Open mike 04/04/2025
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6:00 am, April 4th, 2025 - 60 comments
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- Winston’s Mate Rhys Williams Has Been Unmasked
Most people wouldn't have heard of a little worm like Rhys Williams, a so-called businessman and former NZ First member, who has recently been unmasked as the venomous troll behind a relentless online campaign targeting Green Party MP Benjamin Doyle.According to reports, Williams has been slinging mud at Doyle under ...4 hours ago - Idiocy, Opportunity
Illustration credit: Jonathan McHugh (New Statesman)The other day, a subscriber said they were unsubscribing because they needed “some good news”.I empathised. Don’t we all.I skimmed a NZME article about the impacts of tariffs this morning with analysis from Kiwibank’s Jarrod Kerr. Kerr, their Chief Economist, suggested another recession is the ...5 hours ago - US allies must band together in weapons development
Let’s assume, as prudence demands we assume, that the United States will not at any predictable time go back to being its old, reliable self. This means its allies must be prepared indefinitely to lean ...6 hours ago - I’ve been reading
Over the last three rather tumultuous US trade policy weeks, I’ve read these four books. I started with Irwin (whose book had sat on my pile for years, consulted from time to time but not read) in a week of lots of flights and hanging around airports/hotels, and then one ...6 hours ago - This is not the time for increasing Indonesia’s defence spending
Indonesia could do without an increase in military spending that the Ministry of Defence is proposing. The country has more pressing issues, including public welfare and human rights. Moreover, the transparency and accountability to justify ...7 hours ago
- FSU Supports Chris Milne’s Right to Make Death Threats
7 hours ago
- Winston is inciting terrorism
That's the conclusion of a report into security risks against Green MP Benjamin Doyle, in the wake of Winston Peters' waging a homophobic hate-campaign against them: GRC’s report said a “hostility network” of politicians, commentators, conspiracy theorists, alternative media outlets and those opposed to the rainbow community had produced ...8 hours ago - Winston is inciting terrorism
That's the conclusion of a report into security risks against Green MP Benjamin Doyle, in the wake of Winston Peters' waging a homophobic hate-campaign against them: GRC’s report said a “hostility network” of politicians, commentators, conspiracy theorists, alternative media outlets and those opposed to the rainbow community had produced ...8 hours ago
- Why has Hamish Campbell Gone Into Hiding?
National Party MP Hamish Campbell’s ties to the secretive Two By Twos "church" raises serious questions that are not being answered. This shadowy group, currently being investigated by the FBI for numerous cases of child abuse, hides behind a facade of faith while Campbell dodges scrutiny, claiming it’s a “private ...9 hours ago
- Why has Hamish Campbell Gone Into Hiding?
National Party MP Hamish Campbell’s ties to the secretive Two By Twos "church" raises serious questions that are not being answered. This shadowy group, currently being investigated by the FBI for numerous cases of child abuse, hides behind a facade of faith while Campbell dodges scrutiny, claiming it’s a “private ...9 hours ago
- The Government is cutting, just as the economic recovery is stalling
The economy is not doing what it was supposed to when PM Christopher Luxon said in January it was ‘going for growth.’ Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short from our political economy on Tuesday, April 15:New Zealand’s economic recovery is stalling, according to business surveys, retail spending and ...10 hours ago - For a safer Symonds Street
This is a guest post by Lewis Creed, managing editor of the University of Auckland student publication Craccum, which is currently running a campaign for a safer Symonds Street in the wake of a horrific recent crash. The post has two parts: 1) Craccum’s original call for safety (6 ...11 hours ago - Tuesday 15 April
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff has published an opinion piece which makes the case for a different approach to economic development, as proposed in the CTU’s Aotearoa Reimagined programme. The number of people studying to become teachers has jumped after several years of low enrolment. The coalition has directed Health New ...12 hours ago - As China’s AI industry grows, Australia must support its own
The growth of China’s AI industry gives it great influence over emerging technologies. That creates security risks for countries using those technologies. So, Australia must foster its own domestic AI industry to protect its interests. ...12 hours ago
- Luxon’s Economic Mismanagement
Unfortunately we have another National Party government in power at the moment, and as a consequence, another economic dumpster fire taking hold. Inflation’s hurting Kiwis, and instead of providing relief, National is fiddling while wallets burn.Prime Minister Chris Luxon's response is a tired remix of tax cuts for the rich ...13 hours ago
- Girls and Boys
Girls who are boys who like boys to be girlsWho do boys like they're girls, who do girls like they're boysAlways should be someone you really loveSongwriters: Damon Albarn / Graham Leslie Coxon / Alexander Rowntree David / Alexander James Steven.Last month, I wrote about the Birds and Bees being ...14 hours ago - Australia can learn from Britain on cyber governance
Australia needs to reevaluate its security priorities and establish a more dynamic regulatory framework for cybersecurity. To advance in this area, it can learn from Britain’s Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which presents a compelling ...15 hours ago
- Gordon Campbell On Why The US Stands To Lose The Tariff Wars
Deputy PM Winston Peters likes nothing more than to portray himself as the only wise old head while everyone else is losing theirs. Yet this time, his “old master” routine isn’t working. What global trade is experiencing is more than the usual swings and roundabouts of market sentiment. President Donald ...24 hours ago - Why is there no progress in Ukrainian war peace talks?
President Trump’s hopes of ending the war in Ukraine seemed more driven by ego than realistic analysis. Professor Vladimir Brovkin’s latest video above highlights the internal conflicts within the USA, Russia, Europe, and Ukraine, which are currently hindering peace talks and clarity. Brovkin pointed out major contradictions within ...1 day ago - Ani O’Brien has Zero Credibility
In the cesspool that is often New Zealand’s online political discourse, few figures wield their influence as destructively as Ani O’Brien. Masquerading as a champion of free speech and women’s rights, O’Brien’s campaigns are a masterclass in bad faith, built on a foundation of lies, selective outrage, and a knack ...1 day ago
- Australian policy does need more Asia—more Southeast Asia
The international challenge confronting Australia today is unparalleled, at least since the 1940s. It requires what the late Brendan Sargeant, a defence analyst, called strategic imagination. We need more than shrewd economic manoeuvring and a ...1 day ago
- EGU2025 – Picking and chosing sessions to attend on site in Vienna
This year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) will take place as a fully hybrid conference in both Vienna and online from April 27 to May 2. This year, I'll join the event on site in Vienna for the full week and I've already picked several sessions I plan ...1 day ago - Bookshelf: How China sees things
Here’s a book that looks not in at China but out from China. David Daokui Li’s China’s World View: Demystifying China to Prevent Global Conflict is a refreshing offering in that Li is very much ...1 day ago
- The Mirage of Chris Luxon’s Pre-Election Promises
The New Zealand National Party has long mastered the art of crafting messaging that resonates with a large number of desperate, often white middle-class, voters. From their 2023 campaign mantra of “getting our country back on track” to promises of economic revival, safer streets, and better education, their rhetoric paints ...1 day ago
- To counter anti-democratic propaganda, step up funding for ABC International
A global contest of ideas is underway, and democracy as an ideal is at stake. Democracies must respond by lifting support for public service media with an international footprint. With the recent decision by the ...1 day ago
- What was the story re Orr’s resignation?
It is almost six weeks since the shock announcement early on the afternoon of Wednesday 5 March that the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Adrian Orr, was resigning effective 31 March, and that in fact he had already left and an acting Governor was already in place. Orr had been ...1 day ago
- Monday 14 April
The PSA surveyed more than 900 of its members, with 55 percent of respondents saying AI is used at their place of work, despite most workers not being in trained in how to use the technology safely. Figures to be released on Thursday are expected to show inflation has risen ...1 day ago
- How to spot AI influence in Australia’s election campaign
Be on guard for AI-powered messaging and disinformation in the campaign for Australia’s 3 May election. And be aware that parties can use AI to sharpen their campaigning, zeroing in on issues that the technology ...2 days ago
- David Seymour – Arsehole of the Week
Strap yourselves in, folks, it’s time for another round of Arsehole of the Week, and this week’s golden derrière trophy goes to—drumroll, please—David Seymour, the ACT Party’s resident genius who thought, “You know what we need? A shiny new Treaty Principles Bill to "fix" all that pesky Māori-Crown partnership nonsense ...2 days ago
- Bernard’s Dawn Chorus and Pick ‘n’ Mix for Monday, April 14
Apple Store, Shanghai. Trump wants all iPhones to be made in the USM but experts say that is impossible. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories shortist from our political economy on Monday, April 14:Donald Trump’s exemption on tariffs on phones and computers is temporary, and he wants all iPhones made in the ...2 days ago - Unmasking the National Party’s Fascism
Kia ora, readers. It’s time to pull back the curtain on some uncomfortable truths about New Zealand’s political landscape. The National Party, often cloaked in the guise of "sensible centrism," has, at times, veered into territory that smells suspiciously like fascism. Now, before you roll your eyes and mutter about hyperbole, ...2 days ago
- Open Letter to Auckland Transport about Project K
This is a letter we will be sending to Auckland Transport to ask they return to the original consulted plans on the Karanga-a-Hape Station precinct integration project, after they released significant changes to designs last week. If you would like to be added as a signatory, please reach out to ...2 days ago
- The gas plan that’s sailing Australia into strategic peril
Australia’s east coast is facing a gas crisis, as the country exports most of the gas it produces. Although it’s a major producer, Australia faces a risk of domestic liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply shortfalls ...2 days ago
- Amateur Hour!
Overnight, Donald J. Trump, America’s 47th President, and only the second President since 1893 to win non-consecutive terms, rolled back more of his “no exemptions, no negotiations” & “no big deal” tariffs.Smartphones, computers, and other electronics1 are now exempt from the 125% levies imposed on imports from China; they retain ...2 days ago - 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 6, 2025 thru Sat, April 12, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. The formatting is a ...2 days ago
- World Domination
Just one year of loveIs better than a lifetime aloneOne sentimental moment in your armsIs like a shooting star right through my heartIt's always a rainy day without youI'm a prisoner of love inside youI'm falling apart all around you, yeahSongwriter: John Deacon.Morena folks, it feels like it’s been quite ...2 days ago - “I think I was, at that time, the only girl in Taranaki who ever wrote a line”
“It's a history of colonial ruin, not a history of colonial progress,” says Michele Leggott, of the Harris family.We’re talking about Groundwork: The Art and Writing of Emily Cumming Harris, in which she and Catherine Field-Dodgson recall a near-forgotten and fascinating life, the female speck in the history of texts.Emily’s ...3 days ago - A Baptism in the Forest: Accepted
Hitherto, 2025 has not been great in terms of luck on the short story front (or on the personal front. Several acquaintances have sadly passed away in the last few days). But I can report one story acceptance today. In fact, it’s quite the impressive acceptance, being my second ‘professional ...3 days ago - Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to April 12
Six long stories short from our political economy in the week to Saturday, April 12:Donald Trump exploded a neutron bomb under 80 years of globalisation, but Nicola Willis said the Government would cut operational and capital spending even more to achieve a Budget surplus by 2027/28. That even tighter fiscal ...3 days ago - Budget 2025: delivering for whom?
On 22 May, the coalition government will release its budget for 2025, which it says will focus on "boosting economic growth, improving social outcomes, controlling government spending, and investing in long-term infrastructure.” But who, really, is this budget designed to serve? What values and visions for Aotearoa New Zealand lie ...3 days ago - The Other Side
Lovin' you has go to be (Take me to the other side)Like the devil and the deep blue sea (Take me to the other side)Forget about your foolish pride (Take me to the other side)Oh, take me to the other side (Take me to the other side)Songwriters: Steven Tyler, Jim ...4 days ago - It’s (past) time to get serious about funding Australia’s defence and security
In the week of Australia’s 3 May election, ASPI will release Agenda for Change 2025: preparedness and resilience in an uncertain world, a report promoting public debate and understanding on issues of strategic importance to ...4 days ago
- The Downward Spiral of Arise Church: Part 4
Hi,Back in 2022 I spent a year reporting on New Zealand’s then-biggest megachurch, Arise, revealing the widespread abuse of hundreds of interns.That series led to a harrowing review (leaked by Webworm) and the resignation of its founders and leaders John and Gillian Cameron, who fled to Australia where they now ...4 days ago - Whatever the CCP says, regimes don’t have the rights of nations
All nation states have a right to defend themselves. But do regimes enjoy an equal right to self-defence? Is the security of a particular party-in-power a fundamental right of nations? The Chinese government is asking ...4 days ago
- Countervailing Trumpian Sense
A modest attempt to analyse Donald Trump’s tariff policies.Alfred Marshall, whose text book was still in use 40 years after he died wrote ‘every short statement about economics is misleading with the possible exception of my present one.’ (The text book is 719 pages.) It’s a timely reminder that any ...4 days ago - Uncertainty, Hierarchy and the Dilemma of Democracy.
If nothing else, we have learned that the economic and geopolitical turmoil caused by the Trump tariff see-saw raises a fundamental issue of the human condition that extends beyond trade wars and “the markets.” That issue is uncertainty and its centrality to individual and collective life. It extends further into ...4 days ago - Strengthening South Korea’s national security by adopting the cloud
To improve its national security, South Korea must improve its ICT infrastructure. Knowing this, the government has begun to move towards cloud computing. The public and private sectors are now taking a holistic national-security approach ...4 days ago
- Workers’ Memorial Day 2025
28 April 2025 Mournfor theDead FightFor theLiving Every week in New Zealand 18 workers are killed as a consequence of work. Every 15 minutes, a worker suffers ...4 days ago
- Reset Pax Americana: the West needs a grand accord
The world is trying to make sense of the Trump tariffs. Is there a grand design and strategy, or is it all instinct and improvisation? But much more important is the question of what will ...4 days ago
- Poisoning The Well – It’s Not Just ACT
OPINION:Yesterday was a triumphant moment in Parliament House.The “divisive”, “disingenous”, “unfair”, “discriminatory” and “dishonest” Treaty Principles Bill, advanced by the right wing ACT Party, failed.Spectacularly.11 MP votes for (ACT).112 MP votes against (All Other Parties).As the wonderful Te Pāti Māori MP, Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke said: We are not divided, but united.Green ...4 days ago
- The Pacific Response Group is making pleasing progress but needs more buy-in
The Pacific Response Group (PRG), a new disaster coordination organisation, has operated through its first high-risk weather season. But as representatives from each Pacific military leave Brisbane to return to their home countries for the ...5 days ago
- Friday 11 April
The Treaty Principles Bill has been defeated in Parliament with 112 votes in opposition and 11 in favour, but the debate about Te Tiriti and Māori rights looks set to stay high on the political agenda. Supermarket giant Woolworths has confirmed a new operating model that Workers First say will ...5 days ago
- A few wins, for now
5 days ago - Aotearoa Wins!
And this is what I'm gonna doI'm gonna put a call to you'Cause I feel good tonightAnd everything's gonna beRight-right-rightI'm gonna have a good time tonightRock and roll music gonna play all nightCome on, baby, it won't take longOnly take a minute just to sing my songSongwriters: Kirk Pengilly / ...5 days ago - Indonesia’s cyber soldiers: armed without a compass
The Indonesian military has a new role in cybersecurity but, worryingly, no clear doctrine on what to do with it nor safeguards against human rights abuses. Assignment of cyber responsibility to the military is part ...5 days ago
- Weekly Roundup 11-April-2025
Another Friday, another roundup. Autumn is starting to set in, certainly getting darker earlier but we hope you enjoy some of the stories we found interesting this week. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday we ran a guest post from the wonderful Darren Davis about what’s happening ...5 days ago
- Bernard’s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix Six for Friday, April 11
Long stories shortest: The White House confirms Donald Trump’s total tariffs now on China are 145%, not 125%. US stocks slump again. Gold hits a record high. PM Christopher Luxon joins a push for a new rules-based trading system based around CPTPP and EU, rather than US-led WTO. Winston Peters ...5 days ago - The Hoon around the week to April 11
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics and climate, including Donald Trump’s shock and (partial) backflip; and,Health Coalition Aotearoa Chair ...5 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #15 2025
Open access notables Global and regional drivers for exceptional climate extremes in 2023-2024: beyond the new normal, Minobe et al., npj Climate and Atmospheric Science: Climate records have been broken with alarming regularity in recent years, but the events of 2023–2024 were exceptional even when accounting for recent climatic trends. ...5 days ago
- The US harms its image in the Pacific with aid cuts and tariffs
USAID cuts and tariffs will harm the United States’ reputation in the Pacific more than they will harm the region itself. The resilient region will adjust to the economic challenges and other partners will fill ...5 days ago
- Good fucking riddance
National's racist and divisive Treaty Principles Bill was just voted down by the House, 112 to 11. Good fucking riddance. The bill was not a good-faith effort at legislating, or at starting a "constitutional conversation". Instead it was a bad faith attempt to stoke division and incite racial hatred - ...5 days ago
- The threat spectrum
Democracy watch Indonesia’s parliament passed revisions to the country’s military law, which pro-democracy and human rights groups view as a threat to the country’s democracy. One of the revisions seeks to expand the number of ...5 days ago
- Australia needs a civilian cyber reserve. State emergency services are the model
Australia should follow international examples and develop a civilian cyber reserve as part of a whole-of-society approach to national defence. By setting up such a reserve, the federal government can overcome a shortage of expertise ...5 days ago
- Drawn
A ballot for three Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Life Jackets for Children and Young Persons Bill (Cameron Brewer) Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Restrictions on Issue of Off-Licences and Low and No Alcohol Products) Amendment Bill (Mike Butterick) Crown ...5 days ago
- Thursday 10 April
Te Whatu Ora is proposing to slash jobs from a department that brings in millions of dollars a year and ensures safety in hospitals, rest homes and other community health providers. The Treaty Principles Bill is back in Parliament this evening and is expected to be voted down by all parties, ...5 days ago
- Paying For Small Indignities
Hi,The piece I wrote last week about the chances of being rounded up and evicted (and/or detained) by the United States seems more… pressing.To be clear: antisemitism is fucking horrible — and in that same breath I also wonder what today’s statement from The Department of Homeland security means for ...5 days ago - Joint naval exercises with Russia undermine Indonesia’s commitment to international law
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has repeatedly asserted the country’s commitment to a non-aligned foreign policy. But can Indonesia still credibly claim neutrality while tacitly engaging with Russia? Holding an unprecedented bilateral naval drills with Moscow ...6 days ago
- Wednesday 9 April
The NZCTU have launched a new policy programme and are calling on political parties to adopt bold policies in the lead up to the next election. The Government is scrapping the 30-day rule that automatically signs an employee up to the collective agreement when they sign on to a new ...6 days ago
- Anticipating what Trump wants: Taiwan puts money in America first
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te must have been on his toes. The island’s trade and defence policy has snapped into a new direction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. The government was almost ...6 days ago
- Auckland’s Big Easter Rail Shutdown
Auckland’s ongoing rail pain will intensify again from this weekend as Kiwirail shut down the network for two weeks as part of their push to get the network ready for the City Rail Link. KiwiRail will progress upgrade and renewal projects across Auckland’s rail network over the Easter holiday period ...6 days ago
- Renewables allow us to pay less, not twice
This is a re-post from The Electrotech Revolution by Daan Walter Last week, UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch took the stage to advocate for slowing the rollout of renewables, arguing that they ultimately lead to higher costs: “Huge amounts are being spent on switching round how we distribute electricity ...6 days ago
- Refusing to Disappear
That there, that's not meI go where I pleaseI walk through wallsI float down the LiffeyI'm not hereThis isn't happeningI'm not hereI'm not hereSongwriters: Philip James Selway / Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood / Edward John O'Brien / Thomas Edward Yorke / Colin Charles Greenwood.I had mixed views when the first ...6 days ago - Bernard’s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix Six
(A note to subscribers: I’m going to keep these daily curated news updates shorter in future to ensure an earlier and more regular delivery. Expect this format and delivery around 7 am Monday to Friday from now on. My apologies for not delivering yesterday. There was too much news… This ...6 days ago - Gordon Campbell On Marketing The Military Threat Posed By China
As Donald Trump zigs and zags on tariffs and trashes America’s reputation as a safe and stable place to invest, China has a big gun that it could bring to this tariff knife fight. Behind Japan, China has the world’s second largest holdings of American debt. As a huge US ...6 days ago - Seabed sensors and mapping: what China’s survey ship could be up to
Civilian exploration may be the official mission of a Chinese deep-sea research ship that sailed clockwise around Australia over the past week and is now loitering west of the continent. But maybe it’s also attending ...6 days ago
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- Release: Food prices further stretching the family budget
Families already stretched by rising costs will struggle with the news food prices are going up again. ...6 hours ago - Release: Mental health staff and patients at risk without plan
More people could be harmed if Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey does not guarantee to protect patients and workers as the Police withdraw from supporting mental health call outs. ...1 day ago
- Release: Driver licensing proposal doesn’t put safety first
The Government’s proposal to change driver licensing rules is a mixed bag of sensible and careless. ...1 day ago
- Release: Students struggling as Govt sits on hands
The Government is continuing to sit on its hands as students struggle to pay rent due to delays with StudyLink. ...4 days ago
- Release: More must be done to stop children going hungry
More children are going hungry and statistics showing children in material hardship continue to get worse. ...4 days ago
- Greens continue to call for Pacific Visa Waiver
The Green Party recognises the extension of visa allowances for our Pacific whānau as a step in the right direction but continues to call for a Pacific Visa Waiver. ...4 days ago - More children going hungry under Coalition govt
The Government yesterday released its annual child poverty statistics, and by its own admission, more tamariki across Aotearoa are now living in material hardship. ...5 days ago
- Release: Longer wait for treatment under National
New Zealanders have waited longer to get an appointment with a specialist and to get elective surgery under the National Government. ...5 days ago
- Ka mate te Pire- Ka ora te mana o Te Tiriti o Waitangi me te iwi Māori
Today, Te Pāti Māori join the motu in celebration as the Treaty Principles Bill is voted down at its second reading. “From the beginning, this Bill was never welcome in this House,” said Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader, Rawiri Waititi. “Our response to the first reading was one of protest: protesting ...5 days ago
- Chris Hipkins speech: Treaty Principles Bill second reading
Normally, when I rise in this House to speak on a bill, I say it's a great privilege to speak on the bill. That is not the case today. ...5 days ago
- Release: End to the Treaty Principles Bill, but challenges remain ahead for Aotearoa
Ka mate te pire I te rā neiThe bill dies today ...5 days ago
- Ka mate te Pire, ka ora Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty Principles Bill dead, Te Tiriti o Waitangi m...
The Green Party is proud to have voted down the Coalition Government’s Treaty Principles Bill, an archaic piece of legislation that sought to attack the nation’s founding agreement. ...5 days ago
- Member’s Bill an opportunity for climate action
A Member’s Bill in the name of Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter which aims to stop coal mining, the Crown Minerals (Prohibition of Mining) Amendment Bill, has been pulled from Parliament’s ‘biscuit tin’ today. ...5 days ago
- Release: Bill to make trading laws fairer passes first hurdle
Labour MP Kieran McAnulty’s Members Bill to make the law simpler and fairer for businesses operating on Easter, Anzac and Christmas Days has passed its first reading after a conscience vote in Parliament. ...5 days ago
- Release: Reserve Bank acts while Govt shrugs
Nicola Willis continues to sit on her hands amid a global economic crisis, leaving the Reserve Bank to act for New Zealanders who are worried about their jobs, mortgages, and KiwiSaver. ...6 days ago
- Release: Property Law Amendment Bill pulled from ballot
A Bill to protect first home buyers and others from bad faith property vendors has been drawn from the Member’s Ballot. ...6 days ago
- Release: More children at risk of losing family connections
Karen Chhour is proposing to scrap Oranga Tamariki targets which aim to connect more children under state care with family and their culture. ...7 days ago
- Release: David Parker made a difference – Hipkins
The Labour Leader today acknowledged and celebrated David Parker’s 23-year contribution to the Labour Party and to Parliament. ...1 week ago
- Release: David Parker to step down from Parliament
Long-serving Labour MP and former Minister David Parker has today announced his intention to leave Parliament. ...1 week ago
- Release: Flaws in Govt’s climate strategy will cost us money
The Government’s plan to achieve our climate goals falls short, and will cost New Zealanders money and jobs. ...1 week ago
- Green Party differing view on the Treaty Principles Bill
Read the Green Party's differing view on the Treaty Principles Bill, prepared by Tamatha Paul. ...1 week ago
- Te Pāti Māori Urges Governor-General to Block Repeal of 7AA
Today, the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill has passed its third and final reading, but there is one more stage before it becomes law. The Governor-General must give their ‘Royal assent’ for any bill to become legally enforceable. This means that, even if a bill gets voted ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Abortion care quietly shelved amid staff shortage
Abortion care at Whakatāne Hospital has been quietly shelved, with patients told they will likely have to travel more than an hour to Tauranga to get the treatment they need. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt guts Kāinga Ora, third of workforce under axe
The gutting of Kāinga Ora shows public housing is not a priority for this Government as it removes a third of the roles at the housing agency. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Thousands of submissions excluded from Treaty Principles Bill report
Thousands of New Zealanders’ submissions are missing from the official parliamentary record because the National-dominated Justice Select Committee has rushed work on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Uncertainty remains over the impact of tariffs
Today’s announcement of 10 percent tariffs for New Zealand goods entering the United States is disappointing for exporters and consumers alike, with the long-lasting impact on prices and inflation still unknown. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Worst February for building consents in over a decade
The National Government’s choices have contributed to a slow-down in the building sector, as thousands of people have lost their jobs in construction. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour supports Willie Apiata’s selfless act
Willie Apiata’s decision to hand over his Victoria Cross to the Minister for Veterans is a powerful and selfless act, made on behalf of all those who have served our country. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori MPs Denied Fundamental Rights in Privileges Committee Hearing
The Privileges Committee has denied fundamental rights to Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, breaching their own standing orders, breaching principles of natural justice, and highlighting systemic prejudice and discrimination within our parliamentary processes. The three MPs were summoned to the privileges committee following their performance of a haka ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt health and safety changes put workers at risk
Changes to New Zealand’s health and safety laws will strip back key protections for small businesses and put working Kiwis at greater risk. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Kiwis worse off this April thanks to Govt choices
April 1 used to be a day when workers could count on a pay rise with stronger support for those doing it tough, but that’s not the case under this Government. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Three more years for Interislander ferries
Winston Peters is shopping for smaller ferries after Nicola Willis torpedoed the original deal, which would have delivered new rail enabled ferries next year. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Myanmar junta must stop the airstrikes
The Government should work with other countries to press the Myanmar military regime to stop its bombing campaign especially while the country recovers from the devastating earthquake. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: National failing to deliver on supermarkets
National is paying lip service to its promises to bring down the cost of living, failing to make any meaningful change in the grocery sector. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour backs farmers’ call for better process on GE
Labour shares farmers’ concerns that the Gene Technology Bill is moving too fast. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Bar still too high for small mental health providers
Small mental health providers will still be locked out of co-funding from the Mental Health Innovation Fund despite a lower threshold. ...3 weeks ago
- Greens call for Govt to scrap proposed ECE changes
The Green Party is calling for the Government to scrap proposed changes to Early Childhood Care, after attending a petition calling for the Government to ‘Put tamariki at the heart of decisions about ECE’. ...3 weeks ago
- NZ First Introduces Bill That Gives Democracy Back To The People
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill today that will remove the power of MPs conscience votes and ensure mandatory national referendums are held before any conscience issues are passed into law. “We are giving democracy and power back to the people”, says New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters. ...3 weeks ago - Speech: Navigating the New World (Dis)order in Turbulent Times
Welcome to members of the diplomatic corp, fellow members of parliament, the fourth estate, foreign affairs experts, trade tragics, ladies and gentlemen. ...3 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori Call for Mandatory Police Body Cameras
In recent weeks, disturbing instances of state-sanctioned violence against Māori have shed light on the systemic racism permeating our institutions. An 11-year-old autistic Māori child was forcibly medicated at the Henry Bennett Centre, a 15-year-old had his jaw broken by police in Napier, kaumātua Dean Wickliffe went on a hunger ...3 weeks ago
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- Far-Right Smear Campaign Continues Against New Zealand Green MP
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I have a personal opinion about why Phil is running off at the mouth.
I think that he realised that his time in London was running out and that nothing else was going to be offered. He therefor decided that he would do a Miles Franklin and write a book with a working title of "My Brilliant Career". However, while trying to come up with a publisher he discovered that hardly anyone remembered, or cared, about someone who was simply yesterdays man. Who really wants to read about what happened 20+ years ago?
Kicking up a fuss would appear to be his only chance of anyone remembering who he was and of making him vaguely interesting and relevant in today's world.
Does anyone know whether he has ever shown any interest in writing a book?
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[I have a personal opinion about why alwyn is running off at the mouth. Political trolling is fun.
I guess the alternative is that you really do think the worst of people, or at least left wing people eh.
btw, given you have three moderation warnings already this year for trolling (now four), you might want to consider that your time on TS is running out. – weka]
Your cynical conspiracy/fantasy falls over when you consider that what he said about Churchill…was pretty innocuous…
Whereas my cynical response is that having been Mr neoliberal incrementalist since the 1980's..
…that he was leaving it a bit late in the game to slap his chaps on..(gunfighter reference)…about anything..
..so..good on him..!…but y'know..in comparison to everything he has done that has so harmed our country/culture…
He has been in all that…boots and all (rugby reference)..so..y'know..!
I moved alwyn's comment, feel free to re-comment on the post (unfortunately we can't move comments back to posts)
This is weird!
Alwyn’s comment disappeared off my radar after you’d moved it to OM. Turns out the date of the comment got changed to 03/04/2025!? It’s now at the top of OM 04/04/2025 because it’s the ‘oldest’. You have true Magic
sshh, don't tell everyone
No worries, all eyes are on Trump anyway and nobody will notice.
mod note
I'm sorry that you see this as trolling. I have a number, sadly diminishing as we age, of friends who had careers in MFAT and have expressed their amazement that Goff could possibly expect his comments to be acceptable in his role as a diplomat. They, like me, wondered why he had done it. None expressed my opinion though, which was all my own.
I apologise for causing you the bother of moving it to OM.
sure, and if you had made that kind of political point instead of just doing lazy character assassination, there wouldn't have been a problem.
As someone who has worked closely with Phil Goff when he was Mayor, I can at least vouch for his record in office there. Unlike the current lot, he actually delivered stuff. If you are ever in Auckland, go have a stroll from the ferry building along Quay Street, over the raising footbridge, and over to Quay Park.
In coming years you will see a massive new shoreline park taking over the whole of Wynyard Park – which the 2021 America's Cup works cleared off the oil tanks and made ready.
No one had opened the entire waterfront up like that before. It was multiple projects. You want to see the value of leadership, go check what they delivered afterwards.
In Goff's case it's substantial.
It would be difficult for him not to have done some good…in 40 odd years…and all you cite is good..
But it does not detract from the fact that goff is neoliberal incrementalism writ large ..
..and it is that poxy ideology that has got us into the mess we are…
Its also the long term value of the Americas cup… without it evrything from the viaduct towards wynyadd and beyond probably wouldnt have happend.
Well not satisfied with wrecking Health and the RMA, now it is Public Housings turn to be scuppered. Kaiinga ora is losing nearly 500 staff. Many long standing staff.
Chris Bishop has been rebuked both privately and publicly by Peter Boshier the outgoing Ombudsman, but like every other check and balance of our democracy, largely ignored truncated or perverted to suit these National Party Plonkers.
Vote wisely in 2026, as the damage to our democracy is huge and ongoing, while ""reporting" dwells on Trump and the Green Party. To those losing your jobs, be ready to join the protest through the tears.
Bishop is dangerous because he is further to the right of Luxon and, unlike Luxon, can actually string a few words together when speaking live.
Bishops an accomplished dirty politics player connected to big tobacco etc with zero empathy.
Not so much lurking in the shadows now.
Doing the necessary work for the hollowmen backers. Its why he's a fast tracking cowboy minister IMO.
Dont think luxon could touch him, hes not in control just a figurehead manager with the warmth of a fridge.
WELL SAID PHIL GOFF-5 minutes ago on Morning Report (RNZ).
A must listen-listen to the end it gets better and better.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018981800/phil-goff-doubles-down-on-comments-that-led-to-sacking-as-high-commissioner
Post up now on Goff's principled stance.
https://thestandard.org.nz/go-phil/
Agree. says the emperor has no clothes, well done Phil.
Nick's Korero is spot on today-see sidebar. For instance:
Now, instead of having a highly skilled surgeon, the sole spine surgeon in the region, without time to perform operations, no one is available to carry out these surgeries – so tough luck if you need one.
Our health system is falling apart, and we cynically suggest that the government is allowing it to fail on purpose so they can privatise it.
I've said it before I know, but I truly believe that a Wealth Tax where the proceeds are ring-fenced to fix the public health system, would be well received by most of the electorate.
How to
convinceget through to the voters who are affected? Of course the top feeders (the true 1%ers) already know they are best off…why they fight so hard.Our Left Opposition parties need to rethink their core messages, and shout them !
Otherwise NAct1 are going to stumble to victory..again.
@ bg..
Agree with the targeted both ways reform..wealth tax to fix our screwed/broken health system..
As you say it is easily understood by the electorate..
..and easy to build support for..
..we need both..so conjoin them…
According to Owen Jones today in the Guardian in the UK:
"Polls show overwhelming support for public ownership of services and utilities and that 78% of the public back a wealth tax."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/03/left-uk-slide-into-farageism-leader-leftwing
The visible cuts to front line services is the tip of the iceberg that reti/levy/brown and the usual helpers (pwc, Deloitte etc) have launched at kiwis.
Erica Stanford awards top marks!
Should we be worried ? Esp re Penny (
deftdeath touch) Simmonds…"Phenomenal" "Stellar".."Doing really well". Are these what is said before…another hatchet job?
Any adult who uses words like "phenomenal" and "stellar" has lost contact with reality. Like the rest of her government (Luxon especially) she's a salesperson, and the product she is touting is herself for having achieved such an apparently astonishing turnaround from 4/10 to 10/10 in a year .
Ironically, the correct word to describe an imaginary turnaround of this sort is not 'phenomenal' but 'noumenal', i.e. something that is self-evidently the case in itself without the requirement of empirical phenomena as evidence. Is a person this foolish fit to be an education minister?
Whatever happened to "awesome"? Used to be everywhere. Overworked and pensioned off, I guess – as will doubtless be the case, given time, with the other two hyperboles in AB's first line.
Hmmm…. is that an example of noumenal ?
I have certainly had the misfortune to work for companies and organisations who employed so called "Managers", with degrees in the useage of phenomenal , stellar and similar vocabulary. Also common to the inHuman Resources Dept.
They rarely get caught out…as they are also Masters of Self Interest.
Someone should serve Erica a few of those imported lunches her department pays for as a reward.
Imagine delivering it to her in a press conference, share them around the room yum yum….dreams are free.
Would be an interesting exercise. The Press shouldn't have to partake…but definitely those few (esp Seymour and Stanford) who are actually pushing the slop.
Can imagine the so fake smiles….then the quick rush to the door..
Bluuurgh
What do so many in the media not seem to be able to understand that our g.s.t….as far as trump is concerned…is a tariff against America….'cos it sits between American goods and customers here…
Just because it is called a different name…does not make it so…
What can most seemingly not understand about that..?
If NZ is looking to get in Trumps good books, sucking up has a much better track record than logic. Fortunately NZ has furnished itself in advance with a suitably invertibrate PM, we are in a naturally strong position.
our g.s.t….as far as trump is concerned…is a tariff against America
It's not quite the same since it doesn't give locally produced goods a competitive advantage, since they have to pay GST also. So I’m guessing Trump doesn’t understand the finer points of taxology.
And I'm guessing you haven't heard trump talking about this..
He has said that he views sales taxes against American exports as a tariff…and he cited vat in Britain at the time..and that he would be factoring them in in any tariff retaliations..
And I’m guessing trump couldn’t give a flying act of fornication if anyone else also pays that sales tax..
My concern is that the original figure against us of 20% is in fact what trump has planned for us…
We just haven't realized that yet..
And I'm guessing you haven't heard trump talking about this..
He has said that he views sales taxes against American exports as a tariff…and he cited vat in Britain at the time..and that he would be factoring them in in any tariff retaliations..
All I'm saying is that Trump is wrong. A 10% tariff against NZ imports gives American producers an "unfair" advantage. We are not giving local producers an advantage by charging GST.
This of course does not mean that a good case for abolishing GST cannot be made, on other grounds. Failing that however we should be entitled to restrict consumption by charging a tax if we deem it necessary on economic grounds, providing that in doing so we don't discriminate against importers.
Trying to parse this myself. Though it may take a while.
https://taxpolicy.org.uk/2025/04/02/no-vat-isnt-a-tariff-but-the-us-would-benefit-from-adopting-it/
I speed read the above…
..and tho' not doubt academically accurate…
..trump has a simpler view of it..
..as in ..call it what you want..but it sits between American exporters and their customers…and therefore..in his mind/tariff calculating..is a target .
The Trumpian position is given formal proclamation here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-declares-national-emergency-to-increase-our-competitive-edge-protect-our-sovereignty-and-strengthen-our-national-and-economic-security/
The national emergency Trump has declared is framed here as the intersection of the economy with national security and sovereignty. It is a fundamental redefinition of the US state. It provides a basis in ethos for any enhancement of state powers to resolve the emergency. What the page does not address is why the bipartisan status quo became so toxic for the Americans. As a cure prescription, viability hinges on the historical track record of tariffs as tools. Investigation of that ought to become media focus.
The White House concludes their rationale with a hexad of bullet points, one of which cites Yellen as indicator of financial establishment support. Will the Fed declare against Trump? I suspect not. T could morph from deranged cowboy into state agent.
Which State?
The USA. If the Federal Reserve don't see his economic policy as a threat to the US economy, they will be seen to endorse it. If it spooks them, they will be likely to say so. Maybe not in public, if they are insufficiently alarmed. The markets are only down about 5% today – which is unlikely to spook the establishment.
So what I was getting at was his posturing as anti-establishment was to use the popular rebellion against the status quo to get elected, and now he's shifting the establishment into endorsing America First strategy. Thiel didn't want an official position this time around. He's working for T behind the scenes. Kushner same.
With all this tax talk, I thought I would group source a question.
If I import a motorcycle from Australia and pay the Aussie 10% GST on the bike and freight plus the 15%NZ GST, can I claim the Australian GST back?
If so how would I do that?
In Britain – as a tourist you can get a VAT refund on goods over a certain amount that you are taking home with you. We have never bothered to claim it for our 6 packs of M&S knickers and Manchester United T shirts – but you can do it.
I recall something similar from the 90s and yes we couldn't be arsed keeping receipts and claiming back.
This is, however, a 10,000 dollar motorbike….
Last time we tried to do that, it emerged that you had to produce the actual items to the folk issuing the refund, as proof they were being taken out of the country. And of course they were most if not all of them in the checked baggage …. which had to have been checked some time before you reached the GST refund people.
In other words, it's a rip-off. Don't fall for it.
When I do remote consulting services for Australian clients, my invoice for the Australian client does not include GST (zero-rated), so this part in your post is probably incorrect "and pay the Aussie 10% GST on the bike". My understanding:
If you're located here in NZ, you order the motorbike remotely, the vendor / seller will write you an invoice without Australian GST, because it's for export. NZ Customs will (probably) contact you regarding the NZ GST at time of import.
If you buy the motorbike on a visit in Australia, you pay the price + GST, you keep the receipt, and at the airport you go the ATO office to reclaim the GST… while they load your bike onto a plane. Okay, not sure how it works with a motorbike, because the ATO office at the airport usually wants to inspect the item you claim GST for.
When arriving in NZ, you might have to pay NZ GST, depending of the value exceeding a threshold (currently $1,000). See NZ Customs – Duty and Allowances
Thanks Satty.
All the correspondence so far has been via email and have sent through a quote which is structured as I outlined.
I will be having a conversation with them shortly before committing to the purchase and I will put what you have said to them.
i.e no Australian GST on the bike or freight and I will pay the New Zealand GST when customs receive the bike.
You might want to refer to the following website:
Ahh, thanks again.
Goodness, the more you know, the harder it gets.
I've been advised to get a Customs broker and an working through a obligation free quote at the moment.
The NZ Liberation League exposes NZ's new curriculum head, Elizabeth Rata, who believes pre-colonial NZ Māori were savages, and that teaching a more balanced non-colonial history romanticises the actions of pre-colonial and early colonial Māori.
"It's society without the wheel, it's cannibalism and warfare", her direct quote.
Ash Reborn questions the dirty politics of Doyle's accusers, none of which is focused on protection of the child. She points out that the process in a child abuse accusation should first to go to police, not be spread by Winston Peters. That identifying and posting pictures of the child on SM as part of the accusation chain is also a no-no.
following it from when Ani O'Brien first retweeted originally on Friday, my impression is they (the mob) just don't care. The point is to bring down BD and the Greens. Which is why they can run with such flimsy evidence. There's obviously not enough for a police investigation, but that's beside the point. They can run an online slur campaign anyway.
I'm seeing some tweets about the reposting the images of the child as a breach of the Harmful Digital Communications Act but I don't know enough about the Act, to have a sense of if that is true.
https://x.com/MichaelAArouet/status/1907794863673721074
Birdie: "OK, OK … just gimme time till the tenth leaf grows!!"
JV Last sums up the stupidity.
.
The American Age Is Over
Emergency Triad: The United States commits imperial suicide.
Jonathan V. Last
[…]
1. Canada
Fittingly, it was the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, who declared the official time of death.
https://www.youtube.com/live/6aaTA3zNixs?t=530s
And just like that, the age of American empire, the great Pax Americana, ended.
We cannot overstate what has just happened. It took just 71 days for Donald Trump to wreck the American economy, mortally wound NATO, and destroy the American-led world order.
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-american-age-is-over?
I may have missed it, I haven't seen the full list, though I know the Heard and MacDonald Islands (uninhabited) received a 10% tariff. but I heard one commentator say Russia is not on the list!
If this is so – why?
What does this tell us about the Russian asset in the White House?
Google is my friend – just checked. Can't see Russia on the list!
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ypxnnyg7jo
And North Korea!
I put something on DR last night about that. Here's the link: https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/donald-trump-us-reciprocal-tariffs-russia-sanctions-vladimir-putin-125040300153_1.html
If you read the White House emergency proclamation (see OM #7 today) you'll see that the rationale principle is reciprocity. Vlad the Bad is trying to avoid it currently, so it's a test of macho credibility for Trump. Z correctly called out Vlad's evasion the other day. T told the media he's "pissed off" at Vlad about that.
Meanwhile in the States opposition to the Trumpian / Musk chaos is growing and a nation wide protest is planned for this Saturday 5 April
https://handsoff2025.com