RadioLive confirms PM’s hour an election programme

Written By: - Date published: 2:46 pm, February 21st, 2012 - 46 comments
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RadioLive asked “Did the PM’s hour influence your vote?” on its website last Friday. Billy the Kid commented:

It was my first election. I heard Key and thought he sounded pretty cool so yeah I voted for him.

All it takes is one. That confirms it was an election programme and Radio Live broke the law.The Broadcasting Act prohibits election programmes broadcast before writ day whether paid or not. It is a serious breach; the maximum penalty is a fine of $100,000.

Key was also very involved in organising the programme – he personally selected the guests. So was his office – they suggested to Radio Live at the last minute that the station get an opinion from the Electoral Commission as to whether the programme was legitimate, and helped draft the wording.

Having seen the Commission’s warning to be extremely careful in playing such a programme, one of Key’s office staff commented that the Commission had indicated the responsibility for any breach lay with the broadcaster, “which was useful”. That’s pretty grubby, letting someone else take the rap.

46 comments on “RadioLive confirms PM’s hour an election programme ”

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  1. tc 1
    21 February 2012 at 3:09 pm

    the nats break the rules but get someone else to take the blame and any financial penalty is already been sorted via that interest free taxpayer loan…..a familiar theme.

    No wonder Joyce has that evil smirk, it’s all too easy really. Next step dispute the ruling or throw something under a bus as a diversion….better still trevwatch may offer up something.

  2. Sweetd 2
    21 February 2012 at 3:10 pm

    “RadioLive asked “Did the PM’s hour influence your vote?” on its website last Friday. Billy the Kid commented:

    It was my first election. I heard Key and thought he sounded pretty cool so yeah I voted for him.

    All it takes is one. That confirms it was an election programme and Radio Live broke the law.”

    Prove it. The case will be laughed out of the court room.

    • Kaplan 2.1
      21 February 2012 at 3:49 pm

      I doubt they’d laugh anywhere near as hard as people laugh at someone who things the PM’s hour was “non-political”

    • muzza 2.2
      21 February 2012 at 4:01 pm

      So you’re cool with the country being lied to blatantly, and the country being sold off in the receivership sale, because that s what it is!

      Are you happy about that?

      • Blue 2.2.1
        21 February 2012 at 4:09 pm

        Labour stole $800,000 then changed the law to make it legal are you “cool” with that?

        • Frank 2.2.1.1
          21 February 2012 at 4:14 pm

          Rightwing Response #1: Blame/deflect to Labour.

        • muzza 2.2.1.2
          21 February 2012 at 4:17 pm

          NO – I have said it enough times on here before that I am not a party voter. I dont like being lied to , or seeing , hearing the country being lied to , so it can be stolen, by anyone!

          Do you not understand that the NZ government/parliament is nothing more that a theatrical puppet show?

          The simple 2 dimensional thinking, is why we are in the mess we are in!

        • mik e 2.2.1.3
          22 February 2012 at 7:11 pm

          They paid all the money back after getting approval from parliamentary services.
          Labour paid for it in the 2008 election. Labour had to counter
          Nationals Hollow Men
          John Pinochio Key
          Borrowing Bills English
          Don the dirty dinosaur Brash
          Block of wood Smith
          Matthew Hootten king of right wing spin.
          Otherwise Known as the elusive bretheren !

  3. Adrian 3
    21 February 2012 at 3:51 pm

    ” Laughed out of the courtroom ” ?. What to make room for Key and National facing Election Fraud charges. Hang the bastards.

  4. Blue 4
    21 February 2012 at 4:08 pm

    Maybe National could do what Labour did when they STOLE $800,000 to fund their election campaign and retrospectively change the law, I’m sure all the lefties here would agree that it was a simple solution that Labour went for, and could easily be used again.

    • MikeG 4.1
      21 February 2012 at 4:45 pm

      Hey Blue, have you forgotten about how National ‘forgot’ to pay the GST for their broadcasting and so broke the rules. Did they pay that back?

    • mickysavage 4.2
      21 February 2012 at 8:08 pm

      Fuckwit.

      Labour used $800k of an appropriation for communicating with electors to do exactly that.

      It had all the tick offs.  The Auditor General thought different and ruled against it.

      Labour paid it back.

      Aint no theft.  But no doubt you will gather up all your slogans and throw them back at me again.  And hope we ignore what does appear to be a clear breach by Johnny boy. 

      • Blue 4.2.1
        22 February 2012 at 3:40 pm

        Right back at you fuckwit, it was stolen and they got caught, and they knew it. no manner of rewriting history will change that. they appropriated funds and used them for electioneering, theft, pure and simple. Key got busted but didn’t steal money. Huge difference. HOW CAN YOU BE SO OBTUSE?

        • r0b 4.2.1.1
          22 February 2012 at 5:02 pm

          While you’re ranting about long ago elections, nothing was “stolen”, unless the Nats, and ACT, and The Greens (Rod Donald, who wrote the rules), and every other party (except The Progressive Party) were stealing too, because they did the same.

          There was only one leader dumped due to the public outcry over their disgraceful behaviour in the 2005 election, and that leader was Don Brash of National.

          • burt 4.2.1.1.1
            22 February 2012 at 7:15 pm

            Nothing was stolen…. The AG changed the rules….

            Seems you have forgotten about the written warning that was ignored…

            I wonder who was the author of the response to the Chief Electoral Officers warning… who then pretended that no warning was issued – who would that have been.

            Here’s a link that might jog your memory….

        • mik e 4.2.1.2
          22 February 2012 at 7:15 pm

          Blue by ewe hippocrit Keys teflon has been so thick its wearing very thin these days.

      • the pink postman 4.2.2
        23 February 2012 at 3:56 pm

        Im sure the Auditor General said the Helen’s Pledge Card was legal then changed his mind after the election. .I know it was bloody hard work for all us LP activists to pay it back but pay it back we did,
        The ‘Rightious Honest” Nats have still not paid back the GST default. .They of course have friends in high places.

        • Anne 4.2.2.1
          23 February 2012 at 4:12 pm

          It was Parliamentary Services who originally okayed Labour’s pledge card pp. A fact NAct and their supporter trolls always forget to mention.

          When publishing the decision, the Auditor General should have emphasised that Labour had been given incorrect advice from Parliamentary Services. The fact that he/she didn’t was, in my view, the suspect bit.

  5. Ron 5
    21 February 2012 at 4:21 pm

    That’s the way Blue – just keep repeating it and eventually we’ll all agree with you. Here I’ll help:
    LabourdidittooLabourdidittooLabourdidittooLabourdidittoo

    • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 5.1
      21 February 2012 at 4:49 pm

      Except that the hypocrisy is a little more personal in this particular case. It was Mike Smith, the very author of this post, who promised the Electoral Commission before the 2005 election that the pledge card spending would be included in Labour’s electoral return and then, after the election had been won, decided that this was unnecessary.

      Perhaps he is not the best person to be fronting this campaign on the Standard. It might be better to use someone a little less..what?..cynical.

    • TighyRighty 5.2
      21 February 2012 at 5:09 pm

      This site defended the actions taken by the labour government then. So if it is ok for labour to do it then it is ok for national to do it. So there we go, your ditty rings true. It’s not that what has happened is okay, it’s that when you defend the actions of one party you must then defend those actions for all parties. Otherwise you look like a fuckwit and someone who is chasing the small satisfaction of saying look, those people are just as bad as my people now so that makes what my people did ok now.

      [lprent: The “site” is a dumb machine. It doesn’t defend anything. I tell it what to do including what it defends. I never told it to defend any such a thing.

      People write opinions which is what you are referring to.

      Have a educational ban for a week for thinking that a dumb computer can think. Attribute opinions to whichever author did it. Do not attribute them to the machine – that is both incorrect and shows an unacceptable level of laziness. That walks straight into a ban….

      And read the policy again so you don’t make a similar dumbarse screwup. ]

      • TighyRighty 5.2.1
        21 February 2012 at 9:31 pm

        Yea fair call.

        Rightly or wrongly, I didnt actually mean the site as in “the standard”, I meant it as shorthand for the posters and comment placers on this site. apologies for alluding to them as a dumb machine, though I sometimes wonder.

        Meant, referred to etc, I’ll take the ban to emphasise the point that if you break the rules, the rules are the rules. To argue against them is pointless if they aren’t going to be changed and, if you defend an action, you defend it for all who take it or none at all.

        [lprent: Figured that – it was a week. But it is still lazy. There are about as many viewpoints as there are people. Personally I know I am always correct and everyone else is wrong. Except of course on saturday mornings – I have no idea why he thinks such silly things. Sleeping in? ]

        • felix 5.2.1.1
          21 February 2012 at 11:47 pm

          I am a dumb machine and I find the whole conversation grossly offensive. I consider it a mechanical attack.

        • mik e 5.2.1.2
          22 February 2012 at 7:24 pm

          Tighty allmighty just like your Chicago kinder garden version of economics you push.
          Politics is a dirty business get over it when the mud is being flung the in other direction you are quite happy to jump on board with you narrow minded economic theories.
          Now you are showing how naive you are on the political front!

  6. ianmac 6
    21 February 2012 at 4:25 pm

    one of Key’s office staff commented that the Commission had indicated the responsibility for any breach lay with the broadcaster, “which was useful”. That’s pretty grubby, letting someone else take the rap.
    That is what I find contemptuous too. Rats!

  7. burt 7
    21 February 2012 at 5:20 pm

    I smell retrospective validations…….

    • bbfloyd 7.1
      22 February 2012 at 1:24 am

      no bert…tthat’s what your aftershave won’t cover….. stand up straight and it shouldn’t bother you so much…

      • burt 7.1.1
        22 February 2012 at 7:13 pm

        I can stand up straight – I didn’t need to tie myself in knots to pretend that nothing odorous happened in 2005.

        • mik e 7.1.1.1
          22 February 2012 at 7:17 pm

          Excluding the bretheren I presume.Burt the brailess.

          • burt 7.1.1.1.1
            23 February 2012 at 7:56 am

            The Exclusive Brethren… Oh, that’s right … we needed to change the law to stop them doing what they lawfully did… How could I have missed that little tilt in the playing field to favour the incumbent government.

            mik e… I didn’t financially support the Brethren because I had a choice not to… how about you – were you forced to support them ?

            Now the interesting thing is… That money spent (their own money) was described as an assault on democracy… the money spent by Labour (our money) was described as making no difference to the outcome of the election.

            So tell me; Is money spent campaigning for or against a political party only effective when it’s not Labour doing it ?

            Come on mik e – you could have just let it sit at “odorous” but no… you wanted to freshen the debate. Dork, no good will come from reminding us all that 2005/2006 was an fiercely odorous chapter in Labour party history. I’m with “The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell”, the last person who should have been making this post on the standard is Mike Smith.

    • mik e 7.2
      22 February 2012 at 7:40 pm

      Maybe the tax payer will get a $100,000 of the $44 million slush fund back.

  8. grumpy 8
    21 February 2012 at 5:41 pm

    Who is the “Billy the Kid”and how do we know he’s not Mike Smith??????

  9. Nick K 9
    21 February 2012 at 5:59 pm

    What grumpy said. If BTK is not Mike Smith it’s bound to be James Henderson, or Zetetic, or Eddie or someone of like persuasion.

  10. Bruce 10
    21 February 2012 at 9:52 pm

    Can we have a rightwing commentator stand up and say this is unacceptable behaviour by the current government, who campaigned to be a an improvement on the previous government?

  11. Nick K 11
    21 February 2012 at 10:02 pm

    I think unacceptable is a bit far, when Goff tried ever so hard to appear as well. The solution is to enable political parties to buy their own time, with their own money, if they choose to. The fact *that’s* illegal is unacceptable.

    • Colonial Viper 11.1
      21 February 2012 at 10:06 pm

      Nah political parties need to be publicly funded, and spending caps kept low, in order to keep private and corporate money well away from our democracy.

    • Ed 11.2
      21 February 2012 at 10:34 pm

      Goff did not try hard to appear as well. He pointed out that the station was supposed to be balanced, and that it was not being balanced. Key’s election programme was devised by National for National – Labour would probably have preferred other advertising.

      The determination has been made that it was an election programme – that it was not also a poluitical advertisement is due to a technical loophole int eh law which National expoited.

      It is in the hands of the police as to whether the radio station is charged – I guess we will have to wait six months for that decision – after all as John Key says they have plenty of resources . . .

  12. Nick K 12
    21 February 2012 at 10:12 pm

    You don’t want private money involved in elections – the very people the election is for?

    • McFlock 12.1
      21 February 2012 at 10:15 pm

      Everyone has a vote. Not everyone has money to throw away on election gambles. And those that do would want a return on their money – you’re proposing a license to bribe.

  13. Nick K 13
    21 February 2012 at 10:21 pm

    You don’t trust taxpayers and ordinary people but you trust politicians, who regularly feature as the least trustworthy of all professions?

    • McFlock 13.1
      21 February 2012 at 10:33 pm

      I trust each of them to be themselves.
         
      It’s easier to restrain a couple of hundred known politicos by locking up one or two every so often – just to make a point – than it is to prevent your proposal turning us into a US-style system of what is basically institutionalised bribery and a corruption of democracy.
       
      I tend to agree that ALL parties need to be held to account more effectively – like I say, lock up a few now and then. For example, Radiolive face at most (if determined DJKey was an election programme) a $100k fine. I’m sure they would have been more careful if individuals involved faced prison – not that I’m suggesting their owners would just view any fine as minor transaction costs on a multimillion dollar loan.
           
      Our system is fixable to reinforce the rule of law.
      Yours formalises bribery.
       
       

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    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts

    Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...

    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 days ago

  • Or is that just they want us to think?
    Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Arguing over a moot point.
    I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago

  • No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    Turning Point: “What has turned me away from the mainstream news media is the very strong message that its been sending out for the last few years.” “And what message might that be?” “That the people who own it, the people who run it, and the people who provide its content, really don’t ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
    No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago

  • Sad tales from the left
    Michael Bassett writes –  Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • In Whose Best Interests?
    On The Spot: The question Q+A host, Jack Tame, put to the Workplace & Safety Minister, Act’s Brooke van Velden, was disarmingly simple: “Are income tax cuts right now in the best interests of lowering inflation?”JACK TAME has tested another MP on his Sunday morning current affairs show, Q+A. Minister for Workplace ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Don’t Question, Don’t Complain.
    It has to start somewhereIt has to start sometimeWhat better place than here?What better time than now?So it turns out that I owe you all an apology.It seems that all of the terrible things this government is doing, impacting the lives of many, aren’t necessarily ‘bad’ per se. Those things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Auckland faces 25% water inflation shock
    Three Waters became a focus of anti-Government protests under Labour, but its dumping by the new Government hasn’t solved councils’ funding problems and will eventually hit the back pockets of everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 8:06 am today are:The Government ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Small accomplishments and large ironies
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume VII
    In order to catch up to the actual progress of the D&D campaign, I present you with another couple of sessions. These were actually held back to back, on a Monday and Tuesday evening. Session XV Alas, Goatslayer had another lycanthropic transformation… though this time, he ran off into the ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Accelerating the Growth Rate?
    There is a constant theme from the economic commentariat that New Zealand needs to lift its economic growth rate, coupled with policies which they are certain will attain that objective. Their prescriptions are usually characterised by two features. First, they tend to be in their advocate’s self-interest. Second, they are ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    7 days ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperation
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research.   “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government redress for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua
    The Government is continuing the bipartisan effort to restore its relationship with iwi as the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill passed its first reading in Parliament today, says Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith. “Historical grievances of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua relate to 19th century warfare, land purchased or taken ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Focus on outstanding minerals permit applications
    New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals is working to resolve almost 150 outstanding minerals permit applications by the end of the financial year, enabling valuable mining activity and signalling to the sector that New Zealand is open for business, Resources Minister Shane Jones says.  “While there are no set timeframes for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Applications open for NZ-Ireland Research Call
    The New Zealand and Irish governments have today announced that applications for the 2024 New Zealand-Ireland Joint Research Call on Agriculture and Climate Change are now open. This is the third research call in the three-year Joint Research Initiative pilot launched in 2022 by the Ministry for Primary Industries and Ireland’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Tenancy rules changes to improve rental market
    The coalition Government has today announced changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to encourage landlords back to the rental property market, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “The previous Government waged a war on landlords. Many landlords told us this caused them to exit the rental market altogether. It caused worse ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Boosting NZ’s trade and agricultural relationship with China
    Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay will visit China next week, to strengthen relationships, support Kiwi exporters and promote New Zealand businesses on the world stage. “China is one of New Zealand’s most significant trade and economic relationships and remains an important destination for New Zealand’s products, accounting for nearly 22 per cent of our good and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Freshwater farm plan systems to be improved
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  • New Fast Track Projects advisory group named
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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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