Why enhanced spying powers are bad

Written By: - Date published: 6:54 am, June 25th, 2013 - 62 comments
Categories: Spying, uk politics - Tags:

If one needs any more reason to worry about the government’s GCSB bill, here is the latest news from the UK: police there seemed to spend more time investigating the murder of innocent school boy Stephen Lawrence’s family to undermine their anti-racism campaign than they did his murder.

An former undercover officer has said he posed as an anti-racism campaigner in a hunt for “disinformation” to use against those criticising the police, with an aim to smear the family.

Stephen Lawrence was a bright black boy in his last year of school when he was murdered while waiting for a bus 20 years ago. The police failed to put any effort into the investigation, which lead to a report that found the London police to be “institutionally racist”. His murderers were eventually sent down last year after a more recent investigation.

His family got traction against the police as they were upstanding members of the community – not wealthy, but a stable middle-class family with nothing to be held against them. They were also lucky as the Daily Mail – a highly influential daily with many racist stories – sent a reporter out to find out dirt on them, but found that the father had recently done some plastering work for the Editor Paul Dacre, so he ordered a very different, much kinder, tone to their reporting.

The news that the police spent great effort trying to find dirt to smear them should worry greatly anyone considering enhancing the police’s snooping powers with measures such as our GCSB bill.

Yes our police are generally trustworthy, but there’ll always be a few bad apples in the bunch. Just look at those in the UK who collaborated with the likes of News International to pass on confidential information to sell newspapers. The motivation gets stronger when it involves looking after their own – just see Mike Bush’s defence of Bruce Hutton.

And with more information for our combined law and spying agencies comes more power – who would contradict the NSA with PRISM and related programs telling them everything about you and your friends and family? There’s no worries for Booz Allen and similar contractors consuming 70% of the budget of the intelligence services…

So giving the police / SIS / armed forces powers to use the GCSB to grab whatever information they want on whoever they want (with a warrant, but the GCSB will grab an awful lot of related information as by-catch) is something that wants a whole lot more consideration than it’s being given.  Making a foreign intelligence agency into a domestic one seems unlikely to enhance our ‘security’.

And that’s before they start holding back the technologies of our Internet Providers because they don’t provide enough snooping powers (the bill allows them to veto new IP systems)…

62 comments on “Why enhanced spying powers are bad ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. UglyTruth 1
    25 June 2013 at 8:38 am

    The real problem with espionage is when the information gets into the hands of your adversary.
    Loose lips sink ships.

    • Pasupial 1.1
      25 June 2013 at 9:40 am

      @ Ugly

      Which adversary? What ships? I can’t think of anything I could say to anyone that could lead to the loss of either frigate. Perhaps you mean that the other Echelon nations will act to sink the waka of Aotearoan independence if it seems to be making any headway?

      Unless you are saying that the GCSB view NZ citizens as adversaries (in a military vs civilians way)? I would say that the problem with pervasive espionage is that it allows others to own you; or at least a virtual you (which may or may not have any relation to your own image of yourself).

      • David H 1.1.1
        25 June 2013 at 10:45 am

        You mean we still got ships?? They not sold them yet ? There’s a huge saving for the Gnats, get a bit for the ships, but the real saving comes in Jobs. The Benefit is way less than a ratings pay.

      • Anne 1.1.2
        25 June 2013 at 10:59 am

        … information will somehow get into the hands of malevolent individuals, and innocent people can have their lives and livelihoods destroyed.

        – from my comment at 6.

        That was my interpretation of Ugly’s statement Pasupial. It happened when paranoia claimed the West during the Cold War years. It’s happening again.

        I may have misunderstood Ugly’s meaning.

        • Pasupial 1.1.2.1
          25 June 2013 at 12:08 pm

          There are many malevolant individuals. But surely it is the government agencies themselves who are responsible for this surveilance state. The military are always under martial law.

          • UglyTruth 1.1.2.1.1
            25 June 2013 at 6:38 pm

            Individuals come and go, but belief systems don’t have such a limited scope of influence. The responsibility for the actions of the agencies is shared with those who empower it, especially taxpayers. The distinction between the military and civilians isn’t important when the military have no way of countering the problems arising from a surveillance state.

        • UglyTruth 1.1.2.2
          25 June 2013 at 6:32 pm

          Anne, you didn’t misunderstand me. What remains is to determine the nature and extent of the malevolence, but this sort of thinking isn’t popular with the humans because to even ask the question makes them look like an idiot.

      • Colonial Viper 1.1.3
        25 June 2013 at 11:33 am

        Unless you are saying that the GCSB view NZ citizens as adversaries (in a military vs civilians way)?

        The GCSB is irrelevant in this. As NZers we are considered “foreigners” by the main partners in the Five Eyes agreement – particularly the USA and the UK, who control the most comprehensive components of the online spying apparatus. You’re not going to tell me that the emails and txt messages of the PM and every Cabinet Minister and NZ MP is not routinely and actively monitored as persons of interest to our “allies”.

        BTW when a state does not have external enemies to contend with, it often becomes the case that the state starts viewing its own people as the enemy. Note the massive militarisation of US police forces, the use of military model drones in US law enforcement. And here in NZ the use of para-military law enforcement against unarmed NZ citizens and permanent residents.

        • muzza 1.1.3.1
          25 June 2013 at 11:54 am

          Cv – Don’t assume, those who operate for *The State*,associate themselves as being NZ’ers, which then can make reference to *the enemy*, opaque to say the least.

          *The Enemy*, is the same it has always been – That is anyone/anything which threatens the stangle hold of those who own the money system, own the weapons, and control the information!

          Nothing new, other than humanity is now able to be rounded up through use of technology, which has not been possible throughout history before, not in the ways we are seeing currently.

    • lprent 1.2
      25 June 2013 at 11:20 am

      …when the information gets into the hands of your adversary

      The converse of that is what the US has – every thing is classified because it allows incompetents to hide their dirty deeds. Snowden merely confirmed what everyone suspected. That the NSA was monitoring the nets for patterns (ie meta data) and that to do so they were digging into the large US net corporations. To do the latter they were using secret authority.

      So why exactly was that classified. In a free society why wasn’t that subject to the public debate that we have now?

      Loose lips sink ships

      Oh and why are you such a old sprouting silly platitude dickhead? This isn’t exactly the battle for the atlantic…

      • Colonial Viper 1.2.1
        25 June 2013 at 11:37 am

        I saw a very worthwhile comment on the ‘net a few days ago when this was just breaking.

        That while there was certainly some justification for the operational and technological details of the spying activities to be kept confidential, there was no acceptable justification whatsoever in an open democracy for the policies and policy goals themselves to be kept secret, and outside of public and parliamentary scrutiny.

        What is damn worrying? Secret interpretations of law containing secret regulations, secret courts issuing secret judgements viewing secret evidence provided by secret personnel, utilising secret operational capabilities.

        Essentially, this is the ‘conspiracy theory’ of a secret undemocratic government within an apparently democratic government come true.

      • Rogue Trooper 1.2.2
        25 June 2013 at 2:08 pm

        I enjoy caressing ‘Loose lips’ myself; gotta keep those saddle bags filled.

  2. Dv 2
    25 June 2013 at 8:58 am

    Yes this stuck me too.

    AND what about the move by the Nacts to get more govt online.

    WHERE are the servers going to be – if they are offshore how can we protect our info from PRISM etc.

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 2.1
      25 June 2013 at 9:00 am

      What makes you think them being onshore would afford us more protection?

      • Dv 2.1.1
        25 June 2013 at 11:42 am

        No offshore probably means we loose any control we might have.

        • Colonial Viper 2.1.1.1
          25 June 2013 at 11:47 am

          The system would have to be designed from the ground up to be completely secure, onshore, and to refuse links from overseas connections (no Kiwis connecting from overseas).

          Suggestion: don’t get the guys who did the WINZ kiosks to do it.

  3. One Anonymous Knucklehead 3
    25 June 2013 at 8:58 am

    At its core, the GCSB is a military unit. Military personnel deployed against civilians. Classy.

  4. Colonial Viper 4
    25 June 2013 at 9:03 am

    Any politician, judge, business executive could find themselves compromised at the click of the mouse. Even if you were squeeky clean, a friend, family member, former partner or associate could be used against you. These people literally have all your passwords and can look inside all your correspondence and all your accounts. 3 months ago a bunch of Standardistas would have described this as an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory. Recent events show them as just not imagining hard enough.

  5. red rattler 5
    25 June 2013 at 9:46 am

    Well Snowdon has shown us that ALL spying today is too much spying.

    The only reason capitalist governments need spies is to protect private property.
    This the source of their private wealth.
    Since this is about intellectual property then spying has to focus on communication of ideas.
    Hence our ideas freely expressed in public as COMMUNication are being tracked down and logged as threats to privatised ideas.

    But private property is an oxymoron. All private property begins as theft of public property. It is the enclosure of the commons. Its retains its value only by means of constant expropriation of public property. Education is largely public funded and the knowledge produced privatised.

    That is private knowledge seldom originates as private initiative. It is expropriated collective knowledge.

    Get rid of private property. Open source everything. Collective ideas are free.
    Forward to the Commune. No need for spies.

    • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 5.1
      25 June 2013 at 9:50 am

      There’s a sensible solution.

      • Rogue Trooper 5.1.1
        25 June 2013 at 2:10 pm

        some sense from the ‘fool’ at last./

        • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 5.1.1.1
          25 June 2013 at 2:24 pm

          Problem: the state spying on its citizens. Solution: abolish private property.

          • Rogue Trooper 5.1.1.1.1
            25 June 2013 at 2:44 pm

            wot else are they attempting to protect. (concession, off my ‘game’ today; heartburn- wild berries infused into a Little Black Dress, not going out of fashion anytime soon, although, there is a curent run-out). anyway, MN was a spunk, RH, the spunkiest, and CT the mouse who came in from the cold. 😉

          • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1.1.2
            25 June 2013 at 3:39 pm

            Thing is, I’m sure you don’t understand what red rattler said. Getting rid of private property doesn’t get rid of privacy whereas having private property most assuredly does.

  6. Anne 6
    25 June 2013 at 9:54 am

    Any politician, judge, business executive could find themselves compromised…

    That situation is not confined to the rich and/or famous. Thirty odd years ago my father was targeted by a group of people who I now know were linked to the Australian Security Service – ASIS. (I have some compelling evidence in my possession.) My parents emigrated from England in 1938 and lived in Auckland from that time until their deaths, but that didn’t stop a foreign agency coming here… spying on, and harassing my father in a despicable way. The basis for their suspicions about him was utter crap – not a skerrick of truth in any of it. The subsequent fallout from that time was to affect my life in both a professional and personal way for the next twenty years.

    As Ugly Truth says:

    The real problem with espionage is when the information gets into the hands of your adversary.

    My experience all those years ago is a good example why this planned extension of the powers of the GCSB – at least in its present form – is so dangerous. It is inevitable information will somehow get into the hands of malevolent individuals, and innocent people can have their lives and livelihoods destroyed.

    • Colonial Viper 6.1
      25 June 2013 at 11:25 am

      In this, I think that red rattler is wrong. This is not primarily about money or property, even though that cannot be ignored. This is about maintaining power and maintaining the status quo.

      The other thing this panoptical surveillance allows the authorities to do is to monitor and unwitting focus group of millions. Any controversial political or policy issue of the day – the powers that be can always tell, from a 100% survey of online “chatter”, whether people are taking it seriously, if it needs to be defused with some key messages or criticisms of activist leaders, if it needs to be agitated and increased etc. depending on the goals of the day.

      Basically, that is the end of democracy and the start of not just the surveillance state, but the rise of actively managed faux-democracy.

      • Rogue Trooper 6.1.1
        25 June 2013 at 2:11 pm

        faux, par.

      • amirite 6.1.2
        25 June 2013 at 3:08 pm

        True. Also, they have to be on track for possible social unrest, protests, demonstrations and other general revolutionising. Gotta hold on to power with tooth and nail!

      • Draco T Bastard 6.1.3
        25 June 2013 at 3:43 pm

        This is not primarily about money or property, even though that cannot be ignored. This is about maintaining power and maintaining the status quo.

        Money & property = power

      • Populuxe1 6.1.4
        25 June 2013 at 3:58 pm

        I love the way you talk about the vast majority of people as though they’re stupid

      • red rattler 6.1.5
        25 June 2013 at 8:30 pm

        The state is the state of the capitalist class. The class that rules through the state.
        Power by itself is pointless unless its serves to maximise wealth.
        Why do you think the capitalists have a monopoly on power?
        Why would they pay (making us pay is cutting their profits) for surveillance unless to protect their property from the surveillees?
        Amirite is rite
        Workers power on the other hand once it suppresses the capitalists would cease to be concentrated in a state and dissolve into free association (not free ass as Marx pointed out in the Communist Manifesto).

  7. marty mars 7
    25 June 2013 at 12:28 pm

    “Yes our police are generally trustworthy, but there’ll always be a few bad apples in the bunch.”

    I think that meme has had its day – it should imo be, “yes our police are just doing what they are told to do, but thankfully there are some good apples in the bunch”

    Look around at the reality and yes sure if you need them the police will be there eventually, depending on who you are of course. Now I don’t blame individuals because I think there are some very good policemen and women, but the ‘them and us’ philosophy is set strongly in them and guess who the ‘us’ is. Hint – it’s anyone who is not in the force.

    • Rogue Trooper 7.1
      25 June 2013 at 2:14 pm

      inho, once they complete college and throw their hats in the air, collectively, they leave their ‘wisdom’ behind. Trust me, I have experience of the deceit of “respected by the community” officers.
      Anybody watched Police 10-7? Ten hut!

    • Draco T Bastard 7.2
      25 June 2013 at 3:44 pm

      I think that meme has had its day – it should imo be, “yes our police are just doing what they are told to do, but thankfully there are some good apples in the bunch”

      QFT

    • Murray Olsen 7.3
      26 June 2013 at 4:52 pm

      Agreed mm.
      Another issue is that it is not particularly important whether individual coppers are good or bad apples – the basket they operate in is rotten. A cop can spend his or her whole career being honest and slavishly obeying all the rules, but as the whole system is biased against workers and non-Pakeha, this doesn’t make things any better. The nicest person you’ll ever meet is doing bad things when they enforce bad laws.
      RR is also correct. Our rulers don’t spy on us as part of some psychological game. They do it so they can continue to be people of wealth and power. Keeping the status quo with their privileges and entitlements depends on their knowing what we’re up to. This is why in my area, for example, the US and Australian governments fund quantum computing so heavily. It promises a way to break PGP encryption, which is otherwise practically 100% secure.

  8. Dv 8
    25 June 2013 at 6:00 pm

    AND key is running the line that we need the extra power to prevent a Boston bombing incident.

    BUT the US had lotsa of surveillance and they still didn’t stop the Boston Bombings!!!

    • Colonial Viper 8.1
      25 June 2013 at 6:27 pm

      Not only did they have a lot of surveillance, the Russian intelligence services had raised concerns about those brothers with US authorities several times before.

      • Anne 8.1.1
        25 June 2013 at 6:54 pm

        @Dv and Colonial Viper.

        A good counter attack for the Labour Party but they won’t even think of it… or use it if pointed out to them.

      • Dv 8.1.2
        25 June 2013 at 6:56 pm

        Yes keys statements is Bizarre and illogical.

        What is he going to say if they give all these powers to the spys AND it still doest stop an attack.

        • Murray Olsen 8.1.2.1
          26 June 2013 at 5:02 pm

          They’ll say that ten others were stopped, but they can’t release any details for reasons of national security.

      • Colonial Viper 8.1.3
        25 June 2013 at 7:06 pm

        Well, both National and Labour undoubtedly was access to the surveillance capabilities when they are in Government. Why speak out against it?

    • UglyTruth 8.2
      25 June 2013 at 7:07 pm

      “What we tried before didn’t work, so lets just throw money at it and have faith that the situation will improve.”

      The Boston bombings were fake. I’m not saying that nobody was hurt, but that the operation was scripted from start to finish, and anyone who uses it as in argument for increased state power is either ignorant, a fool, or worse.

      “Uncle Ruslan” was directly connected to Graham Fuller, who was central to the Gladio-B radicalization and manipulation of Islamic extremists.

      http://www.voltairenet.org/article178524.html

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    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
    1 day ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 days ago

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

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

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

  • $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
    41 mins 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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    7 hours ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
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