The attack on Auckland’s Democracy

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, October 16th, 2013 - 172 comments
Categories: auckland supercity, blogs, democracy under attack - Tags: ,

len-brown

OK Len has been a silly boy.  He is not the first middle aged man to do something really stupid and he will not be the last.  I hope that his family recover and wish them all aroha to deal with a situation that is bad enough when it is private but devastating when it is so public.

I also hope that he rehabilitates himself.  A lame duck mayor is the last thing that Auckland needs.  He has been able to get this Government to do the right thing even though it does not want to do this and I hope that Len continues with his efforts.  Many of us are disturbed at the treatment of MUNZ on the ports of Auckland and insistent that Auckland should impose a living wage, but Len has achieved a great deal of good and it is vital that he continues to do so.

The timing of this announcement and the source are interesting.

As to the source well Cameron is obviously not a catholic.  Because otherwise he would realise that he who is not without sin should not cast the first stone.  And given that his father was John Pallino’s campaign manager you have to wonder if Cameron just wants to make sure that the truth is out there or if he wants to upset the democratic choice of all of Auckland.  I am sure that the latter is his motivation.

Despite their denials I would be astounded if they have not had this information for a while.  If outing of the truth is their only motivation then why wait until now?

Instead they release this information in the small window of time between the close of the polls and the announcement of the final result.  It is clear from the initial result that Len was going to coast home.  Maybe they are hoping that he will resign and they can have a second go at it.

This is hugely distracting.  Instead of us having a Mayor forming a Council that will take the City forward we are into a bout of pantie sniffing.

The response of the Council will be interesting.  I am sure that the right will stage a Bill Clinton type attempted impeachment process under the Council’s code of conduct for elected members.  The trouble is that the code of itself contains no real teeth but I am sure it will be used to at least try and undermine Len’s authority.

Cameron Slater has shown beyond doubt that he is part of the New Zealand version of the Tea Party.  Nothing matters but winning.  And if you have to trash democratic decisions and the future of the country’s largest city then so be it.

172 comments on “The attack on Auckland’s Democracy ”

  1. Tom Gould 1

    Palino is making no comment? Very convenient. Will the MSM ask him the obvious questions? The utter hypocrisy in the nasty venal right and parts of the MSM is simply breath-taking. As for the right-wing lynch mob pseudo-impeachment censure, Len should just vote for the motion. Next. Other than that, he should get on with the job he was elected to do.

    • Tracey 1.1

      Like Banks, and Key before him,,, they have underlings do the bad stuff so they can say “I never did that” “I never saw that” “I never knew that.”

      IF he knew nothing of it the least he can do is say he doesn’t or does agree with it, but feels sympathy for Mr Brown’s wife and family who are collateral damage in this.

  2. BM 2

    Despite their denials I would be astounded if they have not had this information for a while. If outing of the truth is their only motivation then why wait until now?

    Because he didn’t get a sign affidavit until yesterday, I’m surprised you didn’t know that.

    • mickysavage 2.1

      The affidavit may have been signed yesterday but are you suggesting that they did not have the information until then?

      • karol 2.1.1

        SleazeOil has been reported as saying he first got the information about a month ago.

      • BM 2.1.2

        Yes, but until he got her to sign an affidavit he wasn’t going to put his arse on the line was he.

        If he went public and then she backed out, he’d have been toast.

        Slater is not dumb.

        • Colonial Viper 2.1.2.1

          Yep. Better that she becomes political toast.

        • Tracey 2.1.2.2

          “his arse on the line”

          Play fair BM, I will struggle to get THAT image out of my mind today without poking my eyes out with a fork.

        • mickysavage 2.1.2.3

          Are you saying BM that she would not sign the affidavit until yesterday or that Slater only asked for it yesterday? I agree the affidavit is important but I don’t accept that it was only available yesterday. After all you only have to look at the pressure that Stephen Cook had applied to victims in the past to realise that he is prepared to go to extremes to get stories.

          • Seti 2.1.2.3.1

            You think she would have provided all these lurid details knowing they would be made public after being elected to the Albert-Eden board? Her position would have been as untenable as Brown’s is.
            Cook may have had a story but denials from both sides would have killed it before it got going.

        • ghostwhowalksnz 2.1.2.4

          Thats absurd . He would have run with what he had.

          No he wants Brown as Mayor now, it suits his close friends Banks ( a comeback) or Williamson to run next time

        • Rodel 2.1.2.5

          Yes he is

    • Colonial Viper 2.2

      That’s simply a fact, not a reason. The reasons would be: she was also running in the elections. And Palino is very closely connected with the matter through his campaign manager, Slater’s Dad. Also they knew that Brown would get voted in anyway, despite their smears.

  3. Zorr 3

    I don’t see anything in that code of conduct that says “the mayor shall not have consensual sex with another private citizen who is not his wife” – this really would be grasping at straws for the right because what does Len’s private life have to do with his ability to perform the duties of his office?

    All aboard the bandwagon!

    • mickysavage 3.1

      I hope they do not do it because it will create an almighty circus for months if it gets off the ground. But clause 5.2 states that “Members have a duty to act honestly and with integrity at all times” and I can imagine some claiming that this has been breached.

    • fender 3.2

      +1

      But they can’t “trust him now” apparently.

      Len must have told certain people he would only screw his wife.

    • infused 3.3

      It’s not private life when he was busted busting a nut within the council walls, is it?

      He’s made his private life public. I don’t get why none of you seem to be able to grasp that.

      • lprent 3.3.1

        He’s made his private life public.

        Ah no. Whats her name and the hypocritical panty-sniffer Cameron Slater did that.

        By the way, I think I should start running a series of the posts on the sex life of Whaleoil. Apparently it isn’t all blowup dolls.

        • Tiger Mountain 3.3.1.1

          Len may well be an amateur compared to Banksie party central in the back seat of the Bentley. And please pedants don’t accuse me of making stuff up given Banksies memory blackouts over his plus sized ex buddy KDC.

          There are so many possible scenarios, but a political angle is the hot trail given Whalespews Dad’s involvement in the Pallino campaign and Bevan’s candidacy for a board.

          • Can’t beat Len in the electoral contest-no worries undermine him after.

        • fender 3.3.1.2

          Not sure I could stomach the details about what he does with those pig hunting trophies, LP.

        • David H 3.3.1.3

          If you do run with that sort of story can you please put a ‘Not before morning coffee’ sort of warning on it.

        • Murray Olsen 3.3.1.4

          The problem is that any publicity to do with any sort of sex would raise Blubber Boy’s esteem in the eyes of his fan club. Whether he’s rogering a bloody dead rabbit or irrumating a prickly pear, it’s more than most of them would be getting. And if it did go bad, he’s expendable anyway. Lusk and Collins can roll out some other semi literate moron to keep the show on the road. What is needed is the extermination of the social relations that use his sort of crap as their first line of defence. That means much deeper changes than can be brought about by exposing the sick fantasies and actual events in the sex life of a piece of something that would have to evolve to become pond scum.

    • cricklewood 3.4

      It does most likely mention behaviors that bring the office into disrepute, having a play in council premises apperently crosses the line Council recently fired an employee for the same in toilet stall a year or two back the desicision was upheld in the empolyment court…
      I suspect that is what will trip him up in the end don’t think anyone would give a shit if it all happened in his own time on private proerty….

  4. karol 4

    Well said Micky. I am disgusted that the MSM is taking SleazeOil’s smears so seriously.

  5. Philgwellington Wellington 5

    Can you please tell me exactly what is so precious about Aucklands democracy, when it is being trashed in Hawkes Bay
    And with the Ruataniwha Dam,
    Canterbury with the dictatorship
    of the appointed Regional and Council, Christchurch rebuild
    Fletcher Con, etc. Democracy is so yesterday. You are now under increasing control by your elected ‘representatives’. What to do?..

    • karol 5.1

      Actually, the SleazeOil smear campaign is just another way the right are trying to undermine democracy. The things you list above are other ways they have been trying.

      And we could be in for more of the same in the run-up to next year’s parliamentary elections.

      • infused 5.1.1

        Len Brown undermined himself. It’s pretty damm simple Karol.

        • lprent 5.1.1.1

          Not “simple”. I couldn’t give a damn where politicians put their genitals if they’re doing it with consenting adults. What I’m interested in is just if they are doing their job and not trying to directly lie (which was the Richard Worth problem). Can’t see what this has to do with running Auckland city.

          I’m just surprised that you are such a furious gossip? Read a lot of celebrity magazines as well do you?

      • David H 5.1.2

        Except that it’s all over the front pages, and pushing important stories out of the limelight. Puddin Bennet must have run out of things to Hammer us Beneficiaries with.

  6. karol 6

    And the TVNZ report has commentators from left and right saying Brown should stay mayor, and that there looks to be a political motive behind SleazeOil’s release of information.

    Interesting that the report says this:

    Simon Wilson told Seven Sharp he thinks the timing of the revelation was deliberate.

    He said the woman in question was a political opponent of Mr Brown, as she was a local board candidate for the Communities and Residents ticket, which means the National Party in Auckland.

    I understand she was also a member of John Palino’s campaign team. And she doesn’t get elected.

    “It’s hard to imagine that she would have acted completely alone on this.”

    Mr Wilson also pointed out that John Slater, who is the father of the blogger who released the information, was John Palino’s “manager or adviser”.

    “Clearly this has been released with a political motive.”

    My bold.

    Sheesh!

  7. swan 7

    Hang on what are you guys going on about. He had sex on council premises with one on his own appointees. And that has been made public. An attack on democracy???? Get over yourselves

    • karol 7.1

      with one on his own appointees
      citation needed.

      Flailing around there, swan. The media tide is turning in favour of Brown. The political motives of the smearmongers are now under the spotlight. They can’t win a democratic vote on policy, so try some dirty smear tricks – fail.

      • swan 7.1.1

        Here karol see link below. Hopefully you accept its veracity it is from the RWNJ Tim Watkin. Im not doing the flailing. I dont care about this much. (Although my apolitical wife now thinks he is cretin.) I was just calling out the hysterics of calling this an attack on democracy!!

        http://pundit.co.nz/content/len-brown-sex-lies-and-mandates

        • Tracey 7.1.1.1

          “The initial story on WhaleOil said the affair was with a “council employee”, which is a bit of a stretch. As one of 12 on the Ethnic Peoples Advisory Panel she is a representative rather than a staff member. If she had been a staff member the issue would have been much worse for Brown, because employment law would have come down on him like a tonne of bricks.”

          and

          “”The Local Government Act required the Mayor of Auckland to appoint the Panel no later than 31 March 2011.The Panel was established and appointed by the Mayor of Auckland following a three-stage selection process…” It goes on:”The Panel operates up to 1 November 2013. However, the decision tocontinue or re-establish the panel in the same or modified form is within thepower of the Mayor’s authority.”

          So Chuang – a perfectly pleasant woman I met earlier this year – was the mayor’s own appointee (even if the recommendations came from a selection committee). Worse, he has the power to re-appoint her – or not – in the next two to three weeks. “

          • Huginn 7.1.1.1.1

            From the Herald:

            ‘Ms Chuang . . . was appointed to the Ethnic Peoples Advisory Panel in March 2011. The mayor is legally responsible for appointing the board.

            [However] Mr Brown appointed councillor Richard Northey to interview and hire panellists, including Ms Chuang. Mr Northey said she “interviewed well” and there was no reason she would have met Mr Brown at that stage. ‘

        • karol 7.1.1.2

          Veracity? yes I read it last night. It’s an opinion, and in the end, Watkins states he’s more worried about Banks maintaining office than Len Brown.

          And this is Tim Watkin’s later piece, published late last night or early this morning, after the post you linked to:

          “The unwritten rule re politics & sex: Does the Len Brown story write a new rule”

          Yet New Zealand journalists have been pretty consistent in staying well away from that line. Many a known infidelity has gone unreported, or so I’ve been told. I’d feel pretty confident in saying that includes relationships where, as with Len Brown, some form of power abuse has been in play.
          […]
          Cameron Slater and Stephen Cook, well, their work speaks for itself. And it’s often been vulgar or worse in my view. While they’ve clearly got this one mostly right, they’ve got other stories and judgments wrong in the past, in some cases at great cost. That being said, journalists and bloggers (the latter’s kindest description I can give those two) aren’t standing for public office so can be as judgmental and hypocritical as they like. They can simply publish and be damned. Fair enough.

          But I fear the crossing of a line here. And I fear that these two retrobates are the ones to cross it. I don’t want to reward them or to work in an industry where they set the tone. I don’t want the lowest common denominators in the media to be able to establish themselves as society’s moral arbiters. I don’t want them to be encouraged to find new ways to titilate for the sake of it and thereby lower the public’s view of the media any more than it already has been. Further, do we really want to open our leaders to this new level of scrutiny? That would be something new. And if so, there must surely be MPs tonight sleeping very uneasily indeed.

          One point that stands out in today’s blog is the detail; the unnecessary, salacious, vicious detail. No credible journalist would have gone into such explicit depth about the sexual acts. Even if the story is of public interest, the explicit material is not and can only hurt the family more. It’s clearly calculated to do maximum political damage regardless of the human cost, because readers will fixate on the demeaning, cheap specifics and Brown can’t respond to them, can’t even deny any that might be untrue, because he has to lie in the bed he made for himself.

          None of that is decent, it’s just cruel.
          Look at the comparison with John Banks and the comment made by Kim Dotcom in court today:
          […]
          Do we really demand the resignation of a man who cheats on his wife while a man [Banks] who allegedly says such things wins national office and become a minister of the Crown?
          The Brown revelation hurts him. But its longer-term legacy could be the rewriting of a rule, a re-writing that has taken place due to political gamesmanship and without any sense of consensus within the industry or society at large.

          You are just trying to run SleazeOil’s nasty smear campaign and maintain it has some credibility. It’s just dirty tactics by people who have lost in a democratic vote. I hear the level of detail revealed on SleazeOil’s site is unnecessarily nasty and salacious.

          Shame on you all. You do democracy no service.

          • swan 7.1.1.2.1

            No I’m not. I dont care about his smear campaign. And agree it is dirty stuff.

            You questioned a fact I asserted and I backed it up.

            But for petes sake none of that makes this an attack on democracy!!

            • Draco T Bastard 7.1.1.2.1.1

              But for petes sake none of that makes this an attack on democracy!!

              The timing and demands for resignation indicate otherwise.

  8. Puckish Rogue 8

    He can’t be trusted with a credit card, he can’t be trusted with attractive women but hey its an attack on democracy…ever consider that maybe 2 minute noodle Brown bought this all on himself through his own actions?

    Naah much easier to blame the right then look at your own failings

    • ghostwhowalksnz 8.1

      Of course its his own failings !

      Have you seen the track record of London Mayor Boris Johnson

      “In 2004, British newspapers reported that Johnson had had a four-year affair with Petronella Wyatt.”

      Johnson committed a “minor technical breach of the code of conduct” in failing “to formally disclose his relationship with unpaid City Hall adviser Helen Macintyre

      … became a trainee reporter for The Times. Within a year, he was sacked for falsifying a quotation from his godfather,

      In 1995, a recording of a telephone conversation was made public revealing a plot by a friend to physically assault a News of the World journalist…. I think he got a medal for that !!

    • framu 8.2

      you and swan are talking about the act – the post is talking about how, when and why we found out

      they – arent – the – same – thing

      You both need to look beyond the headline

      note: im not supporting brown or his actions here, just pointing out your both missing the point of the post

      • swan 8.2.1

        OK I am not trying to focus on the act. Of course it is no secret that Whale oil is a politically partisan blogger and would have hoped that airing this causes damage to Brown. Yeah muck raking and all that. But going from that to “attack on democracy” is the hysterical leap I am calling into question.

        • Tracey 8.2.1.1

          IF using this act to try and change the outcome of an election is not about democracy what is it?

          • swan 8.2.1.1.1

            It is playing the game – albeit dirty. This is politics. Dish dirt on opponents – call for resignations – call into question integrity character. Not saying its pleasant or desirable, but it is just poilitics.

            An attack on democracy would be electoral fraud or perhaps making up lies in an election campaign or gerrymandering, or something like that…

            You can see the difference, right? If this is an attack on democracy then the virtually the entire political process in NZ is an attack on democracy!

            The point is – the people will decide and judge him on this (i.e. democracy). And no one is forcing him to resign (and it doesnt look like he will).

        • framu 8.2.1.2

          fair enough – i also wouldnt call the outing of lengate in and of itself as an attack on democracy

          But i would call the fact of whos doing it, why, and what the objectives could be, add up to something far worse than public interest journalism.

          (But i would probably say that regarding anything the professional shit stirrers in and around the auckland council come up with)

    • fender 8.3

      “…..can’t be trusted with attractive women….”

      So there’s more than just this one woman he’s been frisky with is there? Or is this woman the only attractive one in Auckland?

    • Tracey 8.4

      Cant be trusted with a credit card also includes Brownlee and Heatley…

      Liars include Smith and Key…

      You have no moral high ground to beat your chest on Puck… unless I have missed your posts railing against these guys and banks…

  9. George D 9

    I disagree with MickySavage.

    One thing the left knows is that nobody succeeds alone. That’s especially true in politics.

    His electoral success has been due to the support of the Labour Party, the unions, the volunteers and supporters, the people of South Auckland. And his family.

    Len needs to humble himself and remember who got him to where he is today. Without them he’s just a smart man with a nice smile.

  10. Sanctuary 10

    Looks increasingly like Len Brown fell for a calculated, old-fashioned honey trap that would make the KGB smile.

    • Tracey 10.1

      Yet she is saying that he dumped her and it made her feel like a “prostitute”. She felt she was treated poorly and so perhaps she wanted to lash out. Slater called her naive, and was happy to exploit that.

      • karol 10.1.1

        Now I’m confused. I seem to recall earlier reports did say Brown ended the affair, but this NZ Herald article reports that Chuang claims she ended it.

        Ms Chuang said she did not find Mr Brown attractive but found his power and influence “intoxicating” and compared herself to Monica Lewinsky, Bill Clinton’s mistress.

        She later ended the affair after starting a new relationship.

        • Bob 10.1.1.1

          From my reading og the information I believe that:
          1) Around January she became involved in a relationship and with another person and she then ended the affair with Brown.
          2) The relationship with the “third party” ended at some point and the affair with Brown resumed
          3) The affair ended a second time just before Brown launched his re-election campaign (Jun/Jul)

          Hope that helps.

        • Tracey 10.1.1.2

          Yes, I read a report where she said she felt like a poorly paid prostitute after he dumped her.

    • Puckish Rogue 10.2

      Helluva honey trap to run it for two years…maybe hes just a dirty old man

  11. djp 11

    Wow, shedding light on a polictical candidate is now an “attack on Aucklands Democracy”. Are you serious?

    • Colonial Viper 11.1

      Trying to throw the results of an election with private life sexual gutterpress is an attack on democracy.

    • karol 11.2

      Yes. Do you seriously think a lot of Kiwis really are taken in by SleazeOil’s smear campaign? If you know anything about politics in NZ and how it is usually reported on, it is a politically motivated smear in the face of losing a democratic vote.

      I think Brown did far worse in not supporting the Ports Of Auckland workers. That really shows where his politics are at. The light has been shed on his personal life. There are many politicians in NZ past and present, left and right, that are guilty of similar sexual (mis) conduct.

      SleazeOil doesn’t shed light, he smears slime and creates politically-motivated diversions. He and his fellow sewer rats have no respect for democracy.

      • DavidW 11.2.1

        How can it be a smear when Len has admitted it all? All kinda reminds one of Mike Williams trooping off to Melbourne to find dirt on John Key and making sure that the media knew where he was and what he was doing. Inferences were then drawn that there was something to find. Turns out to be nothing – That’s a smear.

        • karol 11.2.1.1

          A smear is being done by trying to make more of Brown’s sexual encounters than they are. It’s just throwing a lot of mud around.

          • grumpy 11.2.1.1.1

            No problem with Len indulging in a bit of extracurricular nooky with an attractive young chick…..but she claims he gave her the clap (which, if true indicates more about Len’s off field pursuits than we thought)….and threatened her (shades of Aaron Gilmore, who didn’t actually – as far as we know- shag the waiter).

            • Colonial Viper 11.2.1.1.1.1

              ….and threatened her (shades of Aaron Gilmore, who didn’t actually – as far as we know- shag the waiter).

              Threats? You mean the anon txts? Who knows if they came from Slater’s mates or whoever else might’ve known about the issue for the last several months.

              • grumpy

                No idea – but that’s what is claimed. There will be more to come out on this.
                As always, it’s not the initial act that tips them over – it’s the lies and coverup afterwards.
                Good move getting Campbell and Rudman on board though.

        • framu 11.2.1.2

          from memory that little smear was wrongly attributed to Williams

          yes he was over there – but he wasnt the only one, and he wasnt the one who supplied the story

  12. Pascal's bookie 12

    The GOPification wing of the National Party shows its hand.

    Judith Collins may lead the party one day, but National won’t win an election with her at the helm.

  13. Sanctuary 13

    What will the French be thinking? They must be puzzling at the obsessions of the Anglo-Saxons…

    “…At Mitterrand’s funeral in Jarnac, his wife Danielle (centre, with white scarf), to the right their son Jean-Christophe, then Mitterrand’s daughter (out of wedlock) Mazarine, her mother Anne Pingeot (Mitterrand’s mistress, standing a step back, with black hat), and then Mitterrand’s other son by Danielle, Gilbert, 11 January 1996.

    http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/files/2010/04/mitterrand-funeral-351×250-custom.jpg

  14. infused 14

    The way you lot are portraying this is fucking hilarious.

    Len has done no wrong.

    Jesus.

    [lprent: Do you have a point? Apart from religion. ]

    • Tracey 14.1

      you and CV in agreement at last 😉

      Selective reading infused? Some of this lot think he has done wrong… me, Allen, vto and others…

      • infused 14.1.1

        I’ve only skim read, but it did seem that way.

        • karol 14.1.1.1

          I have repeatedly said, Brown has hurt his family. I don’t like his philandering. But his bigger failing, IMO is his failure to support the Ports of Auckland workers. But even knowing his political flaws, and that he is too centrist fro my liking, I voted for him last week. This is because the alternative (Palino or Slater’s favoured one Brewer) are far worse.

          And I rate SleazeOil’s smear mongering as a tactic to bring down Brown, as far worse than anything Brown’s done. SleazeOil and his sewer rats thumb their noses at democracy.

          • infused 14.1.1.1.1

            How has he smeared him lol? This is all len browns doing. If he kept his junk in his pants you wouldn’t have this issue, would you?

            • framu 14.1.1.1.1.1

              i see youve changed tack from accusing people here of supporting lens philandering

              • infused

                I don’t need to really. It’s all written here in black and white.

                • framu

                  if you dont need to – why did you do it?

                  as you said – its all there in black and white

                  ahem

                  – “The way you lot are portraying this is fucking hilarious. Len has done no wrong.”

                  can you point out where “you lot” are supporting browns carry on?

                  then for follow up points – can you point out where youve changed tack?

                  it all there – it shouldnt be that hard

                  so youve made a statement, shifted your position, then when called on it your response is “i dont need to”?

                  your not even making sense

            • felix 14.1.1.1.1.2

              Why do you think you get a say in what Len Brown does with his junk?

              Fuck off, busybody.

      • Colonial Viper 14.1.2

        Selective reading infused? Some of this lot think he has done wrong… me, Allen, vto and others…

        Whoah Tracey…yes Brown has done wrong morally…but no, this is a private matter and nothing to do with his ability or job as Mayor UNLESS it can be shown that he has been lavishing Council money, trips, gifts, career promises etc on the woman.

    • infused 14.2

      religion? couldn’t care less. My point is, this isn’t his private life like a lot of people saying. You choose to bang someone on council property, cheat on your wife and get caught out, tough shit. He’s a public figure, he should know better. Now he has to deal with it.

      • felix 14.2.1

        And why do you think you get a say in whether he cheats on his wife?

        • infused 14.2.1.1

          If he cheats on his wife, he’s hardly trust worthy to be Mayor is he? or are you that fucking simple I need to spell this out for you.

          [lprent: Let me spell it out for you. None of your comments today have any content. FFS you haven’t even managed to write a coherent explanation about why you feel outraged. That is despite several people asking you why you appear to do so.

          Conclusion – they look like trolling. 4 week ban. ]

          • fender 14.2.1.1.1

            Oh yeah, being unfaithful to ones wife means you are an untrustworthy criminal in every area of your life.

            Bit like those busybodies who think if someone smokes pot they are involved in the criminal underworld 24/7.

          • infused 14.2.1.1.2

            Why do I need to be outraged? I never said I was. I’m countering these two stupid arguments:

            1) It’s his private life, stay out
            2) He should say as Mayor

            • Colonial Viper 14.2.1.1.2.1

              So you want all city/district councillors, mayors, MPs, judges, etc out of office if they have had extramarital affairs? On what basis?

          • Draco T Bastard 14.2.1.1.3

            I remember reading an account a woman wrote of an affair she had. She started it when she was 19 with her boss and it lasted 10+ years. In that time she went to the boss’s home for dinner several times a year, became friends with the wife and remained friends with her after the death of the husband. She also got married.

            Was the man “cheating on his wife”? Not as far as I can make out. He still loved her, cared for her and supported her. Same, I believe, can be said of Len Brown.

            As I said earlier, the problem isn’t the extra-marital affair but societies damaging attitudes about sex which, thankfully, happen to be changing.

            • Tracey 14.2.1.1.3.1

              “the problem isn’t the extra-marital affair but societies damaging attitudes about sex which, thankfully, happen to be changing.”

              That will explain why Len told his wife… oh that’s right when he got a whiff it would be made public.

              I know a guy who had a drunken night with a woman, went home the next day and told his wife. Rough times and then they went away for ten days to get time to work it out. Still working it out.

              please dont compare Len Brown to this man… they have more than one point of difference.

              • Draco T Bastard

                Monogamy seems to be a learned behaviour not a natural one. It is this learned behaviour and society frowning on people who are promiscuous that caused Len Brown not to tell not, IMO, that he was doing anything wrong.

          • Tracey 14.2.1.1.4

            what if you lie from 2007 to 2013, are you fit to be PM?

  15. JLLJames 16

    Surely this affair is pertinent information for the electorate given Len has been indulging in his infidelity during the time when he was meant to be doing his job. If this was in the private sector you would be dismissed.

    Try and hold everyone to the same standard rather than twist the facts every time. Only then will the Standard become a source of Reliable, Relevant, and Accurate information.

    • gobsmacked 16.1

      Try and hold everyone to the same standard rather than twist the facts every time.

      OK, so let’s hold everyone – your word – to that same standard.

      Today, all government Ministers must answer this question:

      “Have you ever been unfaithful to a partner, while you have been a government Minister?”

      According to you, anyone who says “Yes” must resign. Anyone who says “No” and is lying, must resign.

      Is that really what you want to happen? If not, why not?

      Think about it.

    • Colonial Viper 16.2

      If this was in the private sector you would be dismissed.

      Bullshit. Please name 3 NZ company General Managers, CEOs or corporate board Directors who were dismissed because of extramarital affairs.

      Bet you can’t even name one, because it hardly ever happens.

  16. Curtis 17

    Len Brown said he spoke to his wife last week about his affair. Perhaps she came out with this because she is heart broken? Not because of any political agenda.

    • framu 17.1

      to believe that youve got to ignore a hell of alot

      occams razor, past performance, known players and all that

  17. karol 18

    Brian Rudman asks, “what century do the Slaters think they are living in?”

    The Slater family failed to defeat Len Brown by masterminding John Palino’s campaign in last week’s mayoral election, so now we have a dirty blow beneath the belt.

    Former National Party president and Palino campaign manager John Slater couldn’t topple the Mayor fairly, now his son, Cameron, is trying to humiliate him out of office.

    Cameron Slater seems to have forgotten what century he’s living in. Marital infidelity is hardly a sacking offence in this day and age. The sleazy and infuriated out-pourings of the discarded mistress on his website might have shocked his grandparents’ generation, but today it’s more likely to raise little more than the odd snigger, and feelings of sympathy for Mr Brown’s family. What his Labour Party friends might think of him sleeping with a class enemy – a dreaded Citrat – is another matter.

    • grumpy 18.1

      Don’t think Rudman or Campbell’s die in a ditch efforts are very helpful to Len. They just highlight the fact that neither want to mention the clap or the threats. Rogue Trooper’s comment yesterday that “this is going to end badly” was very appropriate.

      • Colonial Viper 18.1.1

        Brown now has to move on and get on with the business of getting the new City Council together, and getting the business done for Auckland.

        He does and this personal life sexual shit fight in the media will be history in 72 hours.

  18. finbar 19

    The facts according to Len.Yes i have been having a affair.

  19. gobsmacked 20

    Len Brown went to strip clubs! Disgusting pervert! He MUST resign!

    Oh sorry, that was John Key who did that, and more than once, by his own admission. So he’s got to go.

    We can play this “Race to the Sleazy Bottom” all day. But there’s a reason why National MPs – especially male ones – aren’t clamouring for Brown to go.

    Some of those up on the high horse might want to ask themselves why.

  20. Enough is Enough 21

    Fairly hystirical title to this post.

    He’s been busy rooting some junior for a couple of years in his office. That is news. Always has been always will be. Just depends what side of the political fence the dirty rooter is sitting on as to whether you get offended by it being news.

    If it was Banks we just swap today’s Kiwiblog comments with the lot in here.

    Best way to show the Blob up is to ignore him. He will be smirkining at this post and ticking it up as a success. If we all put our heads down and get back to work he will have noone to play with.

  21. Rogue Trooper 22

    Hear from RNZ Midday Report that Quax and some other Blue Ducks are calling for him to resign, followed by issues now raised amongst the Pasifika communities and the appropriateness of his Matai status. hmmm, still not going to end well.

  22. Sanctuary 23

    As an aside, sad to see what an arsehole John Minto is being over this. No wonder he no one ever votes for him, when given the chance he is just a skinnier version of Slater.

    • grumpy 23.1

      …very astute. Takes some people a while…..

    • tinfoilhat 23.2

      Bullshit !

      John is taking the principled position of asking that those who voted for Brown should be given the chance to either endorse him again or not now that they have more information about the man’s character both at and away from work.

    • Murray Olsen 23.3

      I think John is wrong on this issue, but nowhere near as wrong as you are in comparing him to WhaleSpew. It is possible to be principled and wrong, like John is here.

  23. Rob 24

    An attack on democracy, really, amazing how you politicise and shift the blame on a low blow to his wife and kids. Good job , you must be really proud how intellectualise this shit away.

    He is lucky it didnt come out prior to the election, people down here are gutted by what he has done to himself and his family that are part of teh community. He has got a lot of ground to recover.

    If the election was happening now, the big Sth Akl support base that he has so enjoyed, based on Christian and family values would not be so supportive.

    I think its pretty clear that a few consistant Standard commentators do not care, as you guys put it “where elected officials put their genitals”. But down in the somewhat more real world, infidelity and the affect upon families and communities is treated a little more seriously.

    This guy has seriously let a lot of people down and as of yesterday does not have the same degree of trust and love with his community and just before you leap in to rip into me , I actually voted for him.

    • Colonial Viper 24.1

      I think your Right Wing traction is slipping. Seems like NZers don’t like Slater’s prurient approach to NZ politics.

      • Rob 24.1.1

        what right wing traction, you really don’t get it do you.

        • framu 24.1.1.1

          its amazing that you cant distinguish between the act, the politically motivated response, and what the response is hoping to achieve.

          as gobsmacked points out below

    • gobsmacked 24.2

      Criticising Brown for his behaviour is not an attack on democracy.

      Removing him from his elected office is an attack on democracy.

      Chalk, cheese.

      • Rob 24.2.1

        So , no elected official can held to account for their behaviours is that what you are saying?

        • karol 24.2.1.1

          No one is saying that. I’m very pleased to see John Banks being held to account in the courts for his political actions.

          Many here have been critical of Len Brown failing to support the Ports of Auckland workers.

        • gobsmacked 24.2.1.2

          No.

          I guess we have different views on “held to account”. I think having sex with an intern was wrong, but slaughtering thousands of Iraqis was vastly worse. So Bush should have been impeached, not Clinton.

          Banks has not (yet) been held to account for breaking the law, and lying repeatedly, while Brown has not broken any law. Which mayoral “sin” is greater?

          I’m happy with my moral compass, yours is up to you.

          Above all, I don’t take my moral instructions from the immoral bloggers and panty-sniffers like Slater. If they win, we ALL lose.

          • Rob 24.2.1.2.1

            No

            You can always point in almost all situations to other examples that are worse or more extreme or whatever, of course there are some terrible incidencies created by elected officials, this is why they need to be scutinised.

            If that makes you feel better about your moral compass good one, dont judge mine by it.

            Anyway , another supposed good guy is exposed for what he has done, hopefully they cabn pull through.

      • Rob 24.2.2

        You know, I don’t he will resign.

        At the next election I would certainly be considering things differently.

    • lprent 24.3

      …I actually voted for him…

      So did I, so did a lot of us.

      However (here is the important thing), we didn’t vote for his sex life. We didn’t vote on whatever way he was an upright citizen.

      We voted on his policies. So what is different today rather than when we voted sometime over the last few weeks? Sex, family and the like isn’t something that I even look at in a politician. That is the realm of prurient panty-sniffers like yourself.

      • Rob 24.3.1

        Top marks on the Lprent scale for name calling. Doesn’t take you long really does it.

        To some people, not you I realise this, do vote on the character of the person as well as their policies. Character is important in people, maybe this has always been your issue.

        You know the amount of references you have made about panty sniffing really makes you out to be an expert in the matter.

        • Rogue Trooper 24.3.1.1

          sorry Lynn, couldn’t help it, gotta 😀

        • lprent 24.3.1.2

          It is merely my plain-spoken description of someone that is far far too concerned about the intimate details of someone else’s life. If I’d been “name-calling” then I’d have been far more robust in my description than ‘prurient panty-sniffer’. If you don’t like it then don’t act like you deserve that description of your behaviour. I really can’t be bothered figuring out a polite shorthand way of describing a inane and obsessive fetish for gossip.

          Besides, using a robust description gets more of an amusing reaction from fools who are more concerned with appearances, politeness and manners than they are of reality. The type of crazies who’d figure out how to ignore things like genocide, rape, murder, or whatever by wrapping a “polite” label around their hypocrisy.

          If you’re relying on “character”, then I’d question *where* you could assess that from. The media just have the opinions of others, who in turn you have to try and figure out their character. Quite simply you’re making an assessment on the PR ability of the candidate and their campaign team.

          “Character” is something you could do in a small town. It is nigh well impossible in city of 1.4 million odd.

          • Rogue Trooper 24.3.1.2.1

            from “The type of crazies…to odd” is very well put Lynn.

          • Rob 24.3.1.2.2

            Auckland is actually a small town on a global scale. I have assessed his ‘character’ from his raft of meetings , statements made by himeself about himself and his regard to his family , how he has acted with his family in public, need I go on.

      • grumpy 24.3.2

        I suspect most people bought the package. A “nice guy”. Someone who could be trusted to keep his word and promises to the voters.

      • tinfoilhat 24.3.3

        “We voted on his policies. So what is different today rather than when we voted sometime over the last few weeks? Sex, family and the like isn’t something that I even look at in a politician. That is the realm of prurient panty-sniffers like yourself.”

        What an arrogant idiot you are, perhaps just perhaps some of the other voters do take into account sex, family and the like as well as policies when voting. Does that make them idiots and prurient pant-sniffers ?

  24. LynnW 25

    This makes me question Brown’s common sense and judgement. He deserves to be called a ‘dick head’ because anyone with his brain engaged would have seen that the woman in question is a determined self-publicist who wanted a political career.

    She’s also a bit of a hypocrite. She wrote this on her blog – about the qualities she wants in a partner:

    “Trustworthiness. When I share my secrets or personal life with someone, I won’t tolerate them being thrown back in my face or aired publicly. I need to know that I can trust my partner to never do this.”

    Whilst I would normally side with the woman in cases like this, I have to place her complaint about being made to feel like a prostitute alongside the fact that she was happy to have sex stark naked with a married man in the Council HQ.

    As to the texts she received being ‘lewd’ – adolescent perhaps – and the ‘threat’ sounded more like good advice.

    • Rob 25.1

      Oh well thats cleared it up, he is a dick head because of who he did it with , not because he did it. Real classy Lynn.

      I bet his wife & family can rest easy now knowing that only thing he did wrong was that he was giving it to a girl from the other side.

      • grumpy 25.1.1

        Cripes this thread is certainly an insight into left wing philosophy.
        “It’s not what is done but who is doing it” or “it’s only bad when the Right do it” bullshit.

        • framu 25.1.1.1

          is this thread saying either of those things?

          or is there some severe comprehension issues floating about?

          i do see a lot of “jesus that was dumb of brown – but lets examine the motives of his opponents” but very little, bordering on none of – “cool – cheating on your wife. Thats right on!”

        • gobsmacked 25.1.1.2

          Wrong, Grumpy.

          What we’re trying to do is establish the ground rules. For all, regardless of party. But every time we ask, you “righties” run away from the question.

          So, one more time – should all Ministers and MPs who have had affairs, now resign?

          Yes or no?

          • Rob 25.1.1.2.1

            Ok I’ll engage. I dont think that people should resign as a result of affairs.

            If an issue like this does get out into the public , then people will cast their votes and form their views accordingly, and those people outed will have to live with what they have done. If you promote yourself as being a Christian person in a marriage and faithful to your family and courting a fairly conservative community who hold these same values, then this community will view you differently after the affair, and I suppose this comes down to honesty and integrity.

            I suppose another issue with these sorts of things is the persons capability to recognise bad sitauations. People elected (or for that matter hold) positions of responsibility, they do need to be smart and aware. Its obvious that they are probably offered tempting situations almost daily, be it bribes, corruption, sex whatever. Of course just because they choose to have an affair does not mean they are doing other dodgy things, however it is that loss of trust and belief in that this elected person can make wise decisions on a repeated basis that is broken.

      • LynnW 25.1.2

        Glad you think my post was classy Rob. I try not to disappoint.

        You go ahead and put your own spin on things but the fact is Brown did something a load of people do or would do given the chance – and he did it with someone who was self centred / opportunistic / politically motivated/ naive (take your pick) and who chose to make it public via a right-wing blogger and to provide said blogger with a load of salacious details.

        I happen to think that, given such a monumental lapse of judgement, Brown should resign – but let’s not lose sight of the fact that his family will be hurt not just because he had an affair, but because of the way it was revealed.

        She’s a woman, not a girl; she courts publicity; has political ambitions and, while the far greater fault is his, she clearly didn’t care about Brown’s family during the affair nor did she care about the effects on them of the way she CHOSE to reveal it.

    • Murray Olsen 25.2

      Did she actually complain about being treated like a prostitute? What I read suggested that she was complaining about not being treated like one, i.e. she had no material gain to show for it at the end.

  25. captain hook 26

    look cameron slater is a piece of shit.
    all it proves is that Len Borwn has the cojones and he will get a third term.
    dig?

  26. The Lone Haranguer 27

    I suspect that the young lady in question went to Slater as a woman scorned, then figured she didnt want to verify stuff as she had an election to win.

    When she lost, and when Len Brown won, then she was happy to sign the affidavit and sell him down the river.

    This country decided a generation ago, that what happens in people bedrooms is not the business of the State. But for some reason, I dont recall that standard being kept when Richard Worth was caught with his pants down, and many on the left wanted his goolies on a plate. They got his head instead.

    For the sake of Mr Browns wife and kids, we should leave them alone.

  27. TheContrarian 28

    If you have are going to have an affair be prepared to get caught.
    If you are a public official having an affair be prepared to caught and have it get very ugly and very public so try and keep it in your pants – at least until you leave office.

    As to whether or not he is now unqualified to hold office or should resign my opinion is neither but that is the choice of the people he represents.

    • TheContrarian 28.1

      “As to whether or not he is now unqualified to hold office or should resign my opinion is neither”

      Errr, what I mean to say is he shouldn’t resign and he is still qualified. That sentence read weird.

  28. jaymam 29

    The National and ACT parties seemed happy to have Brash as leader no matter what he did in his private life.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10401658

    ‘The “other woman” in National leader Don Brash’s alleged affair has spoken for the first time of the “traumatic” impact of the allegations..'”

  29. on the fence 30

    Hi Guys

    Im all keen for not focusing on what Len does in his personal life. If he wants to have an affair thats all well and good (I dont wanna know nor do I have a right to know). However when the private life starts impacting on what he does in the Office is what concerns me. Many allegations have been made around him ummm having happy time in the office while talking to his mistress on the phone. Plus the whole meeting room sex allegation was stated by the mistress. Its all one sided however (as she is the one detailing the specifics here) but should Len Brown be held accountable for acting unprofessionally in the office? Im not saying he should resign but surely it warrants an investigation? In any other job just insinuating the above would be a major issue. Should it be investigated based on the above? How does one be held accountable in the position of Mayor if it was true?

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    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic plan, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    3 days ago
  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    3 days ago
  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    3 days ago
  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    3 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    4 days ago
  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    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. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    5 days ago
  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago
  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    5 days ago
  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    7 days ago
  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    7 days ago
  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Streamlining Building Consent Changes
    The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says.      “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
    Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech – Eid al-Fitr
    Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government saves access to medicines
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff.    “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Pharmac Chair appointed
    Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
    Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says.  “Every day, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • New sports complex opens in Kaikohe
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Diplomacy needed more than ever
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges.    “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
    Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service.  It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    Distinguished guests -   It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders.   Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia.   Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
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    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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