Point of Order

Written By: - Date published: 4:03 pm, September 29th, 2014 - 61 comments
Categories: uncategorized - Tags:

Trevor Mallard is known for frequent intervention with points of order in Parliament at Question Time. Mind you, I have sometimes felt when watching that he has derailed one of his colleagues who is in the process of asking a carefully constructed forensic set of questions but that is by the by. His latest intervention however notified to the Herald to refuse caucus discipline is out of order.

The whip’s request to caucus members to refrain from expressing their personal views at this early stage of the process is entirely reasonable. No doubt at some time they will all be let off the leash, but right now unity and solidarity is far more important. It is also possible that whoever it is that Trevor wishes to support may prefer if he kept his opinions to himself at the moment – they may not be helpful. Right  now, I think Trevor should consult the caucus rules and maintain the requested  order.

61 comments on “Point of Order ”

  1. Puckish Rogue 1

    The more T. Mallard goes off the better it is for the right but and its a pretty big but I would very much like to see this guy gone

  2. ianmac 2

    Quote,”Trevor Mallard has reportedly sent an email to his fellow MPs saying he would not stay silent on the Labour leadership race.”
    That does sound like another dirty trick. Even if Trevor did send such an email to other MPs, how did it get to the Herald or is it another Slater creation? I wonder.

    • Huginn 2.1

      Has anyone confirmed with him that he sent it to the Herald?

      • ianmac 2.1.1

        The Herald just writes: “Trevor Mallard has reportedly sent an email to his fellow MPs saying he would not stay silent on the Labour leadership race.”….. and
        “Mr Mallard sent an email saying he didn’t want to be gagged by Mr Hipkins, and wanted to tell the public who he backed, RadioLIVE reported.”
        I have heard for a long time that Trevor has been leaking but it seems so unlike him. He is more likely to be upfront, punch you on the nose. Does anyone have any proof of his disloyalty? And don’t give me moas. That was a throwaway line to the audience which was blown up by guess who.

        • Karen 2.1.1.1

          Actually Mallard sent a press release to various media outlets so I think it was a pretty deliberate derailing of Cunliffe’s promotion of the campaign.

          With a bit of luck specials will throw Mallard out of the house. He was once a good MP and an asset to the Labour Party, but these days he seems more interested in mischief making.

  3. Matthew Hooton 3

    But Candidate Cunliffe is giving an interview to Campbell Live tonight. Why shouldn’t Elder Statesman Mallard also give interviews?

    • Paul 3.1

      Still running your smears and innuendoes, Mr Hooton?
      I thought you have sworn to stop the dirty politicking.

      • tc 3.1.1

        Nats comprehensive win can be interpreted as a 3 year ‘extension’ on DP at a minimum so along with DPF and the oily orca it’ll be business as usual.

        As if the last 9 days haven’t made that obvious enough.

        Hagers book actually works as a nice CV for what can be achieved so business is good, real good.

      • Matthew Hooton 3.1.2

        Where’s the smear? What’s the innuendo?

        • Paul 3.1.2.1

          Splitting hairs as ever.
          You’re still playing the dirty politics game and it’s not pretty.
          Once upon a time, many intelligent educated men had a vision of a fairer, more democratic and more enlightened society.
          Now they just pimp for the rich.

          • lurgee 3.1.2.1.1

            I don’t think MH was very involved in the DP thing. He only merited a few references in the index (albeit, one of them being providing information to Cathy Odgers on where Nicky Hager lived). Thats probably why he’s so loudly against it … it suggests he isn’t as important as he’d like everyone to think.

            • tc 3.1.2.1.1.1

              The regular slots with spin and a liberal interpretation of facts are as much a part of DP as the paid for attacks others perform.

              Matthew begun calling for DC’s head on election night and is part of the 2 track strategy, a more publicly saleable one thats all.

            • Tracey 3.1.2.1.1.2

              and yet it mght only be a small mention but he is implicated in assisting someone expressing a desire to harm hager. Speaks volumes.

          • Saarbo 3.1.2.1.2

            Spot on Paul!

        • the pigman 3.1.2.2

          Matthew it was widely reported that the call for discipline in caucus was of the candidates’ colleagues (i.e., don’t form candidate blocs) as opposed to the candidates themselves. The opposite position (that you are trying to fudge as reality) would produce absurd outcomes if the candidates themselves couldn’t promote themselves.

          Now fuck off like you did after Dirty Politics broke. Please.

          • Wayne 3.1.2.2.1

            The attacks on Matthew Hooton, or more accurately the tone of them, is the reason why most centre-right (or right) people no longer comment on this site.

            So it has become the left and hard left talking to themselves and being assured they are right, because they don’t have to consider a view that might be different to their own.

            Nothing wrong with that, people can chose to be in their own enclaves. But it might make it hard to understand why your fellow citizens might have have different views (although it seems that many here consider that such views are not sufficiently rigorous, and therefore don’t count)

            • yeshe 3.1.2.2.1.1

              Wayne .. why, it seems to me you have perfectly described the National cabinet …

              ‘So it has become the left and hard left talking to themselves and being assured they are right, because they don’t have to consider a view that might be different to their own.

              Nothing wrong with that, people can chose to be in their own enclaves. But it might make it hard to understand why your fellow citizens might have have different views (although it seems that many here consider that such views are not sufficiently rigorous, and therefore don’t count)’

            • thatguynz 3.1.2.2.1.2

              That “wooshing” sound you heard Wayne was the “Dirty Politics” justification shooting straight over your head. One would assume from your comment that you don’t believe it really occurred and that Nicky Hager is a “left wing conspiracy theorist”?

            • the pigman 3.1.2.2.1.3

              Hi Wayne,

              Notice you didn’t comment on any of the substance of my response and chose to single in on one “naughty word”. Any comeback to the substance? Yeah, thought not.

              Odious shit-stirring by MH deserves to be called for what it is.

              Thanks for the feedback/further derail,

              pigman.

    • quartz 3.2

      Hey Matthew, are you still getting paid to write pro-tobacco attack posts for Slater to publish under his own name?

      • Matthew Hooton 3.2.1

        never have

        • Morrissey 3.2.1.1

          Matthew Hooton says he’s never written pro-tobacco attack posts for Blubberguts.

          http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120602055423/icarly/images/7/73/Yeah_Right.jpg

          • Gosman 3.2.1.1.1

            I clicked on that expecting to see some sort of documentary evidence of Matthew Hooton working for Tobacco companies but no. Just some BS childish cartoon. Bravo. You won that one Mr/Ms cartoon linker.

            • adam 3.2.1.1.1.1

              Gossy I will give you at least can laugh – and for that I thank you. The rest of you right wingers you just won an election – lighten up a bit ah.

            • Morrissey 3.2.1.1.1.2

              As you know, my links usually are more substantial than that one, which was just for a laugh.

              Have you read The Hollow Men or Dirty Politics? If you have, you will be well aware just how closely involved Hooton is in the vicious attack politics of the National Party, and its corporate sponsors—like British American Tobacco.

              • Paul

                Just challenged gos on this matter on Open Mike.
                I got this response.

                “Is that going to be the left’s response to everything this term – ‘Did you not read Dirty Politics?!?’.

                I don’t believe there was anything in that book that specifically stated the right was trying to get people not to vote. If there was, where were people like Cunliffe then highlighting this fact?”

                So I think the answer is no.

              • lurgee

                Have you read The Hollow Men or Dirty Politics? If you have, you will be well aware just how closely involved Hooton is in the vicious attack politics of the National Party, and its corporate sponsors—like British American Tobacco.

                Er … he doesn’t feature very much in DP. Just five listings in the index. One (p17) the disputed sponsorship of the ‘blog bus.’ The rest is similarly peripheral stuff – jumping up and down on the sidelines, trying to seem important.

                I think ‘was involved’ would the correct, not ‘is involved.’ The unavoidable conclusion is someone whose time has past since his period of slight importance in 2003-4.

                Hell, he’s reduced to commenting here to get people to notice him! How he must hate being irrelevant!

        • Richard 3.2.1.2

          Lying piece of shit too I see.

          • lurgee 3.2.1.2.1

            Some people need to watch what they are saying. If you have proof, present. Otherwise, shut up with the fantasies.

            • the pigman 3.2.1.2.1.1

              I think I can hear his screeching (hooting?) laughter all the way from here… Yes, he is lying, yes he is trying to derail the thread, no he doesn’t genuinely believe the candidates are barred from speaking about their candidacy.

              Breathlessly stupid stuff.

        • logie97 3.2.1.3

          … is this the same Matthew Hooton who at the height of the Dirty Politics discussions on Nine to Noon “just couldn’t believe” John Key’s position on the SIS/OIR – you know the one who said that John Key’s position was untenable – tantamount to calling Key a liar, yet now supports the PM to the hilt, as if nothing ever happened … and now expects us to believe everything he says as gospel.
          Is it the same Matthew?

    • Morrissey 3.3

      Are you still writing attack articles for Blubberguts?

    • adam 3.4

      Back into it I see Matthew, I hope your looking after yourself. Because this game playing seems to bring out demons for you.

      And P.S. – why should you give a stuff about labour? I don’t. It’s not like… oh wait you have some fellow travellers in labour – oh bugger, silly me.

    • Treetop 3.5

      Cunliffe has put his name forward and this entitles him to campaign on the issue. Just like being a member of the Labour party entitles a person to vote for the leader.

    • Tom Gould 3.6

      Simple Matthew, if you bother to pay attention. The Whips have said that candidates for the leadership are free to speak with media. They have asked non-candidate caucus members not to. Let’s know if that’s too tricky for you to get your head around.
      And as for Trevor, better climb down off your high horse, Mike, lest you fall yourself.

    • Vaughan Little 3.7

      Why do you give interviews when you’ve traded in death threats?

      Where the hell is your searching and fearless moral inventory?

      • One Anonymous Bloke 3.7.1

        Well put.

        Hooton would feel much better about himself if he apologised to and compensated all his targets. I can’t see that happening, even in the ashes of the bridges he’s burnt these last few weeks.

  4. greywarbler 4

    @ Matthew H
    I don’t know why Labour bother. Why not funnel all matters through you? The all-knowing.

  5. lurgee 5

    Mallard’s fiendish plot to lose Labour the 2017 election is underway … A ‘deep agent’ of the right, he has been conspiring to bring abut the demise of the left for decades.

    Or so some would have you believe. I tend to think he’s just a loud mouth clown.

    Still, he’s one of the few on the left that has ever managed to rub Slater’s face in it.

  6. Stephen J 6

    Erm, who told the press about the email? Was it Trevor? If so, he deserves a caning. But if it wasn’t, the blame lies elsewhere.

  7. red blooded 7

    Treetop – Fair enough, Cunliffe has every right to speak as a candidate. It’s interesting that people on this site have repeatedly said things about the other declared candidate, Robertson, like that he is “shitting on Party democracy” by speaking to the media, though (see comments in the Between a Rock and a Hard Place line.

  8. ianmac 8

    No one has given evidence that Trevor is disloyal. Funny that.

  9. Saarbo 9

    Mallards actions sum up the heart of the problem for labour…that caucus is an embarrassing mess, Im actually ashamed I campaigned for Labour, Im finding myself apologising to National voters I debated with pre-election.
    Caucus has some talented and clever people including most of Maori MP’s, who hold Labour’s mana up where it should be.
    The fact is David Cunliffe has brains, which is clearly in short supply in the Labour caucus. This whole thing should have been handled so much better.
    One way or another there needs to be a clean-out because if Robinson wins, he’ll be rolled by Nash post election 2017, and so on, and the Labour disaster will continue until they have no fucken supporters left.
    Sadly I have seen some truly talented aspiring Labour MP’s on the list who didn’t make the cut, its tragic for Labour that people like Mallard, Goff, et al are blocking these people out.

    • lurgee 9.1

      What action would that be?

      The article says he ‘reportedly sent an email to his fellow MPs’ – nothing about how the Herald heard of it. There is then some confusion about whether MPs are allowed to discuss the leadership issue with the media, with Hipkins allegedly telling everyone to shut up and Coatsworth saying they could discuss it.

      I don’t see what the Mighty Duck has done (on this occasion) to provoke such ire from so many quarters. Hell, he didn’t even mention extinct fauna!

      I think some people are developing a Pavlovian reaction – whenever they hear the name Mallard, they react with fury.

  10. Sacha 10

    There’s no mallard in team.
    Kick the prat to the kerb.

  11. Not a PS Staffer 11

    When will Standard people learn not to bother engaging with Hooton and Gossman et al. It only encourages them. There is nothing to be gained.

  12. Brian 12

    Why would you do this?

  13. Clean_power 13

    Mallard continues his campaign for one man: Trevor Mallard.
    He knows loyalty to no one, let alone his former leader David Cunliffe.

  14. Richard 14

    I watched parliamentary TV a lot when I was ill. Mallard is worth his weight in gold, when it comes to knowing the rules and in and outs of parliamentary robust debate. He’s pretty damn good. knows the outs well to like how to get out of work by being kicked out. LMAO.

    But all in all he is actually a good debater and skilled at stalling tactics when National were ramming legislation through he warbled on in Moa song for hours. He could bore a dead man to death. A tad more practise, and he’ll put the Nats to sleep and they will miss the vote!

    Not saying he hasn’t made mistakes, but Labour needs his experience. Badly.

    He’s also been targeted by the Herald which shows he has value when they use a ridiculing strategy. They do this because they want him gone, he’s to experienced and holds them up and calls them to account.

    • tc 14.1

      Good points Richard, Trev has been well behaved of late however his rap sheet makes him a target for these tactics but again it shows how owned the MSM are.

    • Blue 14.2

      All the ABC MPs have their good points. They’re experienced old hands with a lot of knowledge and experience. The problem is that their bad points outweigh the good and they haven’t figured this out yet.

      Caucus discipline is a basic of party life. If you can’t get this right, you are a liability no matter what your talents are. It’s that simple.

      If the ABCs had any ability to pull their heads in and behave they could be great assets to the party. The problem is that they have demonstrated time and again that they are incapable of doing this.

  15. J Mex 15

    It’s a weird thing when half of the posters think that Mallard is a useless old has-been, actively trying to sabotage the leader, and the parties chances. While the other half think that Mallard is being targeted by the right wing pet media because of his value to the party and potency in parliament.

    The only thing that is certain, is that paranoia is definitely the winner on the day.

    • ianmac 15.1

      Don’t know J Mex. Is it possible that most of the anti Mallards are Right winged aligned whose job it is to spread rumours in order to take down the stronger Labour MPs? He has always been a thorn in National sides both as an excellent Minister of Ed and an Opposition .

      For example Karen @2.1.1.1 above says: “Actually Mallard sent a press release to various media outlets so I think it was a pretty deliberate derailing of Cunliffe’s promotion of the campaign.”
      Is that so Karen or is it just a stir?

  16. Karen 16

    That was said by one of the Morning Report interviewers at the time when they were attacking Cunliffe for leading an ununified party. It wasn’t denied so I assumed it was true. Sorry, I haven’t got the time to check at the moment.

    I agree that Mallard has an unparalleled knowledge of parliamentary rules and is of great value to Labour in the house. My concern is that he gets bored and starts playing games that are not always in the interest of the party.

    I am not right wing.

  17. Karen 17

    Can’t listen to the audio clips that would back up my claim at the moment but here’s a couple of print pieces that support it.

    http://yournz.org/2014/07/01/cunliffe-tries-to-paper-over-mallard-wisecrack/http://yournz.org/2014/07/01/cunliffe-tries-to-paper-over-mallard-wisecrack/

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11286501

    Cunliffe had just announced the school donations policy and the Wellington congress, with a focus on education policy, was coming up the next weekend. That whole week was taken up with Mallard and the moa.

  18. Bill 18

    “Honest guv, there was no undermining of Cunliffe or fck all over the past year. See – we do this shit all the time. Regardless!”

    And bar the minor detail that nothing will come out of this vacuous ‘rebellion for free speech’ that will in any way damage Beltway Bob…

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

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