Seasons greetings from David Cunliffe

Written By: - Date published: 7:40 pm, December 24th, 2013 - 89 comments
Categories: labour - Tags:

As we close the year I’d just like to wish you and your loved ones a happy, safe, and relaxing holiday season.

Around our beautiful country, Kiwis are getting together with their families and friends to celebrate special times, rest and relax.

But for too many New Zealanders the holiday season offers little joy. The kids who are asking Santa for a house because they’re living out of cars, the minimum wage workers who are spending the season doing shift work and still struggle to pay the bills, the families who are apart because they can’t afford the cost of coming together, the thousands who will be relying on charity for their Xmas dinner.

At the same time there’s hundreds of millions of dollars available for multinational companies, for Hollywood studios, for selling our assets, for the wealthy few.

This is the hard reality of New Zealand under the current government.

But there’s a better way than this, a way to make sure every New Zealander gets a fair go and decent opportunities. And next year, election year, we’ll work for it. Together.

In the meantime, enjoy the holiday season and make sure you come back refreshed and ready to win.

My aroha to you and your loved ones,

David Cunliffe

PS: if you’ve not taken the chance to send an Xmas card to the Prime Minister you can do it here.

89 comments on “Seasons greetings from David Cunliffe ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. BM 1
    24 December 2013 at 8:11 pm

    Merry Xmas Dave.

    I disagree with the guts of your message thou, as this link demonstrates.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11177643

    Things really ain’t that bad are they.

    Tip for the new year, Dave.

    Focus on the positive, people prefer that.

    • karol 1.1
      24 December 2013 at 8:17 pm

      Focus on the positive, people prefer that.

      Which people? The ones who are doing fine and don’t want to hear about the inequality gap, and those with little to be cheerful about this summer?

      It’s a very positive message from, Cunliffe – about working to make NZ a better place for all.

      • Bazar 1.1.1
        25 December 2013 at 9:31 am

        If you call that positive, your world must be very bleak indeed.
        Xmas is a time to celebrate, not to commiserate.
        While there are others who are in need, this is the one day of the year that shouldn’t be depressed just to make political points.

        • One Anonymous Knucklehead 1.1.1.1
          25 December 2013 at 11:38 am

          Fuck off and stop depressing them with your support for shite policies then, asshole.

          • Bazar 1.1.1.1.1
            25 December 2013 at 7:19 pm

            You’re a bastion of goodwill to all men oak, with an intellect to match.
            Don’t forget to try and enjoy xmas when you’re not busy pissing down on everyone from up high.

            • Akldnut 1.1.1.1.1.1
              25 December 2013 at 7:45 pm

              How Bazar

              The only one pissing on people from up high is you, it’s so easy for pricks like you to forget the hundreds of thousands who are going without.

              The only thing is that your kind are disingenuous and apply an out of sight out of mind mentality, and only talk about it once forced to – without any action.

              I agree you should fuck right off.

            • One Anonymous Knucklehead 1.1.1.1.1.2
              26 December 2013 at 7:49 am

              Pretends goodwill to all men. Supports the National Party. Cognitive dissonance much?

        • karol 1.1.1.2
          25 December 2013 at 8:50 pm

          Xmas is a time to celebrate, not to commiserate.

          To celebrate what exactly?

          And really! Not make political points?!

          All I see in the run up to Christmas is rampant exploitation and commericalisation – it’s already been hi jacked by the neoliberals – it’s a celebration of consumerism! And that is already political.

          It should be about thinking of others – especially those who are in need/

        • karol 1.1.1.3
          25 December 2013 at 8:50 pm

          Xmas is a time to celebrate, not to commiserate.

          To celebrate what exactly?

          And really! Not make political points?!

          All I see in the run up to Christmas is rampant exploitation and commericalisation – it’s already been hi jacked by the neoliberals – it’s a celebration of consumerism! And that is already political.

          It should be about thinking of others – especially those who are in need/

          • karol 1.1.1.3.1
            25 December 2013 at 8:56 pm

            PS: This is a left wing blog. So I’m not really impressed by righties coming here and telling me how I should respond to Christmas Day.

    • Paul 1.2
      24 December 2013 at 8:45 pm

      Can’t believe the Labour Party ( or any progressive grouping) would be relying on your vote, BM.
      So I doubt they need your sage advice.

      • BM 1.2.1
        24 December 2013 at 8:57 pm

        Labours never going to win pitching at the disillusioned 10%.

        Until whoever’s in charge of strategy on the left side realizes that you’ll never beat National.

        Personally, I hope the penny never drops.

        • karol 1.2.1.1
          24 December 2013 at 9:17 pm

          It’s not the disillusioned 10% – there’s a far higher percentage struggling to get by.

          But, I guess the Nats voters just don’t care – seems it’s just all about winning, and nothing about ethics.

          • Colonial Viper 1.2.1.1.1
            24 December 2013 at 11:07 pm

            Correct. The bottom quarter of the population is doing it very hard and going without on a regular basis. And those in the 26th to 50th percentile struggle to make ends meet week to week as well.

            As you note, BM would quite like the big end of town to continue along in a smooth velvety delusion without being disturbed or concerned.

      • Murray Olsen 1.2.2
        24 December 2013 at 10:25 pm

        BM looks forward to the day when he won’t even need to vote – when our leaders will be chosen by the Business Round Table, with valued input from our allies in Wall St.

        The positive news is that people are waking up to this neoliberal bullshit we’ve been subjected to, including some, but not all the Labour MPs. The positive news is that, sometime in 2014, Key will be on a flight back to Hawaii, that Benefat will no longer be in charge of the Mystery of Sosh Devlopmint, that Collins will no longer be perverting the national sense of justice, and Bill English will be showing that he doesn’t actually know how to run a farm.

        Merry Christmas, David. Please don’t forget the beneficiaries as recent Labour governments have done. Help us build a country for all Kiwis. It’s been a while since Aotearoa has felt like that. Let’s take it back. Let’s get Green, Mana, and Labour working together.

    • weka 1.3
      24 December 2013 at 10:24 pm

      “as this link demonstrates.

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11177643

      Things really ain’t that bad are they.”

      That link is full of nonsense. Oooh, look, people spend more at Christmas. Oooh, look, it’s up x % on whenever. Oooh, look, people spend more the week before Christmas than they did the week before that. The whole thing reads like someone with a fixation on numbers just vomited a bunch of stats out of their brain with no context or meaning attached.

      eg, spending on camping gear is up. My bet is that less people can afford to go overseas or stay in motels etc.

      “”Kiwis were also out gathering all the last-minute essentials for their Christmas lunch, with food retailing up 81.8 per cent yesterday on the same day last week,” said Whiston.”

      Honest to god, does that sentence have any meaning in it at all?

    • Bearded Git 1.4
      25 December 2013 at 8:11 am

      I can smell the fear BM. You know David Cunliffe will have Key on toast in this election.

    • dave 1.5
      25 December 2013 at 8:48 am

      is it let them eat cake BM ? 3000 food parcels bm a record ,but no we the elite who caused it dont want see it hear it or beleave it exists go back to your gated community because next year we are going to burn your little fictional world down !enjoy planet key while you can because its going to end ! as your KEY said your time in the sun in over

  2. karol 2
    24 December 2013 at 8:19 pm

    Thanks, David.

    I also am thinking of those with little to be cheerful about right now. Thank-you for the indication that you will be targeting the inequality gap next year.

    Have a good summer break with those close to you.

  3. Noko 3
    24 December 2013 at 8:20 pm

    “the minimum wage workers who are spending the season doing shift work and still struggle to pay the bills”
    Anyone wanna pay my bond? Moving year in year out sucks, especially when it’s in the middle of the holidays for everyone else and peak work period for us petrol station workers.

  4. tinfoilhat 4
    24 December 2013 at 8:24 pm

    Sod off 1% trougher.

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 4.1
      25 December 2013 at 7:36 am

      They can’t help it: they’re afraid of David Cunliffe and what they think his government will mean for them. The fact escapes them that they do better under Labour-led governments, just like everyone else.

      My dearest wish for them is a visit from the ghosts of Christmas Past Present and Future.

  5. Naki Man 5
    24 December 2013 at 9:08 pm

    Merry Xmas Dave

    National are doing a great job of running the country
    It must be very frustrating for you to see the economy doing so well.

    PS Your dirty tricks just turn the voters off.

    • karol 5.1
      24 December 2013 at 9:20 pm

      Dirty tricks? That’s the territory of the NActs, Jason Ede et al.

      They are also very good at projecting their failings onto the opposition.

      Bigger queues than ever at foodbanks, and not one expression of concern from the righties: for them it’s all about winning, and no concern for those doing it tough.

      • Olwyn 5.1.1
        24 December 2013 at 9:37 pm

        Indeed Karol. I sometimes get nostalgic for the days when right wingers had actual thoughts in their heads, and argued that the public good was better served by their side. I didn’t agree with them, but I at least had a modicum of respect for them.

        • karol 5.1.1.1
          24 December 2013 at 9:49 pm

          Health and poverty – only today on Stuff:

          A national throat-swabbing campaign has identified nearly 50,000 children at risk of getting strep-throat, which can lead to rheumatic fever, a Health Ministry report says.

          Health Minister Tony Ryall’s report into implementing the New Zealand Health Strategy was released today, reporting on district health boards’ and the Ministry of Health’s success in meeting national health targets.
          [..]
          As part of the programme, children who had sore throats were able to have a swab and be tested for strep throat, and were given antibiotics if needed.

          The programme targets communities in areas with the highest incidence of rheumatic fever – an illness commonly associated with poverty and poor housing.

          The health response is fine. But you’d think the NActs would do more about the underlying cause – poverty.

          And there’s also the working poor, NM – people working long hours and still struggling to bring in enough fr their families to live a healthy life. People who want jobs and can’t find them. People living in garages…. etc

          The callousness of righties is a wonder to behold – especially at a time of year that encourages thinking of others..

        • rhinocrates 5.1.1.2
          26 December 2013 at 10:47 am

          +1

      • Naki Man 5.1.2
        24 December 2013 at 9:38 pm

        Wake up Karol
        No one is starving here, obesity is a far bigger health issue.
        You would think some of these lazy people might try growing there own food, Nah that would be like work.

        • karol 5.1.2.1
          24 December 2013 at 9:42 pm

          Dear oh, dear, NM. You show so little knowledge about health and poverty. As for those in poverty growing their own food? Many try, not that many can.

          • chrissy 5.1.2.1.1
            26 December 2013 at 9:47 am

            I agree karol. A lot of people (probably ones who have never tried it themselves) think you just pop a seed or seedling and it will grow. We have a large vegetable garden and it requires lots of time, lots of money, constant vigilance, good rainfall, no baking hot days,no birds, no cats, no small children and so on. The crop failure without pretty much living in the bloody patch weeding, snail , slug removal etc. is depressingly high And who wants a constant diet of silverbeet which is about the only thing we rely on to not fail.
            People who arrogantly say “just grow your own food you lazy whatevers” are just plain stupid. As if that will solve the problem. What about meat, milk, bread and all other staples needed in a diet, what about the necessities of life like clothing, shoes, soap, toilet paper, sanitary requirement for women, medicine for ill people and maybe even a little indulgence like chocolate or a glass of wine or a beer or two.
            People like Naki Man are totally out of touch with reality, unless it is keys reality. And it is about time he realised that most of the TRUTH about poverty in NZ is not reported by media. Instead we get orgasmic reporting of record rampant consumerism paid for presumably by Credit Cards. So we will have even more poverty come the New Year. And so it starts again. Vicious circles. Happy New Year everybody.

        • Paul 5.1.2.2
          24 December 2013 at 9:44 pm

          You also show very little of the spirit of Xmas compassion.

        • weka 5.1.2.3
          24 December 2013 at 10:17 pm

          “You would think some of these lazy people might try growing there own food, Nah that would be like work.”

          Ignoring for a minute that you are most likely at tr0ll… you obviously either don’t garden and have no fucking idea how much skill, time and resources are required to do that successfully at the level of feeding a family in a reliable way, or you do garden and were handed the skills and resources but no sense of gratitude for that privilege. Or you’re just a mean fuck.

        • rich the other 5.1.2.4
          24 December 2013 at 10:48 pm

          Naki man,
          good on ya ,I’ve noticed only a couple of serious critics , Karol and Paul , it seems even on this topic the left aren’t convinced themselves.

          David ,take positive action , get rid of those who don’t fully support you.
          Next election you are doomed so get rebuilding for the following election.

          Merry Christmas even tho your party is full of atheists

          • karol 5.1.2.4.1
            25 December 2013 at 7:59 am

            Even in the holiday period…. the righties keep coming here and trying to divert with spinning.

            Hope they get time for some r&r today and tomorrow.

          • karol 5.1.2.4.2
            25 December 2013 at 7:59 am

            Even in the holiday period…. the righties keep coming here and trying to divert with spinning.

            Hope they get time for some r&r today and tomorrow.

          • Draco T Bastard 5.1.2.4.3
            25 December 2013 at 1:42 pm

            good on ya ,I’ve noticed only a couple of serious critics , Karol and Paul , it seems even on this topic the left aren’t convinced themselves.

            I’d say don’t kid yourself but that’s all you RWNJs ever do. Facts never enter that thick skull skull of yours. I’ll give you a hint: Obesity isn’t solely caused by over eating.

            Perhaps others haven’t replied because Paul and Karol have already said what was needed.

        • Will@Welly 5.1.2.5
          25 December 2013 at 1:36 am

          Listen, you great big lard of human effluent, if you knew a thing or two about modern food processing and food manufacturing you’d stop and shut your ‘orrible big gob!!
          In the last few years. in the “name of progress” = $$$$, manufacturers have been loading processed foodstuffs up with calories in the shape of sugars, fats and starches to prolong their shelf life and make them more enticing and flavoursome to consumers. WE don’t need that amount of crap in the food we consume.
          In the early 1970’s, scientists in Japan, developed corn syrup, which is now used extensively in food manufacturing, our bodies aren’t built to handle a direct shot of straight sugar like that.
          Then Mr. Naki Man, since you’re one of them thar hillstock inbreds, tell me why in this country where we produce so much fresh fruit and produce, is milk dearer than a litre of coke, or bread dearer than a packet of potato crisps? And why is it we subsidize overseas interests when consumers here pay a premium? Is that just National pandering to it’s cronies again?
          The other thing, if you’re renting, some landlords don’t like you digging up the back yard to have a vege garden, or in other places, the sections are so small, there ain’t no room to grow veges. Or if like alot of folk, you get turfed out of your rental every few months, can you really afford to invest long-term if you don’t know if you’ll be there.
          And finally, Naki Man, it’s about time you stopped chewing on you cud, pulled your head out of you know where,hitch your horse to something more in line with your level of comprehension, instead of trying to mess around with the more intelligent folk. I would have suggested a playcentre, but they’re over-run at present.

    • Linz 5.2
      24 December 2013 at 9:41 pm

      Naki Man, you’re deluded.

      • karol 5.2.1
        24 December 2013 at 9:43 pm

        Denial – many righties are very good at it.

        • Paul 5.2.1.1
          24 December 2013 at 9:44 pm

          It’s the complete lack of empathy I don’t understand.

          • karol 5.2.1.1.1
            24 December 2013 at 9:50 pm

            It’s the complete lack of empathy I don’t understand.

            exactly!

            • Colonial Viper 5.2.1.1.1.1
              24 December 2013 at 11:09 pm

              They have to maintain denial and moral superiority, otherwise they might have to take personal responsibility for the society and the political economics which has resulted.

              • emergency mike …
                25 December 2013 at 12:11 am

                Cognitive dissonance – “Well it can’t be that I’m a mean-spirited oppressor protecting my own privileged position. Nope, that just doesn’t seem right, I’m aweseome. So um… why can’t these people just grow their own vegetables ffs? Or they could just eat cake. Chocolate cake, lemon cake, pecan pie, take a look and all them Lampton Quay cafes, there’s all sorts of cake they could eat.”

            • Akldnut 5.2.1.1.1.2
              25 December 2013 at 11:16 pm

              It’s the complete lack of empathy I don’t understand.

              It’s sickening

  6. Olwyn 6
    24 December 2013 at 9:08 pm

    Have a wonderful Christmas David. May 2014 bring into fruition the better way you are talking about.

    • Chooky 6.1
      25 December 2013 at 8:38 am

      +1….with the Greens and Mana ….as as fighting battalion to defeat Nact for a generation!.

      Xmas wish list for Santa Cunliffe’s new 2014 coalition government:

      Bring back a strong free state education system….modeled on Finland ( get rid of ACT private lobbiests on education paid by the Ministry and influenced by USA business contractors for failed USA privatised charter school system)

      Bring back Continuing Education

      Bring back a free state funded tertiary and university education system based on France and Germany ( not the failed class/ privilege privatised USA and British model…which excludes some of the best and brightest from the working class and impoverished middle class….and leaves tertiary education as a privilege for the wealthy mediocre )

      Bring back a great independent Public Service…well educated and skilled and committed to doing the best for all New Zealanders ( get rid of the uneducated crony private contractors lining their pockets and who come with corrupting agendas)

  7. Linz 7
    24 December 2013 at 9:39 pm

    Thanks for coming on The Standard and wishing us well, and thanks especially for giving us hope for a better tomorrow. You have done very well since you became leader. This from John Armstrong no less: “Since taking over from David Shearer, David Cunliffe has not put a foot wrong – at least in a strategic sense.” (I would have stopped the sentence before the dash.) I hope you and your family have a great holiday season, and here’s hoping we all have the best of years in 2014. My best election so far was 1972. I’ve got a feeling 2014 will be even better.

  8. Philj 8
    24 December 2013 at 10:03 pm

    Xox
    BM and Naki, you are troughing in the wrong place. I wish you both good health, cause if you haven’t you will join the long queue. Course u have health insurance. Hope you learn some kindness and aroha. It is the season.

    • Akldnut 8.1
      25 December 2013 at 11:24 pm

      Hope that if you do get sick it wont be too bad, because the private health system will pay to use the public health facilities and you will be pushing someone in the public system further down the queue.

  9. Redzone 9
    24 December 2013 at 10:11 pm

    Naki man what planet are you on? Try growing vegetables when you live in a car and work 2 jobs and then that doesnt even cover the cost of rent. Poverty is for real in NZ. Wake up and show some compassion. Your smugness is nauseating.

  10. RedLogix 10
    24 December 2013 at 10:21 pm

    David,

    Again thanks for wishing us well here at The Standard. It’s a passionate community and we’ve been inspired in the hope that you have what it takes to turn Labour away from the neo-liberal madness that has held the caucus in it’s thrall for far too long.

    It’s a long haul David and we have your back. Make the most of these few relatively quiet weeks – it’s going to be a great year ahead.

    Kind Regards

  11. Saarbo 11
    24 December 2013 at 11:37 pm

    Thanks David…also a merry Christmas to all of the Standard commenters (Left ones) and post’ers.

    A funny thing has happened in our family Christmas this year, we have a large family and my aging mum has asked two of our siblings to stay away because they always bicker and cause distress amongst other family members, they also happen to be the only two family members who vote right/National (lol)…there is something in that! Looking forward to a peaceful Christmas this year.

    Looking forward to helping to get rid of this not only mean spirited National party but also hopelessly incompetent (except at spin).

  12. xtasy 12
    25 December 2013 at 1:50 am

    Thanks David,

    It should all be available by now to Labour Party insiders, members and spokespersons, but much still seems to go down unnoticed. Thank you David, I still am hesitant to support you, but you are at least the “lesser evil”. By the way, get the UNFAIRNESS, and the PUNITIVE approach in welfare policies to be part of your program for the election campaign, and you may be surprised how many are affected and may give you their votes.

    If you need some real info and advice, as to how to beat the Nat and ACT jerks, I think I could perhaps assist with some guidance here and there, that is if you are interested, as some of your own are not up to it.

    Contact the host or editor, and he may pass on my details.

    Keep it up and do the right thing!

    Do NOT forget the government’s warfare against welfare recipients, or it will come back to be your peril one day. The system is hideous, the Minister is mean and lying, the affected are crapped on day and night. There are not enough jobs, but they push sick and disabled now, same as sole parents if they may have a baby only one year old!!!

    Rgds X

    • xtasy 12.1
      25 December 2013 at 2:04 am

      Further to that, tip or advice:

      As you suggested already on RNZ, get yourself, your wife and perhaps whole family made more public and familiar with the wider NZ public!

      Also consider the NZ spirit of tangata whenua and whatever, to create a spirit for togetherness, and learn from what is happening in Latin America:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnG9jHh_ZIo

      With your smartness and resources it should be sugar sweet easy to win the election 2014. But we all know that the MSM is in the pocket of Key and his lot, and that is where your biggest challenge will be.

      Doing the right analysis, and above all, getting the RIGHT program together, Labour should win easily, but that is where it hinges according to my view, the program and policies. We get too little and it is too wishy washy.

      Get all that sorted, and a bit more, and you will be PM in late 2014!

    • blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) 12.2
      25 December 2013 at 11:39 am

      I like xtasy’s message and wish to add please reassess Labour’s approach to superannuation

      – it just seems that now that the jobless and those with health challenges have been screwed down as much as humanly possible and there is no more that can be taken off them we are now going to move onto the oldies. PLEASE we’ve had enough of this nonsense.

  13. One Anonymous Knucklehead 13
    25 December 2013 at 7:28 am

    Merry Xmas and happy new year to one and all, ho ho ho and all that.

    2014 is going to be a good year. We’re going to change our government.

    • Anne 13.1
      25 December 2013 at 9:15 am

      Season greetings to all, and I hope David Cunliffe takes X up on his offer. xtasy has a wealth of knowledge and understanding especially when it comes to Welfare and Winz.

      The thing I’ve noticed about David is that he doesn’t set himself up as the arbiter of all knowledge. He treats people with respect and listens carefully to their views no matter who they are – a CEO or a road worker. Funny that because his former detractors who were inclined to suggest he was otherwise… were far more inclined to consider themselves better than the rest of us.

  14. Tracey 14
    25 December 2013 at 9:49 am

    David

    its up to you to change this country for the better. You have to find the way to cut through the spin and lies of this govt in ways the people will get. You have to find the way to get alot of people to see that the world is not for everyone as it is for them.for gods sake start reminding this country how huge the govt debt now is… how chchch is largely covered by insurance… so who has the money gone to.

    I believe most nzers are fairminded but you have to make them see there is something which requires their fair mindedness.

    we will all vote but we cannot shape how anyone votes only you can.

    dont let the vulnerable down david.

  15. Tracey 15
    25 December 2013 at 10:12 am

    Xtasy

    top tip brother. Hope 2014 treats you well.

  16. Tracey 16
    25 December 2013 at 10:13 am

    12 litres of coke for 12 bucks…theres a problem right thete

    • Colonial Viper 16.1
      25 December 2013 at 10:26 am

      One litre for each day of Christmas…awesome

    • Naki Man 16.2
      25 December 2013 at 8:45 pm

      Those so called energy drinks, Mother, red bull. V etc are doing far more damage than coke

      • McFlock 16.2.1
        25 December 2013 at 10:47 pm

        reasoning?

        • Paul 16.2.1.1
          25 December 2013 at 10:57 pm

          And / or evidence?

        • blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) 16.2.1.2
          25 December 2013 at 11:00 pm

          I believe those energy drinks contain even more sugar than coke and also large amounts of caffeine. I think that some of them suggest a limit of 4 per day due to the potential adverse health effects that they could create. This might be what Naki Man is referring to.

          • McFlock 16.2.1.2.1
            25 December 2013 at 11:15 pm

            That’s my understanding too, but I suspect people drink much more high-fructose-fizz on average than caffeine analogues. Red Bull’s pretty pricey compared to milk or coke, istr.

          • rhinocrates 16.2.1.2.2
            26 December 2013 at 10:45 am

            Well, if the poor are made unhealthy by drinking energy drinks, let them drink Châteauneuf-du-Pape!

  17. Lanthanide 17
    25 December 2013 at 10:30 am

    I can’t help but think that after 3 years of the next Labour government, all of the things he listed as being problems in NZ will still be problems.

  18. Tracey 18
    25 December 2013 at 12:37 pm

    I agree lanth … the crucial thing is beginning a change of direction not just talking.
    each time key talks about reform labour needs to call it what it is… making unemployment look better by pushing the vulnerable into city missions. Spend some money on people who can counter frame the bs argument that nats put up.

    tell john key you can now show him the money … its at warner bros… rio tinto… and other needy corporates and in return we have 50b debt and overseas banks creaming interest from us and a minister of tourism who likes to spend his money into the us economy cos no where here meets his standards.

  19. Steve Wrathall 19
    25 December 2013 at 2:26 pm

    Meery Xmas and please spam John Key with Labours “Xmas cards” so we can harvest your emails.

  20. Tanz 20
    25 December 2013 at 9:28 pm

    I just do not understand why Key made it harder for first home buyers. That is one of his worst moves.

  21. Kevin 21
    25 December 2013 at 9:38 pm

    Did you note all the iPhones being used to take pix at the City Mission lunch???

  22. tricledrown 22
    25 December 2013 at 11:14 pm

    Naki not much difference between coke and energy drinks

  23. tricledrown 23
    25 December 2013 at 11:59 pm

    I thought all the right whining grinches would be in hawaii celebrating a sucessful year of ladder pulling.

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    Chris Trotter writes –  MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 hours ago

  • The Hoon around the week to April 19
    TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 hours ago

  • The ‘Humpty Dumpty’ end result of dismantling our environmental protections
    Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 hours ago

  • Nicola's Salad Days.
    I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 hours ago

  • Study sees climate change baking in 19% lower global income by 2050
    TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 hours ago

  • Weekly Roundup 19-April-2024
    It’s Friday again. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week on Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered at the government looking into a long tunnel for Wellington. On Wednesday we ran a post from Oscar Simms on some lessons from Texas. AT’s ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    8 hours ago

  • Jack Vowles: Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  The data is from February this ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    10 hours ago

  • Clearing up confusion (or trying to)
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    11 hours ago

  • How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log iPhone Without Computer
    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A Step–by–Step Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and third–party applications. So, let‘s dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. That‘s why they introduced the “Recently Deleted“ folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Here‘s how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the “Recents“ tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on “Edit“. Select “Show Recently Deleted“. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose “Recover“ to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Here‘s how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose “Erase All Content and Settings“. Follow the on–screen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose “Restore from iCloud Backup“ during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore Third–Party Apps (with Caution): ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    13 hours ago

  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    19 hours ago

  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    20 hours ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    Skeptical Science
    20 hours ago

  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    21 hours ago

  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    21 hours ago

  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    21 hours ago

  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    21 hours ago

  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    21 hours ago

  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    22 hours ago

  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    23 hours ago

  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    23 hours ago

  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    23 hours ago

  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    23 hours ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    23 hours ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 day ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    1 day ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    1 day ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    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
    5 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
    6 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

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
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    2 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
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    3 hours ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
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    4 hours ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
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    6 hours 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 ...
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    17 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 ...
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    23 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 ...
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    1 day 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 ...
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    1 day 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 - ...
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    1 day 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 ...
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    1 day 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 ...
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    1 day 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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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, ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    4 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 ...
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    4 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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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
    5 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 ...
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    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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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

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