Rock star – “No depression”

Written By: - Date published: 11:46 am, February 21st, 2014 - 104 comments
Categories: activism, class war, david cunliffe, election 2014, equality, john key, Metiria Turei, news, poverty, Satire, spin - Tags:

Popular songs can often capture the heartbeat of communities, in ways the serious media fail to grasp. Today’s infotainment media can ignore the meanings, while drawing on the celebrity culture at the centre of much of the popular music industry. Many in our media are cheering on our (alleged) “Rock Star” economy. Meanwhile the inequality gap, and life damaging poverty are there for all who dare to see it, un-diverted by the beat-ups and politically motivated shenanigans of the neoliberal PR machine.

Some have drawn similarities between our current PM, John Key, and Robert Muldoon, Prime Minister in the 1975 to 1984.  This was the period leading up to the Rogernomic, “neoliberal” revolution that began in 1984.  Muldoon was a polarizing figure, much like John Key (though our media tends to talk up Key’s positive following).  Muldoon’s outlook on life was mocked in an iconic NZ song, “There is No Depression in New Zealand”

He was one of the most polarising figures in New Zealand history, failing to address the growing economic depression and consequent unemployment, the racial unrest and the threat of civil war “World War Three“ when a racially repressive Springbok Rugby team toured New Zealand.

Muldoon divided New Zealanders into two camps. Some saw “Piggy” Muldoon as a dictatorial Prime Minister who came close to destroying both the economy and social fabric of New Zealand through his arrogance. Others, “Rob’s Mob”, revered him as a supporter of the “ordinary bloke” and an icon of the New Zealand national character.

The above linked web site, New Zealand Folk Song, outlines the history of the ‘No Depression” song.  It reveals a people’s slant on the country’s changing political landscape: one that links creativity, entertainment and youthful rebellions, while also revealing similarities and differences between then and now.

The sang by Blam Blam Blam was a protest against the Muldoonist mis-representations of the conflicts, struggle, insecurities and dangers in NZ society of the time.

Apparently,

The Hamilton-based “Swamp Stomp” Gumboot Dancers still use it regularly as part of their eclectic range of antics.

no depression swamp stomp gumboots1

The web page reports on the use of “No Depression in the McGillicuddies”:

The McGilliduddy Serious Party was formed as a political party to use satire as a way of highlighting the absurdity of other partys’ policies.

McGSP leader Graeme Cairns explains:
“In about 1990 Mark Servian of the McGillicuddies was doing a radio broadcast over the Waikato Students’ Union radio station. It purported to be the National Radio’s Saturday Night Show, 50 years in the future, and the final piece of music they played was Blam Blam Blam’s There is No Depression in New Zealand,” which Mark prefaced with; “And we’ll say goodnight with the National Anthem”.

There was a failed attempt to use the song as a stunt during the 1993 or 1996 elections.

mcgillicuddies

Green Party Co-leader, Metiria Turei, was part of the McGillicuddies.  In her maiden speech in Parliament in 2002, she performed a Te Reo version of “No Depression”.

In doing this, Turei brought together her radical beginnings in politics, where fun, humour, satire and street politics were part of her activism: an activism embracing a deep and serious commitment.  Her maiden speech outlines her journey from growing up in a poor, Maori, working class family. There are more details of Turei’s life story on the Green Party’s website. There are some similarities with John Key’s very politically-spun origins, but Turei has taken a different route.

Metiria’s life is peppered with challenges that have been successfully converted into opportunities. She remains resolutely unbound to any particular ideology (“the dusty tomes of old, dead guys”) and developed her political theories alongside the practical application of dissent and organisation.

Much of Metiria’s political action has centred on the rights of beneficiaries. She well remembers unemployed life as an 18-year old in Wellington

Unlike Key, and like David Cunliffe, she has not pulled the ladder up after herself.  As her response to the attempted smear of her choice of clothing shows, Turei remains down-to-earth, and focused on helping to make NZ a better place for all Kiwis.

Blam Blam Blam’s song still strikes to the heart of today’s political realities: as Tracey commented:

An economy that sees families struggling, which sees the gap between the bottom half of kiwis and the top half increasing by the decade is not a Rockstar. We should be saying it is an economy that has failed. No matter how well you handle THAT economy… families struggle, gap widens and child poverty grows.

The rockstar is a single person, at the top;, with the money and the fame. Of course he/she is happy and smiling and likeable.
The roadie is in the wing doing the grunt work for no credit and basic pay
The majority have to pay for the pleasure to line the Rockstar’s pocket

Chris Trotter identifies some similarities between 1975 and 2014.

History never repeats…. or does it?

http://youtu.be/f_hX5jNzd_Y

104 comments on “Rock star – “No depression” ”

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  1. captain hook 1
    21 February 2014 at 12:13 pm

    rockstar huh.
    root all the sheilas and snarf as much coke as you can get till your septum blows up.
    more prosaically just wait for the next real estate boom, inflate the paper, con the dodos with high interst rates and then retire to the south of France.
    a sunny place for shady people.
    rockstar my arse.

  2. shorts 2
    21 February 2014 at 12:30 pm

    A local hip hop crew addressed the similarities between then and now a couple of years back, stunningly –

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AjgWyxJAGQ

    for those whom can’t make out the lyrics:

    (Verse 1 – Tom Scott)
    ‘Cause this ain’t no fucking joke, we fucking broke,
    far from cutting coke, all we got is luck and hope,
    dreams going up in smoke, one day, some way,
    yeah that’s what we used to say, now we black out, sniffin’ white
    sold the future’s grey, the youth that we threw away
    ain’t ever coming back, our criminal record
    haunting us forever like a tab.
    Where I come from, minimum wage is what we run on,
    no wonder why we spendin’ our pay getting drunk off some cheap shit,
    standing in line, waiting for some free shit to eat with,
    resorting to crime for some Weetbix, the same old story
    that you heard a million times before, I bet a party doesn’t even cross
    your mind no more, fucking Prime Minister ain’t even got the time to talk,
    cuttin’ off the dole, tryna justify why we’re poor,
    acting like we’re happy working underneath your iron claw,
    when you don’t even need to give a reason we’ve been fighting for.
    Trying to fight the law is like, tryna fight a fireball, ask my old man,
    they locked him up just for trying to score.
    Fuck working in a factory ’til you’re 94, course we resort to crime
    when all you get from crime is_________
    And that’s some fucked up system where justice is just some juxtaposition
    between the police and the judge’s decision and even if you scream,
    who the fuck is gonna listen to us?

    And what they know about missing the bus?
    Yeah, it’s just another prisoner’s dust
    They keep the bread and they give us the crust,
    ’cause the system is sussed; there ain’t no politician to trust
    who’s gonna listen to us

    (Verse 2 – Tourettes)
    John Key can suck my dick, hiding in his mansion.
    While half the population flies across the Tasman,
    the other half tryna act like it’s not happenin’.
    Thinkin’ that they’re rich with their hire purchase plasmas,
    asking what’s the matter? There’s no depression in New Zealand!
    Yeah, just a soul sinking feeling, had you staring at the
    All Blacks cheering, distracting you from the oil spills of poor tax.
    Dignity?
    Can’t afford that on minimum wage,
    shit is insane, the rent is half of my pay!
    Nobody laughing these days, though the economy’s a joke.
    Except for ___________ you know how how that goes,
    socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor.
    Want us to live in shit, keep us struggling and bored,
    if you waited and thought for one second, that we deserve better,
    ain’t enough pigs to protect ’em, keep everything expensive
    and the wages low, get them loses and wins out digging some holes,
    saying work’ll set you free, yeah it’s good for the soul, ____________
    while they come and ask for your vote. Cut the funding ________ by
    the National Party, blame every problem on solo mothers and dole bludgers,
    the working class and ___ gang getting fisted, until we say it different
    ain’t no one gonna listen to us

    Minimum wage just isn’t enough
    Tax cuts don’t make a difference to us
    Act like a poor, all we know is prison and drugs
    Gettin’ high is the only way we livin’ it up

    (Outro – Matt Crawley)
    I’ve been thinking ’bout who’s doing the talking, all I’ve been reading
    about how we’re sinking
    I’ve been drinking ’bout how we’re doing, all that we’re missing,
    and that nobody’s listening

    Nobody’s listening x2

    • Rosie 2.1
      21 February 2014 at 1:46 pm

      Shorts, do you know what’s interesting? You posted that at 12.30. At 1.30 Radio Active, independent Wellington radio (and on line) played the above song. A quirky coincidence.

    • Tracey 2.2
      21 February 2014 at 4:14 pm

      Thanks for this

    • Brett Dale 2.3
      21 February 2014 at 4:57 pm

      and how much nzonair money did they get?

      • Mary 2.3.1
        21 February 2014 at 5:12 pm

        Doesn’t matter because there is no depression in New Zealand Brett Dale.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 2.3.2
        21 February 2014 at 5:16 pm

        Politics of envy Brett?

        • Brett Dale 2.3.2.1
          21 February 2014 at 5:37 pm

          OAB:

          Nope, just find it crazy that band will sing about living on minimum wage, but have
          gotton maybe over 100K from nzonair.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 2.3.2.1.1
            21 February 2014 at 5:55 pm

            Perhaps they remember what minimum wage is like and have a sense of gratitude, but surely that possibility would only be hidden from an idiot.

            Are you an idiot, Brett?

          • Hayden 2.3.2.1.2
            21 February 2014 at 6:46 pm

            I think you’ve wildly overestimated how much NZ On Air pay for a music video.

      • Rosie 2.3.3
        21 February 2014 at 6:45 pm

        Not a cent Brett:

        “Homebrew hail from the inner west Auckland suburb of Avondale. After building a solid profile for live shows and a well received debut EP, they hit up funding body NZ on Air for their $5k video grant and were knocked back repeatedly. Enlisting the help of Chris Graham (video clip director for Trinity Roots and Scribe, and feature director of Sione’s Wedding) they made a series of web promos’ taking a swipe at the funding bodies unwillingness to fund up and coming successful artists but more than happy to pour $50k into major label backed projects. The resulting videos and well aimed critique hit the mark and then some. Now well into the finishing process of their debut (double!) album, tracks are starting to appear on Soundcloud and new videos are on the way. New track ‘Listen To Us’, a collaboration with Tourettes, debuted just before the NZ general election in November and captured the sentiment felt across the nation; sadly not enough to help the underdogs pull through in the country’s most apathetic election in a century…Orange Press talks to head larrikin Tom Scott:…….”

        http://theorangepress.net/2011/12/qa-homebrew/

        Happy now?

        • Rosie 2.3.3.1
          21 February 2014 at 6:56 pm

          Furthermore Brett, you’re going to get the “10 cent skank” treatment by the Upsetters, just to chill you out on a Friday evening. All that huffing and puffing about imagined tax payer dollar going to a band doesn’t do your health any good.

          I particularly like the piano on this track. Enjoy.

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVoJZq30148

          • Brett Dale 2.3.3.1.1
            21 February 2014 at 7:48 pm

            well good on them for standing on their own two feet, but they did ask for funding. So 50/50 on that one.
            Not sure what the ten cent skank thing is?

            • Rosie 2.3.3.1.1.1
              21 February 2014 at 8:16 pm

              “well good on them for standing on their own two feet, but they did ask for funding.”

              Yes, they asked for $5K, not $100K as you suggested above.

              10 cent skank. Like I said, it was just to chill you out – no other message than that. A little musical chill pill, that’s all. You don’t need to understand it.

              Quit being so mean.

            • weka 2.3.3.1.1.2
              21 February 2014 at 8:18 pm

              Are you suggesting that NZ musicians shouldn’t ask NZonAir for funding?

            • felix 2.3.3.1.1.3
              21 February 2014 at 8:50 pm

              “but they did ask for funding. So 50/50 on that one.”

              So first you were saying that it’s not ok to sing about minimum wage life if you’ve had a video grant ($5000 btw, and guess what: the money has to be used for a fucking music video. It doesn’t alter their income one cent).

              But now you’re saying it’s not ok to sing about life on minimum wage if you even applied for $5000 to make a music video.

              I can’t figure out which of those positions is the more ridiculous.

              • Brett Dale …
                21 February 2014 at 9:12 pm

                Felix:

                I cant it help it, if you cant work out what I mean.

                • felix …
                  21 February 2014 at 10:34 pm

                  What makes you think I can’t work it out? It’s obvious what you’re saying.

                  It’s just very, very, very stupid.

              • Pascal's bookie …
                21 February 2014 at 9:31 pm

                The part where he claims he was half right.

                What a fucking know nothing douche.

                Dale, learn yourself about how and why these kids are making music these days:

                http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/2562806/young-gifted-and-broke

                http://younggiftedandbroke.com/

                http://younggiftedandbroke.com/home-brew/

                • Brett Dale …
                  21 February 2014 at 11:38 pm

                  pascal:

                  dear oh dear, you belong right along with marion hobbes community class in the 1980s.

                  • shorts …
                    22 February 2014 at 9:36 am

                    Yes they’ve had funding – why shouldn’t they?

                    To date they’ve received two NZOA grants – one for Home Brew and another for an offshoot band @peace

                    2011-08 @PEACE Be Like Home Brew Crew Ltd $10,000 Making Tracks Funding
                    2011-03 HOME BREW Yellow Snot Funk Home Brew Crew $5,000 Music Videos

                    Please note the money is for recording and/or making videos – the band don’t get the money, they get to spend the money with film makers and/or recording studios

                    Homebrew’s debut album (self funded) went number one on our charts – they’ve received several awards from the industry for their work

                    Currently the band are pretty much on hiatus as they focus on Team Dynamite (album just released) and @peace (album due soon)

                    They have been talking about touring soon with an eye to sue the tour to encourage people to register to vote

                  • Pascal's bookie …
                    22 February 2014 at 11:01 am

                    Which half were you right about Brett?

                    And Garth Brooks fans don’t have any place criticising homebrew about authenticity, JFTR.

                    You just don’t like hiphop. And that’s ok, but you take that preference into places that are pretty much indistinguishable from racism when you bear in mind you like Garth Brooks.

                    If hiphop in NZ isn’t authentic, then hwo is Country music authentic?

                    And if homebrew can’t rap about minimum wage existence because they applied for a video grant from nzonair, then how the hell can Garth Brooks sing about any damn thing at all?

                    Hmmm, wonder why the difference, what it could be now, nah.

                    • Brett Dale …
                      22 February 2014 at 4:36 pm

                      Pascal:

                      Uhm Garth was the first straight artist to get artist of the year from GLAAD. He has also won awards from the NCAAP. His songs are about racial harmony, gay rights, woman issues, he has written songs about down syndrome etc etc.

                      Your a typical Kiwi winger. You automatically think :Well every hiphop group must have intrigirty and every country artist must be racist”

                      Because you yourself are a bigot and use stereotypes. Im pretty sure President Obama wouldnt have invited to sing if his lyrics were racists. Im pretty sure he wouldnt have done a concert with George Michael and another concert with boys 2 men if his music was bigtoed or homophobic, do some research next time.

                      Oh by the way,. country album of the year, went to kacey mugraves an artist who did a song about bi sexual.transgender teens.

                    • Brett Dale …
                      22 February 2014 at 4:41 pm

                      Pascal: Homebrew can sing about mininum wage if they want, but when there are lyrics about how they have struggled with no help with their music, but they have received funding, then i take that with a grain of salt.

                      Again, not every hiphop group has intrigrity, some do some dont.

                      And not every country artist is some george bush loving pro war guy, toby keith maybe, but the biggest country artists in history are all democrats.

                      Garth, Willie, Cash, the dixie chicks, Shania. and now kacey musgraves.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      22 February 2014 at 4:43 pm

                      Way to demonstrate how a point can sail right over someone’s head, Brett.

                      What are Garth Brooks’ credentials to sing about such things, given that (according to your silly ethics) Homebrew aren’t allowed to sing about poverty because they earned some money?

                    • Pascal's bookie …
                      22 February 2014 at 9:42 pm

                      Oh Brett, you’re so easy.

                      Brooks sings all sorts of trite shite. Doesn’t mean he has integrity based on the metric you applied to homebrew though does it?

                      Have you ever said, on this blog even, that NZ hiphop is pretty much all bullshit because they are just copying a style fro the US? That the only authentic hiphop is urban african-american? Shit like that?

                      And JFTR I own far more country and Appalachian mountain derived music than I do hiphop. Even own a Garth Brooks album, though technically it’s my partner’s. It doesn’t get listened to much though, I have to say. He’s just boring.

      • Tim 2.3.4
        22 February 2014 at 4:41 pm

        God you’re a miserable Cnut aren’t you Brett. The very first thing you think of when it comes to something people might derive some pleasure from is ‘how much does it cost’.
        You and Chris Finlayson should hook up! You’re the only people allowed you’re indulgences, after all – Gods Gift – the plebs just gotta pay!.
        I won’t forget to put roses on your grave – followed by a dose of urea.

        • Brett Dale 2.3.4.1
          22 February 2014 at 4:44 pm

          TIm:

          Again there are good and bad artists of any music types, it would appear people here
          dont think this.

          Im pretty sure if this huphop group wrote a song ripping into labour or the greens, you would be criticizing them.

          • Tim 2.3.4.1.1
            22 February 2014 at 5:03 pm

            No no no – you don’t get off that so easily. As I said – THE VERY FIRST THING you thought of, was the COST.
            Secondly: “I’m pretty sure if this huphop group wrote a song ripping into labour or the greens, you would be criticizing them.” …… WRONG! It’d receive a wry smile at best.

            It’s a shame the likes of you and Chris don’t ekshly realise the regard in which you’re held, by those that provide your pleasure. Most of them do it under duress (mortgages to pay and all that).

            BoQ.
            btw …. BM – you don’t happen to have a first name of Brendan do you? Never mind though – in any event, your first thought as to COST and NZoA funding pretty much says it all.
            You don’t claim to be a suppota of ‘the arts’ as well do you? Yea I bet – I’ll take yours and raise you.

            • Brett Dale 2.3.4.1.1.1
              22 February 2014 at 5:08 pm

              TiM:

              I dont know who chris is, and yes i am well aware of the cost of living, and how hard it is, most my temp work i have had in my whole life have been mininum wage.

          • felix 2.3.4.1.2
            23 February 2014 at 2:42 am

            “Again there are good and bad artists of any music types, it would appear people here
            dont think this.”

            Hi Brett. Could you please point to the comment which indicates that “people here don’t think this”?

            Thanks in advance.

    • karol 2.4
      21 February 2014 at 6:57 pm

      Thanks for this, shorts. Maybe it’s a video to feature again in the course of this election year. They don’t seem to have been prominent lately.

      Any other bands/performers with this kind of radical edge?

      • Brett Dale 2.4.1
        21 February 2014 at 7:48 pm

        FFS

      • shorts 2.4.2
        22 February 2014 at 9:44 am

        other bands not mentioned – not really. Politics and commentaries on life are themes that pop up in several actives acts work there aren’t any bands I’d say are radical in the sense tat we’ve seen before (most notably in some of our lifetimes in the late 70’s/80s).

        Locally there have been some songs that attack john Key and the govt but on a subject matter level they are pretty much puerile “he’s a dick” sort of affairs

        Politics and political commentary is a topic that is sadly lacking in the global contemporary music world, there are plenty of artists commenting on their circumstances and the world in which they live but few that are actually advocating real or radical change

        I live and watch in the hope that somewhere someone with an audience will produce some great music with a message that resonates with (primarily) the young that will encourage them to be more active politically in their lives

        • One Anonymous Bloke 2.4.2.1
          22 February 2014 at 4:49 pm

          Why? If music changed anything we’d all be floating in a tincan all you need is love holiday in cambodia teen spirited royals.

  3. Mr Interest 3
    21 February 2014 at 12:40 pm

    Not Rock

    Porn Star

    Who is the main pimp?

    Who are his fluffers?

    Who are the ones that get ripped off and xxxxed?

  4. tricledrown 4
    21 February 2014 at 1:11 pm

    Pimkey

  5. The Real Matthew 5
    21 February 2014 at 1:42 pm

    The whole Muldoon – Key comparison was dispelled last time it was brought up.

    Why bring it up again? Your flogging a dead sheep.

  6. Sosoo 6
    21 February 2014 at 2:25 pm

    Many in our media are cheering on our (alleged) “Rock Star” economy. Meanwhile the inequality gap, and life damaging poverty are there for all who dare to see it, un-diverted by the beat-ups and politically motivated shenanigans of the neoliberal PR machine.

    They can see it all right. They just don’t care because the people who vote National see themselves as doing well out of it. Pop songs have zero effect. The people who sing them inevitably end up as right wing fogeys if they make enough money.

    It’s been normality for 30 years and you still deny it. Neoliberalism is electorally popular enough that it is undefeatable for the foreseeable future. Of course it’s very bad for part of the population, but the rest, and in particular older people, are doing just fine out of it, and enough of them vote to make it the political norm. Like many, I thought that the financial crisis would make a difference, but it’s just gotten worse. Yes, it’s stupid, but stupidity is as curable as the common cold.

    You and the rest of the contributors to this site have no real answer to that, so you try to make it about something else. In the end, we get this crap simply because you can’t win an election in NZ (or the countries like it) without it. This really is what democracy looks like. John Key will be the Prime Minister until he is replaced by whichever right wing member of the Labour caucus replaces Cunliffe early next year.

    Just accept that bad ideas sometimes win and move on.

    • Rosie 6.1
      21 February 2014 at 2:43 pm

      “Just accept that bad ideas sometimes win and move on”

      No. Might as well give up die.

      • Sosoo 6.1.1
        21 February 2014 at 4:15 pm

        The only reason to give up and die is if your entire life is consumed by politics, and if that is the case, you have bigger problems than Labour’s failure to gain electoral traction.

        • Rosie 6.1.1.1
          21 February 2014 at 4:56 pm

          Sosoo. I was referring to your attitude, which I find defeatist. There is more to “politics” than party politics – people do not have to tolerate what their governments dictate, no matter who is in power. Dissent is a part of a healthy democracy. There’s more to it than voting every three years.

          We do not have to accept that bad ideas sometimes win.

          • Sosoo 6.1.1.1.1
            22 February 2014 at 1:24 am

            But bad ideas sometimes do win. The last 30 years is ample evidence of that. You don’t have a choice of whether to tolerate it, because it is forced on you by your fellow citizens.

            If you’ve spent years screaming about it, and not enough people listen, you might want to re-evaluate.

          • Sosoo 6.1.1.1.2
            22 February 2014 at 1:34 am

            Not participating can have a greater effect than you think.

            The left is like a wife who stays with an abusive husband. What could he do if she wasn’t there to hit?

    • Colonial Viper 6.2
      21 February 2014 at 2:57 pm

      I read your point differently Sosoo.

      Simply put: electoral politics are a waste of time, money and energy for the Left, until the Left has developed strong institutions and mass movements to back itself.

      • SHG (not Colonial Viper) 6.2.1
        21 February 2014 at 3:27 pm

        Electoral politics are a waste of time, money, and energy for the Left until the Left works out how to not be shit at it.

      • Sosoo 6.2.2
        21 February 2014 at 3:53 pm

        That’s a fair comment, CV. It’s the intermediate civic institutions such as unions that are needed. If it comes down to voting by individuals as individuals, the left loses.

        The problem is that nobody seems interested in those things any more.

        • Colonial Viper 6.2.2.1
          21 February 2014 at 5:07 pm

          Without responsive “intermediate civic institutions” and mass movements pressuring the political parties to shift Left, we’re going to be stuck with regurgitated neoliberal capitalist policies to a sometimes greater, and to a sometimes lesser, extent from both Labour and National as the two parties keep cycling through.

  7. karol 7
    21 February 2014 at 2:53 pm

    It’s been normality for 30 years and you still deny it. Neoliberalism is electorally popular enough that it is undefeatable for the foreseeable future.

    “Electorally popular” is not the same as being generally popular. Why are so many people not voting? Approximately 20% of people eligible to vote on NZ in 2008 and 2011.

    Young people, the unemployed, people on low incomes, and recent migrants were the groups least likely to vote.

    i’m not denying there’s an on-going problem. But why does the parliamentary left not make more effort to engage with the young, the unemployed, etc?

    There’s anger and potential rebellion seething at the grass roots…. among the young, among those continually overlooked….

    • Sosoo 7.1
      21 February 2014 at 4:13 pm

      “Electorally popular” is not the same as being generally popular.

      Sure, but the former is what matters in politics.

      Why are so many people not voting?

      I’m a long term non-voter, so I can answer for myself, although I have no idea why most other non-voters refrain.

      I guess it’s because I don’t think of democracy as a transparent system in which the will of voters is translated into action. Instead it seems to me that the structure of the system largely determines the outcome. Back in the day there were more intermediate civic institutions (like unions and mass membership political parties) mediating between the average voter and the government, and this enabled a more deliberative rationality and made it easier for individual people to be part of organised voting blocs.

      Now that’s all gone, and political parties as a matter of brute fact are nothing more than corporate bodies “selling” policy to individuals in the same way that McDonalds sells hamburgers to teenagers. It’s not a particularly deliberative or rational process, and so the end result tends to be not as good for regular people and better for those who can afford to maintain interest groups (like organised business).

      This consumerist type politics doesn’t seem to favour left wing policies, and so the right benefit from an electoral system that gives them a massive advantage (along with the other advantages they’ve always had).

      I see no point in participating in such a system, since participating just lends it legitimacy. The kind of political system we now have is inherently right wing, or at least it seems so to me.

      I’m sure some political scientist pointed this out years ago, but it seems obvious to me. I can’t see any way out of it either, since hyper individualism seems to rule these days. Politics is fun to talk and argue about, but I can’t personally see anything changing for a long time. For example, it’s only a few months in and Cunliffe has already been neutered.

      But YMMV

      • flip 7.1.1
        23 February 2014 at 5:28 am

        @Sosooo
        I am sorry that you do not vote. Can I just say that I think abdicating that responsibility means you have given up and surrendered. If people like yourself continue to do so then democracy is really doomed. ‘Use it or lose it’ as the saying goes. Not participating lends their programme legitimacy as they go unopposed. ‘The only thing it takes for evil to win is for good to do nothing’ or words to that effect.

        I would encourage you to vote. It does not take much and is an important part of a democratic society. They win and think they are right if you do not turn up.

        There is a lot more you can do than just vote as well. Work to influence society to be better.

  8. Psycho Milt 8
    21 February 2014 at 2:59 pm

    He was one of the most polarising figures in New Zealand history, failing to address the growing economic depression and consequent unemployment, the racial unrest and the threat of civil war “World War Three“ when a racially repressive Springbok Rugby team toured New Zealand.

    Not relevant to your post, but perhaps of general interest: when this song came out, those of us around at the time took “everybody’s talkin’ ’bout World War Three” quite literally to mean an impending WW3, not as any kind of metaphor about NZ under Muldoon. The assumption that Thatcher and Reagan would deliver us WW3 was pretty widespread.

    • karol 8.1
      21 February 2014 at 3:07 pm

      Now it’s climate change, resource depletion and…… guerilla, urbanised wars – on and offline.

      • Colonial Viper 8.1.1
        21 February 2014 at 3:12 pm

        Kiev government forces have started to use live ammunition. That’s what governments do to their own people when they feel threatened enough.

  9. greywarbler 9
    21 February 2014 at 3:15 pm

    Sosoo
    We can’t promise you a certain win for Labour. But we can promise you a certain loss for Labour if we spend time listening to you. It is no good you singing your dirge, you know that it achieves nothing useful and wastes your time and ours. Why not hang around and say nothing except when something good does happen and put in a short positive comment then. Otherwise I think you’re just another RWNJ gremlin making a snide attack.

    We are aware that it will be a dirty election. We waste precious time on the panty fillers who come here so if that is you too, shut up.

    • Sosoo 9.1
      21 February 2014 at 4:46 pm

      Keep hoping. It’s only been 30 years now..

      If you have some practically effective means of opposing neoliberal politics (and “voting for the Labour Party” hardly counts in view of its record and its caucus), then please share it.

      I voted for most of my adult life and all I got was more right wing government. So I stopped.

      • greywarbler 9.1.1
        22 February 2014 at 4:58 pm

        Sosoo
        Well we have the matter clear now. So you can stop telling us to do likewise and sapping the energy to change that we are trying to harnesss. Just watch eh, contain your tongue, and if we look as if a push in the right direction will get us over the line in winning form, come and give us your friendly hand. That’s your best option and you could be the tipping point that gets us over. Until then adieu.

  10. SHG (not Colonial Viper) 10
    21 February 2014 at 3:17 pm

    For a significant chunk of the voting public, Rob Muldoon is about as relevant to NZ’s political landscape as Pitt the Younger or Cicero. He’s something that happened to other people in another place in another millennium.

    When I see references to Rob Muldoon and Blam Blam Blam i think “sweet zombie jesus, how OLD is the person who wrote this?”

    • Psycho Milt 10.1
      21 February 2014 at 3:35 pm

      And for a significant chunk of the voting public, it’s stuff they remember very well. For a smaller but still significant chunk, Jack Marshall, Norman Kirk and Blerta are things they remember very well, and for a still-smaller chunk Keith Holyoake is someone they remember. The voting population isn’t made up just of the young, and having a political frame of reference that doesn’t extend further back than the Clark government isn’t some kind of advantage.

    • karol 10.2
      21 February 2014 at 3:47 pm

      See shorts’ comment above @ 12.30pm – check out the video link. Those who don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it.

      • SHG (not Colonial Viper) 10.2.1
        21 February 2014 at 3:50 pm

        And what was Labour’s response to the Muldoon era? David Lange and Roger Douglas. Yay.

        • greywarbler 10.2.1.1
          21 February 2014 at 4:08 pm

          SHG ……
          Why aren’t you at school?

        • karol 10.2.1.2
          21 February 2014 at 6:01 pm

          Yes. Labour lost its way. Still waiting for them to move from that.

          Meanwhile, I vote Green and support grass roots actions. There are alternatives.

  11. dave 11
    21 February 2014 at 5:41 pm

    I think there is No Depression should be the theme song this election year UK labour used things can only get better for there 1997 victory

  12. risildowgtn 12
    21 February 2014 at 6:48 pm

    this bout sums it up “::::

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LvidlGFiIc

  13. xtasy 13
    21 February 2014 at 10:51 pm

    Quote from above:

    “Muldoon divided New Zealanders into two camps. Some saw “Piggy” Muldoon as a dictatorial Prime Minister who came close to destroying both the economy and social fabric of New Zealand through his arrogance. Others, “Rob’s Mob”, revered him as a supporter of the “ordinary bloke” and an icon of the New Zealand national character.”

    Well, is present New Zealand not in a somewhat similar situation, where half of the voting public seem be be more or less “charmed” by John Key and his way of talking casually, cunningly and slimly, and the other half of the voting population seem to more or less despise him and his government?

    But apart from such comparisons, the present day New Zealand is a rather different place to those past years, where ‘There is No Depression in New Zealand’ and other critical songs were popular. The media is much more commercially focused, ratings addicted, driven by profits and also certain business interests, so that they want to maintain the status quo, rather than challenge it.

    Even the many critics of the present government tend to be rather resigned and depressed, feeling powerless, so little active dissent is to be seen and heard, apart from us more informed.

    It is simply unbelievable how we have the MSM now go on about “The Rockstar Economy”, while statistics we get are questioning there is much of a “boom” going on.

    Just today we got some new tax earnings figures, and they surprised many, showing that the actual tax take for the last 6 months was well down on earlier estimates and expectations:

    http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/nz-govt-6-month-operating-deficit-bigger-expected-tax-take-trickles-bd-152265

    “NZ govt 6-month operating deficit bigger than expected as tax take trickles in”

    “The Crown’s operating balance before gains and losses (obegal) was a deficit of $1.79 billion in the six months ended Dec. 31, $380 million wider than forecast in its Dec. 17 half-year economic and fiscal update, and down from a shortfall of $3.19 billion a year earlier. Core tax revenue was $602 million below forecast at $29.18 billion.”

    “The smaller tax take was across the board, with GST 2.3 percent below forecast at $7.5 billion…”

    I think we should call it a BULLSHIT ECONOMY that we have, as it can only be BS what we get told by the government. If there was really significant economic growth, tax earnings would surely be higher.

    Maybe it is rather the tax free earnings from real estate sales that “boost” the economy, but which will only benefit very few, who make capital gains into their pockets, from inflated property values?

    If we had a media that was more open and listened to what many people are concerned about, then we may have them play some critical music, but apparently they have “no taste” for it, not wanting to upset our dear “glorious” “Leader in Shining Armour”.

  14. Lloyd 14
    22 February 2014 at 12:26 am

    We need a popular satirical song setting out the stupidity of the policies of the present government.

    • karol 14.1
      22 February 2014 at 7:36 am

      Agreed. There is a need for out there expressions of passion and conviction politics that a lot of people can relate to and feel energised by. A good song can do that.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 14.1.1
        22 February 2014 at 4:57 pm

        Why? Did Margaret stand down? Nope. She won another two terms.

        What we need is the activists that defied the media narrative to realise that media retaliation was inevitable and not quaver.

  15. tricledrown 15
    22 February 2014 at 9:56 am

    We had Robs mob
    We can have Keys Cronies.

  16. Brett Dale 16
    22 February 2014 at 5:01 pm

    One Anonymous Bloke:

    They can sing about poverty, all the like, I have no problem with that.

    If they singing about how they are still being kept down because of govt policies,
    I dont have a problem with that either.

    If they are making references to how they never have had help their music, then that
    is what i have a problem with.

    And I think you will find, most things go over my head.

    • felix 16.1
      23 February 2014 at 2:49 am

      “If they are making references to how they never have had help their music, then that
      is what i have a problem with.”

      Hi Brett. Which lyrics are you objecting to then?

      Be specific please, you can’t be this wound up about something you just imagined someone might have sung, surely.

      ps did you miss the bit where they didn’t get the grants they applied for and instead made their album and videos themselves?

      Answer: no you didn’t, because you commented on it above. You even said good on them for standing on their own feet or something similar to that.

      Which means either a) you have the memory of a fish, or b) everything you’ve written since then has been deliberately untrue.

      • Brett Dale 16.1.1
        23 February 2014 at 11:49 am

        Felix:

        But they applied for the grants? huh?

        • felix 16.1.1.1
          23 February 2014 at 11:58 am

          So what? Why shouldn’t people apply for grants?

          ps you seem to have opted for (b)

          pps you still haven’t said which lyrics you object to and I’m starting to think you’re angry about a song that doesn’t exist.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 16.2
      23 February 2014 at 12:25 pm

      I’m sure I can think of some things I’d have a problem with if you ever did them.

      • felix 16.2.1
        23 February 2014 at 12:41 pm

        Look, Brett can come here and join the discussion, no problem with that.

        He can even make comments so asinine, self-contradictory and backward that I question whether I’ve woken up yet – no problem with that at all.

        It’s when he goes on and on about biting the head off a live chicken and stropping himself with the bloody stump, that’s what really grinds my gears.

  17. Brett Dale 17
    22 February 2014 at 5:04 pm

    One Anonymous Bloke

    Most of Garths political songs are not about him, but a third person
    looking at a situation and his point of view on it.

  18. Brett Dale 18
    22 February 2014 at 10:58 pm

    Pascal: May I ask what country artists do you have in your collection?

    Yes Garth has some light hearted songs, but his best work touches on some
    pretty dark subjects.

    • Pascal's bookie 18.1
      23 February 2014 at 11:57 am

      Ask away, but I’m not sure I’ll be arsed aswering unless you can show relevance.

      meanwhile:

      Which half were you right about in your initial comments on Homebrew?

      Have you written before about hiphop only being authentic if it’s from urban African-americans?

      Does Garth Brooks have integrity by the standards you applied to Homebrew?

      Did Johnny cash really shoot a man in Reno, just to see him die?

      How long has Steve Earle spent on death row for murdering people?

      Does Robert Earl Keen’s family really buy boxes of tampons and marlboro lights four times a day at Christmas?

      When was the last time Dolly Parton worked 9 to 5?

      Are you shocked that hendrix never did chop down a mountain with the edge of his hand?

      What is music anyway, songs, how do they fucken work, what’s the fucking deal with ballads and poets and travelling goddamn minstrels. What is this shit? Art? This is worse than time I found about literature.

      Turns out that prick who wrote catch-22 wasn’t even. It’s lies man, what agoddmn hypocrit, and don’t even get me started on that lying Orwell prick, or the The Clockwork Orange.

  19. aerobubble 19
    23 February 2014 at 1:20 pm

    NZ has huge private debt problems. Had NZ rolled after Greece, Ireland, then its likely the world would be a much more pleasant a place after fives years of political and economic chaos. But Key stumbled over the solution, tax cuts for businesses boosting the activity of fast food companies and accelrating both the income inequality gap and the health gap (growing obesity, diabetics, etc).
    NZ tripped up the collapse, and gave a chance for the GFC to get its patch into place. Massive growth of government debt to replace the losses of profits that where being used to pay off the massive debt in the western world. Had the central banks not stepped in, we’d all have declared bankruptcy and started again, expelling the rancid neo-liberal take over of our culture, economies, parliaments, media and businesses.

    • aerobubble 19.1
      23 February 2014 at 1:24 pm

      Has Key and his minion of followers of stupid thinking learnt anything, no. Key’s a nutter.

      There’s no rock star economy, that’s the over use, tired worn out propaganda of calling victory at every turn to cover over from the chronic problems of their making.

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    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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    6 days ago

  • The only thing we have to fear is tenants themselves
    1. Which of these acronyms describes the experience of travelling on a Cook Strait ferry?a. ROROb. FOMOc. RAROd. FMLAramoana, first boat ever boarded by More Than A Feilding, four weeks after the Wahine disaster2. What is the acronym for the experience of watching the government risking a $200 million break ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • Peters talks of NZ “renewing its connections with the world” – but who knew we had been discon...
    Buzz from the Beehive The thrust of the country’s foreign affairs policy and its relationship with the United States have been addressed in four statements from the Beehive over the past 24 hours. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters somewhat curiously spoke of New Zealand “renewing its connections with a world ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    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
    7 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
    12 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
    13 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
    15 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
    16 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
    19 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
    20 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
    24 hours 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
    1 day 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
    7 days 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
    7 days 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
    The coalition Government intends to improve freshwater farm plans so that they are more cost-effective and practical for farmers, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay have announced. “A fit-for-purpose freshwater farm plan system will enable farmers and growers to find the right solutions for their farm ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New Fast Track Projects advisory group named
    The coalition Government has today announced the expert advisory group who will provide independent recommendations to Ministers on projects to be included in the Fast Track Approvals Bill, say RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones. “Our Fast Track Approval process will make it easier and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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