-ended following the handy work of the right's black ops, which made quick work of their strategy to sit tight and has made them look like not only a shell of a party with no policies, but a shell of a party with stupid policies. The rest will be history…
The latest coverage (Newshub, Herald and now Stuff) on the new visa for migrant workers.
Immigration New Zealand staff have been warning their managers for a year that the under-fire Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) system has major flaws and is a recipe for migrant exploitation – but were ignored.
They, Nats, may have wanted to clear the lists of the last of the types of creeps like those who made Hon Clare Curran's political life a misery.
Michael Woodhouse presents a divisive figure and thinking Nats, and there are some, probably thought someone like MW was no longer wanted on the journey.
I think it's more that he's been a list-only MP since 2008, and had several ministerial portfolios (Immigration, Police, etc.) without exactly setting the world on fire – either in Government or in Opposition.
I expect that there was a feeling that it was time for him to move on, and leave the more winnable list places to new talent.
However, if that was the case, I don't feel that it was handled at all well by the National Party and leadership. An honest conversation over his chances of Ministerial roles (should National/ACT win the election), giving him the chance to bow out gracefully – would have been a far better outcome for everyone concerned.
However, if that was the case, I don't feel that it was handled at all well by the National Party and leadership. An honest conversation over his chances of Ministerial roles (should National/ACT win the election), giving him the chance to bow out gracefully – would have been a far better outcome for everyone concerned.
Yes there is alot to be said for good manners and kindness and thinking of the feelings of others. I was deeply affected by seeing how hurt a health sector board chair was when he got no letter of thanks let alone one that said he was not going to be re-appointed. His appointment was thought by the Nats to be a political appointment, it wasn't, and that was the rationale apparently for no reappointment and no letter of thanks.
They need to try harder. Chris Bishop Tobacco and Barbara Kuriger who used her position to try to influence a court case against her son for animal cruelty.
"Elaine Naidu Franz, who was ACT's candidate for Rangitata and ranked 29th on its list, resigned after 1 News questioned ACT about her comments comparing vaccine mandates to Nazi concentration camps."
It took no time at all to discover what ACT candidates really believe, once they came under scrutiny.
Unfortunately, the free ride for Seymour's followers has gone on far too long, with the media finally waking up only weeks from an election. It was always obvious who ACT were attracting from the fringes.
The extraordinary lack of curiosity about the alternative government has been worse than in any previous MMP election campaign. Vote "Other" but don't ask who they are and what they stand for. And if Labour/Greens point this out … they are called "negative"!
It's a weird way for a democracy to function. Don't ask, don't tell.
A Curia-Taxpayers Union electorate poll, then the Taxpayer Union hosts a candidates debate. With The Platform (Wright family) show hosts as MC and debate moderator.
It could have been worse, with ZB show hosts and Cameron Slater there (with Simon Lusk and Jason Ede) I suppose.
We're now up to 3 ACT candidates who have either been dumped or had to apologise for their recent past. That's in just one day, who's next?
It's not an investigation by Woodward and Bernstein. These people have been caught simply by looking at the internet. David Seymour has only one job – to be in charge of his party. So let's get him to run a Ministry, he won't make any mistakes at all.
So let's get him to run a Ministry, he won't make any mistakes at all.
I some how doubt you could rely on that……there are ever so many more people in a Ministry he could blame.
But seriously, he must be about the worst at the sustained bad mouthing of the entire Public Service over his entire time in Parliament and it will take some big boy pants wearing to be able to make a transition to being a Minister should this horrible prospect arise.
Who ever said that the Labour Government couldn't get anything done?
At the last moment they introduced 286 pages of amendments to a 300 page ill and then whipped them through the house. Apart from the Minister answering questions during the Committee stages the only contribution from the Government appears to have been regular contributions from the Junior whip wanting to put the question so that all debate could be stopped.
The Bill was the Water Services Legislation. What a bloody shambles. Even the Green and Maori Parties seem to be embarrassed. They didn't contribute to the debate but they at least voted against the bulldozing going on.
The reporter's Editor thought he was an idiot and so he proved to be. Meanwhile, are you impressed with Chippies’ demonstration of what he thinks is a preferable alternative to Democracy?
When someone starts a story with the following statement I know exactly what he is saying, and what he suggests the Editor meant.
"When the editor asked for an Idiot’s Guide to Three Waters I suspected nothing, naively. “You’d be perfect,” she said, with what might have been a smirk."
Who is willing to step up and explain what a fantastic Finance Minister Robbo has been? A $35 billion dollar mistake (or hole if you prefer). What is a word for a very, very, very big hole? Whatever it is it is what Labour are leaving New Zealand in.
This is even more spectacular than the stinking mess Palmer and Clark left us in when they got the boot.
Yes technically true. He was Prime Minister for 60 days and saved them a fair number of seats. Gosh, Labour could help their cause by dumping Hipkins tomorrow and they might save some of their MPs.
Let's face it. Labour left the country in the shit in 1990. The did just the same thing in 2008 and are leaving an even worse situation this year.
Nationals cutting the prescriptions for free or for several million New Zealanders or 1,000 people get very expensive treatment just like John Key did in the 2008 election but by 2017 Keys National Government cut healthfunding by more than 20% to give tax cuts to the rich.Nationals tough on Crime same story National under Key cut police numbers by 20% plus for tax cuts for the wealthy.National can't help themselves conning enough poor people so they can make the already rich richer hoarding property money and resources.Dickensian days are here to stay.National put just enough on the table to tug the heart strings.while free prescriptions help millions tens of thousands avoiding complications over loading hospitals getting their medications.
Police NZ data shows actual police numbers rose between 2008 and 2016, during which time Ms Collins served two distinct periods as police minister.
When police numbers are described as an officer to resident ratio, they show an improvement during Ms Collins’ first period as police minister (from 1/519 in 2008, to 1/507 in 2011).
However, during Ms Collins’ second run as police minister, population growth in NZ largely outstripped the growth in police numbers (1/514 in 2015 to 1/526 in 2016). This is also true when you compare police to resident ratios for 2008 to the same data for 2016.
This means NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is only correct to say police numbers fell under Judith Collins when those figures are expressed as police per head of population.
Somewhat False – The claim has a problem or inaccuracy but it does contain a significant element or elements of truth.
* AAP FactCheck is accredited by the Poynter Institute’s International Fact-Checking Network, which promotes best practice through a stringent and transparent Code of Principles. https://aap.com.au/
There are many things that Tricledrown could have said that would have been correct. He could have said that Gang numbers had risen markedly during the Ardern/Hipkins led Government for example.
What he did say was that "National under Key cut police numbers by 20%".
That statement was, as I showed, simply not true. Trying to demonstrate that some other statement that he might have said, but didn't, could have been true doesn't somehow miraculously make this false statement true.
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
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Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Asia Pacific Report A score of Palestine solidarity protesters draped themselves in white shrouds with mock blood in a sombre “die-in” demonstration at Te Komitanga Square — the heart of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city — today as speakers urged people to take a stronger boycott against Israeli products. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tackling violence against women will be the sole agenda item for a national cabinet meeting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has convened for Wednesday. The meeting, held remotely, follows thousands of Australians attending rallies across ...
The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Our, and IMO, NZ's enemy… are being hugely funded by our enemies.
Very similar to when MMP was first promulgated….the uber rich were very vocal against, and put huge resource into stopping it.
To me, we must get all who dont want NActfrst in "power", to vote..and get like minds to vote.
For NZ's Future.
The donation figures tell the story, the parasite class are terrified of a wealth tax–“it burnses usss…” but seem to have enough loot sloshing around to fund Natzos/Act/NZ First in the 2023 election campaign, for rather obvious reasons.
Even Chris Hipkins tried referring in a veiled way to capital flight when questioned on TVNZ last night on a wealth tax and free dental that have increasing support–up to 70%–from all sides of the political spectrum.
The Greens and TPM are fronting up well now, and NZ Labour needs to join them in informing voters what they are in for. If NACTfirst as PsyclingLeft succinctly puts it, attain office, working class people are going to lose a lot more than free prescriptions.
I am pleased Labour's last call to members has passed the goal set, and shows members and the public are beginning to recognise what is at stake. Most raised in six years. $413 000 in 4 days. $5 to $5000 put up by members, doubled by supporters. So we are growing a fighting fund which is open to further donations.
We should stop "buying into" National's "They have done nothing", and list the real meaningful gains for people. There are many. Start lauding the progress made in spite of the opposition, who have already "walked back" support they offered formerly.
The constant comparison of Aotearoa NZ with Aussie.
They have assets we don't, but they also have some huge issues with collapsing big businesses, growing unemployment, falling house prices, wilder weather, and wild fires are already a worry with the change in weather patterns. Plus pests at higher levels. Pest plagues actually.
I have family in three states. They have family renting and paying in excess of $700+ a week for houses. Granted pay levels are better, but not that much better as at one point a cauliflower was $13.00
They are now entering the "contracted/part time" unprotected work in many places, as businesses shed staff and then take people on in a temporary way.
If you are injured at work, you have to rely on insurances to help you.
They do have more sunshine hours, but more roads showing flood signs 2meters+.
We are more community minded, and admire Ed Hillary for his humanitarian work in Nepal, rather than the glitz of New York, a place many Australians aspire to visit.
My grand niece was shocked at the rows of tents housing homeless in New York city. Dislocation and hardship caused by covid is everywhere. A huge change from her prior visit a few years previously.
We are told this is a disorganised bad government. Really? They have managed six+ major crises while bringing forward changes.
Not at the speed we had hoped, and at greater debt levels than we hoped, but they have kept employment high, tried to improve work conditions and pay, provide the services in a world competing for skilled people.
In a pandemic which has now settled to infecting 4 to 5 thousand each week and hospitalising 200 odd and killing 12 to 20 we complain about the "inefficiency" of our hospital systems, as we have longer waits for other procedures and treatments.
Our systems strained but never broke under the load. We have been fortunate, but to hear National and a few of our own you could be led to believe it is "all bad"
Come on the Left, donate and believe we can do even better, because becoming despondent means they win as our voters fail to get out and vote. What we want fixed won’t be fixed by National and Act.
Excellent comment, Patricia. Hubby and I have a monthly automatic payment set up to donate to Labour, but we have scraped up an extra $100 following the email from Helen Clark and I'm delighted the plea for funds has brought in some much needed funding for the campaign – heaven only knows it is sorely needed. In the immortal words of Fred Dagg – 'we don't know how lucky we are', which reminds me of the campaign when Bill Rowling was running for PM – there was a TV advert where he ran into Fred Dagg, they had a short conversation and if I recall, Fred finished up with those words. Sadly – Rob's mob won the day.
Thanks Jilly Bee and Hubby.
Sometimes I wonder if I am shouting at the moon! But like you I donate fortnightly, and because I have a modest pension from 21 years of saving ( GSF )
I am able to give fortnightly, and Norm agreed twice to $500 gifts for their funds. I am awaiting a board in front of our place, but guess Hayden got busy.
The money that Paula Bennett has raised for National is so over the top, it is like they are trying to buy the election.
If we don't win we still need a strong opposition, but by working together we may pull this off. Every dollar counts.
Thank you for your kind words. Let us hope our PM's daughter is out of hospital soon and he can campaign.
And therein lies a major problem – one that I have banged on about for years:
Labour over-estimates the ability of the public in general to see through the sycophantic NActoids who suck up to the big money boys and girls at the expense of the rest of us. Add to that a noisy, dishonest bunch of tabloid journos who are more than happy to enable them because they know some of the spoils will trickle down to them by way of perks and positions.
Labour are way too timid when it comes to stepping up and calling them out at every opportunity. That includes the tabloid rats. Too late now. The government of chaos meme is fully entrenched.
Being nice and kind does not cut it in a political climate like we have now. The old truism 'fight fire with fire' is as true today as it ever was.
PS. Anyone who was part of the political scene in the Muldoon days will know what I am talking about. He rode roughshod over his 'enemies' and few had the guts to stand up to him. He brought the country to the brink of bankruptcy and paved the way for neo-liberalism.
Was thinking just yesterday what my retirement might have looked like if the super scheme he killed off would have looked like after 35 years of working life so far.
The government put a loaded gun to it's head when during the pandemic it did the most unforgiveable thing in contemporary neoliberal capitalism – it briefly prioritised the public good over private profit and became hugely popular as a result. Such contagion of the proper order of things had to be stopped, and all it took after that was for big money to come along and pull the trigger.
Agree AB, for a glorious few months Public Health was put ahead of Capital accumulation. In retrospect also Robbo should have ensured COVID payments were made direct via IRD rather than through employers, but hey, too late now.
What's Labour's excuse for no CGT?
The so called transformational Govt's deeds did not match their words.
When people are looking for meat and potato policy,they come up with no GST on fresh/frozen fruit and veges and restricting vape shops to 600!
Underwhelming strategy and a squandering of political capital that has defeat staring them in the face.
The Capt and his call is sinking beneath the deep,blue …sea.
That call was earlier made by Ardern.
They worked around that by having he bright-line test going to 5, then 10 years and the end of mortgage cost deduction against rent income for existing property. This to incentivise sale of rental property and to collect some bright-line test CG tax revenue – and move the landlord capital into new builds to increase supply.
That issue had moved onto either an estate tax or a wealth tax (2/3rd of nations have an estate tax and some have a CG that includes the family homes of the wealthy elite).
You can always vote Green.
https://thestandard.org.nz/fifteen-green-mps-or-more/
There is now no combination of Parliament that will support a Capital Gains Tax.
Time to let it go.
Agree. if we need new or different targetted taxes we need to be thinking of taxes other than a weath tax or CGT.
Land tax is simplest albeit still requiring some nuance.
Yes indeed, also death duties could be renovated into something that will work better. I think part of the reason it fell into disfavour in the past was that the levels were not regularly reviewed.
I personally think all but say very small estates under say $5000 (might be too low) could be caught, then a low percentage or several flat rates until it got to levels such as the Labour Government was thinking of using in its wealth tax ideas.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/election-2023-chris-hipkins-confirms-he-killed-wealth-tax-capital-gains-tax-in-budget/LZNZMSBEBNEQFHUSJKP4637TIA/
https://www.treasury.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2023-07/b23-tax-4796987.pdf
Because everyone knows the Greens will just roll over and do what the blue-reds say?
Shaw has said clearly that the cross benches are an option this election and that Labour can't take the Greens' support for granted.
Dead right, they gambled on luxon's buffoonery to see them through so decided holding the line was the best bet after realising the surprising level of support Hipkins had after Ardern's departure. What they didn't gamble on were ministers getting up-ended following the handy work of the right's black ops, which made quick work of their strategy to sit tight and has made them look like not only a shell of a party with no policies, but a shell of a party with stupid policies. The rest will be history…
The latest coverage (Newshub, Herald and now Stuff) on the new visa for migrant workers.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/132784074/the-system-is-f-immigration-staff-say-bosses-knew-visa-system-didnt-work-and-ignored-it
Origin
New Minister Wood July 2022 (Faafoi retired in June)
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/applications-now-open-new-work-visa-holders-offshore
Policy declared May 2022
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/fully-open-border-and-immigration-changes-speed-economic-growth
Nat MP Woodhouse denies….
Earlier..
They, Nats, may have wanted to clear the lists of the last of the types of creeps like those who made Hon Clare Curran's political life a misery.
Michael Woodhouse presents a divisive figure and thinking Nats, and there are some, probably thought someone like MW was no longer wanted on the journey.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/07/ex-national-mp-apologises-for-savage-attacks-on-outgoing-labour-mp-clare-curran.html
Something about that guy always gave me the creeps, glad he's going.
I think it's more that he's been a list-only MP since 2008, and had several ministerial portfolios (Immigration, Police, etc.) without exactly setting the world on fire – either in Government or in Opposition.
I expect that there was a feeling that it was time for him to move on, and leave the more winnable list places to new talent.
However, if that was the case, I don't feel that it was handled at all well by the National Party and leadership. An honest conversation over his chances of Ministerial roles (should National/ACT win the election), giving him the chance to bow out gracefully – would have been a far better outcome for everyone concerned.
Yes there is alot to be said for good manners and kindness and thinking of the feelings of others. I was deeply affected by seeing how hurt a health sector board chair was when he got no letter of thanks let alone one that said he was not going to be re-appointed. His appointment was thought by the Nats to be a political appointment, it wasn't, and that was the rationale apparently for no reappointment and no letter of thanks.
Good manners and thanks costs nothing.
They need to try harder. Chris Bishop Tobacco and Barbara Kuriger who used her position to try to influence a court case against her son for animal cruelty.
On yer bike moran:
"Elaine Naidu Franz, who was ACT's candidate for Rangitata and ranked 29th on its list, resigned after 1 News questioned ACT about her comments comparing vaccine mandates to Nazi concentration camps."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300955677/nz-election-2023-live-act-candidate-quits-after-comparing-vaccine-mandates-to-concentration-camps
It took no time at all to discover what ACT candidates really believe, once they came under scrutiny.
Unfortunately, the free ride for Seymour's followers has gone on far too long, with the media finally waking up only weeks from an election. It was always obvious who ACT were attracting from the fringes.
The extraordinary lack of curiosity about the alternative government has been worse than in any previous MMP election campaign. Vote "Other" but don't ask who they are and what they stand for. And if Labour/Greens point this out … they are called "negative"!
It's a weird way for a democracy to function. Don't ask, don't tell.
Sssssh Labour is the stupidest, stupidest, dumbest thicky thicky Blackadder!
Oh well any nutter candidates that ACT kick out will likely find open arms in New Zealand First.
Creating news for mainstream media to report.
A Curia-Taxpayers Union electorate poll, then the Taxpayer Union hosts a candidates debate. With The Platform (Wright family) show hosts as MC and debate moderator.
It could have been worse, with ZB show hosts and Cameron Slater there (with Simon Lusk and Jason Ede) I suppose.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300955583/national-leads-polling-in-bellwether-napier-but-23-per-cent-of-voters-undecided
It surprises me with not many people posting this close to the election looks like the left are giving up.
No Tricledrown, the young are working out door knocking fund raising putting up signs.
We're now up to 3 ACT candidates who have either been dumped or had to apologise for their recent past. That's in just one day, who's next?
It's not an investigation by Woodward and Bernstein. These people have been caught simply by looking at the internet. David Seymour has only one job – to be in charge of his party. So let's get him to run a Ministry, he won't make any mistakes at all.
I some how doubt you could rely on that……there are ever so many more people in a Ministry he could blame.
But seriously, he must be about the worst at the sustained bad mouthing of the entire Public Service over his entire time in Parliament and it will take some big boy pants wearing to be able to make a transition to being a Minister should this horrible prospect arise.
Who ever said that the Labour Government couldn't get anything done?
At the last moment they introduced 286 pages of amendments to a 300 page ill and then whipped them through the house. Apart from the Minister answering questions during the Committee stages the only contribution from the Government appears to have been regular contributions from the Junior whip wanting to put the question so that all debate could be stopped.
The Bill was the Water Services Legislation. What a bloody shambles. Even the Green and Maori Parties seem to be embarrassed. They didn't contribute to the debate but they at least voted against the bulldozing going on.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansDeb_20230822_20230823_02
Maybe KN can have another go.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-government/300439606/three-waters-an-idiots-guide-to-the-massive-water-fight
Well the first couple of lines were accurate.
The reporter's Editor thought he was an idiot and so he proved to be. Meanwhile, are you impressed with Chippies’ demonstration of what he thinks is a preferable alternative to Democracy?
Classless misunderstanding of the term “idiots guide” – maybe he needed to dumb it down a tad further … to reach all of the target audience.
When someone starts a story with the following statement I know exactly what he is saying, and what he suggests the Editor meant.
"When the editor asked for an Idiot’s Guide to Three Waters I suspected nothing, naively. “You’d be perfect,” she said, with what might have been a smirk."
This article is paywalled I'm afraid but the headline says it all really. The story says billion, not pc by the way.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/government-expected-to-borrow-35pc-more-than-planned-eight-months-ago/VNDWOLXR6VD7DPFHJW7A3LATPQ/
Who is willing to step up and explain what a fantastic Finance Minister Robbo has been? A $35 billion dollar mistake (or hole if you prefer). What is a word for a very, very, very big hole? Whatever it is it is what Labour are leaving New Zealand in.
This is even more spectacular than the stinking mess Palmer and Clark left us in when they got the boot.
Moore led Labour into the 1990 election.
Afterward Richardson slashed benefits – crisis crisis. Then removed estate tax – what crisis …
Clark led Labour into the 2008 election.
Afterward National said they could not afford their promised tax cuts without increasing GST, so they increased GST.
"Moore led Labour into the 1990 election."
Yes technically true. He was Prime Minister for 60 days and saved them a fair number of seats. Gosh, Labour could help their cause by dumping Hipkins tomorrow and they might save some of their MPs.
Let's face it. Labour left the country in the shit in 1990. The did just the same thing in 2008 and are leaving an even worse situation this year.
Nationals cutting the prescriptions for free or for several million New Zealanders or 1,000 people get very expensive treatment just like John Key did in the 2008 election but by 2017 Keys National Government cut healthfunding by more than 20% to give tax cuts to the rich.Nationals tough on Crime same story National under Key cut police numbers by 20% plus for tax cuts for the wealthy.National can't help themselves conning enough poor people so they can make the already rich richer hoarding property money and resources.Dickensian days are here to stay.National put just enough on the table to tug the heart strings.while free prescriptions help millions tens of thousands avoiding complications over loading hospitals getting their medications.
"National under Key cut police numbers by 20%"
That statement is total rubbish. The Police numbers did not drop during the time that Key was PM. You are simply making that statement up.
Here are the police numbers each year for the bulk of Key's time as PM. It is on page 125 of this document.
https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/annual-report-2016-2017.pdf
"Lies, damned lies, and statistics"
https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/nz-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-says-police-numbers-declined-under-nationals-leader/
There are many things that Tricledrown could have said that would have been correct. He could have said that Gang numbers had risen markedly during the Ardern/Hipkins led Government for example.
What he did say was that "National under Key cut police numbers by 20%".
That statement was, as I showed, simply not true. Trying to demonstrate that some other statement that he might have said, but didn't, could have been true doesn't somehow miraculously make this false statement true.