Open mike 29/05/2013

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 29th, 2013 - 150 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner).

Step right up to the mike…

150 comments on “Open mike 29/05/2013 ”

  1. Paul 1

    Tracy Watkins asks……How long before Labour asks whether David Shearer is the solution or the problem?http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8728086/Shearers-invisible-cloak-thinning
    Some on the site have been asking this for a while.

    • Matthew Hooton 1.1

      Yes, surely he must go now. The detailed poll results are at http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/8728030/National-leaving-Labour-in-its-wake

      • r0b 1.1.1

        Right wingers bash left wing leader. Should I be surprised?

        Hooton on Shearer:
        http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-20022013/#comment-592184

        Another good poll for David Shearer: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8325609/National-no-longer-a-sure-winner-poll

        Didn’t I always tell you he’d be prime minister? Didn’t I?

        • Matthew Hooton 1.1.1.1

          Yep, I was wrong. But how was anyone to know he would be this hopeless?

          • felix 1.1.1.1.1

            No, you were lying. Just like we all said you were.

            • RedLogix 1.1.1.1.1.1

              No. No-one lies all the time. Shearer is hopeless.

              But by dumping him now the Labour caucus would be hopelessly divided and broken. Just in time for the next election.

              I’m resigned to Key being Prime Minister for two or three more elections.

              • TheContrarian

                Maybe one more, but I doubt two.

                • Colonial Viper

                  There is a reasonable chance on one more term for Slippery (I say this mainly because of the TV debates), but I suspect that Key will want to slit his own wrists before putting up with the pain of a 4th lame duck term in office.

                  However the polls are right – Labour are in with a chance but I believe that chance relies entirely on either Winston, or on the Greens hitting no less than 14% to 15%. One question which no done has answered for me: will Labour be brave enough to include Hone in the next coalition, in Cabinet. Or will they try and hold the radical extreme left maori guy that the middle class thinks is fringe and dangerous, out at arms length.

                  • TheContrarian

                    Shearer is going to need a lot of training if he is to succeed in the debates.
                    Also if the economy doesn’t tank or if power prices remain static then Key will have a ‘told you so’ angle so yeah, a third term is highly possible.

                    My general feeling is the public generally want to change after 9 years, no matter who is in charge which is why I couldn’t see a 4th term IMO.

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      Shearer is going to need a lot of training if he is to succeed in the debates.

                      Sometimes, no amount of training can make up for an innate skill deficit.

                  • Rodel

                    CV
                    Surely the only answer in a democracy is. “We must and will, work with whoever the people vote for..Hone, Winston,……… (gulp).. Banks.

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      Actually, in a democracy, the answer is to let the people decide and not dictate from on high. What we have in our parliamentary system is the latter.

              • Murray Olsen

                Dumping Shearer now is the only sane course of action. The Labour caucus is divided and broken. The sooner the broken parts are swept aside, the better. One of the worst things that I can see happening would be for the present front bench to run the country, which they’d do in much the same way Key is. That would be the death knell of the parliamentary left for a generation. Mana and the Greens are not yet in a position to fully take over and, even though parliament is largely a sideshow, it is a highly visible one.

                They have some inspiring people. Give them a chance. If Cunliffe is on top of a bus talking, at least workers are in the street listening. When Shearer mumbles and makes excuses, who can be bothered listening? What do Mallard and Hipkins stand for except themselves? What do they have to say about the invasion of the Urewera that happened on their watch? Pffft. Let them go. Make them go.

            • One Anonymous Knucklehead 1.1.1.1.1.2

              A Fairfax poll? Would that be the same Fairfax that in September 2011 gave the National Party 54%?

            • David H 1.1.1.1.1.3

              He should rename that trash he calls an article in the NBR to Hootens Horseshit, All the lies that are current!!

          • Socialist Paddy 1.1.1.1.2

            You and all the other righties backed Shearer over Cunliffe from the start of Labour’s leadership campaign. You did this because you were afraid of Cunliffe and you knew the right’s best chance of success was to have Shearer in charge.

            Now when you think it is too late to change you are dumping on Shearer.

            You are so predictable Hooton.

          • Paul 1.1.1.1.3

            Little bit skeptical Mr Hooton.
            I think you always knew he’d be:
            a) hopeless
            b) in favour of the neo-liberal project your puppet masters benefit from.
            Isn’t that why you encouraged him to go for the job at that bbq?
            Labour are in a mess because they have a poor leader.
            Isn’t this what you always wanted?

          • Morrissey 1.1.1.1.4

            Yep, I was wrong. But how was anyone to know he would be this hopeless?

            You were lying, and everyone knows it.

            • McFlock 1.1.1.1.4.1

              Not at all – it’s amazing how the situation has completely turned on its head in only three months.

              • emergency mike

                “Its amazing”

                You mean “I’m amazed” right McFlock?

                • McFlock

                  Everyone is amazed – I’m sure even hoots is amazed how the circumstances have changed so much that he had to completely reverse a weeks-old assessment.

                  Or maybe things have merely altered in their own, gradual way, passing no major threshold or “tipping point” one way or the other, and hoot’s reversal is simply the result of his natural spin cycle. In which case I reckon it does not cause amazement for anyone 🙂

                  • emergency mike

                    Ah so you were being sarcastic about Hooten’s sudden ‘abandon the Shearer ship’ call after months of talking him up on this blog. Fair enough.

      • Morrissey 1.1.2

        A contemptibly cynical stirrer writes….

        Yes, surely he must go now.

        It’s not so long ago you and every other National Party operative in the country was praising Shearer, and lobbying for his appointment as Labour leader as enthusiastically as anybody in his official team.

        There’s a football analogy for this nasty manipulation of the unwitting. Back in 1966 the All Blacks pulled off a similar coup over the management of the touring British Lions. Whenever journalists asked anyone in the All Blacks who impressed them the most in the tourists, they always said “the captain, Campbell-Lamerton”. They made sure to praise Campbell-Lamerton with special fervour and generosity after every test, when the Lions were disconsolately licking their wounds. Of course, anyone with any nous knew that Campbell-Lamerton was not up to the task of playing test football. The All Blacks wanted the Lions to keep selecting him in the test team, where he was repeatedly outclassed, indeed destroyed, by the Meads brothers, Waka Nathan, Kel Tremain and the rest of the formidable NZ pack, as the Lions lost all four tests.

        Maybe someone should appoint you to a football team somewhere, Mr Hooton. After all, you couldn’t possibly be as controversial a choice as the war criminal that came down here in 2005 as the “manager” of the British & Irish Lions.

        • Saarbo 1.1.2.1

          Interesting. Its a very simple strategy and worked well then, has worked well again for National and the right.

        • Matthew Hooton 1.1.2.2

          Rob/Felix/SP/Paul/Morrissey/Saarbo: It wasn’t like that at all. I had no preference of Shearer over Cunliffe until, yes, Shearer turned up to my post-election party and Cunliffe didn’t, after both were invited by – small country we live in – Martyn Bradbury. And Shearer impressed all the politicos there that day – from memory, as well as Martyn and some of his crowd like Phoebe Fletcher, there was Willie & JT, Matt McCarten, Sean Plunket, Fran O’Sullivan, John Pagani, Andrew Campbell from the Greens, Chris Trotter …. So it really wasn’t a right-wing conspiracy (in fact, Slater and Farrar refused to show up in protest that Martyn was invited) . What happened is that we all just thought Shearer would do a good job – “50 million lives vs 50 million dollars” etc – and wrote columns and did radio and TV stuff accordingly.

          There is probably a lesson here – parties should listen to their own members rather than the media talking heads. It would be interesting to look back to 2003, and I think most of the talking heads thought Brash was too dangerous for National and supported the moderate Bill English. In that case, the party membership, especially in the North Island, demanded Brash and the caucus followed (just). And, for all Brash’s awkwardness and ultimate failure, he certainly turned the polls around more than English ever could have (until now it seems thanks to his economic management).

          • Morrissey 1.1.2.2.1

            “the moderate Bill English”

            ?!!!?????!!???

            • Matthew Hooton 1.1.2.2.1.1

              Compared with Brash, English was the moderate candidate in 2003.
              It shows how far National has shifted left under Key that English is now seen as the bold reformer within the government.

              • Pascal's bookie

                Four words missing from your memory there :

                no no brash cash

                It’s no secret why Brash got the nod from caucus.

                • Matthew Hooton

                  The “no brash no cash” speech was never given.

                  • felix

                    Who said anything about a speech? oops.

                    • Matthew Hooton

                      Well, its a line made famous in the Hollow Men. There was a speech written for Brash to give to the caucus that referenced the line and much was made of that, but it was never given by Brash. “No Brash No Cash” was a theme but it was as much about ordinary party members deciding whether or not to go to $40 party fundraisers as the bigger donations.

                    • felix

                      Again, who said it was a speech?

                    • Pascal's bookie

                      Laugh.

                      It was all just a big coincidence and $40 donations that made National flush and caused ACT to have to go selling itself to climate denial loons and the SST mob.

              • Paul

                Key ….left wing ….you must try to stop those porkies Mr Hooton.

              • emergency mike

                “Compared with Brash, English was the moderate candidate”

                Compared with nuclear weapons, cluster bombs aren’t so terrible.

          • mickysavage 1.1.2.2.2

            Come on Hooton you were engaging in sabotage of Cunliffe well before election day. This was calculated on your part and on the part of Farrar et al. I bet you even had a media strategy behind it.

            There is a lesson here. The left should never, ever follow your advice. In fact the left should most of the time do the exact opposite.

            But don’t think that you have succeeded. This Government is that appalling that there is this grim determination on the part of the left to get rid of it. And this will happen whoever the leader of the Labour Party is, be it Shearer, Cunliffe, Robertson or anyone else.

            • One Anonymous Knucklehead 1.1.2.2.2.1

              +1

            • felix 1.1.2.2.2.2

              “The left should never, ever follow your advice. In fact the left should most of the time do the exact opposite.”

              No mickey. the left should take no regard. Frankly I wouldn’t even let him comment here. What good can it possibly serve to invite a vampire into your house?

              • Pascal's bookie

                +1. The man is a worthless blight on the discourse. Active poison to the demos, etc.

                • Matthew Hooton

                  You should raise this matter with lprent. He may or may not agree that the discourse here would be improved without alternative views.

                  • Pascal's bookie

                    I was talking about here Hooton, but in the nation in general.

                    And I’m not saying you should be silenced, I’m saying people would be wise to discount your views to zero. You add nothing of value to anyone’s understanding because you are a bullshit artist.

                    You are an unreliable narrator in the novel of life, as it were.

                  • emergency mike

                    The way I understand it alternative views are welcome here, but tr0lls get banned.

                  • lprent

                    He may or may not agree that the discourse here would be improved without alternative views.

                    We (as in the site) like people who can express their own clear opinions with intelligence, articulation, and support when they rely on specific facts.

                    We tend to restrict the mindlessly repetitive, those who can’t express a clear opinion or assert facts without support, and those who are needlessly argumentative. That is because they tend to add nothing to the debate apart from boring the crap out of me us.

                    Both you and Pascal’s Bookie do it pretty well in all of the important criteria. Of course none of those things mean that we have to be particularly polite to each other. I never try for that lofty standard myself, I usually just go for the mutually exclusive (with politeness) objective of clarity.

              • halfcrown

                “Frankly I wouldn’t even let him comment here. What good can it possibly serve to invite a vampire into your house?”

                Got to disagree with you there Felix. I like to see him here, spouting his lying bullshit This way it can get dissected and revealed for what it is, and answered. Otherwise he will regurgitate (throw up, spew) his right wing crap on radio where he does his utmost to talk down any opposition, or write in the pathetic excuses we have as newspapers, We need good opposing arguments to his crap, otherwise he and his mates from the right will start to believe the crap he expounds that this is how the real world should work.

            • James 1.1.2.2.2.3

              I laugh that you guys think Farrar, Slater, Hooten etc have such a huge impact on who ended up leader of labour – and your your own members cannot make the same impact.

              cracks me up.

          • felix 1.1.2.2.3

            Who said anything about Cunliffe, Matthew? Gave the game away with that comment mate.

            No, the truth is you backed Shearer because he was a mug, knowing that later you could attack him for being a mug.

            It was obvious then, it’s obvious now, we all said all along that this is exactly what you would do, and you fooled no-one.

            (Except the Labour hierarchy and front bench of course, but hey…)

            • Matthew Hooton 1.1.2.2.3.1

              Mickey/Felix/One Anon: No, that’s not the truth. That is your constructed view of reality.

              • And now you are taking the piss Matthew.

                Can I urge everyone to take steps to prevent Hooton’s lot from remaining in power because the future of your country depends on it.

                If you want to join the Labour Party go to http://www.labour.org.nz/join

                If you want to donate go to http://www.labour.org.nz/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=8

                If you want to join the Greens go to https://my.greens.org.nz/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=17

                And if you want to donate go to https://my.greens.org.nz/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=19

                • Matthew Hooton

                  Don’t understand what you are trying to say?? Are you really saying there was a right-wing conspiracy, led by or at least involving me and also people like Chris Trotter, to impose Shearer as Labour leader because he was known to be hopeless??? I wish the NZ right was that good!

                  • felix

                    Why are you trying to make out that conspiracies are required?

                    You backed Shearer because he’s a lemon. And now you’re attacking him because he’s a lemon.

                    Where’s the conspiracy?

                    • Matthew Hooton

                      No, I backed him (and many others did) because I thought he would make a great leader and prime minister. Now I have learned he is a lemon and I (and many others) were totally wrong. This is embarrassing and Mickey is right – don’t take my advice on Labour’s leader ever again! I am not close enough to the individuals to make a good assessment (although I did get to work with Cunliffe over the carpark tax issue and found he was much better to deal with and switched on than I had thought).

                    • felix

                      The more you say it the more ridiculous it sounds.

                      Keep talking.

                    • BLiP

                      Amusing, and, at the same time, annoying, isn’t it? Watching Hooten’s lies spill out so easily is the fun part, but the Aaron Gilmore level of arrogance in thinking he will get away with is, oh, I dunno, just aggravating.

                    • felix

                      Yeah, he’s just smart enough to be devious but still dumb enough to let his ego get the better of him and tell everyone what he’s up to.

                    • emergency mike

                      Ladies and germs, one of New Zealand’s elite rightwing spin geniuses political commentators, Matthew “No Spin Here” Hooten.

                      Why don’t you just accept that your credibility here is zero? No one swallowed your weak concern tr0ll shit before, why do you think we’ll suddenly give you the benefit of the doubt?

                      I recommend a story for you call ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ it’s a good one. It’s about a boy who thinks it’s funny to fool people, until nobody believes anything he says. Usually it’s to help small children grasp this point, but you’re a big boy who can’t figure it out.

                      Maybe try logging in under a different name so you can commence bagging Shearer more freely? How about ‘Mud’?

              • One Anonymous Knucklehead

                Whatever Matthew. Our amateur view of reality is nothing compared to the one you’ve been paid to construct.

              • Pascal's bookie

                Like you give a flying fuck about the truth Hoots.

            • Matthew Hooton 1.1.2.2.3.2

              Felix, I mentioned Cunliffe because those are the two Labour MPs Martyn invited to my party because they had appeared on the iPredict TV show in the week or so before the election. That’s why Tim Groser was invited too – I think he did the iPredict show the Friday before the election. This really was just a party, hosted by me and Busted Blonde, to drink the Veuve Clicquot she had won from the NBR (which reminds me, Ellen Read from the NBR, now Fairfax, was also there, which led to Shearer getting good coverage in the NBR over the following week or so – not that that would have mattered much. Also, while Farrar and Slater boycotted the party on political grounds, Cactus Kate showed up for reasons discussed in the previous sentence). You would do better understanding political developments if you look Freud’s advice – sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

              • don’t you righties know as/call shearer ‘the insurance-policy’..?

                phillip ure..

              • felix

                Matthew you protest too much.

                No-one cares about your party or your mates. You’ve done exactly what everyone said you would do, more or less to the day.

                A cigar is just a cigar indeed.

          • ak 1.1.2.2.4

            Brash…. he certainly turned the polls around

            Nup. Blatant and deliberate racist hatemongering did that: aided, abetted, planned and delivered by the very same clique that delivered and now fetes this latest poll.

            A poll of 863 by landline with an undisclosed several thousand who refused to participate.

            Lets panic. Until the next Roy Morgan. Yawn.

            • Colonial Viper 1.1.2.2.4.1

              Next Roy Morgan will be released in 24 hours or so. You won’t have long to wait. Big bounce back up for Labour to 35% or 36% you reckon?

          • Saarbo 1.1.2.2.5

            Well if you are right Matthew, and the Labour leader was chosen mainly because he was endorsed by a number of commentators at a piss up, it pretty much explains why the decision has turned out to be a major fuck up for Labour.

            • Matthew Hooton 1.1.2.2.5.2

              yes, that is my theory

              • Clockie

                If this is the way politics and by extension public policy gets done in this country, then I spit on the lot of you. Political operators are a pack of contemptible lizard brained psychopaths.

                • emergency mike

                  The interesting thing about psychopaths is that they have the ability to choose to believe their own lies. That’s what makes them such good liars. They also genuinely believe they are doing nothing wrong.

      • freedom 1.1.3

        No mention of a margin of error, wow what a surprise.
        No mention of the methods of polling, wow what a surprise.
        And of course, no mention of the actual questions asked.

        How can you defend the publication of fraudulent statistics?

        oh that’s right, you are paid to.

        • James 1.1.3.1

          and the other two polls this week that also showed labour looking poorly ????

          rouges as well?

          • bad12 1.1.3.1.1

            Yes we know, it just makes us all want to not vote for Labour or the Green Party’s in 2014,

            Snigger, the Slippery slope National are now on is known to the present Government best illustrated by the Slippery Prime Minister brushing crumbs off of the Tory table of over abundance in the direction of kiwi kids that do not have the income directed at them so as to guarantee their nutritional needs…

            • James 1.1.3.1.1.1

              Shows just how one-eyed and blind you are. The poll results hardly point to a slipery slope for national and to think it does just beggars belief.

              Makes you sound more like a cult than a rational person.

              • bad12

                Rational??? who me ??? around these parts i am known as anything but rational, cult doesn’t quite ascribe a correct descriptive either,

                But enough about ‘i’, the fact that you base your view of the electoral cycle on polling data that has continually in the face of reality loudly proclaimed to all and sundry that National have the numbers to ‘govern alone’ makes yours the voice of the rational does it ???,

                Any Government that bounces up and down 4 whole % points between polls barely a month apart is in my opinion on the Slippery slope, Slippery the PM of course also knows this and He is operating with the added bonus of a damned sight better data source than little old ‘i’ can manage, (which of course is why the Shyster has managed to swallow such a large dead rat and pretend to unveil a comprehensive ‘food in schools program’,

                i do of course except you critique of the one eyed nature of my political view which extends as far as holding a belief that the National Government’s suffered by this country are usually made up of well practiced liars and in some cases outright scum,

                Perhaps you would care to post a comment, any comment, which would tend to offer a re-education to me changing my overall view of the present National Government, at the least you will be providing the readers with a much needed dose of mirth at the effort…

          • freedom 1.1.3.1.2

            James, who mentioned rogues?

            All I stated are simple facts. The polls are fraudulently represented statistics and have repeatedly been published as such for about two years now.

            Not including the statement of methodology and the margin of error are deliberate exclusions that skew any data they purport to represent.

            • James 1.1.3.1.2.1

              “All I stated are simple facts. The polls are fraudulently represented statistics and have repeatedly been published as such for about two years now.”

              says it all really. Everyone is against us. Its a conspiracy of all the polling companies.

              Not simply facts – more the rantings of somebody who has lost the plot.

              • freedom

                Polls have a margin of error, Y or N ?
                Has this margin of error been reported, Y or N ?

                Polls have a methodology of data collection Y or N ?
                Has this methodology been reported Y or N ?

                are you a pavlovian reactionary with the comprehension skills of an innebriated mollusc
                Y or N ?

                p.s. I made no such accusation of conspiracy against the polling companies as they are not the vehicle with which the information was made public. I merely stated that the basics of poll data reporting i.e: margin of error and method are no longer reported to the public. I am convinced both of those items would have been supplied to the publishers and it is the news services themselves that decided to publish the polls sans that particular information.

              • McFlock

                jeez, james – even hoots thinks the polls are biased…

      • weka 1.1.4

        Is Hooten not yanking on the collective Open Mike chain today?

        • bad12 1.1.4.1

          Gee i thought you meant the other anking word beginning with the letter W…

    • Saarbo 1.2

      I also noticed that Mike Williams (on nine to noon on Monday) was rather negative on Shearer, up to now he has been one of his strong supporters. I expect to see more of Shearers supporters squirming away from him as his poll rating and performance continues to languish. The unfortunate thing is it is probably too late to change leaders now, whoever takes over will be accepting a hospital pass.

      If Labour don’t win in 2014 there needs to be a serious cleanout of deadwood. And you don’t have to be a politics graduate to realise that Labour has a very low chance of winning with Shearer as Leader.

      What a crappy but predictable situation Labour has found itself in!

      • Olwyn 1.2.1

        It is not too late provided that a change of leader also means a genuine change of tactics, but it is far too late for another round of “let’s put in x and urge everyone to love x,” especially when the people doing the urging have diminished credibility. However, the longer they fail to rattle National from the opposition benches, the more confident National becomes and the more ground they lose.

      • just saying 1.2.2

        I’ve had a quick look up the page, and I haven’t seen anyone else question this.
        In the highly unlikely event of the leadership challenge against Shearer, does the membership get a vote?
        I only ask because the Labour caucus does tend to feverishly enslave itself to the will of the MSM, and the MSM does seem to be actively on the hunt for a new scalp….. and Shearer does seem to be the one they ‘prepared earlier’, so to (cooking show) speak…..

        Wouldn’t it be ironic if the only reason that the Labour Leadership would be willing to buck the msm was that doing so might allow the rest of the membership to participate democratically.

        • Olwyn 1.2.2.1

          Well, if Tracey Watkins and Matthew Hooton are now questioning Shearer’s leadership, so much for pandering to the media. I am not sure about the rules of voting in the case of a leadership challenge. With the vote of confidence, Shearer needed at least 40% support and did manage to get it, arguably helped by Hipkins being included among the vote-counters. If he had not got that level of support the vote would have gone to the members. Given that, in the absence of a resignation, it would take over 50% against him to end his leadership, you would think that the members would get to vote, but I am not sure that is so.

    • Red Rosa 1.3

      +1

    • Shearer will be breathing a big sigh of relief at the latest Roy Morgan. National down to 41%, Labour up to 35% and the Greens on 12% …

      Of course what the reality is is something that we can only speculate on.

      http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/new-zealand-voting-intention-may29-201305290604

      [lprent: charts – still not happy with the GCR.
      Amidst all of the random spiking and slumping, Labour has a slight trend upwards. National has a stronger long-term trend downwards. At present with the usual fortune shifts towards the election, I suspect that Winston would be the decider. I wonder how Key will like the replaying of those 2008 statements about Winston? Of course the National caucus could just dump Key and put in someone without that baggage…

      BTW: National should sack Brownlee as I suspect that his mishandling of Christchurch is not helping them. Of course I personally hope that they do not. He is so useful at educating Christchurch residents on National party attitudes.. ]


  2. Morrissey 2

    LIARS OF OUR TIME
    No. 15: Donald Rumsfeld

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
    “I did not lie… Colin Powell did not lie.”

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    —-U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, speaking in Atlanta, Friday May 5, 2006.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1FTmuhynaw



    * * * * Coming soon: Look for our Matthew Hooton feature! * * * *

    See also….
    No. 14: Colin Powell: “a post-9/11 nexus between Iraq and terrorist organizations…connections are now emerging…”
    No.13: Barack Obama: “Simply put, these strikes have saved lives.”
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27052013/#comment-638881
    No. 12: U.K. Ministry of Defence: “Protecting the Afghan civilian population is one of ISAF and the UK’s top priorities.”
    No. 11: Brendan O’Connor: “Australia’s approach to refugees is compassionate and generous.”
    No. 10: Boris Johnson: “Londoners have… the best police in the world to look after us and keep us safe.”
    No. 9: NewstalkZB PR dept: “News you NEED! Fast, fair, accurate!”
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-21052013/#comment-635850 No. 8: Simon Bridges: “I don’t mean to duck the question” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-20052013/#comment-635343

    No. 7: Nigel Morrison: “Quite frankly, they’ve been VERY tough.”
    
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15052013/#comment-633295
    
No. 6: NZ Herald PR dept: “Congratulations—you’re reading New Zealand’s best newspaper.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13052013/#comment-632598
    
No. 5: Rawdon Christie: “…a FORMIDABLE replacement, it seems, is Claudette Hauiti.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13052013/#comment-632594

    No. 4: Willie and J.T.: “The X-Factor. Nah, nah, there’s some GREAT talent there!”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-06052013/#comment-628803

    No. 3: John Key: “Yeah we hold MPs to a higher standard.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-06052013/#comment-628703
    
No. 2: Colin Craig: “Oh, I have a GREAT sense of humour.” (TV3 News, 24 April 2013) http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-25042013/#comment-624381
    
No. 1: Barack Obama: “Margaret Thatcher was one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”
    
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19042013/#comment-621738

    • Paul 2.1

      Yes please make your series more contemporary.
      Focusing on Messrs Hooton, Farrar and Slater would be a more relevant area today.

      • Morrissey 2.1.1

        Yes please make your series more contemporary.
        Focusing on Messrs Hooton, Farrar and Slater would be a more relevant area today.

        Fair point, Paul. I was going to put up a choice lie from Hooton—there are so many to choose from—but I had to put in the Rumsfeld thing to reinforce yesterday’s Colin Powell obscenity. The Powell-Rumsfeld lies were always a twofer, and work most effectively when they are put together like that. They’re funnier (in a black kind of way) when they’re back to back.

        Hooton will keep, as will Michelle Boag and Bill English….

  3. Jenny 3

    Colin Espiner on ‘Feed The Kids’

    Mana Party leader Hone Harawira, who came up with the original idea, has criticised the Government’s scheme because it involves the private sector. He claims that while corporates may be prepared to bankroll the programme now, they could walk away if times got tough.

    First, big ups to Harawira for essentially railroading the Government into adopting his idea. It’s an unfortunate political reality that governments of all hues pinch the best ideas opposition parties come up with. It would have been a nice gesture if Key could have used Harawira in the programme in some way (and who knows, the pair may yet need each other).

    But Harawira can rest assured that Fonterra and Sanitarium are not going to walk away from this scheme for all the milk powder in China. You can’t buy better publicity for your brand than umpteen thousand grateful children chowing down on the sponsor’s product each morning.

    And even if they did pull the pin, the Government would simply cast around for a new sponsor, which isn’t going to be hard to find given the nature of the cause.

    In my opinion Espiner is wrong in thinking;“It’s an unfortunate political reality that governments of all hues pinch the best ideas opposition parties come up with.”

    Harawira actively lobbied all parties to take up his idea.

    (Though not as comprehensive as what he sought he has achieved a hell of a lot for a party pretty much isolated with only one MP. And he can count this as a success, and hungry children who would not be fed will now will be.)

    When political parties refuse to forward good solutions to pressing problems facing their constituents and the country, because they fear their opponents will take them, then you know that they are being run by sectarian careerists who put their narrow sectarian interests before helping solve society’s most pressing problems.

    I hope I never again hear such an argument put forward for keeping a political party’s policies under wraps.

    You may say that there are other reasons why politicians, oft time argue not announce their party’s policies to the last minute. But what are they? Is it because they have none? Is it because they have none that are different to their erstwhile opponents? Is it because they have policies that are so close to their opponent’s policies, that they need to ambush their members and supporters at the last minute?

    The other reason of course is to limit democratic discussion within a political party to just a few at the top, asking their membership to take them on trust.

    When a political party says that they are holding off their policy announcements until closer to the election then you know that they have seriously lost their way.

    • Pascal's bookie 3.1

      Exactly. Parties are policy delivery devices, no more.

      When a party that is normally useless to you, is ‘stealing’ policies from a party that usually delivers what you want, it’s a win.

  4. Paul 4

    Hone Harawira just on RNZ actually sounding like a real opposition when talking about this governments priorities on spending. Maybe Shearer and the Labour Party could listen to that interview.
    It’s called standing up for the people.

    • harawira was also good on tv3 this morn..

      ..well worth the watch..

      ..phillip ure..

    • Olwyn 4.2

      I agree, he was clear, forthright and did not pull his punches.

      • prism 4.2.1

        Olwyn+1 and his swearing was appropriate if there was any. Certainly the message was most memorable and had the punch of an unwavering and sincere politician committed to NZ people, and particularly Maori and the low-income.

  5. you most probably won’t get this from the mainstream media..

    ..but colorado has just become the first place in the world to sign into law a legalised/regulated/taxed pot-regime for adults..

    ..so there is our blueprint of how to do it..eh..?

    ..apparantly they are so onto it..the regulators are able to track from seed to end-product..

    ..phillip ure

  6. Winston Smith 6

    Must suck to be a Labour supporter right now (not as bad for the Greens) but don’t worry about the polls I’m sure they’re not indicitive of the massive groundswell of support building for Labour under the astute stewardship of David Shearer…at this rate Labour will be back in power by 2020 🙂

    • BLiP 6.1

      Interesting poll, that Reid one. Of course, the sample is too small to justify your confidence but did you see that most National Ltd™ voters were in favour of the NZ Power solution to being rorted by the corporates? There’s a skerrick of hope for youse yet. Psychologically, I mean.

    • You actually put your reasoning on one poll a year out from election day? National doesn’t have that great a lead, and all these polls always write off NZ First and Mana, even though they have a strong following in their own way. I doubt even National’s inner circle believe you can know who will most likely win, till the months or weeks before election day.

    • bad12 6.3

      Snigger, we really really believe it when we are told constantly by the polls that National have enough support to govern alone,

      We all know this has to be true because for the past two election cycles the polls have been telling us this,

      There is of course only one small problem with that which in abbreviated terminology says, ”they didn’t and they still haven’t”

      Minus 1 or 2% in November 2014 and it’s haere ra National and who cares who the leader of the Labour Party is if He or She supports the stopping of the electricity rort with things like NZPower and intends to support a guaranteed living wage for ALL workers…

      • kiwicommie 6.3.1

        Minus 1 or 2% in November 2014 and it’s haere ra National and who cares who the leader of the Labour Party is if He or She supports the stopping of the electricity rort with things like NZPower and intends to support a guaranteed living wage for ALL workers…

        Well most of Europe right now has weak coalition governments (especially Germany – where NZ took it’s MMP system from), Australia really is no different, and the US is very much divided. It is doubtful that even if National wins again, it would have anything but a weak coalition, it can’t break international trends. 😉

    • Paul 6.4

      Have you got anything better to do than trolling for comments?
      Constructive debate and discussion, maybe…

  7. Colonial Viper 7

    Peter Jackson takes to skies in $80M style

    So good to know that NZ tax payers money went to a good cause. Also, how about sparing an extra pittance or three so that NZ workers can have union protection just like the actors you hire from Australia and USA? Or in fact, just like you have yourself?

    The very definition of “rich prick”.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/celebrities/8728148/Jackson-takes-to-skies-in-80m-style

    • Tim 7.1

      Well well. There’s a lesson for us all in that possums – something we can all ASPIRE to aye? (not)

      • Colonial Viper 7.1.1

        An economy for the elite that we can all expire to

        • Winston Smith 7.1.1.1

          Yes keep on attacking Sir Peter Jackson because its worked so well in the past.

          • lprent 7.1.1.1.1

            …keep on attacking Sir Peter Jackson…

            Because he is a manipulative arsehole. What was your point?

            We aren’t politicians. We have sufficient rejects from real life for that task (you look quite good as a potential National candidate BTW). What happens here is that we express our opinions. And occasionally in my moderator role I’ll squash some cretinous fuckwit like yourself (see that is an opinion) who wants to insinuate that the site or the commentators are a political organisation.

            This is a “gentle” warning..

            • Winston Smith 7.1.1.1.1.1

              I insinuated nothing, I said “keep attacking Sir Peter Jackson because its worked so well in the past” because this blog has had numerous attempts at smearing Sir Peter Jackson…as a rich prick, anti-union, lackey of Warner Bros etc etc

              Nothing to do with this site or the commentators being a political organisation or otherwise

              Bit touchy at the moment…

              • One Anonymous Knucklehead

                “…this blog has…”

                Sigh, and 😆

                • lprent

                  Yeah, this winston has a problem with individualism. Seems like one of those conformist totalitarian dickheads to me… Obviously every author and commentator is “The Standard” – including himself.

                  After all he reads like just about every other right wing troll to me. Dispose of one and another duplicate pops up like a head at a fair’s shooting gallery with the same lame assertions about computer programs having opinions.

                  At least this one tries to reply and even attempts the difficult art of arguing rather than doing crapping an assertion and then immediately leave (like an incontinent poodle moving down a street).

                  • McFlock

                    So, basically, he read the book and thought it was all about communism, so figured he would use the name as a pseudonym in his valiant, solitary struggle against the left.

                    • lprent

                      Yeah. Of course as with many of the Orwellian novels it is often hard to figure out which brand of totalitarian conformist nutters he was parodying. He was after all a democratic socialist* with a distinct dislike of all brands of conformist totalitarianism.

                      But it is clear that if that was where he got his name from and why he took it, then he clearly hasn’t read to the end of the book. After the rat room the fictional Winston Smith become just another blob staring adoringly at the image of his leader with an inability to think. Just like this one I suspect…..

                      * A stream of political thought that encourages individualism – far more so than the daft conformity of the libertarians with their obsessive theology of toy collection. Or for that matter or almost any other political philosophy I have seen. Even the anarchists have this strange obsession at having to all agree (conformity) or they’ll dissolve into complete societies of one. The democratic socialist acceptance and even promotion of eccentricity amongst groups has always been a wonder to behold. And most importantly it fosters agreeing to disagree….

              • bad12

                Yes you got something right, the anti union antics of the Warner Bros lackey have been well documented here and elsewhere…

              • Draco T Bastard

                Arsehole Peter Jackson smeared himself with his lies. All that happened on this blog was that those lies were pointed out.

                • Tim

                  Indeed he did. But you know what’s more depressing? !!!!
                  It’s when someone (with a history of someone struggling in the industry, and having sampled the lowliest of the low – including serious jailtime as a result of Sth American totalitarian juntas) becomes so SO immune to the plight of ‘the film-maker’s community’ (i.e. his peers). That Petey isn’t such a bad bloke after all – AYE?.
                  I’m not exactly sure what the Paekak dak delivers – but it’s obviously pretty potent.

                • Winston Smith

                  Thats Sir Peter Jackson to the likes of you

                  • McFlock

                    Fucktard McSellout, more likely. Not everyone immediately cums at the thought of someone who bought a tin-plate title off a used currency salesman.

                  • Draco T Bastard

                    Nope. If I was to even use the title “sir” (not going to happen because I’m not a brown noser like yourself) to someone it would be to someone I respect. I don’t respect liars.

                    • Morrissey

                      “Sir” Graham Henry is another notorious liar.

                      Watch for him in my series Liars of Our Time….

    • millsy 7.2

      Jackson is yesterday’s news.

      Game of Thrones is a much better watch than his dragged out travelogues.

      Season 3 was more anticipated in this household than the Hobbit was, and it will be the same for season 4.

      Movies are dead. High end TV series with a guaranteed pay TV audience are the future.

  8. Pascal's bookie 8

    lol.

    Peters asks Dunne (during an unrelated committee meeting) if it was him what leaked the Kitteridge report. Cue arguments about whether the question is in order or whatever nevermind Dunne ends up confirming that he’s been spoken to as part of the investigation into who leaked ouch. *laughs*

  9. Adrian 9

    With a few exceptions most forget ( or don’t want to acknowledge ) that poll proportions are a % of those who didn’t say fuck off( not of the general population. Therefore 45% may well be only 45% of 18-20% of those with a landline. That should leave at least 70% to be influenced by good policy and if that policy is telegraphed too early pale imitations or window-dressed versions of it will be stolen, and thats why we have a ( albeit better than nothing ) half-arsed ” Breakfast in Schools” programme.
    On Shearer/ Cuniliffe, be careful not to buy in and feed the MSM’s castigation of DS, if DC was leader the arseholes would be in paroxysms of red-baiting and thunderous editorials of communist takeovers and I’m sure that that buck-toothed idiot Gower would even come in his pants on a live cross to the Beehive over some concocted Stalinist bullshit.
    Remember Hooten et al are just doing what they are paid for.

  10. tracey 10

    Level the playing field for solar power in New Zealand!

    As an investor in a NZ solar company, I was shocked to discover that a careless change in the rules – requiring solar companies to use a particular inverter technology that hasn’t even been invented yet – could come into force any day now and stop our solar industry dead in its tracks. If this were the fossil fuel lobby, would we ever have to worry about something like this?

    Solar panels are not just a green technology, they’re also a great financial investment for New Zealand homes and businesses and a potentially huge source of economic growth. We should be pulling out all the stops to help the solar industry develop, not putting one obstacle after another in its path. Even John Key called for reducing “the Pacific region’s reliance on expensive fossil fuels for electricity” a few weeks ago.

    New Zealand has almost unlimited potential to generate clean energy from the sun. That’s why I’m calling on regulators — who have been asleep at the wheel — to roll up their sleeves and level the playing field for solar energy by creating a clear, nationally-enforced standard; reducing the soft costs for installing solar; and creating a nationwide financing scheme and easy way for people to sell back their extra solar power production with a net-metering law. These measures would give so many more people access to this smart, environmentally beneficial investment! Please add your name and tell all your friends, and I’ll make sure the law-drafters get our message loud and clear.

    Join us! Click below to sign the petition and forward to everyone:

    http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Save_New_Zealands_solar_industry_from_accidental_death/?bhNKcdb&v=25172

    With hope,

    Iain, Michelle, Scott and the whole Avaaz team

    PS: This petition was started by an Avaaz member on our Community Petitions site. It’s quick and easy to start a petition on any issue you care about, click here: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/start_a_petition/?bgMYedb&v=25121

    • muzza 10.1

      If people think that the (from the earth) fuel companies, will take solar heating lying down, I would be very surprised.

      The oil/banking cartel own the politicians, and are not going anywhere, as long as they can drill it from the earth!

      The other problem to deal with for the solar energy proponents, is that of global dimming, and the impact of geo-engineering on the amount of suns rays reaching the planets surface!

  11. Draco T Bastard 11

    More cronyism from National:

    Former National MP Jackie Blue formally submitted her interest in a top government job more than a month after the closing date, documents show.

    The documents also show that in a briefing dated November 1, the Justice Ministry identified eight candidates. The paper recommended Collins indicate which candidates she wanted to have interviewed. Collins did not sign the paper.

    So, firstly the applicant didn’t apply in time and then the minister didn’t accept the candidates until she had the one she wanted in the list.

  12. lprent 12

    The database server (and therefore the site) will be offline for a period late tonight.

    I need to adjust some of the settings and that will require it to be offline for up to 20 minutes.

  13. vto 13

    unexpected earthquake observation # 432

    The Great Earth Monster shivers in the snow…

  14. Morrissey 14

    S.S. thugs still getting free air time on public radio
    Will Kyle Chapman be next?

    Nine to Noon, Radio NZ National, Wednesday 29 May 2013
    Host: Lynn Freeman

    First item up on Nine to Noon this morning was an interesting and learned discussion about the insane “Three Strikes” legislation. The guests were Hastings barrister Eric Forster and Victoria University criminology professor John Pratt. In contrast to many of the blowhards, maniacs and hypocrites who usually get air time on this issue, both of these men are learned and serious scholars of the law; both of them condemned the Three Strikes legislation as “insane”, and the consequence of a small number of ignorant politicians who believed in “magical thinking” being given a totally disproportionate amount of power. This discussion ended about 9:40 a.m.

    Just over two hours later, host Lynn Freeman felt compelled to read out a long and belligerent email in favour of Three Strikes. This email was written by the disgraced, discredited convicted grave-robber, doctor-assaulter, serial sexual harasser, former ACT MP, and S.S. man David Garrett. Poor old Lynn Freeman, who I know detests and despises David Garrett and his evil organization, read the email in a tone of obvious distress, as well as distaste.

    Then, incredibly, a few minutes later, just before the end of the programme, she read ANOTHER urgent email from the bowels of Hell. This time it was from the Grand Wizard of the S.S. himself, Garth “The Knife” McVicar. In contrast to the rabid David Garrett, the Grand Wizard’s email was written in a tone of wounded disappointment; the two experts, he whined, were “well known opponents of the legislation”. The entirely false display of emotion by this creep rendered that email even more offensive and insulting than Garrett’s.

    Surely, if any organization has thoroughly discredited itself and should not be indulged in any way, it is this vicious and hypocritical bunch of gangsters. I know that there is not one person at Radio New Zealand who feels anything other than loathing for the S.S. Trust and for David Garrett and Garth “The Knife” McVicar. Yet here we were, this morning, forced to listen to the thoroughly unedifying phenomenon of a fine broadcaster being forced to read out crass emails from not just one, but TWO personae non grata.

    I have no doubt that the receptionsists at Radio NZ National suffered a deluge of coordinated abuse, through telephone calls and emails, for the two hours before those two emails were read out.

    I wonder who made the decision to cave in to their hectoring; I know that it was not the journalists.

    • Grumpy 14.1

      Sometimes, sunshine, I worry about you……..

      • Morrissey 14.1.1

        Sometimes, sunshine, I worry about you……..

        Thanks, buddy! I’m feeling the love.

    • Where are the ‘three strikes’ against ‘white collar’ crime and ‘white collar’ criminals?

      Penny Bright

      • Morrissey 14.2.1

        Where are the ‘three strikes’ against ‘white collar’ crime and ‘white collar’ criminals?

        For them, it’s three chances.

        Or, to use corporate-speak, three OPPORTUNITIES.

        Or more, if they need them.

    • millsy 14.3

      Everytime I think of the SS Trust, I think of a bunch of hooded people standing round a lynched brown person.

      • Morrissey 14.3.1

        Everytime I think of the SS Trust, I think of a bunch of hooded people standing round a lynched brown person.

        Entirely understandable, millsy, but in reality it’s a bunch of intolerant people sitting in a radio studio (NewstalkZB) pouring scorn and abuse on a lynched brown person in South Auckland, and ridiculing his family. That’s what they did, day in, day out, session after session, hour after hour in 2008 and 2009, and still occasionally do whenever somebody mentions the word “tagger”.

    • Dv 14.4

      Wait until a two strikes offender kills a victum because he cant get his skateboard. What a fuss that will cause.

      I thought the most compelling argument was that those on 2 strikes dont really have the moral judgemnt needed to ‘obey’ the law.

      • Morrissey 14.4.1

        Something called “Dv” tried, unwisely, to be clever….

        Wait until a two strikes offender kills a victum because he cant [sic] get his skateboard.

        What possible precedent do you have to suggest such a scenario?

        What a fuss that will cause.

        Nonsense. Your dull fantasy lacks even the slightest plausibility.

        I thought the most compelling argument was that those on 2 strikes dont really have the moral judgemnt needed to ‘obey’ the law.

        Nor, as recent events have reinforced, do the people in the top echelons of the New Zealand police. And, as shown by their failures in Afghanistan, neither do the top brass in the New Zealand Defence Force.

        No doubt you will be calling for these people to be sent to jail for fifteen to twenty years. Or do you get ALL your opinions directly from talk radio?

  15. Tim 15

    Am I correct in believing that a third guest (aside from Eric Forster and John Pratt) was invited to participate, but declined?
    The ‘trickle down’ effect does work! – at least at RNZ.

    • Morrissey 15.1

      Am I correct in believing that a third guest (aside from Eric Forster and John Pratt) was invited to participate, but declined?

      Possibly that awful Ruth Money, who I see has become the main spokesghoul for the S.S. Trust.

      The ‘trickle down’ effect does work! – at least at RNZ.

      This comment has me intrigued. Could you explain what you mean?

  16. The DEFENDANT – ‘dodgy’ John Banks is back in the Auckland District Court, (Albert St) Thursday 30 May 2013.

    As I understand it – this case will be stood down until 11.45am, because Private Prosecutor Graham McCready will not be able to attend before that time.

    It is my intention to have banners up outside the Court from 11am.

    Do come along if you are able! 🙂

    Being FINALLY held accountable in a Court of Law – has been a VERY long time coming for the DEFENDANT John Banks.

    The BIG question is – how come Prime Minister John Key has not yet stood down as Minister, the DEFENDANT, Minister of Regulatory Reform, Minister of Small Business, Associate Minister of Education and Associate Minister of Commerce – ACT MP for Epsom – the arguably ‘Not-So-Honorable’ John Banks?

    Former National MP Aaron Gilmore, was effectively forced to leave Parliament, yet he never faced charges in Court, unlike the DEFENDANT John Banks!

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201165223716343&set=p.10201165223716343&type=1&theater

    Penny Bright
    ‘Anti-corruption/ anti-privatisation’ campaigner

    2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    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.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-28T17:29:55+00:00