The Key-Fletcher trail

Written By: - Date published: 11:36 am, April 11th, 2013 - 77 comments
Categories: accountability, democracy under attack, Ethics, film, grant robertson, International, internet, john key, slippery, Spying, telecommunications, trade - Tags: , , ,

I have been doing some digging to try to find answers to some questions raised by John Key’s role in the appointment of Ian Fletcher as chief of the GCSB.

Why did Key try to cover up the fact that he had intervened in the appointment process?

Why is he vague about when and where he had met up with Fletcher since their school days?

Why was Fletcher, lacking the usual military/intelligence background, appointed to the GCSB as a “change manager”?

Intellectual Property and Commerce

The evidence indicates that Key was interested in Fletcher’s background in intellectual property, and international trade and economics.

Any more recent suggestions that Key wanted Fletcher to give the GCSB a “shake up” are not supported as Key seems to have only recently been aware of illegal operations at the GCSB.  Further more, Key’s lax oversight of the GCSB indicates that he was not concerned about disorganisation or disarray at the department. (See also Selwyn Manning on the GCSB problems and the Kitteridge Report)

Fletcher’s management of his department in Queensland has come in for some criticism (as in my post last week), indicating that he was not appointed for having exceptionally good managerial skills.  The evidence seems to confirm Trotter’s claim that it is Fletcher’s background in intellectual copyright and commercial information that Key was most interested in.  John Key’s announcement of Fletcher’s appointment in 2011 do not mention his generic change management skills.  Key focuses on Fletcher’s expertise in international trade and commerce, explicitly mentioning his background in intellectual property.  Key then summarises Fletcher’s expertise:

“Mr Fletcher has extensive policy and operational experience particularly in relation to international economic and trade matters. ….”  says Mr Key.

An interview of Fletcher conducted for his alumni at the INSEAD: “The Business School For the World”  (a kind of post grad school for experienced high flying business execs, where Fletcher did a course in 2005) provides some confirmation of Fletcher’s relevant experience in the operational and management of intellectual property and copyright piracy.   In the interview, Fletcher stress the growing importance intellectual property in relation to business in a globalised world.  He cites an example of a case in which his team worked closely with the police and local authories:

INSEAD: Have you encountered many counterfeit or piracy cases?

IF: Yes, we actually have an enforcement team in our office which includes a police officer. This team coordinates police work and works with the Serious Organised Crime Agency and with local authorities. One case that highlights their work involved a famous singer whose name I cannot mention for confidentiality reasons. Just before the singer was about to release a new recording, a physical copy was stolen. Due to the enforcement team’s diligent work, we found out where the recording was being kept whilst the thief was intending to sell it on the internet. The police officer in our enforcement team drove half-way across the country to recover the recording before it was sold and arrested the thief. We believe that the singer in question was saved from a substantial financial loss.

INSEAD: Are there standard IP regulations/procedures that exist on a global level?

IF: … The creation of an efficient global system for patent and trade mark protection, and improving the copyright system is a major challenge as ideas move very quickly in a globalised world. IP rights are territorial and can be extremely long to administer. One of the roles of the WIPO is to establish a forum for the development of new global intellectual property rules to comprehensively address the challenges of globalisation.

The Key-Fletcher Trail

I have not been able to establish when Key (and/or Iain Rennie) became aware of Fletcher’s interest in this area.  Key and Fletcher were working in London at the same time (Key for Merrill Lynch 1995-2001: Fletcher for various organisations).  By the end of 2001, Key had decided to return to NZ, and he was the successful candidate for Helensville in 2002.

When Grant Robertson recently asked in the House (of parliament) whether Key met with Fletcher while in London, Key’s answer was, not unusual for him, was vague and, suspiciously, immediately followed by a deflection (Question Time 27 March 2013):

Grant Robertson: … can he enlighten the House as to whether he has had further contact with Mr Fletcher since their school days, perhaps in London?

Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Well, I cannot recall particular occasions; I am sure I may well have done so. What I can say, if the member wants to know, is that my mother was best friends with Ian Fletcher’s mother. If that makes a conspiracy, fair enough.

The next day he was reported in the Dominion Post as having flatly denied any such meetings:

Key denies the pair were friends when they both worked in London. “From the best of my memory, from the age of about 18 to the age of about 48, so for 30 years, or three decades, I didn’t have any dinners or lunches or breakfasts with Ian Fletcher, nor do I actually recall actually seeing him in that time. So, I’m not a great and close friend of him.”

In recent years Key has shared “breakfasts” with Fletcher, in his previous role as director-general and chief executive of the Queensland State’s Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, he said.

Fletcher, on Campbell live on 9 April, is also vague about when he “cross paths” with Key in more recent years. The timing of the alleged renewal of their acquaintanceship is a little strange because it seems very condensed into a short period.  John Key (born Sept 1961) turned 48 in Sept 2009.  Fletcher left his job in England to work in the Queensland Department of Employment, Development and Innovation  in 2009).  There were opportunities for Key and Fletcher to “cross paths” in 2009.  Key visited Australia in August 2009.  Curiously, Rennie and Key claim Fletcher was on their radar for a possible NZ “public sector chief executive” role.

The most likely time for Key and Fletcher to meet up for some “dinners, lunches or breakfasts” would have been in the period including 10-11 March 2010, when it seems Fletcher attended a conference in Auckland.  Key was also in Auckland during those days, as listed in his diary which included an official visit to Counties-Manukau.

Fletcher was given funding to attend a convention on international investment in NZ in March 2010. The Annual Report 2009-2010, for Fletcher’s Queensland Department  on the bottom of page 207, lists Fletcher as having incurred a cost of $ 3592

To accompany the Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy and Minister for Trade to the “Open for Business” New Zealand—Australia Forum and key trade and investment meetings in New Zealand.

The “Open Business” conference was held in Auckland on 10 and 11 March 2010. The NZ Trade and Enterprise Press Release for it states:

Investment specialists from the United States, China and Singapore are among the international speakers featuring at next month’s New Zealand-Australia Investment Forum in Auckland.International Investment Experts to Provide Insights at Auckland Forum

Investment specialists from the United States, China and Singapore are among the international speakers featuring at next month’s New Zealand-Australia Investment Forum in Auckland.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), in partnership with the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade), is hosting the forum from March 10-11. The event aims to bring together New Zealand and Australian companies seeking investment, corporate leaders from around the world, global investors, senior government officials, and academic opinion leaders.

The Programme for conference lists Bill English as first speaker. Gerry Brownlee also was a speaker, plus speakers and panelists from various NZ and Australian government departments plus some from relevant areas in the business/corporate world including IBM, NZ and Dell, Australia, and Phil O’Reilly.

So, it is Fletcher’s intellectual property and international trade experience that seems to have been his attraction for Key.  They may or may not have renewed there acquaintanceship before 2009, but, as Key knew of his background, they probably were moving through inter-connected networks prior to 2009.

Intellectual Property, the Hobbit and Dotcom

This is where the Fletcher issue links in with the Dotcom case. Yesterday, in the House, NZ First’s Andrew Williams raised questions about John Key’s meetings since 2010 with Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros and a director of the Motion Picture Association of America.  Tsujihara was photographed as being part of the Warners’-NZ government Hobbit talks in NZ as reported in the NZ Herald on 27 October in 2010.  As Andrew Williams states, it’s intriguing that Tsujihara has specific interests and expertise in relation to intellectual copyright, and that,

 on 28 October 2010 – a day after Mr Key met with Mr Tsujihara – the SIS lifted a hold on Kim Dotcom’s residency application.”

There is some evidence that it would be worth doing some further digging around the intersecting networks between Warners, Dotcom, Key, Fletcher etc, in relation to the moves by the elites to take control of the globalised world of intellectual property, and corporate and financial interests.  For instance, Tsujihara was appointed as one of the non-executive directors for the SCi Entertainment group plc, at the same time as Aaron Brown in June 2008.

Down the Rabbit Hole: Global Maze

Aaron Brown worked at Merrill Lynch in London and New York (1996-2002), at the same time as John Key worked for Merrill lynch in London.  Brown has been implicated, but not found guilty of dodgy dealings in relation to his partnership with  Robert and Vincent Tchenguiz, “billionaire property moguls”.  The brothers were arrest in 2011 in relation to investigations by the US Serious Fraud Office and the collapse of an Icelandic bank in 2008.   Brown’s interests are more in interactive gaming than property. The Simon Watkins’ article says:

Robert Tchenguiz’s two right-hand men, Aaron Brown and Tim Smalley, were also questioned. Brown has declined to comment, but Smalley denied that he was formally arrested.

American-born Brown began his career as a corporate lawyer and later worked at investment bank Merrill Lynch. He first teamed up with Robert Tchenguiz in 2004 to buy 200 pubs  –  long since sold.

At this point I felt like I had disappeared down a rabbit hole into the global money maze, of ethically dodgy, sometimes illegal, wheelings-and-dealings that favour the wealthy and powerful.

Such networks may or may not be inter-related to the Key-Fletcher-Dotcom-Hobbit complex – hard to tell at this stage.  however, if Key didn’t ac so suspiciously with his memory lapses, diversions and questionable dealings, there wouldn’t be an incentive to dig further.

TO BE CONTINUED…..

77 comments on “The Key-Fletcher trail ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. r0b 1
    11 April 2013 at 1:15 pm

    You’ve written recently in praise of investigative journalism, and now you’ve started out on a project of your own! I look forward to the next installment…

    • lprent 1.1
      11 April 2013 at 1:19 pm

      Likewise – wow!

      • karol 1.1.1
        11 April 2013 at 1:27 pm

        Thanks, guys. I thought it was a bit info-intensive and long for a post, and ended with a further line of enquiry to follow. But I thought it was already long enough, and included stuff that needed to be out there, as part of the bigger picture, so it can be referred to in future – possibly in less dense and shorter posts.

        • McFlock 1.1.1.1
          11 April 2013 at 1:51 pm

          Quite spectacular!

        • AmaKiwi 1.1.1.2
          11 April 2013 at 1:53 pm

          Karol, I am pleased to inform you that you are a candidate for the Nicky Hager Investigative Journalism award.

          • Tigger 1.1.1.2.1
            11 April 2013 at 3:01 pm

            More praise, Karol this is not just fascinating, it is utterly invaluable. Info heavy yes but that is a compliment, full of facts yet easy to read and digest.

            I hold hope that this may finally be the issue that sinks our PM. So much smoke here. If and when the fire is uncovered our leader may find himself burning.

        • Chris 1.1.1.3
          11 April 2013 at 5:35 pm

          Please keep digging.Where there’s a key theirs a lie.

    • veutoviper 1.2
      11 April 2013 at 1:52 pm

      And also my thanks, Karol, for an excellent piece of investigative journalism – better than most of the MSM.

      I had on my to do list to delve further into the Key/Fletcher timelines etc, but other commitments haven’t allowed this – so you have done this for me and provided a lot of very good links to boot.

      The waters just keep getting murkier and murkier. Next week could be very interesting with Dotcom back in the Auckland High Court on Monday at 10am and his mentions of his “White Paper” on his Twitter site.

      But need to get ready to watch another intriguing Question Time in the House. Robertson’s question on the Ministerial warrant signed by English last August should be interesting if English is again answering on Key’s behalf!

  2. ianmac 2
    11 April 2013 at 1:52 pm

    Impressive stuff Karol. Read it all with interest. The Questions is the Answer, and Connectivity is the glue in Investigative Journalism.
    Anyway good stuff.

    • karol 2.1
      11 April 2013 at 2:08 pm

      ianmac, I think in the relevant issues, it’s as important to attend to the networks (Connectivity as you say) as much as to one-to-one meet-ups. Some of us have been trying to work out when, in recent years, Key and Fletcher regained contact.

      Key’s answer to Robertson as to whether he had met with Fletcher in London was vague and suggested evasion and not wanting to commit himself on the record. The next day Key is reported in the media as being certain they hadn’t had formal meet-ups (dinners etc), but, he doesn’t “recall” ever seeing him at that time.

      It’s possible they had mutual acquaintances who mentioned each other, or that they attended the same events where they exchanged a few words. Ditto with Key’s other connections within some significant networks.

      • One Anonymous Knucklehead 2.1.1
        11 April 2013 at 4:52 pm

        It’s also possible that they met frequently but unofficially, and knowing there’s no record, Key feels no need to provide details.

  3. joe90 3
    11 April 2013 at 1:54 pm

    Great post Karol, shake the tree – see who falls out.

  4. TheContrarian 4
    11 April 2013 at 1:58 pm

    Good summary of facts. Looking forward to seeing how far down the rabbit hole this goes.

  5. One Anonymous Knucklehead 5
    11 April 2013 at 2:02 pm

    There are no coincidences, only patterns. Whether this is a pattern of design, or incompetence and stupidity, remains to be seen. Great post Karol. I seem to be saying that a lot lately.

    • karol 5.1
      11 April 2013 at 2:10 pm

      I think some of the “neoliberal” elite “patterns” are the evidence of loose networks of planned and unplanned interactions between people with similar values and aims.

  6. Treetop 6
    11 April 2013 at 2:35 pm

    What is the difference between Dotcom and the 88?

    1. GCSB did not think that Dotcom was a permanent resident.
    2. Dotcom was arrested.
    3. There was footage of the raid.
    4. Dotcom is accused of copyright violations.
    5. Dotcom is to be extradited.

    I have come to the conclusion that even if the GCSB knew about Dotcom’s permanent residency status the GCSB still would have spied on Dotcom like they did for the SIS and police concerning the other 88 people.

    So I draw the conclusion that Key knew about the botch up in July 2012 re the GCSB spying on 88 people and he did nothing to remedy this at the time and the minute Key becomes aware of Dotcom being illegally spied on (two months later than the 88) Key reprimands GCSB and publicly apologises.

    • Tim 6.1
      11 April 2013 at 4:43 pm

      “I have come to the conclusion that even if the GCSB knew about Dotcom’s permanent residency status the GCSB still would have spied on Dotcom like they did for the SIS and police concerning the other 88 people.”
      You’re not wrong TT.
      Buchanan summed it up beautifully when he remarked somewhere on the MSM (sorry for the lack of link – I can;t actually be bothered with most of it), when he described how the overseers (I mean in general) can get held ‘CAPTIVE’ .
      I have a relative – actually plural – that were/are/have been spooks. Intermittent though our meetings were – the most pertinent utterance from him/her was that ‘blood is thicker than water”
      Of the 80 something…… there are the obvious candidates.
      It’ll be interesting to see how the likes of the Murry Party vote though when shush comes to pufff and Wonder Boy’s legislation to ‘RECTIFY’ things hit the debating chanber.

  7. Anne 7
    11 April 2013 at 2:42 pm

    Great post Karol. I seem to be saying that a lot lately.

    Me too. Incredible work karol.

    There are no coincidences, only patterns.

    There may be the odd coincidence intermixed, but the overall pattern is one of a planned conspiracy on a major scale. Key, Joyce, Fletcher and co. are just the local cogs in the global corporate machine.

    (Now watch the RWNJ’s swoop in at the mention of the unmentionable word beginning with c.)

    Edit: FOLLOW THE MONEY.

  8. JonL 8
    11 April 2013 at 3:15 pm

    “….I look forward to the next installment…” as do I.
    Interesting stuff

  9. Mark 9
    11 April 2013 at 3:36 pm

    Desperately digging but failing to find any evidence of anything fishy.
    Don’t give up your day job.

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 9.1
      11 April 2013 at 3:48 pm

      As the Auditor General says, Key has considerable latitude when making the appointment. It’s just that doesn’t explain why he perjured himself over it, lying to Parliament and the public.

      In light of the Prime Minister’s lies, there is bound to be speculation of this nature.

      PS: I feel for Fletcher: Key stains are very hard to get off.

    • Murray Olsen 9.2
      11 April 2013 at 6:08 pm

      Mark: get a day job. Preferably one without internet access. I see plenty there that’s far more than fishy. Karol is doing great work, particularly bringing to light just how important intellectual property and copyright are to our “masters”, and the lengths of illegality they’ll go to to protect them.
      Anyone not worried is far more interested in property than anything intellectual. In good English, a pig rolling in shit.

  10. Politically Corrected 10
    11 April 2013 at 4:05 pm

    It would be interesting to know just how Kim Dot Com came to think of NZ as a place to live?

  11. Mark 11
    11 April 2013 at 4:25 pm

    DotCon had heard about Shane Jones & Co, and how he could buy citizenship. He also heard he could get cheap tiling done. Mainly he heard there were a bunch of left wing fuckwits (as evidenced by The Standard) who would swallow all his bullshit. While the vast majority of Kiwis are starting to enjoy the fruits of good governance, sensible policy, economic & personal freedom etc, the serial failures remain consumed by hypocracy, envy & impotence, and desperately grasp at strawmen & hockeysticks. Hilarious.

    [lprent: Yep it is “hilarious”. The only thing you have done since the amnesty is troll. I can’t find one comment you have made that has any content worth reading. Obviously too stupid to learn and not worth wasting my time on. Banned again. ]

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 11.1
      11 April 2013 at 4:35 pm

      Temper temper, sweety.

      There’s no need to throw your toys, all I’m asking is why it’s necessary for your Prime Minister to lie and lie and lie about his lies about it.

    • karol 11.2
      11 April 2013 at 4:37 pm

      Tell that to the homeless, and people struggling to decide whether to pay the power bill, buy food, or necessary clothes for the kids.

    • McFlock 11.3
      11 April 2013 at 4:38 pm

      Ah.
      Obviously you have no problem with the multitude of facts and linked sources that Karol provided. Otherwise you would have provided some fact-based rebuttals and counter-arguments rather than a delusional spittle-flecked rant.

    • georgecom 11.4
      11 April 2013 at 11:47 pm

      “While the vast majority of Kiwis are starting to enjoy the fruits of good governance, sensible policy, economic & personal freedom etc”

      Roftl. Mark, please, no more, my sides are starting to hurt from laughter.

      The way you stated that with such a straight face would suggest you might be serious. But then you can’t be serious about such a load of BS, eh.

    • framu 11.5
      12 April 2013 at 7:58 am

      “While the vast majority of Kiwis are starting to enjoy the fruits of good governance, sensible policy, economic & personal freedom etc”

      i said this to walter the other day, but ill say it again to you mark

      Strange then that you support a govt that is centralising power, dismantling democratic representation (chch), bullying local govt, picking winners in the private sector, giving favours to foreign corporates, and running one of the most fiscally irresponsible economic platforms in recent history (remember debt has skyrocketed, new taxs, gst increases, unaffordable tax cuts, dodgy bailouts, dodgy financial rumors in CHCH)

      i know we like to call righties a bit thick, but you dont have to go and prove it now do you?

      Your shouting slogans from the kids table while the cousin you stick by is giving you a wedgie – its tragic and pathetic

  12. Huginn 12
    11 April 2013 at 4:40 pm

    Thanks for this, Karol. Key has brought this on himself.

    The notion that the PM has subverted NZ law to spy on a NZ resident at the behest of a foreign interest is chilling. I would be interested to hear what Sir Geoffrey Palmer has to say about this, and also to hear what he might have to say about the role of the GCSB and its relationship with the Prime Minister in general.

  13. jim 13
    11 April 2013 at 4:46 pm

    It is at the end of the day the P.M!s right to sanction the appointment.That said,the more important point “did he mislead the house! when questioned about “how well does he know Mr Fletcher,his response, my Mother was friends with their family, and i went to school with his brother.

  14. vto 14
    11 April 2013 at 4:56 pm

    Why would Key go down this seemingly long path?

    • McFlock 14.1
      11 April 2013 at 5:03 pm

      There is no assumption that he had this particular destination in mind when he started.

      • vto 14.1.1
        11 April 2013 at 5:13 pm

        That’s right. So why would Key go down this seemingly long path?

        • McFlock 14.1.1.1
          11 April 2013 at 5:28 pm

          Because he puts one foot in front of the other in whichever direction seems to be the easiest to go at the time, and this is how the chips fell.

          Easier to circulate with school friends in london rather than the colleagues you’re happily firing.
          Easier to do whatever the studio exec wants, rather than let the process handle itself
          Easier to hire a mate who you know is on the same page, rather than follow an unbiased recruitment process in the public service.
          Easier to lie about it and deflect when someone in parliament says it looks dodge.
          Easier to pretend he hired a “change manager” than admit he hired an IP gun to keep the corporations happy.

          • vto 14.1.1.1.1
            11 April 2013 at 5:45 pm

            “Because he puts one foot in front of the other in whichever direction seems to be the easiest to go at the time, and this is how the chips fell.”

            Except that he doesn’t. One of the things about his own described childhood is how he runs long long term plans. He himself says that he learnt how to play golf because of the place it has in the networks world and in his aim of becoming PM.

            He is surely many things but an egg, in this context, he is not. The wheels have fallen off his carefully crafted long term plan (as they do with duplicity). Methinks he is more pissed off now than he has ever been.

          • Murray Olsen 14.1.1.1.2
            11 April 2013 at 6:22 pm

            People are nothing if not contradictory. I think it could be entirely plausible that Key had a long term plan to get himself to the top, but once there, suffered from such an overblown ego that he thinks his farts are perfume.
            As PM, his planning seems to involve threatening something way over the top, and then retreating a little to make the previously unthinkable look like compromise. His carelessness and lack of planning shows up in the details, where the devil hides. Once he’s finished with Thatcher, let’s hope he comes and takes a few bites out of Key’s bum. I’ll lend him a knife and fork.
            I don’t see a total contradiction between what McFlock and vto are saying.

            • Colonial Viper 14.1.1.1.2.1
              11 April 2013 at 6:35 pm

              People are nothing if not contradictory. I think it could be entirely plausible that Key had a long term plan to get himself to the top, but once there,

              it may very well be that Key had a long term plan to get power but none around what to do with it.

              So he ad libs, tries on a few larks (royal weddings etc), and goes back to what he does know from the habits of a life time – cutting sweetheart deals with monied mates and corporates.

            • McFlock 14.1.1.1.2.2
              12 April 2013 at 1:16 pm

              I’ll go along with that, murray.

              I think it’s highly likely that as a young man key had fairly clear objectives and achieved them over twenty years. Now he just seems to muddle from half-arsed response to half-arsed response, while taking every available opportunity to tick items off his bucket list.

    • BLiP 14.2
      11 April 2013 at 5:33 pm

      ‘

      Brand maintenance. GCSB is his personal ministerial responsibility. Look at all the other National Ltd™ fuck ups – ACC, Education, Police, Health, Conservation, inter alia – and there’s John Key backing up his ministers, issuing soothing statements that its all under control and he maintains confidence that while there have been some hiccups caused by the churn of change, keep calm and carry on. Then, when its his area where the fuck up is . . . where’s John? Gone. Look at how the BMW saga was spun . . . suddenly is not Ministerial Services ,its Internal Affairs, its not John Key backing down, its the government.

      Thing is – damage John Key and you damage National Ltd™ because he’s the only thing they got going for it. As it happens, IMHO, John Key’s value is actually quite flimsy because its emotional rather than rational. Get the public to fear or distrust or dislike the man and National Ltd™ is shot.

      EDIT: Ooops – meant to be reply to vto.

      • karol 14.2.1
        11 April 2013 at 5:39 pm

        Actually, I think Key’s role goes deeper than that. We underestimate him at our peril. See Trotter’s analysis of the Kitteridge Report and it’s implications, just up.

        Under Key, various sections of the “intelligence community” have been organisationally integrated, with him being in sole control. It’s a scary picture.

        I disagree with Trotter, only on the matter of pursuing information the likes of Fletcher. It’s all part of the weft and weave of the bigger picture – pull one or two threads and see how much unravels. However, it’s also important to not lose sight of the bigger picture – and many of us already feel that Key’s hurried plans for changing the laws around the GCSB and SIS are a big concern.

        • BLiP 14.2.1.1
          11 April 2013 at 6:07 pm

          ‘

          Ahhhh . . . classic National Ltd™: what its up to is never as it frst appears and its always worse than you think. I’d better see if I can get past that review’s Executive Summary. Good to see Trotter ringing the alarm bells. Thanks for the link.

        • ianmac 14.2.1.2
          11 April 2013 at 11:04 pm

          Another crikey moment for me this time from Mr Trotter! We thought the concern was just the GCSB and the SIS but there is a whole huge iceberg under water at the behest of the one and only John Key and is it mandated by Parliament, or not?

  15. BLiP 15
    11 April 2013 at 5:13 pm

    ‘

    Great work, thanks karol. This whole John Key/Fletcher/GCSB/DotCom caper definitely fails the smell test. Keep digging.

    I think what we are looking at here is something of collision between real public service, as per the protection of the state by the military and its intelligence gathering operations, on the one hand, and Planet Key and the other where there is no government, only benevolent corporations.

    Hamish Cardwell over at Scoop has compiled a time-line based on the affadvits presented at the Kim DotCom trial. According to Detective Inspector Grant Womald, a GCSB representative told him at a meeting on 14 December 2011 that it was illegal for GCSB to intercept the communications of New Zealand citizens and permanent residents. The meeting is discussed in detail starting from paragraph 18 of Wormwald’s affadavit.. The difficulty here, though, is that it is Grant Wormald’s word and the affadavit was written *after* the shit hit the fan. Wormwald didn’t exactly demonstrate a firm commitment to truth when testifying in the Kim DotCom case earlier, and nor does his previous track record indicate much adherence to veracity or the sanctity of the courts, let alone professionalism.

    If, however, what Wormald said is true, the application of Occams Razor might lead to the conclusion that the illegal spying on New Zealanders by GCSB has been a “dirty little secret” for years. Provided the illegal spying remained secret, there was no need to have the law changed. To do so would alert possible targets and mean having to endure the fuss and palava such a change would undoubtably raise, as well as run the risk of having effective oversight being put in place. Can’t have that. The know-best, patriachal mandarins could quietly give each other the wink and get the job done without having to startle or otherwise worry the somnambulant proles, who wouldn’t understand anyway. How the spies must have chuckled at telling John Key everything and watching as the details sailed over his blithe head. Show off some gadgets, give him a cup tea, a chance to show the staff what a “nice man” he is, and then send him back across the road to the Beehive none the wiser.

    Still, while smiling and waving at the GCSB, John Key would have been thinking about what he considers the real game. Shortly after coming into power, National Ltd™ queitly seeded the entire public service with lots of “little” Fletchers. Their job was to identify the ways and means by which the functioning of the state could be shifted to the private sector. MoBIE is Stage II of that process. The GCSB, though, is a slightly different public service in that it is a small, albeit important, outpost of western imperialism and capitalism. Its functions are, ostensibly to look after New Zealand, but, by far, the bulk of its product goes directly to serve US and UK interests. Fletcher proved he could keep a secret when he was on the inside of the UK government’s manufacturing of consent to join the US in Iraq, proved he had no qualms about lying to the public in Queensland, and is undoubtably a lifelong aquantance, if not mate, of John Key. How unlikely is it that shortly after getting the GCSB job, Fletcher tipped John Key off that the illegal spying was about to be raised in the courts and now would be a good time to go watch a baseball game in the states?

    Heh! ‘Cept that Ministerial Certificate was trumped by our justice system. Or what’s left of it.

    • Anne 15.1
      11 April 2013 at 6:17 pm

      How unlikely is it that shortly after getting the GCSB job, Fletcher tipped John Key off that the illegal spying was about to be raised in the courts and now would be a good time to go watch a baseball game in the states?

      And then those dammed soldiers went and got themselves killed in Afghanistan. That threw the cat among the pigeons didn’t it.

  16. ghostwhowalksnz 16
    11 April 2013 at 6:20 pm

    Of course English had a previous ‘ministerial certificate’ , the one that said he didnt have a beneficial ownership of the house he lived in, so it was Ok for the taxpayers to pay him to live there.

    of course the auditor general- who was at the time , one of the old school say it like it is- threw that in the wastepaper basket of Englishs failed dreams.

    Would be interesting to know what the official ‘advice’ was from GCSB over that was.

  17. TruthSeeker 17
    11 April 2013 at 6:42 pm

    An excellent post.

    The PM has chosen his words very carefully when talking about his knowledge of Kim Dotcom. Notice how he has always stressed the name ‘Dotcom’.

    See this for example: http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QWA/2/0/d/QWA_09404_2012-9404-2012-Rt-Hon-Winston-Peters-to-the-Prime-Minister.htm

    Key basically admits that he knew of Dotcom before 19 Jan 2012 – just not as ‘Dotcom’ and not in his capacity as PM.

    In fact, Immigration NZ referred to Dotcom as ‘Kim Vestor’. This is almost certainly the name by which the SIS knew him. Key met the SIS on 12 October 2010. A day later, they put a hold on his residency application citing FBI interest.

    That’s the Key/Dotcom link which Labour seems to be overlooking. Maybe there is a good reason for that. But it seems pretty obvious to me – and it seems that is where Peters and NZF are going.

  18. marty mars 18
    11 April 2013 at 7:12 pm

    Fletcher, on Campbell live on 9 April, is also vague about when he “cross paths” with Key in more recent years. The timing of the alleged renewal of their acquaintanceship is a little strange because it seems very condensed into a short period. John Key (born Sept 1961) turned 48 in Sept 2009. Fletcher left his job in England to work in the Queensland Department of Employment, Development and Innovation in 2009). There were opportunities for Key and Fletcher to “cross paths” in 2009. Key visited Australia in August 2009. Curiously, Rennie and Key claim Fletcher was on their radar for a possible NZ “public sector chief executive” role.

    This point in the saga has always bothered me – we need key to disclose the dates here because there is something not right about this bit and their supposed lack of contact. Key and Rennie were discussing Fletcher in 2009 for a job, any job at the top. That can’t have come out of nowhere.

    • karol 18.1
      11 April 2013 at 8:14 pm

      Yes, marty, that’s one of the puzzles that spurred me to look further. It may be that Fletcher and Key did not have any significant contact before 2009, but that they were moving in some of the same circles, and Key had been hearing about him – also helped by the fact that Key would remember it because he knew him from his school days.

      Key maybe had him earmarked for an NZ public sector job, especially as Fetcher’s background involves intellectual property, commerce and globalisation – something that Key seems very interested in. Part of him getting his kind of people into key (can’t avoid the pun) jobs.

      In spite of all his other evasions and vagueness, Key has admitted to contacts with Fletcher specifically from about 2009, and said that this involved meals etc. And Key has explicitly said this was in some way connected with Fletcher’s job in Queensland. So, it is very likely that Key met up with Fletcher while he was in Aussie towards the end of 2009. I feel it is almost certain that Key would have met with Fletcher when he was in Auckland for the conference in March 2010.

      Then by the end of 2010, Key is linking up with a top Warner’s exec, also into intellectual property…. and on it goes… til some time near the Dotcom surveillance period, Key moves quickly to get Fletcher a job at the GCSB.

      I think Key is probably very much into networking with like-minded people (as indicated by the mention up thread of him learning to play golf to get in with the “right” people). So it just maybe that Fletcher was part of Key’s extended network of the wealthy and powerful, with similar interests.

  19. dumrse 19
    11 April 2013 at 8:16 pm

    The AG (Helen’s appointment remember) has no interest in the appointment of Fletcher. However, what is significant is the determination that the PM is quite entitled to be involved in the appointment process. So, lets spend thousands of hours on this and see if we can establish if Key and Fletcher had spoken to each other in the last 2-3 decades. And, lets make sure if one or the other cant remember what they did 20 years ago, lets fucking hang them. If the Labour Party and its leadership take their leads and advice from this blog site then its state of disarray comes as no surprise.

    • Colonial Viper 19.1
      11 April 2013 at 8:20 pm

      Who cares how well Key and Fletcher actually know each other.

      It’s the fact that Key and his associates saw fit to lie about it on record, several times, which is of the real interest now.

      If the Labour Party and its leadership take their leads and advice from this blog site then its state of disarray comes as no surprise.

      Stay up to date mate. The Labour Leadership has already said that it thinks blog sites and online commentators are completely irrelevant 😈

    • framu 19.2
      12 April 2013 at 8:02 am

      “lets spend thousands of hours on this and see if we can establish if Key and Fletcher had spoken to each other in the last 2-3 decades”

      theres no need to – key has already admitted they had breakfast together several times. (after claiming he didnt really know him of course)

    • felix 19.3
      12 April 2013 at 8:12 am

      “The AG (Helen’s appointment remember) has no interest in the appointment of Fletcher. However, what is significant is the determination that the PM is quite entitled to be involved in the appointment process. “

      Exactly dumrse, there’s nothing unusual about any of that.

      And that’s why it’s so weird for Key to lie about it.

    • Pascal's bookie 19.4
      12 April 2013 at 8:24 am

      Jeez dumrse.

      Read what the OAG said. Closely.

      Did the OAG say there no issues or questions to be answered? (HINT: The answer is “no”)

      Who did she say should be answering the questions (HINT: You will need to use your Brainz just a little bit, but the Greens talking about something called a ‘committee’ at the moment is a clue).

  20. Pete 20
    11 April 2013 at 8:27 pm

    My question is whether we should have faith in the Governor General. Did he oversee illegal activity in his tenure at the GCSB?

  21. woodpecker 21
    11 April 2013 at 8:47 pm

    Spies, Lies and Alibis. I wonder if PJ will direct it?

  22. Epping Road 22
    11 April 2013 at 9:36 pm

    What a load of tenuous nonsense. Karol’s argument is “both Key and Fletcher were in London at the same time, even though they were doing very different things. They might have met. When Fletcher came to Auckland to attend a conference, Key, although he was not at the conference, might have met Fletcher then. When Fletcher was in Australia, Key also occasionally went to Australia. They might have met then.”

    You get an F for silly conspiracies Karol. For it to be at all persuasive you have to prove that 1) there were actual meetings 2) they discussed Fletcher taking over the spy agency 3) Key knew about dotcom in advance 4) Fletcher was installed to go after dotcom 5) Rennie, McKinnon, Quilter and Sir Maarten are all lying in unison to protect Key. And despite all those things, that Key would risk his whole political career by somehow forcing them to lie.

    • Colonial Viper 22.1
      11 April 2013 at 10:35 pm

      Oh don’t be so pedantic, Karol’s still orientating the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle for fit and colour. It’s not quite time to put it together yet.

  23. karol 23
    11 April 2013 at 9:54 pm

    You’re kind of missing the point ER. This is just a small piece in a much bigger puzzle. Key was clearly covering up something. If he was more honest and less evasive and manipulative, and if our MSM were more vigilant, some of us wouldn’t feel motivated to go digging around to find some answers to significant questions.

    I don’t think there is evidence of a carefully orchestrated conspiracy. It’s more doing some mapping of the networks of influence and the common aims of some central players.

    It’s not so much that people have explicitly told lies. It’s often what they haven’t said that is puzzling. Some of the people you mention are practiced diplomats.

    • Epping Road 23.1
      11 April 2013 at 10:28 pm

      Yes they are practised diplomats, with more than a century of public service between them. They have no reason to cover for a prime minister. Two of them are now retired, and don’t even owe the government of the day for their jobs.

      There is no evidence that “Key was covering up for something”. These are potentially issues of national security. No Prime Minister has ever gone into greater detail on issues of national security than was absolutely necessary. Key was asked a question in Parliament which he had no time to prepare for. It was an off the cuff response.

      Yes there are maps of influence, but that applies to all politicians everywhere. Do you think Helen Clark never knew any of the people she appointed to office? Do you think she was never in Australia when a significant subsequent government appointee was?

      There is no evidence of a significant relationship existing at any point between Key and Fletcher. That is a fact, and anything else is just grasping at straws.

      • Colonial Viper 23.1.1
        11 April 2013 at 10:32 pm

        Yes there are maps of influence, but that applies to all politicians everywhere. Do you think Helen Clark never knew any of the people she appointed to office? Do you think she was never in Australia when a significant subsequent government appointee was?

        There is no evidence of a significant relationship existing at any point between Key and Fletcher. That is a fact, and anything else is just grasping at straws.

        First you suggest that like Clark, Key appointed someone he knew to the position. Someone he liked so much that all others on the short list were cut.

        Then you say there is no evidence of a significant relationship with Key.

        So, which is it?

        There is no evidence that “Key was covering up for something”. These are potentially issues of national security.

        National security issues in Fletcher’s recruitment process? What issues of national security might they be?

        Do tell more.

        • Epping Road 23.1.1.1
          12 April 2013 at 1:03 am

          Key told Rennie that he knew Fletcher. There is no evidence that it was a significant relationship. There is no evidence from anybody that Key rejected the shortlist with anybody else in mind. All the evidence says that the shortlist was cut before Fletcher was ever asked to consider the job. Keep making it up as you go along though viper.

          There are always national security issues involved with answering any questions on one of the security agencies in parliament. That is why Clark never answered any questions on any of the security agencies ever. If you want to know where the lack of oversight and accountability lies, then you only have to look at the Helen Clark government that set them up.

          • Colonial Viper 23.1.1.1.1
            12 April 2013 at 1:22 am

            Yes, I certainly am making it up as I go along.

            So is Key – and that is clear for all to observe.

            The problem you have is your assertion that there is “no evidence”. The thing is, we’ve barely scratched the surface. And I’m comfortable betting that where there is smoke, there is fire. How about you?

            There are always national security issues involved with answering any questions on one of the security agencies in parliament.

            I’m sorry, but this is not carte blanche for the illegal operations carried out and deterioration of standards and morale of the GCSB under Key’s Ministerial watch.

            The people responsible need to be identified, fired, and criminal investigations conducted.

            I hope you don’t give John Key an easy pass on this mate. That would be most unbecoming.

            • Epping Road 23.1.1.1.1.1
              12 April 2013 at 4:32 am

              If you want to make things up you should at least keep up with the news. The illegalities at GCSB have been happening for years. It was under Key’s watch that they were identified, investigated, admitted to and stopped. When did Helen Clark, the last minister responsible, show any interest in investigating whether GCSB’s activities were illegal? Oh that’s right, she didn’t. When did she last stand up in Parliament and talk about the GCSB? Oh that’s right every time she did stand up in Parliament it was to say no comment.

              I hope you’re not giving Helen Clark and her key advisors an easy pass on this mate. That would be unbecoming.

              • felix …
                12 April 2013 at 7:40 am

                Simple question for you: Would you prefer that these questions stopped being asked? Or would you prefer that the questioning continue?

                Bear in mind that there’s nothing to see here, so the longer the questioning goes on the sillier and more unelectable the questioners look, and the better John Key comes out of it.

                Surely this is the outcome you’d like.

                • Epping Road …
                  12 April 2013 at 10:45 am

                  I think that the fact that the GCSB may have been acting unlawfully for so long is very disturbing indeed and along with the many other issues identified by Rebecca Kitteridge, shows an organisation that is deeply broken. Kitteridge’s report clearly vindicates Rennie’s view that an outsider was necessary to fix the GCSB’s many problems. The lack of political accountability for GCSB’s actions is a long standing one. The easy route for Key to take would have been what his predecessors did and refuse to answer any questions on it. Instead he showed a firm commitment to fixing the problems.

                  • Colonial Viper …
                    12 April 2013 at 10:49 am

                    Who gives a fuck about “a commitment to fixing problems”

                    If you are serious about what you are spouting, let’s see some criminal investigations started and an assessment if charges need to be laid.

                    You reckon Helen Clark is just as responsible as John Key? Fine, both need to be asked questions by investigators.

                    Responsibility starts with accountability mate.

                  • One Anonymous Knucklehead …
                    12 April 2013 at 10:55 am

                    There’s a German elephant in the room. Key isn’t doing this because it’s the right thing to do. He’s doing it because the crown acted illegally and got caught.

                    Besides, as the Kitteridge report makes clear, the GCSB is the least of our worries. There have been significant changes made to the whole State Security apparatus under Key’s watch.

              • framu …
                12 April 2013 at 8:08 am

                hold on a minute “It was under Key’s watch that they were identified,”

                your trying to claim that Key should get the credit for this being identified arent you

              • Pascal's bookie …
                12 April 2013 at 8:29 am

                It was under Key’s watch that they were identified, investigated, admitted to and stopped.

                It was under Key’s watch that they were identified, ignored, batted away, covered up with spurious legal reasoning, attempted to be suppressed while the PM was overseas watching a game of rounders, exposed in court, investigated, partially admitted to while lying about some others, exposed again, covered in a thickly sickly blanket of ‘but but but but laaaaaabour’, and planning commenced to pass legislation to make it all legal going forward; more like.

      • framu 23.1.2
        12 April 2013 at 8:10 am

        “There is no evidence that “Key was covering up for something”

        Well – except for Keys repeated lying about the issue.

  24. marsman 24
    12 April 2013 at 8:56 am

    You are a treasure Karol, great work!

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  • 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 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
    4 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 days ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    57 mins ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours 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
    20 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 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
    21 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week 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

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